MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

CARLOS CONDIT HEADS WEC IN ALBUQUERQUE

World Extreme Cagefighting on Tuesday announced its Feb. 13 event, scheduled to take place at the Santa Ana Star Center in Albuquerque, N.M. This marks the first time the promotion will run an event outside of Las Vegas since its purchase by the owners of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Like the WEC’s last event, this one will feature three title fights.

The main event features welterweight champion Carlos Condit on his home turf defending his title against WEC newcomer Carlo Prater. Riding a three-fight winning streak and maintaining a 21-5-1 professional record, Prater is a legitimate threat. Ranked No. 9 in the world by MMAWeekly.com, Condit has his own streak of six straight victories with a 21-4 record.

Lightweight champion “Razor” Rob McCullough is scheduled to defend his belt against UFC veteran Jamie Varner and Miguel Torres will challenge bantamweight titleholder Chase Beebe.

Though not confirmed by the promtion, rumored bouts for WEC: Condit vs. Prater include Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Leonard Garcia and Mark Hominick vs. Josh Grispi.

 

[Shogun Locc]

SILVA HEADS HOME, LOOKS TO REFOCUS TRAINING

After an epic fight at UFC 79, Wanderlei Silva is rededicating himself to being a better fighter. He is hoping to add former Chute Boxe friends to his next camp, as well as possibly working alongside K-1 legend Ernesto Hoost before stepping back into the Octagon.

The match-up between Silva and Chuck Liddell took years to finally happen and the two legendary light heavyweights didn’t disappoint, going three rounds while keeping every fan in attendance on their feet for the duration.

At the end of the night, Silva found himself on the losing end of a unanimous decision. Now he is taking some time off to travel home to Brazil and may possibly take a trip to Holland in the near future as well.

“My fight with Chuck showed me that I need to practice more wrestling and
Muay Thai,” he said via his official online blog. “I’ve been thinking of spending some time in Holland. I have met Ernest Hoost here in Vegas and he seemed a very nice man, I think I will try that."

Also, Silva is planning a trip back home to Brazil where he looks to meet up with many of his old friends and training partners from his former Chute Boxe camp and ask for their assistance in preparation for his next Ultimate Fighting Championship bout.

"I am going to Brazil in the next days to see my parents and my daughter (from another marriage) and I hope to meet Shogun (Mauricio Rua), Ninja (Murilo Rua), Andre “Dida” (Amade), Luiz Azeredo, Daniel Acácio and Evangelista “Cyborg” (Santos) to ask them to help me to my next fight,” Silva said.

“They are great athletes and great friends also, my last preparation would be better with them and I hope that in 2008 they can be next to me in my training sessions."

While he is looking to add more partners to his training regimen, he stayed steadfast that his current team of trainers did a great job getting him ready for the fight with Liddell.

"I am very glad to have the opportunity to work with my new team for the past three months, but unfortunately I have some weaknesses that I bring for many years and it’s hard to change that,” he stated in his blog. “I will do my best to change those mistakes and I am sure that I will be able to change! I was very well prepared and I made a good UFC debut."

No time table has been set for Silva’s return to the Octagon, but despite the loss, he is still going to be a major commodity to the UFC’s growing light heavyweight division and there are a number of match-ups that could await the former Pride 205-pound divisional champion.

 

[Shogun Locc]

PAUL DALEY VS SAM MORGAN SET FOR JAN. 25


Paul “Semtex” Daley will return to action in EliteXC on Jan. 25. He will face former Ultimate Fighter competitor Sam Morgan in a contest at 160 pounds as part of the ShoXC series on Showtime.

Daley made an impressive debut during the EliteXC co-promoted show with Strikeforce where he defeated Duane “Bang” Ludwig by TKO in the second round.

Since that time, he defeated Mark Weir by TKO fighting for the Cage Rage promotion, now owned by ProElite, the parent company for EliteXC.

His opponent, Sam “The Squeeze” Morgan, takes the fight with Daley just two months after he moved up to the 185-pound weight class to fight San Jose favorite Cung Le.

