MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

BABALU WANTS ORTIZ: "THAT'S MY DREAM FIGHT"

Following a controversial exit from the Ultimate Fighting Championship, former top light heavyweight contender Renato “Babalu” Sobral returned to action in the U.S. during the Affliction: Banned show picking up a unanimous decision win over fellow UFC alum, Mike Whitehead.

Babalu looked solid both on the ground and on the feet during all three rounds with his opponent, even during two takedowns that saw Sobral fall through the ring ropes.

After the fight was over, Babalu expressed a lot of respect for his opponent and even mentioned training with him in the future.

“I would like to train at Xtreme Couture and we almost trained together a couple times, but we just never did,” said Sobral. “And I think in the future we can train together.”

Of course following the fight, the questions came in fast and furiously as to who Sobral might face in his next fight for the Affliction promotion.

One person not likely on that list is current top ten fighter, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, who was also victorious during the Affliction show, stopping Edwin Dewees in the first round.

“(Rogerio) Nogueira, he’s a friend of mine, we trained together before,” Babalu stated. “Of course if we had to fight, we’re going to fight, but I mean that’s not the fight I’m looking for, I look for another guy.”

The other guy Sobral is looking to fight is none other than former UFC light heavyweight kingpin, Tito Ortiz. “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” was in attendance during the Affliction show and the two fighters have engaged in a war of words previously.

Following Sobral’s loss to Chuck Liddell in 2006, Ortiz was quoted as saying, “Renato Babalu is not really that great a fighter. He’s a great ‘B’ fighter and an average ‘A’ fighter.”

Babalu took obvious offense to Ortiz’s statement and issued one of his own in which he proclaimed that he hoped to “smash his face” following Tito’s fight with Liddell later that year, but the bout never materialized.

Now with Ortiz on the free agent market and Affliction being a heavy favorite to land the perennial MMA bad boy, a fight with Babalu would seem like the perfect match-up.

“That’s my dream fight,” said Babalu in response to a possible fight with Ortiz.

 

[Shogun Locc]

James Irvin positive for Methadone and Oxymorphone

Light heavyweight James Irvin has tested positive for Methadone and Oxymorphone, following his first round technical knockout loss to Anderson Silva at UFC Fight Night 14 on July 19, according to the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC).

Methadone and Oxymorphone are often used to treat chronic pain.

The “Sandman” has 20 days to respond and request a formal hearing to dispute the finding. If the ruling is upheld he faces a possible fine and suspension.

All of the other fighters tested on the card came back clean.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Fedor Made 1.6 Million For Affliction: Banned

Yesterday, a very reliable source informed Fightline.com that Fedor Emelianenko received a "substantial" bonus before his fight with Tim Sylvia.
Today, Fightline.com has learned that the bonus was 1.3 million dollars, putting Emelianenko's final take at 1.6 million dollars. That's quite substantial.

Eyebrows were raised when the California State Athletic Commission released the promotions payouts and it was revealed that Emelianenko ($300,000) received less than half of what his opponent Tim Sylvia ($800,000) received; this after Fedor demolished Sylvia in under a minute.

Emelianenko's bonus plus his base salary coupled with securing advertising for M-1 Global and the rights to his fight footage in Europe possibly represents a very sweet deal for the popular Russian fighter and certainly one of the best deals for a single fight in MMA history.

 

[Shogun Locc]

CSAC: Affliction's Justin Levens tests positive for oxymorphone

Veteran fighter Justin Levens, who was scheduled to fight Ray Lazama in an "Affliction: Banned" bout that was ultimately scrapped due to time constraints, tested positive for oxymorphone in a drug test administered at the July 19 event.

California State Athletic Commission Assistant Executive Officer Bill Douglas confirmed the news with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) via email.

The news comes just hours after the Nevada State Athletic Commission confirmed that UFC Fight Night 14 headliner James Irvin had tested positive for the same painkiller.

According to Douglas, Levens registered a test level that was finalized at 10,141 ng/mL. The CSAC's cutoff for oxymorphone is 120 ng/mL.

His alleged use of the prescription drug, a semi-synthetic opioid analgesic often used for the relief of moderate to severe pain, has netted Levens a $1,000 fine and a six-month suspension that runs through Jan. 15, 2009.

He has the option to appeal.

California is one of the few states in which all competitors -- rather than a random sampling -- undergo drug tests.

"Affliction: Banned" took place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. After a delayed start to the event, the Levens-Lazama swing bout was scrapped from the card. As MMAjunkie.com previously reported, both fighters were paid for the fight anyway. Levens received $6,000, according to official salary figures filed with the CSAC.

Levens (9-8) -- a former UFC, WEC and IFL fighter -- was one of a few California fighters added to the Affliction card to draw local fans. He was looking to snap his current five-fight losing streak.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Doug DeLuca and Gary Shaw resign ProElite, Inc. positions

ProElite, Inc. Executive Chairman Doug DeLuca and EliteXC Live Events President Gary Shaw have both resigned their positions with the company and will instead serve as consultants.

The resignations appeared in ProElite's latest Securities Exchange Committee filing.

The report, filed today with an "earliest event reported" date of July 23, is available at proeliteinc.com.

News of the resignations come just three days after EliteXC's second nationally televised event on CBS. The follow-up event to the May 31 network-TV debut featured better production values and an improved overall pace to the broadcast, though ratings slipped by 40 percent without top stars Kevin "Kimbo Slice" and Gina Carano on the card.

