MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

Lyoto: “The UFC won’t feel sorry for me. I’ll give my best to win”

Lyoto Machida is a complicated situation on UFC. With two consecutive losses on the octagon, the karate fighter will face the American idol Randy Couture on UFC 129, and desperately need the win to get rid of the pressure imposed by his boss, who’s talking about dismissal. “UFC considers the incomes a lot, the profits, and if I’m not pleasing the fans anymore, they won’t feel sorry for me”, said Lyoto to TATAME, promising his best against Couture, analyzing the game of his opponent and commenting the expectations for fighting for 50 thousand people in Canada, besides analyzing the title fight between Mauricio Rua and Jon Jones.

How are the trainings going?

We’re working a lot on my conditioning, because we know Couture is much resistant. And we’ve already started the technical trainings, but we still are doing the basics.

What is your expectation for it?

The expectations are the best. We know Randy Couture is a great champion, a guy who helped to build the sport as it is, and it’s a great pleasure to have this fight on my résumé, because I’ll be part of Randy Couture’s history on the sport. He added much to MMA. I believe we can win, we have many weapons. Despite he’s on a certain age, he’s tough and experienced, and he’s been fighting guys like Minotauro, and he did tough fights and he’s tough for anyone.

outure is known for his efficient Wrestling and his dirty boxing on the clinch… Have you set a game plan for it?

This is his strong point, but he has evolved a lot along with the sport. As he always competed in high level, he doesn’t do only thing and one thing only. The clinch game may be his strongest weapon, but we’ve noticed many areas he’s good at. He dodges well, he has good takedowns…

Will you do your preparation in only Belem or will you go to Rio de Janeiro or the United States?

Well, for the United States I don’t intend to go now, but maybe I’ll go to Rio and spend a season there. While I don’t decide if I’ll go, I’ll stay here. Probably I’ll bring some people to train with me here.

You’re coming from two losses and have been criticized a lot, event by UFC’s president. Do you believe you’re on a complicated situation on the event? Do you think a loss can lead you to a dismissal?

Of course. UFC considers the incomes a lot, the profits, and if I’m not pleasing the fans anymore, they won’t feel sorry for me. That’s why I’ve always invested on me a lot, and it won’t be any different now. If I did a lot, I’ll do a lot more now. I’ll give my best trying to win. If I have to bring the best professionals, I will. I’ll be far, geographically, but I can bring the guys to help me here in Belem.

UFC 129 has already broken the audience record and it’s the greatest income within all events. How do you think it’ll be like to fight in front of over 50 thousand people?

I’ve had the experience of fighting in front of over 50 thousand people, on Tokyo Dome, but UFC’s fans are different. They scream, they boo, it’s a different thing. I have great expectations to know how it’ll be like, but I believe I can control this well. I can’t get trapped by this. I can focus.

At least it won’t be on the United States, otherwise you’d have 50 thousand cheering against you, right?

I don’t think it’s too hard to happen, because Randy is well liked anywhere, he has a great name and went far on the sport. But there’s this American-Canadian rivalry, and I’m counting on it (laughs).

Shogun will put his belt at risk against the young Jon Jones. What do you expect of this fight? Do you think Jones might win?

When you enter the cage, specially against a guy like Jones, of course he can win, but I believe Shogun is more prepared and plays harder. Technically, he’s more complete than Jon Jones. He has a good ground game, he’s a good striker, he knows everything. Everybody’s looking at Jon Jones’ side, who’s a young guy, but I don’t agree. He just seems to have an advantage because of his conditioning. Shogun is also young and has conditions to do a great fight. Shogun is more likely to win then Jon Jones.

 

[Shogun Locc]

DEEP MEGATON Tournament! Deciding The Next Title Challenger

A 4-man one-night DEEP MEGATON Tournament will take place at “10th Anniversary DEEP ANNIHILATE!” on March 13th. The winner of the tournament will be the next challenger for the DEEP Megaton title. I believe there will be 4 rock bands or something at the event as well (it’s basically a collaboration event between the rock bands and DEEP).

