MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

After near-miss, Brodie Farber ready to impress at UFC Fight Night 14

For six-year MMA veteran Brodie Farber (13-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC), the opportunity to fight in the UFC nearly passed him by.

"I was almost, I guess you could say, on the last 'The Ultimate Fighter' for 185 (pounds)," Farber said. "I went through all the medicals and everything ... then ended up not being on the show."

Farber recently told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that he believes he was left out of "The Ultimate Fighter 7" cast based more on ratings concerns than fighting ability.

"The show's (based) more on demographics," Farber said. "They've got to pick certain guys. They've got to pick a loud guy, a quiet guy -- all these kinds of guys. For whatever reason, I just didn't fit that description."

Despite the near-miss, Farber will still get his shot in the octagon as a part of tomorrow night's UFC Fight Night 14 event. The North County Fight Club fighter will face off with IFL and Adrenaline MMA veteran Rory Markham (15-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC).

"I've seen plenty of his [Markham's] fights on YouTube," Farber said. "He's had quite a few of them. He's a good fighter. He's got good hands."

Despite his opponent's experience in larger promotions, Farber feels it's more important simply to perform at a peak level than to plan specifically for his opponent.

"I just think I'm better if I go in there and perform to my best," Farber said. "If I just go in there, and I can do my thing, I should come out victorious. It's more just up to me to do my best."

Farber, who has trained extensively in boxing, muay-thai, sambo, judo and jiu-jitsu, feels the bout with Markham is an opportunity to justify the years of training required to reach the pinnacle of MMA.

"It validates a lot of hard work, a lot of time spent," Farber said. "It's going to show me if I can compete at the highest level. It's a lot of hard work finally paying off."

Like any fighter debuting in the sport's premier promotion, Farber knows nerves can play a huge factor in his performance. And while Farber believes his time in sport has prepared him for this moment, the definitive moment won't come until the bell rings.

"I've been around long enough and had enough fights," Farber said. "(But) I won't know until Saturday night after the fight if I'll have extra jitters or be extra nervous."

Until that time, Farber is simply focused on an opportunity to display his favorite techniques, and hopefully, make a lasting impression on the audience.

"I haven't been able to show it, but actually my boxing is my biggest strength," Farber said. "Hopefully [those watching] will say, 'Oh, who's this guy? He's a great fighter, he's well-rounded, he's got great hands, and he looks like someone who could do well.'"

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC 89: Diego Sanchez vs Thiago Alves not happening in England

“The Thiago Alves vs. Diego Sanchez match earmarked for 10/18 in Birmingham, England will not be taking place on the show. The Thiago Silva vs. Lyoto Machida match announced yesterday was to take its place. We don’t have an update yet on the status of Alves-Sanchez, other than the match has not been signed.”

Dave Meltzer reports that the welterweight showdown between Sanchez and Alves is not going to happen in Birmingham as previously reported. The good news is that is doesn’t mean it is off altogether — hopefully it’s just postponed until a later date.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Rizzo wants Brazilian party at Affliction

Considered one of the best heavyweight fighters ever, Pedro Rizzo landed at Affliction between other heavyweights and wants to help Brazil to get out of the event with no losses. With other four Brazilian fighters on Affliction, Rizzo faces Josh Barnett for the second time, once that he already beaten him at UFC 30. “I came to California one week ago to habituate to the local weather and I’m just waiting for the fight time. I did all my preparation, did everything I had to do, studied Josh’s fights and want the victory”, said Rizzo to TATAME.

Pedro Rizzo and Josh Barnett’s fight has a lot of coincident details. Besides this two heavyweights have already faced each other and come from two victories in a row, both faced on their last fight the same opponent: Jeff Monson. While Rizzo knocked Monson out at Art Of War, Barnett defeated him at Sengoku, at a unanimous decision. “I hope all Brazilian fighters do well here. (Renato) Babalú, (Fábio) Negão, Vitor (Belfort) and Rogerão (Nogueira)… We’ll leave the event to a Brazilian celebration at Affliction”, guarantees Rizzo, that fights tomorrow.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Affliction Marketing Strategy

Tom Atencio, VP of Afflction, recently sat down with UK MMA magazine Fighters Only to speak about the upcoming Affliction card. He gave a quick and dirty profile of his company’s marketing efforts and why he thinks it will be successful:

Well, with our marketing we’ve already got the hardcore fans, so I’m not too worried about the hardcore fans, based on our card.

