MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

BISPING VS LEBEN AT UFC 89 IN BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND

As the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s popularity in England continues to rise, the promotion is more frequently returning to its new base across the Atlantic. Less than a month removed from its latest trip to London, the UFC on Tuesday confirmed that British superstar Michael Bisping will face Ultimate Fighter alum Chris Leben in the main event of an October return to the U.K.



UFC 89 “Bisping vs. Leben” is slated for October 18 at the 13,000-seat National Indoor Arena in Birmingham. It marks the first venture for the promotion into Birmingham.



Bisping and Leben were originally slated to headline UFC 85 in London on June 7. Due to a legal situation regarding a parole violation stemming from a past DUI charge, Leben ended up serving 11 days of a 35-day jail sentence, which effectively made it impossible for him to compete.



Although he had to step down from the main event – which instead featured Thiago Alves’ defeat of former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes – Bisping still competed at UFC 85. In what was his most impressive UFC performance to date, he dominated Canadian Jason Day en route to a first round TKO stoppage.



The win was Bisping’s second consecutive victory since dropping down to the 185-pound middleweight division after losing a split decision to Rashad Evans at 205 pounds.



Leben is also on a two-fight winning streak, most recently defeating Alessio Sakara in March at UFC 82 in Columbus, Ohio.



Popular British welterweight Dan Hardy, who has risen through the ranks of the Cage Warriors promotion in the U.K., is also rumored to be fighting on the UFC 89 card, although no official word has come from the UFC yet.

 

[heyzel]

Franklin vs Hammill Set For UFC 88

MMARated.com has learned that Rich Franklin will face Matt Hamill at UFC 88 at the Phillips Arena in Atlanta, GA on September 6, 2008. This fight will mark Franklin's return to the 205 lbs division.

MMAJunkie.com first reported that Franklin was considering moving up to the light heavyweight division yesterday. Today, MMARated.com was able to confirm the switch as well as his opponent.

Franklin is coming off an inspiring win over Travis Lutter at UFC 83 while Hamill was last seen defeating Tim Boetsch at UFN 13 in April.

Here's the updated UFC 88 card:
Chuck Liddell vs. Rashad Evans
Dan Henderson vs. Rousimar Palhares
Rich Franklin vs. Matt Hamill
Karo Parisyan vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida
James Lee vs. Tim Boetsch

 

[Shogun Locc]

Fitch Faces St. Pierre as a Black Belt

Jon Fitch (Pictures) got a little boost Tuesday as he prepares for his Aug. 9 title bout against welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre (Pictures) at UFC 87 "Seek and Destroy" in Minneapolis, Minn.

The 30-year-old American Kickboxing Academy product was awarded his Guerilla jiu-jitsu black belt by Dave Camarillo, the founder of the system of the same name that culls Brazilian jiu-jitsu and judo together and gears it toward mixed martial arts.

Fitch, who will have studied with Camarillo for five years come this November, becomes the well-known instructor's sixth black belt. However, Fitch holds the auspicious title of being the only student to start with Camarillo as a white belt and eventually earn top status.

"Fitch is the most dedicated martial artist I've ever worked with," says Camarillo. "He doesn't stop. He doesn't quit. He keeps coming."

A former Division I wrestler for Purdue University, Fitch's lineage is undeniable. Camarillo is a jiu-jitsu black belt under Ralph Gracie (Pictures), out of San Francisco, and also a black belt in judo. As AKA's head ground instructor, Camarillo also oversees the training of Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson (Pictures) and UFC welterweight contender Mike Swick (Pictures), to name a few.

Camarillo believes Fitch's recently recognized skills will come into play against the formidable St. Pierre, who recently traveled to Brazil to enhance his own jiu-jitsu game.

"The fight's going to play out everywhere, so of course -- whether he's on top or bottom," says Camarillo.

St. Pierre will look to snap Fitch's impressive 15-fight win streak, of which he has snagged his last eight victories within the Octagon's walls. In his last appearance, Fitch outscored a game Chris Wilson at UFC 82 on March 1.

 

[Shogun Locc]

BELFORT VS MARTIN ON AFFLICTION'S FSN TELECAST

Affliction on Tuesday announced a change to the line-up of bouts that will air on Fox Sports Net prior to its live pay-per-view event dubbed “Banned.”



The one-hour FSN telecast, “Affliction Live,” will air live on Saturday, July at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT. It was initially scheduled to feature Aleksander Emelianenko vs. Paul Buentello and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Vernon “Tiger” White.



White, however, has since been put on the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s temporary suspension list pending an appeal hearing on July 9. He tested positive for a banned diuretic (Hydrochlorothiazide), following a kickboxing contest for Xtreme Fighting Association on May 31 in Las Vegas.



With White now off of the Affliction fight card, the promotion and FSN have announced that UFC veterans Victor Belfort and Terry Martin will fight on FSN instead. The middleweight bout will be Belfort’s debut in the 185-pound division.



FSN’s 16 owned-and-operated regional networks and its affiliated networks reach more than 80 million homes across the U.S.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Werdum wants to fight for the belt

Fabrício Werdum won his second fight at the UFC against Brandon Vera and is already been appointed as a big applicant to dispute the Ultimate belt. After the controversy with Brandon Vera, which insist in complain about the Brazilian, Werdum arrived at after a season of seminaries at and is expecting for his next bout. “Nobody told anything yet, but I believe I am going to return on November or December. I don’t know if to fight for the belt, I believe yes, I want it”, said Fabrício that is going to his hometown, Porto Alegre , to command Chute Boxe.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Galvao to make MMA debut

Andre Galvao is back in Brazil after spending some time in the United States. In his luggage, the Brasa star brought with him two medals from the 2008 Worlds - gold at medium heavyweight and bronze in the absolute - and a two-year contract with Jorge Guimaraes and Ed Soares that will kick off his MMA career. His debut is set for August 30, in Santa Monica, at the Fighting 4 Kidz, a pro-bono event in favor of a local child's hospital in California: "It's a new event. I didn't want to debut in a big event right off the bat, making money fast. As with Jiu-Jitsu, I want to build my career little by little," said Galvao when telling GRACIEMAG.com the news exclusively.