A 62kg fight was also announced for the event and it’s a good one between two 26 years old who are both coming off losses. Seiji “Sage” Akao of Nex Sports will take on Kiguchi Dojo’s Takeshi Numajiri, who you might remember as the guy triangle choking his own bicycle on the Sengoku Gold Rush TV show.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Chris Lytle vs. Brian Ebersole official; UFC 127 again complete with 12 bouts

UFC newcomer Brian Ebersole (44-15 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is now official for the promotion's return to Australia, and UFC 127's fight card is again complete with 12 contests.

Ebersole meets fellow welterweight Chris Lytle (30-17-5 MMA, 9-9 UFC) on the evening's main card.

UFC 127 takes place Feb. 27 at Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia and airs live on pay-per-view. Due to the time difference, the event airs live in the U.S. on Feb. 26 in its normal Saturday-night timeslot. A welterweight clash between former champion B.J. Penn and perennial contender Jon Fitch headlines.

An American fighter now based in Australia, Ebersole carries a seven-fight win streak into the matchup, and his lone loss in his past 12 overall fights was to current Bellator Fighting Championships middleweight champion Hector Lombard. Fighting professionally since 2000, Ebersole has competed under the Strikeforce and International Fight League banners, as well as King of the Cage.

During his extensive career, Ebersole has clashed with MMA notables Stephan Bonnar, Tony Fryklund, Ed Herman, Matt Horwich, Lombard, Carlos Newton, Kyle Noke, Shannon Ritch, Kerry Schall, Alex Schoenauer, Alex Serdyukov and Nick Thompson, among others.

Lytle, meanwhile, quietly has amassed a four-fight win streak with UFC victories over Kevin Burns, Brian Foster, Matt Brown and former champ Matt Serra. "The Ultimate Fighter 4" runner-up said he wants to close out his career with a shot at the belt, though it's unclear now where he stands in the title contention picture.

Ebersole was tapped as a late replacement to Carlos Condit, who has forced withdraw from the contest due to injury.

With the official addition, UFC 127's lineup now includes:

MAIN CARD

* Jon Fitch vs. B.J. Penn
* Michael Bisping vs. Jorge Rivera
* Dennis Siver vs. George Sotiropoulos
* Chris Lytle vs. Brian Ebersole
* Chris Camozzi vs. Kyle Noke

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Spencer Fisher vs. Ross Pearson
* Alexander Gustafsson vs. James Te Huna
* Riki Fukuda vs. Nick Ring
* Mark Hunt vs. Chris Tuchscherer
* Maciej Jewtuszko vs. Curt Warburton
* Tom Blackledge vs. Anthony Perosh
* Jason Reinhardt vs. Tiequan Zhang

 

[Shogun Locc]

Alex Davis predicts "Bigfoot" title run, questions wisdom of Emelianenko matchup

For Antonio Silva (16-2 MMA, 3-1 SF), this past Saturday's Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix bout with Fedor Emelianenko (31-3 MMA, 1-2 SF) was the opportunity of a lifetime.

The Brazilian heavyweight made good on his promise to shock the world by forcing a doctor's stoppage at the end of the second round and handing Emelianenko his second consecutive defeat.

Silva's manager, Alex Davis, believes the win was just the first of many high-profile wins on the horizon for his client. He also questions the wisdom behind Emelianenko's decision to fight Silva and says "The Last Emperor" may have some very difficult decisions on the horizon.

"We are fans of Fedor, and we watched him dominate the world's best heavyweights for 10 years in spectacular fashion," Davis told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "Nothing and no one will ever take this away from him.

"I had sought this fight for a long time because I knew Antonio had the tools to beat him. Antonio has been performing each time better and better, and I knew that in order for him to climb the ladder in the heavyweight division, he needed to challenge himself by facing a living legend like Fedor. In every fight there is risk, and it was perfectly conceivable that Fedor could have dropped in, landing one of those explosive shots that he has done so many times before, and add Antonio to his long list of amazing victories. We knew this and accepted it."

But while Davis saw nothing but upside in the matchup for Silva, the longtime manager admits he's surprised Emelianenko's camp was willing to take the fight while looking to rebound from a June 2010 loss to Fabricio Werdum, especially when there were better stylistic matchups available for the Russian.