Morgan is 5-5 in his last 10 bouts. After his appearance on the second season of the Ultimate Fighter, he went 0-2 fighting for the Ultimate Fighting Championship with losses to Josh Burkman and Forrest Petz.

Daley has to be seen as one of the strongest contenders to face current EliteXC 160-pound divisional champion K.J. Noons. A win over Morgan may put him directly in line for a title shot.

The card set to take place in Atlantic City, N.J. on Jan. 25 will feature a main event of former Bodog welterweight champion Eddie Alvarez against Hawaiian heavy hitter Ross “Da Boss” Ebanez in a contest at 170 pounds.

EliteXC Live Events President Gary Shaw did confirm that after this bout, Alvarez would drop to 160 pounds and fight in the lightweight division.

Main Card Bouts (televised on Showtime):
-Eddie Alvarez vs. Ross Ebanez
-Paul Daley vs. Sam Morgan
-Julie Kedzie vs. Tonya Evinger
-Bobby McMaster vs. Bao Quach
-Kala Kolohe Hose vs. Fred Belleton

Preliminary Bouts (non-televised):
-Wilson Reis vs. Zach Makovsky
-Sergio Vinagre vs. Brett Linebarger
-Matt Makowski vs. Joe Shilling
-James "Binky" Jones vs. Mark Getto
-Doug Gordon vs. TBA

 

[Shogun Locc]

I haven't heard much. I know he was going to move down to 155 tho. He's got a bad bitch(Ali Sonoma the old UFC blond ring girl)!!!

he ain't with that hoe no more:
CREDIT: THETAKEDOWN.NET
LINK: http://www.jarrypark.com/2007/12/20/ali-sonoma-is-moving-on-up/
Thank you to www.jarrypark.com for the interview.

Last month, Ali Sonoma (left) announced her departure from the UFC as one of their Octagon Girls. This news saddened many MMA fans so, in the interest of putting a smile on all their little faces, I present The Park’s exclusive interview with one Ali Sonoma:

Ariel Helwani: Why did you decide to leave the UFC last month?

Ali Sonoma: I’m hosting a reality show in January and filming a movie in Hungary in March. I have bigger and better things to conquer.

AH: Was it an amicable split?

AS: Yes. UFC wanted to keep the demographic fresh and I have movies to film.

AH: How did you first get in contact with the promotion?

AS: I was in a modeling contest followed by a reality show. (I) placed second in the contest (and) fate brought me to UFC and I won it.

AH: Were you a fan of mixed martial arts prior to signing with the company?

AS: Yes, I kickboxed for years and was always interested in martial arts.

AH: What was the best and worst part of working as a ring card girl for the UFC?

AS: The best part was the whole experience - Traveling to many different places and meeting new people. The worst part was when you see a fighter you favor get beat.

AH: What was the greatest fight you witnessed in person?

AS: There are too many to count. I really liked when Jackson beat Liddell - it was so unexpected. I also liked when Couture came back from retirement and won the heavyweight title…he rocked that.

AH: There was some speculation that your relationship with UFC fighter Diego Sanchez upset key members of the organization. Did they ever mention anything of that sort?

AS: I never got any “rules” related to dating. UFC did not particularly favor us going out but you can’t help who you fall in love with, it just happens. Once it was official, everyone seemed to freak out - either loving it or hating it. They seemed to blame me for his last losses. I never got in the way of his training, I never even saw him during that time. If anything we supported each other.

AH: Is there a rule in place that says fighters can’t date ring card girls?

AS: No, I never had a contract with UFC. I was an independent contracter - doing what I wanted.

AH: Are you and Diego still together?

AS: No, we decided to call it quits based on our careers. I will be away for months…we are still best friends, though. We talk everyday. I do and always will love him. He is on a different level of any guy I have ever met.

AH: Where can fans of yours see you next?

AS: Most likey on FX or MTV for the reality show “The Mag” and in the film “Say Goodnight” and many more films to come.