His opponent is still to be defined, but Andre knows he will be in the evening's main event and which category he will fight at: "I'll be going in at 170lbs (77kg), the same category I fight in at the ADCC.

Galvao guarantees that his new career will not get in the way of his Jiu-Jitsu performances: "From now till the end of the year there will be no Jiu-Jitsu events. Next year, I want to do the ADCC trials and the Worlds." The choice of weight category has to do with the future. "Jorge told me they have no one in this category and they are already talking to the guys over there," he says, referring to the UFC, the event where Joinha has no less than two champions.

A meeting with the two champions should take place shortly: "I'll train in Sao Paulo, where Demian and Alejarra will help me, but Jorge has already said Minotauro and Anderson are stoked about training with me in Rio. So I should do some training sessions with them from time to time."

The return to the USA should happen one week prior to the bout: "But I'll be back in training tomorrow," announces a dedicated Galvao.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Machida: MMA's strategist

With convincing wins over Pride standout Thierry Sokodjou and former light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz, Lyoto Machida opened the eyes of MMA fans with his different style. The mixture of karate, Jiu-Jitsu and even sumo puts the Brazilian at second place in many top-fighter lists, and made him into one of the greatest strategists ever seen in the sport.

"I have a different style, which doesn't match up well with a lot of fighters. Nobody knows whether I'll fight karate, kung fu or muay thai. The truth is I study my adversaries and fight according to their characteristics. For that to work, I have to be well-rounded. I know how to fight standing, and I can do my takedowns because I've practiced sumo and am a Jiu-Jitsu black belt," said the fighter to GRACIEMAG.com.

Even having maintained his invincibility over 13 professional fights, the Brazilian has been running into problems in reaching the dreamed-of belt. Despite finding himself in a division loaded with top fighters, Lyoto has been summarily turned down by opponents, who consider him a threat.

"It's a problem (adversaries refusing him), because I want to be one of the big guys at the event. It will be hard for me, because I'd like to take only three months of rest between fights, and I don't have the belt, which is the bait. I accepted the challenge of fighting in July, but it won't happen because it's the last minute and there would be no one to fight. I don't think anyone is afraid of anyone. I think everyone wants to make it to the belt as quickly as possible, it's business. If I had the belt, lots of people would want to fight me, but since I'm not champion yet, it's not that interesting to fight me, if just because my style is different," declared the sincere karateka.

The category's belt will be on the line this Saturday in the Forrest Griffin versus Rampage Jackson bout, and to many the Brazilian can already await the winner, since he is the biggest challenger for the throne. Even though he wants the belt, Lyoto guarantees he's not obsessed with it and his main objective is to carve out a place for himself.

"I'd like to have my shot, since my goal is to get the belt, but I'm not fixated with that. I want to come up and make my name, more and more. I think the event is the one to make this decision. I just think the dispute could be better arranged, it ends up being that no one knows who's next in line. There are a lot of people waiting, like Chuck Liddell who says he's next, so no one knows, every site says something different and has its own ranking," said the athlete in finishing.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Marcelo Garcia eyes return

Considered one of the Jiu-Jistu and submission grappling's all-time greatest phenomenons, Marcelo Garcia last year decided to change focus. His move from Brazil to the United States and to training at the American Top Team were not the only news, the black belt also decided to compete in a new style: MMA.

The fighter's debut was not what he had hoped for, but the loss ended up being a great learning experience. Not having fought since (September 2007), Marcelinho, who has a contract with the now-extinct K-1 Heroes and current Dream organization, has been keeping in shape, teaching class and seminars while awaiting his return to the ring. GRACIEMAG.com had a brief chat with the Brazilian, Fabio Gurgel student, who made it clear he wants to right again in the category he is three-time ADCC champion in, the 77kg one.

"My natural weight is 84kg, but I want to fight in MMA at 77kg, which is the category I fought at in submission grappling. They ended up putting me at 84kg for my debut because there was no one to face me. I don't know when I'll be back, but in the meantime I've been training, but not as though I were preparing for an upcoming fight, just to keep in shape. I've also trained in the gi, if just because I teach three times a week here at my academy in Florida, besides holding some seminars," said Marcelinho who was in New York last week for one of the aforementioned seminars.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Jesse Taylor vs. C.B. Dollaway at UFC Fight Night 14

"The Ultimate Fighter 7" runner-up C.B. Dollaway (6-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) will meet ousted finalist Jesse Taylor (6-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at a recently announced UFC Fight Night 14 event.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today confirmed the July 19 fight with sources close to both fighters.

UFC Fight Night 14, which features a main event between UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and James Irvin (in a non-title light-heavyweight bout), takes place at The Palms Las Vegas and was organized to counter the "Affliction: Banned" card.

The Taylor-Dollaway fight had been rumored for much of the past week.

Taylor, who defeated Tim Credeur for a ticket into the finals of "The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest," was kicked out of the finals when Dana White received a tape of the drunken fighter kicking out a window of a limousine and harassing guests at Palace Station, a casino owned by Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, the UFC's primary owners. The rampage took place after the show finished airing.

White, though, said he planned to give Taylor a second chance.

It'll come with Dollaway, the guy who defeated Credeur to take Taylor's spot in the live finale. There, Dollaway suffered a defeat to show winner Amir Sadollah -- the same fighter who knocked him out of the show's semifinal round. It was the Arizona State University All-American wrestker's first career loss.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Leites Scared of Rematch, Says Marquardt

Coming off his second loss in his last ten fights, Nathan Marquardt (Pictures) has no regrets about his performance against Thales Leites (Pictures) at UFC 85 on June 7 in London. The fallout from his split decision defeat fueled debate regarding which direction MMA's unified regulations should take as the sport continues to evolve.