"Fedor was coming off a loss, his first real loss, due to an error which Fabricio Werdum, an extremely talented top heavyweight fighter, was quick to take advantage of," Davis said. "I found it odd of Fedor's management to put him against Antonio at this point in his career. Antonio had to be the worst option of all the available fighters. Antonio is talented, explosive, strong, technical and building momentum and he has shown to be a hungry, aggressive and determined fighter, an extremely dangerous opponent for any heavyweight walking the planet.

"Fedor's management had the leverage to seek a less risky fight for him coming off a loss, and to me it seems that the interests of the group surrounding him surpassed the interest in him as a fighter and in his career. To me, this was a gross mistake in management and the whole group, not just Fedor, will pay dearly for it. The loss potentially ends his legacy and risks imploding the organization that surrounds him."

It's a sentiment shared by many others, not the least of which is UFC president Dana White, who recently took to Twitter to accuse Emelianenko's camp to be "the worst management in fight history." Emelianenko fought just four times between 2008 and 2010, a span that many MMA observers believe should have been used to cement his legacy.

Instead, Emelianenko's loss left many – including the Russian, himself – pondering his future.

Davis said he hopes Emelianenko's camp supports whatever decision the heavyweight ultimately decides is right.

"Marco Ruas said something to me which is very true," Davis said. "There comes a moment in a fighter's career when he starts declining. It's a very difficult thing for most fighters to accept, a very personal thing for each individual, but a fact and reality that sooner or later must be accepted.

"I truly hope this is not the case with Fedor, but if it is and he accepts it, those around him must put their self-interests aside and respect it."

Emelianenko's future will ultimately be decided in the coming months, and M-1 Global executive Vadim Finkelchtein and Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker have both insisted they expect him to fight again. Nevertheless, Davis sees Silva's win as a sort of passing of the torch and believes his client is now poised to make a championship run in Strikeforce's ambitious tournament.

"With this fight, Antonio has proven he is a top heavyweight," Davis said. "Not only has he established this as a fact, he also has gained confidence in himself now that he knows what he can do. From here to No. 1 is but a step or two, and there is no one more deserving.

"This man has traveled a very difficult road, suppressing all the personal and professional obstacles put in front of him. My prediction is that he will become No. 1 in the near future, and I am very proud of him and my part in getting him here. I thank from the heart the many people who helped us on this road."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Chris Camozzi Isn’t Here By Luck; Hard Work Landed Him UFC 127 Main Card

If you’re a fan of mixed martial arts, you admire the performances put on by the fighters when they enter the cage, ring, or Octagon. The display of athleticism put on by the competitors, their ability to transition from one fighting aspect to another. All these and other things make up the spectacle that is currently the fastest growing sport in the world.

Showcasing such talent and ability isn’t something that fighters walk into from the moment they decide to enter the sport. As they say: this ain’t no walk in the park, son!

Believe that it takes a certain type of man – or woman – to find the discipline warranted of a fighter and consistently perform at one’s physical peak. Personal sacrifice is par for the course, and it can reach beyond the physical aspect as well. Family, friends, and personal relationships sometimes play second fiddle to a fighter’s training regimen, especially when approaching fight night.

The effort poured into the cup of one’s fighting career is enough to confirm that it takes more than just simple luck to get to the big stage. Just ask UFC 127 fighter and former Ultimate Fighter contestant Chris Camozzi about how lucky he is to be where is.

“Sometimes, when people say, ‘you’re lucky,’ it bugs me a little,” he said on MMAWeekly Radio. “They don’t realize that, even though I love doing it, it does take a lot of work and it’s not luck that gets you there.”

Getting to the premier league of MMA is no easy task. Most never make it there, only to spend the majority of their careers rummaging through the lower grade leagues, chomping at the bit for what is supposed to be a paycheck, but it barely puts food on the table.

“You don’t just wake up and get to fight in the UFC,” Camozzi said. “You have to go through the rough parts of fighting on small shows for 200 bucks or whatever.”

But just like anything, if you put enough heart and passion into it, you can make moves to put yourself in a prime position to dominate and reap the benefits of success.