 

[BROWN GUERRERO]

he ain't with that hoe no more:

You sure dude? She's still #1 on his myspace, says he's in a relationship and they've still got tons of pics and shit together. lol anyways she's bad my type of woman.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=65953406

looks like they're still together.

 

[Shogun Locc]

You sure dude? She's still #1 on his myspace, says he's in a relationship and they've still got tons of pics and shit together. lol anyways she's bad my type of woman.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=65953406

looks like they're still together.

She said in the interview that they are not together but who knows you can't always believe what comes out of a bitch's mouth.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Kurt Angle Responds To Shamrock & Otto

A couple of weeks ago on HDNet’s Inside MMA, Ken Shamrock and Kurt Otto had some not-so-flattering things to say about Jarry Parker (catchy, eh?) Kurt Angle’s interest in mixed martial arts. Basically, Otto said that after Angle sat in the front row at an IFL event in September 2007 he got cold feet and decided against fighting Shamrock at an IFL event. Shamrock then implied that Angle was scared to go toe-to-toe with “The World’s Most Dangerous Man.”

As always, there’s two sides of every story. Angle has been travelling all over this great earth lately so he wasn’t available for an official interview but he did tell me this when I asked why he backed out of the IFL deal:

“That’s because they tried to force a fight with me and Ken in two and a half months. (It’s) not enough time to take off from TNA and train for a fight. They rushed it…I would have never been ready. They didn’t care. He just wanted PPV buys.”

He went on to say that:

“They are only trying to push my buttons - to start another angle. My rep in MMA is that I back out. No I don’t. Usually they back out of the deal because of my price. I want giant money. Usually they say they will pay me what I want then they change it and tell me they will pay me on the back end. I want it up front PERIOD.”

At this point, I doubt we will ever see Angle fight in an IFL ring. Obviously, money talks but it appears that their unsolicited shots at him closed the door for good. And, while we’re at it, until he officially announces a deal with a promotion all the talk of Angle competing in an MMA fight should end.

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC 81: Jeremy Horn vs. Nate Marquardt

Gumby” is back!

Veteran Jeremy Horn (79-16-5) will fill-in for the injured Thales Leites against Nate Marquardt (25-7-2) at UFC 81: “Breaking Point” on February 2 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, according to UFC.com.

Here’s the full snip:

“Returning to the Octagon for the first time since back to back wins over Trevor Prangley and Chael Sonnen in 2005-2006 , respected middleweight contender Jeremy Horn will replace injured Thales Leites and face Nate Marquardt on February 2nd’s UFC 81 card in Las Vegas.”

At just 32 years old, Horn is already legend in the sport of mixed martial arts. He has competed off and on inside the Octagon since 1998. His last appearance was in May 2006, submitting Chael Sonnen via armbar at UFC 60: “Hughes vs. Gracie.”

The last two years Horn has taken a much deserved break from competition, focusing primarily on training fighters. However, he did take three fights during that time and lost two of them (Matt Lindland and Jorge Santiago).

Marquardt is looking to rebound from his loss to UFC Middleweight Champion, Anderson Silva, at UFC 73: “Stacked” back in July 2007. He was set to face Thales Leites (again), but the Brazilian sustained a broken hand while training for the bout and was forced to withdraw.

Let’s hope the condensed pre-fight training schedule does not affect Horn and we see a great fight on SuperBowl weekend.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Condit vs Prater: WEC to feature three title fights live from Albuquerque on February 13

World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) is putting three championships up for grabs live from the Santa Ana Star Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico on February 13.

Headlining the card will be Albuquerque native and WEC welterweight champion, Carlos Condit (21-4), as he defends his title against Thugjitsu’s own, Carlo Prater (21-5-1).

Condit is fresh off an impressive submission victory over Brock Larson at WEC 29. He looks to cement his place as the WEC’s top welterweight by avenging his first professional loss - that came at the hands of Prater during Fightworld 2 back in 2004.