I’m more concerned about getting the casual fan, that’s who our advertising is aimed at. Look at the marketing we have done with Buckle, a chain of about 400 stores, they have all their front windows dedicated to us, so I think that is going to get people interested.

Then obviously there is the Times Square advertising, the magazine and newspaper ads that we’re gonna do, we’re gonna be running ads on television, we’re doing a real grass roots marketing campaign.

We’re making sure that people see this and making sure people are aware of our presence. Affliction: Banned has all the front windows in Buckle. We just had a meeting with Buckle management, we brought some fighters in to meet them and they’re going to push the pay per view, to let every customer know, not just the Affliction customers, about the PPV on July 19th.

The Buckle marketing is interesting in that this is an alternative marketing channel compared with what is currently used with most mixed martial arts promotion. I’m interested to see what kind of impact this will have their PPV sales, which I’m generally pessimistic about. The Buckle method is interesting, but let’s see if it is a successful one. With the UFC increasing their corporate partners due to their new merchandising deals, this may be an area that Zuffa may move into with JC Penney, Spencer’s, etc.

Atencio also spoke at length about the company’s three show plan, which seems like a measured approach to launching his promotion. Affliction is looking to put on three shows and then decide whether to fish or cut bait. He seems to realize the first show is requiring a lot of brand building and the budget will balloon accordingly. While the losses will be higher with his three show plan, they will have a better picture of their standing in the industry and whether they want to go forward with the venture.

 

[Shogun Locc]

S&P Issues Revised Rating Outlook for Zuffa to Stable from Negative

Today S&P issued a revised ratings outlook for Zuffa, parent company of the UFC, affirming its BB- credit rating, while raising its rating outlook to stable from negative.

“The outlook revision reflects improved performance in recent quarters,” according to S&P credit analyst Ben Bubeck. “Specifically, the company’s international operations have been profitable thus far in 2008, following periods of substantial losses in 2007 as the company ramped up its operations in the U.K.”

According to the report, pay-per-view revenues, which represent nearly 75% of Zuffa’s total revenues, have trended up in recent quarters. However, perhaps tellingly, the report notes that is largely due to the increasing number of pay-per-view events, higher pricing, and more favorable pay-per-view contracts, rather than an increase in buys.

The report indicates that Zuffa’s EBITDA margins have been extremely volatile over the past two years, thanks in large part to the company’s aggressive international expansion strategy. However, S&P expects that EBITDA margins will be more consistent moving forward. Despite improved perfomance in recent quarters, the company’s total debt to EBITDA and EBITDA coverage relative to interest remains weak for the BB- rating.

 

[Shogun Locc]

SPOTLIGHT ON CANADA: HORODECKI TALKS GOMI

CHRIS HORODECKI TALKS TAKANORI GOMI

“My management is talking to (Dream) along with some other organizations. To my knowledge nothing is finalized yet, so it’s just talk for now,” explained Chris Horodecki about possibly fighting Takanori Gomi. “I don’t think the IFL is officially done yet, so that and TKO’s card in October are two other options we’re looking at.

“Of course, it would be an amazing honor to fight Takanori Gomi. He’s one of the best in the world. He’s got really heavy hands so I’d have to watch out for that. I’d definitely have to sit down and study his tapes and come up with a good game plan. It’s hard to comment anymore than that because I haven’t studied Gomi enough to say. I’m sort of in limbo right now, just enjoying my summer and training hard in London and at Xtreme Couture Toronto.”


