MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

Gegard Mousasi vs. Vitor Belfort at Affliction III on Aug. 1

Gegard Mousasi (24-2-1), who defeated Mark Hunt earlier today in the first round of DREAM's open-weight "Super Hulk" tournament, says he will next meet Vitor Belfort (18-8) in August at Affliction's upcoming third show.

Mousasi made the comments in a post-fight interview with M-1Global.com.

The Belfort vs. Mousasi matchup will be one of the featured bouts at Affliction III, expected to take place Aug. 1.

The event features a main event between current WAMMA heavyweight champ Fedor Emelianenko and former UFC title-holder Josh Barnett (likely in a five-round title fight). Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio) the pay-per-view event is expected to take place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

However, although Mousasi has confirmed the bout, Affliction has yet to announce it (or any other event information, for that matter).

Mousasi, who vacated his DREAM middleweight title to fight in the Super Hulk tournament, won the belt with a memorable run through DREAM's 2008 middleweight grand prix. The 23-year-old Armenian-Dutch fighter has now won 12 consecutive fights (all but two via stoppage). The win over Hunt, who had a 60-pound weight advantage, came first-round submission and moves him into the tourney's semifinal round later this year.

Belfort, meanwhile, has reemerged as a top-15 fighter in the 205-pound division thanks to a current four-fight win streak, which included a pair of Affliction wins over UFC vets Terry Martin and Matt Lindland, both of which have come via brutal knockout stoppages. The current Cage Rage light-heavyweight champion, 32, was just 2-5 from 2004 to 2006 before his recent rebound.

The latest rumored Affliction III card now includes:

* Champ Fedor Emelianenko vs. Josh Barnett (for WAMMA heavyweight title)*
* Vitor Belfort vs. Gegard Mousasi*
* Paul Buentello vs. Tim Sylvia*
* Paul Daley vs. Jay Hieron*
* Chris Horodecki vs. Dan Lauzon*

* - Not officially announced

 

[Shogun Locc]

Fedor Emelianenko vs Josh Barnett confirmed for Affliction 3 on Aug. 1

“Yes sir.”

Short and sweet language spoken by Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio earlier today when he confirmed with MMAmania.com that his heavyweight champion, Fedor Emelianenko (30-1-1), will defend his title once again when he faces another former UFC champion and top world-ranked talent, Josh Barnett (24-5).

The long-awaited heavyweight fight will finally happen at Affliction’s third venture, which is set to go down at the Honda Center in Los Angeles, Calif., on Aug. 1, 2009.

There has been a lot of talk over the years that both fighters were avoiding meeting in the center of the ring because of the friendship that the pair forged during their years fighting overseas under the Pride FC banner. It appears, however, that the showdown was inevitable — they are the last two men standing under the Affliction banner atop their respective division.

Emelianenko is coming off his dramatic win against Andrei Arlovski at Affliction’s second show – Day of Reckoning. The “Russian Cyborg” looked almost human for the first minute and a half as “The Pitbull” peppered him at will with his sound boxing skills.

That all ended in a sudden thud, however, when the Belarusian got a little too aggressive and attempted a flying knee, which Emelianenko countered with overhand right to the chin that put Arlovski out for the count.

As for Barnett, he last competed against Gilbert Yvel at “Day of Reckoning” on the same card as Emelianenko vs. Arlovski. While his win was mostly one sided, Barnett was visibly tired half-way through the fight and was repeatedly ineffective until the he was able to finish the fight via submission (strikes) in the third and final round.

It was not the kind of performance that will likely give Barnett fans much confidence going into his fight with Emelianenko. Regardless, his match up with Emelianenko is years in the making, which could make Affliction 3 the most successful (and memorable) event for the promotion to date.

In other Affliction 3 news, Atencio confirmed the fight card will feature a fight between Gegard Mousasi and Vitor Belfort; however, Belfort’s contract is not yet finalized. Nonetheless, assuming the I’s are dotted and the T’s are crossed, the fight has been green lit by Atencio.

The ink has also dried on contracts for Paul Buentello, Jay Hieron and Dan Lauzon to compete at Affliction 3. Buentello is rumored to fight Tim Sylvia, but there was no confirmation for Buentello’s opponent. The same goes for Jay Hieron and Dan Lauzon — their rumored opponents, Paul “Semtex” Daily and Chris Horodecki, respectively — are lined up but not yet final.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Mousasi-Belfort in Doubt, ‘Babalu’ Waiting in Wings

Less than 48 hours after it was confirmed, it seems the proposed bout between Gegard Mousasi and Vitor Belfort at Affliction 3 on Aug. 1 might not be happening after all.

“I had the contract given to me for a catch-weight of 195 pounds to fight Vitor Belfort,” Mousasi told Sherdog.com exclusively after his speedy submission against Mark Hunt at Dream 9 on Monday. “I’ve signed it, but Tatame has a recent article as of last night, asking Vitor about the fight, and he was talking about ‘no challenge,’ and that he ‘wouldn’t go up a division.’ So I don’t know if the fight will happen.”

