MMA News Thread

Shogun Locc · Apr 29, 2008

Report: Mauricio Rua could return by October

USA Today caught up with injured UFC light heavyweight Mauricio “Shogun” Rua during this past Saturday’s UWC event in the Washington D.C.-area.

According to writer Sergio Non, Rua indicated to him that he believes he will be fully recovered from his ACL surgery by either October or November.

Rua had been scheduled to fight Chuck Liddell at UFC 85 in London this June, but he had to bow out after aggravating the injury. Rashad Evans was tapped as a replacement against Liddell but Liddell recently pulled out of the fight due to a hamstring injury.

Rua believes that a fight between he and Liddell will happen before year’s end.

Shogun Locc · Apr 29, 2008

The Spider talks about St. Pierre

After George St. Pierre crushed Matt Hughes and Matt Serra between the welterweights at the UFC, the Canadian hasn’t dismissed the possibility of put on weight. His target is the middleweight champion, Anderson Silva, that didn’t know about what St. Pierre intend to do. “I didn’t know about those Pierre ’s statements, you are giving me this information now. What can I say? I think what is most important is that I will be no unemployed (laughter). St. Pierre is a great fighter, but I would never put on weights to face the champion of the category. My weight is 98kg and I lose weight to fight at 83kg and I would never make that. But people talks what they want and if this fight really happen, I hope to make a good performance”, said Andeson that doesn’t know yet his next opponent.

“By now I am in fattening stage (laughter). I don’t have a bout scheduled and we are trying to make this fight against Roy Jones Jr.. This is a personal wish”, said the champion, that arrive at Rio de Janeiro this week to train at Nogueira’s brothers train benter and would like to train with his friend Paulo Filho. “Thanks to God Paulão is recovered. Once again he shows that he is a samurai and overcome everything with friends help. I already set with him to talk and we are going to train together too”, said “the Spider”.

Shogun Locc · Apr 29, 2008

Fighters Talk Cutting Weight

For many fighters, the worst part of their job isn’t the agony of defeat. It isn’t the grueling training sessions for weeks before fight night, and it isn’t sitting through interviews or being on the road.

No, for most fighters, the worst part is the few days before the weigh-in, when every waking hour is spent in hunger and despair.

Walking around the hotel a day or two before the weigh-in, you can tell from across the room who is on weight and who’s still trying to shed some pounds. It’s like the difference between being cranky and being truly miserable. And the more weight they cut, the worse it gets.

“The most weight I ever cut for a fight is twenty pounds. That’s what I usually do,” said Bart Palaszewski. “It sucks.”

Through a combination of diet and systemic dehydration, Palaszewski strips more than ten percent of his body weight before a fight. Asked if this extreme cut is as bad as it sounds, he responded, “Yes. Thanks for rubbing it in.”

For welterweight Mark Miller, the process has become predictable enough that he doesn’t struggle with it, saying his body loses six pounds after every workout “like clockwork.”

A veteran wrestler like Vladimir Matyushenko is also so used to the process as to be almost numb to the effects, treating it as just another part of the job.

But no matter what they say about how easy or difficult it is, and however unpleasant they may be to talk to when they’ve been going to bed hungry each night, every last one of them will tell you that it’s all worth it for fight night.

Shogun Locc · Apr 29, 2008

411Mania MMA Interview: IFL CEO Jay Larkin!

It’s a young business full of a lot of knuckleheads who don’t know the first thing about promoting or staging event. They run around in an Affliction t-shirt and swig Xyience and they think they’re the next greatest thing to come down the road." Jay Larkin

Get Larkin's thoughts on MMA on the whole and more inside!

It's been a very important year for the IFL. There's the new camp format and individual titleholders and all the while there's been one man behind it all. Jay Larkin is the CEO of the IFL and 411Mania recently had the chance to interview the CEO.

411Mania.com: I'll make the first question a simple one. You had a show in New Jersey not too long ago. How do you think that went?

Jay Larkin: I think it went very well. I mean certainly we had a spectacular night of fights and that's what it comes down to, the action in the ring. The rest of it is all window trimming. So if you look at the fights we had, I haven't seen a better card of MMA in years.

411Mania.com: One of the big storylines coming out of that card were the performances of Vladimir Matyushenko and Wagnney Fabiano. And a lot of sites have mentioned them as potential top 10 candidates. How do you feel as CEO hearing about these guys getting mentioned as Top 10 fighters who've done some of their best work in the IFL?

Larkin: In many respects Lotfi it's very gratifying and vindicating. We are at a course here of creating the next generation of MMA stars and the generation that's going to come into their own at a peak in the industry. If you look back over the years, it's very difficult to name breakthrough stars in MMA. For example I'll play a little game with you. Who would you say is the most recognizable figure in the UFC?

411Mania.com: First name that comes to mind is Chuck Liddell.

Larkin: Try again.

411Mania.com: Ok, how about Randy Couture?

Larkin: Try again.

411Mania.com: Quinton "Rampage" Jackson?

Larkin: The most recognizable figure in the UFC is Dana White. And that's a very bad statement for a sport and an industry when the frontman, or whatever he may be, the promoter, is more recognizable than any of the fighters. The names that you mentioned are collectively 120 years old. So it should be Chuck Liddell without question. But where are the Liddells or Coutures of the future? Where are the Jacksons of the future? They're here at the IFL and you named two of them in Wagnney and Vlady and I think Chris Horodecki is certainly in that group as well. Those are the guys we're concentrating on Lotfi. We're concentrating on the fighters and the rest of it is ancillary. Our show in New Jersey a few weeks ago was exactly on target.

411Mania.com: You talked about Chris Horodecki and we'll get to him in a minute. But one of the other storylines from the New Jersey show that I found interesting was the performance of Jim Miller. You bring him in from Ring of Combat after he had a couple of good fights against Chris Ligouri. Then you put him up against one of your better lightweights in the division in Bart Palaszewski and he scores a win. So how do you look at a fight like that with Jim Miller pulling off the win and Bart who's on a bit of a slide?

Larkin: What I have always said publicly since I came to the IFL, and my philosophy for the past 20 years making boxing matches at Showtime, has been that this is a sport that is entertainment as well as sport. If a fight is boring, then the fighters aren't doing their job as entertainers as well as athletes. I don't mean to say in any way that this is an entertainment entity like the WWE. But at the end of the day it is about entertaining your audiences. And I've always maintained that when a fighter comes to the table and fights his or her best, then win or lose they'll be back with the IFL. If the fighter comes in and wants to win at any cost and lays down on the mat and stays there and squeaks out a decision and gives me boring television that I have to then give to my audiences then that fighter won't be back no matter how many wins he has. So when a guy like Jim Miller comes along, he put on a great fight. I think it's very bad for any sport, particularly a one-on-one sport like MMA, for any promoter to have a particularly vested interest in who wins the fight. Then the natural tendency is going to be to protect the fighter who you want to win.