HOMINICK SAYS IT’S AN HONOR TO BE A PART OF AFFLICTION

“I’m a part of history being on this show. It’s an amazing show and I’m just lucky to be on it. Six of the Top 10 heavyweights in the world are on this card! If I can get that first win on the first show I think it automatically moves me into title contention. At least that’s the way I look at it,” stated Mark Hominick when talking about his fight on Saturday night’s Affliction “Banned” in Anaheim, Calif.

“I think it’s going to be an exciting fight with Savant Young. He’ll stand and bang with me until I hurt him and then he’ll try to take me down. I’ve been working a lot at Xtreme Couture Toronto with (Georges) St. Pierre’s old wrestling coach. My wrestling has really improved. In fact, don’t be surprised if you see me go for a takedown in this fight.

“But, I always like to stand and bang and look for the first round knockout if I can do it. I think the biggest danger he presents to me is his size and strength. He’s a power puncher who likes to throw big hooks, but I think my speed and technique will prevail. He’s also a huge 145-pounder and he’s ranked in the Top 10. That’s where I see myself too, so I got to take him out!”


NICK JOHNSON & DAVE MAIR ON XTREME COUTURE TORONTO

Tuesdays and Thursdays between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., Nick Johnson and Dave Mair run pro training at Xtreme Couture Toronto. Johnson has won multiple championships in Greco-Roman wrestling and trained Georges St-Pierre for several years while previously living in Montreal. Mair is a three-time Canadian wrestling champion and the current National Team coach for the 2008 Olympic games.

“We’ve got the top fighters in the area. Anyone who is anybody is coming here for these workouts,” said Mair. “We’ve been doing this for two months now with guys like Mark Hominick, Chris Horodecki, Mark Bocek, Rob Di Censo, and the Powell twins. For those thinking of joining us, make sure you get in shape before you come. We’ve got someone who will humble you in each discipline. We want these pro guys to continue to achieve and to reach that next level.”

“When I look at pro MMA fighters these days, I think they are all still very raw. They lack technical skills and I think that’s what myself and Dave Mair bring to these training session,” explained Johnson. “It’s been great being a part of Xtreme Couture Toronto. We’ve got a great bunch of guys who like to work hard.”


COURTS MAY DECIDE FATE OF MMA IN ONTARIO AND PERHAPS CANADA

The Association of Boxing Commissioners (ABC) conference took place in Montreal in early July with commissioners from all over North America in attendance. MMA was a hot item on the agenda as the ABC adopted new, unified rules for the sport. Ontario’s Athletic Commissioner, Ken Hayashi, was in attendance, acting primarily as an observer as he has adopted the position that MMA is illegal, asserting that it violates s83 of Canada’s Criminal Code.

Six Nations police charged a group of promoters who organized an MMA event called Rumble on the Rez back in November 2007. Police say it was Hayashi who initiated the official complaint that ended with the charges being laid. The case will be tried in a provincial court although the date has yet to be determined.

“I’m not a lawyer so I have no idea what’s going to happen in court,” said Hayashi. “If they deem that the promoters did not do anything criminal then it will force the federal lawmakers to take a look at section 83. But, if they do find that there was something illegal then it would only make sense that there could be repercussions across the country as it is a federal law.”

Meanwhile, the Ontario government continues to insist on seeing Amateur MMA before Professional. The Canadian Mixed Martial Arts Association (CMMAA) submitted their application in October 2007 to become the officially recognized provincial sport organization (PSO) for MMA in Ontario. Sports consultant Faye Blackwood has been assigned to review the application.

“Unfortunately, I have no news to report at this time as the application is still under review. This has absolutely nothing to do with any bias against MMA, as it’s simply just a matter of getting through the application,” said Blackwood. “There is no timetable or deadline for us. We’ll let CMMAA know as soon as we’ve finished our review.”