Indeed, Tatame’s English website has a brief story up quoting Belfort’s desire to stay at 185 pounds, and that he wouldn’t find the fight compelling until he could fight Mousasi at the weight he had won the Dream title at.

“So, maybe another opponent? There’s talk about [Renato] Babalu [Sobral], or maybe for a title, but it’s not for sure yet,” said Mousasi. “I thought the fight was confirmed, but it’s not confirmed by Belfort. I’m definitely going to fight [at Affliction 3], but the opponent, it’s not for sure yet. We’ll see.”

A fight against Sobral would at least be in line with Mousasi’s weighty wishes of late, as naturally, it would happen at 205 pounds.

A light heavyweight bout would also interfere less with Mousasi’s progression in Dream’s Super Hulk tournament. Further, the Armenian-born fighter sees the August fight as a way of getting him in shape for the next round of the tournament in September.

“I want to fight more as a light heavyweight, because for the catch-weight fight, I’ll have to drop a lot of weight, and then I’ll fight again in the Super Hulk tournament. I’d be giving up a lot of weight,” said Mousasi. “I hope it’s going to be a light heavyweight or heavyweight fight [at Affliction]. But as for the Vitor Belfort, I don’t know. I don’t think it’s going to happen.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

"TUF" alumn Noah Thomas signs with WEC, replaces Eddie Wineland at WEC 41

Noah Thomas (13-4), a cast member from the fifth season of "The Ultimate Fighter," has replaced an injured Eddie Wineland (14-6-1) at next month's WEC 41 event.

Thomas will drop to 135 pounds to fight Frank Gomez (6-1) in a preliminary card bout.

WEC GM Reed Harris today announced via Twitter.com that Thomas had signed with the organization, and WEC PR Manager Dave Sholler confirmed with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that he'll take Wineland's spot on the WEC 41 card.

WEC 41 takes place June 7 at ARCO Arena in Sacramento, Calif. WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown meets former champ Urijah Faber in the Versus-televised main event.

Thomas, who was eliminated from "TUF 5" by eventual finalist Manny Gamburyan, enters the bout with a seven-fight winning streak, including six straight wins via submission. During "TUF" Thomas was eventually kicked off the cast and lost a spot on the undercard of the season-ending finale when he and Marlon Sims infamously got in a backyard brawl.

He replaces Wineland, who was forced off the card with an elbow injury.

"Noah went out and proved what he can do outside the organization," Sholler said. "Now we're excited to see what he can do in the WEC with his second chance.

"If it weren't for second chances, half of the people in this country wouldn't have jobs."

His opponent, Gomez, enters the fight looking to rebound from his first career loss. After six consecutive victories (all but one via stoppage), Gomez made his WEC debut in January at WEC 38 and suffered a 69-second submission loss to Scott Jorgensen.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Kindergarten flop: How a student shortage led ex-teacher Tim Hague to a big UFC 98 victory

At 6-foot-4, 265 pounds and with a fighting nickname of "The Thrashing Machine," Tim Hague may have been the most unlikely kindergarten teacher since Arnold Schwarzenegger asked a bunch of rugrats, "Who is your daddy, and what does he do?"

Hague, just a few days removed from an impressive octagon debut at UFC 98, enjoyed the job.

But when his small Canadian town produced only two kindergarten-ready students, his job was cut. Another opportunity, though, was right around the corner.

"My position got cut because there were only two students coming into kindergarten that year," Hague said on Tuesday's edition of MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). "So, I decided to take up fighting fulltime."

Soon after earning a degree in education from the University of Alberta, Hague took up MMA from scratch. Although admittedly never much of an athlete in high school (though he did enjoy the adrenaline of an occasional hockey fight), Hague quickly took to the sport. He made his pro MMA debut in 2006 and racked up a 9-1 record while fighting primarily for King of the Cage.

"I just kept fighting and winning my fights," said Hague (9-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), who eventually won a KOTC heavyweight title. "When the new year came, I decided to make a move with my management, and I got hooked up with Jake and Robert from Denaro (Sports Marketing).

"About a month after I signed with them, they called me and said I had a fight in the UFC."

There was good news and bad news for Hague. The good news was that he was facing a fellow fighter with little UFC experience, and even better, he was a half foot shorter and 40 pounds lighter. The bad news? It was Patrick Barry, an undefeated MMA fighter who uses his kickboxing skills to chop down larger opponents, such as Dan Evensen, whom Barry defeated in his octagon debut at UFC 92.

Stepping onto MMA's largest stage obviously played with Hague's nerves.

"I was so nervous that anytime I thought of my (9-month-old) baby boy I almost started to cry," Hague said. "I was just really nervous knowing I needed to perform well to stay in the UFC. ... It was just a nerve-wracking experience."

Hague, though, wouldn't let it get the best of him. He sustained some damage early and absorbed kicks and punches from all angles. But after he took the fight to the ground, Hague swiftly wrapped up Barry (4-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) and forced a tap-out from a guillotine choke just a minute and 42 seconds into the first round.

