MMA News Thread
- Thread starter Shogun Locc
- Start date
I think people confuse how big Fedor is online and how big of a draw he actually is in the U.S. I would love, and will pay, to see this card because I like what Adrenaline is doing and I like this match up. I hope they do well but that's a huge payout for an up and coming organization.
People that I know that order UFCs but don't watch much MMA know Fedor as that russian guy, if they even know who he is at all.
People that I know that order UFCs but don't watch much MMA know Fedor as that russian guy, if they even know who he is at all.
Trigg, Grear Featured on ‘Inside MMA’
videolink: http://www.sherdog.com/videos/videos.asp?v_id=1553
On this week's HDNet "Inside MMA," featured exclusively on the Internet via Sherdog.com, Bas Rutten (Pictures) and Kenny Rice review the results from UFC 83 and preview the upcoming Dream II event.
Guests include Frank Trigg (Pictures), Toby Grear (Pictures) and comedian Joey "Coco" Diaz.
videolink: http://www.sherdog.com/videos/videos.asp?v_id=1553
On this week's HDNet "Inside MMA," featured exclusively on the Internet via Sherdog.com, Bas Rutten (Pictures) and Kenny Rice review the results from UFC 83 and preview the upcoming Dream II event.
Guests include Frank Trigg (Pictures), Toby Grear (Pictures) and comedian Joey "Coco" Diaz.
Leben vs. Bisping confirmed for UFC 85
Just hours after the organization announced a UFC 85 main event of Matt Hughes vs. Thiago Alves, the UFC also confirmed a main-card bout between Chris Leben (18-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) and Michael Bisping (15-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC).
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) mentioned the possibility of the bout on Wednesday, and on Friday evening, the UFC made it official.
UFC 85, which also features a bout between former headliner Rashad Evans and James Irvin (a replacement for injured Chuck Liddell), takes place at the O2 Arena in London, England.
Bisping agreed to the bout less than a week after his UFC 83 main-card victory over Charles McCarthy. Bisping, the light heavyweight winner of "The Ultimate Fighter 3," made his middleweight debut with a first-round TKO at the event. McCarthy announced his retirement just days after the fight.
Bisping will now take on hard-hitting Leben, a product of the first season of "The Ultimate Fighter" who most recently TKO'd Alessio Sakara at UFC 82 in March. The 27-year-old, who began his UFC career with five straight victories, will now go for his third straight win after back-to-back losses to Jason MacDonald and Kalib Starnes.
With this week's flurry of UFC 85 transactions, a solid middleweight bout between Nate Marquardt and Thales Leites has now officially been relegated to the un-televised preliminary card.
UFC 85 is currently slated to air on pay per view.
The latest card now includes:
MAIN CARD (TELEVISED)
Thiago Alves vs. Matt Hughes
Michael Bisping vs. Chris Leben
Marcus Davis vs. Mike Swick
Rashad Evans vs. James Irvin
Brandon Vera vs. Fabricio Werdum
PRELIMINARY CARD (NOT TELEVISED)
Martin Kampmann vs. Jorge Rivera
Thiago Tavares vs. Matt Wiman
Thales Leites vs. Nate Marquardt
Luiz Cane vs. Jason Lambert
Roan Carneiro vs. Ryo Chonan
Jess Liaudin vs. Paul Taylor
Antoni Hardonk vs. Neil Wain
Just hours after the organization announced a UFC 85 main event of Matt Hughes vs. Thiago Alves, the UFC also confirmed a main-card bout between Chris Leben (18-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) and Michael Bisping (15-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC).
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) mentioned the possibility of the bout on Wednesday, and on Friday evening, the UFC made it official.
UFC 85, which also features a bout between former headliner Rashad Evans and James Irvin (a replacement for injured Chuck Liddell), takes place at the O2 Arena in London, England.
Bisping agreed to the bout less than a week after his UFC 83 main-card victory over Charles McCarthy. Bisping, the light heavyweight winner of "The Ultimate Fighter 3," made his middleweight debut with a first-round TKO at the event. McCarthy announced his retirement just days after the fight.
Bisping will now take on hard-hitting Leben, a product of the first season of "The Ultimate Fighter" who most recently TKO'd Alessio Sakara at UFC 82 in March. The 27-year-old, who began his UFC career with five straight victories, will now go for his third straight win after back-to-back losses to Jason MacDonald and Kalib Starnes.
With this week's flurry of UFC 85 transactions, a solid middleweight bout between Nate Marquardt and Thales Leites has now officially been relegated to the un-televised preliminary card.
UFC 85 is currently slated to air on pay per view.
The latest card now includes:
MAIN CARD (TELEVISED)
Thiago Alves vs. Matt Hughes
Michael Bisping vs. Chris Leben
Marcus Davis vs. Mike Swick
Rashad Evans vs. James Irvin
Brandon Vera vs. Fabricio Werdum
PRELIMINARY CARD (NOT TELEVISED)
Martin Kampmann vs. Jorge Rivera
Thiago Tavares vs. Matt Wiman
Thales Leites vs. Nate Marquardt
Luiz Cane vs. Jason Lambert
Roan Carneiro vs. Ryo Chonan
Jess Liaudin vs. Paul Taylor
Antoni Hardonk vs. Neil Wain
HDNet And FEG Reach An Agreement To Broadcast DREAM In The U.S.
HDNet announced today that they have reached an agreement with FEG to air six DREAM events starting with Dream 1 next Friday. DREAM 2 will air the following night with DREAM 3 coming live on May 3rd.
All broadcasts will be in English and DREAM 3 through DREAM 6 will likely be broadcast live.
This is good news for FEG and DREAM as the promotion just lost it's primetime Japanese television deal with TBS after lackluster ratings following DREAM 2.