Also on the card former UFC lightweight Jamie “The Worm” Varner (13-2) tries to dethrone WEC’s lightweight juggernaut, “Razor” Rob McCullough (15-3). Varner was successful in his WEC debut against Sherron Leggett but will have all he can handle against McCullough who is undefeated (9-0) since 2004.

Rounding out the title bouts will be defending WEC bantamweight champion Chase Beebe (11-1) as he takes on submission master Miguel Torres (19-1). Beebe won the WEC title by defeating Eddie Wineland at WEC 26 last March but may find Torres - who has only one decision loss in 20 fights - a difficult hurdle to overcome.

The event will be televised live nationally on VERSUS beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. Tickets go on sale Saturday, January 12 at noon and are priced at $185, $115, $65, and $35. Tickets are available at Gettix.net or by calling 1-866-442-8849.

The remaining bouts for WEC: “Condit vs. Prater” have yet to be announced. Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for the all upcoming details.

*UPDATE* Manny Tapia (9-0-1) vs. Antonio Banuelos (14-4) has been added to the WEC lineup for February’s event.

 

[Shogun Locc]

MMA Quick Quote: The Russian is coming to the U.S. next

“First of all we stated that we [M-1 Global] intend to collaborate with different promotions in the first place. We’ll keep cooperating with K-1 and other organizations willing to cooperate with us. Right now we do our best to arrange Fedor – Randy fight. Almost everyone wants that megafight – Randy, M-1 Global and every single MMA fan in the world…. Now I can only confirm that Fedor’s [Emelianenko] next fight is scheduled to take place in the USA. More details in a couple of weeks…. There are no opponents Fedor won’t like to fight.”

– Vadim Finkelstein — the long-time manager who represents Fedor Emelianenko and current MixFight M-1 President — reveals via M1MixFight.com that his fighter will compete on American soil sometime in 2008. No opponent has been named at this time. Emelianenko is fresh off a quick submission win over Hong Man Choi at Yarennoka! this past New Year’s Eve weekend.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Kendall Grove: "My first six fights, I fought high."

Kendall Grove seemed to be on the fast track to stardom in the UFC. After winning TUF 3, Grove managed to reel off two consecutive victories in convincing fashion before being stopped by Patrick Cote in the first round of their battle at UFC 74. Since that fight, Grove has rededicated himself to the sport and is looking forward to righting the ship against Jorge Rivera at UFC 80 on January 19. Grove sat down with our friends over at CagePotato.com to discus a variety of topics. Here are some of the highlights:
Grove On His Training Routine:

After my last fight against Patrick [Cote], I changed a lot of things in my personal life. I cut back on drinking. Because this reality show shit does get to your head, you know? Everybody wants to hang out with you. As for sex, yeah, my girl has been horny and she’s pregnant, so that’s pretty much out of the question. Other than that, I eat good, but I’m not afraid to go eat some milk and cookies or ice cream at night. I cheat a lot on my diet, but I’m 6?6?, 185. I’m Hawaiian-Ethiopian, you know what I mean?

Grove On Marijuana:

It’s definitely not an enhancement drug. [laughs] See, marijuana is a touchy subject. I’m a rock star — I’ve been smoking weed since I was in the 6th grade, I can openly say that. But I’m also clean when I fight. I cut that shit out — I’m a professional. Don’t get me wrong, my first six fights, I fought high, I fought stoned. But when you get to this level, you have to take responsibility. It’s your job. I stop doing that stuff three months out. I just think they blew it way out of proportion. What did they say with Nick Diaz? “Oh, him smoking weed made his pain threshold higher. It’s stupid. Steroids actually make you run faster, make you stronger — it’s a performance enhancer. And weed just makes you gain weight and be lazy. [laughs]

Grove On Fellow TUF'er Forrest Griffin:

Forrest is improving and improving all the time. I trained with the guy in Las Vegas at Extreme Couture, and the guy is a workhorse. And out of every fighter that I’ve known, including myself, he deserves everything that he gets. He deserves a title shot, and I think he’s going to be a great coach. Him and Rampage are going to make the season.