Shaw, the recent front man for EliteXC, recently took a reduced role with the organization. In a media conference call earlier this month, DeLuca said the strain of the job had taken a toll on Shaw's health, family and the promoter's boxing ventures. The New Jersey-based Shaw didn't attend this past weekend's EliteXC event in Stockton, Calif.

DeLuca, ProElite's former Chief Executive Officer, resigned the position in February and became ProElite's Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Chairman for the Board of Directors. Along with Head of Fight Relations Jeremy Lappen, he's been EliteXC's most visible executives since Shaw's role was retooled.

Shaw and DeLuca, who both joined the company upon its formation in late 2006, also stepped down from ProElite's Board of Directors.

The next three months for EliteXC will be the busiest in the organization's young history. EliteXC currently has two ShoXC events, a Showtime broadcast, and a third CBS show all scheduled through Oct. 4.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Ben Saunders vs Ryan Thomas UFC 87 fight official with Jared Rollins scratched

Ben Saunders (5-0-2) has a new opponent lined up with less than two weeks until UFC 87: “Seek and Destroy” at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn., on August 9.

Ryan Thomas (9-1) will step up on short notice for Jared Rollins. No reason was provided for the last minute switch.

Thomas is on a two-fight win streak under the Extreme Challenge banner, which is based out of Illinois. He appears to be a finisher — none of his pro fights have ever gone the distance — who has a nice mix of submissions and (technical) knockouts to his credit.

This will mark his Octagon debut.

Saunders will look to build on his unanimous decision win over Dan Barrera at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 6 Finale back in December 2007. He was eliminated during the quarterfinals of the mixed martial arts reality series when he ran into eventual finalist, the “Farm Boy” Tommy Speer.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Former UFC contender Gan "The Giant" McGee coming out of retirement

Former top UFC heavyweight contender Gan McGee (12-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC), a 6-foot-10 "Giant" whose career peaked on the brink of the UFC's recent popularity boom, will come out of a four-year retirement to fight Johnathan Ivey (27-33 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at a Sept. 15 Xtreme Fighting Championships event.

McGee, whose 12 career victories all came via first-round stoppage, will fight for the first time since a title loss to then-champ Tim Sylvia and a subsequent two-fight losing streak with PRIDE.

The Florida-based XFC organization confirmed the 31-year-old's return to competition on Tuesday.

In one of the more interesting press releases we've run across, the XFC detailed an apparent roller-coaster of emotions McGee experienced with his title shot.

After knocking out Pedro Rizzo and Alexandre Dantas, McGee earned a fight with Sylvia.

From the release:

Reigning champion Tim Sylvia -- who's a 6-foot-8 colossus in his own right -- overpowered McGee, stopping him by TKO (at) 1:54 in the first round. Many at ringside were shocked by the ease of his victory. But if there were any suspicions regarding the source of Sylvia's surprising power, they were arguably confirmed in a post-fight drug test: Sylvia tested positive for Stanozolol, the same anabolic steroid that cost sprinter Ben Johnson the gold medal in the 1988 Summer Olympics. He was stripped of his heavyweight title, suspended from action for six months, and fined $10,000 by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Sylvia later admitted to knowingly taking the steroids, claiming they were used to shed excess body weight. The UFC decided to count Sylvia's victory in its official record books anyway, effectively pushing McGee out of the heavyweight title picture."

McGee never fought in the UFC again.

"Tim Sylvia is a great fighter and the videotape doesn't lie: He beat the hell out of me," McGee stated in a press release. "Did the steroids make a difference? Different people have different theories, I guess. But for me, what hurt the most was sacrificing absolutely everything I had to finally achieve my dream of becoming a world champion -- and then falling short. And when it became clear that UFC wasn't going to consider me for a second title shot, my entire world collapsed. I felt like a part of me had just died. It was ... beyond devastating."

McGee then headed to Japan to fight in PRIDE, where he suffered a split-decision loss to Heath Herring and a first-round submission loss to Semmy Schilt. That last bout -- in April 2004 -- was the last time he fought professionally.

"Culturally and personally, being in Japan was an amazing experience," McGee stated. "I mean, from the ceilings to the shower fixtures, everything is so small over there -- I felt a little like Godzilla trampling the villagers. But professionally, I never really recovered from the Sylvia fight. Mentally, I lost that edge -- that killer instinct. Call it the 'Eye of the Tiger' or whatever you want; I was just going through the motions, unfocused and uncaring. And after losing my second fight in the Orient, I swore to myself that I would never step foot in a steel cage again -- not until I regain my warrior's mentality."

Apparently, he found it.

McGee will return Sept. 13 to fight for the Florida-based XFC, a top regional promotion that has drawn more than 10,000 spectators in each of his past four three shows.

The Sept. 13 event -- XFC's "Salute to Our Armed Forces V" -- takes place at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Fla.

"It took years of introspection and self-discovery, but I finally realized that God made me a giant and blessed me with this mind-blowing power for a reason: to be the most destructive heavyweight champion that's ever walked on planet Earth," McGee stated. "Writers write, teachers teach -- and giants destroy. For so many years I tried to run away from my destiny -- to be something I'm not -- but that part of my life has come to a screeching halt. My intensity level is off the charts right now; if I've gotta tear down buildings, smash open skulls or annihilate whole cities to get another title shot, then that's what I'll do. This time around, 'The Giant' will stand tall."