“I could get a full-time job, but I put everything I got into training beforehand, and I wanted to make a go at fighting,” said the former TUF cast member.

Camozzi has done the small shows and paid his dues to get where he’s at. Now he’s fighting for the most popular MMA promotion on the face of the earth – on one of the organization’s main cards, no less. In his next bout, he will meet another former TUF competitor in Australia’s Kyle Noke. Camozzi says he is familiar with the man from down under, confirming that he saw Noke as one of the favorites to win the 12th season of “The Ultimate Fighter.”

“I’m familiar with his fights,” he said. “I knew he was going to be a force on the show when they had the rumored names out online. When I left, I thought he would be one of the guys to win it. So he’s definitely talented, he’s good. It’s a tough match-up for me.”

There hasn’t been a lot of talk leading up to this fight. Noke – a fighter who doesn’t typically play the role of smacktalker – is looked at as more of a threat by Camozzi simply because he chooses not to hurl verbal mud at his opponent prior to their scheduled match-up.

It’s those quiet ones that will get you.

“I think it’s the guys that don’t talk that you have to worry about,” admitted Camozzi. “It’s usually the guys that are talking all the smack that are compensating for something. I don’t mind fighting either way, that’s not my thing. But I’ve fought guys that talk like that and it just kind of helps fuel the fire. It makes me want to run through them. And now, with guys like Kyle I (have to) stay more technical, which is probably smarter for me anyway. Better than let emotion take over and try to go wild.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Update on Werdum, Mark Munoz, Wandi Silva, Shogun Rua and More from Master Rafael Cordeiro at Kings MMA

 

[Shogun Locc]

Shane Carwin Defends Fedor, Takes Jab At UFC HOF, Randy Couture, Ken Shamrock

you lose two fights and end up with a 31-3 record and people question his relevance. I do not get it. HoF inductees are 19-10 & 25-15

http://twitter.com/ShaneCarwin

 

[Shogun Locc]

BJ Penn

In my eyes Fedor will always be a champ.

http://twitter.com/bjpenndotcom/status/36682923969085440

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC Fight Night 24: Anthony Johnson Talks Dan Hardy

 

[Shogun Locc]

Fedor will participate in Sambo tournament in 10 days from now

"Fedor said that he wants to participate in Russian National Sambo tournament, so in the end of the month, we are going to St-Ptersburg. We are not taking any pauses and are ready to train and take parts in various competitions" - Aleksander Michkov, Fedor's striking coach.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Jones’ agent merges with another sports agency

Jon Jones’ agent, Malki Kawa, has joined forces with a sports management agency to form Authentic Sports Management. The agency will have offices in New York, Los Angeles and South Florida.

Via Authentic Sports Management press release:

Entrepreneur and business owner Glenn Robinson and entertainment manager Jon Rubinstein announce the establishment of Authentic Sports Management (ASM) company and the merger of ASM with longtime Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) manager Malki Kawa’s First Round Management. The merger forges a team with vast experience in MMA and sports and entertainment management, endorsements and sponsorships, brand building, marketing and public relations to create a unique full service firm. ASM offers unparalleled representation that will set a new standard in the MMA sport.

Payout Perspective:

The press release indicates that Robinson began a sports agency in late 2010 but it does not indicate whether he had experience in representing mixed martial artists. Rubinstein owns an entertainment agency with offices in New York and Los Angeles. As we know, Kawahas a stable of MMA stars including Jones. The alliance combines Robinson’s marketing experience, Rubinstein’s mainstream entertainment knowledge and Kawa’s MMA clientele. One might see this as an acquisition of Kawa’s stable so ASM can get its foot in the door of MMA.

With the recent ousting of manager Shari Spencer by GSP and Frankie Edgar, this new merger of fighter services will be interesting. It appears that the move is an attempt to bolster the visibility of MMA fighters with the goal of getting fighters (namely, Jon Jones), mainstream sponsorships. We will see how Rubinstein can leverage his entertainment business knowledge into opportunities for mixed martial artists. Also, how receptive will mainstream sponsors be of fighters. After GSP, maybe Jon Jones (provided he wins in March) can crossover. But, will there be enough appeal for others?

