MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

TYSON GRIFFIN READYING FOR SEAN SHERK, UFC 90

Lightweight up and comer Tyson Griffin is beginning another grueling training camp at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. In October, at UFC 90 in Chicago, he faces his toughest test yet, former UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk. But his first challenge, an experience he relishes, is to get back into shape.

“Honestly, torwards the end of my camps, it freaks me out.” he said. “I’m in good shape, I’m running a couple of miles a day, I’m hitting mitts, and I’m not getting tired. You start questioning yourself, am I in shape? Am I training hard enough? What’s going on here?”

One would think not getting tired would be a good sign, but Griffin’s worry over his exhaustion is characteristic of how seriously he takes it. Just about as seriously as Sherk, whose madman workout routines shocked UFC crews taping his workouts. Everything Griffin has seen leads him to believe that this fight will be harder than any other.

“I think he’s the first guy besides Clay Guida that trains as hard as I do and comes physically prepared,” Griffin says.

Griffin’s fight with Marcus Aurelio at UFC 86 helped him with the idea that when all was said and done, it was okay he couldn’t finish his opponent. In the long run, he’d outwork him.

“He’d taken a lot of damage in a lot of his fights, and I knew I couldn’t really expect to finish Marcus, but at the same time, I hit him as hard as I could,” Griffin said. “If anything, it reminds you not to be surprised when you hit the guy as hard as you can and he doesn’t even blink.”

In Sherk, Griffin has found the epitome of that spirit. Save for his recent title fight against B.J. Penn at UFC 84, Sherk has proved himself to be pretty much unbreakable.

“If I fight my game plan, I think I’ll have an easy win,” he says. “Outside of that, I just need to train my ass off and get in really good shape and everything else will fall into place.”

Griffin will hop on the aerodyne and whip himself back into fighting shape. He’s got eight weeks to peak for Sherk and he’s hitting the weights to make sure he matches Sherk’s vaunted strength.

“I never picked up a weight,” Griffin says of his habits. “I just wasn’t into it. It’s been helping keep my weight off, and I’ve been getting a lot, lot stronger. I can’t wait to see how it plays out in this fight.”

Griffin hopes that a win over Sherk will put him next in line for a title shot against champ B.J. Penn. Sherk told MMAWeekly he only wants to fight contenders, that in itself places Griffin above most in the deep lightweight division. Griffin feels honored by that designation and he's confident that the fight with Sherk will bring him respect.

“I don’t see it as being a technical chess match,” he says. “I see it as two guys trying to break each other. Definitely not someone to take lightly. It’s another chance to test myself, another stepping stone in my career, so to speak, so I’m looking forward to training for it.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Lyoto Machida out of UFC 89

The back injury suffered by Thiago Silva took him out of UFC 89, and Lyoto Machida, his opponent in the event, won’t fight too. “There’s no way to find and opponent now, and I’ll have to wait another event to fight. I don’t know who’ll I face, UFC didn’t say anything yet, only that I won’t fight at UFC 89”, said Lyoto, sad with the scrapped fight. “It’s sad because I was focused, training hard and prepared, but this kind of things happens. I changed my training now, I’m doing more Karate and working out, doing less MMA stuff”, told Lyoto, who has no idea of who his next opponent will be.

“It’s a little complicated, because everybody in the division has their fights, so I’ll have to wait a little to see who will I fight with”, said the athlete, that got surprised by Rashad Evans’ knockout against Chuck Liddell at UFC 88. “I was surprised, because I believed that Chuck would win, but everything can happen and that punch was perfect. No he’s in a delicate situation, were going to get a title shot and now needs to do more fights”, said, betting on the light-heavyweight champion, Forrest Griffin, for the fight against Rashad. “I believe that Griffin has a better game to beat Rashad… No demerit for Rashad, he’s a great fighter, but I think that Griffin has a better MMA game to win this fight”, said the athlete, betting that Griffin will start 2009 still as the UFC light-heavyweight champion.

 

[Shogun Locc]

URIJAH FABER MAY JUMP WEIGHTS FOR MEGA FIGHTS

Since making his move to World Extreme Cagefighting, featherweight champion Urijah Faber has become the face of the organization and one of the most popular fighters in all of mixed martial arts.

With that fame and notoriety comes opportunity and he is ready to capitalize on some very big fights in the near future.