"Like I said in my post-fight interview, it's going to take a bulldozer to knock me down," Hague said. "I can take a lot punishment. ... When he started coming forward, I knew I needed to take the fight to the ground, or I was going to take some lumps."

After the victory, which was shown via delay on the night's pay-per-view broadcast, Hague played the waiting game. He was content with the victory, which earned him a base pay of $10,000 ($5,000 to show and $5,000 for the win bonus), but he also knew it made him eligible for one of the UFC's lucrative "fight night" bonuses.

His slick guillotine stood for a while, but Brock Larson ultimately nabbed the Submission of the Night award when he forced late replacement Mike Pyle to tap out from an arm-triangle choke.

"Man, I could've used that bonus money so bad," Hague joked.

With the victory, though, Hague assures he'll at least get another shot to try for the big payday. He's not sure when the fight will take place, but ideally, he'd like to fight every three to four times per year.

"Ultimately, I'd like to fight three months from now," he said. "I'll talk to manager soon. But he told me to let this victory soak in, and we'll talk in a week."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Strikeforce: Hamman out; "Feijao" vs. Kyle likely for June 6 prelims

Light-heavyweight prospect Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante (7-1) is once again without an opponent for his June 6 Strikeforce debut, as opponent Jared Hamman (10-1) has been forced out of the bout with an unspecified injury suffered in training.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today confirmed the change with Strikeforce Director of Communications Mike Afromowitz.

Additional sources close to the event have revealed Mike Kyle (11-6-1) is the leading candidate to fill in for Hamman on the preliminary card of the "Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields" event.

"Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields" is scheduled for June 6 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. The main card will be broadcast on Showtime.

Cavalcante was originally scheduled to face Strikeforce light-heavyweight champion Renato "Babalu" Sobral at the event. When the date of the card was moved from mid-May to June 6, Sobral elected to withdraw from the event, citing the proximity of the new date to the impending birth of his daughter.

Kyle, a former heavyweight and two-time Strikeforce veteran, has also fought for the UFC, WEC, Pancrase and King of the Cage. The American Kickboxing Academy product is currently riding a two-fight win streak after suffering through a stretch four fights without a victory between January 2006 and March 2008.

Afromowitz said he hopes to have a formal announcement for a replacement shortly.

Weigh-ins for the June 6 event are open to the public, and will be held on Friday, June 5 at 3 p.m. CT at Al Hrabosky's Ballpark Saloon in St. Louis.

The current fight card includes:

MAIN CARD

* Robbie Lawler vs. Jake Shields
* Andrei Arlovski vs. Brett Rogers
* Nick Diaz vs. Scott Smith
* Phil Baroni vs. Joe Riggs
* Kevin Randleman vs. Mike Whitehead

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante vs. Mike Kyle*
* Josh Bumgarner vs. Jesse Finney
* Tyron Woodley vs. Sal Woods
* Lucas Lopes vs. Scott Ventimiglia
* Pat Benson vs. Dave Cochran
* Booker DeRousse vs. James Wade

* - Not officially announced

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC 98 medical suspensions: NSAC medically suspends nine fighters

The Nevada State Athletic Commission has issued medical suspensions to a total of nine competitors from this past weekend's UFC 98 card, according to paperwork released by NSAC Executive Director Keith Kizer.

UFC 98 took place May 23 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Suspensions were issued to only two of the night's winning fighters, Kyle Bradley and Drew McFedries. Headliner Rashad Evans, who's suspended until July 23, was among the seven losing fighters who will also serve suspensions.

Evans lost his UFC light heavyweight title to Lyoto Machida via brutal second-round TKO. He's been suspended (with no contact until July 8) for precautionary reasons, which is a customary action taken after fighters suffer knockout losses.

Two of the suspensions, though, can end immediately following doctor's clearance. McFedries (right wrist) and Bradley (right hand) must have X-rays and the doctor's green light. Otherwise, each is suspended until Dec. 10.

The full list of suspensions included:

* Rashad Evans is suspended until July 23 with no contact until July 8 for precautionary reasons.
* Drew McFedries must have his right wrist X-rayed and cleared by an orthopedic doctor. Otherwise, he's suspended until Dec. 10.
* Xavier Foupa-Pokam is suspended until July 8 with no contact until June 23 for precautionary reasons.
* Sean Sherk is suspended until July 8 with no contact until June 23 for precautionary reasons.
* Patrick Barry must have his right foot X-rayed and cleared by a doctor. Otherwise, he's suspended until Dec. 10. Even if cleared, he has a minimum suspension until June 23 with no contact until June 14 because of the injured foot.
* Phillipe Nover is suspended until June 23 with no contact until June 14 for precautionary reasons.
* Kyle Bradley must have his right hand X-rayed and cleared by a doctor. Otherwise, he's suspended until Dec. 10.
* Andre Gusmao is suspended until July 23 with no contact until July 8 for precautionary reasons.
* Dave Kaplan is suspended until June 23 with no contact until June 14 due to a nose laceration.