There are two ways to deal with that. One way is when the promoter controls both fighters, or has both fighters under contract, then it doesn't matter because the promoter has the winner. I don't like that. I think that's detestable. The other way to do it is for the promoter not to have a heavy investment in the individual but to have a healthy investment in the sport so no matter who wins the industry wins and the sport wins. So I have no problem letting fights occur between IFL fighters and other fighters who may not be signed to the IFL. It gets a little messy when you're talking about championships because it would be a little awkward to have an IFL title appear on an Elite or UFC show. However, I have encountered very little encouragement in this industry about promoters working together. We're out there saying we're willing to work with anyone in this industry; we'll take on all comers. We'll promote with anyone and I've seen a lot promoters run for the hills at the mention of co-promoting. So to answer your question a little more succinctly about Jim Miller, it was a great fight right? That's the business I'm in.

411Mania.com: It's interesting that you referred to having a stake in some of these guys because last year, it could be said that Chris Horodecki was the IFL's golden boy. Obviously he had some trouble at the end of last year with the fight against Ryan Schultz. He comes back this year on that card with his fight against Nate Lamotte and it doesn't seem like he could catch a break because while he did win, there's a lot of talk about how he should have handled Lamotte sooner than he did. So what do you take from that fight?

Larkin: Well I take excellent match making from our staff to put together a fight like that. And it's right on target with our strategy of trying not to get bogged down by the politics or business side of making a match and making the best possible match at whatever weight it is to put on the most compelling event. That would be a brawl, although certainly strategy is a major part of MMA and plays a big part. But at the end of the day I don't believe that the fans want to see two guys rolling around on the floor. The more exciting a fight is, the better we've done our job. So when upsets like that happen, it means we've done our job well.

411Mania.com: We were just talking about the Palaszewski v. Miller fight and the Lamotte v. Horodecki fight and they're both part of a bigger change the IFL has made this season. There's been the move to the camp format and one of the big questions a lot of fans have is how will the camp match-ups work come the end of the season? Will there be another team title handed out like there was last season?

Larkin: Well you know Lotfi, first of all like you said we made the major change from the team format to the camp format. We did that because the team format wasn't getting any traction. It was contrived and the fans felt it. Because of the structure of it, very often we had fights we didn't want and that were being dictated to us by the calendar more than anything else. So when we broke away from that team competition we found the ability to make better matches. We weren't being held to whether the Anacondas had to fight the Pitbulls this week. So we had much more flexibility now as a result of that change. Certainly we've seen the results of that change in the ring and we've had very good feedback from the industry and the fans on the concept.

411Mania.com: On that note, the camp format has definitely worked out so far putting on cards that people are excited about. But how do you respond to critics who say this is perhaps too little too late?

Larkin: Well I normally don't respond to them at all. Look, critics by definition criticize. I never met one that their function in life was to be positive and help things grow. Well you know the old expression, opinions are like a******* everybody has one. God knows there are enough of them to go around. Here's where we come around to the bigger problem. The bigger problem is the industry as a whole, not the individual companies, not the IFL's, the Strikeforce's, the M-1's, and the UFC's. The bigger problem is the overall industry and the lack of uniformity or consistency, the rules that change from company to company, the infighting, the dominance of one company in the industry and the heavy handed way they dominate. The question it all comes down to for me Lotfi is, is there a market for MMA? Now coming from the boxing world, when I first saw MMA I didn't like it. I didn't enjoy watching it. I found it boring and when it wasn't boring I found it grotesque. Now what I had to do was learn about it. I had to learn more. I had to learn the moves, the players, the disciplines and the different camps and what they meant. The more I learned about it the more I found I enjoyed it and the more I could appreciate the strategies and I have found that for the most part, the fan base out there doesn't have a clue. Not a clue what they're seeing, not a clue what they're watching and therefore they're almost uniformly attracted to the UFC light show. The dancing girls, the music, the UFC brand and the spectacular job the UFC's done in creating that brand.
I look around and I see all these other MMA groups and no one is doing well. People are squeaking by. Some are not squeaking by. Some are dropping like flies. Most audiences, even some UFC audiences, are papered. There is no fan following of individual fighters for the most part. If you stop anybody who even pretends to know anything about MMA, they're going to give you those same names you just gave me. They're going to give you Couture, they're going to give you Jackson and they're going to give you Liddell. But they're not going to get into the depth of knowledge that the average boxing fan has about boxing. This sport now is still too anonymous at the fighter level and I sincerely question whether or not there is a market place for legitimate MMA outside of the UFC. Now if you look at the card we had at the IZOD center that was spectacular. That was as good as MMA fighting ever gets and it didn't make a blip on the radar screen. It was difficult selling tickets, the Monday morning reviews of the event were the fights were spectacular but the place wasn't very full. What does one do to grow the audience? What does one do to sell tickets besides putting on the best show you could possibly put on? And when you put that show on and you still can't sell tickets well then you have to ask yourself does the public want this? Do they really want fights? Do they want mixed martial arts? Do they want competition at the highest level of the sport? Or do they want to run around wearing their Affliction t-shirts and swigging Xyience. What is this really about? Is there really a fan base for this or is it a cult? And I'll tell you, as truthfully as I can Lotfi I don't know the answer. Now as an executive in a public corporation that does this for a living you could argue that I should be a cheerleader. I should be saying it's the greatest thing since cream cheese and it's the new NBA and the fans are coming to us in droves. Well I'm also a very honest and pragmatic individual. I'll never lie in an interview or certainly make a statement where I could be caught lying so easily. So it leaves me with the truth and the truth is this is a struggling industry. Much more so than a struggling business. There is another half a dozen companies that are struggling as well. I think that a lot of the action and proprietary nature of the UFC is hurting the industry. The unwillingness of MMA companies to work together and promote together is hurting MMA. There has to be pretty significant changes or pretty soon there will be one group left and they'll be so inbred that their house of cards will cave in as well.

411Mania.com: If I understand this correctly, it seems like the TV deals EliteXC struck with CBS and the one Strikeforce struck with NBC don't do much for the sport in your eyes because there's still this issue of promoters having to work together.

