MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

Strikeforce returns home to San Jose for Nov. 21 event

After two events away from company headquarters, Strikeforce will return to San Jose, Calif., on Nov. 21 for an event at the HP Pavilion.

Strikeforce spokesperson Mike Afromowitz today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that the previously rumored date is now official.

Although no fighters have yet been announced for the fight card, Josh Thomson (16-2) recently told MMAjunkie.com that he plans to defend his Strikeforce world lightweight title at the event.

After hosting its third installment "Young Guns" on Sept. 13, Strikeforce headed to Beverly Hills, Calif., this past weekend for "Strikeforce at the Mansion II" -- the organization's second trip to the Playboy Mansion. Up next is an Oct. 4 event at the Broomfield Event Center near Denver, which will be the organization's first-ever show in Colorado.

Strikeforce will then return to San Jose to host its fourth event in a 10-week span. It's been an ambitious and an unusually busy stretch for Strikeforce, which averaged just one event per two months prior to this recent stretch.

As far as Thomson, just before his quick and decisive victory over Lion's Den fighter Ashe Bowman on Saturday, Thomson told MMAjunkie.com he expected to return in November.

"I believe that if (Mistsuhiro) Ishida wins here that Ishida and I will fight Nov. 21 in San Jose," Thomson said.

Of course, Ishida (17-4-1), a former PRIDE fighter and recent Strikeforce signee, did win with a slick first-round arm-bar submission of Justin Wilcox.

That fight is a definite possibility, but Thomson mentioned two others fighters he'd also like to meet: notables Joachim Hansen (19-7-1) and Caol Uno (25-11-4).

"I've been lobbying to bring over a top guy from Japan -- possibly (Joachim) Hansen, or possibly Caol Uno since Uno just beat Ishida," Thomson said. "I'd love to fight [Uno]. I think that fight here in the States would be a huge draw. Uno has one of the biggest name draws here in the States as well since he's fought in the UFC so much. I just think the two styles together would make a great fight."

One fighter Thomson didn't mention was Gilbert Melendez, whom Thomson defeated back in June to win the Strikeforce title. The former training partners and friends will likely rematch at one point, but Melendez will likely need at least another win before he gets an opportunity to reclaim his title.

Regardless, Strikeforce officials have made no official decision.

One other fighter who could appear on the Nov. 21 card is Renato "Babalu" Sobral (30-7), who hasn't yet made his Strikeforce debut despite signing with the organization more than a year ago.

Sobral had been slated to fight Strikeforce world light heavyweight champion Bobby Southworth (9-5) at the Playboy Mansion event, but both fighters were forced off the card due to leg injuries.

Richard Wilner, Sobral's manager and lawyer, recently told us that he is optimistic "Babalu" could be ready to go by November. Sobral underwent arthroscopic surgery earlier this month to correct a medial mediscal tear, but he was back in the gym a week later.

Sobral is hopeful Southworth will also be ready so that they can give their title fight a second shot.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Manager: No truth to recent Anderson Silva retirement talk

Although UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva reportedly told a Brazilian TV station that he will "retire next year ... and within one year put my gloves aside," his manager was quick to downplay the possibility.

Ed Soares, the manager to Silva and many of MMA's top Brazilian fighters, said that Silva has a contract for six more fights and that he'll complete those before he considers leaving the sport.

Soares posted the news on The Underground, a popular MMA forum.

"Anderson's goal is to retire when he is 35," Soares wrote of the 33-year-old fighter. "He still has six fights on his contract, and he doesn't turn 35 for another 18 months. I know he will finish his six fights before he considers hanging up his gloves."

Those six fights are all part of a contract with the UFC. The organization signed Silva in late 2006.

Silva (22-4 MMA, 7-0 UFC) has won his past eight fights, seven of which came in the UFC. He recently moved up a weight class to fight light heavyweight James Irvin at a July 19 UFC Fight Night event and easily disposed of his opponent with a 61-second knockout.

He next fights Oct. 25 when he headlines UFC 90 in a title defense against Patrick Cote. Silva is currently an 11.5-to-1 favorite over the Canadian fighter.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Five "Strikeforce at the Mansion II" fighters issued medical suspensions

The California State Athletic Commission has issued a total of five medical suspensions following this past weekend's "Strikeforce at the Mansion II" event.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) requested and today received the list of suspensions directly from the CSAC.

The Sept. 20 event took place at the Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Among those receiving suspensions was headliner Joe Riggs, who suffered a TKO loss to Kazuo Misaki in the night's main event.

