MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

Saeki teams with South Korea's Gladiator FC for August Okayama card

Shigeru Saeki just can't go a week without getting up to something else in the world of international MMA.

After revealing last week that he would work with M-1 Mixfight to promote the ongoing M-1 Challenge series in Japan and is taking over executive duties of the Japanese M-1 team, Saeki has announced that he will work with South Korea's groundbreaking Gladiator FC promotion to promote a joint effort on Aug. 16 at the Momotaro Arena in Okayama.

South Korea has emerged over the last four years as a strong developing market for the sport, with large growing fan bases for Japanese MMA promotions, as well as a strengthening crop of native fighters. However, in June 2004, Gladiator FC put on a watershed event for MMA in South Korea, promoting an enormous two-day event that featured a deep roster of international talent.

The event's first day featured the likes of Dan Severn (Pictures) and Ikuhisa Minowa (Pictures), and a main event between Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (Pictures) and Alex Stiebling (Pictures), while the event's second day saw Paulo Filho (Pictures), Daijiro Matsui (Pictures) and Mu Bae Choi (Pictures) in action, and the high-profile main event between Anderson Silva and Jeremy Horn (Pictures). The event greatly raised the profile of South Korean MMA, drawing considerable international attention. However, because of the purse demands of many of the standouts, the event was a financial disaster, nixing hopes for future Gladiator FC events.

August's card will feature many of the original Gladiator FC competitors. In the main event, Ikuhisa Minowa (Pictures) will continue his "real pro-wrestler" antics taking on ever-gritty veteran Don Frye (Pictures), while Daijiro Matsui (Pictures) takes on Eun Soo Lee (Pictures). Also, current Deep lightweight champion and South Korean banger Sung Hwan Pang (Pictures) will take on Akihiko Mori (Pictures) in a non-title affair.

What is also salient is the choice in location. Despite Japan being seen as a big market for MMA, the vast majority of MMA happens in Tokyo, and to a lesser extent, Osaka and Nagoya, while some larger promotions make occasional trips to some other cities such as Yokohama, Sapporo, Hiroshima or Okinawa. Although Deep tours heavily and brings many shows to smaller cities such as Toyama and Yamagata, a card in Okayama is certainly unique.

With the unique locale, Saeki has revealed that he's extended invitations to shoot-style icon Kiyoshi Tamura (Pictures) and Pancrase's resident eccentric Hikaru Sato (Pictures), both Okayama natives.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Deep makes another impact in Osaka

A good week for Osakan MMA fans will get better, when Deep brings their 36 Impact card to Zepp Osaka on July 27.

With Dream's lightweight grand prix finale already set for July 21 at Osaka Castle Hall, Deep's offering later that week will feature Deep welterweight champ Hidehiko Hasegawa (Pictures) make the second defense of his title, as he puts his strap on the line against Seichi Ikemoto (Pictures).

Hasegawa won the title from Jutaro Nakao (Pictures) in February 2007, and made the first defense of his title last October, when he held South Korean slugger Dong Hyun Kim (Dong Hyun Kim' class='LinkSilver'>Pictures) to a draw, after being destroyed in their August non-title bout. However, Hasegawa is coming off a lackluster draw with journeyman Hiroki Nagaoka (Pictures) in May. Ikemoto, who last heel hooked Do Won So (Pictures) in December, challenged for the Deep title in March 2006 in front of his hometown Osakan crowd, where he dropped a majority decision to Jutaro Nakao (Pictures).

Hasegawa and Ikemoto met in September 2005, with Ikemoto taking the unanimous decision victory.

Also in action on the card, Koichiro Matsumoto (Pictures) meets Tomoyuki Fukami (Pictures), and Isao Terada (Pictures) faces Toru Harai (Pictures). Also on the bill, Young "Ryo" Choi, Seigo Mizoguchi, will be in action Makoto Kamaya.

Osaka has become a city frequented more and more by Deep as of late. In 2004, Deep staged their 14 Impact card in Osaka, as well as a clubDeep event, but did not return to the city for nearly three years until last July's 30 Impact event. Since then, Deep has gone back twice for a clubDeep card in October, and December's fantastic Protect Impact in Osaka.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Fighters Make Weight for TUF 7 Finale

LAS VEGAS -- The weigh-ins for the finale of season seven of "The Ultimate Fighter" went off without a hitch Friday. There were no head butts, riots or fighters wearing T-shirts criticizing their bosses. All in all, the scale-tipping exercise was business as usual.