One fight out of his weight class is against Tyson Griffin, who is the only fighter to currently have a win over the “California Kid.” It’s a loss that Faber wants back and says should have already happened.

“I’d like to fight Tyson (Griffin) again. For some reason he keeps saying that I don’t want to fight him. Which is really weird, I don’t know if he really believes that or he’s just trying to promote it,” said Faber during a recent appearance on MMAWeekly Radio. “I actually signed a crappy contract with King of the Cage a long time ago under the impression that we were going to have a rematch. It was right when Tyson signed with the UFC, so it never happened.

“I’d like to get that one back before it’s all said and done.”

Faber stated that he would have no problem moving back up to the lightweight class of 155 pounds to take that fight against Griffin and hopes for a few more big fights in that division, as well as the 135-pound weight class down the road.

“I’d like to do a couple fights at 155,” he commented. “I walk around about 154, but I wouldn’t necessarily put on weight, I’d just kind of go in as I am. I think before it’s all said and done, I will have fought some super fights at 55, probably some at 35, and make my home at 45.”

The current 145-pound king makes no bones about who he wants to face if the challenge were to ever be accepted and that’s very simply stated.

“Whoever has the belt really,” Faber stated as to whom he’d like to fight in the lightweight division. “As of right now, my buddy B.J. (Penn) just went up to 170, so I don’t know if he’s planning on going back to 155 or what, but I’d have to talk with him and see if that’s something he’d want to do also.”

Other names brought up for future consideration could also include current WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres. Faber feels that a co-promoted show with the WEC and the Ultimate Fighting Championship or just a WEC pay-per-view could go a long way to help build these fights.

Willing to go up or down a weight class to make the fights the fans want to see is definitively what Faber has said he’ll do and he wants to get the plan in motion.

“I’d like to do some big fights. That’s what needs to happen for my career,” he said. “Maybe go down in a year or two and see who’s at 35. There’s a lot of options out there for me, just looking forward to letting it all pan out.”

 

[heyzel]

185 or 205? Depends on opportunities, says Dan Henderson

by Kieran Malone on Sep 10, 2008

Had it not been for Dan Henderson ending a two-fight losing streaking in Atlanta this past weekend, some fans may be talking retirement for the Team Quest fighter.

But, at 38 years old, Henderson has thrust himself back into title contention and rejuvenated his career with a victory over the very dangerous Rousimar Palhares.

On Tuesday's edition of TAGG Radio (www.taggradio.com), the official content partner of MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com), Henderson discussed the victory, whether he plans to remain at 185 pounds, and when he may fight again.

As for his victory -- his first in 19 months -- Henderson admits he had to proceed with caution.

"I didn't want to go on the ground that much," said Henderson, who successfully avoided most of his opponent's takedown attempts. "I expected to go to the ground once or twice."

"I didn't panic. I felt like I knew exactly what he was going to do. At no time did I feel in any danger."

Henderson ultimately scored a unanimous-decision victory. And though he would have preferred a stoppage, Henderson knew Palhares and his ground skills would make that difficult.

"Style match up with this guy, I knew he wanted to take me down the whole time," Henderson said. "So I knew it would be hard to tee off."

Although a win over the BTT product should propel "Hendo" up the middleweight rankings, it's unclear whether he even intends to remain at the weight class. Having made a career moving between the 205- and 185-pound weight classes, Henderson said the decision will depend on future opportunities.

"I told Joe Silva I wanted to stay at 185 because I wanted another shot at (current UFC middleweight champion Anderson) Silva," said Henderson, who suffered a second-round submission loss to Silva back in March. "I don't want to stay down there if I am not guaranteed a title shot."

The former PRIDE two-weight champion said there's advantage to fight at 205 pounds.

"I have way more fun not cutting weight," he joked.

Aside from a small injury sustained to his hand, Henderson escaped his recent fight relatively unscathed. With the UFC aiming to host a few major cards before year's end, he discussed his desire to have one more bout in 2008.

"I would love to fight again -- maybe at the big end-of-the-year show," Henderson said. "I will be ready to go. (I'm) back to training in a couple of weeks

 

[WXS STOMP3R]

^^chuck loses a fight and all of a sudden hes the biggest joke and he cant fight for shit?

everyone gets fucking caught once in a while.

you want chuck to hide in the corner and ask for shitty oppenents he can beat the shit out of.
he still wants to fight the best. how is anyone gonna talk shit on that.