The CSAC also issued suspensions to Ashe Bowman, Corey Devela, Justin Wilcox and Kenneth Seegrist.

All of the suspensions last 45 days and require no contact for 30 days. Four of the suspensions were for precautionary reasons following knockout losses. Lawson's, meanwhile, was issued due to a possible right-elbow injury.

Lawson, who suffered a submission loss (via arm-bar) to Strikeforce newcomer Mitsuhiro Ishida, must have the injury cleared by a physician before he can return to competition.

 

[Shogun Locc]

ELITEXC: SILVA REMAINS CHAMP, NO WOMEN'S TITLE

As Elite XC started to introduce titles last year, each weight class has started to receive attention as to when or who would be involved in championship fights.

One of the open categories is the light heavyweight division, which still hasn’t been crowned, but top contender Rafael Feijao seems to be the leading candidate for a title shot.

EliteXC Vice President Jared Shaw confirmed to MMAWeekly.com that Feijao would be involved in the upcoming Nov. 8 card on Showtime, but still didn’t know if a title would be on the line.

“I can just tell you that there’s no guarantees that we will be introducing a light heavyweight title, but at this point any fight that Feijao’s in, it is a title worthy challenge,” Shaw stated. “He’s only going to be facing top notch competition.”

With the EliteXC lightweight title now up in the air, as the promotion stripped champion K.J. Noons of the belt, the promotion also has to look at their heavyweight division where champion Antonio Silva is currently under suspension stemming from a positive drug test result following his last fight.

“Antonio (Silva) is the EliteXC heavyweight champ and he will continue to be the heavyweight champ until he has his day in front of the commission,” confirmed Shaw to MMAWeekly.com about the status of their heavyweight titleholder.

“When the commission comes and levies down on him with whatever ruling they have, EliteXC will huddle up and we will figure out what we want to do about the title at that point.”

Wilson Reis has earned the opportunity to battle for the new EliteXC 140-pound title at the upcoming ShoXC card against Abel Callum, crowning the promotion’s first titleholder in that class.

Shaw did confirm that the long talked about EliteXC women’s title would be put on hold until at least sometime in 2009. Top Canadian women’s fighter Sarah Kaufman has just recently been added to the EliteXC roster and could be a top contender alongside Gina Carano and Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos.

 

[Shogun Locc]

NEWCOMER AL-TURK TO FIGHT KONGO AT UFC 92

Having just signed a multi-fight agreement with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Cage Rage champion Mustapha Al-Turk was all set for a baptism of fire in the UFC against highly touted heavyweight prospect Cain Velazquez. It was scheduled to be a tough debut for the London Shootfighters standout, but one that suited him stylistically as both are heavy handed grapplers.

According to his coach and manager Alexis Demetriades, it appears that the fight is off due to injury. "We got word from Joe Silva that Velazquez has pulled out due to injury and will be undergoing knee surgery to fix it. It’s a shame as we had a strategy in place and we were all set to go."

The announcement of Velazquez withdrawing from the fight will leave many disappointed as the fight guaranteed fireworks. All is not lost, as a replacement has been found in tough Frenchman Cheick Kongo, who is coming off a TKO win over Dan Evensen at UFC 87 in Minneapolis.

"We were offered Kongo by Joe and we accepted the fight. We were just waiting for Kongo to get his signed bout agreement back before we could confirm it," clarified Demetriades, adding, "Everything else is the same. Mus will be fighting on the main card, on pay-per-view. It's a good fight."

For his part, Kongo has been in the press recently, announcing an affiliation with The Wolfslair camp in the U.K. in order to refine his training. Part of that training will no doubt be focused on developing his ground game with the excellent wrestling capabilities available in-house at the 'lair.

The two are expected to fight on the UFC 92 main card on Dec. 27 in Las Vegas.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Travis Lutter vs Joe Doerksen UFC 91 fight possible

Middleweights Travis Lutter (9-5) and Joe Doerksen (40-12) are penciled in to tangle at UFC 91: “Couture vs. Lesnar” at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 15, according to Sherdog.com.

This is surprising news, considering Lutter had been released from the promotion after his technical knockout loss to Rich Franklin at UFC 83: “Serra vs. St. Pierre 2” earlier this year.

He has not competed since.

Lutter — the winner of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 4 – had returned from a 14-month long layoff, recovering from a back injury that has haunted him throughout his career.

And the Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist nearly pulled off the win with a tight armbar; however, “Ace” defended it perfectly, spun out and went on to pound out the tired-looking “Serial Killer.”