McGee will meet Ivey, a 10-year journeyman fighter who has won nine of his past 11 fights.

"Everyone likes to run their mouth -- right until they're smashed in the face with a fist or knee," Ivey said. "McGee should've stayed retired."

 

[Shogun Locc]

"Feijao" and Eilers could factor into EliteXC's light-heavyweight title picture

After winning 10 of 11 fights in smaller organizations, former UFC fighter Justin Eilers (20-8-1) earned a heavyweight title shot with Antonio "Giant" Silva at this past weekend's "EliteXC: Unfinished Business" event.

Although the 30-year-old suffered a second-round TKO, Eilers may get a second life in EliteXC after announcing his plans to drop to light heavyweight.

Eilers, a smaller heavyweight who weighed in at just 218 pounds for his bout with the former super-heavyweight Silva, could be a possible opponent for EliteXC's top light-heavyweight prospect, Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante (7-1) -- possibly in future a title fight.

During his fight with Silva, Eilers simply couldn't overcome his 6-foot-5 opponent's overwhelming reach and accuracy. He was in the midst of a move down when the Silva fight came up, and Eilers confirmed he'll continue cutting to 205.

"Antonio was a tough, tough opponent, and I think he's going to be champion for a while," Eilers said in a post-event press conference. "You haven't seen the last of me. I'm going to be back, and I'm going to train harder.

"I'm going to come back at 205 (pounds)."

With the crowning of Silva, EliteXC now has champions in its heavyweight, middleweight (Robbie Lawler), welterweight (Jakes Shields) and lightweight (K.J. Noons divisions. A featherweight belt (140 pounds) and two women's titles (at 130 and 140 pounds) could also be implemented by year's end, according to EliteXC officials.

However, without a belt for its light heavyweight division -- a weight class that's traditionally been the best in other top fight promotions -- EliteXC is anxious to stock its own.

EliteXC Head of Fight Operations Jeremy Lappen specifically raved about Cavalcante, a former IFL fighter who pushed his EliteXC record to 3-0 with a victory over Travis Galbraithn at this past weekend's event. It was his third consecutive first-round knockout since joining EliteXC earlier this year, and it was his seventh stoppage in seven career victories.

Lappen knows Cavalcante is a star in the making, but he's not counting out Eilers.

"I think Justin will be a force at 205 immediately, so we're looking forward to that," he said.

Cavalcante, though, is probably the only fighter who would crack the top 25 or 30 rankings for the division at this point. However, in addition to Eilers, other contenders currently under contract to EliteXC are Jared Hamman (9-1), Aaron Rosa (9-1) and Poai Suganuma (9-1). Prior to his resignation from EliteXC, Gary Shaw had also expressed interest in former UFC champ Tito Ortiz, but he's reportedly headed to Affliction.

Regardless, Cavalcante is clearly the top dog at this point. It'll be up to EliteXC to find or develop some worthy contenders if a belt is, indeed, implemented soon.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Dream on Eurosport

Eurosport, the largest European sports satellite and cable network, plans to broadcast events from the Japan-based Dream promotion in the future. SoftBank, the international rights distributor for Dream’s parent company, Fighting Entertainment Group, confirmed the deal with Sherdog.com. Since Eurosport already broadcasts FEG’s K-1 programs -- the K-1 World Grand Prix and the MAX series -- the move to swoop in for Dream was an obvious one.

The channel has had MMA programming in the past within the framework of its two-hour “Fight Club” shows. Eurosport had its broadcast license for Pride shows revoked, however, after it repeatedly transmitted fights off demo tapes without a valid contract. With the Dream deal in place, MMA will be back in 54 countries throughout Europe.

The agreement includes the semi-finals and the final for both the lightweight and middleweight tournaments. Even though a schedule has not yet been released, it is expected that Dream 3 will be the first show to air later this summer or in the fall.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Khalidov decides in favor of EliteXC

EliteXC has won a six-month negotiation marathon for the rights to Chechen light heavyweight star Mamed Khalidov. The 27-year-old grappler had also been courted by the UFC, M-1 Global and Dream. In the end, EliteXC posted the winning bid because of its non-restrictive contract policy, which allows the “Cannibal” to compete for his home promotion, KSW, in Poland, as well.

The term of the contract is for two years, Khalidov’s manager and KSW promoter Martin Lewandowski told Sherdog.com. The first fight is supposed to take place in the third quarter of 2008, possibly on the ShoXC “Elite Challenger Series” on Aug. 15. KSW co-owner Maciej Kawulski added that Khalidov turned down a proposed bout with Mike Kyle (Pictures) because the American Kickboxing Academy product was too heavy.

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC 89: France vs. Sweden

With two fighters from France, two fighters from Sweden and a quartet of Englishmen, the undercard at UFC 89, scheduled to take place at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England, on Oct. 18, appears firmly under European control.

France and Sweden will go toe-to-toe in a lightweight miniseries, as Samy Schiavo (Pictures) takes on Per Eklund (Pictures) and Jess Liaudin (Pictures) squares off with David Bielkheden (Pictures).

