MMA News Thread

[heyzel]

Explosive Michael Bisping on course for showdown with Anderson Silva

By Gareth A Davies


Michael Bisping stayed on course to face Anderson Silva, the UFC world middleweight champion and widely regarded as the No 1 pound for pound mixed martial artist, with a destructive, whirlwind defeat of Canadian Jason Day at the O2 Arena on Saturday night

Dana White, the president of UFC, hinted that Bisping has all the hallmarks of the leading contender for Silva’s title in a division “stacked with talent". White also revealed that the match with Silva could be staged in the UK and insisted post-fight that “Bisping impresses more and more with every fight”.


On top: Bisping pummels Day
There were nuances there that Bisping has the credentials and fan base and could be pencilled in for a superfight with Silva next year.

Bisping, 29, from Clitheroe in Lancashire, admitted however that he still has much to learn to improve his all-round game, but this devastating first round stoppage speaks volumes for his desire to win the world title at 185lbs.

He may have to do so if he is to arm himself with the tools to defeat Silva. Feeding on the coruscating atmosphere of a 16,000 crowd which erupted for the announcement of his contest, Bisping (17-1-0) produced arguably his most accomplished performance to date in UFC to dismantle Day (17-6-0).

The pressure was on, and Bisping delivered in spades. And some. After sizing up his opponent in the opening seconds, Britain’s flagship mixed martial art showed why he has desire, skills and presence.

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Bisping never allowed Day any momentum in the fight, and admitted he had been nervous coming into the arena, given that a loss would have had dire consequences for his ambitious tilt at the seemingly unbeatable Silva, who has the best all-round game in mixed martial arts.

Bisping overwhelmed his opponent with power and intensity, forcing the Canadian to the floor and unleashing a barrage of punches, and finally elbows to end the spectacle. The roar would not have been amiss at the Colosseum Rome. Modern-day gladiator Bisping limped into the press conference post-fight, his only serious injury a badly bruised toe.

Conversely, Day will be nursing a badly bruised visit to the UK. The clock showed 3.42 remaining in the first round when the referee called a halt to the bout, with Britain’s number one mixed martial artist unstoppable.

 

[heyzel]

French Fighter Baron Signs with UFC

Frenchman David Baron has become the latest European to sign with the UFC, according to a source within the Team Haute Tension fighter's camp. A veteran of several promotions, including Pride Fighting Championships, the 35-year-old will carry a five-fight winning streak into his next fight.

Baron (15-2) last fought in May, when he submitted Japanese standout Hayato "Mach" Sakurai at a Shooto event with a first-round guillotine choke. Sakurai had been submitted only once before, by Crosley Gracie in 2004, and had not been finished in nearly two years.

Easily one of Europe's most accomplished mixed martial artists, Baron owns victories against former Cage Rage lightweight champion Abdul Mohammed and recent UFC signee Dan Hardy. His only to defeats came to former Pride lightweight champion Takanori Gomi and Swedish UFC veteran Per Eklund. Baron has been finished only once -- by Gomi -- in 17 career bouts

 

[heyzel]

Fight Biz: Live shows likely next round for NBC, Strikeforce

by Steve Sievert on Jun 09, 2008 at 11:05 am ET
The programming suits at NBC have a decision to make.

EliteXC's Saturday Night Fights debut on CBS May 31 proved that live mixed martial arts is more than viable on network television. Despite the fact that most MMA fans jeered the show, ripping into everything from the production to the officiating, SNF was the most-watched MMA event in U.S. television history. The broadcast drew a peak audience of more than 6.5 million viewers – and 4.85 million viewers in total – to top the 5.9 million who tuned into the Quinton Jackson-Dan Henderson match at UFC 75.

Those are game-changing numbers that TV executives simply can't ignore, especially when it comes to delivering the male, 18-to-34 audience that advertisers crave. That demographic comprised a sizeable portion of the viewers who tuned into SNF.

NBC already carries MMA, albeit in a time slot far removed from the bright lights of primetime. Strikeforce launched its weekly 30-minute taped series on the Peacock Network April 12. The promotion, which those familiar with the deal say purchased the airtime from the network, hoped the series would be the catalyst that leads to live shows on NBC.

"Periodically, we're in talks (with NBC)," said Strikeforce's Mike Afromowitz. "Of course, we want to be live on the network. That's always been part of our long-term objective. People want to see live events. The show's been a good way to introduce the brand and the product to people, but moving forward, we want to be live. That's the next step."

Not only do the ratings generated on CBS suggest that the next step might be imminent for NBC, programming brass at the network need to look no further than their own ratings to see that MMA draws a crowd. Viewership of "Strikeforce on NBC," which follows "Poker After Dark" every Saturday night/early Sunday morning, has increased nearly 200 percent from its first show to one of its recent airings.

The fifth episode, during the week of May 5, drew an audience of 949,000 viewers. That topped the average ratings for other late-night fare, including "Jimmy Kimmel Live" and "The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson."