Not one fighter missed weight inside the packed ballroom at the popular Palms Resort, and announcer Joe Rogan's decibel levels were kept in check. The only near skirmish came in the moments following the Diego Sanchez (Pictures)-Luigi Fioravanti (Pictures) weigh-in.

"Nightmare" flexed his muscles and grimaced as if he were Jay Cutler on the Mr. Olympia stage and then robotically stepped off the scale and walked Terminator-like toward his opponent. Clinching his jaws and scowling as if Fioravanti had just shot him with a massive spitball, Sanchez stepped up into Luigi's face and stood about an inch from him.

Fioravanti was unfazed, though, and stared at Sanchez as if he knew the native of Albuquerque, N.M., was trying to psyche himself up. Once photos were snapped of the two, Sanchez dropped his guard, tucked away his nightmarish mask and stepped down off the dais.

Lineup:

Kendall Grove (Pictures) (186) vs. Evan Tanner (Pictures) (186)
Diego Sanchez (Pictures) (170) vs. Luigi Fioravanti (Pictures) (171)
CB Dollaway (185) vs. Amir Sadollah (185)
Jeremy Horn (Pictures) (186) vs. Dean Lister (Pictures) (185)
Josh Burkman (Pictures) (170) vs. Dustin Hazelett (Pictures) (170)
Marvin Eastman (Pictures) (186) vs. Andrew McFedries (185)
Rob Kimmons (Pictures) (185) vs. Rob Yundt (Pictures) (185)
Cale Yarbrough (186) vs. Tim Credeur (185)
Jeremy Stephens (Pictures) (155) vs. Spencer Fisher (Pictures) (156)
Dante Rivera (Pictures) (185) vs. Matt Riddle (185)
Matt Arroyo (170) vs. Matt Brown (170)

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC Quick Quote: Brandon Vera turns down Lyoto Machida fight?

“It’s true. I was offered to fight at [UFC Fight Night 14], but Brandon Vera did not want want it. I do not know what happened, but he did not accept the fight.”

– Top light heavyweight contender Lyoto Machida tells Tatame.com that Brandon Vera — who has back-to-back losses at heavyweight — did not accept an offer to fight the Brazilian at UFC Fight Night 14 on July 19. “The Truth” is now set to make his 205-pound debut on the card against the relative unknown yet dangerous Reese Andy. Machida will not fight at the show next month, according to the report. It’s doesn’t sound like Vera — he’s proven that he wants to fight the best fighters. However, anything is possible, considering a two-fight losing streak and the prospect of fighting a super tough fight against an awkward guy like Machida. Vera was not immediately available for comment.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Antonio Carvalho: The Life and Times of a Foreigner Fighting in Japan
videolink: http://www.sherdog.com/videos/videos.asp?v_id=1653
It's not all fun and games for featherweight Antonio Carvalho (Pictures), as Sherdog.com's Tony Loiseleur takes you into a day in the life of a foreign fighter trying to make it in Japan's grassroots MMA scene.

While preparing for his upcoming bout on Sunday's Cage Force 7 against Yuji Hoshino (Pictures), Carvalho reflects about his experiences in Japan, fighting through injuries, and working to make ends meet.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Alessio submits Spratt, Couture injured in pro debut during night of free fights

LAS VEGAS - John Alessio choked out fellow UFC veteran Pete Spratt in the night's main event, and Kim Couture was on the wrong end of a unanimous decision in her professional MMA debut, during Friday's "Free for All, A Night of Combat" event.

The fights took place at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of UNLV in Las Vegas as part of a combination boxing/MMA event.

Approximately 18,000 tickets were distributed for the night of free fights.

After four boxing bouts, the MMA portion of the night kicked off with a five-fight card.

In the night's headline bout, Alessio led a small army of Xtreme Couture fighters who were booked for the show. Spratt likely won the first round based on striking and an array of submission attempts, but the tides turned in the second.

After a sloppy exchange of punches to start the round, the two fighters touched gloves and laughed at the haphazard attempts. Spratt, though, sharpened his striking moments later and tagged Alessio with kicks and knees to the body. But once the fight hit the ground, Alessio quickly maneuvered for position and sank in the fight-ending rear-naked choke.

As he left the ring, though, a victorious Alessio told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that he may have broken his arm in the bout.

Making her pro debut, Couture -- the Vice President of Xtreme Couture and the wife of UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture -- took on Kim Rose, who also debuted professionally.

