MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

Dream Middleweights Discuss Performances

TOKYO -- Melvin Manhoef (Pictures), Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, Gegard Mousasi (Pictures) and Zelg Galesic (Pictures) advanced Sunday in Dream's middleweight grand prix, which will resume in August.

"I beat the legend, and now I can become one," said Manhoef immediately after his formidable domination of Japanese MMA legend Kazushi Sakuraba (Pictures). "This is the first step. I'm not there yet because I don't have the belt, but this is my goal."

The Dutchman had not expected the fight to end so quickly.

"I was preparing myself for 10 and then five minutes. That's why I was dosing it," said Manhoef, who in previous interviews had expressed his camp's desire to control his aggressiveness and avoid repeating mistakes that caused him to gas or get submitted.

"You see in the first minute, I caught him with a punch, then a kick, and he was already out. Then I pulled him in and knocked him out again," said Manhoef, referring to perhaps the most memorable moment of the bout, when he pulled in Sakuraba from under the ropes to drop a barrage of hammerfists that had the Japanese fighter rubbery and stiff from the initial blow.

"It was something that we already practiced because we watched some fights with Sakuraba -- also his fight against Smirnovas. You could see in the Smirnovas fight that he was in the ropes, and when the ref stopped the fight [to pull him out], he could rest. That's why if he was hanging in the ropes, I was to pull him in and go on."

Despite the bout's resounding finish, Sakuraba seemed to leave the ring on his own power. The nearly 12-year veteran did not leave the arena unscathed however. He was sent to the hospital after suffering a fractured left ulna from a blocked Manhoef high kick.

"I was giving him the jab, and when he was moving his head, I caught him with a right kick," Manhoef said. "That was the thing that broke his arm."

Gegard Mousasi (Pictures) also advanced in the tournament, defeating Dong Sik Yoon (Pictures) by unanimous decision.

"I know Mr. Yoon Dong Sik is very tough, and I was prepared to go to the decision because he's a very tough guy to finish," Mousasi said. "I'm disappointed that I could not finish him, but of course I know he's tough to finish, so I'm happy to win."

Though nearly caught in the infamous "Dongbar" during the first round, Mousasi was able to barely escape and survive to see the second round.

"I trained for the armbar," he said. "It was my mistake for staying that long in that position. I'd rather not have put myself in that situation, but I knew that that would happen because he's good at armbars. So I prepared for it, and I felt that I was strong enough to hold it and wanted to hold it until the end of the round, but I saw the chance to escape and took it."

Although none of the other finalists gave a definitive answer on whom they would like to fight in the next round of the tournament, Mousasi was not so coy in calling out Manhoef.

"I want to prove that I'm also a good fighter in Holland," Mousasi said. "Because in Holland, no one knows me, and by fighting Melvin Manhoef (Pictures), I'm sure everyone will know me."

Upon hearing of the young Mousasi's desire to challenge him, Manhoef commented later in the evening that the matchup would not be a problem.

"I'm concentrating myself on the belt, so if he's in front of me, then I'll fight him," Manhoef said. "If I have to fight Zelg, I'll fight Zelg. If I have to fight Jacare, I'll fight Jacare. So I don't mind who I'll fight, since I'm here to fight. We'll meet each other. There's no rush. I don't know why he wants to fight me so much, but it's no problem. If he wants to fight me that bad, to me it's an honor."

After winning due to an unintentional injury when opponent Taiei Kin (Pictures) made the mistake of posting an arm during a takedown, Croatia's Zelg Galesic (Pictures) admitted a measure of regret over the outcome and reflected on the moments that led to the bout's unfortunate end.

"I'd be lying if I said I was happy with this match," Galesic said. "I know Mr. Taiei Kin (Pictures) is a great fighter. Today his strategy was to clinch with me to get my speed down. I have really fast hands and legs, and I guess that's what he wanted to neutralize. I didn't want to clinch all the time, so I thought I'm going to throw him, chuck him off me and stand up again, but he fell down and unfortunately broke his [arm]. I wish him all the best and hope he gets better, so maybe we go for the third time."

After going the distance with perhaps America's most polarizing MMA cult hero/villain in Jason "Mayhem" Miller, Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza had brief but humble comments regarding his victorious performance.

"I could do much better physically and mentally," Jacare said. "I have to do much better than that. But I was happy that people enjoyed my fight. Like I said, I'd like to improve myself and I'm very happy to be here in Japan."

When asked for his comments regarding the evening's main event, Jacare was also very respectful.

"Melvin is very strong, and he's a very intelligent fighter," the Brazilian remarked. "Melvin really was the winner, and he's meant to be a winner. As for Sakuraba, ‘He who fights is someday going to lose,' and that happened to Sakuraba today, but he's not going to disappear."