Larkin: Correct. And right now everyone is trying to protect what little piece of turf they have. The CBS deal with Elite can become a major moving piece in this puzzle, if they do well. If they get the ratings and if they get the tune-ins well then the TV networks might just say that this thing really does have legs and lets invest in it and lets start getting some MMA competition on the air. If it does poorly, it'll have the opposite effect. The networks that are playing with the idea will then run for the hills. It's interesting because this entire industry should be watching the CBS show and hoping for good results.

411Mania.com: So you attribute a lot of the UFC's success to the light show they put on because if the XFO has the same roster it wouldn't have near the same success.

Larkin: That's correct.

411Mania.com: That's an interesting perspective because up until this point you've heard so many people talk about MMA finally being mainstream when referring to these deals EliteXC and Strikeforce made.

Larkin: It's far from mainstream. The Strikeforce deal with NBC was offered to us and we found it economically disadvantageous to make the deal. It's a time buy. It's when you go to a network and pay them money to get on their air instead of the traditional way where the network pays you for your programming you pay them for their airspace. So Strikeforce is paying NBC a significant amount of money for half an hour of NBC's time at 2 in the morning. They hope to make their money back through sponsorship and benefit from the exposure on NBC. So that's the Strikeforce deal. The Elite deal was when Gary Shaw went to Showtime and sold them the idea of investing in his new MMA Company. So Showtime has an equity position in Elite. CBS owns Showtime. CBS had a shortage of primetime television programming because of the strike. CBS decided well lets give MMA a try and we already own a piece of one of the MMA companies so lets do it with our piece. So that's how that came about. No one to my knowledge in the network side has gone out and said, "We think there is a future in MMA and we want to have it on our air." Right now all the TV guys are waiting to see if someone else is having success with it before they jump into the pool.

411Mania.com: With EliteXC's card for that May 31st show basically set in stone, I wanted to get your thoughts on that card overall with Kimbo taking on James Thompson as the main event.

Larkin: Well they've got Kimbo and Gina Carano on that card too. So what Gary is doing, which is very smart, is putting his most marketable assets up front. He's frontloading his shows. I don't think the level of competition is going to be that spectacular. I don't think you're going to see great fights. I think you're going to see exhibitions. Gary is very shrewdly putting out his best product, the very attractive Gina Carano and he's not going to put her in a tough fight. He's going to save that for a big PPV show. And Kimbo, look I'm not MMA expert, but a lot of the MMA experts I know say that a good half a dozen heavyweights out there could beat Kimbo without breaking a sweat. But Kimbo is marketable. He sells a lot of tickets down in Florida and makes for good TV. And again Elite is doing the smart thing by putting him up front because they know as well as we do that if they don't get good ratings they won't be back a second time.

411Mania.com: Last point on this whole EliteXC thing then we'll go back to what the IFL has coming up. I've gone off on multiple tangents on Kimbo Slice and his potential effect on the sport. I've said I'm ok with Kevin Ferguson doing all he can to make a name for himself in MMA. But it pushes me the wrong way with how they're marketing Kimbo Slice as this big Internet street fighter and he beats guys up now come watch him on CBS. I just wanted to get your thoughts on Kimbo Slice and how EliteXC is using him.

Larkin: That's a major split in MMA. When I came on board here, MMA was treated pretty much with a reverence, almost as a religion. Don King once told me people don't buy tickets to go to church. And there was not enough emphasis on the marketing and commerciality of MMA and MMA fighters. If you want to see pure unadulterated competition in MMA then get in your car and go down the road to your local community college and watch collegiate wrestling. Or join a gym and participate in competition on a gym level or watch it. However MMA, certainly IFL, Elite and UFC are businesses and need to be run as businesses. They need to be made attractive and palatable to the consumer who is buying the product. So I applaud when savvy and smart promotion and marketing comes into play in this sport. I think that Gary and Elite are doing exactly the right thing in putting their best product forward with more emphasis on the "sellability" then on the competitiveness of the bout. The idea is to get eyeballs to watch it and as I pointed out to you earlier, our card a few weeks ago was spectacular. It was as good as MMA gets. But if no one is watching it what difference does it make? We're talking to ourselves.
One of the things this industry has been lacking, and it's changing, is season promoters, people who know what they're doing to promote live events to the public. UFC got that and certainly the marketing muscle behind the UFC is formidable, the casino industry, the gaming industry is formidable. They know how to market. They know how to reach an audience. They know how to sell. So when that muscle and that financial clout got behind the UFC it worked. Gary Shaw is a seasoned promoter. I know every aspect of promoting live events and televised events. There may be one or two others out there that I can't recall immediately. There are some events that are doing well on a local level like Strikeforce. They're succeeding by staying small. But as far as this business goes, it's a young business full of a lot of knuckleheads who don't know the first thing about promoting or staging event. They run around in an Affliction t-shirt and swig Xyience and they think they're the next greatest thing to come down the road. To become profitable as a business, it needs more experienced people. So when a Gary Shaw puts together a card like that for CBS I say right on.

411Mania.com: Next month Jay you have another event coming up with what looks like another very exciting card. There's another three title fights at middleweight, lightweight and heavyweight and that last one is what I wanted to ask you about. Your champ Roy Nelson is quietly developing into a very marketable champ for you at the heavyweight division.

Larkin: Actually he's developing into a small planet.

411Mania.com: Hey you said it not me…But going off that note, obviously you know from your career in boxing just how profitable a heavyweight fight could be. But looking around throughout MMA, there are only a few really big heavyweight names out there and even the UFC doesn't have a strong heavyweight division. So with an asset like Roy Nelson in your hands here as the champ, how do you go about putting him in fights that people are going to watch and just help his star power even more? I mean you have him fighting Branden Lee Hinkle coming up but what's the mindset in terms of setting this guy up in title fights?

Larkin: Well would there have been a Muhammad Ali without a Joe Frazier or George Foreman? When you get in the ring, 1+1=1. You have to have that combination of fighter and opponent to come together to make that entity that becomes bigger than life. Without a Tommy Hearns or Marvin Hagler, would there have been a Sugar Ray Leonard? The problem we have here is there aren't that many good heavyweights in MMA. We could keep lining up heavyweights in MMA for Roy Nelson to knock down and without a payoff. So right now matching up Roy in good heavyweight bouts is a difficult thing to do. But he is becoming an asset. He is starting to crossover because of his marketability and that goes back to the conversation we had about Kimbo Slice. Roy's marketable. Eventually we're going to have to find someone to get in there with him to make a major fight.
(This question was asked before the Calzaghe v. Hopkins fight on the 19th)
411Mania.com: Last question here Jay. Obviously you have your background in boxing. A big fight coming up this weekend between Joe Calzaghe and Bernard Hopkins, who do you have in the fight?

