MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

War Machine: UFC cut me over declined fight, Evan Tanner comments

War Machine (5-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC), "The Ultimate Fighter 6" cast member previously known as Jon Koppenhaver before he legally changed his name, has been dropped by the UFC in the wake up a controversial web posting the fighter made regarding the death of former UFC champion Evan Tanner.

War Machine said he recently turned down a fight -- one with an opponent who had little name recognition -- and that the decision may have also played a part in the UFC's decision to drop him from the roster.

"The UFC cut me," Koppenhaver confirmed with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

Earlier this week, the mixed-martial-arts community learned that former UFC middleweight champion Evan Tanner died while camping out in a California desert. Initially, little was known about the situation other than a body had been found and that it was believed to be Tanner.

Upon learning of the news, Koppenhaver posted a MySpace bulletin in which he speculated that Tanner had committed suicide and that he may have been depressed over the fact that his career might be over and that he had little to show financially for all his greatness.

"What else is an underpaid fighter supposed to do at the end of his career?" War Machine wrote in the posting. "Cash in his 401K? Collect social security? Start to work some [expletive] job for 10 bucks an hour? (This) [expletive] ain't boxing, and if you're not Chuck [Liddell] or Tito Ortiz, you don't get paid dick."

When later reports suggested Tanner didn't kill himself, War Machine took down the posting. However, he still believes there is more to the story.

"I still believe in my heart it was a suicide," War Machine said. "Whether or not -- maybe he didn't shoot himself in the head, but I think he went up there maybe with plans not to come back. I just think he was a great fighter, he was a champion, and I guarantee you that he never made [expletive] for money. I guarantee you that he was at the end of his rope. There was no chance for a comeback. He was depressed, guaranteed. He had just lost to Kendall [Grove]. He was getting older. He knows he has no retirement plan. He had nothing, dude. That could be the outcome for a lot of fighters, myself included. I for damn sure guarantee you that if I'm in my 40s and I didn't make enough money and I don't have my own gym to support myself or whatever, I'll probably kill myself too."

"I think he didn't maybe really want to kill himself outright and hurt his family and the people around him. Maybe he just went on a one-way mission and didn't plan on coming back, but he didn't kill himself outright. ... He may have made it like an accident. I think he planned on not coming back."

Of course, it's worth noting that California authorities believe Tanner died of heat exhaustion (temperatures near his campsite reached nearly 115 degrees) and that he had, indeed, called his friends for help. Additionally, a good friend of Tanner's who first confirmed the fighter's death with MMAjunkie.com said she spoke to Tanner a week prior to his death and that he didn't seem suicidal.

War Machine, who's no stranger to controversial -- and sometime strange -- online ramblings, said he decided to take down the posting after more information came to light and after so many people reacted negatively to his writings.

"I took it down because ... when I first wrote it, I didn't know the whole story," War Machine said. "I had just heard that they had found his bike and that they had found him in the middle of nowhere. I thought, '[Expletive] man. He must've killed himself. He must've been depressed. That's what I figured, so that's why I wrote that bulletin. The once I got the [expletive] comments and they got the story out where he said he was going on a quest and all that stuff and it was debatable on whether it was an accident or not, I took it down."

UFC officials had caught wind of the posting, and the final straw came a few days later when War Machine was offered a fight with Brandon Wolff. War Machine said he was originally set to fight Matt Arroyo, but for reasons he still doesn't know, the fight was scrapped. Instead, his manager called him back with a new opponent's name.

"He said, 'They want you to fight Brandon Wolff,'" War Machine said. "I said, 'Who in the hell if [Brandon] Wolff?' So, I looked him up and made some phone calls. I've got a lot of friends in Hawaii -- 'Rude Boy' (Troy Mandaloniz), Kendall Grove, my trainer. I got the same thing from everybody. They all said the guy is savage, sick, tough as hell, a really tough fighter and a really tough fight. Basically we all came to the conclusion that I have nothing to gain from the fight. He has no name, no fans other than the guys in Hawaii, and I thought that if I beat him, then no one is really going to care because I beat someone with no name. And if I lose, everyone is going to say I lost to a guy with no name, so I said [expletive] that.

"I want to fight someone with a name. I said, 'Give me Josh Burkman. Give me Dustin Hazelett. Give me someone with a name.'

War Machine said that didn't sit well with UFC Vice President of Talent Relations (and UFC matchmaker) Joe Silva.

"They went back to the UFC, and Joe Silva said, 'No. That's the best fight I've got for him; take it or leave it,'" War Machine said. "It was kind of threatening -- like if I didn't take it, they'd kick me out of the UFC. So, I was kind of pissed off and decided to play hard ball too. I said I'd wait for another opponent."

After learning that the UFC wanted a Mandaloniz vs. Matthew Riddle fight, War Machine had his manager call Silva when he found out that Mandaloniz wouldn't be ready for the bout.

"Joe Silva -- he was pretty much on a power trip," War Machine said. "He was like, 'I already told you that I already have Wolff for War Machine. I don't know who he is thinking he's negotiating with me. You know what? I'm sick of this guy.' Then he brought up the Evan Tanner thing. 'He made a dumbass comment on Evan Tanner. He's not supporting the UFC. You know what? War Machine is cut.' And they cut me."

He found out just this past Wednesday.

Koppenhaver had signed a 10-fight deal with the UFC after appearing on "TUF."

However, War Machine is looking for the silver lining in all this. He's already secured a main-event slot on a small show that takes place in mid-October.

"I fought (in) some small shows, and then I was on 'The Ultimate Fighter,' so, I never really got a lot of experience, so I'm still learning a lot," War Machine said. "I'm still new, and to be honest, I wasn't going to be a contender in the UFC anytime soon anyway. This is a way for me to go out there, maybe win a few smaller belts, get some more wins, get my skills up better, and before I know it, after a few years have passed, I'll be ready to fight anyone. ... Plus, I was really surprised by how much money they offered me for a small show."

War Machine said it was a dream come true to fight in the UFC -- and that he's open to the idea of returning there someday -- but he said he needed to keep his integrity intact.

"I'm the kind of guy who's real independent, and I don't take [expletive] from anyone," he said. "I don't care if it's Joe Silva or Dana White. I don't care who it is. I'm not going to bow down to anyone. ... I'm not going to be bullied by anyone."

 

[heyzel]

Wamma, Bamma, No Thank You Ma’ama (Part 1)

WAMMA, BAMMA, NO THANK YOU MA’AMA
PART 1

A couple of weeks back, I received (second hand, mind you) a release from an organization called WAMMA (World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts) trumpeting their new ratings for the month of August. This crew, which is headed up by s former FBI agent, is, I suppose, is trying to establish itself as accepted authority of sorts on ratings and titles, along the lines of what Ring Magazine has been trying to re-establish for itself (with mixed results - but that’s a LONG story) in the world of boxing.

On balance, I think the WAMMA ratings are a nice thing. They should actually be kind of a harmless thing. They give another perspective on who the best fighters in each weight division are, especially since the UFC does not issue official rankings. But I’m not sure you want to get carried away with all this. Remember, it’s just one perspective among many, many perspectives. You also have ratings made available by Sherdog and other mixed martial arts publications, and could probably get dozens and dozens of ratings lists from people if you just asked them for it.