Take a peak at the HDNet trailer below.
HDNet announced today that they have reached an agreement with FEG to air six DREAM events starting with Dream 1 next Friday. DREAM 2 will air the following night with DREAM 3 coming live on May 3rd.
All broadcasts will be in English and DREAM 3 through DREAM 6 will likely be broadcast live.
This is good news for FEG and DREAM as the promotion just lost it's primetime Japanese television deal with TBS after lackluster ratings following DREAM 2.
Take a peak at the HDNet trailer below.
Terry Martin: "I was not released by the UFC."
Terry Martin posted the following blog on his Myspace page clearing up his career intentions:
“Ever since a few articles came out that incorrectly reported that I was released by the UFC, I have been asked by many if I am leaving MMA to pursue boxing. I was not released by the UFC. I am doing a few boxing matches as a way to improve myself as a mixed martial arts fighter. I plan on participating in a few non-UFC MMA events before returning to the Octagon. I want to thank all of my fans for their support. See you in the Octagon real soon.”
Terry Martin posted the following blog on his Myspace page clearing up his career intentions:
“Ever since a few articles came out that incorrectly reported that I was released by the UFC, I have been asked by many if I am leaving MMA to pursue boxing. I was not released by the UFC. I am doing a few boxing matches as a way to improve myself as a mixed martial arts fighter. I plan on participating in a few non-UFC MMA events before returning to the Octagon. I want to thank all of my fans for their support. See you in the Octagon real soon.”
SANDMAN HOPES TO PUT EVANS TO SLEEP
As James Irvin celebrated his eight-second win over Houston Alexander, while his highlight reel “superman” punch littered the ESPN Sportcenter Top 10 plays, little did he know that less than a month later he’d be asked to fill in for Chuck Liddell to face light heavyweight contender Rashad Evans.
“Actually, I think I had a beer in my hands and I was still celebrating from knocking out Houston Alexander,” said Irvin in an interview with MMAWeekly Radio on Thursday. “I didn’t even see it coming, but I think as soon as they told me, I dropped the beer and decided I wanted to go train again.”
He takes the fight with Evans very seriously and accepted the bout with the utmost respect towards his new opponent.
“I’m just so happy that he would even take the fight against me,” Irvin commented. “I consider him an ‘A’ level fighter, and I consider myself a ‘C’ level fighter, maybe a ‘B’ level because I just beat Houston trying to claw my way up to the top. So for him to take a step down and fight me, I’m greatly appreciative of the guy, who is someone I look up to as one of those top tier fighters.”
Evans previously commented to MMAWeekly Radio that he believed Irvin was a dangerous opponent who creates new problems in the fight that even Liddell didn’t present.
“Not saying I’m better than Chuck, just that our styles are different,” stated Irvin. “Chuck seems to want to kind of take a punch to give two or three back and he’s on his heels back-peddling the whole time. He really lures people in. He’s just so accurate with his punches.
“I don’t want to take a punch. I don’t want people to get off on me first. So I kind of seem to explode on people and that’s usually when I have my best fights, when people give me room to jump on them, the way I did against Houston Alexander.”
For his training camp preparing for Evans, Irvin will spend the next month with the Fairtex team in Thailand before returning home to close out the last few weeks alongside UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in Big Bear, Calif.
And while Irvin is looking forward to the opportunity to knock Evans out, he’s more than ready for the wrestling prowess that his opponent possesses.
“I’m anticipating him changing levels and trying to take me down. If anything, I’m going to try to catch him at those moments. I plan on getting taken down, I’d be dumb to say I think I’m not,” Irvin said. “I’m not going to keep him off of me, he’s too good of a wrestler. He’s too good of a topical fighter not to impose his will on me at least a few times. So I’m planning on getting up off the ground and getting up off my back. And if anything, I want to make him pay every time he does try to come in and grab a hold of me or close that gap on me.”
Irvin will be in Thailand for a month as he prepares to face Evans at UFC 85 on June 7 in London, which will now be headlined by a bout between former welterweight champion Matt Hughes and American Top Team fighter Thiago Alves.
As James Irvin celebrated his eight-second win over Houston Alexander, while his highlight reel “superman” punch littered the ESPN Sportcenter Top 10 plays, little did he know that less than a month later he’d be asked to fill in for Chuck Liddell to face light heavyweight contender Rashad Evans.
“Actually, I think I had a beer in my hands and I was still celebrating from knocking out Houston Alexander,” said Irvin in an interview with MMAWeekly Radio on Thursday. “I didn’t even see it coming, but I think as soon as they told me, I dropped the beer and decided I wanted to go train again.”
He takes the fight with Evans very seriously and accepted the bout with the utmost respect towards his new opponent.
“I’m just so happy that he would even take the fight against me,” Irvin commented. “I consider him an ‘A’ level fighter, and I consider myself a ‘C’ level fighter, maybe a ‘B’ level because I just beat Houston trying to claw my way up to the top. So for him to take a step down and fight me, I’m greatly appreciative of the guy, who is someone I look up to as one of those top tier fighters.”
Evans previously commented to MMAWeekly Radio that he believed Irvin was a dangerous opponent who creates new problems in the fight that even Liddell didn’t present.
“Not saying I’m better than Chuck, just that our styles are different,” stated Irvin. “Chuck seems to want to kind of take a punch to give two or three back and he’s on his heels back-peddling the whole time. He really lures people in. He’s just so accurate with his punches.
“I don’t want to take a punch. I don’t want people to get off on me first. So I kind of seem to explode on people and that’s usually when I have my best fights, when people give me room to jump on them, the way I did against Houston Alexander.”