The battle between the “Joker” (Liaudin) and the “Brazilian Swede” (Bielkheden) stands as a particularly interesting matchup, as the two have previously met on the mat in the qualifying round of the Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling European Championships. Back in 2003, Bielkheden made quick work of the likeable Frenchman, as he secured a kimura in just under two minutes.

While their grappling bout was contested inside the under 192-pound category, they will face each other inside the Octagon as lightweights. Making the cut to 155 pounds will be particularly hard on the Bielkheden, who has spent the majority of his career at middleweight; he was lean and muscular at 170 pounds for his bout against Diego Sanchez (Pictures) at UFC 82 in March.

A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Murilo Bustamante (Pictures), Bielkheden plans to use the good connections between the former UFC middleweight champion and American Top Team boss Ricardo Liborio (Pictures) to set up a training camp in Florida in advance of his sophomore UFC appearance. At ATT, he will find perhaps the largest collection of quality training partners available anywhere in the world.

In addition to Liaudin and Schiavo, a third Frenchman might slip onto the UFC 89 card. A match between newly signed welterweight standout David Baron (Pictures) and IFL veteran Jim Miller is currently in the works.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Condit's Charge Moves On to Miura

With a calm demeanor and a cerebral approach to the game, Carlos Condit (Pictures) is one of the few fighters in mixed martial arts who brings the threat of danger regardless of where the match goes.

Stand with him and he’ll punish you with strikes, including flying knees that spring up from the floor. Hit the mat and his long limbs ensnare you in a numbing mix of stifling submissions and slick transitions. It’s that kind of flair for the unexpected that has made Condit the World Extreme Cagefighting welterweight champ, and at just 24 years old, he may still be a few years away from his peak.

This Sunday, “The Natural Born Killer” looks to make the third defense of his belt against Hiromitsu Miura (Pictures), who lost a tough decision to Jason Miller (Pictures) before stopping Blas Avena (Pictures). A former middleweight, Miura dropped to 170 to take on Avena and looked impressive.

“I believe he will be pretty aggressive,” Condit said. “I know he’s got very good striking. He’s very powerful, got good hands. He’s also tough as nails. I’ve fought Japanese guys before -- they’re just resilient. They don’t quit. I know I’m gonna have to take it to him.”

The bout, which will be televised on Versus, headlines the kind of WEC show that has helped make Condit one of the sport’s brightest stars and a hometown hero in his native Albuquerque.

After turning pro at 18, Condit came up on the small-show circuit, a nomad of sorts, fighting for nine different promotions in his first 14 bouts and going 12-2 in the process.

After four fights in Hawaii’s Rumble on the Rock promotion, his name emerged on the radar screen of hardcore fans, as he stopped Renato Verissimo (Pictures), lost a close decision to Jake Shields (Pictures) and submitted Frank Trigg (Pictures).

After losing by submission to veteran Pat Healy (Pictures), Condit has been perfect. He has knocked out or submitted seven straight opponents, including a title-winning submission over John Alessio (Pictures) and impressive defenses against Brock Larson (Pictures) and Carlo Prater (Pictures), the latter a rematch in which he avenged a submission loss in 2004.

The defense against Prater last February in Albuquerque was particularly satisfying, despite the added burdens of throwing down on a televised main event in his backyard.

“Prior to the fight, training for it, I put a lot of pressure on myself. Prater was a guy that’d beat me before. It was kind of a head game for me,” Condit said. “I had to get past the stuff going on in my head, and once I got in there, I was ready to fight. It was go time. Albuquerque showed me tons of love, and I was very proud to rep myself and my town.”

The Condit bandwagon gained considerable momentum after his stoppage of Larson in August 2007. Larson was 20-1 going into the bout, having dropped a decision to top UFC contender Jon Fitch (Pictures), and was seen by some as perhaps too powerful for the lanky but technical champ. An 8-5 betting underdog at the sportsbook, Condit nonetheless performed brilliantly after being taken down. He slapped on a slam-bang armbar for the submission in just 2:21.

Prepping out of the Fit NHB gym, Condit and trainer/manager Tom Vaughan say they are building a team of fighters at the facility that they hope, one day, will be regarded in the same light as Albuquerque’s better-known facility -- Jackson’s Submission Fighting, which includes several top UFC contenders.

“We’ve got a whole bunch of other guys you’re going to hear about. Greg Jackson started with a couple people. He didn’t inherit this whole thing. He built it,” said Vaughan, who added he plans to follow a similar ground-up model. “The perception is that, from a guy who builds fighters, I can tell you, it’s getting the right (guys) but also the right clay to mold.”

If that’s the right way to do it, Condit was, and is, a pretty good fighter to start with to attract other talent to the camp. At 6-foot-1, he attacks with a kind of fearlessness usually possessed by a fighter unafraid to be put on his back -- and his grappling game is good enough that he can threaten submissions even if he’s staring up at the lights with the other guy trying to pound away.

Now, as WEC champ, there are additional responsibilities and pressures. Yet Condit takes them in stride, as well as relishing the opportunities being champion brings, such as a trip to Afghanistan in June to visit the troops. And, of course, get a couple of workouts in while passing along some fight tips to the soldiers.

“We were in for six days and nights and stayed a day or two in Kuwait,” he said. “We were in the bases in Afghanistan and in Kuwait. It’s a totally different world. Very foreign, something that most Westerners just would trip out on. But you know, as far as the base, it was varying levels of sophistication, some of the bases just kind of barely getting by. Guys are just roughing it.”