He was lambasted for the performance – critics felt he was unprepared and not conditioned to compete for the full 15 minutes. Perhaps the accusations were accurate or just more ammo for those who are still miffed that Lutter failed to make weight for his 185-pound title bout against middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 67 in early 2007.

Whatever the case may be, Lutter is a lightning rod for criticism.

Doerksen is on a skid of his own, losing three of his last four fights. He dropped all of those fights as a Zuffa employee and recently took a fight in a smaller promotion, Vipers MMA, to get back on the winning path against John Meyer back in August.

The Canadian was stopped via technical knockout by Jason MacDonald at UFC 83, knocked out by Ed Herman at UFC 78: “Validation” in November 2007 and pounded out by WEC Middleweight Champion Paulo Filho at WEC 29 in August 2007.

“El Dirte” holds notable wins over Patrick Cote, Ed Herman and Chris Leben, among others.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Babalu prepares for return

Renato “Babalu” Sobral planned to fight Bobby Southworth during last weekend’s Strikeforce show. Unfortunately, that fight did not take place. Sobral pulled out of the fight due to a knee inury.

“I had a torn meniscus,” said Sobral, “the surgery is already done. I will recover well.”

Sobral hopes the recovery is quick. He is planning to fight in just a couple of months, and he hopes it is for a championship.

“I am looking forward to fighting again on November 20th,” Sobral said, “I hope the fight is with Bobby Southworth for the (Strikeforce light heavyweight) title.”

The fight with Southworth would be Sobral’s first fight backsince Sobral defeated Mike Whitehead at the July 19th Affliction show,

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC 91 Ticket Sales

Dave Meltzer of Yahoo reports that low
end tickets are gone for the big UFC 91 showdown:

All $75 and $150 tickets went quickly on the Internet presale late last week.

All $300 tickets were gone by Sunday, so the only seats left are for $500, $750 and $1,000, with plenty available at the two highest prices. But never fear, you can still get the former $75 tickets for as “low” as $241 from scalpers.

All told, heading into the week, 7,500 tickets were sold for roughly $2.5 million.
Having three shows in Vegas over the span of two and a half months, each demanding premium pricing, may lead to a point of diminishing returns when it comes to the performance of the UFC at the gate. Brock vs Randy should yield a record gate, but possibly at the expense of a lower than the norm figure for the New Year's card, and subsequently the Superbowl card.

The lesser than normal gates for such high profile cards can be mitigated to some degree by the seeming inability to do higher numbers elsewhere, but that wouldn't necessarily be true of the BJ vs GSP showdown. BJ vs GSP could easily do a $5 million gate if held Canada.

The last of the three cards, BJ vs GSP, would seem to be the most at risk, but it does have it's own built-in advantages that may help it overcome a poor showing at the ticket window. Both BJ and GSP are known for having large contingents of fans come into Vegas from their respective homelands to support their favorite sons. Smart money would have promotional efforts being rolled out as we speak, four and a half months ahead of time, in Canada and Hawaii to maximize the turnouts from these two areas.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Angle: I'll fight in MMA next year

KURT ANGLE has performed a sensational U-turn by insisting he WILL compete in mixed martial arts next year.

Speaking exclusively to SunSport, the ex-WWE champion confirmed he is in talks with leading MMA promotions, including the UFC.

Angle said: “I’m talking to several fight companies about doing MMA by the end of next year - 2009.

“I’m going to cross over to the MMA world for a while but I want to end up back in TNA and back in wrestling.

“I’ve always wanted to do it. I’m the only Olympic gold medallist that will enter the Octagon and it feels right for me.

“I can almost guarantee you’re going to see me in the Octagon.

“Obviously I’m going to have to take a few months away from pro wrestling to get ready for that.

“But I welcome that, it’s something I’ve always wanted to do and TNA have given me their best wishes.

“I’m 100%. A lot of people on the internet are bashing me but I’ve never felt better.”

Angle will follow former WWE ace Brock Lesnar in moving into MMA but he was cagey when asked which organisation he would be competing for.

He added: “It depends on which company gives me the best deal.

"I’m getting offers from the UFC, Pro Elite XC, Affliction and the IFL.

“It really comes down to who is going to give me the best deal and which fight would be best for me.

“The important thing is that whatever I do outside of TNA – I want to represent TNA and do well.

“God-willing, I’ll walk away successful and I can come away from MMA saying ‘I did it’ and go back to my professional wrestling routes.”