 

[Shogun Locc]

HUGHES CONTENT WITH WIN, NOT GOING ANYWHERE

Matt Hughes defeated Matt Serra by decision at UFC 98, and following the co-main event bout he announced that he was a free agent. But before promotions start calling the former welterweight champion, he told Joe Rogan in his post-fight interview that he wouldn't fight for anyone outside of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The fight with Serra was close, but resulted in a unanimous decision. Asked what was going through his mind as the judges' scorecards were being read, Hughes stated, "I thought I had it. I'm sure Matt (Serra) thought the same thing. I thought I lost the first round and won the second two. The second round, I thought the majority was definitely on my side. I thought the third round was maybe a little closer, but I still thought it was mine. So, I went like I thought it was."

"When he knocked me down in the first round, I didn’t know what hit me. When I finally realized what had happened, I thought it was the same punch that knocked GSP down," Hughes said via his blog on his official website, Matt-Hughes.com. "My corner eventually told me that it was a head butt. His two minor submission attempts never even had me worried. When the fight was over, I was pretty confident I was going to get my hand raised.

"He stayed in real good position on his back," added the former welterweight titleholder. "I thought I would be able to use my weight and strength a little bit better. I was wanting to throw more elbows, but he did a good job of defending where I didn't get to throw the strikes that I was wanting to. I think I was able to wear on him a little bit, wear him out a little bit, but I thought he would be more tired than he was. He came in, obviously, better than I thought he would."

At the point in his career when every fight completed begs the question of what's next, Hughes discussed his future plans with the media, saying, "I don't know what I'm going to do. D.W. (Dana White) and I will get in a room and we'll talk about it, and we'll figure it out.

"I definitely still want to compete. I still think I'm competitive in the weight division, so we'll keep going," said the 35-year-old fighter, clearly not ready to hang his gloves up. "It will be interesting to watch Thiago Silva and Georges St. Pierre go at it. It will be an interesting fight for me to watch. We'll figure it out. Like I've said before, I'm not going anywhere."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Clay Guida: ‘I’m going to have that belt around my waist’

After I beat Diego, I feel like I’ve fought the toughest competition in the lightweight division in the two and a half years I’ve been with the UFC. People see my record, and 5-3 is nothing great. But people who have seen my losses know that every time I fight, I put on a show. I’ve lost a few close ones. Roger got the best of me, in a fight that he deserves. That was a turning point in my career. They guaranteed Diego a title shot if he beats me, but he’s not getting that title shot. I know I’m ready for a title shot. I fight better for better opponents. I’m going to outwork everyone in my division, I’m going to outwork the champion, and one day, I’m going to have that belt around my waist.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Gilbert Yvel wants to put Pedro Rizzo to sleep at ‘Ultimate Chaos’ on June 27

BILOXI, Miss. (May 27, 2009) – Dutch knockout artist Gilbert “The Hurricane” Yvel has relocated to the United States and plans to put his June 27th opponent, 3-time UFC heavyweight title challenger Pedro “The Rock” Rizzo, to sleep in the “Ultimate Chaos” co-feature live on pay-per-view from the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Former WWE superstar Bobby Lashley (3-0-0) headlines against K1 and PRIDE combat fighting legend Bob “The Beast” Sapp (10-4-1) on “Ultimate Chaos, presented by Prize Fight Promotions and Fight Force International, in association with the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum, Treasure Bay Casino and Budweiser.

“Ultimate Chaos” is being produced and distributed by Gotham MMA and Integrated Sports at 9:00PM ET/6:00PM PT in the United States and Canada on cable and satellite Pay Per View via iNDemand, TVN, DirecTV, Bell TV, Shaw, Star Choice and Viewer’s Choice for a suggested retail price of only $29.95.

Yvel (35-13-1) has stopped 30 of his 35 victims but he has fought only once in the United States, losing this past January to highly-rated heavyweight star Josh Barnett on “Affliction’s – Day of Reckoning.”

“I used to fight in Europe and Japan,” Yvel said. “It was okay, but I’m now living and fighting in a place where fighting is so big, the United States. This is the beginning of a new career for me. I’m a fighter and, in my opinion, takedowns are BS. I don’t want to fight on the ground. I believe there should be one man left standing and the other asleep. If both fighters are still standing, to me, it’s like a draw. I want to win by knockout, not points.

“Pedro used to train in Holland where I’m from and I know a little bit about him. I hope we have a stand-up fight but he’s a black belt in jiu-jitsu and if he’s smart, he’s going to take me to the ground. I hope he fights standing up so I can knock him out.”

Yvel, who won seven straight matches before losing to Barnett, has stopped top fighters such as Valentijn Overseem, Cheick Kongo, Carlos Barreto, Gary Goodridge, Kiyoshi Tamura and Brian Dunn. Gilbert’s career, however, has been surrounded by controversy due to three losses by disqualification.