Marquardt and Leites fought a foul-free round one before the final ten minutes turned into a showcase of the grey areas that exist in the sport's rulebook.

"I've never seen a fight like that, never have I had a point taken away for me in any other fight. I believe this was my first," said Marquardt. "It's disappointing. Actually he got warned three times for grabbing my glove, the fence and elbowing the back of my head."

In round two with Leites posted against the fence, Marquardt landed a knee to the head while Leites was still considered to be on the ground. Referee Herb Dean (Pictures) immediately deducted a point from Marquardt.

The third round again had Marquardt on the wrong end of an infraction, this time from strikes to the back of the head. Putting himself in a two-point hole cost the Denver fighter a key win in the crowded UFC middleweight division.

"I'm happy with the way I performed. I know the fans loved it. Honestly, all the controversy over the point deductions and me losing a split decision, everybody who saw the fight knows that I won the fight," Marquardt said. "In a way it's been a blessing in disguise. It's kind of made my popularity go up because everyone is talking about it."

Now the buzz moves to a rematch between Marquardt and the Brazilian fighter. Marquardt would like nothing more than a decisive ending to a bout laced with controversy and requested a second contest before he even landed on native soil.

"I would love a rematch and I asked for it. I doubt he's going to give me a rematch. I think he's kind of scared to be honest," Marquardt said. "He got lucky and knocked me down right away and mounted me. That's his game, to get to the mount position. What better position for him to land up in? I was able to escape, get back up to my feet and have him rocked by the end of the round. I think he knows that he was kind of outclassed."

The second go-around for Marquardt-Leites could happen again across the pond at UFC 89 in Birmingham, England this October.

"I want to get back as soon as possible and for me that's two to three months," said Marquardt. "I need to take a little rest and let my body recover, than get right back into training. I want to do at least three fights this year, then maybe one at the end of the year to make it four."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Dollaway already back to training

In the week following his loss to Amir Sadollah at "The Ultimate Fighter 7" finale on June 23, CB Dollaway (Pictures) didn't give a second thought to another armbar submission. The former Arizona State University wrestling standout's summer vacation is already over and he's back on the mats of Arizona Combat Sports prepping for his Octagon return.

"After a disappointing loss like that, it almost feels like I didn't get to fight. I put a lot of time and effort into that fight, and to have it end like that really sucked. I look forward to getting back in there and putting on a show at least," Dollaway said.

Returning after a loss is something new to Dollaway, who is now 6-1 in seven pro fights. The 24-year-old fighter has been reflecting back on the reputation he gained on Spike TV's "The Ultimate Fighter 7" as an arrogant competitor. One of the favorites entering the middleweight brackets, Dollaway would prefer to let his game do the talking for him for a while.

"They kind of portrayed me as a little cocky and as an asshole. Anyone who knows me knows that's not how I am," said Dollaway. "They got to make people into characters and unfortunately that was the way they made me out to be. That's something you read in the contract when you sign up for the show, that they can turn you into anything they want to. The trade-off was worth it because I got the recognition for my fighting skills."

Dollaway made good on turning over a new leaf, when he quickly stomped out any controversy over his protests directly following the first-round stoppage with Sadollah.

"It was kind of a weird reaction having it stopped like that. I obviously did tap the one time; the reaction was more saying to myself ‘Damn it,'" said Dollaway. "Also, I didn't know the rule of the single tap. I did make the tapping motion so the fight should have been stopped. I was just mad at myself."

The next few weeks will allow Dollaway to train in his comfort zone with his regular training partners and coaches at AZCS.

Expect Dollaway to be back in the cage before the autumn leafs start turning.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Video: Aoki, Imanari Take to the Mat
videolink: http://www.sherdog.com/videos/videos.asp?v_id=1668
Daniel Herbertson was on location in Tokyo to witness the second day of K-1 Max and Dream's Akasaka Fight Festival, where Shinya Aoki (Pictures) and Masakazu Imanari (Pictures) took to the mat for a grappling exhibition.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Where the Big Dog’s Loyalties Lie

Ricardo Almeida (Pictures) is a bit of an anachronism in the rock star culture of today's MMA. In fact, he is part of the old guard that nostalgically reminds us of MMA's roots in "martial arts."

His relationship with Renzo Gracie (Pictures) -- whom he refers to as "maestro" (or master) -- in particular harks back to a distant, romanticized era of master and student.

Martin Rooney, who has been Almeida's strength and conditioning coach for nearly a decade, points to the melee that broke out after Almeida's victory over Nathan Marquardt (Pictures) in 2003 as a poignant example of the fierce loyalty that exists between fighter and coach.

"When Ricardo won the King of Pancrase, there was a lot of talk that week," recalled Rooney. "So when Ricardo had [Marquardt] in checkmate, he just held that [guillotine] choke a little bit longer. When he released, Marquardt punched him in the face. Ricardo later said that it was like in the movies when you have a devil and an angel on your shoulders. Renzo was the devil jumping in and kicking Marquardt, and I was the angel coming in and telling Ricardo not to do anything else."

In return, Almeida has guarded the Gracie name and tradition with a sense of duty. The name may have lost some luster in the modern MMA landscape, but there is no denying its historical relevance or pervasive influence in the sport.

"It's very important," stressed Almeida about upholding the Gracie legacy. "Every time I step up to compete, I don't want to lose because I'm representing the whole family of Gracie jiu-jitsu or Brazilian jiu-jitsu. When I first started training jiu-jitsu in Brazil, I was like 15 years old -- this was pre-UFC -- and if you wanted to fight or do a vale tudo fight, you'd get picked to fight. You just don't want to fight, you get picked. Guys would fight challenges against luta livre or another kind of martial arts just to prove that jiu-jitsu was the superior martial art. … I think I still carry a lot of that old-time mentality of like I'm representing something a lot bigger than myself."