I just hope WAMMA doesn’t get crazy and start thinking it is going to install itself as “official” ratings for the entire sport, by attempting to find an impressionable ear somewhere in the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) to push this through as another of those “innovative” ideas, or worse yet, as part of a legislative mandate through some federal bill. After all, there are many ABC members who DO impressions; they are sometimes very good at imitating real, live public servants.

As ridiculous as this concept may sound to you, there have been half-hearted attempts to do it in boxing. And there is a certain precedent as well, because even though many boxing people (including most regulators themselves) don’t seem to be aware of it, sanctioning bodies like the WBA and WBC started out as nothing more than associations between boxing commissions.

But as this point, an official national ranking of mixed martial arts fighters would REALLY be going too far. Can you imagine - the United States government rating fighters?

Next thing you know, somebody will be looking to the government to subsidize losing pay-per-view ventures or rescue failing promoters, the way that they are bailing out Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.

This all sounds pretty trite, and was meant that way, until I found out that WAMMA made a presentation at the latest ABC meeting that was held in Montreal. I can’t think of any reason they may have been there other than to get their foot in the door as a way of eventually garnering some sort of recognition by the ABC. You can not forget that the ABC has for years granted an exclusive “record keeping” license to one company in boxing, and is doing that with another group for MMA. It may not seem inconceivable to some that if they are controlling that kind of thing they would do the same for ratings that would be “recognized” by every jurisdiction.

The standard has been set for giving such license to a private business, as has been done with Fight Fax, the record-keepers in boxing, and that company has felt a certain amount of entitlement toward such exclusivity ever since, with opportunistic regulators like Greg Sirb of Pennsylvania running interference for them along the way. The reasons for that became clearer over time, especially when it was revealed that in John McCain’s bill to take over federal oversight of boxing there was the provision for a big chunk of taxpayer dollars to subsidize the keeping of fighters records and medical records. Gee, why not ratings? Remember, WAMMA has positioned itself as a commercial business.

Yes, a commercial business. And that’s what starts to worry me, within this particular context, as you’ll find out in Part Two of this mini-series.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Henderson Sues MMA Authentics

Former Pride Fighting Championships welterweight and middleweight titleholder Dan Henderson this week filed a breach of contract lawsuit against the clothing company MMA Authentics in California Superior Court in Vista, Calif.

The suit, which seeks both monetary and injunctive relief, claims MMA Authentics owes Henderson $50,000 plus undetermined royalties under a contract he signed with the Ohio-based apparel manufacturer on July 27, 2007. The company sells clothing under the Cage Fighter, MMA Authentics and Familia Gladitoria brands.

“I haven’t seen the complaint,” MMA Authentics Vice President Michael DiSabato told Sherdog.com Thursday. “I’ve breached nothing.”

According to the suit, MMA Authentics failed to pay Henderson a second $30,000 guaranteed royalty down payment that was due by May 1, 2008 plus subsequent royalties of 15 percent of the gross proceeds for Henderson licensed products and four percent for non-Henderson licensed merchandise through the Cage Fighter and MMA Authentics brands. The document also states that MMA Authentics failed to “provide adequate quarterly accounting statements as required by the Contract” to determine what said royalties are.

The lawsuit also contends that MMA Authentics refused to pay an additional $20,000 sponsorship fee for logo placement Henderson donned on his clothing during his appearance against UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 82 last March.

In a letter DiSabato sent to Henderson on March 25, MMA Authentics stated it terminated its contract with the fighter because he breached exclusivity terms to only wear its own clothing brands. Henderson wore a T-shirt from a rival clothing company, One More Round, during his appearance at UFC 82.

“Dan’s a wonderful fighter, but I think he’s been misadvised,” said DiSabato. “The contact clearly states that it was an exclusive licensing and representation deal. He wore that shirt in the hometown of the company he represents. Some things you just don’t do. Tell him to go back to grammar school and learn how to read. What does exclusivity mean? Exclusivity means exclusive.”

Contrary to DiSabato’s claims, Henderson’s lawsuit argues the fighter followed the terms of the contract pertaining to his T-shirt preferences explicitly.

In a copy of Henderson’s contract with MMA Authentics obtained by Sherdog.com, the company was granted exclusive rights to “utilize the Athlete’s name, signature, and likeness” for various products, including T-shirts.

In another section of the contract, separate terms stipulated that MMA Authentics would be granted space for its logo on Henderson’s “uniform” on the “upper right shoulder of tee shirt worn before and after the match” with its size not to exceed three inches by two inches. The terms stated MMA Authentics would also be designated spots on the fighter’s shorts and hat. The language did not specify that Henderson’s “uniform” must consist of MMA Authentics branded clothing.

Henderson’s lawsuit contends the fighter not only satisfied the terms set forth in the contract, but that he provided MMA Authentics more sponsorship placement than what was agreed upon for no extra compensation, this despite last-minute posturing by the clothing company to alter the deal.

“Regarding MMA Authentics business ethics, it entered into a contract to pay for sponsorship placement on Mr. Henderson’s shorts, shirt and hat at UFC 82,” wrote Henderson’s attorney, Craig Holiday, in an e-mail to Sherdog.com. “Subsequently, DiSabato insisted on renegotiating the contract. After, Henderson declined to modify the contract, DiSabato threatened to cancel the contract just weeks before UFC 82. Unsure of DiSabato’s intentions, Henderson sought assurances that DiSabato would honor the contract.”

Both Holiday and the lawsuit state that DiSabato agreed that Henderson would be paid per the contract in correspondence dated Feb. 21. Holiday said Henderson then fulfilled his obligations set forth in the contract.

“DiSabato, however, refused to pay anything after the fight,” wrote Holiday. “Such actions were in bad faith and very dishonorable to Mr. Henderson.”

In the termination letter, DiSabato also contends Henderson breached his contract by not wearing an MMA Authentics hat in his post-fight interview at UFC 82 and by allowing One More Round to sell replicas of the T-shirt Henderson wore that night on its Web site.

A representative for Henderson confirmed that the fighter forgot to put on the hat following his loss to Silva but said the clothing company had been granted more advertising space for its logos elsewhere on Henderson’s clothing, which went above and beyond the contract. The representative said One More Round had also sold 90 Henderson-themed T-shirts without the fighter’s approval or knowledge and that a cease and desist letter was immediately dispatched upon learning of the sales.

Also under discrepancy in the lawsuit is the use of Henderson’s name and likeness without his permission on numerous occasions, but most notably when DiSabato allegedly advertised the former champion’s presence at a charity event the day before his fight with Silva. Henderson said he never agreed to attend the event, which was advertised to benefit the widow and child of a U.S. Marine killed in Iraq, as he had to prepare for his bout with Silva. The suit states that Henderson requested on numerous occasions that the company remove his name and likeness from the advertisement.

Henderson was also concerned about the event upon learning that Ohio State University allegedly declined to associate with it due to “mechanisms behind the charity.”