“Everybody makes mistakes,” Yvel explained. “I don’t live in the past and that was years ago. Every day is new and I’m training to fight to my full potential. I’m a real fighter, the type fans want to see. I’m just being myself. I just want to go in there and hurt somebody. I’m the guy the American public has been waiting for. I bring something new into the cage or ring.”

Always dangerous lightweight Din “Dinyero” Thomas (24-8-0), star of The Ultimate Fighter 4; takes on former King Of The Cage and Gladiator Challenge champion Javier “Showtime” Vasquez (12-2-0), while Canadian lightweight sensation Chris “The Polish Hammer” Horodecki (12-1-0) meets 4-time World Muay Thai champion William “The Bull” Sriyapai (12-4-0).

Also fighting on the card are welterweights Brett Cooper (9-4-0) vs. Waachiim “Native Warrior” Spirit Wolf (5-4-0), Affliction vice president Tom Atencio (1-0-0) vs. pro debuting lightweight Randy Hedderick, middleweight James Orso (8-3-0) vs. Colby McMahan (3-1-0), The Ultimate Fighter 3 star Danny Abbadi (3-4-0) vs. veteran middleweight Lance Thomson (4-2-0); welterweight Eric Bradley (2-1-0), 2-time All-America wrestler and 2003 NCAA boxing champion at Penn State, vs. Belfast, Northern Ireland brawler Colin McKee (3-2-0). All fights and fighters are subject to change.

Tickets are priced at $25.00 (limited discount seating), $40.00 (general admission) and $55.00 (premium reserved seating) and sale at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum and all TicketMaster outlets.

For more information go to www.theultimatechaos.com, www.fightforce.org or www.mscoastcoliseum.com. Doors open at 5PM/CT, first fight 6 PM/CT, and the first PPV fight is at 8 PM/CT.

 

[Shogun Locc]

MMA Quick Quote: Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller tells Brazilian nuthuggers to go suck it

[The illegal kick] was a mistake. Jacare calls me a clown and disrespects me all the time, headbutted me and opened a cut on my eye. If he could’ve done it to me, he would have. I’ll beat the shit out of him legally next time. What’s he gonna do? Submit me? LOL Kayo me? LMMFAO. Brazillian nuthuggers can suck my mother fuckin dick, that gets more pussy than any one of you could imagine, due to my MTV show, my good looks, and my tons of money. How is that for classy? Oh you know what, I don’t give a fuck what you think, I’m the fucking man. What was your down syndrome Brazillian gonna break? NOTHING. Bitch ass had me on the ground for 3 seconds. Let me get my bread for fucking him up in a rematch, and watch you all cry about how I “don’t respect the sport.” In the words of Dana White, “Fuck you you fucking cunt.” Go jerk off to TUF.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Kawajiri one step closer

As one of Japan’s stalwart MMA patriots, Tatsuya Kawajiri saw his victory over Gesias Cavalcante as one step closer to his actualization of the MMA ideal.

“Despite this fight going to the decision, in my opinion, I thought it was a performance true to MMA, where I interweaved striking to my takedowns to smash into my opponent and take his will,” Kawajiri said. “Though it was a decision, this is the style that will eventually allow me to take submissions, so I think this performance is a step in the right direction for how I want to fight in the future.”

Cavalcante showed great respect in defeat, accepting the decision without reservation.

“Yeah, I think he won,” he said. “I’m not going to complain. I come to fight, so whatever happens, I’m gonna be OK. I love this shit. I’m gonna be back, I know my way. Victorious people in life have a long way. If you overcome all those [obstacles], you will be victorious. I know who I am inside. I know what I gotta do, and I know what I’m gonna’ get.”

Kawajiri said he’s now waiting on Joachim Hansen’s return.

“Today’s fight was to determine a title challenger, so now that I’ve become a frontrunner, my image is one where I’d fight in a big fight on New Year’s Eve for the title,” he said. “But it all depends on what Dream and the fans want.”

Aside from another foray into the K-1 ring to take on fan favorite Masato in July, Kawajiri looks to be next in line to challenge Hansen for the title. Kawajiri’s peer, Shinya Aoki, will take on Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro on the Dream 10 card rather than the rumored Aoki-Hansen rubber match.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Dream hits ratings goal

Dream event producer Keiichi Sasahara made good on his promise of delivering a 15 percent or better average rating for Dream 9’s tape-delayed broadcast on the Tokyo Broadcasting System.

Immediately following Daisuke Naito’s defense of his WBC 112-pound title against China’s Zhao Zhong Xiong -- which pulled a comparatively weak 20.4 percent compared to Naito’s last defense against Shingo Yamaguchi that pulled a rating of 25.6 percent -- the Dream 9 broadcast maintained a reasonable 16.2 percent average, peaking at 19.1 percent for the Warren-Yamamoto bout.