"The show has exceeded our expectations," said Afromowitz, who oversees selection of fights featured in the production. "We're only several weeks into the series. We got the production together very quickly with minimal promotion. We didn't have a big, big campaign to promote it, but word spread from the first week we were on."

It seems only a matter of time before NBC makes a more significant commitment to MMA programming.

"We're prepared for a live event," said Afromowitz. "We're ready to move forward. We have the venues, and we have the talent if we're given the opportunity."

Encore key to EliteXC success – In the wake of strong ratings for EliteXC on CBS, the question now is – can Gary Shaw and Co. do it again?

The first show was promoted exceedingly well by EliteXC. They scheduled a series of media conference calls, held open workouts to highlight fighters for media, had fighter video packages on the CBS website and drew considerable mainstream press.

While all of that drummed up interest in the show, no aspect of the broadcast promotion was more important to its success than the simple novelty of live MMA on network TV for the first time. That guaranteed that the show would get a sizeable audience, but the ratings topped even CBS' projections.

The true test for the potential of a franchise-in-the-making in Saturday Night Fights will be measured with the second show, slated for late summer/early fall.

Tepid start to Ortiz book sales – Tito Ortiz's autobiography, This Is Gonna Hurt: The Life of a Mixed Martial Arts Champion, hit book retailers last month, but it hasn't been a hit so far with readers.

The 224-page read chronicles Ortiz's challenging childhood, a trouble marriage and battles inside the Octagon. The cover of the book features Ortiz in a UFC championship belt, which, reportedly resulted in a cease-and-desist order from the UFC.

Ortiz kicked off a nine-city book tour this past Tuesday to jumpstart sales of the book, which currently falls short of making the list of the top 150 selling books in the country, according to USA Today.

Rival Chuck Liddell is currently the champion of MMA book sales. His memoir, My Fighting Life, hit The New York Times bestseller list earlier this year.

Further changing of the guard at IFL – Kurt Otto, one of the co-founders of the struggling International Fight League, has resigned from the company's board of directors. Otto's departure is described as a voluntary resignation. He will remain with the league in a matchmaking capacity and is still the company's largest shareholder.

With Otto no longer on the board, the two men who conceptualized the IFL are no longer in leadership roles with the company. Co-founder Gareb Shamus resigned as CEO and board chair last November

 

[heyzel]

KJ Noons comfortable as perpetual underdog

by John Morgan on Jun 09, 2008 at 12:47 pm ET
When EliteXC 160-pound champion KJ Noons (6-2) steps into the cage to face UFC and PRIDE veteran Yves Edwards (34-13-1) Saturday night in Honolulu, Hawaii, many will be expecting the title to change hands.

That's just fine with Noons, who has been thriving in the role of underdog throughout his young MMA career.

Noons recently discussed his first title defense with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

"If anything, [being the underdog] makes me feel more confident," Noons said. "I'm fighting a guy with like 50 fights. I shouldn't even be in the same arena with this guy. But I've got the title, and I'm fighting him. I feel like it's a great opportunity, and I like being the underdog."

In fact, the one time Noons was expected to win ended disastrously for the 26-year-old.

"The only time I wasn't the underdog was against ‘Crazy Horse' (Charles Bennett), and I got knocked out," Noons said. "So, every time I've been the underdog, in all my fights, except for the ‘Crazy Horse' one, I've won. So I feel like it's to my advantage. It motivates me. I trained a lot harder. And, it's fun, man."

Noons knows that facing a veteran as experienced as the resurgent Edwards will present his toughest test to date. The native Hawaiian plans on sticking to what he does best, and believes fireworks should follow.

"Styles make fights," Noons said. "Every time you get a good couple of strikers, that you get a southpaw and an orthodox fighter, it always turns out to be a good fight, I think. I'm going to stick at what I'm best -- obviously my stand-up. But I trained everywhere, you know, ground, takedowns and submission wrestling. Pretty much just stick to my game plan, and go from there."

Noons knows firsthand the weapons that Edwards will bring to the table, having sparred with the 31-year-old when the two fighters were both training out of Houston.

"Back then, that was like nine years ago, we used to work out a little bit," Noons explained. "[Edwards] was in the UFC at the top of his game, and I used to look up to him. Like, ‘Man, I'd like to be a fighter on that level someday.' And nine years later, here I am with the title, getting to defend it against him. So, it's awesome."

But Noons also feels with his opponent's experience comes a high degree of expectations, which could become a factor in the fight.

"I feel like I'm on my way in and up in MMA," Noons said. "Where as Yves has had so many fights, this is, I feel like, kind of like a make or break it for him. I feel like there's a lot more pressure on him than me."

Against Edwards, Noons will get a chance, in front of his hometown crowd, to silence critics who have questioned the young champion's legitimacy. And should Noons add Edwards to his growing list of victories, perhaps then the champion may finally begin to learn the role of favorite.

