MMA News Thread
- Thread starter Shogun Locc
- Start date
YEAH THIS IS GONNA BE AN ALL OUT SLUG FEST. I JUST HOPE IT STAYS ON THE FEET AND DONT GO TO THE GROUND. BAS IS A SMART TRAINER THOUGH AND IM SURE HE DONT WANT KIMBO GETTIN KNCOCKED OUT. SO IF TANK HITS HIM WITH ONE OF THOSE SOLID DEATH PUNCHES I KNOW KIMBO WILL GO FOR THE TAKEDOWN. EITHER WAY THIS IS THE FIGHT IM WAITING FOR AND I KNOW ITS GONNA BE GOOD.
UFC MAY NOT RETURN TO UK ON MARCH 8
Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White verified recently that the promotion had been working to try and finalize an event on March 8 in the U.K., but indicated that nothing had been solidified.
When asked about a possible show in Manchester featuring British fighter Michael Bisping, White said, “We’re still working on that right now. We’re still trying to figure out what we’re doing in March.”
It now appears that the UFC may have scrapped the idea of returning to England on March 8, but has not necessarily decided against moving forward with an event on that date.
According to a report by Steve Sievert of the Houston Chronicle, “A source I spoke with confirmed that the U.K. event has been cancelled, no specifics were provided as to why. However, the show will go on, only here in the states.”
Bisping’s next fight is expected to be his first in the UFC in the middleweight division. He won the light heavyweight portion of the competition on season three of The Ultimate Fighter reality show.
Other fighters that had been rumored for March 8 include Houston Alexander, James Irvin, Clay Guida, Demian Maia and Neil Wain.
UFC officials were unavailable for comment at the time of publication.
Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White verified recently that the promotion had been working to try and finalize an event on March 8 in the U.K., but indicated that nothing had been solidified.
When asked about a possible show in Manchester featuring British fighter Michael Bisping, White said, “We’re still working on that right now. We’re still trying to figure out what we’re doing in March.”
It now appears that the UFC may have scrapped the idea of returning to England on March 8, but has not necessarily decided against moving forward with an event on that date.
According to a report by Steve Sievert of the Houston Chronicle, “A source I spoke with confirmed that the U.K. event has been cancelled, no specifics were provided as to why. However, the show will go on, only here in the states.”
Bisping’s next fight is expected to be his first in the UFC in the middleweight division. He won the light heavyweight portion of the competition on season three of The Ultimate Fighter reality show.
Other fighters that had been rumored for March 8 include Houston Alexander, James Irvin, Clay Guida, Demian Maia and Neil Wain.
UFC officials were unavailable for comment at the time of publication.
WEC ANNOUNCES ALBUQUERQUE FIGHT CARD
World Extreme Cagefighting on Tuesday officially announced the full fight card for its upcoming Feb. 13 event in Albuquerque, N.M.
The already announced main event features welterweight champion Carlos Condit defending his belt against WEC newcomer Carlo Prater.
Two other title bouts are also featured on the promotion’s first move outside of Las Vegas since being purchased by the owners of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Lightweight champ “Razor” Rob McCullough will face UFC veteran Jamie Varner and Miguel Torres will attempt to wrest the bantamweight title from current champion Chase Beebe.
UFC veteran Leonard Garcia, know for his “Fight of the Night” performance against Roger Huerta at UFC 69 in Houston, makes his return to the featherweight division, as he takes on tough K-1 and Shooto veteran Hiroyuki Takaya.
The full fight card is dotted with several champions from other organizations as the WEC continues to build upon its successes, especially in the lower weight classes.
WEC: Condit vs. Prater takes place on Feb. 13 at the Santa Ana Star Center in Albuquerque. The main card will able live on the Versus network.
-Carlos Condit vs. Carlo Prater
-Rob McCullough vs. Jaime Varner
-Chase Beebe vs. Miguel Torres
-Josh Grispi vs. Mark Hominick
-Manny Tapia vs. Antonio Banuelos
-Scott Jorgensen vs. Jesse Moreng
-Charlie Valencia vs. Yoshiro Maeda
-Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Leonard Garcia
-Micah Miller vs. Chance Farrar
-Del Hawkins vs. Ox Wheeler
World Extreme Cagefighting on Tuesday officially announced the full fight card for its upcoming Feb. 13 event in Albuquerque, N.M.
The already announced main event features welterweight champion Carlos Condit defending his belt against WEC newcomer Carlo Prater.
Two other title bouts are also featured on the promotion’s first move outside of Las Vegas since being purchased by the owners of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Lightweight champ “Razor” Rob McCullough will face UFC veteran Jamie Varner and Miguel Torres will attempt to wrest the bantamweight title from current champion Chase Beebe.
UFC veteran Leonard Garcia, know for his “Fight of the Night” performance against Roger Huerta at UFC 69 in Houston, makes his return to the featherweight division, as he takes on tough K-1 and Shooto veteran Hiroyuki Takaya.
The full fight card is dotted with several champions from other organizations as the WEC continues to build upon its successes, especially in the lower weight classes.
WEC: Condit vs. Prater takes place on Feb. 13 at the Santa Ana Star Center in Albuquerque. The main card will able live on the Versus network.
-Carlos Condit vs. Carlo Prater
-Rob McCullough vs. Jaime Varner
-Chase Beebe vs. Miguel Torres
-Josh Grispi vs. Mark Hominick
-Manny Tapia vs. Antonio Banuelos
-Scott Jorgensen vs. Jesse Moreng
-Charlie Valencia vs. Yoshiro Maeda
-Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Leonard Garcia
-Micah Miller vs. Chance Farrar
-Del Hawkins vs. Ox Wheeler
FRANK SHAMROCK VS. CUNG LE IS OFFICIAL
EliteXC and Strikeforce on Tuesday officially announced that Frank Shamrock will defend his Strikeforce middleweight title against Cung Le on a March 29 event at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., co-promoted by the two organizations.
“As a martial arts promoter for 25 years and as a promoter of both of these fighters, I’ve been watching the rivalry between Frank and Cung build for quite some time,” said Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker. “So it’s great to see this matchup finally come to fruition.”
“Being No. 2 isn’t such a bad thing so Cung has nothing to be ashamed of,” cracked the ever-entertaining Shamrock. “But there’s a big difference between being No. 1 and No. 2. Le will find that out soon enough.”
Shamrock won the championship by defeating Phil Baroni at the first event co-promoted by Stirkeforce and EliteXC in June of 2007.
“People have been wondering when I’d take the next step in the cage and fight an established superstar and world champion,” said Le, who has built his mixed martial arts record to a perfect 5-0. “Well, here it is. The fans are in for a great fight.”
The five-round championship bout will be the main event on a Showtime telecast that begins live at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).
EliteXC and Strikeforce on Tuesday officially announced that Frank Shamrock will defend his Strikeforce middleweight title against Cung Le on a March 29 event at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., co-promoted by the two organizations.
“As a martial arts promoter for 25 years and as a promoter of both of these fighters, I’ve been watching the rivalry between Frank and Cung build for quite some time,” said Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker. “So it’s great to see this matchup finally come to fruition.”
“Being No. 2 isn’t such a bad thing so Cung has nothing to be ashamed of,” cracked the ever-entertaining Shamrock. “But there’s a big difference between being No. 1 and No. 2. Le will find that out soon enough.”
Shamrock won the championship by defeating Phil Baroni at the first event co-promoted by Stirkeforce and EliteXC in June of 2007.
“People have been wondering when I’d take the next step in the cage and fight an established superstar and world champion,” said Le, who has built his mixed martial arts record to a perfect 5-0. “Well, here it is. The fans are in for a great fight.”
The five-round championship bout will be the main event on a Showtime telecast that begins live at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).
Yahya on Yamamoto
Just back from a vacation in Indonesia, bantamweight Rani Yahya (Pictures) spoke with Sherdog.com about his recent fight with Norifumi Yamamoto (Pictures). On New Year's Eve the WEC veteran joined a growing list of mixed martial artists who have fallen short against "Kid." The world champion Brazilian jiu-jitsu artist recounted his experience, and spoke about his future with the WEC.
Martins Denis: Rumors have swirled in the Brazilian media saying you were training Muay Thai in Thailand instead of having a vacation in Indonesia.
Rani Yahya (Pictures): I was stunned when I saw this news on the Internet. I didn't go to Thailand. When I went there, it was the same environment as this one -- just fun. But I'll come back to Thailand once again and this time for serious training.
Denis: You fought in K-1 Dynamite 2007 against Norifumi Yamamoto (Pictures). What's your view on that match?
Yahya: A very good fight. This guy is a super athlete with a lot of accomplishments. He's going to compete in Olympic wrestling, besides being the first HERO'S Grand Prix champion and having fought in K-1 MAX. So he was successful in everything he's attempted. I liked fighting against him mainly because it took place in K-1 Dynamite, which is the biggest New Year's Eve show in Japan. Just to mention, the ratings of our fight were the highest of all. This was cool.
Denis: What did you think about the show's production?
Yahya: This was the best show I ever fought on in my life. They treat the fighters very well, and I had never seen that before. We feel the K-1 staff treated us [extremely] well.
Denis: You fought better on the feet than in your previous matches. You jeopardized yourself more. How was your standup training for that match?
Yahya: Well, I've trained boxing and Muay Thai and I competed in those two arts to reach a better understanding of the standup aspects. In my prior fights, I stepped up with a huge confidence in my BJJ. It helped me in some occasions; in others, it didn't. Because of that I hadn't shown my strikes in the other 14 fights I had. This time I wanted to surprise him because he was waiting for several takedowns or me to pull guard. I was confident in the training that my muay Thai instructor, Rodrigo Aguiar, gave me.
Denis: You hit him very well, and he talked in post-fight interviews about the strikes he felt. Did you realize you could finish him with strikes?
Yahya: I did. He felt a strike at the end of the first round, and I worked to knock him out after that. But we clinched or the round ended; I really don't remember well now.
Denis: Even though you landed good strikes, he dominated most of the fight on the feet. Why didn't you try to take him down?
Yahya: I tried the ground fight on a few occasions, sometimes with takedown attempts and other times trying to pull to my guard to sink a heelhook or an ankle lock. He defended well. He was very well prepared.
Denis: The outcome of that fight was controversial because fans weren't certain if soccer kicks were allowed. So are they or not?
Yahya: They weren't. He waited until the referee raised his arm, announcing he was the winner, and then he left the ring quickly to not be disqualified.
Denis: Just like that? Didn't your camp complain?
Yahya: My manager and my master, Ataide Jr., wrote a letter to contest the result. But to tell you the truth, I don't want them to overturn it. In my head this is simple: If I don't make it to the end of the fight, it's because I wasn't the winner. They can give the victory to the other guy because this is not going to change anything in my life. I fight in any type of rules.
Denis: Was the fight stopped by the soccer kicks or by punches?
Yahya: I dropped, a knockdown, and I was trying to grab his leg. So he landed the soccer kicks and the lights turned off.
Denis: What were your main mistakes against Kid?
Yahya: In the moment of the fight, I fought with emotion and I started to put in my aggressiveness. I went after him with combos, and this is extremely dangerous when you face a striker like Kid, like Chuck Liddell (Pictures) for example. Every time I ate a punch it was a counter attack. I was open for the counterpunches. So if I had a chance to fight him again, I'd work on this mistake.
Denis: What was the weight for this match?
Yahya: One hundred thirty six pounds.
Denis: In your last three fights, you changed your weight a lot -- 145 pounds, 136 pounds and now 136 pounds. What's your plan for 2008 regarding weight classes?
Yahya: I never had problems with weight. I'll fight any weight class.
Denis: After you defeated Mark Hominick (Pictures) at WEC 28, it was expected that you would fight for the 145-pound belt against Urijah Faber Because they offered me the 135-pound title match before a fight against Faber.
Denis: Will you balance your fight career in 2008 between MMA and ADCC?
Yahya: I intend to stay only in MMA.
Denis: And regarding the organization? K-1 or WEC?
Yahya: I'm under contract with WEC. I don't have anything signed with K-1 right now.
Denis: Will you keep training in the United States or in Brazil?
Yahya: In both countries. This is to keep a good versatility in training.
Denis: When will we see you in action again?
Yahya: As soon as possible. I have an extra will to fight again. It may happen in WEC or in any other show.
Just back from a vacation in Indonesia, bantamweight Rani Yahya (Pictures) spoke with Sherdog.com about his recent fight with Norifumi Yamamoto (Pictures). On New Year's Eve the WEC veteran joined a growing list of mixed martial artists who have fallen short against "Kid." The world champion Brazilian jiu-jitsu artist recounted his experience, and spoke about his future with the WEC.
Martins Denis: Rumors have swirled in the Brazilian media saying you were training Muay Thai in Thailand instead of having a vacation in Indonesia.
Rani Yahya (Pictures): I was stunned when I saw this news on the Internet. I didn't go to Thailand. When I went there, it was the same environment as this one -- just fun. But I'll come back to Thailand once again and this time for serious training.
Denis: You fought in K-1 Dynamite 2007 against Norifumi Yamamoto (Pictures). What's your view on that match?
Yahya: A very good fight. This guy is a super athlete with a lot of accomplishments. He's going to compete in Olympic wrestling, besides being the first HERO'S Grand Prix champion and having fought in K-1 MAX. So he was successful in everything he's attempted. I liked fighting against him mainly because it took place in K-1 Dynamite, which is the biggest New Year's Eve show in Japan. Just to mention, the ratings of our fight were the highest of all. This was cool.