For his training camp preparing for Evans, Irvin will spend the next month with the Fairtex team in Thailand before returning home to close out the last few weeks alongside UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in Big Bear, Calif.
And while Irvin is looking forward to the opportunity to knock Evans out, he’s more than ready for the wrestling prowess that his opponent possesses.
“I’m anticipating him changing levels and trying to take me down. If anything, I’m going to try to catch him at those moments. I plan on getting taken down, I’d be dumb to say I think I’m not,” Irvin said. “I’m not going to keep him off of me, he’s too good of a wrestler. He’s too good of a topical fighter not to impose his will on me at least a few times. So I’m planning on getting up off the ground and getting up off my back. And if anything, I want to make him pay every time he does try to come in and grab a hold of me or close that gap on me.”
Irvin will be in Thailand for a month as he prepares to face Evans at UFC 85 on June 7 in London, which will now be headlined by a bout between former welterweight champion Matt Hughes and American Top Team fighter Thiago Alves.
Bobby Southworth vs. Anthony Ruiz Strikeforce fight on June 27 possible
Remember Bobby Southworth … the guy who called Chris Leben a “fatherless bastard” on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 1?
Well, it turns out he’s still alive. Not only is he still breathing, but he’s the current Strikeforce light heavyweight champion. And he’ll likely put that title on the line against Anthony “El Toro” Ruiz at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., on June 27.
This is an interesting fight because the two just faced off five months ago at Strikeforce: “Four Men Enter, One Man Survives” in a non title bout. It ended with Ruiz’s hand being raised; however, the fight was called by a ringside doctor because of a cut Soutworth sustained over his left eye in the second round.
The 38-year-old Southworth (8-5) won the Strikeforce 205-pound title back in 2006, outscoring Vernon “Tiger” White on the judges scorecards. Since winning the strap he has defended it once successfully against Bill Mahood last September. Less than 2 months later he lost to Ruiz and now is looking to prove he would have won that battle had it not been for the cut.
“El Toro” (20-10) is on a six-fight win streak, including two wins against Jimmy Ambriz (11-9-1) and TUF 3 alum Brad “The Hillbilly Heartthrob” Imes (10-4) since his win over Southworth. He’s a knockout artist with 12 of his wins coming by way of (T)KO.
Ruiz does not have good submission defense. He’s been forced to tapout eight times in his professional career — a weakness Southworth could attempt to exploit come June 27. For what it’s worth Southworth isn’t anything special on the ground, either, and is basically a stand up fighter himself.
But, he does have 4 submission victories to his credit. And he might be reluctant to stand with the hard hitting Ruiz for too long. Or I could be wrong and Southworth might just throw caution to the wind and bang it out with Ruiz until one of them falls or gets cut … like last time.
We’ll find out on fight night.
Strikeforce Lighweight Champion Gilbert Melendez is also scheduled to put his 155-pound title on the line that same evening against Josh “The Punk” Thomson.
Should be a great show, which will air on the Showtime premium cable channel at 10 p.m. ET.
Remember Bobby Southworth … the guy who called Chris Leben a “fatherless bastard” on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 1?
Well, it turns out he’s still alive. Not only is he still breathing, but he’s the current Strikeforce light heavyweight champion. And he’ll likely put that title on the line against Anthony “El Toro” Ruiz at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., on June 27.
This is an interesting fight because the two just faced off five months ago at Strikeforce: “Four Men Enter, One Man Survives” in a non title bout. It ended with Ruiz’s hand being raised; however, the fight was called by a ringside doctor because of a cut Soutworth sustained over his left eye in the second round.
The 38-year-old Southworth (8-5) won the Strikeforce 205-pound title back in 2006, outscoring Vernon “Tiger” White on the judges scorecards. Since winning the strap he has defended it once successfully against Bill Mahood last September. Less than 2 months later he lost to Ruiz and now is looking to prove he would have won that battle had it not been for the cut.
“El Toro” (20-10) is on a six-fight win streak, including two wins against Jimmy Ambriz (11-9-1) and TUF 3 alum Brad “The Hillbilly Heartthrob” Imes (10-4) since his win over Southworth. He’s a knockout artist with 12 of his wins coming by way of (T)KO.
Ruiz does not have good submission defense. He’s been forced to tapout eight times in his professional career — a weakness Southworth could attempt to exploit come June 27. For what it’s worth Southworth isn’t anything special on the ground, either, and is basically a stand up fighter himself.
But, he does have 4 submission victories to his credit. And he might be reluctant to stand with the hard hitting Ruiz for too long. Or I could be wrong and Southworth might just throw caution to the wind and bang it out with Ruiz until one of them falls or gets cut … like last time.
We’ll find out on fight night.
Strikeforce Lighweight Champion Gilbert Melendez is also scheduled to put his 155-pound title on the line that same evening against Josh “The Punk” Thomson.
Should be a great show, which will air on the Showtime premium cable channel at 10 p.m. ET.
What would happen if Silva faced Jones?
What would happen if you matched up a mixed martial artist and a boxer? The recent talk of an Anderson Silva-Roy Jones Jr. boxing match has revived an old question.
It was actually Silva, the UFC middleweight champion and top ranked pound-for-pound fighter, who came up with the idea of fighting Jones, one of his idols, under Jones' rules. Jones, the former top pound-for-pound boxer, was up for the challenge, even talking about it on an HBO boxing broadcast last weekend.
And why wouldn't he be? Under boxing rules, Jones would be a prohibitive favorite. It's a fight that would garner far more interest than a past-his-prime Jones bout at this point could with an opponent who, based on Silva's 1-1 pro boxing record record, would appear to pose less of a threat.
Why Silva, with far more to risk by going into someone else's game, would ask for this fight is a bigger question.