CANADIAN MMA CALENDAR

July 19 - King of the Cage: Ex-Calibur at the Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta

July 25 - MFC 17: Hostile Territory at the River Cree Resort & Casino in Enoch, Alberta

July 26 - Freedom Fight: Title Quest at the Robert Guertin Arena in Gatineau, Quebec

 

[B-Buzz]

By Roman Modrowski, Sun-Times News Group
October will be an exciting month in Chicago even if there isn't a World Series in town. UFC president Dana White is announcing through the Chicago Sun-Times that UFC 90 will take place Oct. 25 at Allstate Arena.

fuck ya. anyone know how to find out where the parties are? lol

 

[PsyDaL]

^^^^hit up the weigh ins, you could usually chop it up wit the fighters on where they gonna be chillin after the fights. Or just wait til post interview where they'll give a shot out to the spot they gonna be at....

 

[Shogun Locc]

Dana White: Rampage Jackson ‘went on some crazy fasting thing’

Dana White provided additional comments on the Quinton “Rampage” Jackson arrest and hospitalization this morning on the Opie & Anthony Show on XM Radio.

Among the odder moments of the nearly 12-minute appearance was White, the UFC president, noting Jackson was “born again” in 2003.

Jackson’s actions (partying in Las Vegas included) over the past few days don’t seem fit in with the Christian tradition and certainly don’t provide any answers for his recent behavior.

However, his bizarre diet during that time might provide some clues.

“He went on some crazy fasting thing,” White said. “He didn’t drink anything but water and energy drinks for four or five days. He didn’t sleep a lot.”

It’s obviously not a clinical diagnosis. But it’s the closest thing to an explanation that’s been offered by anybody close with the former UFC champion to date.

We can only assume that White mentioned religion as a way of saying that Jackson’s a good person — an opinion that is shared by most people in MMA.

White said Jackson is still in a hospital undergoing a psychological examination.

“He’s alright,” White said. “When the thing happened it made no sense to me at all.”

Then: “I don’t know what he’s going through right now. He’s a friend of mine. He’s a good guy.”

Jackson, a father of four, becoming a born-again Christian has been noted in numerous publications over the past year. His trainer, Juanito Ibarra, is also a born-again Christian.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Lyoto Machida Interview

What do you expect from the fight against Thiago Silva?

I know that this fight will show who is going to lose. The event will sell it this way, two unbeaten guys. I wanna do a great fight, a great show for me, for the event, for the audience. This is the most important thing.

How is to face a Brazilian at the Ultimate?

I didn’t want to, but we are all professionals and the things are like that, it’s a inevitable thing… There will be only one champion among the Brazilians, and it’s part of our work to face others Brazilians. We have to face it as a professional thing. Among the North-American they already has this culture, they understand that, they are friends, but at the fight… At the K-1 it happens many times, they fight but they have a good relationship. For sure I don’t like to face a Brazilian, we are together defending a nation, but everybody is defending their own flag too. I know that he is unbeaten too, he had some good victories at the UFC, but I am training hard to win this fight.

Did you study his game already?

I watch some of his fights, but it’s early to train specifically to him. What I am doing now is my normal train, the physical train, the stand up game, and after that, in August, I will start a train specifically. He is tough, like the others, I need a good strategy, I need to study him.

You were highly rated to dispute the belt, but the fight didn’t come… Do you expect this chance in case of victory?

I am always waiting for that, but the truth is that I don’t have it in my mind. I am doing everything as a part of my life. I try not to think about that all the time. It’s like walk. Every day I make a part, I keep train… I like what I do and I value my job. The belt is my biggest goal, but it’s not everything, the day by day it’s more important.

Do you believe the next to fight for the belt will be the winner from your bout, from Chuck Liddell vs. Rashad Evans or Wanderlei can appear too?

Well, I believe everything can happen, but I believe Liddell, as former champion, has great chances to, if he wins, dispute the belt. Wanderlei, for sure, can dispute also, but he was Pride champion, it’s a distant thing. I believe Wanderlei has certainly game to fight for the belt, for all the things he had done and do, but it’s a matter of the event.

Did the UFC mentioned a belt dispute if you win?

No, they didn’t tell nothing. That’s why I try to do my work, but it’s what I want, this is my focus, without forgetting the day by day. The belt is a consequence.

Are you going to train with Anderson for this fight?

Yeah…In August I must go train with Anderson at Rio de Janeiro .