Denis: What did you think about the show's production?
Yahya: This was the best show I ever fought on in my life. They treat the fighters very well, and I had never seen that before. We feel the K-1 staff treated us [extremely] well.
Denis: You fought better on the feet than in your previous matches. You jeopardized yourself more. How was your standup training for that match?
Yahya: Well, I've trained boxing and Muay Thai and I competed in those two arts to reach a better understanding of the standup aspects. In my prior fights, I stepped up with a huge confidence in my BJJ. It helped me in some occasions; in others, it didn't. Because of that I hadn't shown my strikes in the other 14 fights I had. This time I wanted to surprise him because he was waiting for several takedowns or me to pull guard. I was confident in the training that my muay Thai instructor, Rodrigo Aguiar, gave me.
Denis: You hit him very well, and he talked in post-fight interviews about the strikes he felt. Did you realize you could finish him with strikes?
Yahya: I did. He felt a strike at the end of the first round, and I worked to knock him out after that. But we clinched or the round ended; I really don't remember well now.
Denis: Even though you landed good strikes, he dominated most of the fight on the feet. Why didn't you try to take him down?
Yahya: I tried the ground fight on a few occasions, sometimes with takedown attempts and other times trying to pull to my guard to sink a heelhook or an ankle lock. He defended well. He was very well prepared.
Denis: The outcome of that fight was controversial because fans weren't certain if soccer kicks were allowed. So are they or not?
Yahya: They weren't. He waited until the referee raised his arm, announcing he was the winner, and then he left the ring quickly to not be disqualified.
Denis: Just like that? Didn't your camp complain?
Yahya: My manager and my master, Ataide Jr., wrote a letter to contest the result. But to tell you the truth, I don't want them to overturn it. In my head this is simple: If I don't make it to the end of the fight, it's because I wasn't the winner. They can give the victory to the other guy because this is not going to change anything in my life. I fight in any type of rules.
Denis: Was the fight stopped by the soccer kicks or by punches?
Yahya: I dropped, a knockdown, and I was trying to grab his leg. So he landed the soccer kicks and the lights turned off.
Denis: What were your main mistakes against Kid?
Yahya: In the moment of the fight, I fought with emotion and I started to put in my aggressiveness. I went after him with combos, and this is extremely dangerous when you face a striker like Kid, like Chuck Liddell (Pictures) for example. Every time I ate a punch it was a counter attack. I was open for the counterpunches. So if I had a chance to fight him again, I'd work on this mistake.
Denis: What was the weight for this match?
Yahya: One hundred thirty six pounds.
Denis: In your last three fights, you changed your weight a lot -- 145 pounds, 136 pounds and now 136 pounds. What's your plan for 2008 regarding weight classes?
Yahya: I never had problems with weight. I'll fight any weight class.
Denis: After you defeated Mark Hominick (Pictures) at WEC 28, it was expected that you would fight for the 145-pound belt against Urijah Faber Because they offered me the 135-pound title match before a fight against Faber.
Denis: Will you balance your fight career in 2008 between MMA and ADCC?
Yahya: I intend to stay only in MMA.
Denis: And regarding the organization? K-1 or WEC?
Yahya: I'm under contract with WEC. I don't have anything signed with K-1 right now.
Denis: Will you keep training in the United States or in Brazil?
Yahya: In both countries. This is to keep a good versatility in training.
Denis: When will we see you in action again?
Yahya: As soon as possible. I have an extra will to fight again. It may happen in WEC or in any other show.
Gary Shaw: Kimbo Slice vs. Sean Gannon II “Possible” in EliteXC
Although Kimbo Slice is focused on his upcoming main-event fight with veteran brawler David “Tank” Abbott, the famed Internet fighter isn’t ruling out a rematch with Sean Gannon — and neither is EliteXC Live Events President Gary Shaw.
Slice (real name: Kevin Ferguson) and Shaw discussed the potential bout during today’s EliteXC media call, which served as a preview for the organization’s February event. “EliteXC Presents Street Certified: Kimbo Slice vs. Tank Abbott” takes place Feb. 16 at the University of Miami’s BankUnited Center and airs on Showtime.
Despite just one professional MMA bout, Slice earned headliner status for the event thanks largely to the fame he developed as a backyard brawler. His fights were recorded and have been widely distributed on the Internet. Even today, the bare-knuckle bouts are some of the most popular clips on video-sharing sites such as YouTube.
While Slice usually dominated his outmatched opponents in these barely-organized events, he finally found his match in Gannon, a Boston police officer and former Gold Gloves champion who answered Slice’s open call for opponents. In a chaotic scene plagued by constant stoppages due to confusion over the predetermined rules, Gannon eventually wore down and defeated Slice to become an instant underground celebrity.
Based largely on that newfound fame from the unsanctioned fight, Gannon earned a contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship — despite just one previous professional MMA fight. In a televised bout at UFC 55, Gannon made his UFC debut and was easily defeated by Branden Lee Hinkle via first-round TKO.
Gannon hasn’t fought professionally since the loss.
However, that won’t keep Shaw from seeking out the fighter.
“If Sean is the one that Kimbo wants… we’ll go out and do everything in our power to make that fight happen,” he said.
Slice is anything but opposed to the idea.
“I want to do that bare-knuckle,” said Slice. “I want that (fight) more than anything.“
EliteXC will have plenty of opportunities to make it happen. The organization has locked up Slice to a long-term deal and has already announced a number of events for the 2008 fight season.
Slice made his professional MMA debut at EliteXC’s “Renegade” show this past November and defeated Bo Cantrell with a 19-second submission via punches.
Other notes from today’s call include:
Although Gina Carano has been scratched from the organization’s Feb. 16 card, Shaw insisted that it was simply a matter of the fighter being too busy due to her “American Gladiators” press and promotional commitments. Carano joined the cast of the NBC show as the gladiator “Crush.” Shaw expects Carano to compete next at the organization’s March 29 event, which features a main event of Frank Shamrock vs. Cung Le.
Although EliteXC decided to host its next show in Florida to capitalize on Slice’s hometown celebrity, Shaw said the organization will likely return to the state for future events. He mentioned AmericanAirlines Arena (Miami), the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino (Hollywood) and the St. Pete Times Forum (Tampa) as possible venues. “Florida is definitely a place where EliteXC will hang its hat,” Shaw said.
EliteXC plans to host an April MMA event in Hawaii. The island state, which has one of the most rabid MMA fan bases anywhere in the world, is home to ICON Sport, one of the MMA’s longest-running promotions. Pro Elite, Inc., EliteXC’s parent company, recently purchased the Hawaiian fight organization.
Tank Abbott is close to finishing his autobiography about being an MMA fighter. During today’s call, he said he’s written 678 pages freehand and is in the process of entering it into a computer. He made no mention of a title, publisher or potential release date but was confident fans would like it. “It’s a real-life ‘Rocky’ story,” he said.
Nick Diaz recently underwent surgery to repair scar tissue around his eye, Shaw said. The organization has “encouraged him to rest” so he can be ready for a return at the organization’s April event in Hawaii. Shaw said that a rematch with K.J. Noons is a possibility.
Shaw downplayed his recent war of words with Dana White but again challenged the UFC president to match his best fighters with EliteXC’s best with winner-takes-all fights. He even offered to put up $1 million for it. Shaw also insisted that EliteXC heavyweight Antonio Silva could defeat “any heavyweight currently in the UFC.“
Although Kimbo Slice is focused on his upcoming main-event fight with veteran brawler David “Tank” Abbott, the famed Internet fighter isn’t ruling out a rematch with Sean Gannon — and neither is EliteXC Live Events President Gary Shaw.
Slice (real name: Kevin Ferguson) and Shaw discussed the potential bout during today’s EliteXC media call, which served as a preview for the organization’s February event. “EliteXC Presents Street Certified: Kimbo Slice vs. Tank Abbott” takes place Feb. 16 at the University of Miami’s BankUnited Center and airs on Showtime.
Despite just one professional MMA bout, Slice earned headliner status for the event thanks largely to the fame he developed as a backyard brawler. His fights were recorded and have been widely distributed on the Internet. Even today, the bare-knuckle bouts are some of the most popular clips on video-sharing sites such as YouTube.
While Slice usually dominated his outmatched opponents in these barely-organized events, he finally found his match in Gannon, a Boston police officer and former Gold Gloves champion who answered Slice’s open call for opponents. In a chaotic scene plagued by constant stoppages due to confusion over the predetermined rules, Gannon eventually wore down and defeated Slice to become an instant underground celebrity.
Based largely on that newfound fame from the unsanctioned fight, Gannon earned a contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship — despite just one previous professional MMA fight. In a televised bout at UFC 55, Gannon made his UFC debut and was easily defeated by Branden Lee Hinkle via first-round TKO.
Gannon hasn’t fought professionally since the loss.
However, that won’t keep Shaw from seeking out the fighter.
“If Sean is the one that Kimbo wants… we’ll go out and do everything in our power to make that fight happen,” he said.
Slice is anything but opposed to the idea.
“I want to do that bare-knuckle,” said Slice. “I want that (fight) more than anything.“
EliteXC will have plenty of opportunities to make it happen. The organization has locked up Slice to a long-term deal and has already announced a number of events for the 2008 fight season.
Slice made his professional MMA debut at EliteXC’s “Renegade” show this past November and defeated Bo Cantrell with a 19-second submission via punches.
Other notes from today’s call include:
Although Gina Carano has been scratched from the organization’s Feb. 16 card, Shaw insisted that it was simply a matter of the fighter being too busy due to her “American Gladiators” press and promotional commitments. Carano joined the cast of the NBC show as the gladiator “Crush.” Shaw expects Carano to compete next at the organization’s March 29 event, which features a main event of Frank Shamrock vs. Cung Le.
Although EliteXC decided to host its next show in Florida to capitalize on Slice’s hometown celebrity, Shaw said the organization will likely return to the state for future events. He mentioned AmericanAirlines Arena (Miami), the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino (Hollywood) and the St. Pete Times Forum (Tampa) as possible venues. “Florida is definitely a place where EliteXC will hang its hat,” Shaw said.
EliteXC plans to host an April MMA event in Hawaii. The island state, which has one of the most rabid MMA fan bases anywhere in the world, is home to ICON Sport, one of the MMA’s longest-running promotions. Pro Elite, Inc., EliteXC’s parent company, recently purchased the Hawaiian fight organization.
Tank Abbott is close to finishing his autobiography about being an MMA fighter. During today’s call, he said he’s written 678 pages freehand and is in the process of entering it into a computer. He made no mention of a title, publisher or potential release date but was confident fans would like it. “It’s a real-life ‘Rocky’ story,” he said.
Nick Diaz recently underwent surgery to repair scar tissue around his eye, Shaw said. The organization has “encouraged him to rest” so he can be ready for a return at the organization’s April event in Hawaii. Shaw said that a rematch with K.J. Noons is a possibility.
Shaw downplayed his recent war of words with Dana White but again challenged the UFC president to match his best fighters with EliteXC’s best with winner-takes-all fights. He even offered to put up $1 million for it. Shaw also insisted that EliteXC heavyweight Antonio Silva could defeat “any heavyweight currently in the UFC.“
EliteXC Signs Heavyweight Prospect Dave “Pee Wee” Herman
Elite Xtreme Combat has signed heavyweight prospect Dave “Pee Wee” Herman (9-0) to a multi-fight contract. The deal could put the Midwest-based fighter on EliteXC’s upcoming Feb. 16 event in Miami, Fla., or a “ShoXC” Showtime broadcast tentatively planned for March.
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) learned of the signing from Herman’s management team.
Herman, a 6-foot-5 250-pounder, has fought almost monthly since turning pro on New Year’s Eve 2006. Fighting primarily for the Indianapolis-based Legends of Fighting organization, the undefeated fighter has posted six of his nine victories via knockout.
The up-and-comer is just 23 years old.
Although Herman has made short work of his opponents — every victory has come in the first round — the level of his competition has been a source of criticism. Six of his nine opponents have records of 0-1 or 0-2, according to most major fighter databases. However, he scored the biggest victory of his career a NAAFS event in Cleveland this past June. There, he defeated Brazilian Andre Mussi (9-6) with a TKO at 3:00 of the first round.
Herman, who trains at Modern Gladiator gym, is represented by the expanding C-4 MMA team (formerly Damage Incorporated), which is co-managed by MMA fighter Tristan Yunker.
Elite Xtreme Combat has signed heavyweight prospect Dave “Pee Wee” Herman (9-0) to a multi-fight contract. The deal could put the Midwest-based fighter on EliteXC’s upcoming Feb. 16 event in Miami, Fla., or a “ShoXC” Showtime broadcast tentatively planned for March.
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) learned of the signing from Herman’s management team.
Herman, a 6-foot-5 250-pounder, has fought almost monthly since turning pro on New Year’s Eve 2006. Fighting primarily for the Indianapolis-based Legends of Fighting organization, the undefeated fighter has posted six of his nine victories via knockout.
The up-and-comer is just 23 years old.
Although Herman has made short work of his opponents — every victory has come in the first round — the level of his competition has been a source of criticism. Six of his nine opponents have records of 0-1 or 0-2, according to most major fighter databases. However, he scored the biggest victory of his career a NAAFS event in Cleveland this past June. There, he defeated Brazilian Andre Mussi (9-6) with a TKO at 3:00 of the first round.