 

[Shogun Locc]

M-1 Executives Talk About The End Of Pride And The Beginning Of M-1

M-1 Global Executives Vadim Finkelstein and Sergei Matvienko recently posted an interview on their M-1 Mixfight website. Here are some of the highlights from that interview:
Vadim On M-1's Ability And Willingness To Work With Fighters From Around The World:

Vadim: First of all we stated that we intend to collaborate with different promotions in the first place. We’ll keep cooperating with K-1 and other organizations willing to cooperate with us.

Vadim On A Fedor vs. Couture Matchup:

Right now we do our best to arrange Fedor – Randy fight. Almost everyone wants that megafight – Randy, M-1 Global and every single MMA fan in the world.

Vadim On What's Next For M-1 Global:

Vadim: We plan to keep MMA fans happy. There are 5-6 major events a year planned. We intend to hold ‘M-1 Challenge’ in four countries. You’ll get the details later on.

Vadim On Fedor's Next Fight:

Vadim: Now I can only confirm that Fedor’s next fight is scheduled to take place in the USA. More details in a couple of weeks.

Vadim On Fedor Possibly Giving K-1 Champion Semmy Schilt A Rematch:

Vadim: There are no oponents Fedor won’t like to fight. Schilt has already tried himself against Fedor back in 2002. He is a good kickboxer. I don’t think he’s greatly improved his MMA skills since then. But if there is a brisk demand for it – it can happen.

Vadim and Sergei On The End Of Pride:

Sergei: This championship closed curtains of legendary events held under the PRIDE banner. Now we’ll revive this tradition under the name of M-1 Global.

Vadim: We saw off Pride but MMA fans shouldn’t feel upset about it. M-1 Global will do its best to resurrect wonderful MMA-events and make fans happy.

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC 80 FIGHT CARD FINALIZED

The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Tuesday officially announced the remainder of its UFC 80 fight card scheduled to take place on Jan. 19 in Newcastle, England.

In addition to the already announced main event between B.J. Penn and Joe Stevenson and a heavyweight contest pitting Gabriel Gonzaga against Fabricio Werdum, the UFC announced three more fights for the pay-per-view portion of the event.

American Top Team fighter Wilson Gouveia will face Jason Lambert in a light heavyweight fight. The winner is likely to be considered a contender for the title currently held by Quinton Jackson, while the other will have to regroup.

Jess Liaudin, one of the top welterweight fighters in Britain, squares up against “The Irish Hand Grenade” Marcus Davis. Liaudin is on a five-fight winning streak and trying to make his mark in a loaded weight class. Since a loss near the tail end of 2005, Davis has strung together 10 straight wins and holds the No. 10 spot in the MMAWeekly World MMA Rankings at welterweight.

Rounding out the announcement is a middleweight bout between UFC veterans Jorge Rivera and Kendall Grove. Both are returning after suffering losses in their last bouts and are looking to get back on track.

The Penn vs. Stevenson bout is a battle for the vacant UFC lightweight championship formerly held by Sean Sherk. He was stripped of the title after being suspended by the California State Athletic Commission for testing positive for Nandrolone.

The bout between Gonzaga and Werdum is a rematch of a fight that took place at the beginning of their respective careers. Werdum won that first contest by TKO in the third round.

The preliminary bouts for UFC 80 include Alessio Sakara vs. James Lee, Sam Stout vs. Per Eklund, Paul Kelly vs. Paul Taylor, and Colin Robinson vs. Antoni Hardonk.

The event will air live on pay-per-view in the United States at 3 p.m. ET/Noon PT and replay at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

 

[Shogun Locc]

CAGE RAGE 25 TAKING SHAPE

Things are starting to take shape for the first Cage Rage card of 2008 with the announcement of additional bouts scheduled for the 11-fight event to be held at Wembley Arena on March 8. Some of the bouts were already announced, but others are new and telling of the intention to promote fighters up from the Cage Rage Contender series.