 

[HEAVYMETALGANGSTER]

this might not be MMA,but Kimbo slice says this dudes next in line to do what he did,dudes name is level 1219 on youtube he koo with pistol pete and K.A.R. south.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Exclusive: Affliction's Atencio Says He's Got Fedor Next, Not DREAM

Earlier this morning, Fedor Emelianenko created a tiny stir in the MMA world by appearing at the DREAM.6 event while announcing his desire to someday fight for the promotion.

Fedor mentioned that he wanted to fight on New Year's Eve for DREAM and HDNet announcer, Kenny Rice, even began to tease that we would be seeing Fedor back in action at the end of 2008 in a DREAM ring.

Not so fast says Affliction Entertainment VP, Tom Atencio.

"Fedor was supposed to fight for them on New Year's Eve, but he is not because we extended his contract," Atencio said.

When asked if it was 100% confirmed that Fedor would be fighting on the upcoming Affliction/Golden Boy card on January 17, 2009, in Anaheim, Atencio stopped us dead in our tracks.

"The date and location are not official," Atencio said. "Everyone is tripping. Our next show will definitely be the 1st quarter of 2009 in January, possibly February. Nothing is confirmed though."

Atencio did confirm that Fedor will appear on that card, whenever it actually happens.

I guess that means that the "Dick Clark of MMA" will finally get the year off.

 

[Shogun Locc]

JOHN GUNDERSON RETURNS FROM ACL INJURY

Prior to his debut in the International Fight League, lightweight John “Quick Guns” Gunderson was on a tear. Having remained undefeated for two years with multiple titles to his credit, Gunderson was one of the most highly regarded incoming talents to the promotion.

Upon winning his debut fight for the company in January of 2007, a string of injuries derailed him from achieving the level of success he had envisioned for the company.

A loss to Ryan Schultz in February marked the first time in Gunderson’s career that he’d suffer back-to-back losses, and worse yet, a torn ACL would sideline him for the remainder of this year, until now.

Finally healthy, he is eager to return to action and will do so in the coming months, as he disclosed upon the start of making the comeback he hopes will land him yet another 155-pound title.

“I just started training this week,” he said. “The weekend after (the Ryan Schultz fight) I got it repaired and it’s finally starting to feel better.

“I did everything I was supposed to do after surgery and hopefully it was enough. We’ll find out in a few months.”

This past year has been the longest layoff of his career; and as he explains it, it hasn’t always gone smoothly.

“It’s had its ups and downs for sure,” he stated. “I’ve kind of felt better one day, and the next day it’s killing me.

“It’s just one of those things you’ve got to get over – the more you push it, the better it gets, as long as you don’t push too hard.”

Gunderson will find out soon enough if his rehab efforts and his return to fulltime training will pay off, as he’s signed to make his return prior to year’s end.

“I’ve got a fight on Nov. 21 in Palace Fighting (Championships),” he announced. “Then hopefully at the very end of December I’m going to try to get a rematch with a guy I lost to about five years ago, Donny Raines.

“I’m looking forward to that fight. It’s one of those where I lost to a guy I didn’t think I should have lost to, so I get a chance to clear my record and my mind.”

Having the time off has allowed Gunderson to get himself in a situation where he can look at fighting in a different light; and by extension, make his return a successful one.

“I’m going to fight now because I want to fight and I love to fight – not because I have to for money,” he exclaimed. “I feel like all it’s going to take is to watch me fight one or two times for people to take notice.

“I feel like I’m an exciting fighter; I bring it and big organizations who pay for exciting fighters. I plan on being right there, having a good year, and getting back on the ladder headed up there.”

Healthy again and back in the gym, Gunderson looks to go the route of fellow former IFL fighter Benji Radach and make the kind of return that could earn him Comeback Fighter of the Year status in the minds of promotions and fans alike.

“I just want to thank Denaro Sports Marketing and thanks to all the people who’ve watched me fight and stuck by my side and believe in me,” he concluded.

“I’ll be back at the end of the year guns-a-blazin’.”

 

[BROWN GUERRERO]

this might not be MMA,but Kimbo slice says this dudes next in line to do what he did,dudes name is level 1219 on youtube he koo with pistol pete and K.A.R. south.