The suit contends the use of Henderson’s name, likeness and identity for an event he could not attend caused the fighter harm. Henderson’s attorney said the fighter received complaints afterward from MMA fans who paid to attend the charity event expecting to meet him.

“Despite numerous requests to DiSabato to remove Henderson’s name and likeness from misleading advertisements during the six weeks preceding UFC 82, on information and belief, DiSabato refused and either negligently or knowing proceeded even though the account was false,” the suit states. “Although Henderson applauds the general idea of the charity in helping the family of an American Marine, he did not want his name to be used in a misleading manner since he could not attend.”

However, DiSabato lays blame at the fighter’s feet.

“We gave Dan plenty of notice about the event,” DiSabato said. “He was too busy to give up 15 minutes of his time to benefit a fallen Marine. The Sunday after the event, he showed up at his own after-party, drink in hand, and had a hell of a time.”

When contacted by Sherdog.com Thursday, DiSabato claimed he was still unaware that a lawsuit had been filed against his company.

“The suit’s laughable,” DiSabato said. “Unfortunately, there are people in this business who throw something at a wall and hope it sticks. Dan’s got a lot of people around him looking to pat themselves on the back. We didn’t breach the contract.”

 

[heyzel]

Wamma, Bamma, No Thank You Ma’ama (Part 2)

By Charles Jay

A quick glance at the ratings issued by WAMMA (World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts) as of August 18 is insightful indeed. In the heavyweight division, it is mentioned in the press release that Fedor Emilianenko is “the cream of the heavyweight crop.” I don’t know if I dispute that, but I DO dispute that Fedor is the undisputed champion. Are you following? You see, by definition, he is NOT undisputed, as long as the UFC, Elite XC, King of the Cage, Strikeforce, Dream or whoever are in a position to recognize a heavyweight champion.

Everywhere else, it looks like the UFC dominates, as one might expect. They had the top five light heavyweights (and I’m sure #3 Chuck Liddell will be replaced by Rashad Evans next month), the top four middleweights (as we include the WEC under the UFC umbrella), four of the top five welterweights and two of the top five lightweights.

But I am expecting that to change, in albeit a subtle way, as time progresses.

You can see a little of that now. I’m sure it’s no accident that Josh Barnett, who recently won on an Affliction show, has overtaken Randy Couture for the #2 spot in the WAMMA heavyweight ratings, and not a coincidence that a couple of weeks after that happens, Couture (who was on a WAMMA “fighter advisory board”) is announcing that he is rejoining the UFC to fight Brock Lesnar as part of a three-fight deal.

Yes, these guys want to make money off the sanctioning of title fights, and that gets us around to what else worries me in terms of WAMMA’s credibility. When you are a “sanctioning body” and are in the business of generating sanctioning fees, or sponsorship dollars, from that activity, you are worthless if you do not pursue profits. And the only way to profit is to collect, which means any enterprise like that is naturally going to gravitate toward those promoters who are willing to do business with it. That’s the way it has been in boxing for years, and I’m going beyond the sanctioning bodies everyone knows (the WBC, WBA, IBF, etc.). I’m talking about a dozen so-called governing bodies underneath them, whether they be the WBF, IBU, NABA, NABF, USBA, and on and on and on. They will sanction the fights the promoters are willing to pay them to sanction. That is their nature.

The UFC doesn’t look like it is interested in doing that kind of business, and from a “positioning” point of view, there is no compelling reason they should. Why would they want to promote their own champions as the very backbone of some of their pay-per-view productions, and then submit themselves to a rating system that would have the latitude to actually tell the public that those “champions” are not the best in the world? It makes no business sense.

So as you can see, that leaves WAMMA to deal with those promoters who will deal with IT. That means Affliction, Elite XC, etc. And since they will find out that it isn’t particularly attractive for the #7 and #8 fighters to be battling it out for a vacant “title” time after time, you are going to see some rather “creative” movements in those ratings,like so many of those organizations listed above. In point of fact, WAMMA will become an example of the same kind of “alphabet soup” that has stained boxing in the eyes of many in the public.

All that having been said, I don’t want to submit blindly to the idea people have gotten from the sanctioning bodies in boxing, just because at times “ratings for sale” may have been observed and exposed. It doesn’t necessarily have to be that way. In a set of circumstances that was somewhat well-known in boxing at the time, I was once asked to become a member of the ratings committee of the World Boxing Association (WBA). I countered with a proposal whereby I would gather a large contingent of members of the boxing media and poll them on the top ten in each weight division. In fact, one of my voters was going to be Eddie Goldman, a name that should be familiar to many of you, and we sat and talked about it in the lobby of the Manhattan hotel where the WBA was having an “emergency meeting” about this matter and others.

Recognizing that the WBA didn’t want to be left completely out of the mix, I proposed that the media poll count with 75% of the weight toward the overall world ratings, with the WBA ratings committee at 25%. They countered with a 50-50 offer. I didn’t want to get the writers involved with a watered-down poll, so the idea was shelved. But I knew that the purest way to do the ratings, within those parameters, was for it to count 100%. At the same time, I understood that once commercialism came into play, there was nothing in those ratings that couldn’t - and wouldn’t - be distorted if the right opportunity presented itself.

So when an organization talks about drumming up sanctioning fees, look at it with caution. And do the same when the word “sponsorships” is mentioned, because you have to have a title fight to have a sponsor, and sponsors in general are not going to be interested in #7 versus #8. Please take my word for it.

But it actually goes deeper than that. So let me catch my breath, and we’ll explore further in the next part

 

[Shogun Locc]

Arlovski’s Diplomacy Overrides Disappointment

LOS ANGELES -- The walls of Freddie Roach’s Wild Card gym are plastered from floor to ceiling with boxers. The history of the sports is woven into the balance of fight posters and publicity shots, from the defiant gaze of Muhammad Ali to the flagrant showmanship of Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Andrei Arlovski’s mug also stares out from the distinguished walls of the 14-year-old pugilistic landmark. Though the Belarusian has yet to step into a professional boxing ring, his two-year relationship with the iconic trainer has earned him his spot in Roach’s sentimental collage.

Today, Arlovski is sparring in the ring with Roach. The 29-year-old’s athletic 6-foot-4 frame dips lithely under his much shorter coach’s mitts, and his feet re-set in patterns unfamiliar to anyone outside the pair. The gym is teaming with sweaty boxers of all shapes and sizes, who fend off exhaustion in the balmy 100-degree setting as they pulverize hanging bags like slabs of meat. In their individual dances, many of them can’t help but sneak a glance at Arlovski, who is entranced by Roach’s quiet, but intense instruction. They might not know exactly who the bearded fighter is, but they sense he’s somebody just the same.

“I think I can get him to a championship fight,” coos Roach to no one in particular as Arlovski peels off another combination with impressive speed and accuracy.

Arlovski has a passion for boxing. Roach wouldn’t train him otherwise. A former boxer himself, Roach is currently working with eight top-level boxers all en route to championship bids, including Manny Pacquiao, who will face Oscar De La Hoya on Dec. 6 in the sport’s last hoorah of the year. Arlovski is the first and only mixed martial artist Roach has agreed to coach on a regular basis, and he has hopes Arlovski will be able to transition into his world as a legitimate competitor shortly.