"I look for my hand to be raised at the end of the fight," Noons predicted. "I trained super hard for this fight, and I just stick to the mentality of whatever you do ... have a never-give-up mentality. Just keep on knocking at the door, and an opportunity will come your way."

For more on Saturday's EliteXC: Hawaii II event, which airs live on Showtime, check out the MMA Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Anything goes: Exclusive MMAmania.com interview with UFC welterweight Jon Fitch

UFC fans have a hard time agreeing on many topics, but almost all of them will agree on one thing.

Jon Fitch is due.

The former Purdue University wrestling standout is now a staggering 8-0 in the Octagon (17-2 overall) and has finally secured his chance to become the top 170-pound fighter in the world.

In less than two months, Fitch will face UFC welterweight champion Georges “Rush” St. Pierre at UFC 87: “Seek and Destroy” from the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn., on August 9.

And it’s been a long time coming.

I asked the son-of-a-Fitch about his thoughts on fellow welterweight Thiago Alves, how his personality fits in with today’s MMA and why we’ll see a different Jon Fitch when he finally faces GSP for the UFC welterweight title.

Check it all out and more after the jump.


Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Okay let’s just get right to it. How does it feel to finally get your title shot?

Jon Fitch: Dude I’m soooo pumped. It’s like starting in this sport all over again. I love everything about this sport: The excitement, the love - that burn. I’m back in the gym putting in 8-12 hour days. It’s such a huge fight and the first time in a while that I’ve been a huge underdog.

Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): And now you’re fighting Georges St. Pierre (GSP) at UFC 87. How did it finally come about?

Jon Fitch: It was something I was pushing for. Everybody was talking about it. We knew the fight was going to happen, we just weren’t sure when. I was keeping my fingers crossed, hoping nothing crazy would happen. No freak injuries or anything to prevent it from coming together.

Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Was there ever a point where you felt a little complacent in your career, especially after racking up so many wins and not being considered for a title shot?

Jon Fitch: I have a good attitude about that kind of stuff, I’m always pretty positive. When they offer me a fighter I’m just like “Yeah, alright.” I just move forward and prepare for that fight.

Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Going into a fight how much of it is “Yeah this is my job” vs. “Holy crap - I’m living my dream“?

Jon Fitch: 90% is “I’m living my dream“. Easily. Sometimes it feels like a job when you get on those Internet boards and listen to people and their retarded opinions.

Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Speaking of opinions, my last interview with Diego Sanchez yielded a lot of unkind words about your performance in that fight. Why do you think Diego is so hung up over that fight?

Jon Fitch: I think part of that is him just trying to get back into the limelight because I know he wants to fight Josh [Koscheck] again. He wants it to become a back-and-forth kind of thing where we respond, then it gets nasty, then it becomes an Internet thing. I understand what he’s doing but he had a different story right after the fight. He wants to protect himself, I mean it was a good fight but I won.

Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Is he obsessed with Koscheck?

Jon Fitch: Yeah, he might be a little obsessed with Koscheck. There is an underlying hate between those two and they should fight again. I know Josh wouldn’t mind doing it again.

Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): What do you tell the fans who question your place in this division? I know for a lot of them your loss at the hands of GSP is kind of a foregone conclusion.

Jon Fitch: That’s showing a clear ignorance to what they know about this sport. Most people don’t even know half the guys I’ve fought. They can’t even list more than three guys I’ve fought. Seriously, if you can’t name ten of my opponents, then you have no idea what you’re talking about. Go through my record. See who I’ve fought and then look at some of the people they’ve fought.

Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Like Thiago Alves.

Jon Fitch: I can’t believe a lot of people are saying Thiago Alves deserves a title shot before I do. Hello people? I fought Thiago and I won. A lot of people don’t even know I’ve beaten him because you never see fights like that on TV.

Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Do you think that’s done to protect guys who are up-and-coming like Thiago?

Jon Fitch: I don’t know why they choose not to show certain fights. It was an exciting fight. My first UFC fight with Brock Larson was also an exciting fight. They constantly show the Luigi Fioravanti fight and the Roan Carniero fight. Even the Diego fight doesn’t get replayed.

Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): A lot of fans are hung up on names. Do you think if you had a win over a big name such as Matt Hughes the fans would be more willing to consider you as a serious contender?

Jon Fitch: Of course, I mean Hughes is one of the most successful champions in UFC history so you’ll get a lot of credit for that.

Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Do you feel obligated or is there pressure from the UFC to try and be a personality when so much of today’s business is pay-per-view driven? Would you be further along if you were more colorful like a Tito Ortiz type or tried to trash a guy to sell a fight?

Jon Fitch: I don’t think so at all. Half of the time when you try to hype a fight or be some character you end up sounding like an idiot becomes it comes across as forced. Some of the guys like Rampage are that character so it works, but some of these other guys I don’t know what the hell they’re doing. Just bring it to the cage and let that be who you are.

Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Let’s say you manage to win the welterweight title. Do you think you could be a marketable champion?

Jon Fitch: I think so. Honestly I’ve held back a lot of who I am, a lot of my personality and what I do and say because I was pissed off about getting left at the fucking airport. You know, that “something” that makes you a little bit bitter when you see the success all these other guys get and you’re right there, then you get kicked right back into the gutter out of nowhere. I was a little bitter about that for awhile. I was like “Oh I don’t have a personality? Well okay then you’re not going to get a personality out of me”.

Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Now that you have a chance to change all of that, how will you prepare for GSP?

Jon Fitch: Pretty much the same approach as always, but you will definitely see a different type of fighter when I face him. It’s going to be above and beyond what people have seen from me in other fights. It has to be in order to beat GSP.

Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): What is the emphasis on? For example are you focusing on striking, jiu-jitsu, etc.

Jon Fitch: I’m just going to be ready for everything but with a little extra sprinkle of nasty on it. Plus he’s got to deal with the incredible good looks of somebody from Indiana.

Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Do you believe guys like Pete Sell that label him as a mental case when it comes to fighting? That he needs a pre-fight shrink?

Jon Fitch: I don’t know. I don’t really know the guy. You never know what’s going on inside someone’s head before a fight.

Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Did you expect him to run through Matt Serra the way he did in their rematch?

Jon Fitch: Yeah, I called that fight exactly how it happened except it ended a round earlier than I predicted. I figured Serra would be a little more durable and he did try to do all the right things but GSP just shut him down.

Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Do you think that having Josh Koscheck help you train for this fight is a distinct advantage? Despite the loss, Kos was able to take GSP to the scorecards, something only three other people were able to do.

Jon Fitch: Yeah it’s a big thing. My camp, my people were able to come up with a strategy to give GSP all he could handle. Josh got out-wrestled. He didn’t get beat up, he didn’t get hurt and he wasn’t tired. It’s a huge advantage.

Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Aside from training, I understand you’ve been doing a lot of charitable work like visiting wounded war veterans at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. What was that like?

Jon Fitch: One of our sponsors brought us out there to help improve the turnout for the job fairs they were holding. They set those up for post-war veterans to assist with career placement but the turnout had been low so they asked Josh and I to pitch in and they ended up with double the people they expected. It was hard though, hearing stories about these guys on their way to recovery talk about getting their freakin’ body parts torn off in battle. It was insane. When a guy comes up to you with one arm and one leg and starts giving you props for being tough enough to get in the cage and fight it’s like “Dude - you just got fucking blown up - don’t be giving me ANY kind of admiration.”

Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Where would you be without fighting?

Jon Fitch: Pulling my hair out! Seriously though I would probably be teaching. I would be a damn good high school wrestling coach - and a merely average high school gym teacher.

Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): And for fun?

Jon Fitch: That’s a strange transition. I had to give up all my hobbies. Now my hobbies are boxing and jiu-jitsu. In between fights I just try and polish my skills - though I will be trying to surf this summer. Trying. I’ve been out there a few times like when I went to Vietnam. I’m not great.

Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Uh, what were you doing in Vietnam Colonel Braddock?

Jon Fitch: Visiting my girlfriend’s family. Her mother left 30 years ago with bullets behind her. She is one of those people - she’s fucking gangster. We’re going to see her, help out some orphanages and maybe the school for the blind.

Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): So I guess you guys are pretty tight if you’re going to Vietnam together.

Jon Fitch: Yeah, we’ve been together about four years. When you find a good one you’ve gotta keep ‘em around. She supports my fighting and she loved me when I was poor and had nothing. I remember traveling to compete. She was like “You’re a fighter? Ok, sure whatever.” Then one day I pop up in the UFC and she was like “What the hell?”

Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Can she watch you fight or is it too hard for her?

Jon Fitch: It’s hard, but I give her a pre-fight allowance so that she can get a couple of drinks.

Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Nice. Well that pretty much does it for me. Anything you would like to promote?

Jon Fitch: The fight with GSP! It’s going to be the best fight anyone has ever seen.

Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): That’s a bold statement.

Jon Fitch: Very bold. We’re going to fucking throw down and it’s going to be a war.

Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Is he in for a surprise?

Jon Fitch: Everyone is. I’ve only displayed about 35% of my potential technique in all of my fights.

Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Are you holding out on us?

Jon Fitch: A little bit! It’s not necessary to give everything to get the win and I don’t want to show all my cards. But this is for the title. Fuck that. I’ve got 25 minutes to make it happen - anything goes!

 

[Shogun Locc]

GSP vs. BJ Penn New Years Eve?