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC, Strikeforce Set to Enjoy Early 2011 Success

The UFC has experienced tremendous growth over the last few years. Its PPV revenues have increased by an annual average of over 20% in the last three years and its live gate has tracked similarly at an average increase of 15% . This is outstanding growth, but also difficult to sustain, which is why many fans and pundits alike are questioning how much longer the UFC can continue this breakneck pace of expansion.

Dave Meltzer was the first to question whether the UFC would continue its revenue growth in 2011. He suggested 2011 might indeed serve as a rebuilding year for the UFC. Similar to a professional sports team taking a year to restock on talent, the UFC might need a year to build new stars and create new interest within each weight division. Meltzer’s argument isn’t without merit, either: the UFC’s top draw, Brock Lesnar, is no longer champion; the dramatic decline in the UFC’s television ratings might signal reduced interest as a whole in 2011; and the expansion into new foreign markets shifts some of the UFC’s focus away from their domestic PPV cash cow.

My own opinion is that the UFC still has room for growth within its current business model and slate of partnerships. The key to this growth is putting forth a consistent year from start to finish, which is something it hasn’t quite managed to do in the last couple of years. In 2009 it started with a bang but ended with a whimper due to injuries. In 2010 the carry over effect from those injuries saw the company get off to a late start, but really charge hard towards the end. Now, a glance at the next six months reveals that the UFC is off to solid start:

* UFC 125: Edgar vs. Maynard II ($2 million gate, ~300,000 PPV buys)
* UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort ($3.6 million gate, ~700,000 buys)
* UFC 127: Penn vs. Fitch (prediction: $3 million gate, 225,000 buys)
* UFC 128: Rua vs. Jones, Faber vs. Wineland (prediction: $3 million gate, 625,000 buys)
* TUF 13: Lesnar vs. Dos Santos
* UFC 129: St-Pierre vs. Shields, Aldo vs. Hominick, Couture vs. Machida (prediction: $10 million gate, 850,000 buys)
* UFC 130: Edgar vs. Maynard III, Jackson vs. Hamill (prediction: $2.5 million gate, 550,000 buys)
* UFC 131: Lesnar vs. Dos Santos (prediction: $4.5 million gate, 800,000 buys)

The UFC could very well sell 4.0 million PPVs (over 7 events) and $30 million at the gate (over 11 events) in the first six months of 2011, which compares somewhat favorably to 4.1 million PPV buys (over 8 events) and $25 million at the gate (over 12 events) in the same period last year.

While the UFC probably won’t be smashing any previous records with another year of 15-20% event-related revenue growth, it’s more than reasonable to believe the company could achieve modest 5-8% increases on the year.

This, of course, also depends on a quality second half to the year, but there are more than a few reasons to think this could be the UFC’s most consistent year ever. The UFC will get both Cain Velasquez and Dominick Cruz back by late summer. Georges St-Pierre vs. Anderson Silva could help the UFC finish strong in December (although, first GSP needs to defeat Shields at 129). The outcome of several fights in this opening six months could produce a host of intriguing headliners for the second half (e.g., Faber vs. Wineland). Moreover, if we look away from MMA for a moment, potential labor conflict at the NBA and NFL could help to reduce some of the UFC’s competition come September; and, if you look at the numbers, the UFC has traditionally done the best during the summer when the NBA, NFL, and NHL are in off-season mode.

——

There can be no conversation about the growth of MMA without mentioning Strikeforce. It may be the second largest fight organization in the world and far behind in the revenue race, but it possesses a heavyweight division as deep and talented as any out there. This Strikeforce HW GP is the perfect way to showcase that organizational strength and breathe new life into the organization. There’s a significance and purpose to these fights that Strikeforce has sorely lacked over the years. It’s not just enough to put on good fights in this business, Strikeforce has got to put on good fights that mean something, and this GP provides an answer to that age old sports marketing question of “why should we care?”.