 

[Shogun Locc]

AFFLICTION BANNED WEIGH-IN RESULTS

MMAWeekly.com was on location from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California for the Affliction "Banned" weigh-ins for Affliction's debut event headlined by Fedor Emelianenko and former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia.

The Alexander Emelianenko vs. Paul Buentello fight was canceled after Emelianenko failed to meet his licensing requirements.

Check back with MMAWeekly on July 19 for live results and play-by-play and our industry leading event coverage.

WEIGH-IN RESULUTS:

-Fedor Emelianenko (230) vs. Tim Sylvia (263)
-Josh Barnett (256) vs. Pedro Rizzo (242)
-Andre Arlovski (241) vs. Ben Rothwell (264)
-Matt Lindland (185) vs. Fabio Negao (185)
-Renato "Babalu" Sobral (201) vs. Mike Whitehead (206)
-Vitor Belfort (185) vs. Terry Martin (185.5)
-Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (205) vs. Edwin Dewees (205)
-Trenell "Savant" Young (145) vs. Mark Hominick (144)
-Justin Levens (189) vs. Ray Lazama (186)
-Mike Pyle (171) vs. J.J. Ambrose (170)

 

[Shogun Locc]

Goodridge to Replace Aleks Emelianenko

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Don’t let the headline scare you. It’s not that Emelianenko.

The main event for Affliction’s debut Saturday, pitting former Pride heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures) (27-1-0) against former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia (Pictures) (26-5-0), is set.

However, Aleksander Emelianenko (Pictures) was denied licensure by the California State Athletic Commission, thus forcing him out of his bout with Paul Buentello (Pictures).

Promoter Roy Englebrecht echoed the statement of CSAC representative Bill Douglas at Friday’s weigh-ins, saying that Emelianenko “did not meet his licensing requirements.”

CSAC Executive Officer Armando Garcia told Sherdog.com that he has approved Gary Goodridge (Pictures) as a replacement for the Russian against Buentello. Englebrecht said Goodridge was already in California, licensed and expecting to fight in San Diego this weekend on a card that was cancelled.

Justin Levens (Pictures) missed the 187-pound catch-weight for his fight with Ray Lazama, but the CSAC approved the bout. Part of Levens’ purse will go to Lazama.

 

[B-Buzz]

wtf? weaaaaak I was pumped about finally getting to watch Aleks fight live

 

[Shogun Locc]

HDNet Inside MMA: UFC, Affliction Previews
videolink: http://www.sherdog.com/videos/recent/HDNet-Inside-MMA-UFC-Affliction-Previews-1698
On this week’s HDNet “Inside MMA,” Bas Rutten and Kenny Rice preview all the top upcoming fights with IFL heavyweight champion Roy Nelson, Thomas Denny, and sports writer Todd Martin.

 

[CHAPO GUZMAN]

looks like paul is still gonna beat some ass.

 

[Shogun Locc]

looks like paul is still gonna beat some ass.

paul would have never beat Alex but he will beat gary goodridge.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Shannon Gugerty has Dean Lister and Brandon Vera to thank for UFC debut

With 10 fighters making their UFC debuts at tonight's UFC Fight Night 14 event, it is a safe assumption that all of them were excited when the opportunity to fight in the world's biggest MMA promotion was bestowed upon them.

But for Shannon Gugerty (10-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC), he had a feeling his time was quickly approaching.

"I just had that gut feeling that [the chance to fight in the UFC] was coming really soon," Gugerty recently told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "And then, sure enough, my manager Matt Stansell (from NCFC Fight Management), he called me up about four weeks ago, and he said 'The UFC is looking to put on a show the same day as that Affliction card, July 19. You think you'd be ready to fight by then?'"

Gugerty said he replied without hesitation.

"I was like, 'Hell, yeah; let's do this,'" Gugerty said. "'I don't care who I'm fighting. Let's do this. I'm ready. I've been waiting for this.'"

The journey to the UFC began quite innocently for the 26-year-old. A fortunate encounter with UFC veteran Dean Lister propelled Gugerty to this moment.