Larkin: Well, for the sake of total disclosure I have to acknowledge I'm involved in that bout as an agent for Calzaghe's promotional company. So I was involved in the deal making to put that bout together. But that aside, I really believe Joe is going to take this fight. I really believe Joe is going to win. This will be a fantastic fight and Bernard is one of the sharpest and smartest fighters I've ever encountered. If Bernard chooses to fight on the outside, this could be a long and boring 12 rounds. If Bernard decides to step in and fight on the inside, I think Joe is just going to beat him up all night long.

411Mania.com: Saying you're the agent for Calzaghe now Jay, full disclosure here, how much is Calzaghe getting paid to fight outside of Wales?

Larkin: (*laughs*) That I can't say.

411Mania.com: He's certainly pulling in a nice dime to finally get out of the country to fight. I'm just saying.

Larkin: Lets put it this way, you and I should be making so much money.

411Mania.com: He is the CEO of the IFL. He's Jay Larkin. Jay thanks so much for giving us the time.

Larkin: Thanks for having me.

Shogun Locc · Apr 29, 2008

Sergei Kharitonov to be added to the DREAM heavy weight line up.

DreamFighters.com's editor/contributer "MMAphd" has reported that Sergei Kharitonov is in close talks with DREAM to be added to the heavy weight division, and to have a debut fight set for either July or August.

Just a little while ago, there were rumours that linked Sergei Kharitonov to a fight with Mirko Crocop, but now that Mirko has signed a fight with LeBanner, Sergei is still negociatiing terms.

Experts suggest that DREAM's intentions with Sergei are possibly a re-match with Alexander Emelianenko, or a superfight with Mirko Crocop after his fight with LeBanner, that is if Mirko beats Lebanner that is.

Shogun Locc · Apr 29, 2008

Dream 2 post-fight interviews

GEGARD MOUSASI
Q: Did you think the fight would end the way it did?
A: My strategy was to avoid being on the bottom. I wanted to keep the fight on the feet and finish with strikes because I thought the ground was a dangerous position for me. If there's one submission technique I'm good at, it's the triangle choke, and I was lucky and was able to secure the choke for the win.

Q: You are improving quite remarkably. Who would you like to fight in the second round?
A: It's hard to say because they all have different styles. I don't care if my opponent is a top-10 or top-15 fighter. My teammates help me with my judo, jiujitsu, wrestling and many different aspects so I'm always ready. Whether my opponent is a kickboxer or a jiujitsu player, I can fight without any problem.

Q: Who do you think would pose the biggest challenge to you?
A: It's my understanding that the matchups for the next round have already been determined. I will be fighting Minowaman's opponent (Taiei Kin). Everyone is tough so it's really hard to say. But if I really had to make a choice, I'd like to fight Melvin Manhoef. I want to prove that I'm the best Dutch fighter.

DENIS KANG
Q: Give us your thoughts on the fight.
A: I felt good and my conditioning was good as well. I trained with great fighters. But I made a minor technical mistake that eventually led to the loss.

Q: Did you train with the fighters at American Top Team?
A: No. I trained in Vancouver.

Q: Could you tell us why you weren't able to train at American Top Team?
A: It was because of my visa. I'm waiting for it to be issued. I need it because I'm a Canadian citizen.

Q: Mousasi's triangle choke was very quick...
A: I got caught because I threw the punch a little too deep. Guys with long legs like him are very dangerous on the ground.

Q: Did you suffer any injuries?
A: Not at all. I told DREAM that I can fight right away. I will train harder and will be back better so that I won't have disappointing performances like today's.

Q: What's next on your schedule?
A: Like I said a moment ago I want to fight as soon as possible. I want to save myself from today's loss. I don't care if it's the May or June event. There are only two weeks left until the May 11 event but that's perfectly fine for me. I'm already in great shape. I want to fight soon and get this loss out of my head.

Q: Would you accept a rematch against Yoshihiro Akiyama?
A: Of course. He's a great athlete and I respect him as a fighter, but I think there has to be a rematch between us.

Q: Mu-Bae Choi will be fighting in Spirit MC. Are you willing to fight him?
A: I doubt I will. I'm already the Heavyweight Champion of Spirit MC. My next opponent should be the winner of the Spirit MC Heavyweight Grand Prix or anyone who beats the Grand Prix Champion.

DONG-SIK YOON
Q: You won your fourth consecutive fight. How do you feel?
A: Very good.

Q: Did you injure your right foot?
A: I threw a few low kicks but they hurt me more than they hurt him because I hit a bony part of his body.

Q: Do you have any other injuries?
A: None whatsoever.

Q: What was your impression of Oyama?
A: He had great balance on the ground. And he seemed to have a very gentleman-like character that perhaps comes from his judo background.

Q: It was a battle between two judokas. Give us your thoughts.
A: I was planning on striking with him because I thought it'd be a boring fight due to the style matchup but I found myself instinctively fighting on the ground soon after I entered the ring.

Q: How do you plan to prepare for the second round?
A: All of my wins were on the ground. I was upset to hear that my fights were boring. I'd like to win via strikes in my next fight.

Q: You mentioned striking several times. Do you have any plans to invite any striking coaches to your team?
A: Our training used to consist of 30% striking and 70% groundwork, but now it's 50:50. We don't have a striking coach right now but a lot of fighters from other teams come to our team to train with us. So now we have more sparring partners and have a more diverse pool of fighters. I'm trying to incorporate striking more because I think the team has become more and more grappling-oriented due to my influence.

Q: You've been quite close friends with Kazushi Sakuraba for some time. Do you have any plans of organizing training camps for both teams?
A: Founding our own teams doesn't necessarily mean that we've split. He still feels like a brother to me. He's like an older brother and at the same time a teacher. I'm close to his teammates as well. I still talk to them often and visit their locker room before their fights. I couldn't talk to him in today's event because of several circumstances but I'm planning on calling him after the show's over.

I'd like to say one more thing. I'd like to thank Sakuraba and Bu-Kyung Jung, Dae-Won Kim, Jong-Won Kim, and trainer Hong Park of Team Yoon.