If you look at Strikeforce’s schedule over the next three months, it’s easy to see why MMA fans are going to be a spoiled bunch in 2011:

* Fedor vs. Silva, Arlovski Kharitonov (February)
* Feijao vs. Henderson, Manhoef vs. Kennedy (March)
* Overeem vs. Werdum, Barnett vs. Rogers (April)

The ratings Strikeforce pulled with its last event are certainly encouraging. I’m not certain a PPV is necessarily in the cards for 2011 – especially now that Fedor is out of the tournament – but I do think they’ll do enough to get themselves back on CBS within the year.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Scott Coker on Dana White Twitter Rant: 'Keep Watching Strikeforce'

After Fedor Emelianenko lost on Saturday night's Strikeforce card, UFC President Dana White went wild on Twitter, where he ripped Fedor's management at M-1 Global for, in White's view, tarnishing Fedor's legacy by keeping him away from fighting in the sport's premier promotion.

White's tweets included comments like, "Fedor has been fighting bums for years!" and "Last nights fight was a set up for Fedor to win and he got his face smashed!" Many of the tweets included profane insults about Fedor's managers and fans, some of whom were using Twitter to argue with White about Fedor's legacy.

But while White was animated and many of his Twitter correspondents were, too, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said he didn't get worked up about any of it.

In fact, Coker told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour that he's just glad to know White was watching Showtime on Saturday night.

"At least the guy's watching, right? He's watching Strikeforce," Coker said. "As long as he wants to keep watching Strikeforce that's a good thing."

Coker refrained from criticizing White on the matter, but Coker did criticize one of his own business partners, M-1 Global's Evgeni Kogan, who responded to White on Saturday night.

"Easy to be a prick tweeting on your phone, isn't it? Come see us and say it to Vadim's face - we're in 'Jersey, coward," Kogan wrote in a tweet directed to White a few hours after Fedor's loss.

Coker said he thought it was silly for Kogan to respond that way.

"That's childish, 'Come to Jersey,'" Coker said. "Like Evgeni -- what's he gonna do?"

For his part, Coker said he admires the way White has worked to build the UFC and thinks that both promotions can coexist successfully.

"I respect Dana and what he's done," Coker said. "Their success is great and our success is great, too."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Throat Grab Technique Helped Antonio Silva Beat Fedor Emelianenko


Two members of the first family of Brazilian jiu jitsu, Ryron Gracie and Rener Graice, have produced this excellent instructional video showing the jiu jitsu techniques that Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva used to dominate Fedor Emelianenko on the ground during the second round of Saturday night's fight.

The whole thing is worth watching, but it's especially interesting to hear the Gracie brothers comment on a technique that seems like something out of a street brawl but was in reality an intelligent, tactical mixed martial arts maneuver employed by Silva: Grabbing Fedor by the throat.

From the video:

"Throughout his periods of mount control, Bigfoot would grab the throat, which is very wise, put the pressure on the throat, so it had to be somewhat respected, and then he would punch, hammer, punch. That's very tricky. Fedor had to deal with the choke and he had to block the punches. It wasn't an easy place to be."

It can't be overstated how important the throat grab was to Silva's victory. He first employed it about 40 seconds into the second round, when he used his left hand to grab Fedor by the throat and threw two hard punches with his right hand. Fedor escaped that one, but when Silva got full mount at about the 3:30 mark, he immediately grabbed Fedor's throat with his left hand again and smacked Fedor around with his right hand. For most of the rest of the round, that was Silva's primary method of controlling Fedor: Grabbing his throat with one hand and punching him with the other.

Although the MMA rules of the New Jersey State Athletic Commission prohibit "throat strikes of any kind," holding your opponent by his throat is completely legitimate. There have been some proposals in MMA to ban grabbing the trachea, but under the current rules, what Silva was doing is perfectly legal.

The technique is sometimes called a strangle choke, and some people use the appalling term "rape choke" to describe it. Whatever you call it, it's a great technique for imposing your will on your opponent from the top position on the ground. Silva employed the same technique in his last fight, a second-round TKO win over Mike Kyle, and other fighters who have used it include Tom Erikson, (who choked out Matt Skelton in Pride), Wanderlei Silva (who did it to Keith Jardine) and Rampage Jackson (who did it to Chuck Liddell).