In a recent interview with www.sportsnet.ca, Dana White suggested that GSP vs. B.J. Penn II could happen in 2008. As the current UFC Lightweight Champion, White would like to see a few more fights for Penn (13-4-1) at 155 lbs. before moving up to fight Georges St. Pierre (16-2) at 170 lbs. White did recognize that this was the fight everyone wanted to see and said that it could happen as early as this year. He also mentioned that it might be part of the New Year's Eve show.
The last fight between GSP and Penn was an epic battle that resulted in a controversial split decision for GSP at UFC 58 in March 2006.

 

[Shogun Locc]

‘Mo’ Smith Talks Disappointing Loss
videolink: http://www.sherdog.com/videos/videos.asp?v_id=1629
Maurice Smith (Pictures) met with the press following his quick submission loss to Hidehiko Yoshida (Pictures) Sunday in Tokyo.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Wiuff on Surprising Knockout of Fujita
videolink: http://www.sherdog.com/videos/videos.asp?v_id=1630
Travis Wiuff (Pictures) fielded questions from the media after his first round knockout of Kazuyuki Fujita (Pictures) at Sengoku Battle III.

 

[Shogun Locc]

FOLLOWING WEC 34, FABER PLAYS THE WAITING GAME

At World Extreme Cagefighting 34, Urijah Faber proved why he is he is the No. 1 featherweight in the world with his dominating performance over Jens Pulver. Pulver, who was undefeated at featherweight prior to the bout, was thought to be, and probably was, Faber’s toughest test to date. Faber passed with flying colors with his aggressive attack, crisp punching and solid wrestling.



“It's basically just been good times with my buddies and just relaxing and being here with all my friends and family,” said a laid back Faber recently on MMAWeekly Radio. “It's just been amazing. I've had a great time through the whole process before, during and after the fight.”



The fight took place in the Arco Arena in Urijah Faber’s hometown of Sacramento, Calif. Getting to fight in front of his home crowd meant a lot to Faber and had his blood pumping. “It was pretty intense. I feel like it was a first time experience for me being in a venue that large and having everyone there for me was amazing. I was a lucky guy.”



Jens Pulver came into the fight very game, and Faber expected to have a very tough fight on his hands. “That guy is a warrior,” said Faber. “I think this was the best prepared he's been for a fight in a long time. You could see it at the weigh-ins. He was in really good shape compared to some of his other fights, even years ago. I knew he was going to be really tough to finish. It was just something that was kind of a big deal to him and me and I'm just so glad I won.”



The one aspect of the fight that seemed to surprise most people was Faber’s much improved boxing skills. “One thing that I pointed out after this fight, my last five fights, go back and watch them and see who took me to the ground. Jeff Curran took me to the ground. Chance Farrar took me to the ground. Dominic Cruz took me to the ground. Joe Pearson jumped guard. Bibiano Fernandez took me to the ground. So, people talk about my ground and pound. I'm just trying to fight out there. I love throwing punches.”



Faber continued to dominate the stand-up with his solid right hand that kept finding a home. Even though he threw many solid combinations, his right hand was definitely his moneymaker on the feet. “The right hand for me has always been my power shot. It used to be my lunging overhand right when I first started fighting. I've put some technique behind it. I was really happy to get to showcase some of this stuff.”



This fight was also the first time that Faber had been taken five rounds. For some fighters, going five rounds would make them gas out, but not Faber. His conditioning is always off the charts. “My cardio was great. I'm a lifetime fighter. If I can't do 25 minutes, then I wouldn't even be in the mix. My cardio felt great. The second round when I was a little fatigued, it was something you don't get to practice trying to actually finish a guy because in practice, you shake a guy. You don't go in for the kill.”



WEC had to share the weekend with CBS-EliteXC Saturday Night Fights’ debut show. While the EliteXC show was marred with controversy, the WEC put on another solid event. In fact, ESPN’s Jim Rome commented that the Urijah Faber-Jens Pulver match should have been the fight that was put on network television instead of Kimbo Slice and James Thompson.



Faber shared his opinion on those remarks. “I agree with him. You could see the talent and the skill level of the fighters in the WEC versus the guys in EliteXC. I'm really happy they have that EliteXC show on CBS. I think that's huge for the sport. It's drawing so much attention.”



The WEC, since being televised on Versus, has produced quality shows with great fights that even rival its parent organization, the Ultimate Fighting Championship. “I think what you have is a huge pool of talent in the lighter weights. People are just getting to see why they are the most exciting fights in the world. They are really making a showcase for the some of the most talented MMA fighters in the world.”



When Jens Pulver and Urijah Faber squared off last Sunday night, it was a testament to the lighter weight classes in how exciting their fights usually are. The fight was so compelling, some fans were wondering if a rematch may happen at some point.



Faber has no qualms about giving Jens a rematch. “I'd fight anyone. Jens is a tough guy. I think that I did a good job of proving why I am No. 1 right now, but if he is the one that is in contention, I'd definitely give him the opportunity.”