"I started wrestling at 14 (years old) or so," Gugerty said. "It just so happened at the same high school I went to Dean Lister was there (working out). We're both from Chula Vista in San Diego. I kind of met him that way. When I was a senior in high school, I started watching him doing sambo and then jiu-jitsu."

Lister came to the high school because at the jiu-jitsu academy he was training, students were only allowed to roll with a gi. The school's wrestling mats made an excellent training ground for Lister and other students who wanted to continue develop their skills specific to no-gi competitions.

Watching Lister train, Gugerty was instantly hooked.

"Where [Lister] was learning all of his jiu-jitsu, they wouldn't let him roll without a gi," Gugerty said. "And Dean was one of those guys that was always trying to go outside of the box and learn submission grappling without the gi and use his jiu-jitsu and sambo and wrestling.

"When I was watching him, I was like, 'Wow, that's cool. Why is that guy tapping out?' I didn't even really understand that. Then [Lister] showed me a couple different submissions, and right then and there, I was hooked. I was pretty much, 'I don't even care about wrestling anymore. I want to learn how to make guys tap out and choke them.'

"After wrestling practice, the coach would be like, 'Alright, alright. You guys are allowed to do that jiu-jitsu stuff if you want.' A few guys would stay in there, and Dean was the only one who knew anything. He showed me some moves back when I was 17 years old just still in high school."

From there, Gugerty followed Lister to City Boxing. It was there that Brandon Vera became another formative influence on Gugerty.

"[Vera] was teaching Muay Thai," Gugerty said. "After jiu-jitsu practice, Brandon told me, 'What are you doing? Jump in class.' So I started doing some Muay Thai, learning Muay Thai back then."

The bonds formed between the three fighters have proved strong, and Gugerty credits Lister and Vera for preparing him for tonight's UFC debut.

"Seven years later, here I am today in the UFC," Gugerty said. "It's kind of weird. I'm hanging out with Brandon still and Dean also. Thy're kind of like my brothers. They've been showing me the ropes ever since."

The only thing keeping Gugerty from completing his fairytale story is his opponent Dale Hartt. But Gugerty isn't concerning himself too much with the other corner's strategy.

"Honestly, I don't know anything about my opponent," Gugerty said. "But I don't really care, to be honest. I'm going to treat him just like another fight. ... It's just another guy across the ring for me that's going to try to punch me in the face. I've just got to go out there and try and do my thing."

If Gugerty's description of "doing his thing" is accurate, fans in attendance may be in for a treat.

"I think that, right off the bat, I'm a fast starter," Gugerty said. "I like to get in there and get the fight started right away. I'm not one of those guys that likes to just feel them out or anything. ... I've been working really hard on my striking these last couple years, and I can't wait to show it."

And if Gugerty has his way, you'll want to see the Californian return to the cage.

"I hope to go out there and people after my fight say, 'Damn, that kid is good.' I just want to put on a great show."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Hunt Ready for Overeem; Tokoro OK

While things stateside are getting into full swing, on the other side of the Pacific, it's just warming up for the final round of the Dream lightweight grand prix. Fighters met with the media Saturday to discuss their bouts, recent changes and car accidents.

Mark Hunt (Pictures) seemed to be under the impression that he wouldn’t have an opponent. But a last-minute announcement confirming that Alistair Overeem (Pictures) would be taking the place of “TBA” didn't cause concern for the New Zealand native.

“I feel great,” Hunt said. “That Alistair has stepped up for the fight is good. I'm looking forward to the match. My condition is good. It’s hard to train for a specific person, and we didn't really know, so I just trained hard. I just found out today that I'm fighting. … I think he was on holidays, so it's great. At the end of the day, I'm a pro fighter.”

Hunt had been originally slated to fight Jerome LeBanner (Pictures), but the match was nixed due to a knee injury sustained by the Frenchman. LeBanner’s replacement offers a significantly different challenge. Of particular concern is the fact that Overeem’s submissions are now a distinct possibility.