Miller expressed similar regrets over his performance against Jacare. He even appeared humble and at a loss for words -- or relatively so, given that he is of course "Mayhem."

"I feel retarded. I'm very disappointed. I feel really bad. I feel like I didn't put on my best performance," Miller said. "I'd like to apologize to all of the Dream staff, to all the ring girls, to all these people with the cameras and all the fans at the Yokohama Arena. He was strong, but I was really stupid. I made some really poor mistakes, and there's no excuses to make. I have to come back and refocus, and show the true power of the Super-Saru [Super Monkey]."

When asked about the possibility of fighting in a tournament reserve bout -- perhaps even against his admitted hero, Kazushi Sakuraba (Pictures) -- Miller excitedly replied in English and broken Japanese.

"Tonight," he said. "Anytime. In the parking lot. Mondai nai [no problem]. I'm not happy with how I did tonight, and I want to redeem myself in front of the Japanese crowd. I felt that I did them a disservice by showing them that silliness out there. I always say that that's my dream. Mr. Sakuraba's swim shorts didn't help him tonight, and my Super-Saru power didn't help me tonight. Maybe we could have a ‘no-good' match sometime in the near future."

Earlier in the evening, rising star Shinya Aoki (Pictures) said he didn't find his bout with Katsuhiko Nagata (Pictures) particularly difficult. The lightweight grappler controlled the Olympic silver medalist en route to sinking in a mounted gogoplata.

Aoki also discussed the idea that the win was a perfect Father's Day gift, given his father's previous objections to the security of Aoki's chosen profession as a fighter. Be that as it may, Aoki has found success. He said his father has continued to support him regardless, showing up for all of his bouts in Dream.

With the win over Nagata, Aoki advanced in the lightweight grand prix. In the July finale, he will face Caol Uno (Pictures), and Philadelphia's Eddie Alvarez (Pictures) will take on Tatsuya Kawajiri (Pictures).

 

[WXS STOMP3R]

Thats not Le banners first MMA bout he has been training bjj for time but has been focusing on kickboxing more. His record is 3-1-1

THATS RIGHT HE FOUGHT DON FRYE WASNT IT OR WAS IT SAPP? BUT UNDER MODIFIED MMA RULES IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY...

 

[Shogun Locc]

THATS RIGHT HE FOUGHT DON FRYE WASNT IT OR WAS IT SAPP? BUT UNDER MODIFIED MMA RULES IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY...

yea it was Sapp and that fight was weird half mma and half kicking style match.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Rob McCullough vs Donald Cerrone WEC fight in the works

Former WEC lightweight champion “Razor” Rob McCullough will likely take on the undefeated Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone (8-0) in a bout that will possibly determine the next 155-pound number one contender.

News of the match up surfaced at a recent Ring of Fire event in Denver, Colo.

MMAmania.com was unable to confirm the actual date and location of the showdown at this time; however, with three title fights slated for WEC 35 on August 3 it’s possible that this bout will be tacked on to the WEC 36 card that features the middleweight rematch between 185-pound champion Paulo Filho and Chael Sonnen.

McCullough most recently won a lackluster split-decision victory over Kenneth Alexander at WEC 34: “Faber vs. Pulver” earlier this month. It was his first fight since losing his title to Jamie Varner via technical knockout at WEC 32 back in February.

Cerrone returned from an eight-month suspension (diuretic) to submit Danny Castillo with a fancy first round armbar at WEC 34. The Ring of Fire veteran defeated Kenneth Alexander via submission (triangle choke) in his WEC debut back in November 2007.

However, it was later ruled a “no contest” because of the positive test for the banned substance.

The fight between “Razor” and Cerrone has all the makings to be a barnburner — both fighters are accustomed to finishing fights … albeit in much different fashions recent;y. McCullough is a Muay Thai specialist and Cerrone is a submission machine who also happens to know a thing or two about striking (he’s a S-1 Muay Thai United States Champion).

Regardless, whoever comes out on top will likely punch his ticket to challenge the winner of the championship bout between reigning division boss Varner and Marcus Hicks next month at WEC 35.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Fioravanti Vying for Triumph, Respect

When the vast majority of mixed martial arts fans first saw Luigi Fioravanti (Pictures), he had been brought to the Octagon more or less as cannon fodder for a popular veteran of "The Ultimate Fighter."

Chris Leben (Pictures), a murderous puncher, was supposed to obliterate the Floridian inside a few minutes.

Things didn't go exactly as planned. Although Fioravanti lost a unanimous decision, he gave as good as he took and proved a mettle durable enough to remain under contract with the UFC.