ZELG GALESIC
Q: Is this the first submission win of your career?
A: No, but it's my first win in Japan. I'm really happy. I expected a striking war but the fight ended up on the ground because my opponent took me down. Like I promised after losing to Dong-Sik Yoon, I worked on my ground game and was able to win via armbar.
Q: Dong-Sik Yoon had an interview right before you and he seemed surprised that you won by armbar.
A: Dong-Sik Yoon is my teacher. He really beat me in a humiliating fashion in the last fight. I couldn't sleep well for about 10 days after the loss and would wake up during my sleep and wonder how I should train. But it was a great learning experience.
Q: You must have been busy since a lot of your teammates had fights recently.
A: I trained for my fight 6 to 8 hours a day and trained other people for the remainder of the day. I'm literally living in the gym now. It's not hard because it's always been this way. Training other people helps me a lot too.

Q: Are you still training at Team Trojan?
A: There is a Team Trojan in the UK and in Croatia. We work as a team so if someone needs me or if I need somebody to help me we go back and forth to help out. The UK and Croatia are only an hour and a half away by plane so it's not too far.

RONALDO "JACARE" SOUZA
Q: Your flying knee was impressive. Was it a part of your strategy?
A: I'm a jiujitsu player but I train in striking too. It wasn't really part of any strategy. It's just something I tried as the fight flowed.
Q: How did it feel to be in the ring of the DREAM organization?
A: It felt like I belonged there. It was my dream to fight in a ring like this.

Q: Was the transition from a jiujitsu player to a mixed martial artist natural? Did you have any difficulty?
A: It was natural. You have to train in not only striking but boxing, wrestling, and everything. It wasn't hard.
Q: You were supposed to fight Frank Trigg but the fight didn't materialize. How do you think the fight would have gone if you had fought Trigg?
A: I've signed a contract with DREAM and am ready to fight anybody. The only thing I can do is to do my best in the ring.
Q: Who would you like to fight in the second round?
A: I'm a DREAM fighter. It doesn't matter who I fight. I think Kazushi Sakuraba is one of the best. But the other fighters are well-versed in jiujitsu as well.

Q: You trained with Randy Couture. Did it help you a lot?
A: Training with Randy Couture helped me a lot. ADCC champion Rani Yahya and UFC fighter Tyson Griffin also trains at the gym. I train with Griffin too.
Q: You said it was your dream to fight in a ring like the one here. What's your next dream?
A: Winning the Grand Prix.

Q: Who do you think would pose the toughest challenge to you?
A: Everyone in the tournament is tough but if I had to pick one, it'd be Denis Kang. I think Denis Kang would be the most difficult opponent for me.

Shogun Locc · Apr 29, 2008

Sean Sherk: BJ Penn ‘needs to talk to a psychiatrist’

“I think he needs to talk to a psychiatrist. That sounds pretty sick to me, but good luck. I’m sure there will be blood, both mine and his, so we’ll see what happens. I don’t know, that’s kind of a weird thing to say and I did hear that he said that. I was like, ‘What the hell is he talking about?’ What can you say. He’s got some issues, but I’m not going to let anything he says bother me.”

Former lightweight champion Sean Sherk responds to comments reigning 155-pound kingpin, BJ Penn, made about licking the blood off his gloves when he’s done pounding “The Muscle Shark’s” face in during their championship bout at UFC 84: “Ill Will” on May 24.

Shogun Locc · Apr 29, 2008

WEC 34 Preview: Jens Pulver On What Fans Can Expect

Shogun Locc · Apr 29, 2008

Exclusive: Wilson Reis vs. Justin Robbins signed for “Saturday Night Fights” undercard
A 140 pound encounter between Wilson Reis and Justin Robbins has been added to the undercard of EliteXC’s debut telecast on CBS on May 31 in Newark, N.J.

The bout was confirmed to FiveOuncesOfPain.com (www.FiveOuncesOfPain.com) by two separate sources within the past 48 hours.

Reis, 3-0, had been scheduled to fight former UFC lightweight Doug Evans during EliteXC’s ShoXC event on April 5. However, he was scratched from the card during the week leading up to the fight due to a question about his medicals. The concern proved to be a false alarm but the proper clearance was not submitted to the California State Athletic Commission in time for Reis to remain on the card.

Reis was replaced by Bao Quach, who won a TKO over Evans at just 0:55 into round 1.

The Brazilian-born fighter trains full-time in the Philadelphia area and is a jiu-jitsu instructor at Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu United in Jenkintown, PA. A renowned competitive grappler, Reis made his professional MMA debut at Extreme Challenge 81 last July, recording a unanimous decision over Baba Shegeyasu.

He improved his record to 2-0 while fighting for Combat in the Cage last October, submitting Diego Jimenez with a rear naked choke at just 2:00 of round 1. He would go on to make his ShoXC debut this past January in Atlantic City, submitting former Division I wrestler Zach Makovsky at 1:15 of round 2.

Reis, who was promoted to black belt by Roberto Godoi, won the brown belt division at the Mundials in 2004. He is one of several fighters featured in Five Ounces Of Pain’s MMA Prospects section.

Robbins is 8-3-1, according to Sherdog.com’s fight finder. Based in the Midwest, he has fought primarily for the XFO, Shootfighting Challenge, and King of the Cage promotions. He competed for the WEC last August at WEC 29, losing a unanimous decision to Antonio Banuelos.

Robbins returned to action this past January at Warrior Concepts’ “Valhalla Rising,” where he submitted Jeff Hodges with an arm triangle choke at 0:47 of round 1.

Robbins also holds notable victories over Matt Jaggers and Tristan Yunker.

Arson · Apr 29, 2008

Sherk better have his roid dose spot on for this fight.

Shogun Locc · Apr 29, 2008

Co-headlining bouts finalized for Matt Lindland’s next Sportfight card on June 20

Matt Lindland’s Oregon-based Sportfight promotion is scheduled to return to the Rose Garden in Portland on Friday, June 20.

During an upcoming full-length interview conducted with FiveOuncesOfPain.com, Lindland revealed that the show’s co-headlining bouts have been finalized.

According to Lindland, Michael Pierce will defend his Sportfight welterweight title against Team Quest’s Nathan Coy. Coy was a amateur wrestling standout at Oregon State while Pierce was also a standout amateur wrestler while at Portland State.