“Freddie is very demanding in terms of how people work with him,” says Arlovski’s longtime manager and confidante Leo Khorolinsky. “Andrei is a hard worker and he’s very hungry and when something’s not working out, he’ll go even more for it because he’s on a mission to get it to work. Freddie is very passionate about what he does and he sees that same passion coming back from his student -- it’s my observation that they recharge each other.”

Arlovski and Roach started their fourth collaboration together in late September, preparing the fighter for an Oct. 11 tilt with the dangerous Josh Barnett at Affliction 2 “Day of Reckoning” in Las Vegas. After a week and a half of intense two-a-days with his mentor, Arlovski packed up and headed home to his waiting team in Chicago. Michael Garcia, Arlovski’s boxing coach at the local JABB gym, began to meld Roach’s teachings into Arlovski’s final month of preparation with his wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructors Sean Bormet, John Kading and Dino Costeas.

The train derailed on Wednesday though, when Affliction announced that they had decided to postpone their second show until next January. The card was to have featured 20 fighters, many of whom have vocalized disappointment with the delay in the last day. Arlovski, who left the much greener pastures of the UFC in July to play the MMA’s growing field of rival competitors, has taken a more tempered approach. Maybe training with the distinguished Roach and a dedicated Chicago team has enforced Arlovski’s sense of patience during such uncertain times. The former UFC heavyweight champion hasn’t stopped training since he got word two days ago, though he says the date of his next fight is unknown at this time.

“I don’t feel like stopping just yet,” says Arlovski. “Maybe I’ll back off a little in intensity, but I’m still going to train. I enjoy it and I need to be ready and prepared and working on my skills.”

Affliction’s decision to move its second event has raised red flags in a community all too familiar with failed enterprises. But whispers of a pending alliance with De La Hoya’s Golden Boy promotions have grown stronger by the hour. Officials with Affliction have said an announcement of epic proportions could come as early as this Saturday.

Arlovski said he’s reading the rumors alongside the fans and is hopeful that the promotion’s horizon could be on the verge of expansion as it suggests.

“My manager has been in contact with Affliction,” Arlovski said Thursday. “I personally think we should give Affliction and opportunity to sort things out and figure things out and let us know what the next step is for us. I signed a three-fight contract I agreed to fulfill and I’m concentrating on that.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

The Polish Pride

The days of “Cage Rage” equating to “European MMA” are long gone.

Many promotions from around Europe have positioned themselves to become power players in the near future, including Cage Warriors from the U.K., Glory from the Netherlands, M-1 from Russia and Superior Challenge from Sweden.

One of the most discussed shows these days is Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (Martial Arts Challenge) from Poland -- or, KSW.

“I’ve been a fan of their events for a long time,” says Peter Sobotta, a 21-year-old German grappler who will make his debut for the promotion this Saturday. “To be able to fight on one of their shows now myself is a true honor for me.”

Now what is it that makes the Warsaw-based league so special?

“KSW looks amazing, like Pride's shorter, stocky angry little brother,” says John Joe O'Regan from Fighters Only Magazine.

“KSW's production is great, and some of their matchups are even better,” adds Ian Dean, the fight director at England’s Cage Warriors Fighting Championships. “Their tourneys are famous for being very special.”

Indeed, KSW seems to have taken a cue from Pride. From the bombastic title theme to the spectacular opening ceremony, from using blue gloves to staging fights inside a well-illuminated, white-carpeted ring, it is clear that the role model has been the Japanese promotion that was regarded as the standard bearer for production values during its prime.

“Pride has indeed been one of our examples starting out,” KSW co-owner Martin Lewandowski says. “We have moved beyond modeling our shows on other promotions, though, because Poland is a unique market and we need to focus on it specifically.”

Lewandowski had been the manager of a large hotel in Warsaw when he met Maciej Kawulski six years ago. Kawulski was organizing one of the biggest sports expos in Poland at that time, and as both businessmen come from martial arts backgrounds, they quickly found a common subject. Eighteen months later the first KSW show was born.

The beginnings were not without problems.

“The main problem was to get the mainstream media interested in covering the events,” says Michal Mucha, the marketing manager for the Polish division of clothing company Manto -- one of KSW’s main sponsors. “There is still a social prejudice about ‘cage fighting,’ as most of the media describe MMA in Poland. KSW is doing a good job changing that image, getting TV coverage and more corporate sponsors.”

Even though it is not on the level of the U.S., Japan or England as far as mainstream acceptance is concerned, KSW has done a remarkable job of presenting the sport of mixed martial arts to the general public in Poland.

“I don’t consider MMA to be an ‘underground’ sport here in Poland anymore,” Lewandowski says. “Obviously it is not as popular as soccer or basketball yet, but we are working hard to put on good shows. We have secured live coverage on the biggest Polish sports channel as well as a tape-delay transmission on one of the biggest commercial TV channels in the country. The bottom line is that we already have better ratings than many established sports.”

With the increasing popularity, KSW attracted strong fighters from all across Europe. In particular, the event’s famous one-night, eight-man tournaments have been a launching pad for the careers of many combatants.

KSW 1 tournament champion Lukasz Jurkowski went on to fight for M-1; Frenchman Francis Carmont was snapped up by the now-defunct Bodog Fight after his victory in the KSW 5 tourney; Alexey Oleinik was invited to the Yamma tournament following his triumph at KSW 8; and the pair of Jordan Radev and Antonio Mendes have even made it to the UFC after shining in Warsaw.

KSW’s true showpiece has been Chechen grappler Mamed Khalidov, however. Maciej Kawulski vividly remembers the first time he saw the “Cannibal” at work and quickly realized that he was something special.

“From our very first show, we were looking for new talents to bring in,” Kawulski says. “We saw Mamed at a small, local cagefighting event. Martin and I both remember exactly what happened that night, because after he fought, we immediately knew that we needed to sign this kid. Following his first fight in KSW, we knew that something had changed in Polish MMA. We are now hoping that he can carry his momentum over to the world stage.”

Khalidov, who is riding an 11-fight win streak, was originally scheduled to fight UFC veteran Floyd Sword at EliteXC’s Sept. 20 event in Albuquerque, N.M. When that show was scrapped, KSW quickly moved to keep the 27-year-old light heavyweight busy.

He will now face Spanish standout Daniel Tabera in the main event of KSW “Extra” in Dabrowa Gornicza on Saturday. Tabera is a six-year veteran of the sport who has fought all over the world, including the U.S., Russia and Japan. Despite being a natural middleweight, he has drawn with explosive heavyweight Gilbert Yvel and gone the distance with Roman Zentsov. KSW is doing everything but protect its franchise fighter with the bout.

Despite just being an “Extra” show, which is not part of the regular event series from Warsaw that is numbered consecutively all the way through, Saturday’s event will have a very strong card.

“Their tournaments are always exciting, and Khalidov versus Tabera is a true dream fight,” Mucha says. “Carmont, Blachowicz, Sobotta, Dowda, M'Pumbu and others also guarantee a great night for any MMA fan in Europe.”