“Yeah, well, the guillotine,” Hunt said. “I've seen a couple of Alistair’s fights. He's got a guillotine, but every tough fighter has something good.

“I've been doing a lot of jiu-jitsu and wrestling in the mornings, and at night I'm doing my striking. I'm just trying to learn it all. It's a lot to learn. I'm trying to get used to submissions that wrestlers and jiu-jitsu fellas are looking for and stuff like that.

“I'm training at my gym. I have just been training with local guys. Some of the guys are pretty good, and they help me out. I'm trying to learn what to look out for submission-wise and start working from there. I know a few submissions myself, but I haven't been able to get anything.”

After more than a year off from competition, Hunt made an unsuccessful return April 14 against K-1 super heavyweight ace and three-time world grand prix champ Semmy Schilt (Pictures). Hunt made it clear that his return to K-1 kickboxing was only temporary and that his focus will be on the more mixed of the two arts.

“MMA is where I'm going,” he said. “The fight with K-1, I just had to deal with it. I had a good opportunity there to fight for the title, which a lot of people don't get and I got it after five years [away from K-1]. So now I'm back on the MMA track. Dream is only new. It's rising. My goal for fighting-wise is to be an MMA champion. That's where I'm going, or at least that's where I hope I am going.”

LeBanner sent a statement via e-mail:

“On June 29th, before K-1, I was offered a fight with Mark Hunt (Pictures). I have lost before against Mark Hunt (Pictures), but it was really exciting to fight him. I was training for this fight and I hurt my knee. Unfortunately my condition cannot allow me to fight. The only thing I can do now is apologize to my fans. What I can do is try to recover, and I would like to offer Mark Hunt (Pictures) the fight again. I would also like to thank Mark's new opponent for taking the fight at the very last minute.”

Hunt bore no hard feelings.

“He fought like a week ago against Schilt,” he said. “There is no way I would take a fight like that. I'm pretty sure he would have had a battle.”

Event Producer Keiichi Sasahara was cautiously optimistic that the pair would be meeting again soon under MMA rules.

“It depends how fast [LeBanner] recovers,” Sasahara said. “We still want to have a fight between Mr. Hunt and Mr. LeBanner. Probably in the very near future. It's going to be a great matchup. I'm looking forward to involving Mirko Cro Cop.”

Hideo Tokoro (Pictures)'s car accident thankfully didn't turn out to be as serious as once feared. Tokoro confirmed Saturday that he will indeed be participating in his scheduled match with Takeshi Yamazaki (Pictures).

“I got an X-ray and I should be OK, I believe,” he said. “I went directly to the hospital after the accident and I was told that I will be OK. I'm OK. I'm not hurting.

“I was waiting at a red light, and suddenly a car hit my car from behind. It was my first car accident. It was at about 20 km per hour. I didn't know what to do. The first thing I did was to make a phone call to ZST. Even before I checked what happened to the car. My first thought was that I was concerned about the fight. I felt all over my body to make sure my body was OK. I thought something had happened in my back, but nothing happened. It's completely OK.

“I don't think the driver recognized me, but the policeman recognized me, so I was kind of embarrassed. He said, ‘You are going to have a fight in a few days, aren't you?’ and I said, ‘Yes.’”

When asked if the accident affected his preparation, Tokoro said he was already gradually decreasing his training.

“The day after the accident, I did a little training to double check some of my techniques,” he said. “In my last fight, I lost weight a long time before the fight date, but now I feel good. A fight is a fight. If it’s going to be exciting, then it's fine.”

 

[D-Rose]

Wow, Silva just straight OWNED that guy right now.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Yushin Okami breaks hand in training

DreamFighters.com has learned that Yushin Okami has suffered another hand injury, this time much more serious and will more than likely be unable to challenge 185-pound champion Anderson Silva anytime soon, according to MMARated.com.

Okami injured his hand from training, and after a medical examination, Okami was informed his hand was indeed broken, and will not be able to put stress on his hand for at least 2 months.

Reports are comming out that Patrick Cote will not take the open slot to face Anderson Silva for the belt.