In keeping with this traditional worldview, Almeida sees the martial artist not only as a fighter but also a teacher and philosopher. At his gym in New Jersey, Almeida interacts with hundreds of students and finds great pleasure in sharing his knowledge of jiu-jitsu with others.

Almeida's mantra is that jiu-jitsu is not just a sport but a lifestyle. And this philosophy has often yielded surprising results.

"I had this guy come to the school," started Almeida. "He's around 50-55 years old and he wasn't sure whether he should enroll or not because he was a heavy smoker. … I eventually convinced him, and he started training at the academy. And he quit smoking! And then he got his son involved at the academy as well. His son was also a heavy smoker and he quit smoking! And then his wife, who was also a heavy smoker, she had to stop smoking because the two men of the house stopped smoking!"

Almeida's philosophy also stems from his passion for surfing, which he inherited from his father, a semiprofessional. Almeida describes the experience of surfing as a form of "moving meditation" and derives profound insights from it -- "you're out there by yourself and you are your own island" -- that he has applied to jiu-jitsu and MMA.

"It's very similar to jiu-jitsu and MMA in that the environment is constantly changing," he elaborated. "In the ocean, the waves come and they come by and go towards the shore and you got the wind and the tides changing. But you cannot overpower the ocean. If you try to overpower the ocean, you die. In MMA, I feel that early in my career I was trying to overpower my opponents and I wasn't as successful as I could have been."

Once he learned to let go, Almeida began dominating his opponents and put together an impressive series of consecutive wins over notable fighters, including Marquardt and Kazuo Misaki (Pictures). In May 2004, however, he retired suddenly.

Nearly four years later, he returned this February to face Rob Yundt (Pictures) at UFC 81. The greatest challenge of Almeida's life came three weeks prior to the bout, though. As a consummate family man who places his wife and two children above anything else, Almeida was devastated to learn that his son, Renzo, was diagnosed with autism. So emotionally distraught, Almeida was close to abandoning his comeback altogether.

But you cannot overpower the ocean, the waves reminded him.

Today a major reason that Almeida fights is for his son. He wants to show Renzo that his old man is also "working through the grind like he is."

"Some things he really wants and some things he doesn't enjoy, but he has to go through the process regardless like me," quietly asserted Almeida.

Another factor that motivated Almeida's return was the rising technical sophistication of MMA. These past few years will perhaps be looked back on as MMA's renaissance period in terms of the explosive growth in talent and the number of cards being churned out.

"I was watching guys like Diego [Sanchez] and [Josh] Koscheck and even Kenny Florian (Pictures), who was a jiu-jitsu guy but has great stand-up now as well," said Almeida of the fighters that impressed him most. "Watching these guys just transition and push the technical element of the fight to a whole different level, I didn't want to miss that push."

It's not that Almeida feels the need to add to his legacy, but simply put he's just itching to know how he would fare in today's MMA climate.

His bout against rising Canadian middleweight Patrick Cote (Pictures) this Saturday at UFC 86 will serve to answer many of his questions. But it is no mystery how this classic grappler-versus-striker match will play out.

While many critics point to Cote's submission loss to Travis Lutter (Pictures) and expect a quick finish for Almeida if the fight hits the ground, Almeida sees a different story.

"People don't give Patrick enough credit for his groundwork just because he got caught by Lutter so quickly," explained Almeida. "But I think it was more of a mental mistake he made. I actually think he has solid skills on the ground. He has been steadily improving and he actually has excellent submission defense, so I expect it to be tough."

By the same token, Cote supporters cite Almeida's TKO loss to Andrei Semenov (Pictures) as a portentous foreshadowing and argue Cote's heavy hands will be too much for the "Big Dog."

"He's got that one-punch knockout power," Almeida said. "He has awesome stand-up and he's constantly improving. Before he didn't used to kick a lot, but now sets up his power shots with kicks."

But in response he feels Cote's opponents were playing into his strengths. "He's been knocking out guys that trade punches with him," Almeida said. "It's like me submitting guys that pull guard. … I just have to be very aware of what he's trying to do or how he's trying to set up the big right hand or the big knockout punch."

In preparation, Almeida has been training with Rooney, who is the bestselling author of "Training for Warriors: The Ultimate Mixed Martial Arts Workout." His three-day regimen focuses on building absolute strength that will be important against a bigger opponent like Cote and maintaining a high level of conditioning that is critical at this level of competition.

In a division that is withering in compelling matchups, the Almeida-Cote fight is extremely important in creating a legitimate contender to Anderson Silva's throne and the next great narrative in the division.

Almeida might not be looking past Cote, but many fans certainly are -- hoping, perhaps, for a bout between an all-time great in Silva and a fighter who could become one.

 

[Shogun Locc]

In the Gym: ‘Rampage’ Readies for Forrest
videolink: http://www.sherdog.com/videos/videos.asp?v_id=1669
Sherdog.com's Greg Savage and Dave Mandel were granted full access to Quinton Jackson's (Pictures) training camp, where the UFC light heavyweight champion prepared for his bout with Forrest Griffin (Pictures).

In this exclusive look into the mind of Rampage, Jackson breaks down his opponent and shares his thoughts on how the contest will unfold.

 

[Shogun Locc]

RAZOR ROB VS COWBOY CERRONE IN WEC SEPT 10

As World Extreme Cagefighting lightweight champion Jamie Varner prepares for his August showdown with top contender Marcus Hicks, the promotion will look to give the winner of that fight a new opponent for the future during its Sept. 10 show. Former 155-pound divisional champion “Razor” Rob McCullough will return to action against the still undefeated Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone at WEC 36 in September.

The fight was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the fight on Tuesday.

After losing the lightweight title to Varner in February, McCullough returned to action in June for a bout with Kenneth Alexander, a fighter he had lost to some years ago.