Sherdog.com will be on site in the Silesian Voivodeship to bring its readers an exclusive report.

 

[Shogun Locc]

ROB EMERSON: "THAT WAS THE WORST KNOCKOUT I'VE SEEN IN A LONG TIME"
link: http://www.fighthype.com/pages/content3412.html?PHPSESSID=43ae2d42b3c0db8a532fe0bfee063149
"A fight is just a fight. It's all good to knock somebody out and now that I got that kind of feel for it, I'm going to be going for knockouts from now on. I got power in both hands and I want to put them to use," stated UFC lightweight Rob Emerson as he talked about his KO victory over Manny Gamburyan. Check out what else he had to say about his future plans, Rashad's KO victory over Chuck Liddell and much more.

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC Fanbase Younger Than The Competition

Today’s column at Media Life gave some insight to the youth of the UFC”s fanbase in comparison to the tradition stick and ball sports

Which sports have the oldest and youngest fan bases?

MLB fans are actually older than the average adult (48.1 years old vs. 46.7 years old). The sports with the oldest fan bases are: horseracing (51.7), PGA/LPGA (51.2), Olympics (48.3).

The average NBA fan is actually younger than the average adult at 45.9 years old compared with 46.7 years old. The sport with the youngest fan base is WWE/Ultimate Fighting Championship; the average fan is 40.0 years old. Soccer fans are the second youngest on average at 42.2 years old.

Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer gives more insight to the UFC’s numbers:

There was a big study of sports fans by Experian Consumer Research to give advertisers guidelines on what sports attract what type of eyeballs. What is interesting is that in the study, WWE/UFC was considered the same sport, and the start was called WWE/UFC and not pro wrestling/MMA. Media Life had a story about it today, but the only mention of the sport is that WWE/UFC draws the youngest average fan base at 40 years old, which is ridiculous because last I checked WWE was skewing at about 36 as the age of the mean viewer and UFC was about 31, although UFC has gotten older with an increase in those over 35 watching over the past year.

Whichever numbers you use, Experian or Meltzer, the numbers bare out a wide gulf between the stick and ball sports (which tend to group losely together) and the UFC. We know the wheelhouse for the UFC demos-wise is the 18 to 34 grouping and their performance in that slot really lowers their median age. Meltzer comments on the UFC attracting more over 35 viewers, which seems a function of them cementing themselves in the greater culture and seeing a passive bleedover from older groups.

 

[Shogun Locc]

DREAM announced additional fights in DREAM.6

DREAM had a press conference on Sep. 11 and announced 3 additional fights; Ktaro Nakamura vs Adriano Martins, Hayato "Mach" Sakurai vs Kuniyoshi Hironaka and Minowaman vs Masakatsu Funaki. 5 fighters such as Ktaro, Adriano, Hironaka, Funaki and Minowaman attended to this conference.

Ktaro Nakamura announced that he retired from MMA in the beginning of this year because of eye injuries. He could recover faster than he thought and decided to participate in DREAM. He moved down from the welter weight to the light weight class.
Nakamura:
I would like to fight Aoki, who is considered as one of the best lightweight fighter in Japan, when I win this fight.

Adriano Martins is a Jujitsu instructor in KRAZY BEE, which is owned by Kid Yamamoto.
Martins:
DREAM is the best MMA event. I would like to prove myself in DREAM keep fighting in this event.

Hironaka:
I have been dreaming about fighting Mach since I started MMA. He is the man of my dream and I respect him. I suppose everyone thinks this is an easy fight for Mach. This is my chance to shine in my MMA career. I would like to dominate him both on the ground and in the standing, and show everybody that I'm the best welterweight fighter in Japan. I'm sure I can defeat him.

Funaki and Minowaman belonged to the same gym before and had the relationship between teacher and student.
Funaki:
I longed to get an offer since I fought in DREAM.4. I have been training in Team Dragon for 4 months. I had the same training menu with teammates and got injured. I recovered and trains with Shibata. I train at Team Dragon because I wanted a hard training with professional kick boxers. I was amazed to see his improvement after leaving PANCRASE. I have kept my eye on him for long time. I'm very impressed to see how much he developed. He always has short term goals and shares with his fans. I like the way he connects with his fans, and I also respect his fighting spirit. This is my third fight since I came back to the ring. I do my best and see if I can continue fighting or not. He is the best opponent to measure my level. I have techniques I want to use; however, I'll condition well and be flexible to adjust myself in any situation.

Minowaman:
When I joined PANCRASE, I respected him and wanted to be like him. We shared lots of memories, such as trained together, helped each other's fights, cooked together. I believe he could do better in his last 2 fights. He hasn't showed everything he had yet. I'm sure he doesn't want to be defeated by me and bring everything he has in our fight.

Sasahara:
- Did you offer Akiyama a fight in DREAM.6?
Yes. We picked 3 fighters for Akiyama and we are waiting to hear from him now. I actually planning to announce his fight today. I will announce whenever I hear from him.
- Does Akiyama fight in DREAM.6 and a NYE event?
We haven't decided yet, but we are planning to have one more fight in Nov. He may fight in Nov as well. He is a big star in DREAM and want him to fight as much as he can.
- Did you hear anything from Kid?
He is recovering. I heard he maybe ready to fight in NYE. I hope he can debut in a NYE event, which is the biggest event of the year.
- DREAM.6. has 10 fights so far.
We are going to have 1 or 2 more fights.

 

[Shogun Locc]

With Title Shot Out Of Reach, Lyoto Machida Is Still Hoping To Fight Thiago Silva

Earlier this week, we mentioned that in light of Thiago Silva's recent back injury, the UFC offered light heavyweight contender, Lyoto Machida, a new fight against an Octagon newcomer.

MMARated.com spoke to Machida's manager, Ed Soares, today and found out that his camp turned down that proposed fight.

"To be honest with you, we just don't see the advantage of fighting a UFC newcomer," Soares said. "The (Thiago) fight made a lot of sense and it was the one we wanted."

Soares would not say which fighter was proposed but did mention that he is also Brazilian.

Soares went on to say that as of right now Machida has no future plans.

"We would like to wait for Thiago to heal up," Soares said. "They are both 13-0, so let's see who gets to 14 first."

Despite the fact that Machida and Silva are friends, Soares believes that this is the only fight that makes sense for "The Dragon."

"Nothing personal against Thiago," Soares said. "It's going to be a bummer to have to stand across the Octagon from him, but sometimes you have to fight your friends."

And what about a fight against current light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin? Did Machida's camp feel slighted that Rashad Evans was given a title shot first? Not so, says Soares.

"I text messaged (UFC matchmaker) Joe Silva right after the fight on Saturday night and said we would fight Rashad next," Soares said. "But these guys know what they are doing. (UFC president) Dana (White) was saying that if Chuck (Liddell) got by Rashad, he would get a title shot but then Rashad beat Chuck and in that fashion (so) maybe that is the fight to promote."

"We would like to get a shot," Soares continued. "(But) it's a business and they think that that fight makes more sense right now. We don't feel slighted."