Ed Soares, the Brazilian Silva's interpreter, claimed Silva and his boxing coaches believe that with five months of intense boxing training, he could be competitive. Silva, arguably the best striker in MMA, gets tired of hearing about how mixed martial artists lack the skills with their fists that boxers have. But the key to Silva's striking skills is a multi-pronged attack of knees from the clinch, and kicks, as well as the punches.
Jones has made it clear doesn't have the background to do MMA, Muay Thai, or even kickboxing. Under any of those scenarios, Silva would be a huge favorite.
Longshot
The fight isn't going to happen any time soon. Silva has an exclusive contract with UFC, and it's really a no-brainer for UFC president Dana White to not allow the match. Besides the obvious of not wanting one of his top fighters to fight outside the organization, it's a clear case of the risk not being worth the reward.
Even if Silva is competitive, those defending boxing will note that it's UFC's best striker against a boxer who is past his prime. If Jones were to win, and by all rights he should, to the general public, it would be viewed, even though it's a wrong perception, that even the best fighter in UFC is not at the level of fighter as a name pro boxer.
On the remote chance Silva could win, it's not like he beat the current widely recognized world champion. But for White and UFC, it's only the latter remote chance scenario that doesn't come across as a negative to the company in the eyes of the average sports fan. The odds are strong this would be a setback for MMA in general.
Anyone who has followed both sports closely, or is involved in both sports, will tell you the truth that the idea of the Superman fighter was always a myth. But there is a generation that grew up on the idea that the heavyweight boxing champ, from Joe Louis to Mike Tyson, was the baddest man on the planet. But the truth is, and always was, when you have top athletes from different fighting disciplines competing, the outcome will largely be determined based on who the rules favor.
"For me, it's a circus," said Gary Shaw, who promotes both sports. "I love boxing and I consider myself an expert in boxing and I'm a lot newer to MMA, but there's no way any pure boxer can compete in MMA with someone with equal skills in his sport as the boxer."
At the same point, a honed pure top-level boxer under his specific rules is going to be far more skilled than even an MMA fighter whose fists are his best weapon and even trains with boxers, because it's a different game.
MMA gloves are smaller, so a mixed martial artist isn't going to have the defensive capabilities of blocking a boxer's punches. Stances are also different as the MMA fighter, even if you see him win with punches standing, has to be able to constantly defend takedowns and low kicks, which are not a consideration in boxing.
But in a fight, nothing is 100 percent certain. Years ago in Japan, current UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson was offered up as a sacrificial lamb for kickboxer Cyril Abidi under kickboxing rules.
Abidi was well known in his sport, but not a top level guy. Jackson overwhelmed Abidi early and knocked him out, and even won a decision in a rematch. It is highly unlikely, but possible a boxer in an MMA match could get in the right punch in an before a clinch or takedown and do damage. It's possible a boxer could fight an MMA striker in a boxing match, perhaps come in overconfident and get caught.
Shaw said he would bet everything he owns on the MMA fighter if the fight is held under MMA rules.
Shaw did say he'd love to promote a name vs. name MMA vs. boxer fight, but also felt the idea you could do huge business based on getting the MMA fan base and boxing fan base both buying the show may not be the case. He also said his ultimate goal for his biggest MMA start, Kimbo Slice, was to first make him a name in MMA, and then cross him over to boxing with the idea he'd draw from both fan bases.
"As a promoter, while I will always love boxing, for sure the MMA fans will be interested (in a star vs. star mixed match)," he said. "But I don't think the boxing fans would be as interested."
War of words
When UFC started gaining popularity, the sport of boxing felt threatened, which is a good thing, because the result has been the making of more high-quality boxing matches the past few years.
It was inevitable that challenges would be thrown between the two sports, and the first verbal volley came from Floyd Mayweather Jr., who ran down MMA while building up the Oscar De La Hoya fight last year. The idea was probably as much to get press as being serious. Since that period of time, Mayweather has teased fighting MMA for Mark Cuban, which will probably never happen, done pro wrestling, and even appeared as an MMA team owner and got into an argument with MMA fighter Shonie Carter on BET's "Iron Ring," claiming boxing was better because they have to go 12 rounds instead of three to five.
White tried to take advantage of the press by having his lightweight champion at the time Sean Sherk, challenge Mayweather, which went unanswered. Kermit Cintron, a top-level boxer who had a good high school wrestling background, was interested in doing an MMA match, but White felt Cintron was hardly Mayweather-level as far as promoting a big fight as he had no fame outside the boxing hardcore fan base.
Wayne McCullough, a former WBC bantamweight champion in boxing, who now trains with UFC fighter Martin Kampmann and does public relations work for the company, said his feeling is neutral rules would be kickboxing rules, because you eliminate the MMA fighters beat weapon against a boxer, which is taking him down and working for submissions.
"But once you get hit with a knee, it'll be over quick," he said.
What would happen if you matched up a mixed martial artist and a boxer? The recent talk of an Anderson Silva-Roy Jones Jr. boxing match has revived an old question.
It was actually Silva, the UFC middleweight champion and top ranked pound-for-pound fighter, who came up with the idea of fighting Jones, one of his idols, under Jones' rules. Jones, the former top pound-for-pound boxer, was up for the challenge, even talking about it on an HBO boxing broadcast last weekend.
And why wouldn't he be? Under boxing rules, Jones would be a prohibitive favorite. It's a fight that would garner far more interest than a past-his-prime Jones bout at this point could with an opponent who, based on Silva's 1-1 pro boxing record record, would appear to pose less of a threat.
Why Silva, with far more to risk by going into someone else's game, would ask for this fight is a bigger question.