McCullough pulled off a split decision victory in a largely unexciting fight, but the former champ did enough to get back to his winning ways.

Now, he will step right back into deep waters as he faces Greg Jackson student Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, who fought on the same June WEC show, defeating Danny Castillo in the first round by submission.

Cerrone has long been considered one of the best up and coming lightweights in the WEC, combining a well rounded style that has him currently sporting a perfect record in his mixed martial arts career.

The bout between Cerrone and McCullough will serve as a main card bout supporting the current main event between middleweight champion Paulo Filho and challenger Chael Sonnen. Rumors also have the promotion pitting WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber against American Top Team standout Mike Brown on the same card.

More fights are expected to be announced in the coming weeks from the WEC.

 

[Shogun Locc]

EDDIE ALVAREZ LIVING HIS DREAM

Breaking onto the scene by way of Philadelphia, Eddie Alvarez just a short time ago was not much of a household name in the MMA world. Ask fans now, the ones who watch more than just the UFC, and they’ll be quick to tell you how exciting he is to watch.



As he enters the semi-finals of the Dream Lightweight Grand Prix, Alvarez looks set to make his mark as a top lightweight in mixed martial arts. It won’t be an easy road, but anyone counting out this Philadelphia warrior may be in for a rude awakening come July 21.



MMAWeekly.com recently had a chance to talk to Alvarez about his upcoming opportunity in the grand prix and he is not lacking any confidence, even with the names of Kawajiri, Uno, and Aoki sharing the tournament bracket alongside him.



MMAWeekly - First, how is everything going with training and are you doing anything different?



EA - Training is going great. I’m just starting to peak and I’ll probably be peaked in about a week or so and I’ll start to wean down from there. But as far as training goes, everything’s been going great and my weight is coming off like I want it to and at the right time.



MMAWeekly - You are competing in this grand prix, but are under contract with EliteXC. What are the main differences for you fighting in a cage for EliteXC and a ring for Dream?



EA - I only fought once for EliteXC and their cage was kind of small. In that aspect the area to move around doesn’t favor the striker, it favors the grappler because he can get you against the cage pretty easily. But that kind of stuff doesn’t take me off my game and I try not to concentrate too much on if I’m fighting in a ring or a cage. No matter where I’m fighting, it’s a fight and I try not to concern myself on where I’m fighting or what arena.



MMAWeekly - So you’re training is pretty much the same with either one?



EA - Of course there’s a couple things you can use like the spring action of the cage for takedowns. You can pin the guy up against the cage and take away a guy’s jiu-jitsu. Those types of things you can use, but other than that I think the area and square footage most times in a cage or ring is pretty much identical, so it’s not too much of a difference.



MMAWeekly - This grand prix has really put you on the lightweight radar. You had a fight of the night candidate for the year in your bout with Joachim Hansen in the last round. You showed excellent submission defense even when it seemed you were caught a couple of times. Is that something you have worked extensively on recently?



EA - No, not particularly. My trainer, Stephen Haigh, is a great jiu-jitsu and MMA coach. I’ve been with him for five years. I just think it’s a part of my game that people don’t think is very strong. I have good submissions and good submission defense, it’s just something I don’t choose to attack with. I like to keep the fight exciting and high paced. I don’t particularly like the clinch because it slows the pace of the fight down and jiu-jitsu does that, so that’s why I don’t use it as much as maybe some people would like me to. But I do constantly work on submissions and submission defense to improve like everything else.



MMAWeekly - This grand prix is actually playing itself out for you in a way that a tournament actually should be with each fight being a higher caliber of opponent. You started with Andre “Dida” Amade, then it was Joachim Hansen, now you have the Top 10 Kawajiri, and what most people are expecting is a finals match-up with Shinya Aoki. There are no guarantees in this sport and Kawajiri and Uno are anything but sure wins, but let’s say you are victorious here, what do you feel that does for your career?



EA - As far as winning the tournament and beating Kawajiri and Aoki that would be like the end of a perfect year for me because I’m going to take some time off after this tournament regardless of the results. But it’s going to take my career off man. People will know at 155 pounds I’m going to be a threat and someone to reckon with. I have all the belief in myself to do it, it’s just when July 21 comes around and me stepping in the ring and being as focused as I can be and perform the way I know how. If I do that there’s no reason why I shouldn’t win this tournament.



MMAWeekly - What’s your status with EliteXC and what do you expect when you return?



EA - I’m signed with EliteXC and I’m also signed right now with Monte Cox’s promotion (Adrenaline MMA). I have to see how this tournament plays out first and foremost, then I have to see when I come home what makes the most sense for me and my career then take it from there. I don’t really want to take fights that don’t make sense and don’t build me up. I want to fight the best people out there. I’m young and want to get that experience with the better guys.



MMAWeekly – How many fights do you have left on your current EliteXC contract?



EA - I believe I have two or three fights or something like that.



MMAWeekly - I ask because if you win this fight, this tournament, or even now actually, I can see EliteXC possibly making you a contender to the winner of Noons vs. Diaz II, if and when that happens. Would that be a fight of interest to you for the EliteXC lightweight title?



EA - Oh yea, of course. When I come home I don’t want to fight a nobody or fight an up and comer, I want to fight the best. I’m not going to leave a tournament that has top fifteen lightweights in the world and come home and fight chumps or whatever. Both of them are top-level guys and I would love to fight whoever has the title at the time.



MMAWeekly - Would you have a preference of the two if you got to choose? Is one or the other a better style match up for you?



EA - Whoever wins the fight and is holding the belt at the time is who I’d rather face. I don’t like to look at guys and say yea that’s who I want to fight. I don’t like to pick my opponents; it’s not something I do. I just want to face whoever they consider the best so I can hold the top rank at whatever promotion I’m at.