Regardless, Soares is still holding out hope that Machida will return to action before the end of 2008.

"I hope so, but they haven't mentioned anything yet," Soares said. "I text messaged Joe (Silva) today to find out."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Strikeforce "Scores" TV Deal In Canada

California-based Strikeforce today officially announced it has partnered with one of Canada’s top national sports television networks, The Score to deliver live programming.

Live Strikeforce programming will debut on the network on Saturday, September 20th beginning with the league’s star-studded affair at the world-famous Playboy Mansion.

The Score’s live telecast of “Strikeforce At The Mansion II” will begin at 10:30 pm ET on Saturday, September 20th.

The network will also carry weekly Strikeforce programming, which will premiere on Saturday, September 6th.

“We are excited about the opportunity to bring the Strikeforce MMA product to fans in Canada,” said Strikeforce Founder and CEO, Scott Coker. “The Score has a reputation for being an exceptional sports television platform and we are proud to join their family of programming.”

“The Score looks forward to bringing an awesome line up of Strikeforce MMA programming to viewers across the country and as we go from live broadcasting of our studio launch party on September 20th to “Strikeforce At The Mansion II,” we know we’ll be giving our fans a broadcast line-up they can’t resist,” said John Levy, Chairman and CEO, Score Media Inc.

Each episode in the weekly series will consist of Strikeforce bouts as well as fighter profiles and highlights.

 

[heyzel]

Thiago Alves accused of drug taking by TUF1 cast

Top rated welterweight, Thiago “Pitbull” Alves has been accused of using illegal substances by reunited “Ultimate Fighter” 1 cast members Chris Leben, Diego Sanchez and Josh Koscheck.

In a video we posted earlier the three can be heard saying the following:

Sanchez (who faces Alves at UFC 90), when asked if he saw Alves fight Jon Fitch a number of months ago said: “I did, but we are dealing with a different Thiago Alves. He obviously put on alot of muscle. Hmmmm, I don't want to say why or how.”

Koscheck “I was thinking the same thing.”

Leben “He went through a late in life growth spurt.”

Sanchez “He's got a nice nutritionist.”

The fight between Diego Sanchez and Thiago Alves co-main event’s the UFC 90 card in Chicago on October 25th, the first card ever to take place in the windy city.

By Michael Pepper.

To watch the video in full click on the link below.

http://www.mmabay.co.uk/Video LebenSanchezKoscheck.html

 

[Shogun Locc]

Inside The PPV Battle Numbers
Adam Swift recently did a segment on Inside MMA where he took a look at the battle for PPV supremacy between UFC, HBO, and WWE. Our readers tend to love the numbers information we post, so we have added a post giving the the numbers in text format so that they will be available for our readers in the archive.

 

[Shogun Locc]

MMAPayout.com Looks At ASR Virtue Expo

MMAPayout.com contributor and Graffight Apparel owner Garry Ibarra attend the Virtue By ASR Expo recently and file this report:

San Diego, Ca – September 4th, 5th, and 6th marked the 26th installment of the action sports industries biggest bi-annual trade show, Action Sports Retailers or ASR as its more commonly known. Hundreds of the most well known names in action sports descend on the San Diego Convention center to engage in the never ending ritual of enticing buyers to write purchase orders worth big dollars for countless items designated “cool” by the youth of America. ASR’s importance to buyers representing retailers who range as high end as Nieman Marcus down to your neighborhood skate shop are what have given the show its designation as ground zero for what’s hot and what’s not in the ever waging battle for the wallet contents of action sports enthusiasts throughout the world.

The shows initial focus began with the original action sports in skateboarding and surfing but like the adventurous spirit that gave rise to these sports in the first place, their evolution into even more adrenaline pact activities has only created a bigger markets and bigger opportunities for retailers.

ASR’s expansion this year to include Tattoo Culture, Motocross, and MMA related apparel has brought about the next phase in the evolution of this continually growing action sports industry. Virtue by ASR is a fully dedicated trade show specifically focused on the giving the biggest names in these new sports and lifestyle activities a platform to ensure their transcendence to the next level.

The inaugural event found its home in the Hard Rock Hotel directly across from ASR and its 5500 square feet of trade show floor did not disappoint. The list of exhibitors read like a who’s who in MMA, Motocross, and Tattoo culture. TapouT, Sinister, Punishment Athletics, Hit Man Fight Gear, Triggonomics, Hart and Huntington, Premier Fighter to name a few.

The only thing more impressive than the venue itself was the amount of industry celebrities in attendance giving any new trade show some much needed validation in its first ever offering. Tito Ortiz, Kendall Grove, Frank Trigg, Rob McCullough, Roger Huerta, Carey Hart, C.B. Dollaway, Matt Riddle, and Ryan Bader rounded out an impressive display of star power from the industries that the show was intended to showcase.

The importance of trade shows to apparel producers and buyers for retail outlets is extremely high, these venues provide sellers a platform in which to showcase their wares to buyers who have the ability to grant instant relevance with the signing of one purchase order. While shows such as Magic or IMMAE are just as important to the apparel industry, the drawing factor of Virtue is something no other trade show can offer an MMA apparel company, a captive audience of buyers whom they know are already interested in what they have to sell. Any buyer who comes to Virtue didn’t just happen to stumble upon the show by accident, they’re there looking for the hottest apparel in the fastest growing sport in history.

The sports popularity is no longer a well kept secret and no one knows this better than apparel buyers, it’s their job to know. Buyers are paid extremely well to make determinations of what the next must have t-shirt or hat will be, and who they buy for? well that’s sometimes even more important, the only thing that determines popularity more than the designs on your apparel is the store that puts it on its shelves, no doubt about it.

Walking the floor I ran into some friends who I wrote about previously and who are becoming a staple at these shows as they attempt to break into the MMA apparel business, Nathan May and Ben Young from MMA ADX. They told me about all the progress they’ve made over the time since we had last seen each other and let me in on some of their new apparel designs as well as the upgrades they’d made on their signature product, their state of the art functional fight shorts.

While the floor was packed full of exhibitors, buyers and celebrity guests, it was a group of professional fighters who had no affiliation with any exhibitor that piqued my interest the most. When I asked the group walking the floor made up of Matt Riddle, Ryan Bader, and C.B. Dollaway their reasoning for attending the show? Their interests were summed up perfectly by their manager, President of LG Sports Marketing Jason Genet. “My interest in exposing the guys to shows like this is to make sure they’re aware of all their options, to make sure they know their not restricted to just sponsorships for generating income.” Jason told me that he really wants to show the guys that there are a lot of opportunities for them other than fighting, one of which is creating a business within the industry for themselves one day if they choose. He went on to say “The guys train long and hard and fight maybe once every 6 months, my aim is to try and provide them just as many, if not more opportunities to generate income for themselves outside the octagon as in it.”

The truly meteoric rise of mixed martial arts popularity and the money it generates is undeniable. With revenues reaching into the millions for companies catering to the die hard fan and even higher for promoters like the UFC, it’s a foregone conclusion that as more and more respected entities in the established industries like ASR validate MMA, the sky truly is the limit for the sport.