THING IS...HE BEEN KNOCKED THE FUCK OUT A FEW TOO MANY TIMES WITHIN HIS LAST FEW FIGHTS OR BEAT AT HIS OWN GAME. SET ASIDE FROM THE WANDY FIGHT.HE NEED TO STEP HIS GAME UP, JUST LIKE THE WAY MMA EVOLVED FROM JIU JITSU OWNING TO BEING FIGURED OUT. HE NEED TO ADD MORE TO HIS GAME AND TIGHTEN UP HIS FUCKING BOXING. HIS DEFENSE IS HORRIBLE. IF NOT HE IS GONNA BE THAT WASHED UP FIGHTER PEOPLE SPEAKING ON. PLUS FROM WHAT MASK FROM TAPOUT TOLD A FRIEND OF MINE, CHUCK CANT STAY AWAY FROM ORGY'S AND DOPE AND ITS BRINGING HIM DOWN FAST.

 

[TLALOC]

chuck is definetly no joke!!!!! Dude is one of the best MMA fighters in UFC history, it just seems lately ( could be due to his age, and work ethic ) that he is only a 1 dimensional fighter and people have figured it out as well as figuring out how to beat dude.......

 

[heyzel]

chuck is definetly no joke!!!!! Dude is one of the best MMA fighters in UFC history, it just seems lately ( could be due to his age, and work ethic ) that he is only a 1 dimensional fighter and people have figured it out as well as figuring out how to beat dude.......

I agree but chucks problem is that he is not hungry anymore he needs a fresh approach or a brand new camp

 

[Shogun Locc]

Affliction Leaves Las Vegas: Event Postponed

The Oct. 11 Affliction event scheduled for the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas has been postponed, Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer confirmed Wednesday to Sherdog.com.

Affliction contacted Kizer on Wednesday morning to inform him that the event would be moved to a January date at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

Advertising for the Oct. 11 pay-per-view event had already begun, including in New York, where scheduled headliners Andrei Arlovski (Pictures) and Josh Barnett (Pictures) were featured on a billboard in Times Square.

Arlovski’s management said they had not been contacted by Affliction with the cancellation as of this morning, and were “shocked” and “extremely disappointed” by the news.

Arlovski -- who delivered one of his more rousing performances of late with a third-round TKO over former IFL standout Ben Rothwell at Affliction’s first event on July 19 –- signed a non-exclusive, three-fight contract with the new promotion in early July. He had spent nearly eight years with the UFC, where he was a former heavyweight champion.

Arlovski’s management declined to comment on their fighter’s next move.

“Andrei was six weeks into his 10-week training cycle. He traveled from Chicago to L.A. to train for this bout, which he very much looked forward to,” said one of his representatives.

Calls to Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio were not immediately returned.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Remembering Evan Tanner

It was easy to like Evan Tanner.

Although I interviewed Tanner only a couple of times while I've been covering mixed martial arts, I was struck both times by his willingness to open up. No subject seemed off limits and even when discussing difficult subjects, such as his struggles with alcohol or recent challenges to remain competitive in the octagon, the Amarillo, Texas native was both reflective and self-assured.

Words like maverick, pioneer, warrior, trailblazer and adventurer all have been used to describe the fighter, who was found dead while on a camping excursion in the Palo Verde mountain area of Southern California on Monday. While all of those descriptions are accurate, perhaps no word describes Tanner better than human.

He was human first, just a man trying to enjoy life, and a fighter second.

At one point in his life, he led a nomadic existence, bumping from one odd job to another, everything from bouncer to contractor. However, living life to the fullest was a constant. Whether surfing, sailing, four-wheeling or overindulging, Tanner's life rarely moved in slow motion.

As he prepared several months ago for what turned out to be his last fight inside the cage, Tanner was blunt in his assessment of what fighting meant to him earlier in his career.

"There was a time when fighting was the last thing on my mind," he said prior to fighting Kendall Grove in June. "I would be out doing things, and they would call with a fight, and I'd train for two months to get ready. Then I'd be away from it for another nine months."

The comment shocked me and made me envious at the same time. Here was a man, who with a part-time approach to a multi-disciplinary sport, won 19 of his first 20 bouts and earned the UFC middleweight title in 2005 with a TKO victory over David Terrell at UFC 51.

Tanner was neither the most-talented fighter of his generation or the hardest working – just he found a way to win fights, win over legions of fans and carve out a slice of history for himself in a sport he found almost by accident in 1997.