Couture was tagged early in the fight, and the jolting blow and a constant flood of blood created ongoing problems throughout the three-round fight. Although she landed a fair share of ground and pound, successfully fended off some slick submission attempts, and proved she has an iron chin, Couture simply had no answer for Rose's powerful striking.

A steady stream of aggression earned Rose a shutout, 30-27 victory on all three judges' scorecards.

After the fight, Xtreme Couture coach Shawn Topkins told MMAjunkie.com that Couture may have suffered a broken jaw early in the fight.

In other action, former teammates Dennis Davis, now representing Xtreme Couture, and Dave Jansen, a Team Quest fighter, met at a catchweight of 150 pounds. An initially frantic pace slowed throughout the three-round, back-and-forth fight. In the end, Jansen took the decision -- much to the chagrin of the pro-Xtreme Couture crowd -- by scores of 29-28 on all three judges' cards.

In a featherweight bout, Kui Gonsalves-Kanoho scored a three-round, unanimous-decision victory over Ricky Johnson. Gonsalves-Kanoho nearly ended it in the first round when he dropped his opponent with a stiff punch, but Johnson survived that round and the next two. However, all three judges scored it 30-27 for Gonsalves-Kanoho's shutout victory.

The night's first MMA bout featured superheavyweights as New Zealand's Brice Ritani-Coe, a noted striker whose boxing bid for the 2008 Summer Olympics was derailed by injury, defeated Rob Mitchell. Ritani-Coe, an Xtreme Couture fighter who was cornered by Randy Couture, initially worked his standup game. However, after landing a big knee, he followed his opponent to the mat and scored a first-round TKO.

The boxing portion of the night's fight card was carried live as part of ESPN's "Friday Night Fights" boxing series.

Although MMA-boxing shows have been done in other areas of the country, event organizers from Banner Promotions said Friday's event was the first such show in Nevada. A vocal crowd was on hand for the event, though the arena appeared no more than 40 percent full for the boxing portion of the event and 75 percent full for the MMA fights.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Karo Parisyan restarts title hunt in September

After suffering a disappointing, albeit perhaps controversial, loss to Thiago Alves at UFC Fight Night 13 in April, perennial welterweight contender Karo Parisyan (18-5 MMA, 9-3 UFC) feels primed to once again work his way back to title contention.

Parisyan had been tentatively scheduled to face "The Ultimate Fighter 6" semifinalist George Sotiropoulos at UFC 87. However, Sotiropoulos was forced to withdraw due to injury.

Now, Parisyan confirmed with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that he is close to signing a bout agreement to face Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) at UFC 88 on Sept. 6.

Despite the loss to Alves, the 25-year-old Parisyan still considers himself among the welterweight division's elite competitors.

"Chuck (Liddell) lost two fights in a row, but he was still considered one of the best light heavyweights in the world," Parisyan said. "Wanderlei (Silva) got knocked out twice and lost his third fight to Chuck, but he was still considered as one of the toughest 205-pounders in the world. And I still consider myself in the top five in the world."

Parisyan still contends, as he did in the octagon immediately after the bout, that the fight with Alves was brought to an end far too quickly.

"(Do I) accept the decision that I got [expletive] in my ass with no lube?" Karo asked. "Yeah, I can accept that. Other than that, (have I) accepted the loss? I have no other choice but to accept the loss because of what happened to me.

"But as far as it [being] an early stoppage? Yes, I still think it was an early stoppage. Because Matt Serra punched me, almost took my lights out, and he was still hitting me, and they didn't stop that fight. Then they stop a fight where I get dropped and rocked and I eat three punches on my shoulder and one to the neck, and they stop the fight. To seal the deal, they should've let the guy throw two to three more punches on my face solid before they stopped the fight."

The loss was especially disappointing to Parisyan because it knocked him out of immediate contention for the welterweight title. Parisyan said he was ill-prepared for the fight and hopes for an opportunity to avenge the loss at some point.

"No disrespect to Thiago or his camp," Parisyan said. "I have tremendous respect for all of them. But three years ago, if I would have looked at Thiago as an opponent, I would have laughed. 'Come one, man. Give me some real competition.' But today with me, just because of lack of training, and a lack of motivation for several reasons in my life, Thiago became a challenge. And unexpectedly, I lost the fight. I still can't believe it.