Since then he has seen ups and downs, with big wins sandwiched between disheartening losses. Now, much like his April 2006 showdown with Leben, Fioravanti is supposed to help showcase another popular veteran of "The Ultimate Fighter" in Diego Sanchez (Pictures).

"It doesn't really bother me that people seem to [overlook] me, because like I said, it motivates me," Fioravanti said. "I think a lot of people are, and they think he's just going to come in and steamroll me and beat me up. I'm glad I'm the underdog because there's really not much pressure on me."

Message boards have lit up in recent days with fans discussing how quickly Sanchez will dispose of Fioravanti. Some figure it will take Sanchez a minute to slam him to the ground and then another minute before he bombards Fioravanti with strikes. Some think Sanchez will submit him, and others believe "Nightmare" will simply knock him cold.

"It makes me train harder, and for this fight, I have trained harder than I ever have before in my career because I want to go out there and prove people wrong," Fioravanti said. "Of course I want to get that respect, but that respect has to be earned. Of course I think he's a good fighter. He's really tough and he's exceptionally good on the ground. He's a top-10 welterweight, but I do think he might be overlooking this fight, you know? A win against him would turn a lot of heads."

Though Fioravanti has strung together a two-fight winning streak, he's quickly become one of the most overlooked fighters on the circuit. He trains with a prominent core of professionals in Florida at American Top Team, but it still seems that many people cast him aside as a viable threat at 170 pounds mainly because his last fight wasn't exactly aesthetically pleasing.

Or in Fioravanti's words: "It f---ing sucked. It was not great."

He won a unanimous decision over Luke Cummo (Pictures) in March at UFC 82, but it was one of those performances that might have damaged his stock more than a loss would have. The situation is similar to what fellow welterweight Mike Swick (Pictures) faced after his encounter with Josh Burkman (Pictures) a few months ago, but Fioravanti has a few explanations.

"I was coming off an eight-month layoff for the Cummo fight, but I don't know what happened," he reflected. "I felt comfortable in there, but he stunned me in the first couple seconds. My game plan was to take him down and try to ground-and-pound him out and try to finish it. But Luke's a tough guy. He took the punishment and defended well. If I would have been able to get the submission, I would have taken it, but he's very tough. I think the eight-month layoff affected me and I actually tore my calf muscle in that fight, and that probably had a little to do with the fight not being great."

Still, injury and layoff aside, restless fans are a brutal bunch. They let Fioravanti hear it, as they do with every fighter who doesn't live up to their occasionally unrealistic expectations.

"What people don't realize is how your nerves are when you're walking up to the cage or when you get inside that cage," Fioravanti explained about the marathon of emotions that course through a fighter's psyche come fight time. "And when that bell sounds, it's kind of like your instincts just take over. Yeah, you can hear the boos and stuff like that, but you should really only be concerned about yourself. Of course you want to go out there and finish the fight and excite the crowd, but sometimes because of the situation in the cage, you don't want to push the pace too much and make a mistake or get caught by something you normally wouldn't. If you listen to the crowd and press the issue, it might give the other guy the advantage. There is a strategy, but sometimes you just have to [tune out] the crowd."

Thankfully for the former Marine and veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, America is the land of second chances. Come Saturday night Fioravanti will have not only a chance to eradicate the foul taste of a fan unfriendly win but also to prove to the cynics that he's a legitimate threat in his weight class.

He knows he's a massive underdog against Sanchez. But in the same sense, he fully grasps the notion of how monumental a victory over the first TUF champion would be and what it would do for his career.

"It will be huge," Fioravanti stressed. "Winning this fight is going to project me farther up the ladder, and it's going to turn a lot of heads in the UFC and the fans. I'm not looking past this fight at all, and the UFC hasn't said that if I beat Diego, that I'll get something huge next. For all I know they could just be thinking this is a warm-up fight for Diego, just like his last one, and they have no plans on me winning. They asked if I wanted the fight and I said yeah because I'll fight anybody and because I know he's beatable."

But to topple the mighty Sanchez, a once-undefeated torrent of fury and determination, the American Top Team fighter must play his cards wisely and not make too many mistakes. He knows he must make Sanchez fight his fight and not the other way around.

"I know I can beat the guy," Fioravanti said matter-of-factly. "I hit harder and I think I have the better standup, so I know I have to keep it on the feet. I know exactly what he's going to do, too. He will come out and he might throw one punch or even stand a little bit, but then he'll try and bring the fight to the ground and work his ground-and-pound. That's his game. That's what he's really good at. I just gotta work on my takedown defense and rely on my power and my stand-up, and we'll see how the fight goes from there."