Many people dream of following a different path in life, a course that includes not being tied down to the monotony of a work-every-day way of life, spreading their wings and seeking out adventures that bring a sense of satisfaction that no office job ever could. For Tanner, that lifestyle wasn't a dream; it was reality.

Not all the chapters in Tanner's life were without strife. As most MMA fans know, he struggled with alcohol, and there were periods in his life when he just needed to unplug from the world around him. But, he always seemed to come back, and prior to his fight with Grove, he felt he had a lot of fighting future still in him.

Unfortunately, we'll never know what that future held for Tanner, his life cut all too short at only 37 years old.

If life is indeed about the journey, Tanner's journey was like no other. And, something tells me he wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Evan Tanner will be missed.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Transatlantic Bisping Confident Ahead of Leben Bout

With two dynamic first-round wins consigned to Michael Bisping’s 2008 middleweight resume, the United Kingdom’s favorite mixed martial artist will look to make it three out of three when he takes on Chris Leben at UFC 89 on Oct. 18.

Bisping and Leben, both products of “The Ultimate Fighter,” will headline the event at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England.

Fresh off six weeks in California, where he combined a family holiday with rigorous training, Bisping recently arrived back home at the Wolfslair Academy to complete the final and most intense phase of preparation ahead of his bout with the Hawaii-based Leben.

“Since ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ Mike’s barely had a real holiday, or even a Christmas,” said Anthony McGann, co-owner of the Wolfslair Academy. “Although he was away in the states, he was in training every day.”

“It was half and half,” Bisping said with a laugh. “It was a good holiday, but it was also torture. I was going through rigorous training either one or two times a day, then, in between, taking the family to see f--king Mickey Mouse or Bart Simpson feeling absolutely destroyed.”

When not entertaining his loved ones at American theme parks, Bisping got in some high-quality fight preparation, too.

“I worked at Tiki Ghosn’s facility in Huntingdon Beach,” Bisping said. “It’s a good place to train. You get stars coming through there all the time, guys like Tito [Ortiz], Quinton] ‘Rampage’ [Jackson]. I also trained with Benji Radach, an excellent wrestler with a big right hand.”

With world-class training facilities and coaches available to him on either side of the Atlantic, Bisping likes the idea of varying his training, though ultimately he feels there’s no place like home.

“[In some ways], I have no preference,” he said. “When I’m in the States, it’s nice. I do this full-time, so a change is as good as a break. Obviously, the weather’s nice there, and the change keeps you fresh. I do enjoy the experience of working out in different gyms.

“Thinking about it though, you can’t beat training at your own gym with your own teammates and coaches who know how you work,” Bisping added. “Tiki’s great; he coaches stars, but you look forward to getting back to the Wolfslair to start properly focusing on the fight.”

Back in the UK, Bisping paints a vivid picture of what promises to be a brutal training camp leading up to his clash with Leben.

“It’s going to be ridiculous,” he said. “For the stand-up side of things I’ll tweak a few things. Anthony McGann has arranged some K-1 guys from Holland, and there’s also a couple of strong wrestlers coming from Bulgaria. [Wolfslair grappling coach] Mario Sukata has a problem with his neck, so he’s been out of action for a while, but he’s also going to be back on the mats alongside Tom Blackledge.

“We’ve got Cheick Kongo and ‘Rampage’ coming over next week, and we’ve brought in (professional boxer) Tony Quigley Jr. for sparring,” he added. “Paul Kelly’s here, too, [preparing for his UFC 89 fight with Marcus Davis]. It’s going to be second to none.”

According to the gym’s co-owner, Lee Gwynn, Bisping is a more than willing to put in the work.

“Mike’s one of those guys that goes all out with 100 percent intensity,” Gwynn said. “His work ethic and cardio are some of the best I have ever seen; his fitness is phenomenal, and when Cheick and Quinton come next week, they’re bringing five guys with them from the U.S. It’s going to be an intense camp.”

Being a fighter in the spotlight is demanding, as media and sponsorship commitments go hand-in-hand with training and fighting. The Widnes middleweight contender has no complaints.

“It’s a balancing act between going to America and training at the Wolfslair,” Bisping said. “On top of that, there are interview requests with the likes of the UFC or Setanta on an almost daily basis. Fighting is a full time job; there’s so much going on backstage. It’s very time-consuming being a professional sportsman. We not only have to fight the fight but also get people to watch it. That’s mainly the promoter’s job, but I need to take a bit of responsibility for getting people to the fight, too.