"At the same time I will tell Thiago, God willing, eventually I'll meet you one more day in your career, and it will be disturbing to watch what I do to you."

Parisyan said the loss was unexpected for him, and the lessons learned in defeat will fuel his ascent to title contention again.

"At this point, I'm trying to change a lot of stuff in my life as far as training," Parisyan said. "I think it's a message from God saying I'm not ready for this title shot. 'Get your act right.' ... I think it just woke me up once and for all pretty good."

Beyond a newfound motivation, Parisyan has also made the decision to train with UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre at Greg Jackson's camp in Albuquerque, N.M. Parisyan will have a vested interest in his new training partner's UFC 87 title clash with Jon Fitch -- a fighter whom Parisyan has been accused of avoiding in the octagon.

"Fitch is always in great shape," Parisyan said. "He's always got good conditioning. His hands aren't that bad. He's submitted almost every guy he's fought. But everything that Jon Fitch does, I think Georges does a little better. And that's why I think St. Pierre will win.

"And if [St. Pierre] doesn't win, then God would I like to work my way up take the title fight with [Fitch] and shut all those guys up for once and for all. I mean, not that they're talking [expletive], but I've heard people saying in his camp, not Fitch, 'Oh, Karo's dodging Fitch.' I'm like 'Give me a [expletive] break. Dude, who the hell is Fitch?'"

Parisyan has run into many obstacles on his journey to the welterweight title. Three times he as been on the verge of a title shot, only to be turned away due to injury or defeat. Now as he prepares to start the process again, Parisyan has a message for his supporters.

"Don't give up on me yet. Just sit back and say, 'OK, I'm going to give Karo another try and see what he can do.'"

 

[Shogun Locc]

BARONI MOVING TO WELTERWEIGHT AT CAGE RAGE 27?

It appears Phil Baroni will be looking to bounce back from consecutive losses on July 12 at Cage Rage 27 “Step Up” against an opponent to be determined. Cage Rage promoter Dave O’Donnell revealed to MMAWeekly.com that EliteXC has granted a path to the U.K. as means of getting the New York brawler back on track and to provide some much needed international star power for the upcoming card.

“Baroni will be fighting on the July 12 show,” revealed O’Donnell, adding, “but I can’t release the name of his opponent yet. He will be a British guy and it will make for an exciting fight, as we all know how Baroni likes to go about things. We are talking to a few people now, but until contracts are signed, I won’t be mentioning any names.”

According to Baroni’s manager, Ken Pavia, they are deep into negotiations with Cage Rage for the bout and a deal appears likely, but it has yet to be finalized.

Pavia did say, however, “Whoever Phil’s next fight is, it will take place at 170 pounds.” He said that in surveying the MMA landscape, there aren’t many fighters in the welterweight division with the one-punch knockout power that Baroni possesses, presenting an opportunity for Baroni to move into the weight class for the first time in his career.

“He’s going to fight at 170,” said Pavia. “He’s at 182 (pounds) right now.”

Baroni is known as an exciting hard hitter, but is currently on a three-fight slide following a devastating TKO loss to Joey Villasenor at EliteXC Primetime last month, when the promotion made its debut on CBS Television.

Should it be finalized, his appearance at Cage Rage should appeal to all those fans looking for a slugfest. The confirmation of his bout on England’s shores will finally mark the appearance of a fighter who was originally mooted to appear back at Cage Rage earlier in the year following his clearance from suspension due to a failed drug test in California. If he wins, he heads down the rebuild path, and if he loses, his opponent will be catapulted to the main spotlight.

Cage Rage has appeared to be in a transitional phase of late with rumblings over losing SKY TV and facing budgets cut, but according to O’Donnell there are many things in the pipeline. “What surprises me is that everyone is quick to read into the negatives of something that isn’t there. Our contract with SKY TV reached its conclusion, it wasn’t cut. We are currently negotiating a new deal with them and when it is done we will let you know,” he commented.

“Until then people will still be able to watch Baroni fight on live TV. We have a one-show deal in place for Cage Rage 27 and it will be announced shortly. It won’t be terrestrial TV and it will still be provided by the SKY carrier service.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

VIDEO: KENDALL GROVE TALKS ULTIMATE FINALE
videolink: http://videos.mmaweekly.com/view_player.php?id=2603
Stepping into the main event of The Ultimate Fighter 7 Live Finale this Saturday night, former Ultimate Fighter winner Kendall Grove has refocused his life to prepare for his match-up with Evan Tanner. He went home to Hawaii where he trained with good friend B.J. Penn, he’s got a daughter on the way in August and a school of his very own opening in September.