Herman, who trains at Modern Gladiator gym, is represented by the expanding C-4 MMA team (formerly Damage Incorporated), which is co-managed by MMA fighter Tristan Yunker.
gilbert melendez vs josh thompson is off now
An anticipated Strikeforce lightweight title match between incumbent Gilbert Melendez and challenger Josh Thomson that was expected to have taken place on the undercard of the Frank Shamrock vs. Cung Le main event on March 29, is now off.
The report comes from Sherdog.com's Josh Gross, who indicates that the match was scratched after Thomson sustained an injury while training with "Razor" Rob McCullough at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif.
Apparently the shoulder had been previously injured and Thomson suffered a separation. The severity of the injury is not yet known but Gross reports that Thomson will undergo surgery on Thursday.
Melendez is still expected to fight on the card, against an unnamed challenger. He will attempt to rebound from his first career loss during last month's Yarrenoka! card in Japan where Melendez lost a unanimous decision to Mitsuhiro Ishida.
For Thomson, the development has to come as a disappointment after winning six consecutive fights. He has not lost since losing a unanimous decision to Clay Guida in a Strikeforce bout in March of 2006.
The undercard for the Strikeforce/EliteXC co-promoted card on March 10 is expected to include two bouts comprised of EliteXC contracted fighters as well as two bouts comprised of Strikeforce contracted fighters. A EliteXC vs. Strikeforce match is believed to be a possibility as well.
Aside from Shamrock, Le, and Melendez, no other fighters have been attached to the rumored card, however, Murilo "Ninja" Rua indicated in a recent interview that his next fight for EliteXC will be in March.
An anticipated Strikeforce lightweight title match between incumbent Gilbert Melendez and challenger Josh Thomson that was expected to have taken place on the undercard of the Frank Shamrock vs. Cung Le main event on March 29, is now off.
The report comes from Sherdog.com's Josh Gross, who indicates that the match was scratched after Thomson sustained an injury while training with "Razor" Rob McCullough at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif.
Apparently the shoulder had been previously injured and Thomson suffered a separation. The severity of the injury is not yet known but Gross reports that Thomson will undergo surgery on Thursday.
Melendez is still expected to fight on the card, against an unnamed challenger. He will attempt to rebound from his first career loss during last month's Yarrenoka! card in Japan where Melendez lost a unanimous decision to Mitsuhiro Ishida.
For Thomson, the development has to come as a disappointment after winning six consecutive fights. He has not lost since losing a unanimous decision to Clay Guida in a Strikeforce bout in March of 2006.
The undercard for the Strikeforce/EliteXC co-promoted card on March 10 is expected to include two bouts comprised of EliteXC contracted fighters as well as two bouts comprised of Strikeforce contracted fighters. A EliteXC vs. Strikeforce match is believed to be a possibility as well.
Aside from Shamrock, Le, and Melendez, no other fighters have been attached to the rumored card, however, Murilo "Ninja" Rua indicated in a recent interview that his next fight for EliteXC will be in March.
CONFERENCE CALL QUOTES
KIMBO SLICE & TANK ABBOTT,
PROMOTER GARY SHAW
In a long-awaited, much-anticipated grudge match that figures to be an absolute slugfest, the incredibly popular pride of Perrine, Fla., and hometown hero, Kimbo Slice, will face David “Tank’’ Abbott, of Huntington Beach, Calif., in the main event Saturday, Feb. 16, on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast).
It will be the second professional MMA fight for Kimbo, the legendary Internet street fighter and YouTube sensation who scored a smashing 19-second, first-round knockout in his Street-to-Elite debut. “With these hands I can part the sea. With these hands I feed the family,’’ Kimbo said.
Tank, of Huntington Beach, Calif., is a feared knockout artist and notorious bad boy and trash-talker. A veteran who has never turned down a fight, Tank has called out Kimbo on numerous occasions, including after Kimbo’s EliteXC and MMA debut in November. Tank is supremely confident he will send home Kimbo and his fans unhappy.
Tickets for a spectacular 10-bout event start at $35 and will be available at all Ticketmaster locations, online at www.ticketmaster.com and at the BankUnited Box Office at the University of Miami.
Opening Comments:
SHAW: Thank you for being on this conference call with me, with Kimbo and the Huntington Beach (Calif.) Bad Boy, Tank Abbott. We also have Ken Hershman from SHOWTIME with us.
This is going to be a great, great event in Florida on Feb. 16.
I want to thank Ken, and I want to thank SHOWTIME for putting this on the air on premium cable. It was originally scheduled to be on pay‑per‑view. But thanks to Kimbo and Tank … it's not all about ripping off fans, it's about giving the fans some great fights on television.
We're really excited about this card. Besides Kimbo and Tank, we have Antonio “Big Foot’’ Silva, who I believe may be the best heavyweight in the world. Kimbo tells me that's not so, but that time will come for him as well. Kimbo’s got a big fight. He's got to get past Tank Abbott with a big reputation and a big punch.
We're really, really excited about this event. It's going to be a great promotion. It's at the BankUnited Center at the University of Miami. Doors will open at 6 p.m. (ET), fights will go on at 7 p.m.
Tickets are from $35 up to $700. I appreciate everyone being on the call. I'm going to turn it over to Kimbo to say a few words. Then I'm going to turn it over to Tank to say a few words, and we'll get right to your questions.
It is my pleasure at this time to not only bring up the YouTube internet sensation, but the guy that went from the streets to Elite. Two guys that are not only cage tested, but they're street certified, (first) Kimbo Slice.
KIMBO: What's up?
SHAW: Tell them whatever you want.
KIMBO: That's it.
SHAW: That's it. I hope you heard that, Tank. He said that's it for you and the reporters. So, Tank, take it away.
TANK: I'll tell you what's up. Kimbo's going to be on his back. This fight is going to last about as long as his interview opening did. ‘What's up’ is about how long it's going to take for him to end up on his back knocked out.
KIMBO: Did you have a 6‑pack or 12‑pack before you said something?
TANK: I don't drink beer. I can afford vodka.
KIMBO: OK, even better
SHAW: Tank, do you honestly believe you're going to knock Kimbo out?
TANK: I don't see it going any other way. I can do anything I want to him, but what fun is that? I like to knock people out.
SHAW: Do you think it's a short fight or do you think it's going to take a couple of rounds?
TANK: Doesn't matter. I can go 15 minutes holding my breath standing on my head. So it could be the 14th minute or the first minute, whenever he runs into one.
SHAW: How do you feel about fighting in Kimbo's hometown?
TANK: I kind of like that. I don't like beating up people in my hometown. I like to go to their hometown, so they can see what they're all about.
KIMBO: You better wear a pad with that cup, because I'm going to have you (blanking) blood, homie.
TANK: That sounds good. That's what it's all about.
QUESTION: Kimbo, what's it feel like to be fighting in your hometown in a sanctioned fight in front of what figures to be a sellout crowd on a SHOWTIME telecast that begins at 10 p.m.?
KIMBO: It's going to be different for me. I'm cool with it and I'm comfortable with it. I'm comfortable at the crib, so I'm looking forward to it.
QUESTION: Tank, how did you get your nickname?
TANK: When I was stomping around in the streets, they didn't have anything such as an MMA or cage fighting or anything like that. I showed up at the steps of the Ultimate Fighting and said, ‘Hey, I want to fight.’ And they said you have to be a black belt or something like that.
I said I just got out of jail for beating somebody up, in fact, a cop's son. Isn't this supposed to be about fighting? And they said, yeah, but you've got to have some kind of a black belt or something. And I said that's not what I'm about. I'm about fighting in the streets.
They called me a couple days later and said we came up with this thing called Tank Abbott. It's from the “Every Which Way But Loose’’ movie from Clint Eastwood. There is a guy in there, who’s a street fighting legend by the name of Tank Murdock, and Clint went and fought him.
But that's where the Tank came from. I've been stomping the streets for a long time. I tell you one thing, if Kimbo was back in my era, stomping around Orange County, Calif., he would have been long gone a long time ago.
KIMBO: So you didn't earn your name, your name was given to you out of grace?
TANK: Everybody gets their name given to them. I guess it's earned if you're a street fighting legend and you're a Tank. I guess somebody does give it to you.
QUESTION: Tank, you fought some of the best people in the world in their prime. What level of fighter do you think Kimbo is?
TANK: I will give him his props. Kimbo goes out there, he's tough, he's got (guts) and he's got heart. Those are things you can't teach. But I've been swinging around wrestling rooms for over 30 years and I've been in boxing gyms for over 20, and I've been in the street a lot longer than that. You can never tell. All you can say is that Kimbo is a tough man as far as his heart and his (guts) and his mind, but I don't know how polished he is. So I can't give you an answer on that one.
QUESTION: Kimbo, do you want to comment on that? You're newer to mixed martial arts as an organized sport, even though you have the street fighting background so why do you think you're ready to take on somebody like Tank who has been around and been in with the best for so long?
KIMBO: I'll take on anybody. Everybody says I'm the new kid on the block or whatever. But it's the era. Being street certified mixed with MMA, Tae Kwon Do, Jiu-Jitsu, kickboxing and wrestling. You combine that and you're going to have a type of fighter like myself. I'm not one‑dimensional. Whatever anybody wants to do, I'm down to do. You want to take it to the ground, let's take it to the ground. You want to stand up, let's stand up. I'm down for that. That's my thing, that's what I'm about. That's how I live. That's my life. I don't even see Tank. I'm seeing through him.
TANK: See, that's the kind of thing I'm talking about. Those are the kind of things you can't learn. That's not technique, that's why I can't wait to step in the ring with him.
QUESTION: Tank, do you expect this fight to go out of the first round?
TANK: I don't have any expectations; I don't know about Kimbo.
QUESTION: Kimbo, any expectations in how long you think this is going to go?
KIMBO: No, I don't have any either.
QUESTION: Is there any possibility, has it entered your mind, that Abbott has simply too much experience for you?
KIMBO: I kind of look at it like a chick that does porn. Just because she did 100 porn scenes, that doesn't mean I'm going to be afraid to [be with] her. I'm going to still get that [girl]. That's how I look at it.
QUESTION: Tank, you fought twice in 2007, once in 2006 and twice in 2005: When you're not fighting, what do you do?
TANK: My hobby is drinking. I like to have as much fun as I can. When I'm training, I train. But I like to have fun also. I like to hang out at the bars and write the book that I'm doing.
QUESTION: You're doing a book right now?
TANK: I've already got it written. It's about 676 pages. I'm pecking away on it, putting it on a computer. It's got some good stuff in it. It's about my days when I was stomping in the streets about 12, 13, 14 years ago when the whole MMA scene came about.
QUESTION: Tank, was your era on the streets so much tougher than Kimbo’s?
TANK: Because there was no referee and there were no people walking around watching it. When you entered into a fight you assumed the risk to die. You didn't have to worry about somebody as a referee stepping in and saving it. Like I said, I've got well over 200 street fights under my belt.
QUESTION: Your response to that, Kimbo?
KIMBO: I was smelling chicken and looking at the food. I wasn't paying Tank any attention.
QUESTION: Gary, Gina Carano was originally supposed to be on the card. She dropped off. Can you tell us what happened as far as her participation in this show?
SHAW: Sure, we wanted her to be on the show. She was training for American Gladiators, and at this point she wasn't ready to compete on this date.
QUESTION: Is there any concern on your end as far as her other activities interfering with her fight career? Is that something you've talked to her about?
SHAW: No, we have a long‑term contract with Gina. It was a great opportunity for her to be on “American Gladiators’’ and be “Crush,’’ and I think it will help her career. As soon as they're done with all the meetings they have to do, all the PR appearances -- she was just on "The Today Show" two days ago -- she'll be ready to fight.
She wasn't ready in February. Hopefully, she'll be ready for our big March 29 card in San Jose.
QUESTION: Gary, a question (regarding) the back and forth you've had with Dana White, the conversation you had and then he had with Yahoo Sports. Have you had a chance to read that commentary from Dana, and do you have any other reaction to him?
SHAW: Look, no, truthfully I haven't read it. Though a lot of people have called me (about it). All I'm saying is, and I've said it all along, there is a differentiator. If you fight for the UFC, you can't be bigger than Dana White and the UFC. If you fight for EliteXC, as a fighter, you're bigger than Gary Shaw. It's about the fighter. It's not about me. Whether it's Kimbo, who was signed to us, or any other fighter, I believe we represent some of the greatest fighters in the world. I believe that Antonio “Big Foot” Silva could knock out any heavyweight in the UFC.
Now, I'm not disparaging the UFC. They have some great fighters and great fights. They have a good brand. They do a good job marketing their brand, but they don't own MMA. They don't own the space. They have a brand. You know what, if you hold up the belt there, all you are is the club champion. Until Dana White is willing to fight his fighters against other brands, all they are club champions.
I extend the challenge and always have ‑ it's like Kimbo, you want to fight him? Call us up, you can come in the cage and fight him. You want to fight Jake Shields, fight Jake Shields. We're proud of the people we represent. Robbie Lawler, I could go down the whole roster.
But for Dana White to try to convince the fans that he owns all of the best fighters in the world? To say that this is just a starting point for fighters and then they're going to go to UFC? He is full of (poop). Let him fight our fighters.