Fioravanti may be in the minority in his belief that he'll shock the world by halting Sanchez's rise back up the 170-pound ladder. But if he can replicate the perfect game plan concocted for him by teammates Ricardo Liborio (Pictures), Marcus Aurelio and a plethora of top NCAA wrestlers, he might just pull it off.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Bielkheden dropping to 155

Swedish BTT member David Bielkheden (Pictures), who made his Octagon debut in a first-round submission loss to "The Ultimate Fighter" winner Diego Sanchez (Pictures) in March at UFC 82, has recently stated that he plans to move down to lightweight for his sophomore appearance with the promotion. At 5-foot-10, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt would be among the biggest fighters in the 155-pound division.

The 29-year-old grappler from Stockholm usually walks around at 185 pounds and has spent the majority of his career fighting at middleweight. In 2006, he had a brief run at 160 pounds, resulting in two decision losses.

Ironically, lightweight is the same division that fellow Swedish UFC fighter Per Eklund (Pictures) calls home. Under the right circumstances, both men have declared that they would have no problem fighting each other. Eklund is due to return on Sept. 6 at UFC 88 in Atlanta, Georgia, while Bielkheden will have his next fight either at UFC 88 or UFC 89.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Hardy idle until October

Cage Warriors champion Dan Hardy (Pictures) became the latest welterweight addition to what is arguably the strongest division in the UFC. The 26-year-old kickboxer inked a deal with Zuffa in early May. "The Outlaw" will make his debut in the Octagon at UFC 89 on Oct. 18 in England.

Possible opposition for the man from Nottingham is likely to come from the promotion's second string of 170-pound fighters like George Sotiropoulos (Pictures), Mike Swick (Pictures) and Yoshiyuki Yoshida (Pictures).

Hardy has a bone to pick with Yoshida after the Japanese veteran spoiled his run in the Cage Force welterweight tournament last year via a controversial disqualification.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Video: Evan Tanner in a 'Better Place'
videolink: http://www.sherdog.com/videos/videos.asp?v_id=1647
Sherdog.com's Greg Savage sat down with former UFC middleweight champion Evan Tanner (Pictures) to discuss his bout with Kendall Grove (Pictures) this weekend in Las Vegas.

In this exclusive interview, Tanner discusses his time away from the sport and shares his thoughts on how Saturday's contest will unfold.

 

[Shogun Locc]

NOONS TALKS TITLE FIGHT AND DIAZ FIASCO

Last Saturday night, K.J. Noons earned not only his first victory as EliteXC lightweight champion, but he also gained the respect of numerous fans and critics who questioned if the Hawaiian native was the real deal or a flash in the pan after his win over Nick Diaz to win the title late last year.

Noons stunned his opponent, Yves Edwards, early in the first round before following up with some devastating punches on the ground to get the fight stopped in under a minute.

“You know it’s just one of those things,” said Noons during an appearance on MMAWeekly Radio Monday night. “You get caught and I had to capitalize on it.

“He threw a punch, it caught me, and I was backing up. He was coming for a flurry, and he kind of came in and had his hands down. He was squared up, I countered his attack, and it landed on a flush spot. I just had to follow up with that.”

Following the fight, Noons celebrated in the cage after successfully defending the title in his home state, along with his father and extended family who attended the event to support their champion.

Despite a dominant performance and a well deserved celebration, Noons’ time to enjoy the win was short lived as Nick Diaz was soon led into the cage to challenge the champion to a rematch of their 2007 fight.

“It was pretty sudden,” Noons stated about the timing of Diaz’s impromptu challenge. “I can understand they want to pump it up for another fight. It could have been done a little bit differently; you know what I mean? The more I think about it. But it is what it is, we’ll just see where we go from here.”

Diaz was challenging the champion when Noons asked the crowd if they believed he deserved a rematch and that only seemed to anger the Cesar Gracie student.

“I was just asking because I didn’t see the fight, so I think that really pissed him off,” Noons commented.

What followed was a melee that included Noons, his father, both Nick and his brother Nate Diaz, and a number of EliteXC officials trying to restore order to the situation.

Noons explained that he never had ill will towards Diaz, but emotions ran high and unfortunately a near riot broke out.

“Even before I even fought Diaz the first time, I never had nothing bad to say about him. I’ve always given him respect as a fighter. This is a business for me,” said the champion. “I could see he got mad at the crowd or whatever and I think the whole thing kind of escalated. I got mad, and my family got mad because his brother Nate was flipping off and doing all this crazy stuff. I mean, it’s only natural to get ticked off. And you know, things started happening.”

Now the champion is faced with an obvious rematch with Diaz at some point in the future. Noons doesn’t shy away from a second fight with the top challenger in his weight class.