Life as a reality show cast member helped prepare Bisping for the crunch he now faces as one of the UFC’s top 185-pound competitors.

“Being on ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ was a baptism of fire,” he said. “With the cameras everywhere and up to 10 interviews a day, you come out of the house extremely well media trained. I cope because I try to structure my days; I’ll finish training, and I’m home for 2 p.m. Then I’ll do any interview commitments that I have.”

Like most fighters, Bisping looks to improve with each performance. His artistic destruction of his last opponent, Jason Day, was among his most impressive showings. He stopped the Canadian on strikes in just 3:42 at UFC 85 in June.

“That was definitely one of my best performances,” Bisping said. “I was very pleased with the way it went down. I felt I was in total control the whole time, and it confirmed that middleweight is the better weight category for me.”

Bisping remains confident heading into his bout with Leben, but he’s aware of the danger the American poses with his left hand.

“That’s definitely his biggest weapon,” Bisping said. “Some people don’t have a single one-punch finish; he has five or six courtesy of his left hand. People on the Internet are still saying, ‘Bisping has no chin’ despite the fact that in all my kickboxing fights, my MMA bouts, not to mention thousands of hours of sparring, I have never been sparked.

“That said, I’m not going in there thinking he definitely can’t knock me out,” he added. “But even if he does connect, I have fast powers of recovery. Leben has the advantage in one-punch power -- nobody’s disputing that -- but in terms of skill and speed, I think I have the advantages.”

Bisping, understandably guarded on the specifics of his game plan, believes he will be the fighter with his hand raised after the two meet inside the Octagon.

“I’ll come into the fight in good shape and look to finish the fight; that’s what I do,” he said. “I have had only had two decisions in all my bouts, and I am very much looking to put Chris Leben away inside the distance.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Torres Talks Tapia, UFC 88
videolink:http://www.sherdog.com/videos/recent/Torres-Talks-Tapia-UFC-88-1761
Sherdog.com’s TJ De Santis spoke exclusively with WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres (Pictures), who discussed a possible showdown with Manny Tapia (Pictures) and his thoughts on Saturday’s UFC card in Atlanta.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Amir Sadollah likely to face Nick Catone at UFC 91

In his first fight since scoring a series of upsets to win "The Ultimate Fighter 7," Amir Sadollah (1-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is expected to fight UFC newcomer Nick Catone (5-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at UFC 91.

The fight was recently reported by our friends at fiveouncesofpain.com, who states that bout agreements could be signed this week.

UFC 91 takes place Nov. 15 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

As MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) reported late last month, Sahollah mentioned his Nov. 15 fight date at a recent Combat Sports Challenge event, though his opponent wasn't initially known.

On "TUF" the 28-year-old Sadollah defeated former UFC fighter Steve Byrnes (6-1) in a newly created elimination round, Gerald Harris (8-2) in the opening round, Matt Brown (9-6) in the quarterfinals, C.B. Dollaway (7-1) in the semifinals, and after fellow finalist Jesse Taylor was kicked off the show, Sadollah again defeated Dollaway at the show's live finale back in June.

All five victories came via knockout or submission.

He'll now meet Catone, a veteran of the Ring of Combat organization who's posted first-round stoppage victories in his past four fights. The ROC USKBA middleweight champion currently trains under Ricardo Almeida in New Jersey.

 

[Shogun Locc]

TITO ORTIZ SWEEPSTAKES COMING TO AN END?

It looks as if the negotiations to sign the biggest free agent in all of mixed martial arts are about to come to an end. Tito Ortiz tells MMAWeekly.com that he expects to announce his new deal by the end of September.

One suitor that has been ruled out is Ortiz’s last employer, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, who had been talking to the former light heavyweight champion about a possible return.

“Most likely I’m not going with the UFC, that’s about 99% sure that that’s not happening,” said Ortiz in an exclusive interview with MMAWeekly.com. “I’ve got to be thankful for Lorenzo (Fertitta), what he gave me to this point, but it’s too bad that they have a president the way he is, just hot headed the way he is, takes everything personal and I wash my hands clean.

“I did as much as I possibly could for them, and they did as much as they possibly could for me.”

The new deal is still being finalized according to Ortiz, but he expects the announcement to happen by the end of the month, putting to rest his free agency and starting the next chapter of the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy.”