Ed Soares, the Brazilian Silva's interpreter, claimed Silva and his boxing coaches believe that with five months of intense boxing training, he could be competitive. Silva, arguably the best striker in MMA, gets tired of hearing about how mixed martial artists lack the skills with their fists that boxers have. But the key to Silva's striking skills is a multi-pronged attack of knees from the clinch, and kicks, as well as the punches.
Jones has made it clear doesn't have the background to do MMA, Muay Thai, or even kickboxing. Under any of those scenarios, Silva would be a huge favorite.
Longshot
The fight isn't going to happen any time soon. Silva has an exclusive contract with UFC, and it's really a no-brainer for UFC president Dana White to not allow the match. Besides the obvious of not wanting one of his top fighters to fight outside the organization, it's a clear case of the risk not being worth the reward.
Even if Silva is competitive, those defending boxing will note that it's UFC's best striker against a boxer who is past his prime. If Jones were to win, and by all rights he should, to the general public, it would be viewed, even though it's a wrong perception, that even the best fighter in UFC is not at the level of fighter as a name pro boxer.
On the remote chance Silva could win, it's not like he beat the current widely recognized world champion. But for White and UFC, it's only the latter remote chance scenario that doesn't come across as a negative to the company in the eyes of the average sports fan. The odds are strong this would be a setback for MMA in general.
Anyone who has followed both sports closely, or is involved in both sports, will tell you the truth that the idea of the Superman fighter was always a myth. But there is a generation that grew up on the idea that the heavyweight boxing champ, from Joe Louis to Mike Tyson, was the baddest man on the planet. But the truth is, and always was, when you have top athletes from different fighting disciplines competing, the outcome will largely be determined based on who the rules favor.
"For me, it's a circus," said Gary Shaw, who promotes both sports. "I love boxing and I consider myself an expert in boxing and I'm a lot newer to MMA, but there's no way any pure boxer can compete in MMA with someone with equal skills in his sport as the boxer."
At the same point, a honed pure top-level boxer under his specific rules is going to be far more skilled than even an MMA fighter whose fists are his best weapon and even trains with boxers, because it's a different game.
MMA gloves are smaller, so a mixed martial artist isn't going to have the defensive capabilities of blocking a boxer's punches. Stances are also different as the MMA fighter, even if you see him win with punches standing, has to be able to constantly defend takedowns and low kicks, which are not a consideration in boxing.
But in a fight, nothing is 100 percent certain. Years ago in Japan, current UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson was offered up as a sacrificial lamb for kickboxer Cyril Abidi under kickboxing rules.
Abidi was well known in his sport, but not a top level guy. Jackson overwhelmed Abidi early and knocked him out, and even won a decision in a rematch. It is highly unlikely, but possible a boxer in an MMA match could get in the right punch in an before a clinch or takedown and do damage. It's possible a boxer could fight an MMA striker in a boxing match, perhaps come in overconfident and get caught.
Shaw said he would bet everything he owns on the MMA fighter if the fight is held under MMA rules.
Shaw did say he'd love to promote a name vs. name MMA vs. boxer fight, but also felt the idea you could do huge business based on getting the MMA fan base and boxing fan base both buying the show may not be the case. He also said his ultimate goal for his biggest MMA start, Kimbo Slice, was to first make him a name in MMA, and then cross him over to boxing with the idea he'd draw from both fan bases.
"As a promoter, while I will always love boxing, for sure the MMA fans will be interested (in a star vs. star mixed match)," he said. "But I don't think the boxing fans would be as interested."
War of words
When UFC started gaining popularity, the sport of boxing felt threatened, which is a good thing, because the result has been the making of more high-quality boxing matches the past few years.
It was inevitable that challenges would be thrown between the two sports, and the first verbal volley came from Floyd Mayweather Jr., who ran down MMA while building up the Oscar De La Hoya fight last year. The idea was probably as much to get press as being serious. Since that period of time, Mayweather has teased fighting MMA for Mark Cuban, which will probably never happen, done pro wrestling, and even appeared as an MMA team owner and got into an argument with MMA fighter Shonie Carter on BET's "Iron Ring," claiming boxing was better because they have to go 12 rounds instead of three to five.
White tried to take advantage of the press by having his lightweight champion at the time Sean Sherk, challenge Mayweather, which went unanswered. Kermit Cintron, a top-level boxer who had a good high school wrestling background, was interested in doing an MMA match, but White felt Cintron was hardly Mayweather-level as far as promoting a big fight as he had no fame outside the boxing hardcore fan base.
Wayne McCullough, a former WBC bantamweight champion in boxing, who now trains with UFC fighter Martin Kampmann and does public relations work for the company, said his feeling is neutral rules would be kickboxing rules, because you eliminate the MMA fighters beat weapon against a boxer, which is taking him down and working for submissions.
"But once you get hit with a knee, it'll be over quick," he said.
Demian wants to grow at UFC
With a great BJJ work on the UFC octagon, the Brazilian fighter Demian Maia got his eight victory no his perfect card with only victories and appeared as another strong name on the middleweight category. This time, the victim of the strong triangle was the expert fighter Ed Herman, that tapped after 2 minutes of the second round. “Everything was just like I expected, but I think I did some thing wrong, wanted to beat a lot, but everything was right in the end”, said Maia, that believes that needs to grow more on the UFC to fight for the belt. “I believe that it’s not time for the belt yet, I only have eight fights on MMA and the middleweight champion is the best of the world… This fight will come on the right time”, said the Brazilian athlete.