Dude is straight garbage. Just wasted my time on youtube. :angry:

 

[Shogun Locc]

^^^^^In the GSP voice "I am not impressed by his performance"..lol

 

[VanD]

http://mmavideolinks.to/index.php?/StrikeForce/StrikeForce-at-The-Mansion-2-Videos.html

videos from strikeforce if anyone cares, hella more videos on that site. mma videos for days

 

[Shogun Locc]

Mir Banking on Couture Victory

If Frank Mir were a betting man, he’d let it ride on Randy Couture in his UFC heavyweight title defense against upstart Brock Lesnar on Nov. 15 in Las Vegas.

Though the matchup is a sure bet to draw a strong contingent of MMA and pro wrestling fans alike, Mir, who coaches a team of eight prospects on “The Ultimate Fighter 8” Wednesdays on Spike TV, believes inexperience will prove to be Lesnar’s greatest inhibitor at UFC 91.

“I think it’s too early in his career,” says Mir of Lesnar, who will be 14 years Couture’s junior when they meet in the Octagon. “I think he’s a great wrestler, powerful background, but Randy Couture is one of the most decorated Greco-Roman wrestlers we’ve ever had in our country. He has 12 years of MMA experience and he has the same background as Lesnar. Lesnar is basically the new Randy, a better athlete, bigger and more powerful and more dangerous, but he only has two years of [MMA] experience.”

Comparing college wrestling credentials, Lesnar might be considered to have a slight edge. The University of Minnesota alumnus was the 2000 NCAA heavyweight champion, a runner-up the year before, and a two-time Big 10 champion en route to becoming a two-time All American (Lesnar joined the university as a junior).

Couture peaked as an NCAA runner-up in his junior and senior years, though he was also a three-time All American and a member of two Div. I national championship-winning teams for storied Oklahoma State.

The roads diverge substantially beyond college wrestling though, which is where Mir sees the biggest chasm between the two.

While Lesnar, 31, graduated and pursued short-lived careers in pro wrestling and even NFL football, Couture was an eight-time world team member who placed in over 30 international tournaments around the globe since 1983.

From 1988-2000, sometimes between UFC appearances, Couture weathered stringent elimination trials to become an alternate for four U.S. Olympic squads, missing the chance to compete for his country by one or two slots each time.

At the age of 33, Couture (16-8) entered his first fight on two weeks’ notice. Eleven years later, he has become a UFC champion six times over.

The 45-year-old legend will be Lesnar’s fourth MMA opponent, since the former WWE champion crossed over into the sport two years ago.

Mir’s assertion is not based just on the numbers. A former UFC heavyweight champion himself, Mir was one of those three men to taste Lesnar’s potential in a February 2008 contest.

While Mir (11-3) can vividly describe the pain that follows a high-impact punch or knee, his bout with Lesnar had a different feeling altogether.

“He was more like getting hit by a car that’s moving very slowly and you can’t get out of the way,” says Mir. “It bumps and knocks you over and is just overwhelmingly powerful.”

Clinging to the underside of Lesnar’s hulking, 6-foot-3, 280-pound frame, Mir hadn’t realized he had gone for two armbars in the scuffle before transitioning to the fight-ending kneebar until he watched the tape later.

“I didn’t know where he was half the time,” he says. “It really felt like I was underwater and somebody was beating the s—-t out of me. I was just drowning under him.”

In the six months that passed between Mir’s victory and Lesnar’s last altercation with Heath Herring (28-14) at UFC 87, the Las Vegas native says he’s seen little improvement in the wrestling convert’s ability to finish a fight.

Lesnar knocked Herring down surprisingly with a scorching right in the bout’s opening seconds, but reverted to holding and out-positioning the Texan to earn a three-round unanimous decision.

“There was times where you could look and be like, Wow, man, if this guy had had two months of jiu-jitsu, he could have gone just like this,” Mir says while mimicking a choke, “and this fight would have been over with.”

Mir, 29, has good reason to keep tabs on Lesnar’s progress. A rematch is on the periphery if Mir sails past fellow Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and UFC interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in December. To the victor will go the spoils of a unification match against the Couture-Lesnar winner in 2009.

That Lesnar, a novice who’s fought one-fifth the amount of bouts Mir has, gets in on the championship action doesn’t bother Mir in the least.

“I can get why Brock Lesnar’s getting the fight,” he says. “It’s not like I think it absurd. If Brock Lesnar was fighting some bum off the street, it would be a main event card. That’s Brock Lesnar. If ‘Kimbo Slice’ came into the UFC tomorrow, he’s probably going to be above me. That’s just the way it is. It’s name recognition.”

In Lesnar, who’s demonstrated a strong work ethic since joining the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy for his training, Mir sees a respected peer, albeit one who needs more time to develop his skills in the cage.