I’ll tell you what, let's do some fights winner‑take‑all. Let's put up a million dollars purse. Let's pick a weight. Let's really get it on for the fans. When he's ready to do that, then give me a call.
QUESTION: Kimbo, your last fight out you finished it so quickly we didn't get to see a whole lot. Are you looking forward to showing everybody your ground skills and what you've been working on?
KIMBO: Yes, I'm dying for that. I'm dying to get the opportunity to show off a little stuff. I've got a lot of tools in my arsenal now. I'm not afraid to use them. I'm getting to the point where it's second nature. I'm just excited to be where I am, to get to bang‑up Tank and make a good future and a good name for myself.
QUESTION: Kimbo, what does it mean to have your second fight in EliteXC take place in your backyard where the fans are going to be going crazy for you?
KIMBO: It's exciting. But I'm not letting it get to me because I've got a bigger fish to fry.
QUESTION: Kimbo, how has the transition been going from street fighting to MMA, coupled with your rising popularity, gone for you?
KIMBO: It's really hard. It's more skilled fighters and better fighters. I'm proving myself now, because people feel like the guys that I fought were pretty much nobody's. But you never know what another guy has. You never know what type of skill the next man has. If a guy's willing to fight you, that says a lot. He's sure about himself. You can't take that from anybody. Like every fight, the best man's going to win. Whoever trains the hardest and wants it more is going to win. That's what it's about for me.
QUESTION: Kimbo, where did you get your nickname?
KIMBO: Kimbo has been my name since I was a kid. That's my child given name. Slice was an internet given name from my very first fight. And Slice was a given name I earned from the streets.
TANK: So they gave that to you?
KIMBO: It was earned.
QUESTION: Gary, why did EliteXC decide to go to Florida for this event? Was it specifically because of Kimbo being from there? Could Florida be a frequent stop for you guys?
SHAW: Great question. Let me try to tell you why I went to Florida: K-I-M-B-O. I believe that Kimbo's going to be a giant, giant star -- although I know Tank Abbott feels differently and feels that he's going to be the one with the success.
I thought Florida was a natural place. We looked at several different locations in Florida. I wanted to stay near where Kimbo's home and home base is. The University of Miami has a great arena. It's the right size. I think Florida is a hot bed for MMA from Tampa, St. Petersburg all the way down. I just thought it was the right venue at the right time. SHOWTIME agreed it was the right venue at the right time, and that's how we wound up there.
If we draw well enough, we'll be back. We expect a sellout crowd. We're looking at the American Airlines Arena as well for another fight. We've also looked at the Hard Rock and the St. Pete Times Forum. Florida is a place that EliteXC is going to hang their hat, absolutely.
QUESTION: Kimbo, you said that you're looking through Tank. Does that mean you're looking forward to your next match after him?
KIMBO: Yeah, pretty much. I'm preparing for whatever. I've trained for Tank a long time, preparing for his style. I know just the type of fighter he is: aggressive, hitting hard and just coming at you. I've trained well for that. I'm pretty much prepared to take Tank out. I'm going to change my name from Kimbo to Blackhawk because only a Blackhawk chopper can destroy a Tank.
QUESTION: If you're looking past Tank, is Sean Gannon possibly one of the guys you're looking at?
KIMBO: Who? Sean Gannon? Is that even an option?
SHAW: Anything you want to do is an option.
KIMBO: I'm down for that. I want to do that bare knuckle. That fight's owed to me. I want that more than anything.
SHAW: Yes, it is a possibility. One thing that I like about this fight, it went from just an MMA fight to being personal. The reason this fight got made so quickly is Kimbo said that ‘I want Tank. I trained for a pay‑per‑view fight, I want that fight back.’ If Sean is the one that Kimbo wants and there is a score to be settled ‑‑ then we'll go out as a company that represents Kimbo and we'll do everything in our power to make that fight. But you know my career in boxing. I think Kimbo knows this better than anybody, and I'm sure Tank knows this as an ultimate professional. You better take care of business on Feb. 16.
QUESTION: Is Tank signed beyond this fight?
SHAW: Yes, we have options on Tank.
QUESTION: Tank, didn't you call Kimbo out after his fight in Atlantic City?
TANK: I don't know if you'd call that a fight. But, yeah, that's what it's all about. Like I said, he's a street warrior, I'm a street warrior. It's a matter of time before we meet up. I was ready to meet up right then and there. But as it is, we're going to meet up with SHOWTIME and EliteXC in Miami on Feb. 16.
QUESTION: How much had you heard of Kimbo before the fight in Atlantic City with Ray Mercer?
TANK: Not that much. I think his name came up a couple of times. I checked him out on the internet for maybe something that lasted 20 seconds, and then I went to the bar.
QUESTION: Have you been impressed with anything you've seen from Kimbo in either of his two fights?
TANK: I haven't really seen his last fight. The fight with Mercer, I mean, not really.
QUESTION: You’ve both been in lots of street fights, some for money. How did you manage that? Who kept that under control for people to get paid after it was done?
KIMBO: I'll pass on that.
TANK: One time I had this guy who wanted to fight, and he was crying about the money. I said we can fight in a warehouse. He said who is going to hold the money, this is going to turn into a circus. I said, ‘you show me your money, I'll show you mine. You put it in the front pocket, after I knock you out, I'll take it.’ He didn't show up.
QUESTION: Kimbo, you’re in a movie called "Blood and Bone.’’ Can you tell us anything about it?
KIMBO: What do you want to know?
QUESTION: What is your role in it? How was the experience?
KIMBO: It was cool. The experience was OK. I got my SAG card.
QUESTION: Gary, Tank and Kimbo were supposed to happen last year in Atlantic City, and it fell through and disappointed a lot of people. Last weekend, we had Rico Rodriguez versus Mike Howell that was signed and not delivered. Is it an interest of yours, and will you potentially pick up this fight of interest?
SHAW: I don't know if it's a fight that we pick up. But we currently have Rico Rodriguez. He is signed to our brand. He's a fighter that we would definitely use. He's on our radar, for sure. It's unfortunate that card went under. People don't realize how many cards fail in the MMA world due to different things. I'm proud that every EliteXC card that we've ever said we'd put on we do put on. But, yes, there were fighters on that card we'd be very interested in. Maybe some who were in this office yesterday.
QUESTION: Other than the UFC, you're the only other promoter in MMA history to have Tank Abbott and Ken Shamrock under the same promotional banner at the same time. Their rivalry dates back years and it is well publicized. You like to have ‘personal’ fights for your shows. Are you planning a fight between the two of them?
SHAW: If it's personal, it will go. As long as there are real personal rivalries and real fights, and we can give the SHOWTIME audience real fights. You know, Tank, I have a lot of respect for you; taking on Ken and Kimbo in the same call.
TANK: It's safe from a phone distance, right? Sounds like most of the guys in the MMA will. But I'll step up.
SHAW: We know you'll step up and that's why you're going on SHOWTIME against Kimbo. The same reason I put you in against Ken and also put Kimbo in against Ken.
TANK: Sounds good.
SHAW: Maybe eventually you and Kimbo can face Frank and Ken in a tag team match.
TANK: Now you're talking.
SHAW: There you go.
QUESTION: Tank, not to take away from your fight with Kimbo, but you and Ken had a lot of heat in the past. Has it cooled off? Is this guy still your nemesis? Do you still want this one?
TANK: Ken is the antithesis of me. You run around and show your legs and act like you're a superstar, when all you are is a clown. I like to go out and fight and I really don't care. I don't need everything to be right or wrong or just perfect. I don't need to walk around like I'm a superstar. I'm just myself when I cruise around. I don't need to make waves.
He's the kind of guy that would go into a restaurant and say, ‘Do you know who I am? Go tell the person that I'm here.’ I just hide in the back and don't care.
QUESTION: Tank, can you speak about Kimbo’s internet legacy?
TANK: Believe it or not, I don't have a computer. Actually, I got one for my book, but I'm not hooked up to the internet. So I really don't follow that stuff. Most of the people on the internet are a bunch of bozos that want to talk a bunch of smack. Probably if you could reach through the internet lines, you'd find a 16‑year‑old kid that hasn't been able to shave and he's telling you, hey, I can beat you up.
QUESTION: With Tank you're facing a guy, a legendary pioneer in the sport of MMA, original UFC bad boy. What does the fight with him mean to you?
KIMBO: It means a whole lot to me. Unlike him, I've been watching Tank since I was a shorty. It sparked my interest from growing up banging from that time. So to fight a guy like him means a lot to me. That's why I can't lose and I won't lose. Losing is not an option, especially to Tank. Beating Tank means a whole lot to me, and I'm looking forward to this fight.
I just think Feb. 16 is a tad bit too long. But I've got to be patient. I've waited this long, you know, it's all good.
TANK: Sounds like (when) Cabbage (Correira said) I (was going) to pass the torch off to him. Only thing I'm passing off to Kimbo is a knockout.
KIMBO: I ain't Cabbage, I'm Kimbo.
TANK: Who are you?
SHAW: Maybe you guys want to fight tonight?
KIMBO: I'm down for that.
QUESTION: This year, EliteXC has announced three shows so far and a lot more planned. Can you tell us what your philosophy is and your view is in positioning EliteXC?
SHAW: I know we'll be profitable because my mother and father are backing me. But on a serious note, EliteXC is all about the fighter. It's a fighter‑friendly company. We care about the safety and welfare of every fighter that we represent. We have, probably, the biggest mixed martial arts library in the world today. We have several brands around the country. We have a huge internet play that is an important part of the company that works for the fighters and works for the fans.
We have a contract with SHOWTIME where we'll have roughly 14 fights on SHOWTIME, and millions of eyes this year. We have King of the Cage, a brand in the United States, probably doing more fights than any other brand in the United States. We'll do over 40 fights. And Cage Rage in England, and Icon and Rumble World, and Spirit MC, which will allow us, like on our Jan. 25 fight card, to bring Paul Daley from England and put him on SHOWTIME in the U.S.
It will give us an opportunity to bring Kimbo this year over to England to fight in front of all those fans, and for them to get to see, feel, smell and touch him and see how real he is. We have a lot of opportunities. We’re growing every day. We're really excited. We think we bring the best fights. I believe we put on exciting events for the fans. We're event friendly in the arena. We’re on TV and get the eyeballs that watch our fights. A lot of people said a lot of nasty things last year about us and never thought we were going to really get off the ground. But this rocket ship launched.
The one thing we promised was we'd give the fans real fights. One thing I'm really proud of is that I represent real fighters that will fight anybody in the world. It's not ‘well, I don't want to fight him. Give me two fights, three fights before I fight him.’ The fighters we represent just want to fight. For that, I'm proud of the people that we represent.
The eyeballs on SHOWTIME that have watched our fights have seen great fights, exciting fights. Nick Diaz against KJ (Noons), KJ against “Krazy Horse’’ (Charles Bennett), Kimbo's quick demolition in the last show, the coming of age of Gina Carano. We haven't even shown Robbie Lawler that much. There is so much. “Big Foot’’ Silva, I keep saying, I believe he's the single best heavyweight in the world today. The fans are going to get to see all these fighters, not to mention all the other fighters that we have coming. They're beginning to be exposed to new and young fighters. So thank you for your question.
QUESTION: When you raise the issue of being fighter friendly, do you think things like the UFC's lawsuit against Randy Couture is going to hurt them? And do you also see the need to bring MMA contracts in line with what is required in boxing by the Muhammad Ali Act?
SHAW: Let me comment. First of all, I won't comment on other people's lawsuits. So the Randy Couture-UFC lawsuit, that is something they'll have to battle out in the media and in the court room.
When I say we're fighter friendly, you can ask any fighter that's either won or lost in one of our shows, and they'll tell you what it is like to fight for EliteXC. How we take care of them, how we care about them before the fight, during the fight, after the fight. This is a fighter‑friendly company.
As far as contracts go, I don't discuss contracts. But we're basically in line with the Muhammad Ali law. We don't sign anybody for 20‑year contracts. We don't have any slaves, no indentured servitude here. Fighters fight for us because they want to fight for us because we treat them well.
I invite you, and any reporter to certainly go to any fighter that's fought for us and ask how we fight them. We treat them like the world champions that we believe all fighters are.
QUESTION: Tank, what weight are you at now and who are you training with for Kimbo?
TANK: I fluctuate between 261 and 67.
QUESTION: What camp or group are you training with now?
TANK: I just got my old friends that I've known for a long time and bang around with them. It's not really a camp or a team or anything. It's just buddies I've been banging with for a long time.
QUESTION: Gary, is a Ken Shamrock versus Kimbo a match in the future?
SHAW: Kimbo has a fight Feb. 16. Ken Shamrock's got a fight March 8. So why don't you ask me that question on March 9.
QUESTION: What weight is Ken going to be fighting at the Cage Rage event?
SHAW: I don't know. Right now I'm told by one of the fight team members it's unspecified. But if you email me, I'll be more than happy to give you the contract weight.
QUESTION: When are your plans to have Nick Diaz fight again for EliteXC?
SHAW: I think he's fighting on the April 26 card we're planning in Hawaii.
QUESTION: Is there any opponent decided yet?
SHAW: No, not really. But eventually we want to give him another shot at KJ Noons. He gave KJ Noons a shot. But not right back.