The big question surrounding Faber right now is who will he fight next. Mike Brown had an impressive performance over Jeff Curran and may be the front-runner to a title shot against Faber. “There are some rumors about a fight in September. That would be great for me. It depends who they think. I think Mike Brown is well-deserving. He's beaten Yves Edwards. He's a worthy opponent. At this point, it's a waiting game for me.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Werdum goes off on Vera

Fabricio Werdum was one of the winners at UFC 85, this Saturday, in England. The black belt defeated Brandon Vera by technical knockout at the end of the first round. Nevertheless, the party was marred by complaints from the American of premature intervention from the referee. Dismayed, Vera played down Werdum's vitory, inspiring ire on the part of the Brazilian.

In an email sent to the GRACIEMAG.com newsroom, Werdum commented on the episode:

"I'm very pleased with my win. I came to England to show my skills and training, I put on an excellent fight and won, in the 1st round. I can't go against the referee's opinion, they know what they are doing and if the ref hadn't stopped it then, he would have stopped it two punches later. My goal is the belt, I don't have time for a revenge match with Vera. He was in my way and I got him out of it. I'm not discarding the possibility of facing him and knocking him out again. I'm fully prepared, but first he has to go to the back of the line.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Full card announced for June 14 EliteXC

Elite Xtreme Combat today released the full fight card for its upcoming Saturday event, which features a headline bout between EliteXC lightweight champ KJ Noons (6-2) and challenger Yves Edwards (33-13-1).

The event, dubbed "EliteXC: Return of the King," takes place at the Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu. The main card airs on Showtime beginning at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

The full card features a total of 12 fights, five of which air on Showtime and additional five that air on ProElite.com.

In the night's co-main event, Nick Diaz (16-7) returns to EliteXC for the first time since his title loss to Noons in November. Diaz takes on Muhsin Corbbrey (7-2). EliteXC officials expect the winner to earn a future title shot against the Noons-Edwards winner.

Murilo "Ninja" Rua (15-8-1) is also in action on the night's televised main card. He faces undefeated Tony Bonello (16-0-1).

"You have four quality lightweights in KJ, Yves, Nick and Muhsin; a fantastic matchup between Ninja and Bonello; and much more," EliteXC Live Events President Gary Shaw stated. "Fans in Hawaii are extremely knowledgeable. They know MMA. The last time we were here, the fans were into it from the start."

EliteXC helds its first and only other Hawaii show in September 2007 for "EliteXC: Uprising."

Saturday's full card includes:

MAIN CARD

Champ KJ Noons vs. Yved Edwards (for EliteXC lightweight title)
Muhsin Corbbrey vs. Nick Diaz
Tony Bonello vs. Murilo "Ninja" Rua
Wayne Cole vs. Rafael Feijao
Dave Herman vs. Ron Waterman
PRELIMINARY CARD (PROELITE.COM)

Kala Kolohe vs. Bubba McDaniel*
Mark Oshiro vs. Chris Willems
Kaleo Kwan vs. Mike Aina
Chris Bernard vs. Lolohea Mahe
PJ Dean vs. Dean Lista
PRELIMINARY CARD (UN-AIRED)

Russell Doane vs. Dwayne Haney
Carl Barton vs. Kepa Madeiros

 

[heyzel]

Frank Trigg and Takanori Gomi scheduled for "Sengoku 4"

Frank Trigg and Takanori Gomi scheduled for "Sengoku 4"



by Dann Stupp on Jun 09, 2008 at 8:15 pm ET
Middleweight fighter Frank Trigg (16-6) has agreed to fight in August for World Victory Road.

The upcoming bout means the former UFC fighter and ex-ICON Sport middleweight title-holder will return to action for the first time since a December 2007 first-round submission victory over Edwin Dewees.

Trigg today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that he recently agreed to the Aug. 24 "Sengoku 4" fight, though an opponent has not been determined.

Trigg, 36, has won three of his past four fights. His only loss was a fourth-round knockout defeat to Robbie Lawler for the ICON title in March 2007. In addition to Dewees, Trigg also defeated Jason "Mayhem" Miller and Kazuo Misaki during the recent span.

In addition to Trigg, WVR recently announced that highly ranked lightweight Takanori Gomi (28-3) has been booked for the Sengoku 4 card, which takes place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Gomi is expected to headline the event, though his opponent has not been determined

 

[heyzel]

Report: "Cro Cop" out of DREAM grappling match

by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Jun 09, 2008 at 6:34 pm ET
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic has pulled out of an exhibition grappling match with Ralek Gracie that had been scheduled for DREAM's June 15 event.

Reports of the canceled DREAM.4 bout first popped up last week.

The Croatian news organization Dnevnik reports that Filipovic suffered an elbow injury while preparing for the bout, a no-points contest that was going to be held under modified rules.

Filipovic (23-6-2), a former PRIDE and UFC fighter, last fought in March and scored a 56-second TKO over Tatsuya Mizuno. The victory snapped a two-fight losing streak that came to Gabriel Gonzaga and Cheick Kongo in the UFC.