Coming off of back-to-back losses, Grove knows the importance of this bout, but he won’t yield to the pressure that he says cost him in his last two fights.



“Honest to God, I ain’t got no pressure coming into this fight,” said Grove in an interview with MMAWeekly Radio. “That’s what I did wrong in my last fight with Jorge (Rivera), I took into that fight like ‘aw, (expletive) I can’t get hit, I don’t want to get hit, I don’t want get hit.’



“That’s what screwed me up in the past is me putting all that pressure on myself. I’ve got to win. I’ve got to win. No, I’ve just got to go out there and fight. That’s all that matters.”



Grove said he went back to Hawaii to train with Penn and be with family and remember how to have fun with fighting like he always intended on doing. The camp has him at peak performance going in against Tanner.



“Every day is a learning experience, and just opened my mind up to a whole new different kind of training,” he stated. “I love it. My cardio is the best I’ve had it.”



While the Season 3 winner went home to Hawaii to train, his fight on The Ultimate Fighter Season 7 Finale will be a return home to the show where he fought and defeated Ed Herman to earn his contract with the UFC.



Now, Grove feels like many of the competitors on the show are there to be famous and not be fighters.



“Is it The Ultimate Fighter or the ultimate actors?” he commented with a laugh. “There are fighters that come on the show, but they do pick a lot of dramatic guys who want to be actors. They’re there for the wrong reasons. Every season there are game fighters who are there for one reason, and one reason only, and that is to fight and win. But you’ve got to understand there’s also guys there to pursue their acting career, to get their 15 minutes of fame on TV. That kind of makes us as other Ultimate Fighters look bad.”



And with this season focusing on middleweights, Grove’s weight class, he feels he may have a few challengers from the latest class of Ultimate Fighters.



“There’s 16 guys there I wouldn’t mind smacking up,” he said about this season’s cast.



The challenge in front of Grove right now though is former UFC middleweight champion Evan Tanner, and the Hawaiian takes this fight very seriously. He refers to Tanner as a “legend” and one of the best fighters to ever step into the Octagon, but he also knows just how important this fight is to both of them, coming off of losses in their last bouts respectively.



“This is a make or break fight for both of us,” stated Grove. “We’re both coming off devastating losses, make it or break right here. I think that’s what’s going to make it a good fight. Each one of us has everything to gain and everything to lose. I forget who told me this but ‘America is built on winning,’ and nobody likes a loser, so there you go.



“I lost twice and I hate it. The worst feeling in the world right there to get embarrassed, and that’s what happened in my last fight. I got embarrassed bad. I brought it upon myself and not taking anything away from Jorge, he’s a great fighter, great competitor, but it just wasn’t me.”



Grove will look to get back on the winning track when he faces Evan Tanner in the main event of The Ultimate Fighter 7 Live Finale on Spike TV, Saturday night, June 21.

 

[Shogun Locc]

The Fight Network Partners With Affliction

Jose Rodriguez with the Winnipeg Sun is reporting that Affliction and The Fight Network have come to terms on an agreement for the July 19th Affliction:Banned PPV:

Cashing in on the explosive popularity of mixed-martial arts, the Toronto-based supplier of 24/7 combat is set to announce a deal with Affliction Fighting today that will make the network the official pay-per view supplier in Canada, the U.S., U.K. and Australia.

"We will also be carrying one hour of the undercards free to The Fight Network subscribers before the July 19 (Affliction Banned) pay-per-view," says The Fight Network president and CEO George Burger.
More details about the relationship will be revealed at a press conference later today.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Filho analyses Anderson among the Light Heavyweights

WEC Middleweight Champion, Pulão Filho commented the change that his friend, Anderson Silva, UFC same weight category champion made to face James Irvin at the UFC Fight Night 14 on July 19. “I think this is the right thing. He has all the conditions to be champion at this category too, to have two belts, I think this is great. This is the normal tendency. He is heavier, stronger and is losing a lot of weight to fight. He put on a lot of weight and the situation is going to get complicated to the North-Americans. Financially this is going to be good to his career also”, commented Paulão that doesn’t believe that Anderson will have problems at his new weight category. “He already fought at Pride at the 93kg category and this is the way. He really has al the conditions to be the champion. I can’t see nobody to defeat him” said the champion, which will return to the octagon to defend his title on September to face Chael Sonnen.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Aoki interview with Fight & Life

Shinya Aoki had an interview with a Japanese MMA magazine, Fight & Life.