Pierce won the title after recording a unanimous decision victory over Ed Nuno at Sportfight 21 this past December. Coy improved his career pro MMA record to 4-0 after submitting Jerrod Jones due to strikes at 2:37 of round 2 during the promotion’s most recent event, Sportfight 22, on April 18.

The show’s other main event will consist of Josh Queen of the Lions Den will put his Sportfight heavyweight title on the line against Josh Bennett, another Team Quest fighter.

Like Pierce, Queen also won his title at Sportfight 21. He took the strap when he submitted Jeremiah Constant with a rear naked choke at 4:56 of round 1 while Bennett became the number one contender after TKO’ing Matt Kovacs in the second round at Sportfight 22. Bennett is undefeated while competing under the Sportfight banner.

Tickets for the event will go on sale Friday, May 9, at 10 a.m. PT and will be available through ComcastTix.com. A pre-sale will be open on Wednesday, May 7 and will continue into Thursday, May 8.

Shogun Locc · Apr 29, 2008

Just a little tidbit that made me laugh, but Bas Rutten has a cameo appearance in GTA IV. If you "watch TV" in the game, he is the host of some weird reality show where he beats people up. It was pretty funny, and anyone who is a fan of him will laugh at it.

Shogun Locc · Apr 29, 2008

EXCLUSIVE ChokeHimOut Interview: Travis Lutter

C.H.O: It's been reported that you've been released from your contract with the UFC. Can you tell me about this and what happened?

TL: It's kind of like I posted on my Myspace page. My manager asks me if I want to do lunch and I figure we were just going to talk about the future. He sits me down and says that he got a phone call and a message was left on the answer machine saying that the UFC was going to release me from my contract and they are going to cut me loose. My manager said he called them and it was based on my two losses.

C.H.O: When is your exact release date, are you released as of yet?

TL: I take it to mean that I am released, I'm done.

C.H.O: Tell me about your time with the UFC. How did the management treat you and specifically how did Dana White treat you?

TL: You know Dana has always been good to me. My conversations with Dana have always been good, I can't really complain about Dana. As far as "Do I think I'm getting paid enough, hell no?". It was a tough contract. I don't think it was a real fair contract or anything like that but you know I signed the contract and got to be on the Ultimate Fighter because of it and all in all I can't complain about it. It is what it is.

C.H.O: Can you tell me what UFC was paying you in your contract?

TL: I got the standard amount that they gave the winner of the TUF 4. We all signed the same contract when we walked into the place as far as I know. I don't think anybody got preferential treatment. For my last fight I was paid 20,000 dollars. For my title fight I was paid 20,000 dollars. You know you main event and co-main event making twenty grand.

C.H.O: Do you think that fighting Anderson Silva after winning the Ultimate Fighter 4 was too soon?

TL: No, I don't think so. I think I was ready for Anderson. I would like to fight him again, I still believe in my skills it just wasn't my night that night.

C.H.O: Having just fought Rich Franklin, what happened when you came out in the second round?

TL: I don't know. Looking back, I haven't watched the tape yet. I know I got tagged really early in the first round and I don't remember anything from then until I passed his guard and then I mounted him shortly after. So there's a couple of minutes of time missing there, I don't know what happened. The thing I do remember is that I was very, very tired as I was passing his guard. When I was mounted on top I was gassed. Lot's of people think that I'm not in shape and you know I'm in shape. I was training really, really hard. I took this fight as seriously as I have taken anything in my life. I don't know if I didn't warm up good enough and maybe I didn't get to my second wind. I don't know that if when I got punched and dazed my heart rate went off the meter the whole time. I don't know. I don't have an answer for why I felt so tired. I was just completely and totally gassed and didn't have anything left. After five minutes of fighting I didn't have anything left.

C.H.O: Looking back, what would you have done differently in the Franklin fight?

TL: I definitely would have done more in my warm up. It was a different kind of locker room that I have ever been in before, there was a lot of people in there. I'm not trying to make any type of excuse. Rich Franklin beat me that night, he was a better man that night. Anderson beat me and was a better man that night, so I'm not making any excuses. As far as what I would do different, I would probably do a better warm up. I am checking into going to a strength and conditioning clinic for professional athletes to try and figure if I am doing something wrong. If I did do something wrong, I haven't figured that out yet.

C.H.O: What are your future plans now that you aren't fighting for the UFC anymore?

TL: I have my manager talking to a couple of different people. I don't know what's going to come out of that. I don't fight for nothing anymore. If I have a choice for fighting for nothing or not fighting, I'll choose not fighting. I'll wait until I can make a little bit of money hopefully. I want to fight, but we will just have to wait and see, it's too early to tell. I mean heck I've only known about this for a couple of days.

C.H.O: Would you consider fighting for an overseas organization such as DREAM or any of the other up and coming organizations?

TL: Man whoever wants to write the biggest check is who I'll fight for. I don't care who I fight for, I have fought overseas before. If I had my choice my favorite would be to fight for HDnet. There based in Dallas, a Mark Cuban owned organization and it's close to home. That would be optimum for me right now.

C.H.O:If you could pick any opponent right now, who would it be?

TL: Probably Anderson Silva.

C.H.O: Why is that?

TL: Because I think I can beat him. He has the UFC belt, he's the big dog and I think I could beat him. If your talking about a dream day, you know I'm not in the UFC so I don't see that coming true anytime soon, but that's who I'd pick.

C.H.O: You see a lot of top fighters leaving or being let go by the UFC. Do you think the UFC is treating their fighters fairly?

TL: I didn't choose to leave the UFC, I didn't ask to leave the UFC. They decided they didn't want me anymore. I don't know about Cro Cop or Randy's or anybody else's situation. The only one I know about is mine. It's a tough balance and I'm sure we will figure it out. There still the big dogs right now as far as pay per view and ticket sales. Nobody is really in second place right now for the time being. I hope somebody comes along and that is probably what it is going to take. The flag ship for MMA is still UFC and it will probably remain that way for awhile. But like I said, I'm cheering for someone else to step up and start winning some of those paper view numbers.

C.H.O: Anything you want to say to the fans?

TL: The guys who write into me and the ones that are still cheering for me I want to thank. Warrior wear was great for me this last time as far as sponsoring me. I really appreciate people that want to see me fight.

You can get the latest news on Travis at travisluteer.com

naner12 · Apr 29, 2008

Shogun Locc · Apr 30, 2008

Back to the Gym for Kang

A frenzy of questions must be going through Denis Kang (Pictures)'s mind coming off his surprise submission loss to Gegard Mousasi (Pictures) in the first round of the Dream middleweight grand prix.