Jake Bostwick vs. John Phillips and John Hathaway vs. Marvin Arnold are both fights that we would have seen during 2007 at a venue such as the Troxy in Central London, but with the Cage Rage regulars taking a bit of a breather, they have been drafted up to kick the main show off, most likely to optimize outlay in order to bring in some big names to top the as yet un-headlined card.

Hathaway has been on a tear of late. His technical striking and level head under pressure should see him build on this momentum when the bell rings against Marvin Arnold.

Bostwick is a favorite of the promoters. Providing the big crowd doesn’t give him the jitters, he should be able to kick the night of in his usual aggressive fashion.

Also announced for the card is 58kg/128lbs women’s MMA fighter Aisling Daley, whose opponent is yet to be named. It will be interesting to see who she is matched up with over the coming weeks as the U.K. scene isn’t really recognized for its women’s MMA talent, clearly something that needs to be addressed as more and more women are training, but not really getting the platform’s to showcase their skills on.

Newly contracted Elite XC fighter Che’ Mills is lined up to face London Shootfighter Michael Johnson is what will surely be a solid battle. Mills is a tough, technical and very dangerous opponent but the strong, mega-cutting Johnson shouldn’t be overlooked in this bout.

Danny Batten, arguably the number one featherweight in the U.K., makes a return to the promotion to face Leigh Remedios, a fighter who was once regarded as one of the top guys in his weight class when he stepped away from the sport to concentrate on family and his club. For many a long serving MMA fan on these shores, this fight will provide a fascinating storyline, not least in helping to determine who will be the next challenger for the world featherweight title currently strapped around Mazakazu Imanari’s waist. Batten, for one, would love to get a chance at avenging his loss to the Japanese sensation. Remedios will look to prove he still has the fire and skill he once exhibited.

Staying with the Japanese fighter, he makes a welcome return to face the ever-game Jean Silva, who returned to the promotion in September with an impressive win over Chris Brennan. Imanari is certainly oddball in his fighting style, but more so, Silva is unorthodox enough to make it work.

As a side note, Silva has faced Remedios before en route to a draw, so wherever the chips fall with these four fighters, they are almost certainly destined to meet in a different layout at a later date.

Rob Broughton returns to the heavyweight division following a lengthy layoff due to a torn Achilles tendon. During his absence, Neil “Goliath” Grove has emerged as the next juggernaut to close in on contender status for Tengiz Tedoradze’s British title. He isn’t ready yet, but a couple more wins will surely put him in frame. Broughton is very capable of fighting a complete MMA match at any level and more than willing to take obscene punishment whilst doing so. He will provide the sternest test to the Goliath yet.

Roman Webber engages with Italian light-heavyweight Ivan Serati with a view to avenging the loss of teammate Lee Hasdell at the last Cage Rage, as well as to continue his ascendancy in the pecking order for contender status. Serati is no pushover though and Webber will need to be at the very peak of his abilities to shine.

Tom Watson is signed, but as yet facing an unknown opponent. Whoever he faces will have to contend with a very aggressive Watson, who acknowledged he gave way too much consideration and respect in his last fight and that the venom he is known for will be back in this bout.

Tough times are in line for Gary Turner, who faces Mustapha Al Turk in a heavyweight contest. Turner is riding a three-fight win streak since his debut in the promotion, and despite making a meal of his last outing against former boxer Julius Francis, should be back to the level he fought Edson Drago at. If he isn’t, Al Turk will end the streak inside the distance.

The venerable British promotion is clearly trying to push tight match-ups on a national level, but they are aware of the need for a headline fight with considerable clout. It will be interesting to see whom they sign to head the show; hopefully it will be someone who can add value to the promotion rather than a one-shot fight.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Sperry Clarifies IFL Team Name

The IFL recently announced its first show of the 2008 season, detailing the lineup and the revamped format in which teams are coaches leading their own camps.

One addition was Team Xtreme Couture and another was Mario Sperry (Pictures)'s squad, which will meet in head-to-head competition Feb. 29 in Las Vegas.

In a news release issued Tuesday by the IFL, Sperry's team was named "MMA Top Team." The name was then widely reported, but Sperry said it is wrong.