With a great BJJ work on the UFC octagon, the Brazilian fighter Demian Maia got his eight victory no his perfect card with only victories and appeared as another strong name on the middleweight category. This time, the victim of the strong triangle was the expert fighter Ed Herman, that tapped after 2 minutes of the second round. “Everything was just like I expected, but I think I did some thing wrong, wanted to beat a lot, but everything was right in the end”, said Maia, that believes that needs to grow more on the UFC to fight for the belt. “I believe that it’s not time for the belt yet, I only have eight fights on MMA and the middleweight champion is the best of the world… This fight will come on the right time”, said the Brazilian athlete.
North American Boxing Council Sues Mark Cuban’s HDNet For Theft
Press Release - “HDNet Fights”, the unifying mixed martial arts organization televised on Mark Cuban’s HDNet cable channel, should cease operations immediately because it was born out of a breach of trust, misappropriation of trade secrets, and other harmful actions on the part of HDNet, the North American Boxing Council (NABC) said in a lawsuit filed March 17th in the Marion Superior Court in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The eight count suit seeks to restore the rights of the NABC to its proprietary business and marketing model for a unifying mixed martial arts organization, and to recover damages for the ongoing illegal torts committed by HDNet.
The complaint states the NABC’s confidential proposal for a unifying mixed martial arts organization was made to HDNet in January 2007. In response to the proposal, HDNet taped two NABC mixed martial arts TV events in Indianapolis in May 2007. HDNet began broadcasting the NABC mixed martial arts events in June 2007 and subsequently placed the events in regular rotation on the HDNet schedule. In August 2007, HDNet advised the NABC it had rejected the NABC’s proposal. However, that same month, HDNet secretly incorporated its own mixed martial arts organization, “HDNet Fights Inc”. HDNet proceeded to introduce “HDNet Fights” to the public beginning with press statements in September 2007 as a unique unifying mixed martial arts organization falsely representing it as the original product of HDNet.
The suit seeks to recover damages as determined by a jury trial
Press Release - “HDNet Fights”, the unifying mixed martial arts organization televised on Mark Cuban’s HDNet cable channel, should cease operations immediately because it was born out of a breach of trust, misappropriation of trade secrets, and other harmful actions on the part of HDNet, the North American Boxing Council (NABC) said in a lawsuit filed March 17th in the Marion Superior Court in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The eight count suit seeks to restore the rights of the NABC to its proprietary business and marketing model for a unifying mixed martial arts organization, and to recover damages for the ongoing illegal torts committed by HDNet.
The complaint states the NABC’s confidential proposal for a unifying mixed martial arts organization was made to HDNet in January 2007. In response to the proposal, HDNet taped two NABC mixed martial arts TV events in Indianapolis in May 2007. HDNet began broadcasting the NABC mixed martial arts events in June 2007 and subsequently placed the events in regular rotation on the HDNet schedule. In August 2007, HDNet advised the NABC it had rejected the NABC’s proposal. However, that same month, HDNet secretly incorporated its own mixed martial arts organization, “HDNet Fights Inc”. HDNet proceeded to introduce “HDNet Fights” to the public beginning with press statements in September 2007 as a unique unifying mixed martial arts organization falsely representing it as the original product of HDNet.
The suit seeks to recover damages as determined by a jury trial
FEG: Dream Not Pulled from Primetime
Dream has not been removed from its primetime slot on the Tokyo Broadcasting System, Fight Entertainment Group has informed Sherdog.com.
Last week it was announced that Dream's April 29 middleweight grand prix opener was not scheduled for primetime viewing on TBS. However, FEG, responding to a report by Sherdog.com on Friday regarding Dream's absence from primetime, said the April 29 card was never intended to air in that slot.
FEG USA representative Mike Kogan explained that FEG's former MMA product, Hero's, had been slated for four primetime TBS broadcasts per year and the same plan applied to Dream for 2008. Yet Dream scheduled a total of seven events -- six focusing on the lightweight and middleweight tournaments and one additional event set for South Korea this fall.
Hence, Kogan told Sherdog.com on Sunday there were simply not enough allocated primetime slots to accommodate the full schedule, though two more Dream events will air in primetime this year.
"FEG elected to have TBS broadcast three Dream events in primetime, and four [events] with a delayed TBS broadcast in the evening, while putting these four events live on PPV through SkyPerfect TV," Kogan said in a statement to Sherdog.com. "As such Dream 1 was on TBS in primetime, as well as the lightweight and middleweight GP finals will be in primetime, while the other four events will be live on PPV and delayed evening broadcast on TBS. This was worked out with TBS at the beginning of the year, and the schedule was already set.
"This structure is suitable for both TBS and FEG, as PPV is a growing market in Japan," continued Kogan. "This broadcast structure would allow FEG to maximize the revenue stream for Dream events by taking advantage of the PPV. As such any reports alleging that Dream has lost its primetime slot on TBS are false and inaccurate."
On Friday, HDNet announced a partnership with FEG to become the North American broadcast home of Dream events.
Beginning on May 2 with the delayed airing of Dream 1 followed the next night with Dream 2, which takes place live in Tokyo on April 29, HDNet will feature the Japanese MMA brand starting at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT.
Eight days later, Dream 3 will become the first of four events broadcast live on HDNet featuring the organization's lightweight and middleweight tournaments.
Dream has not been removed from its primetime slot on the Tokyo Broadcasting System, Fight Entertainment Group has informed Sherdog.com.
Last week it was announced that Dream's April 29 middleweight grand prix opener was not scheduled for primetime viewing on TBS. However, FEG, responding to a report by Sherdog.com on Friday regarding Dream's absence from primetime, said the April 29 card was never intended to air in that slot.
FEG USA representative Mike Kogan explained that FEG's former MMA product, Hero's, had been slated for four primetime TBS broadcasts per year and the same plan applied to Dream for 2008. Yet Dream scheduled a total of seven events -- six focusing on the lightweight and middleweight tournaments and one additional event set for South Korea this fall.