Did he overlook Mousasi's ground game? What led to the mental slip? Was it ring rust?

At times like these, "training is the best thing to do," Kang told Sherdog.com with disappointment.

In this brief e-mail interview, Kang gives his thoughts on his match with Mousasi, Aoki's victory over Gesias Calvancante (Pictures) and where he goes from here:

Sherdog: You tagged Mousasi with a barrage of strikes off the get go and drove in with a double-leg. Was it your game plan to exchange strikes standing and change levels for the takedown? Were you ever worried about Mousasi's striking prowess or did you think you could handle him on the feet?
Denis Kang: I was planning to fight on instinct. The takedown was there, so I took it. I knew I could handle him on the feet.

Sherdog: That kimura looked like it was a lock. Was it Mousasi's knees from the bottom that prevented you from cranking it out?
Kang: The knees didn't bother me, but he was defending the arm well.

Sherdog: When you stood up and Mousasi was on his back, he threw a few up-kicks with his long legs. Did they throw you off your game?
Kang: A little, but I was expecting it.

Sherdog: It looked like you were trying to pass and get to side mount before you saw an opening for a hammerfist. Can you explain what went on in the final moments?
Kang: I made one sloppy mistake that cost me the fight. At this level that's all it takes.

Sherdog: Did you expect Mousasi to pull out that triangle? Did it seem like it was something he prepared for -- maybe by watching tape on your fight against Joe Doerksen (Pictures)?
Kang: Against Joe I was already half knocked out. With this it was my mistake, pure and simple.
Sherdog: Did ring rust or the pressure to perform play into your last two losses? Or the fact that you couldn't train with your regular partners at ATT?
Kang: Maybe a little ring rust. I am not injured after this fight, so I hope to be on the June 15th card to redeem myself.

Sherdog: Your ATT teammate, JZ, also dropped his match to Aoki. What did you think about his fight?
Kang: Aoki won fair and square, but in my opinion this second fight should not even have happened. ‘JZ' should have been in the second round already.

Sherdog: You're coming off two losses now. Where do you go from here? What's next for you?
Kang: I go straight to the gym and back to the ring. Training is the best thing to do at this point.

Shogun Locc · Apr 30, 2008

Frustration Turns to Joy for Aoki

In a match that appeared to be cursed by fate since its announcement late last year, the Dream lightweight semifinal bout between Japanese grappling wizard Shinya Aoki (Pictures) and two-time Hero's lightweight tournament champion Gesias Calvancante (Pictures) came to a definitive close Tuesday.

Advancing over the man many pundits pinned as the favorite in the competitive tournament, Aoki returned from adversity early in the bout to execute a masterful display of grappling that essentially neutralized Calvancante's overwhelmingly physical game.

The Brazilian surprised by shooting for a takedown in the early moments, essentially opting to engage Aoki in his own element. Calvancante later expressed that it was a perfectly normal tactic given the nature of the game.

"Yeah, part of my game is to do everything -- do MMA, fight standup, fight on the ground, ground-and-pound, takedowns. I come to do everything," said Calvancante.

This tactical maneuver, however, played right into Aoki's plans, said the elated "Tobikan Judan."

"My game plan was to demonstrate meticulous submissions, and to concentrate on grappling," Aoki said. "I think I'm the strongest fighter in the world when it comes to grappling technique, and I was happy to be able to show that tonight."

Sharing similar high regard for Aoki's grappling pedigree, "JZ Calvan" stated, "I always said that he's probably the best grappler in Japanese MMA, and also, in the world."

When asked what he may have thought Calvancante's reasoning was for following him into his realm, Aoki said, "I don't know much about his motivations, but I think he realized in our last fight that I'm also good at standup, so that's why he wanted to fight me on the ground."

"I expected him to fight in his usual style: striking on the feet and punching from the top a lot."

Calvancante did indeed attempt to land heavy strikes from top position during the few opportunities he could find entangled in Aoki's guard. However, the Japanese fighter was quick to tie up the Hero's champ and throw out submission attempts, at first capturing a leg, followed by rear-naked choke, and finally, an omoplata.

"I thought I could finish him with a leg lock, and I heard some popping, but he escaped after all was said and done," remarked Aoki about the first attempt.

Calvancante later contradicted that comment: "About the leg, I didn't feel anything or hear any noises."

Furthermore, Calvancante also answered questions regarding the condition of his left leg, which in the past gave the Brazilian lightweight trouble, requiring surgery that was said to be the reason for the postponement of the original bout on New Year's Eve.

"About the influence [of my left knee on this fight], I don't want to talk about that, y'know, because if I came here to fight. I came here to fight," he said. "It doesn't matter what happened or what my situation was. If I step in the ring, I feel ready to do what I have to do. I don't ever talk about injuries or stuff like that. If I come to the fight with my mind and my heart, it's enough to do what I have to do."

It was during the leg lock attempt that Aoki received several hard heels to the face. Looking as if he was hurt and purely reacting, Aoki absorbed several more punches to the face before rallying and bringing the fight back to standing, where he eventually captured the Brazilian's back in the clinch.

"I took a lot of punches and I felt like I was going to die," Aoki said.

However, the lanky submission artist managed to tough it out and capture Calvancante's back, where he threatened with chokes and punches to the side and back of the head.

"I was aiming for his head," said a smiling Aoki, "This was my reply to him for having attacked me there before. I wanted revenge for him attacking my neck last time."

Be that as it may, Aoki was unable to finish the fight in that position; Calvancante eventually extricated himself from the precarious position to begin the onslaught from top once again. This carried on well into the second round before Calvancante found himself in a tight omoplata.

Apparently due to the number of submission attempts, and his ability to otherwise stifle his opponent's offensive offerings, Aoki eventually walked away a unanimous decision winner -- a decision that "JZ" agrees with.

"I feel like I didn't win," said the American Top Team lightweight. "He did better than me -- he controlled the fight."

Said a contented Aoki, summing up his emotions after the fight: "I wanted to be able to smile after this fight, since the last one was so frustrating. Thanks to my teammates and the other people supporting me, I've made it and am smiling now.

"I really enjoyed the fight. I was fighting an opponent with great destructive punching power, so I was wondering how it was going to turn out. But in the end, I had fun."

Calvancante, light-hearted and apparently unperturbed by the decision loss, once again mirrored his opponent's sentiments. "I feel good," he said despite the result. "It was a good fight. I did everything I had to do to come to the ring and fight, and do what I love to do."