He's had surgery on his eye to repair all that scar tissue, and I think that Nick needed a rest. He’s doing the right thing for Nick right now. And we've encouraged him to rest as well.
I keep talking about Antonio Silva, and he's going to be fighting Gary Turner from England on Feb. 16. That should be a real exciting fight.
Gary fights for the Cage Rage brand. At first we said maybe you don't want to take this type of fight. He said, ‘no, I want the fight.’ He emailed us, and asked for the fight. Those are the type of fights we like to put on.
We have Yves Edwards from Texas. He's fighting Edison Berto, who is the brother of professional boxer Andre Berto. That should be another great fight as will James Thompson against Brett Rogers and Scott Smith against Kyle Noke. As you know Kyle Noke, who was the bodyguard for the “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin, is signed with us. He had a great win in his last fight, and he'll be back.
Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't talk about “Krazy Horse.’’ He is going to be opening the show. You've got two real street guys. In this one you have three. You have “Krazy Horse,’’ Tank and Kimbo. And hence the name Street Certified. The real name of this whole fight is “Cage Tested, Street Certified,” so we're excited.
(In the future), you're going to see a new young star that we think we have in Eric Bradley, who was a wrestler in college, a great wrestler in Pennsylvania and a Golden Gloves boxer. That's a new name we're bringing along that I think the fans are really going to be excited about. He is a good looking kid with an exciting style.
QUESTION: Tank, is there anything you can tell us about your book? Is it an autobiography? What is in the 600‑plus pages?
TANK: My book leads up to the 18 months where I went to jail for beating up a cop's son. Then I got out of jail and fought in the UFC. It is kind of a real‑life Rocky story.
QUESTION: Has the final chapter been written yet?
TANK: It's only 18. It ended 12 years ago, so that means there's more.
QUESTION: Gary, you mentioned Gary Turner, heavyweight contender over at Cage Rage, fighting Antonio Silva, who is currently recognized as the heavyweight champion of Cage Rage. Will that be a title fight?
SHAW: Yes. Yes, it will be. Let me just comment on title fights, non‑title fights. I'm a fan of fighting, as long as two guys get in and fight, that's good enough for me. All my friends are champions.
KIMBO: I'm just staying tuned. Be ready to check me out on Feb. 16.
QUESTION: Kimbo, after your last fight when you resumed training, was it a continuation of what you had been working on? Are you continuing to learn different things? We know you want to showcase all the skills you say you possess. How did it play out right after that last fight as far as training?
KIMBO: We picked up where we left off and added more new stuff into my arsenal.
TANK: I'm looking forward to this Feb. 16 fight. Like I said earlier Kimbo's got (guts), heart and the street mentality. I can't wait to lay my ears back and get down with him. It's going to be fun for me. It's going to be a long night for Kimbo and a short one for me. But I can't wait. I wake up every morning and start laughing because I wish it was already Feb. 16.
It's not often you get to get in the cage and fight a guy that's got the street warrior to him, and I kind of look forward to that.
KIMBO SLICE & TANK ABBOTT,
PROMOTER GARY SHAW
In a long-awaited, much-anticipated grudge match that figures to be an absolute slugfest, the incredibly popular pride of Perrine, Fla., and hometown hero, Kimbo Slice, will face David “Tank’’ Abbott, of Huntington Beach, Calif., in the main event Saturday, Feb. 16, on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast).
It will be the second professional MMA fight for Kimbo, the legendary Internet street fighter and YouTube sensation who scored a smashing 19-second, first-round knockout in his Street-to-Elite debut. “With these hands I can part the sea. With these hands I feed the family,’’ Kimbo said.
Tank, of Huntington Beach, Calif., is a feared knockout artist and notorious bad boy and trash-talker. A veteran who has never turned down a fight, Tank has called out Kimbo on numerous occasions, including after Kimbo’s EliteXC and MMA debut in November. Tank is supremely confident he will send home Kimbo and his fans unhappy.
Tickets for a spectacular 10-bout event start at $35 and will be available at all Ticketmaster locations, online at www.ticketmaster.com and at the BankUnited Box Office at the University of Miami.
Opening Comments:
SHAW: Thank you for being on this conference call with me, with Kimbo and the Huntington Beach (Calif.) Bad Boy, Tank Abbott. We also have Ken Hershman from SHOWTIME with us.
This is going to be a great, great event in Florida on Feb. 16.
I want to thank Ken, and I want to thank SHOWTIME for putting this on the air on premium cable. It was originally scheduled to be on pay‑per‑view. But thanks to Kimbo and Tank … it's not all about ripping off fans, it's about giving the fans some great fights on television.
We're really excited about this card. Besides Kimbo and Tank, we have Antonio “Big Foot’’ Silva, who I believe may be the best heavyweight in the world. Kimbo tells me that's not so, but that time will come for him as well. Kimbo’s got a big fight. He's got to get past Tank Abbott with a big reputation and a big punch.
We're really, really excited about this event. It's going to be a great promotion. It's at the BankUnited Center at the University of Miami. Doors will open at 6 p.m. (ET), fights will go on at 7 p.m.
Tickets are from $35 up to $700. I appreciate everyone being on the call. I'm going to turn it over to Kimbo to say a few words. Then I'm going to turn it over to Tank to say a few words, and we'll get right to your questions.
It is my pleasure at this time to not only bring up the YouTube internet sensation, but the guy that went from the streets to Elite. Two guys that are not only cage tested, but they're street certified, (first) Kimbo Slice.
KIMBO: What's up?
SHAW: Tell them whatever you want.
KIMBO: That's it.
SHAW: That's it. I hope you heard that, Tank. He said that's it for you and the reporters. So, Tank, take it away.
TANK: I'll tell you what's up. Kimbo's going to be on his back. This fight is going to last about as long as his interview opening did. ‘What's up’ is about how long it's going to take for him to end up on his back knocked out.
KIMBO: Did you have a 6‑pack or 12‑pack before you said something?
TANK: I don't drink beer. I can afford vodka.
KIMBO: OK, even better
SHAW: Tank, do you honestly believe you're going to knock Kimbo out?
TANK: I don't see it going any other way. I can do anything I want to him, but what fun is that? I like to knock people out.
SHAW: Do you think it's a short fight or do you think it's going to take a couple of rounds?
TANK: Doesn't matter. I can go 15 minutes holding my breath standing on my head. So it could be the 14th minute or the first minute, whenever he runs into one.
SHAW: How do you feel about fighting in Kimbo's hometown?
TANK: I kind of like that. I don't like beating up people in my hometown. I like to go to their hometown, so they can see what they're all about.
KIMBO: You better wear a pad with that cup, because I'm going to have you (blanking) blood, homie.
TANK: That sounds good. That's what it's all about.
QUESTION: Kimbo, what's it feel like to be fighting in your hometown in a sanctioned fight in front of what figures to be a sellout crowd on a SHOWTIME telecast that begins at 10 p.m.?
KIMBO: It's going to be different for me. I'm cool with it and I'm comfortable with it. I'm comfortable at the crib, so I'm looking forward to it.
QUESTION: Tank, how did you get your nickname?
TANK: When I was stomping around in the streets, they didn't have anything such as an MMA or cage fighting or anything like that. I showed up at the steps of the Ultimate Fighting and said, ‘Hey, I want to fight.’ And they said you have to be a black belt or something like that.
I said I just got out of jail for beating somebody up, in fact, a cop's son. Isn't this supposed to be about fighting? And they said, yeah, but you've got to have some kind of a black belt or something. And I said that's not what I'm about. I'm about fighting in the streets.
They called me a couple days later and said we came up with this thing called Tank Abbott. It's from the “Every Which Way But Loose’’ movie from Clint Eastwood. There is a guy in there, who’s a street fighting legend by the name of Tank Murdock, and Clint went and fought him.
But that's where the Tank came from. I've been stomping the streets for a long time. I tell you one thing, if Kimbo was back in my era, stomping around Orange County, Calif., he would have been long gone a long time ago.
KIMBO: So you didn't earn your name, your name was given to you out of grace?
TANK: Everybody gets their name given to them. I guess it's earned if you're a street fighting legend and you're a Tank. I guess somebody does give it to you.
QUESTION: Tank, you fought some of the best people in the world in their prime. What level of fighter do you think Kimbo is?
TANK: I will give him his props. Kimbo goes out there, he's tough, he's got (guts) and he's got heart. Those are things you can't teach. But I've been swinging around wrestling rooms for over 30 years and I've been in boxing gyms for over 20, and I've been in the street a lot longer than that. You can never tell. All you can say is that Kimbo is a tough man as far as his heart and his (guts) and his mind, but I don't know how polished he is. So I can't give you an answer on that one.
QUESTION: Kimbo, do you want to comment on that? You're newer to mixed martial arts as an organized sport, even though you have the street fighting background so why do you think you're ready to take on somebody like Tank who has been around and been in with the best for so long?
KIMBO: I'll take on anybody. Everybody says I'm the new kid on the block or whatever. But it's the era. Being street certified mixed with MMA, Tae Kwon Do, Jiu-Jitsu, kickboxing and wrestling. You combine that and you're going to have a type of fighter like myself. I'm not one‑dimensional. Whatever anybody wants to do, I'm down to do. You want to take it to the ground, let's take it to the ground. You want to stand up, let's stand up. I'm down for that. That's my thing, that's what I'm about. That's how I live. That's my life. I don't even see Tank. I'm seeing through him.
TANK: See, that's the kind of thing I'm talking about. Those are the kind of things you can't learn. That's not technique, that's why I can't wait to step in the ring with him.
QUESTION: Tank, do you expect this fight to go out of the first round?
TANK: I don't have any expectations; I don't know about Kimbo.
QUESTION: Kimbo, any expectations in how long you think this is going to go?
KIMBO: No, I don't have any either.
QUESTION: Is there any possibility, has it entered your mind, that Abbott has simply too much experience for you?
KIMBO: I kind of look at it like a chick that does porn. Just because she did 100 porn scenes, that doesn't mean I'm going to be afraid to [be with] her. I'm going to still get that [girl]. That's how I look at it.
QUESTION: Tank, you fought twice in 2007, once in 2006 and twice in 2005: When you're not fighting, what do you do?
TANK: My hobby is drinking. I like to have as much fun as I can. When I'm training, I train. But I like to have fun also. I like to hang out at the bars and write the book that I'm doing.
QUESTION: You're doing a book right now?
TANK: I've already got it written. It's about 676 pages. I'm pecking away on it, putting it on a computer. It's got some good stuff in it. It's about my days when I was stomping in the streets about 12, 13, 14 years ago when the whole MMA scene came about.
QUESTION: Tank, was your era on the streets so much tougher than Kimbo’s?
TANK: Because there was no referee and there were no people walking around watching it. When you entered into a fight you assumed the risk to die. You didn't have to worry about somebody as a referee stepping in and saving it. Like I said, I've got well over 200 street fights under my belt.
QUESTION: Your response to that, Kimbo?
KIMBO: I was smelling chicken and looking at the food. I wasn't paying Tank any attention.
QUESTION: Gary, Gina Carano was originally supposed to be on the card. She dropped off. Can you tell us what happened as far as her participation in this show?
SHAW: Sure, we wanted her to be on the show. She was training for American Gladiators, and at this point she wasn't ready to compete on this date.
QUESTION: Is there any concern on your end as far as her other activities interfering with her fight career? Is that something you've talked to her about?
SHAW: No, we have a long‑term contract with Gina. It was a great opportunity for her to be on “American Gladiators’’ and be “Crush,’’ and I think it will help her career. As soon as they're done with all the meetings they have to do, all the PR appearances -- she was just on "The Today Show" two days ago -- she'll be ready to fight.
She wasn't ready in February. Hopefully, she'll be ready for our big March 29 card in San Jose.
QUESTION: Gary, a question (regarding) the back and forth you've had with Dana White, the conversation you had and then he had with Yahoo Sports. Have you had a chance to read that commentary from Dana, and do you have any other reaction to him?
SHAW: Look, no, truthfully I haven't read it. Though a lot of people have called me (about it). All I'm saying is, and I've said it all along, there is a differentiator. If you fight for the UFC, you can't be bigger than Dana White and the UFC. If you fight for EliteXC, as a fighter, you're bigger than Gary Shaw. It's about the fighter. It's not about me. Whether it's Kimbo, who was signed to us, or any other fighter, I believe we represent some of the greatest fighters in the world. I believe that Antonio “Big Foot” Silva could knock out any heavyweight in the UFC.
Now, I'm not disparaging the UFC. They have some great fighters and great fights. They have a good brand. They do a good job marketing their brand, but they don't own MMA. They don't own the space. They have a brand. You know what, if you hold up the belt there, all you are is the club champion. Until Dana White is willing to fight his fighters against other brands, all they are club champions.
I extend the challenge and always have ‑ it's like Kimbo, you want to fight him? Call us up, you can come in the cage and fight him. You want to fight Jake Shields, fight Jake Shields. We're proud of the people we represent. Robbie Lawler, I could go down the whole roster.
But for Dana White to try to convince the fans that he owns all of the best fighters in the world? To say that this is just a starting point for fighters and then they're going to go to UFC? He is full of (poop). Let him fight our fighters.
I’ll tell you what, let's do some fights winner‑take‑all. Let's put up a million dollars purse. Let's pick a weight. Let's really get it on for the fans. When he's ready to do that, then give me a call.