“I feel relieved that it was so successful. Insofar as passing a ratings goal, it’s a huge success. I feel confident that we can now declare a victory here, in terms of ratings,” said an elated Sasahara.

“I’m very, very happy. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to sleep so well.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Mayhem-Jacare III already in the works?

“I’m very disappointed. I wanted to give the Dream audience a great show. I think I did, but in the wrong way,” said a disappointed Jason "Mayhem" Miller of his no contest middleweight title match against Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza. “I wanted to show that Dream was the number one show in the world and that we have a true champion here in the middleweight division. And now, I’m going to make us wait.”

Given the anticlimactic ending to the main event, Dream event producer Keiichi Sasahara said that he would like to reschedule a third encounter between Miller and Souza for the recently vacated middleweight title.

“I’d like to set up a rematch for the title as soon as possible. Now there seems to be a grudge between them, so it will be an exciting fight,” Sasahara said.

Both fighters showed distaste for each other over the course of the brief bout, but while Miller hasn’t forgotten the heated exchange of words, Souza already has.

“He didn’t really say anything. I was so concentrated on the fight. I really wanted to continue, so that’s why I acted the way I did,” Souza said of his recollection of their heated verbal exchange.

Said Miller: “In the staredown, he said that he would break me, and I said, ‘We’ll see.’ Then later in the fight, I said to him, ‘What are you gonna break? What are you gonna break?”

Miller also guffawed at Souza’s comments that he had Miller in trouble on the feet.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Veteran welterweight Frank Trigg returning to the UFC, signs multi-fight deal

Veteran fighter Frank Trigg (19-6 MMA, 2-3 UFC) is returning to the Ultimate Fighting Championship after signing a four-fight deal with the organization.

Trigg, who's a daily host for MMAjunkie.com Radio, today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) about the signing, which took nearly nine months to complete.

Trigg, who recently turned 37, went 2-3 in his first UFC stint from 2003-2005, but he's perhaps best remembered for two unsuccessful attempts at Matt Hughes' UFC welterweight title.

The Xtreme Couture fighter is expected to fight in late fall or early winter, though no specific date or opponent has yet been determined for his UFC return. Although he's competed as a middleweight in some recent fights, he'll remain at welterweight in the UFC.

When negotiations again started with Zuffa in 2008, Trigg initially talked to company executives about fighting for the UFC's sister promotion, World Extreme Cagefighting.

"We tried real hard to make a deal for the WEC, back when they still had a welterweight division, and we just couldn't come together," Trigg said. "I talked to them again, and (WEC matchmaker) Sean Shelby and (UFC matchmaker) Joe Silva and I got together and worked it all out."

The WEC eliminated its light heavyweight, middleweight and welterweight divisions beginning in 2008. Most of the weight classes' top fighters (including Carlos Condit, Chael Sonnen and Brock Larson) now compete in the UFC.

Trigg made his octagon debut at UFC 45 and suffered a loss to then-champ Hughes. It was the first of two losses to Hughes via rear-naked choke that would dog him in following years. To this day, Trigg jokes that he can't bear to watch the UFC's popular event-night highlights package, set to the tune of "Teenage Wasteland," because it features the two losses so prominently.

Trigg, who suffered a submission loss to Georges St. Pierre in the final UFC fight, is 7-2 since he left the organization in 2005. He's fought for ICON Sport, where he defeated Jason "Mayhem" Miller to win the organization's middleweight title in 2006, as well as PRIDE, HDNet Fights, World Victory Road's "Sengoku" event series and Strikeforce.

He's currently riding a four-fight win streak with six wins in his past seven fights.

During his 12-year pro career, the former University of Oklahoma wrestler has defeated the likes of Miller, Kazuo Misaki, Falaniko Vitale, Edwin Dewees and Dennis Hallman. His losses have come to notables Hughes (twice), St. Pierre, Condit, Robbie Lawler and Hayato Sakurai.

Trigg, who's also done commentating for organizations such as PRIDE and Affliction, last competed at a February Xtreme Cagefighting Federation event, where he defeated Danny Babcock via unanimous decision.

 

[Shogun Locc]

With Cung Le on the sidelines, Scott Smith feels Strikeforce "has got to do something"

Currently experiencing a career resurgence of sorts, Strikeforce middleweight Scott Smith (16-5) has earned a reputation as a heavy handed striker with an iron chin.

But as Smith finishes up his preparations for a June 6 contest with Nick Diaz at "Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields" in St. Louis, Smith is ready to be known by a much simpler description: champion.

But with Strikeforce title holder Cung Le (6-0) currently on the sidelines, Smith feels the organization may need to look at shaking things up.

"The 185-pound weight class, I think, is the most stacked weight class in Strikeforce," Smith said on today's media call promoting the June 6 event. "The champion's not fighting, so [Strikeforce] has got to do something about it. Whether it's me or (Robbie) Lawler fights Cung Le or me and Lawler fight for an interim belt, something's got to happen.

"We've got to get a belt out there going at 185 (pounds)."