MMAWeekly - Another bout I think a lot of fans would like to see is Alvarez vs. Melendez. Melendez holds a win over your next opponent, Kawajiri, did you use that fight at all in preparing for this?



EA - Oh of course. I watch all my opponents’ losses and his wins and see his tendencies because it’s going to teach you a lot going into the fight. You can see some of their bad habits and what they’re weak at. So I definitely watched that fight and Gilbert did a good job exposing Kawajiri, breaking him with his conditioning. He did things to Kawajiri most guys weren’t able to do. It was definitely a good learning tool for me to watch that fight, so I’d like to thank Gilbert for putting on a performance like that against him because I was able to study that fight and learn a lot before stepping in the ring with him.



MMAWeekly - What do you feel is Kawajiri’s biggest weapon he brings to this fight that you are most concerned with?



EA - I would say if he is able to take me down. I don’t think he’ll be able to, but if he does, he likes to try to hold you down. Not really do anything, just hold you there. So the fact that he is strong enough to hold a fighter down is a strength. I’m also fighting him in Japan, so I know they’ll be favoring him a little more and they’ll be more inclined to letting him work the way he wants to work.



MMAWeekly - So you feel that in Japan he has the ability to ride out a decision like that, almost like a lay and pray style?



EA - Yea, that would be my biggest concern.



MMAWeekly - Keys to victory for you, takedown defense?



EA – Yea, I think so. As long as I stop Kawajiri’s takedowns I can have my way with him. I’ve heard he has a hard punch, but I feel I can expose him because I have a reach advantage on him; I’m slightly taller than him. Normally when I fight guys his stature, who have less of a reach than I do, I fair very well because I’m used to fighting longer guys that I have to work to get inside. On him I feel like I can do a lot of damage on my feet. Even if I take him down I feel that I can get some good ground and pound.





MMAWeekly - How much do you feel you have grown as a fighter in the last couple of years? Where do you feel you are at with your potential?



EA - I feel like I’m still in the beginning stages in my career. Everyone at some point something clicks. It happened to me in a stage in my career in wrestling. Something clicked and I was able to put moves together.



I think I had my first click at the beginning of this year and just being able to be consistent in the gym and I feel like it’s just the beginning. That’s why I’m trying to take fights with the best guys now because I know the end result. I put my time in with stiff competition and I’ll have the know how to take care of these guys in the future. So I’m still learning and still feel like I got a lot more years until I can become completely dominant.



MMAWeekly - I’d like to get your take on a couple of things. First, the fight between Caol Uno and Shinya Aoki.



EA - A lot of people think Aoki’s got it, but after seeing Uno fight Ishida and put that game plan together and take him out the way he did, I think Uno wins. I think I’ll be facing Uno in the finals. I could be wrong, but I don’t think Uno has ever been subbed. So I think he’ll be ready and with his experience he can pull out a decision.



MMAWeekly - How about K.J. Noons vs. Nick Diaz II?



EA - I’d have to say K.J. again because he has a lot of momentum right now. He did a really good job the first fight counter-punching against Nick. I think if he sticks with that I’m not sure Nick is going to be able to take him down and they’ll be standing up again. So I don’t see it going any other way than it did the first time.



MMAWeekly - Who are the Top 5 lightweights in the world?



EA - I would say B.J. Penn, Sean Sherk, Takanori Gomi, myself, and honestly I couldn’t even pick a fifth because there are so many guys.



MMAWeekly - Is there anything you want to say to your fans, any last shout outs?



EA - FightMA.com they do all my supplements and give me all my pre-workout drinks. They also do my physical therapy and keep me healthy for all my fights. Full Contact Fighter, they’re always with me. Go to AlvarezFight.com, that’s my website, check it out. All my Philly street team, I love you guys. I’m going to do my best to come home with that belt and represent the United States and Philly to my full potential.

 

[Shogun Locc]

MIKE CIESNOLEVICZ TALKS TWO WINS IN TWO DAYS

Back in the early days of mixed martial arts, even before it was labeled as such, many of the sport’s pioneers would take fights with such regularity that it’s hard to even compile an accurate record of all their action.

In particular, the Midwest fight circuit had quite a bit of activity. Fighters that would go on to become cornerstones of MMA such as Pat Miletich, Jens Pulver, Jeremy Horn, Shonie Carter and others could be found in bars, fighting for far less money than it costs to get into a modern Ultimate Fighting Championship event.

And, while it’s still not uncommon for fighters to take a number of match-ups on smaller shows in close proximity to others, it’s rare to see a top-level contracted fighter take multiple fights in the same month, let alone the same weekend. But that’s exactly what International Fight League light-heavyweight Mike Ciesnolevicz did this past weekend.

First Mike stepped into the Courage Fighting Championships at light-heavyweight and defeated Andrew Force to claim that promotion’s 205-pound title, then the next night he stepped up to heavyweight in a win over Matt Anderson in the main event of the Extreme Challenge’s 100th show.

“I just thought it was cool guys did that,” said Ciesnolevicz of his inspiration to take fights in back-to-back days. “I’d always hear stories about how Jeremy Horn would go fight, get a hotdog and Mountain Dew and drive to the next show and fight.”

More specifically, requests from his manager and a good friend happened to coincide with each other, creating the opportunity for him to go the old school route.

“Monte (Cox) had his hundredth (Extreme Challenge) show coming up and he wanted me to headline it,” he explained. “I’m friends with Jason Reinhart, and he asked me if I was free to headline his (Courage Fighting Championships) show, too.

“I looked at the dates and I thought, ‘You know what? I could probably pull this off.’ Pat (Miletich) is like, ‘You should go for it. It will be good experience; you’re in shape, so I think you can pull it off if you fight smart.’”

According to Ciesnolevicz, in winning his first fight his performance may have suffered more due to his game plan than his preparations.

“Even though the fight was very short, I didn’t fight my best fight,” he admitted. “I was pretty passive. I didn’t go for the kill because in my head I was thinking, ‘Don’t break your hand or don’t get caught.’