Hence, Kogan told Sherdog.com on Sunday there were simply not enough allocated primetime slots to accommodate the full schedule, though two more Dream events will air in primetime this year.
"FEG elected to have TBS broadcast three Dream events in primetime, and four [events] with a delayed TBS broadcast in the evening, while putting these four events live on PPV through SkyPerfect TV," Kogan said in a statement to Sherdog.com. "As such Dream 1 was on TBS in primetime, as well as the lightweight and middleweight GP finals will be in primetime, while the other four events will be live on PPV and delayed evening broadcast on TBS. This was worked out with TBS at the beginning of the year, and the schedule was already set.
"This structure is suitable for both TBS and FEG, as PPV is a growing market in Japan," continued Kogan. "This broadcast structure would allow FEG to maximize the revenue stream for Dream events by taking advantage of the PPV. As such any reports alleging that Dream has lost its primetime slot on TBS are false and inaccurate."
On Friday, HDNet announced a partnership with FEG to become the North American broadcast home of Dream events.
Beginning on May 2 with the delayed airing of Dream 1 followed the next night with Dream 2, which takes place live in Tokyo on April 29, HDNet will feature the Japanese MMA brand starting at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT.
Eight days later, Dream 3 will become the first of four events broadcast live on HDNet featuring the organization's lightweight and middleweight tournaments.
Alexander Emelianenko close to signing a deal with DREAM
DreamFighters.com has learned that Alexander Emelianenko is close to signing a deal with DREAM. Sources have linked Alexander Emelianenko to a DREAM contract that had his first fight with K1 fighter, Mark Hunt. However, Hunt will not be facing Emelianenko, as it would be too short of notice for such a high calibre fighter.
Alos, in a recent interview with Mark Hunt, Hunt said that DREAM was suppose to sign a fight with him and Alexander Emelianenko, but that was too hard of a fight for Hunt, so DREAM is looking for a more suitable first fight.
Quoted by Mark Hunt when asked what is next for him in MMA:
"Now that the K1 thing is out of the way it�s all good baby: all MMA and MMA only. These guys (DREAM) want me to fight Aleksander (Emelianeko) in about three weeks time on May 11th! I was like no way because it�s too short a time with no training. I don�t want risk fighting like that. But if they compensate me enough for taking that risk then it�s all good and I�ll fight. The money has to be right. DREAM plan was to see how Fedor (Emelianeko) goes and when and if he wins the DREAM title, and then I will fight him
DreamFighters.com has learned that Alexander Emelianenko is close to signing a deal with DREAM. Sources have linked Alexander Emelianenko to a DREAM contract that had his first fight with K1 fighter, Mark Hunt. However, Hunt will not be facing Emelianenko, as it would be too short of notice for such a high calibre fighter.
Alos, in a recent interview with Mark Hunt, Hunt said that DREAM was suppose to sign a fight with him and Alexander Emelianenko, but that was too hard of a fight for Hunt, so DREAM is looking for a more suitable first fight.
Quoted by Mark Hunt when asked what is next for him in MMA:
"Now that the K1 thing is out of the way it�s all good baby: all MMA and MMA only. These guys (DREAM) want me to fight Aleksander (Emelianeko) in about three weeks time on May 11th! I was like no way because it�s too short a time with no training. I don�t want risk fighting like that. But if they compensate me enough for taking that risk then it�s all good and I�ll fight. The money has to be right. DREAM plan was to see how Fedor (Emelianeko) goes and when and if he wins the DREAM title, and then I will fight him
Martin 'Hitman' Kampmann: Returns at UFC 85 Interview!
PDG: You have a tough opponent coming up in Jorge Rivera; what do you think of him and what do you think of the fight?
Martin: I think it should be a good fight. He’s a tough guy and has had a lot of fights – he’s a veteran. I think it will be a good fight for the fans too. He comes out hard and I’m going to come out hard; so I don’t think it’s going to go the distance.
PDG: In his last fight, when he beat Kendall Grove, he looked like a new fighter. Do you think he was able to revitalize his career?
Martin: I don’t know. Sometimes he comes out too strong. I don’t know if he’s inconsistent. I’ve seen some other fights besides [against Kendall] and he looked really good. You never really know what guy is going to show up. He’s definitely dangerous, that’s for sure.
PDG: He’s a big, heavy hitter – and your last opponent (Drew McFedries) was also a big hitter. Are you able to take anything away from your fight against Drew for this fight?
Martin: Stop blocking with my chin. I don’t think I’ve got to show much of my stand-up in my fights like I’ve wanted to. Hopefully I’ll be able to do that in this fight.
PDG: You’ve been out for a while because of your knee injury; how are you feeling at this point?
Martin: I feel much better. It’s been tough not having been able to train and just sitting on the sidelines watching everyone else fight – not able to do anything. I’m back training and I’m really excited about fighting, so I can’t wait.
PDG: It’s definitely better to take the time off and do it right though.
Martin: Yeah. It was a pretty big injury, so I definitely didn’t want to rush that, for sure. It takes time to get back [to 100%], but I’m back now training and hitting the gym hard. I just have that mental barrier to get over now, but I’ll be ready to fight.
PDG: You’ve had some critics concerning your weight and some people think you are too small for the 185-pound division. What do you think of the critics and have you thought about moving down to fight consistently at 170?
Martin: I’ve considered it – but to those critics, I have won all of my fights at 185. I might not be one of the biggest middleweights, but I’m still winning my fights – which is the main point. I’m feeling good at middleweight and I don’t mind fighting bigger guys.
PDG: Who are you going to train with for this fight, and when will your training camp kick in full gear?