Le won the title with a TKO of then-titleholder Frank Shamrock in March 2008. The San Shou expert has been pursuing a movie career since the win, and Le has no immediate plans for a return.

Should Smith defeat Diaz – no small feat in itself – the win would be his third straight for Strikeforce. "Hands of Steel" believes that accomplishment would be worthy of title consideration, even if it was of the interim variety.

"[Le] is the champion, and I know he's busy and he's got things going on, but we've got to do something," Smith said. "Maybe get an interim belt going on. We can't just sit around and wait forever."

Smith doesn't believe he's the only one that should be currently under consideration. Smith believes Lawler, with whom he had a pair of entertaining 2008 clashes and who will headline the June 6 event, also deserves to be in the mix.

"I definitely think I'm in line for one of the top fights," Smith said. "But I do understand timing is everything for fights.

"Lawler's last two fights were against me. I have won two fights since then, but I do understand if I've got to wait in line and wait my turn."

Strikeforce's middleweight title isn't the only belt being held hostage. Alistair Overeem earned the heavyweight title in November 2007, but the Dutchman has yet to defend the belt.

Strikeforce Director of Communications Mike Afromowitz said he hopes to have that situation rectified this fall, but Le's – and the middleweight division's – fate still remains unknown.

Smith just hopes he'll soon get a chance soon to prove he's earned a shot at Le – and the Strikeforce middleweight title.

"Especially after this card, there's going to be some guys deserving of that title," Smith said. "[Le] is definitely the champion. He's unbeaten. Hopefully I get the chance someday to test myself against him."

 

[Shogun Locc]

FEIJAO VS. KYLE CONFIRMED FOR JUNE 6 STRIKEFORCE

A rumored showdown between light heavyweights Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante and Mike Kyle is now set to take place.

Strikeforce Director of Communications Mike Afromowitz confirmed the news with MMAWeekly on Wednesday afternoon.

Kyle is the third opponent on the table for Cavalcante. An originally proposed match-up with Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Renato "Babalu" Sobral was scratched after Sobral withdrew due to family issues. A second proposed fight with Jared Hamman fell through when Hamman broke his nose, Cavalcante told MMAWeekly.com on Wednesday morning.

The fight will take place on the preliminary card of "Lawler vs. Shields," set for the Scottrade Center on June 6 in St. Louis, Missouri. Another last minute addition hit the wires last week when a heavyweight match-up between former UFC heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski and Brett Rogers materialized for the event's main card.

Cavalcante has been inactive since the breakup of Elite XC. He was scheduled to face Cyrille Diabate at the now-defunct promotion's final show last November, but was put on the back burner once again. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt has been staying busy, though, training the last five months with Black House teammates Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Anderson Silva. He is 7-1 in his professional career.

Kyle last fought last August at a charity fight event in Los Angeles, defeating Mychal Clark by Unanimous Decision. It was his second straight win since falling short against Wayne Cole at the joint Strikeforce/Elite XC promotion, "Shamrock vs. Le," last March. The controversial fighter was then returning from a nearly two-year suspension by the California State Athletic Commission for striking a fighter past a referee's stoppage. Kyle, a former UFC prospect, is 11-6-1 as a professional.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Wand working on “calligraphy” for Franklin

Wanderlei Silva’s phase wasn’t good. With three losses in four fights, the Brazilian bet on his historical and agreed to do the third fight against Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, at UFC 92, the same guy that was knocked out twice by the Brazilian. However, this time the result was different. To turn things around in the UFC, Wanderlei called his ex-coach, Rafael Cordeiro, and is doing everything to repair the mistakes and go back to victories in UFC 99, against Rich Franklin.

"I'm doing calligraphy. When someone writes badly, he takes the notebook and writes the "a, b, c"... It is a very tough job. Yesterday, I was doing basic boxing training for an hour with my boxing coach here. He fixes me in all punches, the positioning of the foot and the hand", said Wanderlei, in an exclusive interview to the TATAME Magazine #159. In the chat, Silva also revealed that is planning to open a Wand Fight Team branch in Brazil, after the success that the team did in the United States. "I will open a branch of my gym in Brazil, it’s right. I’m just choosing the city. I’ll built my academy and I want to open the branches with all that I have here ", revealed the Axe Murderer, advancing, the intention to create a project to help poor fighters.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Strikeforce heavyweight Brett Rogers: "For me, now, it's about building respect"

Undefeated Strikeforce heavyweight Brett Rogers (9-0) wrapped up his April win over Ron Humphrey by telling anyone that would listen that he was ready for bigger and better challenges.

When his June 6 co-main event bout with Andrei Arlovski (15-6) at "Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields" in St. Louis was announced, many believed Rogers might have gone just a little too far up the heavyweight ladder.

But in a recent media call promoting the event, Rogers said he got exactly what he wanted.

"This is definitely going to be a step up in class," Rogers said. "Arlovski has been in the game for quite some time, and he has plenty of experience. (But) those are the type of fighters I'm trying to fight from here on out.