With the spoils comes the price of being a target. The guy with the belt. It’s a natural part of the fight game that the hunter becomes the hunted, and for Condit, a few fights removed from being an up-and-comer, the real test of a champion.

When he started fighting, it was much different. These days, he can still steal away in the scenic hills and mountains of Albuquerque for a bit of fishing, spend time with his fiancé and his dogs. But in the web-driven, fast-changing nature of fan opinion in MMA, you’re only as good as your last fight, and he seems to know this. That’s why the easy demeanor is replaced with a scowl and an all-in attack once the fight starts. He’s worked too hard to let it be squandered away without a battle.

“It varied who I was fighting and what was on the line. At first it was a little bit nerve-wracking. I didn’t know what to expect. I had a ton of fun with it. I kind of had nothing to lose. I wasn’t making a whole lot of money. Nobody knew who I was,” he recalled of his early career. “It was just fun going out there, just being able to throw, not being able to worry about anything else, media, reputation. Just fighting. Lately it’s been a little bit different. I’ve been getting a little nervous. I’ve been excited for this one; I think I got past that nervousness. As far as the mental preparation, I’ve been having fun with it and just getting back to doing it, because I like it.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Hominick: The fight that almost didn’t happen

Although he has had some wins come by way of submission in the past, including a notable triangle choke over Yves Edwards (Pictures) in 2006, London, Ontario’s Mark Hominick (Pictures) has never really been considered a “ground guy.”

That may soon change.

Hominick told Sherdog.com that in his recent training camp leading up to Affliction’s inaugural card on July 19 in Anaheim, Calif., he changed his outlook on training. Hominick already knew that he could hit with the best of them, but that his groundwork required some extra attention.

“I really just focused on my weaknesses, and it turned out that my weaknesses ended up being my strength in the fight,” he said.

Going into his bout with Trenell “Savant” Young, Hominick figured that he’d finish his opponent with a body or head shot. The heavy-handed hitter surprised everyone, maybe even himself, when he switched from an initial triangle choke attempt to a successful armbar to secure the second-round victory.

Hominick prepared for the bout at the relatively new Xtreme Couture facility in Toronto, a place very quickly becoming the Mecca for MMA training in Canada.

“There are a good group of guys there, and Nick Johnson is the head trainer down there. He’s Georges St. Pierre (Pictures)’s old wrestling coach and he’s really elevated my game,” said Hominick. “There’s also three or four black belts in jiu-jitsu down there, Mark Bocek (Pictures) and Rob Di Cenzo, and they’ve really been helping my game.”

Hominick said that Affliction did a lot right for their first show.

“I’ve never been treated as well as I was with the Affliction show,” he said. “They made you feel like you were the most important guy on the card, and they treated everybody like they should have been treated. I felt honored to be a part of history, and I think that’s exactly what that show was. I was honored to be associated with the guys that were on there.”

But as good as the experience was, not all went according to plan, as Hominick was faced with the possibility that he might not ended up fighting at all.

“It was a little frustrating because I was supposed to be the first fight of the night, so I was warming up and getting ready to go out,” recalled Hominick. “They had some technical difficulties or some issues that the show kept kinda getting pushed back a bit, so they came in and told me that they’d fit me in wherever they could.”

Hominick was placed on stand-by for a majority of the evening while other fighters filed in and out of the same locker room and returned toting their wins or losses.

“I kept warming up and cooling down, warming up and cooling down, and I finally just put on a sweatshirt and jogging pants and sat down to watch the fights,” said the London, Ontario native. “I was getting worried for a bit, but then they came in and said I was on next.”

Ever the optimist, Hominick wasn’t too concerned about any physical or mental toll the delay might cause.

“I think it hurt him more, because I knew my conditioning was better so the warm-up and cool-down would hurt him more than me,” said the 26-year-old fighter. “I just kept looking at it from the standpoint that he was going through the exact same thing.”

Hominick told Sherdog.com that he signed a three-fight deal with Affliction, and he’s planning to be a part of the trio of events that they’re planning. The next Affliction card is slated for Oct. 11 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. Hominick will also be a part of the grand opening of the new Team Tompkins facility on Sept. 1 in London, Ontario.

 

[Shogun Locc]

What Underdog?

Canada’s own Patrick Cote (Pictures) will be the next brave challenger for the UFC middleweight title, which is currently under the stranglehold of Anderson Silva (Pictures). Cote will face the man who many consider the world’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter on October 25 from the Allstate Arena in Chicago.

Cote (13-4) earned his shot against the feared Brazilian striker after a four-fight win streak inside the Octagon. The Quebec City son most recently garnered a split decision win over the highly touted Ricardo Almeida (Pictures) at UFC 86 on July 5. The untimely injury of Yushin Okami (Pictures), in line for the next crack at Silva, cleared the way for the matchup announced last Saturday.

Cote had just returned from a Caribbean vacation when he heard about Okami’s broken hand and the possibility of stepping in to replace him.

“When I came back everybody asked, ‘Did you hear the news? Maybe you will fight Anderson Silva (Pictures),’” said Cote. “Then two days later my manager (Stephane Patry) told me that the UFC wanted to put Anderson against me.”