- I would like to ask about the striking. You told us before that you were throwing both arms at the same time before you had striking trainings. Is that true?
Yes. When I started MMA, I only spar to improve my strikings. I wore 16oz gloves, threw punches and took down. That's all.
- That's not a proper training, I think.
I did not kick but kneed and hooked. It never crossed my mind to take distance by jabs and throw punches in different strength. Nobody told me anything and I just stick with my street style.
- Your style was throwing punches, getting close to your opponent and finish?
Yes. I believed a theory of probability. If I throw punches aggressively and get closer, my opponent pose at a moment. Then, I take him down and submit. I was optimistic and believed I was OK with my style.
- You lost by Nakao in 2004. It was the first time you were KOed.
At the same time my right hook hit him, I got his left straight and I was blown off.
- You learned the importance of striking techniques through your loss; therefore, you started to take classes with your coach, Iimura.
Yes. I had an exhibition match in an opening ceremony of his dojo before the fight. He invited me to train with him.
- You learned only striking techniques in a standing position. I believe you also learned something you couldn't use in MMA.
I knew nothing. Everything I learned from him was very useful.

 

[Shogun Locc]

‘Big’ John, Radach on ‘Inside MMA’
videolink: http://www.sherdog.com/videos/videos.asp?v_id=1652
On this week's HDNet "Inside MMA," Bas Rutten (Pictures) and Kenny Rice are joined by "Big" John McCarthy, Benji Radach (Pictures), and mixed martial arts writer Carlos Arias.

 

[naner12]

Just got the $254 tickets to UFC 88 in ATL. Shit's gonna be dope.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Just got the $254 tickets to UFC 88 in ATL. Shit's gonna be dope.

what level seat are they?

 

[naner12]

what level seat are they?

Section 111. Price Level 3
LOWER LEVEL OF ARENA

 

[Shogun Locc]

Nick Diaz out of DREAM.5 title fight

Nick Diaz has been forced out of his July 21 DREAM.5 welterweight title fight with Hayato "Mach" Sakurai, possibly so he can take part in EliteXC's second nationally televised event, which airs July 26 on CBS.

Officials from EliteXC, which signed Diaz to a non-exclusive deal in 2007, forced his withdraw from the event, according to GracieFighter.com, the official website for Cesar Gracie's training camp.

A source close to the event tells MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that EliteXC officials want Diaz on the CBS card -- and that they're considering hosting the event in his hometown of Stockton, Calif.

A month after defeating Katsuya Inoue to earn the DREAM title shot, Diaz (17-7) returned to EliteXC and defeated Muhsin Corbbrey. The victory, which took place earlier this month at "EliteXC: Return of the King," also earned him a title shot with EliteXC lightweight champ KJ Noons. An in-cage scuffle between Diaz's and Noon's camps ensued after the title fight was announced.

Diaz and Noons first met for the first-ever EliteXC lightweight title back in November. Noons scored an upset first-round TKO due to cuts, and Diaz has been anxious for the rematch.

Earlier this month, EliteXC officials confirmed that CBS had agreed to host their second "Saturday Night Fights" event on July 26. The first broadcast -- which was the first-ever MMA event to air on major U.S. network television -- peaked with a surprising 6.5 million viewers during the May 31 main event between Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson and James Thompson.

In addition to the possible inclusion of Diaz, the July 26 EliteXC event features a main event between EliteXC middleweight champ Robbie Lawler and Scott Smith.

Despite the EliteXC happening, Diaz hasn't ruled out the DREAM title fight for a later date.

"I was happy to be fighting Sakurai and hoping to get back there to Japan where they have you fight in a ring and there seems to be more respect for the art of MMA," he told GracieFighter.com. "I hope they will still have me back soon to fight him (Sakurai) for the belt."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Hazelett, Burkman and McFedries earn $20,000 TUF7 Finale bonuses

Dustin Hazelett, Drew McFedries and Josh Burkman earned $20,000 "fight night" bonuses stemming from The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale. Hazelett, in fact, won two of the awards.

The bonuses were dished out after Saturday's event, which took place at The Palms Las Vegas and aired on Spike TV.

Hazelett earned both a Submission of the Night and Fight of the Night award (Burkman, who lost to Hazelett, split Fight of the Night honors). The Knockout of the Night bonus went to McFedries.