"I don't know why the hell the media titled my team ‘MMA Top Team,'" he said. "This is ‘World Class Fight Center.'"

Sperry was a founding member of Brazilian Top Team. He has since left, and to name his IFL squad after a team he departed might look like a lack of creativity. In fact, Sperry will have BTT members on his team in its IFL debut.

"I have a good relationship with BTT, but the team [name] isn't what was reported," Sperry said.

BTT's Marcello Salazar (Pictures) will compete for Sperry's World Class Fight Center at 170 pounds. Sperry also expects another BTT fighter at 205 pounds: Alexandre "Cacareco" Ferreira.

"I sent him the contract and I'm waiting for it back," Sperry said. "No opponent has been named, until now, to face him. I have other names under negotiations to insert on my team, but I've not heard back from them."

 

[Shogun Locc]

White, Lightweight Foes Talk UFC 80


Citing the European market as a territory that could potentially reap lucrative rewards, UFC President Dana White and main event headliners B.J. Penn (Pictures) and Joe Stevenson spoke to media Thursday to stir interest in UFC 80: Rapid Fire, a Jan. 19 program airing from Newcastle, England.

The key word is "potentially."

As White admitted during the conference, "I don't think there's anything profitable about the European market right now. I think everything's going to be going [on the] Internet. Pretty soon, we're going to be watching television on the Internet. I might be wrong. Hopefully, I'm right. That's why we're trying to push out and go global."

White said only 700 tickets remain for the 10,000-seat Metro Radio Arena.

Of more concern to attending media was the title bout between former welterweight champion Penn and "Ultimate Fighter" winner Stevenson. While both admitted they get along well, circumstances dictate they put friendship aside for 25 minutes.

"I've known B.J. for a while and respect him," Stevenson said. "I definitely consider him a friend. It shows the professional level of this. It's not like a bar fight. He's going to try and knock me out, and I'm going to try and knock him out. Afterwards, we're going to be able to be friends."

"I met Joe when he played a dirty trick on me," Penn said with a laugh, though both men refused to elaborate. "Joe, I love you, you're a great guy, but don't take it personally if I don't talk to you in England."

With lightweight champion Sean Sherk (Pictures) out of the immediate title picture due to a suspension for alleged steroid use, Penn believes the bout will determine the division's true king.

"Without a doubt, this is the true lightweight championship of the world. … This fight is huge," the Hawaiian said. "Joe Stevenson is a great opponent. He's got so many weapons, so many tools that he brings into this fight. This is the most important fight of my life. I know people say it every single time, but if I win this fight, I'll become the guy who has two titles in two divisions. … I don't want anything else."

According to White, at one time Penn wanted a lot more -- namely, to compete as a heavyweight. "I kept telling him, ‘Are you out of your mind?' You can't go to heavyweight," White said. "You can't carry that kind of weight. Your frame isn't big enough. Those guys are huge."

Penn, who once attempted to match himself against Ken Shamrock (Pictures) in Hawaii, sees things differently: "Jiu-jitsu is my life, my lifestyle. … You get these big, clumsy guys, you get one position, [and] it's over. That's not me bragging about myself, but how good the martial art is."

White believes Penn needs to concern himself instead with "cleaning out" a division, then moving up if circumstances warrant. Penn concurs.

"Dana White took the UFC, made it as big as it is now, and I really realize what's at stake," the Hawaiian said. "I know that there are no playing games. Back when I was fighting at 22 years old, this UFC was nothing. It was small stuff. Dana White took the UFC, turned it into what it is today, and that's why I'm so pumped. I know this is a serious sport, this is a serious thing. I want to be involved.

"I'm going up against a great opponent. Nobody wants to see me win a five-round decision. I'm going out there to win the fight and finish this fight and that's what I gotta do. People aren't paying money to watch me and Joe Stevenson fight five rounds and jab each other to death. No one wants to see that. This is the Ultimate Fighting Championship."

Stevenson, who believes the fight will be a "clinic" on the mat, expressed some regret that his training has curtailed time spent with his children, ages 7, 4 and 2.