 

[heyzel]

Meltzer on upcoming Affliction show: "both MMA fights and boxing matches

Some more notes on the Affliction cancellation. The new date is 1/17 at the Honda Center in Anaheim and Fedor Emelianenko will appear. Golden Boy Promotions (Oscar De La Hoya, Richard Schaefer) will be involved in the venture which will likely be announced over the next two weeks.

Even though Golden Boy is involved, HBO is believed to not be part of this package. The current plans are for the show to have both MMA fights and boxing matches, which having seen shows with multiple types of matches on the same card (boxing/MMA, Muay Thai/MMA, pro wrestling/MMA), they almost never work.

Muay Thai/MMA in Japan on New Year's Eve has worked and I've seen San Shou/Muay Thai together working but all the other combinations are kind of disastrous because they are different fights and the pacing is different. I don't know how to explain it, because I can enjoy all of them, but when you put them together on the same show, mentally you are thinking what they should be doing that they don't do because it's not allowed and it ruins the excitement.

The mentality is that you draw from both fan bases, but that's a flawed mentality unless you have a major boxing fight on the bill, in which case you've just added huge money costs, and a top level boxing match between intros and the fight itself will take one hour, limiting the amount of MMA matches you can put on the show.

Golden Boy is believed to not be involved in the MMA aspect of the show as far as matchmaking, signing fighters, or putting up money for that end, but will be involved in the production aspects of the show. Still, the cancellation of the next show was the correct business move because the interest in the show was tepid, it wasn't going to do well on PPV, and would lose significant money while accomplishing nothing other than creating an opponent for Fedor. One would presume they'll go with Fedor vs. Arlovski, only because Arlovski has more of a name in the U.S. than Josh Barnett, although to me, it's a less interesting

 

[heyzel]

Josh Thomson: Penn is the world’s best fighter

by Gary Herman on 12 September 2008


Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson hasn’t lost in two years.
Among those victories was a huge unanimous win over former champion Gilbert
Melendez. The win pushed Thomson into the top 10 of most of the lightweight
rankings.


Thomson though has no doubt who should be ranked at the top.

“BJ Penn is pound for pound the best fighter. He’s fought all the top guys.
He beat the guy at 170 (Matt Hughes) who had the title at the time,” said
Thomson, “He has that natural ability to win fights.”

It’s easy to get caught up in rankings because - in reality - they really
don’t mean much. With the fighters competing in different organizations that
generally do not co-promote, the rankings have no effect on who fights who.
However, debating who is the best in the world always makes for an
interesting discussion. When a polished veteran such as Thomson speaks, the
statement should hold some additional weight.

Regardless of the high praise for Penn, Thomson would love to find out how
he’d do against the UFC’s lightweight champion.

“You always wonder in a real fight how it would go. I hold him in very high
regard. If I ever get the chance to fight him and win then I could think of
myself as the best fighter in the world,” Thomson said.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Malaipet "The Diamond" Sasiprapa: ‘Ready for ShoXC’

Muay-Thai Star and Mixed Martial Arts newcomer Malaipet ‘Diamond’ Sasiprapa talked with PDG about his upcoming fight on the ShoXC card September 26th against David Douglas, his controversial loss to Thomas Denny, the best Muay Tai and K-1 fighters and his transition to mixed martial arts.

PDG: Your last fight for EliteXC was back in March; how have things been going since?
Diamond: Great, I have been teaching students and training.

PDG: How disappointed were you with the decision in your fight against Thomas Denny?
Diamond: It is not that big a deal to me anymore, I am still getting used to fighting mixed martial arts as opposed to Muay-Thai kickboxing. It is part of the game that I still have to learn.

PDG: So then are you satisfied with your decision to switch from MMA to kickboxing?
Diamond: Yes, I really enjoy fighting MMA but kickboxing is always going to be a part of me. I think that fighting MMA will make my career last longer than if I stayed in kickboxing. The difference in the punishment my body takes between the two disciplines, will help me prolong my career. There is more pain, more bone, more hurt in Muay-Thai, MMA has a lot more chokes, arm-bars and submissions. There is no tap out in Muay-Thai, your bones and muscles hurt tremendously but you still fight on.

PDG: No tapping out in Muay-Tai?
Diamond: No, if you quit fighting and give up then no one will want to watch you anymore because they will believe that you have no heart. It is the exact opposite in MMA, you can tap out in your fight and come back three or four months later and fight again.

PDG: So you are planning on staying in mixed martial arts?
Diamond: Yes, it is a new challenge in my life and I plan to perfect it. I think that I have had enough Muay-Thai fights.

PDG: Are you sure? You only had over 160 fights.
Diamond: [Laughs] I had too many fights and now I want to try something new.

PDG: What do you think of your upcoming opponent David Douglas?
Diamond: I think it is a really good opponent for me and I plan on showing the fans a lot of crazy stuff. So far I have learned that mixed martial arts is about being fast-paced, technical and having fun while you're in the cage. I don't know a lot about my opponent but I have seen some video on him fighting, he looks about as experienced as I am so it should be a really good fight.

PDG: Any advantages besides your Muay-Thai going into the fight?
Diamond: I think my overall stand up is going to be better than his because I have proven in the past that I can take a lot of punishment and keep fighting.

PDG: How do you like fighting for EliteXC?
Diamond: They really take care of me and I really like it. It is also a great that a lot of my friends from all over the world get to watch my fights on TV.

PDG: You have a long list of achievements in your fighting career; what would you say was the most rewarding one?
Diamond: The most exciting had to be my two WBC titles, getting those two belts brought the most happiness to my career so far.

PDG: Cool. What is your current training schedule like for your upcoming fight?
Diamond: Usually two times a day, running and working out in the morning to increase my power. Then later in the day working on techniques, sparring and other training.

PDG: If this fight goes well, do you want to have a rematch with Thomas Denny?
Diamond: Any time. A lot of my students want me to have the rematch because in that first fight I messed up and it didn't go how it was supposed to. I apologize for what happened but I am not sorry because in a fight sometimes it is hard to remember what is allowed and what isn't when you are not used to different rules. It was a tough fight and I was just thinking about defending myself and winning, so it is my fault that I broke the rules. He came at me very fast and I was unprepared and surprised, I thought there was going to be some warm-up [laughs].

PDG: In your opinion, who is the greatest kickboxer out there right now?
Diamond: That's tough because K-1 fighters fight for the show and Muay-Thai fighters have a lot of gamblers watching them. K-1 is more set up with the winners chosen before hand; they never have new fighters in their show. It's always the same people over and over again. So with that being said; the best fighter is Buakaw Por. Pramuk!

PDG: Have you trained with him before?
Diamond: No, his camp is different from mine and so we have never trained together.

PDG: Would you fight him if you were ever offered the fight?
Diamond: Sure why not, makes no difference to me who I fight. I don't know what will happen but I'll fight him.

PDG: Thanks again for your time and good luck on September 26th.
Diamond: Thank you and thanks to all my fans, my team, my coaches and everyone else who has supported me throughout the years. I will make the fight on the 26th exciting so tune in!