“You saw what happened the first time,” he said about the Diaz fight. “So no confidence lost on this side. Whatever EliteXC wants to do with it, we’ll just go from there.”

Right now, Noons will enjoy his victory before heading back to California and continue his training. And while he plans on being EliteXC champion for some time to come, he says that he wants to get back into competitive boxing. He would like to get at least one boxing match in before his next title defense.

“Yeah, most definitely, I’m going to try to get as many as I can,” Noons commented about his boxing career.

The two-sport star heads back to his home gym of City Boxing later this week.

 

[Shogun Locc]

NOVA UNIAO CAMP REPORT: LEITES TALKS MARQUARDT

THALES LEITES TALKS MARQUARDT FIGHT

MMAWeekly: Thales, what were your thoughts on the illegal knee and pile driver?
Thales Leites: He did a lot of illegal blows during the fight. It wasn’t just the illegal knee; it was the pile driver and elbows, too. For sure he hit the back of my head. After the fight I showed to Joe Rogan the "ball" that I had in the back of my head. In my opinion he was obliged to knock me out in the second round with the illegal knee and I came back to fight without even knowing where I was properly.
If he wants to fight me again, I think he should get in line. I'm looking for the title shot. He had his chance before and he wasn’t successful so now it's my time.

MMAWeekly: So you were hurt from the knee?
Thales: I was completely stunned! But I had to keep fighting.

MMAWeekly: You “had” to?
Thales: When the referee stepped in, he was asked me, "Do you want to fight?" In my mind I was thinking, if I say no, the ref is going to stop the fight and give the victory to Nate; so every time I looked at the referee I said "No, I want to fight, I'm 100 percent." I really wasn't. Everybody could see that I wasn't 100 percent, but I was saying that because I didn't know what would happen.
I didn't see the illegal knee. I knew he did it, but I didn't see the illegal knee. I was stunned and a little bit out of it at that moment. After the knee I fought totally on automatic pilot till the end of the fight.

MMAWeekly: Did you ever think about giving up at any point?
Thales: No, I never think of giving up no matter how bad the situation I find myself in. For me to give up, he'll have to knock me out or choke me out. I train hard every day to be ready for any situation during the fight.

MMAWeekly: Andre Pederneiras didn't seem too happy about the pile driver that Marquardt performed on you at the end of the fight. The move is illegal. Were you aware that it was illegal? Did the move hurt you?
Thales: I didn't know for sure if the move was illegal. It didn't hurt me; I saw it coming and I used my arms to protect myself. I don't know what went through his head at that moment. I think he felt desperate for not having been able to knock me out during the fight even after the knee and he knew he was losing the fight.

MMAWeekly: Do you think Marquardt should have been disqualified?
Thales: For sure. He committed several illegal blows besides the knee, which totally changed the way the fight played out. There were also elbows that certainly did get me on the back of the head and there was the pile driver at the end of the third round.

MMAWeekly: Do you think it’s time for a title shot?
Thales: I think so... but the one that decides that is the UFC and I am always prepared to fight whoever they want me to fight. I'll keep training and wait for a call from the UFC

SUCCESSFUL DEBUT FOR JOSE ALDO

“Fighting in the States is a dream come true. I have wanted to fight there since the beginning of my career.”

Nova Uniao featherweight standout Jose Aldo recently made his U.S. debut at World Extreme Cagefighting 34. Aldo is coming off the biggest victory of his career with a TKO victory over Alexandre Franca “Pequeno” Nogueira.

“I felt comfortable; not nervous or anything. I knew I had done my job well in preparing for the fight and went in physically and mentally prepared. On the day of the fight I felt those butterflies in my stomach, but that is normal. I was just a bit anxious to get in there and fight the day before,” said Aldo.

Although his opponent’s nickname translated as ‘small,’ the significance of Aldo’s successful WEC debut was huge. Alexandre Franca Nogueira is a former Shooto champion and holds the record for longest title reign among all fighters in any organization today. The win was one of the biggest accomplishments thus far in Aldo’s career.

“I thought it was a good opportunity for me to move up in my career, because he is a big name, and I knew I couldn’t let it escape. I had to win,” commented Aldo when he first found out his opponent was Nogueira.

”I feel really good about the results; that was what I wanted. Every time I go out there to fight I am going to try and make an even bigger impression than the last until I get my chance at the title,” he added. “I want to thank everyone for the support and staying positive. I hope the fans that were there enjoyed the fight. I will do what it takes to perform even better next time.”

RIBEIRO SHOCKS BEEBE

Nova Uniao-trained fighter Will Ribeiro shocked many fans when he defeated former WEC 135-pound champion Chase Beebe in his WEC debut.