Cote said he accepted the bout immediately.

“I do this sport to be No. 1, so I can’t ask for more. To fight the best guy pound-for-pound in the world and to have a chance to get a title shot – it’s perfect,” said Cote. “I’m not scared of anybody – I said yes to fight Tito Ortiz (Pictures) on four days notice when I was in a different weight division, so to fight Anderson Silva (Pictures) is the ultimate goal for me. I want to be champion of my weight class.”

Cote, 28, credits his dual training facilities between coach Fabio Holanda (Pictures) and BTT Canada in Montreal and instructor Mark DellaGrotte and Sityodtong in Boston for helping him clear the path to gold.

“Since I’ve gone to Sityodtong I’m undefeated, but I think it’s a combination of Sityodtong and my team, BTT Canada, that has made me better,” he said. “Fabio Holanda (Pictures) and Mark DellaGrotte work very well together, and I think I’ve found a good combination to be champion. I had a rough start with the UFC, but now all of my bad luck is behind me and the future is good.”

Holanda believes his rising student is a different fighter now then when he lost at “The Ultimate Fighter 4” finale to Travis Lutter (Pictures) in Nov. 2006, and that a good game plan means all the difference in a fight.

“His best fight for me ever was against Almeida,” Holanda told Sherdog.com. “People don’t realize that Almeida is like ten times better than Lutter. With Lutter he was a different fighter. You have no idea – I can’t explain. Everybody thought it would be Almeida all the way, but from his fight with Lutter to his fight with Almeida it’s a huge difference – he’s not the same fighter any more.”

New fighter or not, Silva –- untouchable in his last seven fights -- still poses a very formidable threat. What does Cote bring to the table that others have failed to do before?

“I think I have the best style to fight this guy. I have a good chin, I’ll go forward, and I think every time he fights his opponent has already lost because he’s scared of him,” said Cote, who has never been knocked out in training. “I know that this guy is very, very good, but we have a good game plan for the fight, and I’m 100% confident that I will win.”

DellaGrotte is just as assured.

“We’ve known him (Silva) for awhile and have studied him for awhile, and we’re going to try to exploit him in several areas,” said the regarded trainer. “It’s not an easy task, but this is a rare opportunity to do something that the world doesn’t think we can do, and Patrick is the type of guy that rises to the occasion.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

5 Oz. Feature: New leadership to come to the forefront for ProElite and EliteXC

At initial glance, there appears to be a void when it comes to leadership at ProElite with both Chairman Doug DeLuca and Live Events President Gary Shaw having tendered their resignations in favor of taking on reduced roles as consultants.

DeLuca, a television producer, was a founding member of the company. Shaw, a former boxing regulator turned promoter, joined up soon after the formation of ProElite and was one of its original directors.

There’s little doubt their contributions to the company were major. DeLuca is a charismatic businessman with strong connections in the entertainment industry. While Mark Burnett and IMG played large roles in making the deal with CBS happen, it’s been said that DeLuca was the driving force.

Shaw was a polarizing figure in the MMA community who never gained widespread acceptance from the sport’s hardcore fan base that has followed MMA before it was cool to do so. That being said, it’s debateable whether the company would have ever gotten off the ground if not for the deal with SHOWTIME. Considering Shaw’s existing relationship with key decision makers at SHOWTIME, it’s not a reach to say the SHOWTIME deal would have never happened without him.

Up until December of 2006, SHOWTIME was still involved in negotiations with the Zuffa about a potential deal with the UFC. When word spread in the industry that HBO had interest in getting involved in the MMA business, the Zuffa took a deal with UFC off the table and instead tried to pitch SHOWTIME on a potential deal with the WEC. SHOWTIME took exception to the move and broke off all negotiations.

Once it became apparent that a deal between SHOWTIME and Zuffa wasn’t going to happen, multiple promotions made a renewed push at trying to land a contract with SHOWTIME. However, MMA was still a risky proposition at the time and SHOWTIME wanted to go with a proven commodity within the MMA space. But outside of the UFC, there wasn’t a proven commodity. The next best solution was doing business with a familiar boxing promoter such as Shaw.

So while some will be quick to dismiss Shaw and his shortcomings (something this site has done on frequent occasion), he was an impact player and also the public face of the company for an extended duration. The roles that both Shaw and DeLuca played aren’t ones that will be completely eliminated. Key figures will have to step up and fill the void. But the reality is that both Shaw and DeLuca had been operating in reduced roles for the past several months and their replacements are already in place.

When it comes to the corporate side and providing the leadership required to make a publicly traded company work, Chairman and CEO Charles Champion has been with the company since February. He has an established reputation for being a corporate savior and has turned several companies around in the past, most notably online paramutual betting company YouBet.com.

Before getting involved with YouBet, Champion made a name for himself working on the business side of major newspaper companies such as the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News, the Los Angeles Daily News, the Chicago Sun-Times, and the Orange County Register. When he joined YouBet in 2002, the company was near-bankruptcy, according to published reports. The hiring made little sense at the time because Champion had little background in the technology sector. However, he had a reputation for being able to right sinking ships and YouBet was all bet sunk at the time of Champion’s arrival.

In a 2005 article published in the San Fernando Valley Business Journal, Champion was said to have demanded the resignations of employees that weren’t committed to making YouBet a winner. He then went so far as to remove the door to his office to emphasize that the company would not only have an open door policy, but that it would have a no door policy.