 

[Shogun Locc]

A Chat with Paulao Filho

Paulao Filho was prepared to get his smile back. After knocking out a bout of depression, the black belt was excited about facing Chael Sonnen at WEC 36, originally set for the 10th, in Florida. However, the danger presented by hurricane season in the United States obliged the organizers to put the show off till November.

In contact with GRACIEMAG.com, Paulao says he is saddened by the postponement. “It was very sad. I spend a lot of time training, doing physical conditioning, losing weight. It was a lot of effort, time lost. But now I have to keep up my training and preparation routine for the new date for the event,” said Paulao.

Losing weight is always a great obstacle to be overcome as a fight approaches. “This radical and repeated weight loss saps a bit of my strength. You end up losing a bit of stamina. With time I stated getting used to it and got better adapted. There are times when I lose 15 kg and have a hard time recovering it before the fight,” he said.

Currently representing Team Link, led by Marco Alvan and Gabriel Napao, Paulao plans to use the facilities at XGym, in Rio de Janeiro, for preparing himself. “I’m focusing on everything. I train hard, I strain. I train ground, muay thai, boxing with Distak. We’ve had help from Tunico Junior in training Muay Thai, which has added a lot. I’ve been training submissions to get Chael Sonnen’s left arm. This time I concentrated a lot on physical conditioning, strength, since in the first fight I felt a bit weak,” he declared.

Despite his concentrating on his own challenge, Paulao took the time to stop in on last Saturday’s UFC event, and commented on what he thought of Rashad Evans’s knockout of Chuck Liddell. “It was a surprise, I didn’t expect him (Liddell) to lose that way. It was a spectacular knockout, one of the prettiest of recent times,” he said.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Drew McFedries - Mr. Must See TV

On January 22nd of this year, this website said of UFC middleweight contender Drew McFedries, if anyone is must see TV in the UFC, it’s McFedries.’ Well, after an exciting first round loss to Patrick Cote followed by a spectacular first round knockout of Marvin Eastman, let’s just say that name has been cemented.

“I think people just see me as the guy that lets it all hang out and that’s really what I try to do,” said McFedries. “I think that a lot of fighters kind of prance around and they’re just trying to make it to the next round and trying to go three rounds and get a decision. I’m not going to be that guy; I’m going to be the guy who goes out there and I’m going to try to make it a decisive win. I’m going to go after a guy and when I win a fight I’m going to make it decisive. Not all that with the early stoppage or beat everyone because it’s a small cut or something, I’m going to win and I’m going to decisively win my fights.”

See what we mean? But you have to hear the soft-spoken voice deliver these words to fully understand the man behind this new title. Like the situation comedies Cheers, The Cosby Show, Seinfeld and Friends promoted under the ‘Must See TV’ banner, McFedries’ power is veiled by his everyman demeanor.

More amazingly, McFedries didn’t even play organized sports until his sophomore year in high school. But once he began, he did it all the way, playing as many sports as he could as fast as he could.

“I didn’t really play much of anything until I was a sophomore in high school,” he recalled. “I met a coach in high school, I met him in gym class and that was kind of it. I just met him, he got me into track, that was probably my first thing. After that I pretty much lettered in every sport there was, then went on to college and so on. My sophomore year I went and played soccer and I ran track. The next year I wrestled, played football, played basketball and then in the spring I ran track and played soccer.”

The sojourn from all-around letterman to UFC middleweight was yet another everyman’s journey for McFedries. Picture a bar, a ring and inebriated Iowans going for glory.

“I had no knowledge of MMA. I had quit college and was a bartender, bar back, I was a bouncer, worked on cars. It just so happened that they were putting on a show at one of the bars I was working at and I just jumped in the ring. I met my manager Monte Cox and he liked me. He was like ‘Damn you’re such a strong individual we got to get you into this fighting thing.’ Then I met Pat Miletich as well shortly after that. So I started training at Pat’s and I had 13 amateur fights or so and I won all of them and that’s when I decided to go pro.”

After losing to future UFC middleweight title challenger Nate Quarry in his first professional bout, McFedries rode a four fight win streak straight into the UFC, where win number five came over Alessio Sakara in the first round. The first round volley continued with a loss to Martin Kampmann then a win over Jordan Radev. What occurred next is every fighter’s worst fear; a case of staph infection that sidelined the prospect for the next seven months. After a grueling surgery and subsequent skin grafting to his leg, McFedries returned to face one of the toughest guys in his division, Patrick Cote. The result, again, was decided in the first round but not in the favor of ‘Mr. Must See TV.’

“I think I wasn’t mentally prepared for that fight,” he admits. “Physically, I was prepared, but mentally I wasn’t. There were a lot of things that played into that too, you know, I lost my mother at Christmas. There were plenty of things that happened to me, and the whole year was pretty much a disaster.”

After yet another first rounder where he left Marvin “The Beastman” Eastman slumped in a little over one minute, McFedries returns this Wednesday to face IFL veteran Mike Massenzio. With this being Massenzio’s first UFC fight, it is certain that Joe Silva is trying to test any fighters now hoping to make a home in the organization.

“I think it’s a good fight for me because no matter what, this guy is a pure wrestler and I don’t care who you are, you always go back to what you’re good at,” said McFedries. “If you’re a boxer, you’re going to be a boxer, when you get hit you are going to revert back to whatever you are good at. I think it’s going to be a good fight for me because unless the guy takes me down that’s the only real time I have to worry about anything; but I think it’s a good fight because all he’s going to do is try to take me down. The worst thing that could happen is he takes me down and he grinds me for three rounds. I don’t think this guy’s going to submit me. I definitely don’t think he’s going to outdo me on my feet so I believe that’s why it’s a good fight for me.”

As the calendar moves closer to September 17th, McFedries’ series of firsts can yet again be highlighted. This is the first UFC event in the state of Nebraska and three fighters’ (including McFedries’ opponent’s) first time in the UFC. If history is a guide then it is certain the first round will decide this fight, and if we’re lucky, it will make the Spike TV broadcast and you will get to see McFedries’ latest edition of must see TV. Just affix the title ‘Mr.’ to this middleweight while watching.

 

[Shogun Locc]

XTREME COUTURE PLANS OCT. 11 VEGAS EVENT

The boys of Xtreme Couture are not waiting for their “Day of Reckoning.”

Sources within the popular training center confirmed to MMAWeekly.com that Xtreme Couture is promoting its first mixed martial arts event to be held in Las Vegas at the Thomas & Mack Center on Oct. 11.

HD Net Fights is expected broadcast the event live.

Confirmed Xtreme Couture fighters include Mike Whitehead, who will take on veteran Allan Goes, as well as welterweight John Alessio, who will tangle with Gideon Ray. Jay Hieron and Mike Pyle are also scheduled to participate, but their opponents are unknown at this time.

Hieron and Pyle were originally scheduled to compete on the Oct. 11 Affliction “Day of Reckoning” card, against Drew Fickett and Jason High respectively, until the fight was moved to the 17th of January. It is unknown whether their participation on the Oct. 11 card will affect their place on Affliction’s postponed event.

MMAWeekly.com will continue to provide updates on the event as they become available.