"I feel really happy,” expressed Ribeiro. “Beating the former WEC champion was really good for my career and my life. I want to make it all the way to the top. For the win, I just want to thank God and my team Minotauro Team, Boxe Thai and Andre Pederneiras' Nova Uniao, where I did most of my training for the fight."
Ribeiro started with Tae Kwon Do early in his martial arts career and later focused on Muay Thai and boxing. He was part of the Brazilian National boxing team and trained the Nogueira brothers (Antonio Rodrigo and Antonio Rogerio) at Minotauro Team.

“I put on a good fight. After thinking about it, I don't think I made any mistake during the fight. I had chances to knock him out in the first round, but unfortunately it didn't happen because he's a first-rate fighter, too. I had a lot of trouble making weight; this was the first time I fought at this weight,” revealed the Boxe Thai fighter. “I think in the future, though, I'll be better adapted to this weight class. I should fight even better once I'm used to the weight.”
Defeating Beebe was a huge victory for Ribeiro and it definitely opened the eyes of many fans.
“My goal is to get the belt. I will fight anyone to get there. The way I see it, if I beat the last champion in the first fight, I should fight the current champion in my next,” he said. “I'd like to thank the WEC for giving me this opportunity. I guarantee they'll like my performances in the WEC.”

MISCELLANEOUS NOVA UNIAO NOTES:
- Leo Santos and Eduardo Dantas are both scheduled to fight at Shooto Brazil 7 on June 28. The upcoming event will feature some “Brazil vs. Argentina” matches.
- Leandro “Batata” Silva recently returned to Rio de Janeiro to prepare for the upcoming Fury Fight 185-pound Grand Prix.
- Ronys Torres qualified for Jungle Fight at the ‘Jungle Fight Warriors Trials’ event.
- Georges St. Pierre has been training at Nova Uniao. The UFC Champion is working with Leo Santos and Wagnney Fabiano to further strengthen his ground game in preparation for his upcoming fight against Jon Fitch at UFC 87 in August.

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC ACTIVELY PURSUING JULY 19 EVENT

Amidst much rumor and speculation, there is still much rumor and speculation. MMAWeekly.com, however, has confirmed with multiple sources that the Ultimate Fighting Championship is nearing the finalization of a July 19 event to counter the pay-per-view debut of the new mixed martial arts promotion from Affliction.

There has been much talk of a main event between Wanderlei Silva and Brandon Vera. That bout is still in question, though Yahoo Sports’ Dave Meltzer reported on Monday that Silva turned down the bout due to lack of time to prepare. Whether that bout comes to fruition or not, sources indicate that other fighters are in final negotiations to compete for the UFC on July 19.

The UFC’s event, if finalized, is expected to take place at The Palms in Las Vegas and air live on the promotion’s basic cable television partner Spike TV. The network currently denies that there is an event scheduled for that date, but has consistently worked closely with the UFC to facilitate its programming needs.

Affliction has partnered with billionaire Donald Trump for its MMA venture, Affliction Entertainment. Its first event, dubbed “Banned,” features a main event between Fedor Emelianenko and Tim Sylvia, along with several other UFC and Pride veterans, especially heavyweights.

Affliction’s initial offering is of course, pay-per-view, expected to carry a suggested retail price tag of $39.95.

If the UFC’s counter-offering does materialize, it is unlikely to carry much star power, as most of the organization’s premier fighters are already scheduled for other events. The UFC does have a trump card of its own, however, in Spike TV. The network is available in 96.1 million homes for no additional charge.

All sources indicate that a final decision should be forthcoming on Tuesday, with a same day announcement if the event is solidified.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Mach is in Seattle

Hayato "Mach" Sakurai updated his blog from Seattle.

** June 16 **
The U.S. is a place I don't have to speak in Japanese, as though I cannot speak in English. I'm here with my teammate, Kondo, this time. I don't have a driver's license now because my license was canceled due to high speed. I had Kondo get an international driver's license and went to rent a car. The reason why he was denied was that no insurance covers a driver who is under 21 years old with an international license. We were very disappointed. I watched the fight of KJ Noons vs Yves Edwards. I trained with KJ at AMC and he won. He defeated Nick Diaz, who I was going to face next, by TKO before. He is doing very good now. I went to TGI Fridays for dinner.

** June 17 **
George who fought Imanari in Japan gives us a ride. I feel like everything in the U.S. is bigger, including bigger portion of food and people are so open minded and have bigger heart. I stay with Kondo and George and have fun. We eat either meats or sushi everyday. Diet Coke here tastes different than the Japanese one, but I like it.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Jake Shields to fight for EliteXC welterweight title on July 26

EliteXC welterweight Jake Shields (20-4-1) will finally get a chance to fight for the organization's 170-pound title.