QUESTION: Kimbo, your last fight out you finished it so quickly we didn't get to see a whole lot. Are you looking forward to showing everybody your ground skills and what you've been working on?
KIMBO: Yes, I'm dying for that. I'm dying to get the opportunity to show off a little stuff. I've got a lot of tools in my arsenal now. I'm not afraid to use them. I'm getting to the point where it's second nature. I'm just excited to be where I am, to get to bang‑up Tank and make a good future and a good name for myself.
QUESTION: Kimbo, what does it mean to have your second fight in EliteXC take place in your backyard where the fans are going to be going crazy for you?
KIMBO: It's exciting. But I'm not letting it get to me because I've got a bigger fish to fry.
QUESTION: Kimbo, how has the transition been going from street fighting to MMA, coupled with your rising popularity, gone for you?
KIMBO: It's really hard. It's more skilled fighters and better fighters. I'm proving myself now, because people feel like the guys that I fought were pretty much nobody's. But you never know what another guy has. You never know what type of skill the next man has. If a guy's willing to fight you, that says a lot. He's sure about himself. You can't take that from anybody. Like every fight, the best man's going to win. Whoever trains the hardest and wants it more is going to win. That's what it's about for me.
QUESTION: Kimbo, where did you get your nickname?
KIMBO: Kimbo has been my name since I was a kid. That's my child given name. Slice was an internet given name from my very first fight. And Slice was a given name I earned from the streets.
TANK: So they gave that to you?
KIMBO: It was earned.
QUESTION: Gary, why did EliteXC decide to go to Florida for this event? Was it specifically because of Kimbo being from there? Could Florida be a frequent stop for you guys?
SHAW: Great question. Let me try to tell you why I went to Florida: K-I-M-B-O. I believe that Kimbo's going to be a giant, giant star -- although I know Tank Abbott feels differently and feels that he's going to be the one with the success.
I thought Florida was a natural place. We looked at several different locations in Florida. I wanted to stay near where Kimbo's home and home base is. The University of Miami has a great arena. It's the right size. I think Florida is a hot bed for MMA from Tampa, St. Petersburg all the way down. I just thought it was the right venue at the right time. SHOWTIME agreed it was the right venue at the right time, and that's how we wound up there.
If we draw well enough, we'll be back. We expect a sellout crowd. We're looking at the American Airlines Arena as well for another fight. We've also looked at the Hard Rock and the St. Pete Times Forum. Florida is a place that EliteXC is going to hang their hat, absolutely.
QUESTION: Kimbo, you said that you're looking through Tank. Does that mean you're looking forward to your next match after him?
KIMBO: Yeah, pretty much. I'm preparing for whatever. I've trained for Tank a long time, preparing for his style. I know just the type of fighter he is: aggressive, hitting hard and just coming at you. I've trained well for that. I'm pretty much prepared to take Tank out. I'm going to change my name from Kimbo to Blackhawk because only a Blackhawk chopper can destroy a Tank.
QUESTION: If you're looking past Tank, is Sean Gannon possibly one of the guys you're looking at?
KIMBO: Who? Sean Gannon? Is that even an option?
SHAW: Anything you want to do is an option.
KIMBO: I'm down for that. I want to do that bare knuckle. That fight's owed to me. I want that more than anything.
SHAW: Yes, it is a possibility. One thing that I like about this fight, it went from just an MMA fight to being personal. The reason this fight got made so quickly is Kimbo said that ‘I want Tank. I trained for a pay‑per‑view fight, I want that fight back.’ If Sean is the one that Kimbo wants and there is a score to be settled ‑‑ then we'll go out as a company that represents Kimbo and we'll do everything in our power to make that fight. But you know my career in boxing. I think Kimbo knows this better than anybody, and I'm sure Tank knows this as an ultimate professional. You better take care of business on Feb. 16.
QUESTION: Is Tank signed beyond this fight?
SHAW: Yes, we have options on Tank.
QUESTION: Tank, didn't you call Kimbo out after his fight in Atlantic City?
TANK: I don't know if you'd call that a fight. But, yeah, that's what it's all about. Like I said, he's a street warrior, I'm a street warrior. It's a matter of time before we meet up. I was ready to meet up right then and there. But as it is, we're going to meet up with SHOWTIME and EliteXC in Miami on Feb. 16.
QUESTION: How much had you heard of Kimbo before the fight in Atlantic City with Ray Mercer?
TANK: Not that much. I think his name came up a couple of times. I checked him out on the internet for maybe something that lasted 20 seconds, and then I went to the bar.
QUESTION: Have you been impressed with anything you've seen from Kimbo in either of his two fights?
TANK: I haven't really seen his last fight. The fight with Mercer, I mean, not really.
QUESTION: You’ve both been in lots of street fights, some for money. How did you manage that? Who kept that under control for people to get paid after it was done?
KIMBO: I'll pass on that.
TANK: One time I had this guy who wanted to fight, and he was crying about the money. I said we can fight in a warehouse. He said who is going to hold the money, this is going to turn into a circus. I said, ‘you show me your money, I'll show you mine. You put it in the front pocket, after I knock you out, I'll take it.’ He didn't show up.
QUESTION: Kimbo, you’re in a movie called "Blood and Bone.’’ Can you tell us anything about it?
KIMBO: What do you want to know?
QUESTION: What is your role in it? How was the experience?
KIMBO: It was cool. The experience was OK. I got my SAG card.
QUESTION: Gary, Tank and Kimbo were supposed to happen last year in Atlantic City, and it fell through and disappointed a lot of people. Last weekend, we had Rico Rodriguez versus Mike Howell that was signed and not delivered. Is it an interest of yours, and will you potentially pick up this fight of interest?
SHAW: I don't know if it's a fight that we pick up. But we currently have Rico Rodriguez. He is signed to our brand. He's a fighter that we would definitely use. He's on our radar, for sure. It's unfortunate that card went under. People don't realize how many cards fail in the MMA world due to different things. I'm proud that every EliteXC card that we've ever said we'd put on we do put on. But, yes, there were fighters on that card we'd be very interested in. Maybe some who were in this office yesterday.
QUESTION: Other than the UFC, you're the only other promoter in MMA history to have Tank Abbott and Ken Shamrock under the same promotional banner at the same time. Their rivalry dates back years and it is well publicized. You like to have ‘personal’ fights for your shows. Are you planning a fight between the two of them?
SHAW: If it's personal, it will go. As long as there are real personal rivalries and real fights, and we can give the SHOWTIME audience real fights. You know, Tank, I have a lot of respect for you; taking on Ken and Kimbo in the same call.
TANK: It's safe from a phone distance, right? Sounds like most of the guys in the MMA will. But I'll step up.
SHAW: We know you'll step up and that's why you're going on SHOWTIME against Kimbo. The same reason I put you in against Ken and also put Kimbo in against Ken.
TANK: Sounds good.
SHAW: Maybe eventually you and Kimbo can face Frank and Ken in a tag team match.
TANK: Now you're talking.
SHAW: There you go.
QUESTION: Tank, not to take away from your fight with Kimbo, but you and Ken had a lot of heat in the past. Has it cooled off? Is this guy still your nemesis? Do you still want this one?
TANK: Ken is the antithesis of me. You run around and show your legs and act like you're a superstar, when all you are is a clown. I like to go out and fight and I really don't care. I don't need everything to be right or wrong or just perfect. I don't need to walk around like I'm a superstar. I'm just myself when I cruise around. I don't need to make waves.
He's the kind of guy that would go into a restaurant and say, ‘Do you know who I am? Go tell the person that I'm here.’ I just hide in the back and don't care.
QUESTION: Tank, can you speak about Kimbo’s internet legacy?
TANK: Believe it or not, I don't have a computer. Actually, I got one for my book, but I'm not hooked up to the internet. So I really don't follow that stuff. Most of the people on the internet are a bunch of bozos that want to talk a bunch of smack. Probably if you could reach through the internet lines, you'd find a 16‑year‑old kid that hasn't been able to shave and he's telling you, hey, I can beat you up.
QUESTION: With Tank you're facing a guy, a legendary pioneer in the sport of MMA, original UFC bad boy. What does the fight with him mean to you?
KIMBO: It means a whole lot to me. Unlike him, I've been watching Tank since I was a shorty. It sparked my interest from growing up banging from that time. So to fight a guy like him means a lot to me. That's why I can't lose and I won't lose. Losing is not an option, especially to Tank. Beating Tank means a whole lot to me, and I'm looking forward to this fight.
I just think Feb. 16 is a tad bit too long. But I've got to be patient. I've waited this long, you know, it's all good.
TANK: Sounds like (when) Cabbage (Correira said) I (was going) to pass the torch off to him. Only thing I'm passing off to Kimbo is a knockout.
KIMBO: I ain't Cabbage, I'm Kimbo.
TANK: Who are you?
SHAW: Maybe you guys want to fight tonight?
KIMBO: I'm down for that.
QUESTION: This year, EliteXC has announced three shows so far and a lot more planned. Can you tell us what your philosophy is and your view is in positioning EliteXC?
SHAW: I know we'll be profitable because my mother and father are backing me. But on a serious note, EliteXC is all about the fighter. It's a fighter‑friendly company. We care about the safety and welfare of every fighter that we represent. We have, probably, the biggest mixed martial arts library in the world today. We have several brands around the country. We have a huge internet play that is an important part of the company that works for the fighters and works for the fans.
We have a contract with SHOWTIME where we'll have roughly 14 fights on SHOWTIME, and millions of eyes this year. We have King of the Cage, a brand in the United States, probably doing more fights than any other brand in the United States. We'll do over 40 fights. And Cage Rage in England, and Icon and Rumble World, and Spirit MC, which will allow us, like on our Jan. 25 fight card, to bring Paul Daley from England and put him on SHOWTIME in the U.S.
It will give us an opportunity to bring Kimbo this year over to England to fight in front of all those fans, and for them to get to see, feel, smell and touch him and see how real he is. We have a lot of opportunities. We’re growing every day. We're really excited. We think we bring the best fights. I believe we put on exciting events for the fans. We're event friendly in the arena. We’re on TV and get the eyeballs that watch our fights. A lot of people said a lot of nasty things last year about us and never thought we were going to really get off the ground. But this rocket ship launched.
The one thing we promised was we'd give the fans real fights. One thing I'm really proud of is that I represent real fighters that will fight anybody in the world. It's not ‘well, I don't want to fight him. Give me two fights, three fights before I fight him.’ The fighters we represent just want to fight. For that, I'm proud of the people that we represent.
The eyeballs on SHOWTIME that have watched our fights have seen great fights, exciting fights. Nick Diaz against KJ (Noons), KJ against “Krazy Horse’’ (Charles Bennett), Kimbo's quick demolition in the last show, the coming of age of Gina Carano. We haven't even shown Robbie Lawler that much. There is so much. “Big Foot’’ Silva, I keep saying, I believe he's the single best heavyweight in the world today. The fans are going to get to see all these fighters, not to mention all the other fighters that we have coming. They're beginning to be exposed to new and young fighters. So thank you for your question.
QUESTION: When you raise the issue of being fighter friendly, do you think things like the UFC's lawsuit against Randy Couture is going to hurt them? And do you also see the need to bring MMA contracts in line with what is required in boxing by the Muhammad Ali Act?
SHAW: Let me comment. First of all, I won't comment on other people's lawsuits. So the Randy Couture-UFC lawsuit, that is something they'll have to battle out in the media and in the court room.
When I say we're fighter friendly, you can ask any fighter that's either won or lost in one of our shows, and they'll tell you what it is like to fight for EliteXC. How we take care of them, how we care about them before the fight, during the fight, after the fight. This is a fighter‑friendly company.
As far as contracts go, I don't discuss contracts. But we're basically in line with the Muhammad Ali law. We don't sign anybody for 20‑year contracts. We don't have any slaves, no indentured servitude here. Fighters fight for us because they want to fight for us because we treat them well.
I invite you, and any reporter to certainly go to any fighter that's fought for us and ask how we fight them. We treat them like the world champions that we believe all fighters are.
QUESTION: Tank, what weight are you at now and who are you training with for Kimbo?
TANK: I fluctuate between 261 and 67.
QUESTION: What camp or group are you training with now?
TANK: I just got my old friends that I've known for a long time and bang around with them. It's not really a camp or a team or anything. It's just buddies I've been banging with for a long time.
QUESTION: Gary, is a Ken Shamrock versus Kimbo a match in the future?
SHAW: Kimbo has a fight Feb. 16. Ken Shamrock's got a fight March 8. So why don't you ask me that question on March 9.
QUESTION: What weight is Ken going to be fighting at the Cage Rage event?
SHAW: I don't know. Right now I'm told by one of the fight team members it's unspecified. But if you email me, I'll be more than happy to give you the contract weight.
QUESTION: When are your plans to have Nick Diaz fight again for EliteXC?
SHAW: I think he's fighting on the April 26 card we're planning in Hawaii.
QUESTION: Is there any opponent decided yet?
SHAW: No, not really. But eventually we want to give him another shot at KJ Noons. He gave KJ Noons a shot. But not right back.
He's had surgery on his eye to repair all that scar tissue, and I think that Nick needed a rest. He’s doing the right thing for Nick right now. And we've encouraged him to rest as well.
I keep talking about Antonio Silva, and he's going to be fighting Gary Turner from England on Feb. 16. That should be a real exciting fight.