“I’m in the midst of possibly signing with somebody. I’m going to go to a company that’s going to take me very seriously and use everything that they can use for me. In the public, in fights, in everything,” Ortiz stated.

“I’m going to move on and I’m going to try another company out, I’m going to see how it goes. By the end of this month there will be a big news break, where Tito Ortiz is going and what I did for a contract.”

Of course his mind isn’t solely wrapped around his fight career as he and girlfriend Jenna Jameson are also expecting a child soon. The California based fighter is more excited than ever for his future.

He also added that he is “99% sure” where he is headed.

“I’m really excited and by the end of this month I’ll let everyone know where I’m going,” Ortiz commented in closing.

 

[Shogun Locc]

WEC's postponing was "good for Sonnen"

Paulo Filho’s boxing coach, Josuel Distak commented about the postponing of the 36th edition of WEC, that were transferred to November 5th, because of the hurricane Ike. Prepared to face Chael Sonnen to continue as the middleweight champion, Paulo Filho was sad about the problems, but his Distak guarantees this extra time will be good for Sonnen. “Not only Paulo, but everybody was really sorry about it, we were training hard and it happened. It’s sad for some, and good for others”, said. But how would it be good for anybody? Distak explains: “Good for Sonnen… We were stronger and ready to get his left arm again. He has now more one month to get ready”, told the coach.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Horodecki on Affliction signing

With the recent demise of the International Fight League, one of their most coveted fighters in London, Ontario’s Chris Horodecki (12-1) was suddenly on the market. The 20-year old lightweight’s management team at North County Fight Club fielded numerous offers from around the globe, but in the end it was Affliction who emerged in the forefront, signing Horodecki to a three-fight deal. His first bout will be against Dan Lauzon at Affliction 2 “Day of Reckoning” on Oct. 11 at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.

Horodecki told Sherdog.com that he was at Affliction’s inaugural card in July to support teammate Mark Hominick and he loved the experience, which helped sway his decision to sign with them.

“It was a great show, they put on great fights -- big spectacle fights,” said Horodecki. “They’re going back to more of a spectacle type of theme -- the fighters, the entrances and how they come in. I like the ring and the format of the fights and I’m real excited. They put on a hell of a production from a live standpoint, and by the end of the show there’s a great energy in the air. A lot of shows I’ve been to they can’t really parallel and it was awesome, it was a great vibe.”

Horodecki has plenty positive to say about his Oct. 11 opponent Dan Lauzon.

“He’s a tough scrappy guy. He’s like his brother [Joe Lauzon] –- pretty strong all around. He’s confident in his standup and he’s got a jiu-jitsu game. He’s been in there on the big stage and we’ll see how he does it again, but I don’t think he’s up there with me.”

In the meantime and in between his training sessions, Horodecki is up to his elbows in tiling grout, as he, Hominick and Sam Stout are working hard to prepare the upgraded version of their coach Shawn Tompkins’ London-based Team Tompkins Muay Thai and Submission Club –- a sprawling 11,000 square foot building to be christened the Adrenaline Training Centre.

“It’s real hectic right now. We’re opening our own continuation of Team Tompkins expanding in London, and mixing that up with our training in London and coming up twice a week to Toronto to train there,” he said. “Mixing that up with my conditioning coach Scott Payton -- it’s a hell of a week.”

Horodecki said that he’ll be spending the final five weeks prior to the Lauzon fight putting the final touches on in his camp with Coach Tompkins at Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts in Las Vegas.

After his Affliction appearance, Horodecki will be finishing off his final fight of his contract with Montreal’s TKO organization at TKO 36 on Dec. 5. His opponent has not yet been named, but TKO President Stephane Patry told Sherdog.com that possible contenders include the winner of the TKO 35 match between Jordan Mein and Martin Grandmont, or possibly Samuel Guillet.

 

[Shogun Locc]

MacDonald Take Opportunities

If there were one word that best describes Jason MacDonald’s current situation it would have to be “opportunity.” The 33-year-old middleweight from Red Deer, Alberta uses that word frequently when talking about his career in the UFC, and he certainly made the most of his latest one when he submitted Jason Lambert early in the second round at UFC 88 in Atlanta last Saturday.

Less than a month earlier MacDonald had suffered a hard-fought, third-round submission loss to Demian Maia at UFC 87 in Las Vegas, a fight in which he held his own with one of the best pure grapplers in the UFC. Although MacDonald emerged from that fight with an “L” in his ledger, he thrilled fans with his performance and more importantly, he emerged without injury.