EliteXC officials tell MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that Shields will next fight during the organization's second CBS show, which takes place July 26 -- possibly in St. Louis.

Two previously scheduled title fights between Shields and former UFC fighter Drew Fickett (34-5) fell apart due to injuries, and it now looks like Shields could fight either Nick Thompson (36-9-1) or Jay Hieron (15-4) for the first-ever title.

"EliteXC: Unfinished Business" was announced over the weekend (see: event announcement), and the event will feature a headline bout between EliteXC middleweight champ Robbie Lawler (15-4) and Scott Smith (13-4). In addition to that title fight and Shields', Antonio Silva (10-1) may also fight for the the heavyweight belt against a yet-to-be-determined opponent.

Shields, perhaps the only top-10 welterweight not under contract to Zuffa, is 2-0 with EliteXC and has won nine straight fights, which included stops with BodogFIGHT and Rumble on the Rock. His list of victims includes top UFC middleweight contender Yushin Okami, WEC welterweight champ Carlos Condit, former UFC champ Dave Menne, and most recently, Xtreme Couture fighter Mike Pyle. In late 2007, he signed a long-term deal with EliteXC -- with the promise he would get to fight for the title.

Shields had been scheduled to fight Fickett in March at a Strikeforce/EliteXC co-promoted show, but a back injury forced Shields out of the title fight. It was then rescheduled for June at this past weekend's "EliteXC: Return of the King" event, but Fickett pulled out of the show with injury. Oddly, though, Fickett picked up a victory June 7 at Rage in the Cage 111 -- and EliteXC officials are well aware of it.

With Fickett now apparently on the outs with the organization, Shields' camp expects him to fight either Thompson, who reigned as a BodogFIGHT veteran before the organization unceremoniously shut down, or Hieron, one of the International Fight League's most notable fighters. (Considering Thompson's 12-fight win streak and notoriety from fighting in the UFC, he'd probably be the most marketable opponent for Shields.)

As it stands today, EliteXC has just two title-holders: middleweight champ Lawler and lightweight title-holder KJ Noons. The potential addition of two more -- and crowning them in front a national TV audience -- would be a solid step for the organization.

EliteXC's first "Saturday Night Fights" event on May 31 featured Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson's third-round TKO of James Thompson, and a controversial no-contest (due to an eye poke) between Lawler and Smith. The broadcast peaked with more than 6.5 million viewers (and averaged 4.9 million viewers), which promoted CBS executives to ask for a quick follow-up event.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira: ‘The rivalry between us [Frank Mir] is getting strong’

“The mood of rivalry between us is getting strong. We see each other here all the time, and I’ve known his game for awhile. Ever since he submitted Roberto Traven at the UFC, in 2001, he’s been known. But you’ll see: I’m going to be all over him standing, I’m better than him both standing and on the ground. In the fight with Sylvia the way to the win was clearly on the ground, but against Mir I’m going to show more of what I’m capable of to the world and my fans. I’ll always respect him as an adversary, of course. Even more so since he’s trained with Demian Maia and Robert Drysdale.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Affliction Partners With Buckle for PPV Promotion

Retailer Buckle is partnering with Affliction for an exclusive in-store and online promotion centered on Affliction's Mixed-Martial-Arts pay-per-view event entitled "Affliction Banned" on July 19th at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Tie-ins include a free or reduced priced official "Affliction Banned" event t-shirt with purchase and an online sweepstakes with the opportunity to win VIP tickets to the "Affliction Banned" event.

Buckle currently operates more than 375 stores in 39 states. Buckle is a lifestyle clothier catering to the younger fashion conscious demographic. Affliction and Buckle are already closely aligned through Buckle's carriage of Affliction's denim and shirt brands.

This is a relatively low cost move for Affliction that allows them to leverage their existing relationships to market their PPV. Using Buckle is a decent secondary avenue to get out the word to folks that are already familiar and loyal to the Affliction brand.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Shonie Carter: "I like the way Machida fights"
link: http://www.fighthype.com/pages/content2870.html?PHPSESSID=cc7f9900c944a9476612aab2f4b3f2cb
"That truly tells me that that was personal. I'm not one to wish bad on anybody and if I'm the president of a company, I'm not going to say that about anybody. That's like me saying just because Dana or Joe Silva cut me from a contract, I hope they have a car accident or something like that. I'm not going to do that. I have nothing personal against Joe Silva or Dana White. I know business is supposed to be business solely, but business could also be personal," stated "Mr. International" Shonie Carter, as he shared his thoughts on Tito Ortiz's issues with Dana White. Check out what else he had to say as he talked about his recent win, the eight-second double knockout he refereed, Lyoto Machida and much more.