Gary fights for the Cage Rage brand. At first we said maybe you don't want to take this type of fight. He said, ‘no, I want the fight.’ He emailed us, and asked for the fight. Those are the type of fights we like to put on.
We have Yves Edwards from Texas. He's fighting Edison Berto, who is the brother of professional boxer Andre Berto. That should be another great fight as will James Thompson against Brett Rogers and Scott Smith against Kyle Noke. As you know Kyle Noke, who was the bodyguard for the “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin, is signed with us. He had a great win in his last fight, and he'll be back.
Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't talk about “Krazy Horse.’’ He is going to be opening the show. You've got two real street guys. In this one you have three. You have “Krazy Horse,’’ Tank and Kimbo. And hence the name Street Certified. The real name of this whole fight is “Cage Tested, Street Certified,” so we're excited.
(In the future), you're going to see a new young star that we think we have in Eric Bradley, who was a wrestler in college, a great wrestler in Pennsylvania and a Golden Gloves boxer. That's a new name we're bringing along that I think the fans are really going to be excited about. He is a good looking kid with an exciting style.
QUESTION: Tank, is there anything you can tell us about your book? Is it an autobiography? What is in the 600‑plus pages?
TANK: My book leads up to the 18 months where I went to jail for beating up a cop's son. Then I got out of jail and fought in the UFC. It is kind of a real‑life Rocky story.
QUESTION: Has the final chapter been written yet?
TANK: It's only 18. It ended 12 years ago, so that means there's more.
QUESTION: Gary, you mentioned Gary Turner, heavyweight contender over at Cage Rage, fighting Antonio Silva, who is currently recognized as the heavyweight champion of Cage Rage. Will that be a title fight?
SHAW: Yes. Yes, it will be. Let me just comment on title fights, non‑title fights. I'm a fan of fighting, as long as two guys get in and fight, that's good enough for me. All my friends are champions.
KIMBO: I'm just staying tuned. Be ready to check me out on Feb. 16.
QUESTION: Kimbo, after your last fight when you resumed training, was it a continuation of what you had been working on? Are you continuing to learn different things? We know you want to showcase all the skills you say you possess. How did it play out right after that last fight as far as training?
KIMBO: We picked up where we left off and added more new stuff into my arsenal.
TANK: I'm looking forward to this Feb. 16 fight. Like I said earlier Kimbo's got (guts), heart and the street mentality. I can't wait to lay my ears back and get down with him. It's going to be fun for me. It's going to be a long night for Kimbo and a short one for me. But I can't wait. I wake up every morning and start laughing because I wish it was already Feb. 16.
It's not often you get to get in the cage and fight a guy that's got the street warrior to him, and I kind of look forward to that.
EXCLUSIVE: WCO Promoter Explains His Full Side Of The Story
With the unfortunate cancellation Saturday of the World Cagefighting Organization show billed "The Return" many people were left scratching their heads wondering how the organizers of this event could let it happen. While many questions still remained unaswered at this point, MMANews.com had a chance to sit down and chat with WCO promoter Bruce Bellochi on Monday evening to discuss where things went wrong and to my surprise there appears more was going on behind the scenes than one may have expected.
After what felt like nearly 400 calls to his cell phone over the weekend Bellochi felt it was time to speak and let people know what happened. He didn't expect everything to go down like this and is not sure why. Right now though he isn't feeling the best, "This would have to be the worst thing that could possibly happen to me personally and from a buisness standpoint."
What has been reported is that the funds were not in place to pay the fighters. Although technically that may be true as the funds needed to be in the Valor Fighting account, the money to pay the fighters was in the account of the WCO. The reason this stirred a problem is because Valor held the promoters license and WCO was basically renting their license to put the show on but at the end of the day the money was in fact there for the fighters. The WCO wanted this show, the fighters wanted to fight, and the fans wanted this show to happen. So where did it go wrong?
Bellochi says that it had a lot to do with Rick Bassman and the CSAC. "I went through every hoop they asked me to go through and at the end of it I just had to leave. The crap they were pulling was just ridiculous."
The WCO's promoter's license had not gone through and so Bellochi and Bassman had a contract signed allowing the WCO to use Bassman's promoters license. "It was a $20,000 consultation fee that we had with him. It stated that the WCO was responsible for the show expenses. I've never had a check bounce and I never had any problems in the past. Nowhere in the contract did it say I had to bring Bassman a pile of cash and put it in his bank account." A few weeks before the show Bellochi found out about a show in Connecticut that was cancelled and had found out that Rick Bassman was involved with it. This made him weary considering he was just finding this out and was already doing buisness with him. What happened there was that Bassman wanted the fighters paid with cashiers checks which raised a red flag for Bellochi. "I've had 20 professional fights and have worked with people like Don King and I've never been paid by cashiers check before. Mark Kerr was supposed to fight on his show and pulled out because of that [and] then the commission ended up cancelling the show."
72 hours before the January 12th show, Rick Bassman requested $225,000 dollars be put into his account. Bellochi did not want to do this because of the fact that it was nowhere in the contract and this was news to him. The money was in the WCO account and Bellochi was content with it being there. Bassman did not want it that way and told him it had to be put in the Valor account. Bellochi was weary of this but talked to his investors to see if he could make it happen. After a background check on Bassman, the investor, who Bellochi calls a "squeaky clean guy and if you had a check bounce 10 years ago he isn't going to give you money," came back and told him that they couldn't deal with Bassman and give him money. It was too late to give Bassman the money because they couldn't trust him.
The money was in Bellochi's account on Saturday morning and at 12:20pm his Wells Fargo Branch Manager sent a fax to Armando Garcia saying that the funds were secure. "I told him to get all the fighters together in a room and explain to them that he couldn't cut the checks because I didn't put the money in his account and that they would be dealing with me to get their money. I was fine with that. I didn't plan on screwing anyone over. The fighters would have been fine with this because I was friends with a lot of these guys. We talked it over and the plan was that all the fighters would fight for $100 dollars because Rick only had $3500 in his account and I would pay them at the end of the night. All the fighters said that was fine." All Bassman needed to do was say there wouldn't be a problem. Bassman said no and the commission said no at this point.
Now this is where things get interesting. One week out from the show Bellochi received an email from Zuffa lawyers informing him that they plan to sue him and shut his show down for using the name "World Cagefighting Organization", stating it too closely resembled WEC (World Extreme Cagefighting). "They felt that the public would think it was a WEC show so our lawyers had to go back and forth and it came down to that we didn't have to change the name but that was still only three days before the fight."
As petty as this seems it's hard to ignore and brings to the forefront Zuffa's desire to have a monopoly over the sport. No one wins with those ideals. Every fighter that people want to see are not in the UFC or WEC and trying to halt shows because of something as petty as the word "cagefighting" is exactly that, petty. The fact that cagefighting is not trademarked lead to nothing coming out of the case so at that point the show still had a life. With that behind him, Bellochi then received a text message from an agent who shall remain nameless telling him that: "The UFC doesn't want this show happening Bruce, don't be surprised if something happens and be ready for bumps in the road."
The morning of the show Bellochi met with Bassman and his lawyer and at this point it seemed like they just had excuse after excuse. "I asked them what the problem was, everytime I resolved an issue they kept coming back at me with another. They said they were worried about me bouncing checks and this really annoyed me. I said to him 'In buisness we write checks and if you thought that I was going to bounce checks why the fuck did you get into buisness with me in the first place?' The money was in the account and all Bassman had to do was tell the commission that the show could go on. That little cocksucker wouldn't do anything to make this show happen."
A quick thought flashed through my head so one question I was curious about was whether Bassman had any ties to Zuffa and that gets intersting as well. "Yeah," Bellochi started to explain to me. "He's friendly with their lawyers. He also told me that he's friends with Dana White. Now I don't have any facts to back it up but that's what he told me. He was also one of the guys that told me Zuffa didn't want to see this show happen. After I heard about it I asked him what he thought and he backed it up saying that he felt it was true."
None of this can ever really be proven though and if there was funny buisness going on behind the scenes no one is going to talk about it. The CSAC can't really be to blame because they did go out of their way to make things happen and although it's not against the rules to "rent" out your promoters license, the CSAC recognized Valor as the promoter on record and therefore the funds had to be within their account. Bassman could have easily made the show go on by telling the CSAC that the funds were there even if they weren't in his account. "It's doesn't make sense, he ends up looking like a schmuck too at the end of the day. I don't know what he had to gain from all of this. If I knew the UFC wrote him a check for $50,000 under the table then it would make sense," joked Belloch. "But at the end of it I really am not sure why it went down like this."
At the end of the day there is a lot to be learned for this unfortunate turn of events and pointing the finger in any direction is only really going to lead nowhere. There are still going to be questions left unanswered but that is sometimes the nature of the game. People looked forward to this show. It had a very interesting card and although not filled with top ranked fighters, still had fighters that many fans were looking forward to seeing fight again such as Mark Kerr and Ricco Rodriguez, just to name a few. Renato "Babalu" Sobral was scheduled for the main event and although he's not on the UFC's most-favorite-people list right now he is still a popular fighter amongst fans of the sport.
What will be next for the WCO you may be wondering? "We'll be back. We just have to go back to the drawing board and do some re-thinking. I'll never do anything like I did with Bassman in the future. I'll get my own license from now on." That's probably a good idea to start with. "I just seen over $100,000 flash before my eyes over some bad decisions and unreasonable people. There was a lot of things that fell through because of all this happening. I'll also most likely never do buisness in California again because of the difficulty of the CSAC. They are unpredictable and sometimes hard to deal with."
With a card as filled with as many names as this one was it may be hard to pull off again anytime soon. "I'll do some smaller shows and work my way back up to a big one like this. It's very disappointing for me personally because this was such a good card."
Bellochi also plans to go to his investors and work it out so that the fighters can be paid in full. Bellochi wants everyone to know that he is sorry for what happened.
"I'm deeply sorry to everyone involved that this happened like this. Like I said everything was going so well then it all started to come crashing down. Whether Zuffa was involved, whether Bassman had something to do with it, I don't know. Bottom line is that mistakes were made and I can only hope that the fans and the fighters will still have faith in the WCO. I just want everyone to know that we did not lie to anyone and that we had the money to make this show happen. It was an unfortunate turn of events and I want to assure everyone that this will not happen in the future."
With the unfortunate cancellation Saturday of the World Cagefighting Organization show billed "The Return" many people were left scratching their heads wondering how the organizers of this event could let it happen. While many questions still remained unaswered at this point, MMANews.com had a chance to sit down and chat with WCO promoter Bruce Bellochi on Monday evening to discuss where things went wrong and to my surprise there appears more was going on behind the scenes than one may have expected.
After what felt like nearly 400 calls to his cell phone over the weekend Bellochi felt it was time to speak and let people know what happened. He didn't expect everything to go down like this and is not sure why. Right now though he isn't feeling the best, "This would have to be the worst thing that could possibly happen to me personally and from a buisness standpoint."
What has been reported is that the funds were not in place to pay the fighters. Although technically that may be true as the funds needed to be in the Valor Fighting account, the money to pay the fighters was in the account of the WCO. The reason this stirred a problem is because Valor held the promoters license and WCO was basically renting their license to put the show on but at the end of the day the money was in fact there for the fighters. The WCO wanted this show, the fighters wanted to fight, and the fans wanted this show to happen. So where did it go wrong?
Bellochi says that it had a lot to do with Rick Bassman and the CSAC. "I went through every hoop they asked me to go through and at the end of it I just had to leave. The crap they were pulling was just ridiculous."
The WCO's promoter's license had not gone through and so Bellochi and Bassman had a contract signed allowing the WCO to use Bassman's promoters license. "It was a $20,000 consultation fee that we had with him. It stated that the WCO was responsible for the show expenses. I've never had a check bounce and I never had any problems in the past. Nowhere in the contract did it say I had to bring Bassman a pile of cash and put it in his bank account." A few weeks before the show Bellochi found out about a show in Connecticut that was cancelled and had found out that Rick Bassman was involved with it. This made him weary considering he was just finding this out and was already doing buisness with him. What happened there was that Bassman wanted the fighters paid with cashiers checks which raised a red flag for Bellochi. "I've had 20 professional fights and have worked with people like Don King and I've never been paid by cashiers check before. Mark Kerr was supposed to fight on his show and pulled out because of that [and] then the commission ended up cancelling the show."
72 hours before the January 12th show, Rick Bassman requested $225,000 dollars be put into his account. Bellochi did not want to do this because of the fact that it was nowhere in the contract and this was news to him. The money was in the WCO account and Bellochi was content with it being there. Bassman did not want it that way and told him it had to be put in the Valor account. Bellochi was weary of this but talked to his investors to see if he could make it happen. After a background check on Bassman, the investor, who Bellochi calls a "squeaky clean guy and if you had a check bounce 10 years ago he isn't going to give you money," came back and told him that they couldn't deal with Bassman and give him money. It was too late to give Bassman the money because they couldn't trust him.
The money was in Bellochi's account on Saturday morning and at 12:20pm his Wells Fargo Branch Manager sent a fax to Armando Garcia saying that the funds were secure. "I told him to get all the fighters together in a room and explain to them that he couldn't cut the checks because I didn't put the money in his account and that they would be dealing with me to get their money. I was fine with that. I didn't plan on screwing anyone over. The fighters would have been fine with this because I was friends with a lot of these guys. We talked it over and the plan was that all the fighters would fight for $100 dollars because Rick only had $3500 in his account and I would pay them at the end of the night. All the fighters said that was fine." All Bassman needed to do was say there wouldn't be a problem. Bassman said no and the commission said no at this point.