Under Champion’s guidance, YouBet became one of the fastest growing technology companies around and had a five-year growth rate of 930%.

But ProElite could be his biggest challenge to date. In only two years of operation, the company has made major deals with SHOWTIME and CBS. It has also lost over $30 million in funding and has been forced to make major personnel changes in recent months. While it takes time to build infastructure and a company has to spend money to make money, it remains to be seen whether some of ProElite’s investments will ever pay off.

Champion also has to contend with the fact that prior to joining ProElite, he had no experience in the fight game whether it be boxing or MMA. The fight business is one like no other and it’s one that is unforgiving. Kurt Otto and Gareb Shamus learned on the job when they started the IFL and the reality is that there is little margin for error in MMA. But unlike Otto and Shamus, Champion is not expected to be involved with major fight decisions. While in the newspaper industry, he allowed his publishers and editors to make editorial decisions and while at YouBet, he relied heavily on his technology officers.

At ProElite, Champion will be relying heavily on his fight team, one that currently consists of Head of Fight Operations Jeremy Lappen, Vice President of Talent Relations Jared Shaw, Director of Fight Operations J.D. Penn, Manager of Fight Operations J.T. Steele, Matchmaker Rich Chou, and Vice President of Fight Management Turi Altavilla. With the exception of Shaw, all had prior experience in the fight game before joining ProElite.

Lappen started in MMA as a agent and worked big-name fighters such as Ken Shamrock before crossing over into an executive role with the now-defunct World Fighting Alliance. Penn, the older brother of UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn, was involved with his family in the Rumble on the Rock promotion where Chou helped play a major role. Altavilla got his start out of college with Terry Trebilcock’s King of the Cage promotion before being recruited by the PRIDE Fighting Championships to be a top-level executive in its Los Angeles office.

Suffice to say, there is no shortage of experienced fight executives for Champion to turn to.

The promotion will still need a decision maker to step up and assume the role created by Shaw’s resignation. Thus far, it appears Lappen is that guy, even though he has been reluctant to make any public pronouncements of being the fight team’s go-to guy. However, during recent conference calls and press conferences, it’s been Lappen who has served as the public face of the company’s fight operations.

Champion is clearly the replacement for DeLuca while Lappen is considered to be Shaw’s heir apparent. The leadership voids that some may perceive to exist within ProElite have already been filled. Whether or not the new leaders can get ProElite headed in the right direction is a question that can only be answered over time.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Report: Rampage Jackson splits with Juanito Ibarra; UFC looking towards November fight with Silva

After Rampage Jackson’s police chase hit and run incident in Costa Mesa, much speculation was going on in the MMA circles that he had split with his manager and trainer Juanito Ibarra. Josh Gross is now reporting that as fact in his new SI.com article:

With defeat as the impetus, Jackson responded to rough terrain by relieving the trainer of his duties, though “bottom line, somehow, someway it all involves money,” said the fighter’s friend.

Something major must have happened between these two for Jackson to drop Ibarra. Jackson gave almost all the credit for his rebirth as an elite light heavyweight in the UFC to Ibarra’s teachings, not only about the fight game but about spirituality as well. Numerous times Jackson has been quoted as saying that he owes everything he has now to Juanito and that Ibarra truly turned his life around. Whether it’s money, rash decisions, the loss to Forrest Griffin, or a combination of these and other factors, it’s a truly sad state of affairs that these two have had a falling out.

Not only does Gross report on that issue, but also gets some insight into Rampage’s current condition and the condition that he was in at the time of the arrest from an anonymous friend:


Rampage demanded silence when he wasn’t offering words of faith. He spoke of a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” and people aligned with the devil.

“Mentally he wasn’t there,” said the source. “It was almost as if he was possessed. He heard voices. He thought he was a God.”

Three days later, rested and nourished, Rampage was reunited with friends.

“He would still make comments that were slightly weird,” said Jackson’s longtime associate. “You could tell that he wasn’t all the way there, but each day you could tell he was better.”

Against lawyers’ advice, Jackson has gone out several times. Fan requests for autographs at a local mall have been happily fulfilled. His only other trips are to outpatient treatment, which he attends daily.

“He knows what he went through,” said the source. “He knew he had an emotional breakdown that led to a mental breakdown. Not eating and not sleeping kind of helped with that.”

The piece goes on to say that if things continue to go well for Jackson that the UFC is interested in having him fight on a card in November against Wanderlei Silva for the third time in their storied careers. Silva is one fighter that has had Rampage’s number, defeating him twice in PRIDE. The second defeat is widely known as one of the most vicious beatdowns in MMA history. All I know is, for someone who has been on such a mental rollercoaster ride in the past two weeks, even fighting this year seems to be a stretch. The number one priority, for Jackson and the UFC, should be getting Jackson mentally healthy.

 

[Shogun Locc]

I do not have problems with the health!