Hazelett, a Cincinnati-area fighter who trains with Team Jorge Gurgel, secured Submission of the Night honors in what will likely be remembered as his breakthrough win. Hazelett nearly stopped top-five welterweight Josh Koscheck in March at UFC 82 but ultimately suffered a second-round TKO. With Burkman, though, it was one submission attempt after another. The 22-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter finally secured the fight-ending arm-bar in the second round.

He got $20,000 for the submission -- and an additional $20,000 for Fight of the Night. Opponent Burkman also gets $20,000 for Fight of the Night honors.

McFedries, meanwhile, earned $20,000 for his first-round, 68-second TKO stoppage of Marvin Eastman. McFedries dominated the fight from the opening bell and staggered his opponent with a series of power shots.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Nate Marquardt still confused by lost points

Two weeks after a controversial decision loss to Thales Leites at UFC 85, middleweight contender Nate Marquardt (26-8-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) is still at odds over Herb Dean's decision to deduct a costly point due to elbow strikes the veteran referee deemed illegal.

Marquardt reflected on the exciting bout while a recent guest on TAGG Radio (www.taggradio.com), the official radio partner of MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

"I think Herb really couldn't get the angle from where he was at," Marquardt said. "He didn't really see where the shots were landing. And to be honest, when he stood me up, he said 'I warned you about the elbow,' but he never told me he was taking a point away. To be honest, at the end of the fight, I thought I only had one point taken away (from an earlier illegal knee). I didn't know about the second point."

The elbows in question have been the source of much discussion since the bout. Little has been solved, and it has become apparent that there are at least two different definitions of "the back of the head." Marquardt said he thought it was an imaginary stripe down the back of the head, as explained to him by former UFC referee "Big" John McCarthy.

"That was his explanation on the back of the head," Marquardt said. "All the way down the spine. On the back of the neck and on the back of the head, it's a one inch (area) on either side of the spine. And he explained it like a Mohawk. And my understanding is that it went all the way to the top of the head, too."

Other officials, including Dean, have gone on record describing the back of the head as the area behind an imaginary pair of headphones on the fighter. Marquardt feels he was wronged regardless of which definition you believe.

"To be honest, I think under either rule the elbow was legal," Marquardt said. "Basically, the first elbow was right below his ear, not behind his ear. And the second and third were more to the side of his head."

Despite taking a difficult loss in a fight which Marquardt dominated, the 29-year-old feels the controversy may have helped in the long run.

"I think I've gotten more publicity and more fans because of the controversial loss," Marquardt explained. "I think if I would've got the decision, people wouldn't have been talking about it as much. And I think I got a lot of people behind me. Everyone that I talk to about I tells me they think I won the fight. So I think it's probably good the way it happened."

Marquardt also gave his thoughts on Anderson Silva's jump to light-heavyweight, his desire for a rematch with "The Spider," and who he feels may be next on the horizon.

 

[Shogun Locc]

POSITIVE FOR ADDERALL, CREDEUR BOUT SCRAPPED

Saturday night’s Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale was unexpectedly pared from 11 down to 10 bouts at the last minute when Tim Credeur was not allowed to fight. He was scheduled to face Cale Yarbrough at The Palms in Las Vegas.

The fight was scrapped by the Nevada State Athletic Commission when traces of the prescription drug Adderall were found in a pre-fight drug test administered to Credeur according to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Credeur informed that commission before Friday’s weigh-ins that he had been taking the drug up until about five days ago. He was voluntarily subjected to a drug test following the weigh-ins and traces of the drug appeared in his system.

"Unfortunately, the drug was still in his system and he's still positive, so he was unable to get cleared to fight," said Keith Kizer, Executive Director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission to UFC.com. "It should be out of his system in a few days and hopefully they'll find another fight for him."

According to Kizer, Adderall "acts as a cardio-vascular restrictor and that's the main reason it's banned because it can cause athletes to have a cardiac episode with the stress they're under when they're in an athletic competition. Secondly, it can have a performance-enhancing effect as well."

There will be no disciplinary action taken towards Credeur by the NSAC. "We found out about it beforehand, and he was very honest with us about it yesterday," said Kizer.

According to drugs.com, “Adderall is a central nervous system stimulant. It affects chemicals in the brain and nerves that contribute to hyperactivity and impulse control.

“Adderall is used to treat narcolepsy and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).”