Fellow Canadian Jason Day was originally scheduled to face Lambert at UFC 88, but when he had to withdraw from the bout due to injury, MacDonald was asked by UFC matchmaker Joe Silva to step in on two week’s notice.

It was a good choice by “The Athlete,” who slapped on a fight-ending rear-naked choke for the win and a monetary bonus for submission of the night.

“I really feel like I dominated him from bell to bell; I never really felt like I was in trouble,” MacDonald said. “I put him on his back and hit him with some punches and kept him there the entire first round. Then in the second round, I was able to hit him with some more good, solid punches and put him on his back again, and that time I was able to capitalize and nail the submission.”

The only time MacDonald didn’t have the upper hand was in the final moments of the first round, when Lambert latched on a very tight-looking guillotine choke from the bottom. MacDonald monitored the video screen and waited as the seconds ticked by.

“I could see that there was only six seconds left so had there have been any more time left in the round I might have been in a little bit of trouble. Had there been any longer in the round I would have actually tried to get out of the guillotine as opposed to just sitting there and waiting it out,” he said. “It was fairly tight but I looked at the clock so I thought I’d throw some punches and try to finish the round in a positive manner rather than just sit there and let the judges think that he was choking me for six seconds.”

Despite the win, MacDonald admitted he didn’t stick to his game plan for the second time in a row.

“The game plan for Lambert was to keep the fight standing. I’ve been working a lot on my standup and trying to get comfortable using it out there,” said MacDonald. “I should have been using it against Demian Maia more and for whatever reason I didn’t. I was determined to go out there and start using my standup more. I wasn’t really looking to take him down but that’s the way the fight unfolded in front of me. I saw the opportunity and I took advantage of it.”

Though it’s likely too early to receive his next assignment from Zuffa, MacDonald has his eyes on a few candidates.

“Oh man, I would really like to see what happens with the Chris Leben and Michael Bisping fight -- I would love an opportunity to fight Bisping,” said MacDonald. “Nathan Marquardt had a big win last night and I don’t know what the future holds for him but he looked great. I don’t know if that will be a fight that may be in the cards for me in the future but we’ll have to see what transpires in the next few months. Basically, I want fights that will continue to move me forward in the division, so I’ll leave the matchmaking to Joe Silva and I’ll just go out there and try to put on exciting fights.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

TKO signs TV deal in Quebec

Montreal’s TKO Championship Fighting revealed that they have signed a television deal with the TQS television network, and began airing “TKO - Friday Night Knockouts” on Sept. 5 and every Friday night thereafter at 9 p.m.

The news was promising for TKO, as TQS is not primarily a sports channel, but more of a variety channel. Patry used the analogy that TQS is like Spike TV, except it isn’t on cable. Everybody that has a TV set in Quebec has TQS.

“Our first show was Friday night and the response was just amazing,” said Patry. “The sport was already very popular here in Quebec but this weekend I went out with my girlfriend and we couldn’t even walk in the streets with Steve Bosse, who was part of the show with Derek Gauthier and Martin Grandmont. Everybody was talking to them about the show.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Sources: "Affliction: Day of Reckoning" rescheduled for later date

Affliction: Day of Reckoning," which was supposed to be the second event promoted by Affliction Entertainment, has been rescheduled and will not go on during its originally scheduled Oct. 11 date.

Sources close to the organization tell MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that Affliction only recently determined to postpone the event.

According to one source, Affliction is expected to make a "major announcement" on Saturday that will better clarify the future of the organization, and that a new January fight date could be announced at that time.

Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio could not immediately be reached for comment.

MMAjunkie.com contacted multiple MMA agents who represent fighters on the "Day of Reckoning" card; none had heard of the cancellation when initially contacted. Additionally, tickets for the event can still be purchased.

"Affliction: Day of Reckoning" was scheduled to take place at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. The 11-fight event featured a main event of Andrei Arlovski vs. Josh Barnett, and the winner was expected to fight top-ranked heavyweight and WAMMA title-holder Fedor Emelianenko at a future Affliction event.