 

[SuiPSYedKing]

ANDERSON SILVA MOVES TO 205 ON JULY 19 UFC

While everyone else is headed down, Anderson Silva is on his way up.

Although the Ultimate Fighting Championship has yet to make its own official announcement, company president Dana White on Tuesday confirmed to Dave Meltzer of Yahoo Sports that there will indeed be a July 19 UFC event that will air on Spike TV.

According to Meltzer, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva will headline the event, though there is an added twist. He will not be defending his belt.

While most fighters today are dropping down as many weight categories as they possibly can, the champ is headed up. Silva will make the move to light heavyweight, temporarily, without relinquishing his middleweight belt, to face James Irvin.

Contacted by MMAWeekly.com, Irvin on Tuesday confirmed the bout, saying that he had just received the contract and finalized the deal earlier in the day. Although other possible match-ups had been discussed, including one with Wanderlei Silva, Irvin was excited for the bout with Anderson Silva.

There had been much speculation in recent weeks that Silva would move to the 205-pound division, but no one really expected it to come at this juncture. Most speculation for a possible July 19 card centered on a main event with some combination of Brandon Vera, Wanderlei Silva, or Dan Henderson.

In his comments to Meltzer, White indicated that Silva would still defend his 185-pound divisional title later in the year, but indicated a future bout with former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell could be in the works if all goes well on July 19.

In addition to Silva vs. Irvin, a bout between Hermes Franca and Frankie Edgar, initially planned for Aug. 9 in Minneapolis, is being relocated to the July event at the Palms in Las Vegas.

The bout will be Franca’s first since returning from suspension for a positive test for steroids in California.

The UFC’s July 19 is a counter move to Affliction’s planned mixed martial arts promotional debut, also on July 19, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Affliction “Banned” features a main event of Fedor Emelianenko vs. Tim Sylvia, carrying a suggested price tag of $39.95 on pay-per-view.

 

[SuiPSYedKing]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Wow Dana and Co are really pulling one on affliction.

 

[Shogun Locc]

HERB DEAN EXPLAINS MARQUARDT POINT DEDUCTIONS

Referee Herb Dean levied two point deductions against Nate Marquardt in his UFC 85 middleweight bout with Thales Leites, one for an illegal knee and one for an elbow that landed to the back of Leites' head. Dean explained the rule of striking to the back of the head and the point deductions against Marquardt that resulted in Leites winning by split decision.

Nate Marquardt landed an illegal knee to the head of the downed Thales Leites during the second round. The knee was intentional, but mistimed, garnering the Top 10 ranked Marquardt an immediate point deduction by referee Herb Dean.

"The first point deduction was an illegal knee. He kneed him to the head while he was down," said Dean. "It was a pretty hard knee. A knee like that, I think I could have taken two points because of the severity of the damage. But I wasn't convinced it was done purposely. I think he thought that he was coming up. I think he intended to throw a legal knee, so I did not take two points."

Marquardt was warned earlier in the fight about striking to the back of the head. In the third round, he was deducted another point for an elbow that landed to the back of Leites' head as Leites worked for a takedown.

"He hit him with an elbow that was on the side of the head behind the ear. And the zone that I tell the fighters in the dressing room is that ears back is considered the back of the head," Dean told MMAWeekly Radio. "I'm not certain if Nate clearly understood that because, you know, that's something we've only been enforcing in MMA for about the last two years.

"That started when MMA became legalized in California," he explained. "Dr. Paul Wallace came to a referee seminar that we were doing and explained to us, diagrammed and explained to us what is supposed to be the back of the head. I talked to him in detail about it and then I talked to Armando Garcia who is executive director, and he said, 'that's what we want to be enforced for the back of the head, from the ears back.’

"When I went to Nevada, I told them about it so we would be all on the same page," continued Dean. "They said that they were okay with that as the back of the head. That's what they want us to enforce, so that's what I enforce everywhere.

"It can be on the side of the head, but if it's behind the ears that's considered the back of the head," he added. "That's not what I've always enforced in MMA. I've been refereeing for nine years. Most of the time I was enforcing the flat of the neck going up to the top. But when the this sport became regulated, we need to enforce what the athletic commissions tell us to enforce."

 

[killahoe666]

Dana White is a sucker for that but I think affliction will prevail on this card but not sure how they will bounce back for a star studded card on the next event


I got that affliction shirt btw from the buckle if you spend $100+ and have at least one affliction item then it's free