Now this is where things get interesting. One week out from the show Bellochi received an email from Zuffa lawyers informing him that they plan to sue him and shut his show down for using the name "World Cagefighting Organization", stating it too closely resembled WEC (World Extreme Cagefighting). "They felt that the public would think it was a WEC show so our lawyers had to go back and forth and it came down to that we didn't have to change the name but that was still only three days before the fight."
As petty as this seems it's hard to ignore and brings to the forefront Zuffa's desire to have a monopoly over the sport. No one wins with those ideals. Every fighter that people want to see are not in the UFC or WEC and trying to halt shows because of something as petty as the word "cagefighting" is exactly that, petty. The fact that cagefighting is not trademarked lead to nothing coming out of the case so at that point the show still had a life. With that behind him, Bellochi then received a text message from an agent who shall remain nameless telling him that: "The UFC doesn't want this show happening Bruce, don't be surprised if something happens and be ready for bumps in the road."
The morning of the show Bellochi met with Bassman and his lawyer and at this point it seemed like they just had excuse after excuse. "I asked them what the problem was, everytime I resolved an issue they kept coming back at me with another. They said they were worried about me bouncing checks and this really annoyed me. I said to him 'In buisness we write checks and if you thought that I was going to bounce checks why the fuck did you get into buisness with me in the first place?' The money was in the account and all Bassman had to do was tell the commission that the show could go on. That little cocksucker wouldn't do anything to make this show happen."
A quick thought flashed through my head so one question I was curious about was whether Bassman had any ties to Zuffa and that gets intersting as well. "Yeah," Bellochi started to explain to me. "He's friendly with their lawyers. He also told me that he's friends with Dana White. Now I don't have any facts to back it up but that's what he told me. He was also one of the guys that told me Zuffa didn't want to see this show happen. After I heard about it I asked him what he thought and he backed it up saying that he felt it was true."
None of this can ever really be proven though and if there was funny buisness going on behind the scenes no one is going to talk about it. The CSAC can't really be to blame because they did go out of their way to make things happen and although it's not against the rules to "rent" out your promoters license, the CSAC recognized Valor as the promoter on record and therefore the funds had to be within their account. Bassman could have easily made the show go on by telling the CSAC that the funds were there even if they weren't in his account. "It's doesn't make sense, he ends up looking like a schmuck too at the end of the day. I don't know what he had to gain from all of this. If I knew the UFC wrote him a check for $50,000 under the table then it would make sense," joked Belloch. "But at the end of it I really am not sure why it went down like this."
At the end of the day there is a lot to be learned for this unfortunate turn of events and pointing the finger in any direction is only really going to lead nowhere. There are still going to be questions left unanswered but that is sometimes the nature of the game. People looked forward to this show. It had a very interesting card and although not filled with top ranked fighters, still had fighters that many fans were looking forward to seeing fight again such as Mark Kerr and Ricco Rodriguez, just to name a few. Renato "Babalu" Sobral was scheduled for the main event and although he's not on the UFC's most-favorite-people list right now he is still a popular fighter amongst fans of the sport.
What will be next for the WCO you may be wondering? "We'll be back. We just have to go back to the drawing board and do some re-thinking. I'll never do anything like I did with Bassman in the future. I'll get my own license from now on." That's probably a good idea to start with. "I just seen over $100,000 flash before my eyes over some bad decisions and unreasonable people. There was a lot of things that fell through because of all this happening. I'll also most likely never do buisness in California again because of the difficulty of the CSAC. They are unpredictable and sometimes hard to deal with."
With a card as filled with as many names as this one was it may be hard to pull off again anytime soon. "I'll do some smaller shows and work my way back up to a big one like this. It's very disappointing for me personally because this was such a good card."
Bellochi also plans to go to his investors and work it out so that the fighters can be paid in full. Bellochi wants everyone to know that he is sorry for what happened.
"I'm deeply sorry to everyone involved that this happened like this. Like I said everything was going so well then it all started to come crashing down. Whether Zuffa was involved, whether Bassman had something to do with it, I don't know. Bottom line is that mistakes were made and I can only hope that the fans and the fighters will still have faith in the WCO. I just want everyone to know that we did not lie to anyone and that we had the money to make this show happen. It was an unfortunate turn of events and I want to assure everyone that this will not happen in the future."
TNA makes business deal with UFC
TNA has made a business deal with UFC regarding promotion of UFC's 2/2 PPV show, and in particular the Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir match.
Details aren't known, but it is expected there will be heavy advertising of the next UFC during the TNA shows over the next two weeks. In addition, during the body of the shows will be hype packages to build up the match.
Next week's Impact will include a Brock Lesnar training package, as well as a Kurt Angle interview, where he breaks down the Lesnar vs. Mir match.
TNA has made a business deal with UFC regarding promotion of UFC's 2/2 PPV show, and in particular the Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir match.
Details aren't known, but it is expected there will be heavy advertising of the next UFC during the TNA shows over the next two weeks. In addition, during the body of the shows will be hype packages to build up the match.
Next week's Impact will include a Brock Lesnar training package, as well as a Kurt Angle interview, where he breaks down the Lesnar vs. Mir match.
**** Zuffa Seeks Retraction of False Statements By Former UFC Owner
Zuffa, the parent company of the UFC, has formally requested that CNBC air a retraction concerning “misstatements and inaccuracies” regarding the Zuffa Owners’ purchase of the UFC brand and Lorenzo Fertitta’s conduct as an NSAC commissioner.
CNBC recently aired a documentary entitled “Ultimate Fighting: From Blood Sport to Big Time” featuring an interview with Robert Meyrowitz regarding his role as President of Semaphore Entertainment Group (SEG), predecessor-in-interest to the Ultimate Fighting Championship brand.
When discussing SEG’s need to obtain Nevada State Athletic Commission approval for mixed martial arts prior to selling the brand to Zuffa, LLC in January 2001, Meyrowitz stated:
“We went out there [to Nevada], it looked like we had the votes, we were told we did, and about midnight I got a phone call that one of the commissioners had changed his mind… and it turns out that commissioner was Lorenzo Fertitta, that he had changed his mind and that we wouldn’t be able to get approval.”
According to UFC President Dana White, Zuffa immediately challenged the false claims made by Meyrowitz and proof of the misstatements prompted CNBC to correct the content of the program in subsequent re-airings.
While appreciative of the networks efforts to ensure the accuracy of the encore presentations, Zuffa has informed CNBC this action alone is not adequate to address the detrimental effect of the fabricated and erroneous information contained in the original broadcast.
A copy of the document requesting the retraction was recently obtained by MMAFighting.com and the key elements are as follows:
http://www.mmafighting.com/news/200...ac_agenda_and_minutes_for_april_23_199 9.html
Zuffa, the parent company of the UFC, has formally requested that CNBC air a retraction concerning “misstatements and inaccuracies” regarding the Zuffa Owners’ purchase of the UFC brand and Lorenzo Fertitta’s conduct as an NSAC commissioner.
CNBC recently aired a documentary entitled “Ultimate Fighting: From Blood Sport to Big Time” featuring an interview with Robert Meyrowitz regarding his role as President of Semaphore Entertainment Group (SEG), predecessor-in-interest to the Ultimate Fighting Championship brand.
When discussing SEG’s need to obtain Nevada State Athletic Commission approval for mixed martial arts prior to selling the brand to Zuffa, LLC in January 2001, Meyrowitz stated:
“We went out there [to Nevada], it looked like we had the votes, we were told we did, and about midnight I got a phone call that one of the commissioners had changed his mind… and it turns out that commissioner was Lorenzo Fertitta, that he had changed his mind and that we wouldn’t be able to get approval.”
According to UFC President Dana White, Zuffa immediately challenged the false claims made by Meyrowitz and proof of the misstatements prompted CNBC to correct the content of the program in subsequent re-airings.
While appreciative of the networks efforts to ensure the accuracy of the encore presentations, Zuffa has informed CNBC this action alone is not adequate to address the detrimental effect of the fabricated and erroneous information contained in the original broadcast.
A copy of the document requesting the retraction was recently obtained by MMAFighting.com and the key elements are as follows:
http://www.mmafighting.com/news/200...ac_agenda_and_minutes_for_april_23_199 9.html
CAGE FORCE ANNOUNCES TOURNAMENTS FOR 2008
Cage Force has announced plans that it will hold a featherweight and a bantamweight tournament over the course of the year. It successfully held both a lightweight and a welterweight tournament in 2007 and looks to keep that momentum going into this year.
Several big names have been announced that are scheduled to compete in both tournaments with Shooto, Pancrase, DEEP and Cage Force veterans in each.
In the featherweight tournament, Shooto standouts Antonio Carvalho and “Wicky” Akiyo Nishiura are set to compete.
Carvalho comes off a stoppage loss to newly signed World Extreme Cagefighting athlete Hiroyuki Takaya at Shooto “Back to Our Roots 6,” while Nishiura drew with Joe Camacho at Shooto “The Arrival.”
DEEP veterans Jong Man Kim and Takeshi Yamazaki have also been signed to compete in the tournament.
Kim comes off a draw with King of Pancrase featherweight champion Yoshiro Maeda at a recent DEEP show in Osaka, while Yamazaki won a decision over Hero’s veteran Koji Yoshida at DEEP 32.
Other fighters scheduled to participate include No. 1 ranked Pancrase lightweight Yuji Hoshino, Australian standout Adrian Pang, Armando Sanchez and Daiki Ozaki.
Only four participants in the bantamweight tournament have been announced with four more left to fill out the field.
Shooto Featherweight 2005 Rookie Champion Takeya Mizugaki, British standout Paul McVeigh, Pancrase veteran Daichi Fujiwara and Hero’s veteran Taiyo Nakahara have all been announced to compete in the bantamweight tournament.
Cage Force also announced the initial card for its first event of the year, scheduled to take place at the Tokyo Differ Ariake on Feb. 11. Two featherweight bouts are slated to take place on this card.
Shooto Lightweight 2006 Rookie Champion “Wicky” Akiyo Nishiura faces off with DEEP veteran Jong Man Kim in the first featherweight tournament bout. In the other featherweight tournament bout, DEEP veteran Takeshi Yamazaki takes on Japanese newcomer Daiki Ozaki.
Cage Force
Tokyo Differ Ariake
February 11, 2008
Cage Force Featherweight Tournament Bouts:
“Wicky” Akiyo Nishiura vs. Jong Man Kim
Takeshi Yamazaki vs. Daiki Ozaki
Non-Tournament Bouts:
Taiyo Nakahara vs. Motonobu Tezuka
Tetsuo Seto vs. Toshinari Takahashi
Scheduled to Participate:
Hidetaka Monma
Mizuto Hirota
Yoshihiro Koyama
Cage Force has announced plans that it will hold a featherweight and a bantamweight tournament over the course of the year. It successfully held both a lightweight and a welterweight tournament in 2007 and looks to keep that momentum going into this year.
Several big names have been announced that are scheduled to compete in both tournaments with Shooto, Pancrase, DEEP and Cage Force veterans in each.
In the featherweight tournament, Shooto standouts Antonio Carvalho and “Wicky” Akiyo Nishiura are set to compete.
Carvalho comes off a stoppage loss to newly signed World Extreme Cagefighting athlete Hiroyuki Takaya at Shooto “Back to Our Roots 6,” while Nishiura drew with Joe Camacho at Shooto “The Arrival.”
DEEP veterans Jong Man Kim and Takeshi Yamazaki have also been signed to compete in the tournament.
Kim comes off a draw with King of Pancrase featherweight champion Yoshiro Maeda at a recent DEEP show in Osaka, while Yamazaki won a decision over Hero’s veteran Koji Yoshida at DEEP 32.
Other fighters scheduled to participate include No. 1 ranked Pancrase lightweight Yuji Hoshino, Australian standout Adrian Pang, Armando Sanchez and Daiki Ozaki.
Only four participants in the bantamweight tournament have been announced with four more left to fill out the field.
Shooto Featherweight 2005 Rookie Champion Takeya Mizugaki, British standout Paul McVeigh, Pancrase veteran Daichi Fujiwara and Hero’s veteran Taiyo Nakahara have all been announced to compete in the bantamweight tournament.
Cage Force also announced the initial card for its first event of the year, scheduled to take place at the Tokyo Differ Ariake on Feb. 11. Two featherweight bouts are slated to take place on this card.
Shooto Lightweight 2006 Rookie Champion “Wicky” Akiyo Nishiura faces off with DEEP veteran Jong Man Kim in the first featherweight tournament bout. In the other featherweight tournament bout, DEEP veteran Takeshi Yamazaki takes on Japanese newcomer Daiki Ozaki.
Cage Force
Tokyo Differ Ariake
February 11, 2008
Cage Force Featherweight Tournament Bouts:
“Wicky” Akiyo Nishiura vs. Jong Man Kim
Takeshi Yamazaki vs. Daiki Ozaki
Non-Tournament Bouts:
Taiyo Nakahara vs. Motonobu Tezuka
Tetsuo Seto vs. Toshinari Takahashi
Scheduled to Participate:
Hidetaka Monma
Mizuto Hirota
Yoshihiro Koyama