DREAM organizers, a collection of executives from the former K-1 HERO'S organization and PRIDE, intended for Filipovic to compete in a regular MMA bout but had difficulty finding the Croatian fighter an opponent for this weekend's event.

There's no word if Filipovic's injury could affect a previously reported July 21 DREAM.5 bout with Jerome LeBanner.

Gracie (1-0), too, has since been pulled from the official DREAM.4 fight card.

The event features the second round of the organization's middleweight grand prix, as well as a second-round lightweight GP fight between Shinya Aoki and Katsuhiko Nagata

 

[Shogun Locc]

VIDEO: PROFESSOR BARNETT'S DIVING TOE-HOLD

Open weight King of Pancrase, former UFC heavyweight champion, and recently dubbed, King of Sengoku, Josh Barnett has long been regarded as one of the most knowledgeable submission experts in mixed martial arts. He is currently ranked No. 4 in the world at heavyweight.


Following a year-long layoff, he has returned to action with a vengeance in 2008. He submitted fellow Pride veteran Hidehiko Yoshida at Sengoku 1 and won a unanimous decision over training partner-turned-opponent Jeff Monson at Sengoku 2.



He was recently afforded a break from Sengoku 3 and took time out of his busy schedule, which includes training and cornering up-and-coming fighters and other established stars, to explain a move that he has long held in his arsenal, the diving toe hold.



It is a move that Barnett has used numerous times, on such fighters as Kazuhiro Nakamura and in the recent bout with Monson, to much success.



And while most people in the MMA world tend to think of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Barnett’s style actually harkens back to an old-school grappling style known as catch wrestling. While catch wrestling – most commonly linked to practitioner Karl Goch – was a forbearer to professional wrestling. Unlike today’s “sports entertainment” wrestling promotions, however, catch wrestling is as real as any jiu-jitsu, judo or MMA.

videolink: http://videos.mmaweekly.com/view_player.php?id=2590

 

[Shogun Locc]

IFL to Hold Conference Call

It seems like Dana White isn't the only MMA exec making an announcement this week.

In a release to the media, the International Fight League announced it will hold a conference call, during which, "IFL CEO Jay Larkin will discuss the IFL business plan moving forward, including an update on potential partners and plans for the scheduled August 15 event at IZOD Center."

The announcement of the conference call is rather sudden, as the IFL press machine is very well organized. The league usually provides more than just a days' notice as to media oriented events.

While purely speculation, the sudden nature of the conference call leads me to believe the news will be rather significant. It may not upstage Dana White's Thursday announcement, but will probably be significant none the less.

Stay tuned, as MMAPayout will bring you any news and developments from the conference call and hope to post audio of the call.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Boxing-MMA Card Drawing Strong LV Interest

The Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas is putting on a hybrid card of boxing and MMA on the same night, June 20th. The card is free to the public, with all 16,000 tickets for the night of fights already distributed.


"We thought this would generate some interest, but it has surpassed our expectations," Libonati said. "We think this is the first time that boxing and MMA have been offered on the same card at the same venue on the same night."
This is an interesting concept. With the gate being non-existent, I imagine they are looking to make their money back in several ways. The boxing portion of the card will be televised on ESPN's Friday Night Fights while the MMA portion is rumored to be aired on HDNet.

There is generally a decent license fee from ESPN for their show and possibly a fee from HDNet, so that should offset some costs. They should also be able to make money from some of the usual live event revenue staples, merchandising, local sponsorships, and concessions. This looks to be more of a foot in the door, leading to future cards that they can charge for. With all the sniping that has gone on between the heads of boxing and MMA, a move such as this to bring the two combat sports together is more than welcome.

 

[Shogun Locc]

More on Everlast and MMA

As a follow-up to our previous post on boxing brand Everlast and their moves into the MMA market, Everlast President Adam Geilser recently spoke with Brandweek and gave more insight into their marketing plans and why they are looking to reach MMA fans:


BW: Everlast recently signed a deal with Ultimate Fighting Championship legend Randy Couture. How does his mixed marshal arts background fit into your future plans?
AG: Everlast is the exclusive apparel and equipment sponsor of Randy's Xtreme Couture Gyms. In September we will launch Everlast's MMA equipment line at retail. We are doing a photo shoot with him [this week] for a print campaign that will run in men's and sports magazines. ...... Our brand is strong with consumers 30 and older. With Randy and MMA, we will attract 16-22-year olds, a demo we have had trouble attracting. So the opportunity to speak to these younger consumers is key for us. It's a major opportunity to grow our business.

 

[Shogun Locc]

EliteXC’s future plans at light heavyweight include title and possibly Tito Ortiz

As EliteXC builds up its various weight classes, it’s no stretch to say the promotion’s most underdeveloped division at this stage is its light heavyweight class. However, there are plans to rectify that situation and many of those plans surround blue chip prospect Rafael Feijao.