It's also worth noting that one of Silva's advantages as a fighter is that he has enormous hands. I've met a lot of MMA fighters and NFL players, and the only handshake in my life that has ever made me gasp at the size of the other person's hand was when I met Silva. With such huge hands, it's easy to wring your opponent's neck.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Report: Cummins, Bradley Allegedly Fail to Appear; Warrants Issued

According to the Centre Daily Times, former Penn State University wrestling standouts Patrick Cummins and Eric Bradley are now wanted in Pennsylvania for allegedly failing to appear Tuesday morning at a sentencing hearing for a 2008 burglary case.

The Centre Daily Times is reporting that the pair allegedly failed to attend their sentencing, which was scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday morning in Courtroom 2 of the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte, Penn.

The wrestlers-turned-MMA fighters were originally arrested in May 2008 for allegedly burglarizing seven PSU fraternities dating back to December of 2007. The pair are reportedly accused of stealing laptops, video games, iPods and cash, among other items.

The wrestlers reportedly cooperated with the prosecution, pleading guilty to the burglary charges while striking a verbal agreement that they would receive probation for cooperating. The case's prosecutor changed, however, and the verbal plea bargain was reportedly not upheld. The two were scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 11, but that date was continued to Feb. 15.

Cummins recently made his professional MMA debut in December, where the light heavyweight easily dispatched Terrell Brown on the undercard of Strikeforce “Henderson vs. Babalu 2.” A participant in the Sherdog Fighter Exchange experiment, Cummins traveled to Brazil with mentor Jason "Mayhem" Miller last year. Cummins was a national runner-up as a heavyweight at the NCAA championships in 2004.

Bradley is an EliteXC veteran who last competed in October. An All-American at 184 pounds as a Nittany Lion, Bradley holds half of his career MMA wins by knockout or submission.

Sherdog.com attempted to contact Cummins, but he could not be reached for comment.

 

[$migg Cant Rap]

UFC Fight Night 24: Anthony Johnson Talks Dan Hardy

i hope he does end up knocking out hardy. been a fan of johnson for awhile now..

 

[$migg Cant Rap]

Throat Grab Technique Helped Antonio Silva Beat Fedor Emelianenko

i like these gracie breakdowns of the fights. bigfoot is a fuckin gorilla, just like they said lol.

plus he's got that 4sideddie chin..

 

[Shogun Locc]

Kennedy Wants to KO Manhoef

Tim Kennedy thought he was fighting Jason “Mayhem” Miller again. Then Luke Rockhold. Now Melvin Manhoef.

Although his opponent for the March 5 Strikeforce event in Columbus, Ohio, seems to keep changing, Kennedy likes the latest challenge.

“Melvin’s on a list of guys I’ve been wanting to fight in Strikeforce,” Kennedy said recently on the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show. “I couldn’t be more thrilled. He’s a great fighter. He’s really exciting. I love fighting guys that come to fight. My least favorite guys in all of MMA are the counterpunchers that like to ride out decisions. I want somebody that’s going to come right at me and actually wants to show up to fight, and that’s Melvin.”

Kennedy does not feel Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza wanted to fight in their Strikeforce middleweight title bout last August. Souza won a unanimous decision that left Kennedy infuriated.

“That fight was totally crap,” Kennedy said. “I sat there for 25 minutes and stalked the guy around the cage as he would peck me with the jab or throw an overhand right. Repeat for 25 minutes. That sucks. I, as a fan, would get bored with that fight. For crying out loud, come forward and fight me. You’re the greatest grappler on the planet. So I stuff you on a couple of takedowns, maybe try for a third one. If I take you down, maybe try to submit me. Don’t sit there and ride out a decision doing some fancy footwork for some so-called judges that are boxing judges. That’s stupid. If you’re going to win a title, come into the cage to fight.”

Kennedy acknowledged the fight was close, but he believes he deserved the decision. It’s a loss he wants to avenge as soon as possible. A win over Manhoef would likely put him right back in the title mix.

“I think this fight will put me really close,” Kennedy said. “I feel like I’m ready to get right back in there. I’m definitely chomping at the bit to.”

Manhoef is a dangerous striker with massive holes in his ground game. History suggests that Kennedy would be best served by taking the fight to the mat and looking for a submission. However, Kennedy said he is not interested in pursuing the safest strategy.