After the sudden cancellation of the battle of the champion of peace of the combat of SAMBO Alexander [Emelianenko] appeared many rumors and conjectures about why precisely Sasha was not allowed to the encounter with the enemy from America by Paul [Buentello]. The devoted worshippers of distinguished soldier were downright worried. Indeed the main reason of the cancellation of the battle of Alexander became serious problems with the health. Versions there was the set: [Emelianenko] assigned terrible hepatite, and problems with the brain, and even the total stopping of heart during the passage of the medical board before the battle. Fortunately, the reasons for [nedopuska] proved to be less sad.
- According to the medical indices in me everything in the complete order, hurried to assure LIFE.RU Sasha. - Entire medical board I passed on excellently, and license for battle was obtained without any problems. But the fact is that in California very rigid commission for admittance for combat. One of the main conditions so that they would allow you to the duel, appears the fact that you it must in time pass all tests and commissions. I had to be in America the 13th number. Visa to me they gave only 14th, and tickets were purchased only to the fifteenth of July. On the whole, it was late. They thought that the organizers can agree and settle this problem, but they calculated, that they will not advance me on the battle. They rapidly found to me replacement, and the duel of my enemy of Paul [Buentello] passed with another opponent. Such here are rigid laws in California (it smiles).

And although fight [Emelianenko]- young could not, time in vain it did not lose. Let us recall that on July 19 in Los Angeles took place the immense tournament of single combats, at which were encountered the best soldiers of planet. Undoubtedly, this scale measure could not but draw celebrities, and the main guest of evening became well-known multi-millionaire Donald [Trump]. Mister [Trump] proved to be not only by the large judge of combat without the rules, but even and by the old worshipper of Alexander [Emelianenko].

- To me it was very pleasantly it will be introduced to Donald, says athlete. - It is not enough that he loves my native sport, so he still and is my worshipper (it laughs). I presented to it my portrait with the inscription: “To the memory from Alexander [Emelianenko]” it shook to it hand. It is glad, that this person, as Donald, now became my friend.

Alexander always speaks, that in his life there are two main things. These are family and sport. And if this time success turned away from Sasha, and it could not come out in the long-awaited duel, then great happiness happened at the front of family in powerful Siberian topaz.

- Literally in the day before our departure into America my daughter [polina] is for the first time independently banal! - shares happiness [Emelianenko]. - To say it thus far did not learn, but it here walks already as the true pedestrian (it laughs). We with the wife greatly were bored on our [malyshke], indeed when we drove into America, poly-night could not accompany us and remained house with the grandmother. But now, when my daughter became entirely adult, by the way, on July 30 by her will be carried out [godik], I will always take it with itself.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Distak, training the champions

Paulo Filho’s coach, Josuel Distak helped him to win the WEC title and worked with Rogério Camões on Anderson Silva’s preparation to fight James Irvin at UFC Fight Night 14. “Anderson’s fight was less than a minute, thanks God everything were alright. Rogério and I did the right job and now we’ll focus on Paulão’s belt (on WEC)”, said Distak, that is working with André Galvão for his debut no MMA. “Thanks God I’m on the right way on MMA. It took a long time, but finally it’s our time”, told Distak, that will work on Rodrigo Damm’s preparation for the Sengoku GP.

 

[Shogun Locc]

TITO ORTIZ NOT YET SIGNED TO AFFLICTION

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz is not out of the Octagon just yet.

Despite several published reports of Ortiz’s whereabouts, Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio today told MMAWeekly.com that he has not signed the popular UFC fighter. Atencio claims that Ortiz’s promotional contract with the Las Vegas based company precludes that.

“I can’t talk to Tito until after August 3rd,” Atencio says. “Everybody just wants to read into it and put whatever they want on the internet.”

Atencio says he is still hard at work confirming the venue for the proposed October 11th date. At this point, most of the card is still a work in progress—including a main event showdown between Andre Arlovski and Fedor Emelianenko.

Ortiz, 33, and UFC president Dana White have had a much-publicized war of words over the past year. Ortiz gave numerous interviews decrying the UFC’s lack of respect for him, while White told a teleconference of reporters gathered for UFC 84 that he no longer wanted to be in “the Tito Ortiz business.”

In a May interview with MMAWeekly Radio, Ortiz said his fight with Lyoto Machida at UFC 84 was his last for Zuffa, and hoped to have fight set up by “September or October.”

“Me going to somewhere else is 100% happening,” said Ortiz.

Atencio hopes to have announcement next week confirming the second show and main events of its card.

“I hate to use the phrase ‘up in the air,’ but it’s in the works is a better term,” Atencio says.

 

[Shogun Locc]

ATTENDANCE NUMBERS FOR 2ND ELITE XC/CBS SHOW

The attendance numbers for the July 26 Elite XC show in Stockton, CA have been reported by the California State Athletic Commission.

According to the report, a total number of tickets printed were 8, 541, and of those tickets available, only 3,701 were sold to attendees while another 2,817 were given away as complimentary tickets.

The total number of fans in attendance for the Elite XC show in Stockton was 6,518.

The final live gate for the event was $268,715, which is still less than the face value amount of money put into the tickets given away as complimentary which totaled out at $340,960.

2,023 tickets were unsold and left over at the time of the event taking place.

At the inaugural Elite XC/CBS show in May at the Prudential Center in New Jersey, the promotion reported a total attendance of 8,033, but no numbers were released as to the total live gate or complimentary tickets gien at the event.

The numbers are seemingly very low considering the promotion’s investment in putting local fighters such as Nick Diaz, Jake Shields and Scott Smith on the card to help boost interest in the event.

The attendance number coincides with a much lower television rating that the show garnered as reported by numerous news outlets following the event.