Feijao was discovered by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira when the current UFC interim heavyweight champion was looking for a training partner during a business trip in Brazil, recently. Originally a heavyweight who fought for the IFL, the former veterinarian just recently made the move to 205 pounds. In his EliteXC debut this past February during the promotion’s “Street Certified” event, Feijao knocked out John Doyle with a knee to the body at 2:17 of round one. While Doyle was a virtual unknown to most of the country, he just happens to be one of the top light heavyweight prospects on the Eastern seaboard.

Feijao’s next test will come in the form of 37-year old Wayne Cole, a former Division II All-American at Central Oklahoma. Cole, who like Feijao competed as a heavyweight in the IFL before arriving in EliteXC, made quite an impression when he submitted Mike Kyle with an armbar at 0:45 of round one this past March during the Frank Shamrock vs. Cung Le undercard.

Should Feijao get past Cole, it will put him one step closer to the EliteXC light heavyweight title, a title that could be instituted by the end of the year or by early-2009, according to EliteXC Director of Fighter Operations Jeremy Lappen. Considering that Lappen believes that Feijao has a chance to be one of the best in the world at 205, one can only assume that he’ll be a top contender for the title so long as he keeps winning fights.

But who will Feijao have to get past before he can claim the title? When asked about the current landscape of the division, Lappen mentioned that the promotion thinks highly of Jared Hamman, a former college football player who began his MMA career with a perfect 9-0 record. Also mentioned in the light heavyweight picture was the man who handed Hamman his first career loss during an April ShoXC event, B.J. Penn-trainee Poai Suganuma.

EliteXC also has Aaron Rosa in its 205 pound ranks, but his future in uncertain coming off the heels of consecutive losses, one to Hamman and the most recent one to Jaime Fletcher, who competes primarily at middleweight. However, there is one other off-roster name to also consider. During a Tuesday conference call to promote Saturday’s SHOWTIME card that will feature K.J. Noons defending his EliteXC lightweight title vs. Yves Edwards, reporters grilled Lappen about the status of Tito Ortiz.

The former UFC light heavyweight champion is currently a restricted free agent and has been drawing interest from numerous promotions. Lappen confirmed that EliteXC not only has an interest in Ortiz, but has engaged in preliminrary discussions with him. However, Lappen took a cautious approach in acknowledging that they are hardly the only suitor for Ortiz’s services.

While not mentioned in the discussion, but still a name to keep an eye on none-the-less, is UFC and PRIDE veteran Travis Wiuff. Wiuff is a career journeyman but is currently on a nine fight win streak as he bounces between heavyweight and light heavyweight. He was the winner of YAMMA Pit Fighting’s first-ever eight-man, single night tournament in April and is coming off a first round knockout victory over Kazuyuki Fujita this past weekend at Sengoku III.

 

[Shogun Locc]

SENGOKU holds the light weight tournament

SENGOKU announced to start its light weight tournament in SENGOKU 4. This tournament contains 8 fighters and 1 R is on Aug 24 in Saitama Super Arena. Semi Final and final will be taken place in Oct or Nov. The winner of this tournament will automatically gain an opportunity to fight Takanori Gomi on NYE or in the first event in 2009. Duane Ludwig, Rodrigo Damm, Satoru Kitaoka, Eiji Mitsuoka and Kazunori Yokota will participate in this tournament.

Takanori Gomi:
I train hard and will prepare for my next fight. My fight will make SENGOKU an exciting event as well as the UFC.

SENGOKU also announced the participation of Frank Trigg, Zurab Zviadauri, Ramaz Nozadze, Eldari Kurtanidze and Georgi Gogchilidze.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Matt Hughes: ‘Thiago came in big’ at UFC 85

“I fully expected to win, things didn’t go my way. Thiago came in big, some people told me that he looked bigger than me in the octagon. I didn’t expect that but I also think that had nothing to do with the outcome of the fight. I think Thiago came up with a good game plan. He didn’t throw too many punches or any kicks to where I could take him down. He was stronger than I thought and he was quite defensive on the ground. So, where does that leave me? I’ve got one more fight on my UFC contract. I’m wanting to fight Matt Serra (but that’s for the UFC to decide). We’ll see what happens and decide after that fight what I’m going to do. My nose has about 4 or 5 stitches, I couldn’t count when he put them in. My left knee is pretty messed up, I’m going to have to get it looked at. Thiago was very nice after the fight, he seems to be a very good guy. I like that, we’ve always got along good.”

Matt Hughes reflects on his second round technical knockout loss to Thiago Alves this weekend during the main event at UFC 85: “Bedlam” at the O2 Arena in London, England. “The Pitbull” came in four pounds heavy because he says he injured his ankle leading up to the fight, which limited his ability to shed weight via cardio. But, anyone who has seen the pictures of Thiago in that fight knows that there doesn’t seem to be much left to lose — he has become an absolutely enormous 170-pound fighter.