“I’m not that kind of fighter,” he explained. “I want to fight. I know everybody cares about who gets the W, but the fans want to see exciting fights. … Of course I like winning, but I like fighting. Fighting’s the essence of the sport, and that’s what people pay to see. If I’m going to take him down, I’m going to pick him up and I’m going to slam him. I’m not going to stay tight for a close submission. I want to knock him out. That’s what fans like seeing and that’s what I like delivering.”

Kennedy has a similar plan for Souza if he gets past Manhoef and they meet again.

“Instead of stalking him, I’m going to straight up just charge him,” Kennedy said. “I’m going to do exactly what I should have done, and that was just bring the fight, a five-round, crazy, ugly fight for a title, like it should be.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

‘Machete’ Fekete Added to Bellator Light Heavyweight Draw

Bellator Fighting Championships’ inaugural light heavyweight tournament now has two confirmed participants, as the promotion on Wednesday announced that unbeaten collegiate wrestling convert Nik “The Machete” Fekete will take part in the eight-man bracket.

Fekete joins Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Daniel Gracie on the official list of competitors for the tournament, the winner of which will earn $100,000 and the first-ever Bellator 205-pound title. As reported by Sherdog.com on Monday, Tim Carpenter, Chris Davis, Raphael Davis and D.J. Linderman are also expected to join the field. Light heavyweight quarterfinals are expected to be held March 26 at the as-yet-unannounced Bellator 38.

Fekete, a former NCAA Div. I wrestler at Michigan State and member of the U.S. Olympic wrestling team, fights out of Las Vegas’ Xtreme Couture gym alongside friend and fellow Spartan Gray Maynard, and has trained with a slew of well-known mixed martial artists.

“I went out to Beijing for a month-and-a-half in 2008 for the Olympics to help the team train, and as soon as I got back home, I packed my stuff up and I moved to Vegas,” Fekete said in a release. “I started teaching classes at Xtreme Couture, and then Wanderlei Silva asked for my help, so I helped teach him a couple different things. I was kind of like a freelance guy, going from gym to gym.”

Fekete made the transition to MMA in 2009 and has since run off four consecutive wins, among them a decision victory over now-streaking Strikeforce talent Ovince St. Preux. The 30-year-old last competed in December at Tachi Palace Fights 7, where he stopped the more experienced Chris Bostick on second-round strikes.

“I think 2011 is going to be a breakthrough year for me,” Fekete said. “I’ve been training my whole life and I’ve been training non-stop for more than two years in MMA. It may sound cliché, but I’m truly excited to go out there and put on a show for all of the fans in attendance, and the millions that will be watching on MTV2.”

Bellator’s fourth season will begin airing on new cable home MTV2 with Bellator 35 on March 5.

 

[Shogun Locc]

‘Semtex’-Headlined BAMMA 5 to Stream Live on Web

The British Association of Mixed Martial Arts today announced that its Feb. 26 BAMMA 5 event will stream live on the promotion’s website as an online pay-per-view.

The event, which takes place at Manchester Evening News Arena in Manchester, England, will be headlined by a BAMMA welterweight title clash between Strikeforce contender Paul “Semtex” Daley and Deep champion Yuya Shirai.

Fans will be able access the live stream at www.bammatv.com for a fee of $10. The promotion also announced that $5 repeat screenings of the show will be available after the live stream. A $12 option will grant fans access to the live stream and seven days of unlimited on-demand access.

“We’ve been looking at international streaming for some time and it makes total sense to kick this off with BAMMA 5,” said BAMMA Vice President of Business Development Liam Fisher stated in a release. “Paul Daley-Yuya Shirai is one of the most internationally significant MMA fights so far this year and bridges together three different MMA promotions. It would be a crime to not show this fight around the world.”

The show, which will also feature a heavyweight tilt between former UFC champion Ricco Rodriguez and “The Ultimate Fighter 4” cast member James McSweeney, will also be broadcast live in the United Kingdom on cable channel SyFy. According to the release, the network has signed on to broadcast five planned BAMMA events this year.