"For me, now, it's about building respect. I feel like I don't have it, so fighting Arlovski is going to be a fun and challenging event."

"Fun" and "challenging" might not be the words most would use to describe Arlovski. "Pitbull" has faced some of the best fighters in the world in his 10-year career, including wins over Roy Nelson, Ben Rothwell, Fabricio Werdum, Marcio Cruz, Paul Buetello, Tim Sylvia and Vladimir Matyushenko.

In fact, the 30-year-old Arlovski had already established himself as UFC heavyweight champion before Rogers had even turned pro.

Rogers said he can't allow himself to get caught up in the hype surrounding his opponent once the fight begins.

"I'm not going to allow myself to get caught up in it," Rogers told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "I'm pushing aside everything.

"Back in the day, I was more a fan. I've just been pushing that all out of my head and looking at different fighters as fighters. Arlovski is just one out of a few people I'm aiming at. I'm just going to go out there and just fight – just do what I do. I love doing it."

Rogers fought into the second round for the first time in his career in his April win over Ron "Abongo" Humphrey. Showing improved cardio and a dangerous attack from the clinch, the win earned Rogers a chance to finally quit his job and focus full-time on training.

With unquestionably his biggest challenge just one week away, Rogers isn't ready to go back his old way of life.

"I just went in there (against Humphrey), clogged his stuff and did what I needed to do," Rogers said. "There was too much money riding on it. If I didn't win that fight, I'd still be working.

"I feel like I'm still in the same situation with the Arlovski fight. If I move forward, it's great. But if I don't, I've got a problem."

And while Arlovski will certainly be the heavy favorite heading into the June 6 event, Rogers isn't prepared to hand over the win just yet.

"He's just another man," Rogers said. "He walks around with vampire teeth. He's supposed to be a monster. Well, I'm a monster, too.

"I like to go in there and just hurt. That's all I want to do. I don't want to do anything else. None of that soft tacky stuff – just hurt."

Facing a former UFC champion that most MMA observers feel is among the top-three heavyweights in the world is a major step up for Rogers, who was focused on a potential showdown with Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson a little more than a year ago.

But while the odds will certainly be against him, and a loss would certainly be an acceptable – if not expected – result, Rogers doesn't view the bout as a "no-lose" situation.

"I don't want to say it’s a no-lose situation because I always feel like I have to win," Rogers said. "If it goes the other way around, will it affect it? I don’t know. I haven't felt that other side and I’m not trying to feel that other side.

"I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing and just go out there and fight to the best of my ability. Hopefully that means me leaving the fight with the win."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Fulltime Fighter: Sean Salmon gives an inside look at a week of training in Wolfslair

Here we go, back again from Liverpool, England. I'm just going to ramble on about what has been going on and what we've been doing and hope some of you find it interesting.

As I discussed in my column earlier this week, I recently left Ohio to come over here to Wolfslair to help with some of their fighters, including Michael Bisping, who meets Dan Henderson in July.

So after the workout here at Wolfslair this past Friday, I was told that staying at the gym over the weekend would make me want to kill myself. They said not many people train during the weekend and that I'd pretty much be here by myself.

Thank God for Ricco Rodriguez. (Which is a sentence I never thought I would say in my life.)

Ricco took me back to a very nice apartment in downtown Liverpool to stay there for the weekend. I am not much for sightseeing or experiencing different cultures, but it was nice to run through downtown Liverpool and see things that I would never otherwise get to experience.

Anyway, we started training again Monday morning. I learned very quickly that they do not mess around on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at Wolfslair. It is hard sparring, hard conditioning, and no one is very nice. We beat the hell out of each other for a solid hour and a half in the morning and then another hour at night. I think I took more lumps in those two workouts than I have in all my professional fights combined.

The best part about it is that everyone over here is so friendly (when they're done punching you in the face). This is a real team that wants everyone around them to succeed, from the top guys to the new guy at the gym, and they work very hard to achieve those goals.

I was very happy to learn that Tuesdays and Thursdays are a bit more about technique and gameplanning than beating the crap out of each other.

So, right now I am back staying at the gym for the week of tough training with Paul Kelly (a very cool scouse), Tommy Rowlands (an old friend and Cagefigheter employee) and LeeRoy Barnes.

My skill level has already improved by 100 percent. You can't be around a guy like Bisping and not get better (or at the very least, raise your level of intensity).

I also don't think I mentioned how perfect this training camp works out for me personally. I am fighting next weekend, June 6, in Cleveland, Ohio, for one of my favorite organizations, the NAAFS (www.naafs.tv). I am hoping finally to get a few cheers from the Cleveland crowd; for some reason, I always get booed mercilessly in Cleveland. So if there is anyone reading this from Cleveland, please come to Fight Night in the Flats at the Nautica Pavilion (formerly the Plain Dealer Pavilion) on June 6 and cheer for me in my home state!

Once again, if there is good feedback and you guys are interested, I will continue to give Wolfslair updates throughout the week.