With his victory Aoki advances to the next round of the lightweight grand prix to face Olympic Greco-Roman wrestling silver medalist Katsuhiko Nagata (Pictures) on May 11 -- just under two weeks removed from Tuesday's bout.

That is the plan however.

Notwithstanding the well-laid plans of mice, men, and fight promoters, the injury bug could once again derail Dream's ambitions for a smooth transition into their next event.

Upon the conclusion of Dream 2, event producer Keiichi Sasahara made mention that Aoki may not be able to fight on the next dream card due to injury. Aoki's medical condition was slated to be ascertained early Wednesday, but with the Japanese grappling ace no showing for Wednesday afternoon's post-fight presser, no light has yet been shed on Aoki's current condition or his readiness for next month's card.

Be that as it may, Sasahara had broached the possibility of recommending Calvancante to take Aoki's place should the Japanese fighter be unable to proceed due to injury, reported Japanese sports news Web site sportsnavi.com.

While Sasahara mentioned with some trepidation that "the possibility is very slim," one does indeed exist that could put the Brazilian fighter back in the Dream lightweight tournament picture.

"Yesterday, Aoki ate a fair amount of punches," Sasahara said. "So we'll have to proceed with caution due to the injury."

"I had asked Aoki where he was injured, but being a fighter, he didn't want to say," Sasahara continued. "Of course, in boxing, a knocked out fighter would be suspended, but in [Japanese] MMA, there is no such rule, so it falls to the promotion to be responsible for the lives and safety of the fighters. Thus, I want to proceed with caution.

"I believe Aoki has returned home to his parents, and will soon go to the hospital. Time is short, so of course we must proceed with caution. He put on an amazing fight yesterday, and we would love to see him return for the second round, because Aoki is the fighter that helped us to open the door for Dream."

Whether Aoki-Nagata occurs in two weeks or not, the remainder of May's second round tournament matches are set. Dream announced on Wednesday that Tatsuya Kawajiri (Pictures) will face "Buscape" Luiz Firmino (Pictures), while stablemate Mitsuhiro Ishida (Pictures) takes on second round seed, Caol Uno (Pictures). First round standouts Eddie Alvarez (Pictures) and Joachim Hansen (Pictures) will also meet in what promises to be an exciting matchup.

Shogun Locc · Apr 30, 2008

Breaking News: ‘JZ' Will Not Replace Aoki

Gesias "JZ" Calvancante (Pictures) was contacted by Dream staff early Wednesday and informed of Shinya Aoki (Pictures)'s withdrawal from the May 11 Dream lightweight grand prix semifinals, a source from Calvancante's camp told Sherdog.com Wednesday.

Aoki suffered a facial injury in Tuesday's bout that saw him outpoint Calvancante after two rounds.

Calvancante was approached about replacing the Japanese fighter, but the 24-year-old American Top Team representative could not come to terms with the promotion and has since left Japan.

Shogun Locc · Apr 30, 2008

UFC releases Joe Doerksen

Veteran fighter Joe Doerksen (39-12 MMA, 1-5 UFC), a 30-year-old fighter who made his UFC debut in 2004, has been released by the organization.

Doerksen confirmed his release with Sportsnet.ca but said the UFC has left open the door for a possible return if he can string together some wins outside the organization.

Doerksen is the latest casualty in the UFC's current purge of talent. MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) was the first to report the UFC's intention to trim its roster of fighters after heavyweight prospect Jake O'Brien was also cut from his contract.

A return to the UFC isn't out of the realm of possibility for Doerksen. He had been forced out of the UFC twice before only to win his way back in. Most recently, after a unanimous-decision loss to Nate Marquardt at UFC 58, Doerksen strung together seven consecutive victories outside the organization to earn a WEC title shot with Paulo Filho. Despite a loss, he was then tapped as a late replacement for an injured Dave Terrell and fought Ed Herman at UFC 78 this past November.

However, Doerksen lost that fight -- and a subsequent bout with Jason MacDonald earlier this month at UFC 83.

Doerksen said he hasn't been scheduled for his next bout and likely won't consider fighting until June.

Shogun Locc · Apr 30, 2008

Nick Thompson returns for Sengoku III

Nick "The Goat" Thompson (35-9-1) will put his 11-fight win streak on the line when he returns to action at "Sengoku III," World Victory Road's June 8 show.

Thompson confirmed the bout with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) when reached by email but stated that an opponent hasn't been finalized.

Sengoku III takes place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Thompson, the reigning welterweight champion of the all-but-defunct BodogFIGHT organization, fought for the first Sengoku show in March and defeated DEEP veteran Fabricio Monteiro via unanimous decision. The win came just a month after a first-round submission victory over John Troyer at a February BodogFIGHT event.

He said he's in solid shape for his upcoming fight.

"My weight is a little higher than I would like, but I am in great shape otherwise," Thompson said. "I had trouble shaking a few nagging injuries while prepping for my last few fights, so this is the healthiest I have been in quite a while, though there are still five weeks of hard training."

Thompson's current win streak began after an April 2006 loss to Karo Parisyan at UFC 59. Thompson owns a 1-1 career record in the organization.

Sengoku III is expected to be headlined by highly ranked lightweight Takanori Gomi, though his opponent hasn't been finalized.

Shogun Locc · Apr 30, 2008

Report: Two more preliminary bouts for May 31 EliteXC-CBS

Two more preliminary bouts have been signed for the EliteXC-CBS "Saturday Night Fights" event on May 31.

According to fiveouncesofpain.com, a 140-pound bout between Zach Makovsky (3-1) and Andre Soares (5-1) will take place at the show, as will a lightweight bout between Mike Groves (0-1) and Joe Sampieri (0-2).

Both fights will appear on the preliminary card, which airs live on ProElite.com. The televised main card airs from 9-11 p.m. on CBS as the first-ever live mixed-martial-arts event on major U.S. network television.

Makovsky, part of the Philadelphia-based Fight Factory team, picked up three consecutive victories before a loss to Wilson Reis at his ShoXC debut in January. His opponent, Soares, is riding a four-fight win streak -- all via first-round stoppage.

Groves, also a Fight Factory team member, made his professional MMA debut in October 2007 and suffered a second-round TKO to Pat McGreal at a Combat in the Cage show. His opponent, Sampieri, is the Muay Thai coach for Renzo Gracie's Jiu-Jitsu Academy in New York City. His lone two pro fights were both losses in the IFL.

MMA News Thread

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Long live the KING!!!!

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