Martin: I’m just about starting to step it up a little bit more. I have so many good guys at the gym to train with – Mike Pyle, Jay Hieron, Robert Drysdale – a new jiu-jitsu guy that just joined the gym, he’s a bad ass. He has his buddy [Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza] training up here too. So I’m having fun training with those guys too. They have a sick ground game, so that’s been cool. There is always someone good to work with at Xtreme Couture.
PDG: So you’ve had a chance to roll with “Jacare”?
Martin: Yeah.
PDG: What has that experience been like for you?
Martin: A learning experience. He has a lot of moves up his sleeve. He’s a strong, explosive guy too. He’s going to be an impact on mixed martial arts too. He’s a real cool guy too; I only have good things to say about him.
PDG: What do you like to do outside of the ring?
Martin: I like to chill and hang out with the guys. I like to go see a movie, go play poker, and hang out with my girl. Between training, especially when you are in a training camp, you just want to go sit on the couch and chill – you don’t want to go out and do crazy stuff. When I have days off I like to go hiking and stuff like that, or paintballing with the guys. Anything fun, go shooting or something.
PDG: Where do you see yourself in the UFC’s middleweight division right now?
Martin: I think with my layoff people maybe forgot about me a little – I’ve been out for a year; that is a long time. I’m in no rush to get a title shot. I’m taking one fight at a time. I’ll take this fight, and then take it from there.
PDG: Your fight is a ways out so you probably don’t have any yet, but are there any sponsors you’d like to mention?
Martin: No, not yet. Let them know they can call me up; I’m still working on sponsors for this fight. Nothing has come through yet, so call me up. Everybody out there – I’ll cut you a deal.
PDG: To wrap things up is there anything else you’d like to say?
Martin: Thanks to all the fans for supporting me, even when I was injured. I’m looking forward to when I come back – I can’t wait. It’s going to be a good fight.
PDG: You have a tough opponent coming up in Jorge Rivera; what do you think of him and what do you think of the fight?
Martin: I think it should be a good fight. He’s a tough guy and has had a lot of fights – he’s a veteran. I think it will be a good fight for the fans too. He comes out hard and I’m going to come out hard; so I don’t think it’s going to go the distance.
PDG: In his last fight, when he beat Kendall Grove, he looked like a new fighter. Do you think he was able to revitalize his career?
Martin: I don’t know. Sometimes he comes out too strong. I don’t know if he’s inconsistent. I’ve seen some other fights besides [against Kendall] and he looked really good. You never really know what guy is going to show up. He’s definitely dangerous, that’s for sure.
PDG: He’s a big, heavy hitter – and your last opponent (Drew McFedries) was also a big hitter. Are you able to take anything away from your fight against Drew for this fight?
Martin: Stop blocking with my chin. I don’t think I’ve got to show much of my stand-up in my fights like I’ve wanted to. Hopefully I’ll be able to do that in this fight.
PDG: You’ve been out for a while because of your knee injury; how are you feeling at this point?
Martin: I feel much better. It’s been tough not having been able to train and just sitting on the sidelines watching everyone else fight – not able to do anything. I’m back training and I’m really excited about fighting, so I can’t wait.
PDG: It’s definitely better to take the time off and do it right though.
Martin: Yeah. It was a pretty big injury, so I definitely didn’t want to rush that, for sure. It takes time to get back [to 100%], but I’m back now training and hitting the gym hard. I just have that mental barrier to get over now, but I’ll be ready to fight.
PDG: You’ve had some critics concerning your weight and some people think you are too small for the 185-pound division. What do you think of the critics and have you thought about moving down to fight consistently at 170?
Martin: I’ve considered it – but to those critics, I have won all of my fights at 185. I might not be one of the biggest middleweights, but I’m still winning my fights – which is the main point. I’m feeling good at middleweight and I don’t mind fighting bigger guys.
PDG: Who are you going to train with for this fight, and when will your training camp kick in full gear?
Martin: I’m just about starting to step it up a little bit more. I have so many good guys at the gym to train with – Mike Pyle, Jay Hieron, Robert Drysdale – a new jiu-jitsu guy that just joined the gym, he’s a bad ass. He has his buddy [Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza] training up here too. So I’m having fun training with those guys too. They have a sick ground game, so that’s been cool. There is always someone good to work with at Xtreme Couture.
PDG: So you’ve had a chance to roll with “Jacare”?
Martin: Yeah.
PDG: What has that experience been like for you?
Martin: A learning experience. He has a lot of moves up his sleeve. He’s a strong, explosive guy too. He’s going to be an impact on mixed martial arts too. He’s a real cool guy too; I only have good things to say about him.
PDG: What do you like to do outside of the ring?
Martin: I like to chill and hang out with the guys. I like to go see a movie, go play poker, and hang out with my girl. Between training, especially when you are in a training camp, you just want to go sit on the couch and chill – you don’t want to go out and do crazy stuff. When I have days off I like to go hiking and stuff like that, or paintballing with the guys. Anything fun, go shooting or something.
PDG: Where do you see yourself in the UFC’s middleweight division right now?
Martin: I think with my layoff people maybe forgot about me a little – I’ve been out for a year; that is a long time. I’m in no rush to get a title shot. I’m taking one fight at a time. I’ll take this fight, and then take it from there.
PDG: Your fight is a ways out so you probably don’t have any yet, but are there any sponsors you’d like to mention?
Martin: No, not yet. Let them know they can call me up; I’m still working on sponsors for this fight. Nothing has come through yet, so call me up. Everybody out there – I’ll cut you a deal.
PDG: To wrap things up is there anything else you’d like to say?
Martin: Thanks to all the fans for supporting me, even when I was injured. I’m looking forward to when I come back – I can’t wait. It’s going to be a good fight.