“I didn’t want to get into a brawl or that kind of fight, because I didn’t want to risk getting injured before the next night. I didn’t fight my fight, I was too passive, didn’t go forward enough and wasn’t aggressive enough.”

In the second fight, Ciesnolevicz wasn’t as concerned about injury, but the emotional ride of fighting and getting back up for another bout wore on him.

“It was hard getting my emotions and adrenaline up, then coming back down because you’re relieved, happy and you want to celebrate, but can’t because you have a fight the next night,” he said.

“I had to get myself up again, get myself into the zone and get ready to go again. Going through all those emotions before a fight was probably the most draining part. Both my fights were relatively short, but the emotional drain and stress is what got to me a little bit.”

All in all, when questioned whether or not he’d do it again, Ciesnolevicz responded, “It depends, if the right fight came up I would definitely do it again.”

What allowed Ciesnolevicz to take both these fights in the first place was the current situation with the IFL.

As it stands the promotion has put its operations on hold, making it so many of their fighters, even contracted talent, can seek other temporary employment until the company is ready to once again start operations.

Ciesnolevicz cleared up his own contract status by saying, “As far as the IFL (is concerned), I’m still an IFL fighter and am under contract.

“They’re allowing me to fight in other shows just to say busy, but it has to be approved. I had planned to fight on the (now cancelled) Aug. 15 New Jersey show, so if they have another show I definitely plan to be on it.”

Until then though, Ciesnolevicz plans on staying busy, ready for any opportunity that comes his way.

“It’s going to be touch and go, wait and see what happens,” he stated. “We’re kind of back where I was before the IFL; fighting on a show here and there, just getting experience and try to build up things that are valuable down the line.

“I’m looking to stay busy, and I really want to fight in July and August. I just want to get as much ring time as I can. I love the sport, love to compete, and want to just keep getting in there. It was always a dream I had as a kid to be an MMA fighter and I don’t want to pass up any opportunities.”

 

[heyzel]

Griffin's UFC Career Comes Full Circle

Jack Encarnacao
MMA Reporter




As Forrest Griffin labored alongside other relatively unknown fighters on season one of "The Ultimate Fighter," it was considered a long shot that he'd ever reach the superstar level of his coach, Chuck Liddell. Liddell was on the show mostly to parlay the exposure into a title fight against opposing coach Randy Couture, a formula that proved successful in creating a higher level of interest in a showdown between the two.

What a difference three years made. At the conclusion of the seventh season of the same reality show that launched his career, Griffin is not only in the same league as Liddell was in 2005 but in precisely the same position -- coaching on TV for a title shot.

Griffin's shot won't be against Liddell; it will be against the only fighter to beat Liddell twice, a chain-wearing powerhouse who -- while Griffin was flashing a bloody smile after being crowned "The Ultimate Fighter" in a landmark, nationally-televised war with Stephan Bonnar -- was battling future UFC contenders like Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Wanderlei Silva a world away in the rings of Pride Fighting Championships.

The full-circle nature of Griffin's UFC run and the unique parallels of taping two seasons of the same reality show do not seem to have made much of an impression on him. As it turns out, doing reality shows isn't really his thing.

"It was a lot like a job," says Griffin, 29. "It was alright. There was not a whole lot to it. It was just, you know, kind of show up and do it. I did it, obviously, mostly to get the title shot."

In interviews leading up to his match against light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson Saturday night in the UFC 86 main event in Las Vegas, Griffin (15-4, 6-2 UFC) has not come off as overly enthusiastic about what could be seen as the apex of his career. The wisecracking Georgian who showed an intriguing mix of good humor and fighting spirit in his 2005 win over Bonnar is a different person today. In addition to being a much more complete, honed fighter, he's shorter with his words and doesn't gravitate toward the camera.

This shift has not been lost on MMA fans and writers who have questioned the appeal of Griffin v. Jackson in recent weeks. The pair never really butted heads on television in a way that creates excitement for a fight; rather, the dynamic between the two turned out to be a hard one around which to build an appealing main event. They don't hate each other, but they're not best friends, either. They have come off, more than anything, as indifferent towards one another. Jackson and Griffin were content to rib each other on television with silly net-firing guns and Super Soakers, but they never established a real competitive friction, the kind that did wonders for other marquee matchups -- most notably Tito Ortiz v. Ken Shamrock and B.J. Penn v. Jens Pulver.

Perhaps expectations that Griffin, a former college campus police officer, would produce fireworks outside of the cage are not necessarily founded. It's easy to forget two things. One, Griffin wasn't really part of the dramatic high points of "TUF 1" -- Chris Leben, Josh Koshceck, Diego Sanchez and Bobby Southworth fit that bill better. And two, Griffin may not have been thrilled to compete on the show in 2005, either. He was, after all, coming off an impressive nine wins in his last 10 fights when he was cast.

"I thought back in 2001, 2002 ... I thought I would have gotten into the UFC around then," Griffin says. "I had injuries and stuff, and life kind of got in the way. It's a mixed bag. I'm absolutely very fortunate to have gotten the shot."

Since the conclusion of the first "Ultimate Fighter," Griffin has occupied the second-from-the-top slot on UFC pay-per-views. He turned the corner from fan favorite to contender in April 2006, when he took former light heavyweight champion Ortiz to a razor-thin split decision in a performance where fans saw him mature before their eyes. Griffin faltered against Keith Jardine later that year, but his dominant win over Rua in the Brazilian's UFC debut last September locked him in as a viable championship contender.

Jackson (28-6, 3-0 UFC), however, doesn't put much stock in Griffin's most recent showing. Jackson was a different fighter in 2005, when Rua knocked him out in the first round in Japan. Griffin, who declined to specify what he thinks he has to do to beat Jackson, is not looking to the past to prepare for him.