"I only get my kids in the winter for like two weeks," he said. "Then I get them during the summer. And I sacrifice a week without them on top of the two weeks. I'm putting my heart and soul into this. B.J. is awesome. If I didn't give him everything I had, I wouldn't be able to walk with my head high."

UFC 80 airs live on pay-per-view at 3 p.m. ET on Jan. 19.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Shogun Opens New Gym - Will Return To The Octagon At UFC 84

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua left the famed Chute Boxe fight camp and has started his own camp called Universidade de Luta (Fight University). Shogun, along with his brother "Ninja" Rua and friend Andre Dida will run the camp out of Curitiba, Brazil according to GracieMag.com.
"We decided everyone would stay in Curitiba. My brother (Murilo Ninja) had already bought his ticket, but decided to stay. The two of us and Dida (Andre) will stay and we’ll open our own gym, called UDL (Universidade da Luta). The team looks promising; we already have around 15 fighters with us. I went back to heavy training today and we’re training muay thai with Mauricio Veio and physical conditioning with Moralez. We’re looking for a Jiu-Jitsu coach for our groundwork, but for the time being we’re training among ourselves," said Shogun.

Shogun also announced that he will be fighting again on April 19.

"I’m already preparing for my return, I’ll fight on April 19th. Ninja and Dida go back in March. I’m injury free and with none of the pains in my knee that bothered me so, I’ll devote my entire day to fighting and I’ll be 100%. I’ll do my best to give back to my fans."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Video: Frank Mir Training For The Brock Lenar Showdown

Frank Mir recently discussed his upcoming fight with former pro wrestling star Brock Lesnar at UFC 81: Breaking Point.
UFC 81: Breaking Point takes place live from Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Feb. 2, 2008, on the eve of Super Bowl XLII. The event also features Tim Sylvia (24-3) and Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira (30-4-1) will face one another for the "interim" heavyweight title.

Here is a video of Mir discussing his big fight with Lesnar: http://www.mmafightline.com/news/2008/110/ufc_313107.shtml

 

[Shogun Locc]

WEC: FEBRUARY 13 ON VERSUS NETWORK

-Carlos Condit (#9 Welterweight in the World)* vs. Carlo Prater
-"Razor" Rob McCullough vs. Jamie Varner
-Chase Beebe vs. Miguel Torres
-Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Leonard Garcia
-Mark Hominick vs. Josh Grispi
-Manny Tapia vs. Antonio Banuelos
-Jesse Morenge vs. Scott Jorgenson
-Jesse Forbes vs. TBA

Main card airs live on Versus on Wednesday, February 13 at 9:00 PM Eastern Time (6:00 PM Pacific Time) venue: Santa Ana Star Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico

 

[Shogun Locc]

James Thompson's opponent for Feb. 16 named; Krazy Horse added to Kimbo vs. Tank undercard

EliteXC has announced that James "The Colossus" Thompson will face undefeated heavyweight Brett Rogers on the undercard of the promotion's February 16 show in Miami, Florida that's scheduled to be headlined by Kimbo Slice vs. Tank Abbott. The promotion has also announced that Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett has been added to the undercard against an opponent yet to be announced. Bennett is a Florida native, hailing from Ocala.

Bennett, 19-14-2, will be fighting for EliteXC for the first time since a disappointing loss to Victor Valenzuela during August's ShoXC event. Bennett tapped due to strikes at 3:23 of round 1 in what had been promoted as a heated grudge match


Bennett rebounded from the loss with a submission victory via rear naked choke over Donnie Martinez during a King of the Cage show in October.
Thompson, 14-7, will be debuting for the promotion on the show. He has not fought since an upset knockout loss against Britian's Neil Grove at Cage Rage 22 in July. Since the loss, Thompson has begun training at Randy Couture's Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas.

Rogers, 5-0, made his EliteXC debut at "Renegade" in Corpus Christi, Texas in November, defeating Ralph Kelly via submission due to strikes at 1:43 of round 1.