Affliction's first event, "Reckoning," took place July 19 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. With perhaps the greatest collection of MMA talent ever assembled, the organization drew nearly 15,000 spectators for a live gate of $2.1 million (though Affliction executives admit they purchased some of the tickets themselves). The total disclosed payroll for the event topped $3.3 million, prompting some -- most notably UFC President Dana White just last week -- that the organization could be out of business by year's end. However, Atencio contends the organization did more than 100,000 pay-per-view guys and is in good financial shape for future shows.

The Oct. 11 event was scheduled to air on pay per view with an HDNet-televised preliminary card.

An HDNet spokesperson today told MMAjunkie.com that she was informed of the cancellation but had no other information available.

 

[Shogun Locc]

MATT BROWN: "DONG HIMSELF TOLD ME I WON THE FIGHT!"
link: http://www.fighthype.com/pages/content3400.html
"It was close enough to where they could give it to him. The fact of the matter is when it comes down to it, Dong himself told me that I won the fight. It's just one of those things man where it's out of my power. I'm more disappointed at myself for not finishing him," stated UFC welterweight Matt Brown as he talked about his narrow loss to Dong Hyun Kim. Check out what else he had to say about his performance, his future plans and much more

 

[Shogun Locc]

Exclusive: Tom Atencio Talks Numerous Affliction Topics

Following a blockbuster card in July that seen Fedor Emelianenko defeat former UFC Champion Tim Sylvia to claim the WAMMA Heavyweight title at the first Affliction show, the company is set to hold their second event on October 11th from the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV. The main event of the card will see former UFC Heavyweight Champions, Josh "The Baby Faced Assassin" Barnett take on Andrei "The Pitbull" Arlovski in a heavyweight elimination match to see who will next get a crack at the number one ranked heavyweight in the world, Emelianenko.

MMANews.com spoke with Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio recently and he discussed numerous topics regarding the company including the idea of having a band perform at the shows, what bands could possibly be seen performing on future events, where the idea came from to use a ring instead of a cage, and the long term plans the company has to keep producing top notch MMA offfering.

Below are quotes from an interview conducted by MMANews.com's own Chris Howie when he spoke with Atencio.


On the idea of bands performing at the Affliction events and who could possibly perform on future events:

Chris Howie: You guys have the legendary Ozzy Osbourne playing on the next card and have had Megadeth play on the first show. Being a big metal fan I thought this was a great idea, yourself, are you a metal fan and where did this idea come from?

Tom Atencio: Absolutely, just like the fighters we have a great relationship with these bands as well. We do a whole signature series with Ozzy with pants and shirts and such and of course, I am a huge fan. We also work with Korn, The Misfits, The Damned, Lamb of God, and a few other bands. Korn was at our last event and we have talked to them about performing. Things worked out well with Ozzy so I would imagine we will have Korn perform at one of our future events as well.


On using a ring instead of the cage:

Chris Howie: You guys decided to go with a ring instead of a cage, what was the deciding factor in that? Was in to be different from the UFC or were there other deciding factors as well?

Tom Atencio: First and foremost it was to differentiate ourselves from other companies but beyond I spoke with Tim Sylvia and Josh (Barnett) and Fedor and other guys to see what they liked and the majority of them really wanted to use the ring. I think it is a little bit faster and tends to favor the stand up fighter. It was a combination of a number of different things. I was a big fan of Pride and I am also a big fan of the UFC but in the cage it tends to favor the grappler and that can get stale at times.

On future plans the company has for shows:

Chris Howie: You have said in the past that you would like to do three shows and then take it from there but with the success of the first show do you guys have plans to go more long term?

Tom Atencio: You know right now we are still looking at three events and depending on how they do we will take it from there. We need to make sure we are still a viable company and make sure we get to our goals and we will go from there. If the first three shows are successful then we will look at the next three and the three after that.

Chris Howie: In terms of going past the initial three shows, based on how things have gone so far are you forseeing more than three or is it wait and see what happens next sort of deal?

Tom Atencio: I have to focus on one thing at the time and right now my goal is three fights. We have the second card finished and once we get closer to the third show and have that one finalized I will look at going past that. Unfortunately for me it is not just the fight promotion that I do as I also have the clothing line as well. I don't have a lot of time for much [laughs]

On what he would rather focus on, running the clothing company or promoting fights:

Tom Atencio: I'd rather run the fight promotions. That has been my passion for years. I have been involved with MMA for over 15 years. I have fought professionally, I was a fight photographer, and I also helped establish the United States Federation of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The clothing company is also a passion for me as well but personally I would rather do the fights.