"I think the first time I saw him fight was against [Kazushi] Sakuraba in Pride," Griffin says. "I thought he was a good fighter. He's gone from an athlete to a fighter. You could tell he didn't really have a lot of submission awareness or skills when he fought Sakuraba, but when he fought [Dan] Henderson [in September of last year], it was a little bit different."

As for Griffin, everything is different now. If he had gotten a title shot in 2005, skepticism would have gushed forth about whether or not he was ready. Five wins and two losses later, he's on the cusp of the same championship Liddell was chasing three years ago. He's not interested in taking stock of his career as if it's already peaking, but he has to think Saturday night's fight is the biggest of his career. Right?

"Sure," he says, "why not?"

 

[Shogun Locc]

Henderson discusses near-booking with Vera, likely fight with Palhares

As the 183-pound and 205-pound champion for the now-defunct PRIDE Fighting Championships, Dan Henderson (22-7 MMA, 2-2 UFC) was the first (and to date only) man ever to simultaneously hold gold in two weight classes in a major MMA organization. Now in the UFC, Henderson no longer is a title holder in either division.

And while Henderson's take-on-all-comers attitude opens the door for a myriad of potential match-ups, Henderson has made it clear his first objective is another shot at UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, who defeated Henderson in March at UFC 82.

Henderson discussed what he felt it would take to get a second crack at "The Spider" while a guest on of TAGG Radio (www.taggradio.com), the official radio partner of MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

"I told [UFC officials] I was open to anything but to keep in mind that I wanted someone who would get me another shot at Anderson Silva," Henderson said.

It appears that the first obstacle for Henderson will be up-and-coming middleweight Rousimar Palhares (8-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC). And while "Hollywood" could not confirm the rumored bout for UFC 88 in Atlanta, he indicated it was a strong possibility.

"That's what the rumor is," Henderson clarified. "They say I can't talk about it yet."

The Temecula, Calif.-based fighter admits that beating a relative newcomer to the octagon may not be the fastest road to another title shot.

"[The UFC] got the weight class right, but I am not sure if [Palhares] is the right guy to get me another title shot right away," he said.

Despite already losing title fights with both Silva and "Rampage" Jackson, Henderson feels another chance at the belts is not too far out of reach. But Henderson feels quality wins are needed more than a large quantity of victories to be considered a top contender.

"It just depends on who you beat," Henderson said about his wait for a rematch. "If I beat three no-name guys, it probably won't do much good. One big-name guy will probably help quite a bit."

An 11-year veteran of the fight game, Henderson feels he is at a point in his career where he only wants to test himself against the best the UFC has to offer.

"I'm patient, but I know that I am getting a bit older," the 37-year-old said. "I might start asking for [bigger name opponents] pretty quick."

One big name that could certainly propel Henderson back in the title picture is former middleweight champion Rich Franklin, who as MMAjunkie.com reported on Tuesday, takes on Matt Hamill at UFC 88. Henderson, a Team Quest standout, doesn't know if that fight will eventually happen, but he believes it would be a great match-up for fans.

"Pretty much everyone has been asking me when I am going to fight him," Henderson said. "I don't know; it's not up to me. That is definitely one fight the fans deserve to see."

Despite Henderson's desire for a second opportunity to win the middleweight belt, he hasn't abandoned plans to compete in the UFC's light-heavyweight division as well. In fact, Henderson was offered a short-notice fight with light-heavyweight-newcomer Brandon Vera at the organization's July 19 event. UFC matchmakers then relented, however, and decided to go in a different direction.

"[Vera] was offered, and then he was taken away," Henderson said.

Henderson, who walks around at about 200 pounds, also talked about a rematch with light-heavyweight contender Wanderlei Silva (32-8-1 MMA, 2-3 UFC), a man Henderson knocked out at PRIDE 33 to win the 205-pound belt.

"It doesn't matter," Henderson said. "I'm not huge on rematches. ... (But) if that's what the fans want to see, then I am game for that as well."

The two-time Olympian is poised to take on anyone at either weight, looking to test himself en route to trying to capture UFC gold.

"I definitely want to go back and forth," Henderson said about changing weight classes. "I don't want to limit myself in possible match-ups. That's one of the things I liked about PRIDE; they didn't really limit their fights by weight classes."

However, after dropping his first two in his return to the octagon, Henderson feels his first challenge is to get back on the winning track.

"At this point, I am pretty pissed off about my last two losses. ... I'm just happy to get back in there to beat somebody up."

To hear the full interview, download Monday's edition of TAGG Radio, available for free in the TAGG Radio archives.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Dana White: WEC could drop middleweight and light-heavy divisions

World Exteme Cagefighting will likely keep its competing lightweight and welterweight divisions, but the organization's middleweight and light-heavyweight divisions could be folded into its sister company, the UFC.

UFC president Dana White mentioned the possibility to Kevin Iole in his latest Yahoo! Sports Mailbag piece.

The moves, of course, could mean WEC middleweight champion and highly ranked 185-pounder Paulo Filho could be headed to the UFC.

When Zuffa LLC, the UFC's parent company, purchased the organization in December 2006, White said the WEC would be used to showcase lighter weight classes. While the organization does feature bantamweight (135-pound) and featherweight (145-pound) divisions -- which aren't used in the UFC -- the two organizations both have lightweight, welterweight, middleweight and light heavyweight divisions.

Aside from Filho and perhaps WEC light heavyweight champion Brian Stann, though, the talent pool in the WEC's 185-pound and 205-pound class are awfully shallow. The UFC's middleweight division isn't nearly as thin, but it could use some legitimate contenders.

Filho (16-0) would provide that, but he and Silva (21-4) -- longtime friends and former training partners -- have both previously mentioned that they'd prefer not to fight each other.

In the meantime, Silva will move up to 205 pounds to fight James Irvin (in a non-title fight) at UFC Fight Night 14 on July 19.