“A guy like Brock Lesnar doesn’t upset me at all, says Mir. ”I think he has the potential to be a very legitimate martial artist. … So when I stretched out his leg and felt him tapping, I didn’t even try to extend it even further. But somebody like a ‘Kimbo’ or somebody like that who I don’t think respects the sport, like a ‘Krazy Horse,’ I don’t think they have a place in it. The referee couldn’t get to me fast enough.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

EVAN TANNER MEMORIAL ON SATURDAY IN AMARILLO

Former UFC middleweight champion Evan Tanner was found dead on Monday, Sept. 8 in the mountain area outside of Palo Verde, Calif. He was 37 years old.

A memorial for Tanner will be held on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 2 p.m. local time at the Amarillo Civic Center in Amarillo, Texas, according to UFC.com. The Amarillo Civic Center is located at 401 South Buchanan Street.

Tanner was a veteran of more than a decade in mixed martial arts. He had a nomadic nature and independent spirit that cast him as a lone wolf. Tanner was a man that engaged life.

In his own words:

"Now you may ask if I regret it, if I would do it differently if I could, if I would take it back. NOT A CHANCE!!!!! I went for it. I put it all on the line. I always will. I knew what the consequences would be if I failed, and I was willing to accept them. So any of you reading who might be feeling a twinge of sympathy, don't. I made my decisions, and I accept the consequences. I'm no victim. And to those who are thinking about preaching at me, don't bother. I won't hear you. I haven't accomplished anything in this life worth remembering by playing it safe. That's boring to me anyway."

 

[Shogun Locc]

MICHAEL BISPING WELCOMES RAMPAGE & KONGO

The Wolfslair gym in England was known to many fans as the home of “Ultimate Fighter” season 3 winner Michael “The Count” Bisping, but in recent weeks the addition of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Cheick Kongo have now made the team a major entity in the MMA world.

Jackson and Kongo both recently made the decision to leave former trainer Juanito Ibarra and make the move to Team Wolfslair. Bisping, who is currently training for a fight with Chris Leben, talked about the growth of his home camp in a recent interview with MMAWeekly.com

“I think it’s just a sign of the team getting bigger and bigger,” he commented. “Rampage and Kongo are signed now. On the domestic side in the U.K. we’ve got some of the other fighters in the forefront. Some of the top level fighters in the U.K., they’re joining up to the team now as well.”

Bisping has trained alongside Jackson in both the United States and England for many of his past fights, but says he was actually unaware the former UFC light heavyweight champion was joining the team until it happened.

“I didn’t actually know he was going to join the team. He’s friendly with Anthony, the manager as well you see,” explained Bisping. “It was Anthony that actually told me that he had been speaking to him at some length and he decided to join the team.

“We never really talked too much about him joining the team. He came out here quite a bit; he always liked training out here. He always said how tough we were out here, and how much he was impressed by the way we train.”

Apparently, Jackson recently arrived in England to start working with the team and help Bisping get ready for his Oct. 19 fight. Now with seemingly a great backbone to build on, Team Wolfslair could be considered one of the best MMA gyms in the world.

“Wolfslair is definitely becoming, I think, one of the main players on the world stage these days,” Bisping said.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Exclusive: Kimbo's Trainer Talks Camp
videolink: http://www.sherdog.com/videos/recent/Exclusive-Kimbos-Trainer-Talks-Camp-1781
Trainer Randy Khatami says Kimbo Slice’s recent progress might surprise you. In a Sherdog.com video exclusive, Khatami takes us through Slice’s eight-week training camp at Elite MMA in Westlake, Calif., shares the changes made to the EliteXC star’s regimen, and tells fans what to expect when Slice and Ken Shamrock collide on Oct. 4

 

[Shogun Locc]

Match order for Sengoku 9/28 Tokyo event

1.Lightweights: Jorge Masvidal vs. Ryan Schultz
2.Lightweights: Kiuma Kunioku vs. A Sol Kwon
3.Middleweight GP Series 2008: Evangelista Cyborg vs. Siyar Bahadurzada
4.Middleweight GP Series 2008: Jorge Santiago vs. Logan Clark
5.Middleweight GP Series 2008: Kazuhiro Nakamura vs. Paul Cahoon
6.Middleweight GP Series 2008: Yuki Kondo vs. Yuki Sasaki
7.Heavyweights: Travis Wiuff vs. TBA (not Roger Gracie)
8.Light Heavyweights: Takashi Sugiura (NOAH) vs. Xande Ribeiro