MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

Latest Lion's Den sets up shop in California

While Ken Shamrock contemplates his next move inside the cage, outside of it, his Lion's Den training center franchise is expanding.

The newest Lion’s Den facility has opened in Modesto, Calif. In addition to offering an array of training classes, the center will serve to recruit aspiring pros to the Lion's Den stable of fighters. Staff will conduct semi-annual tryouts for the elite team at the gym.

The 12,000-square-foot training center is located at 518 Kiernan Avenue in Modesto.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Strikeforce champ Josh Thomson to face Yves Edwards on Nov. 21

Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson will seek to defend his title -- and extract a bit of revenge -- against the only man to have ever stopped "The Punk," Yves Edwards (31-14-1).

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) first reported Thomson's participation in the card in September. The California-based organization announced his opponent for the Nov. 21 "Strikeforce: Destruction" event in San Jose, Calif., this morning.

The two met previously in August 2004, at UFC 49. Edwards earned a first-round knockout with a scrambling high kick that has since been a staple of UFC highlight reels.

In the press release announcing the bout, Thomson predicted a different outcome this time around.

"I was better than him then, and I’m way better than him now," Thomson stated. "This rematch is about winning back something that I let slip through my fingers last time. It was a fluke, but that's part of the fight game -- anyone can get caught.

"I blame my error last time on my cockiness. This time, I've got to stamp my mark on it."

Since the loss, Thomson has won nine of his past 10 bouts -- his lone loss a 2006 decision to UFC contender Clay Guida. The California native is currently riding an eight-bout win streak, including a dominating June decision victory over then-champion Gilbert Melendez.

Edwards believes that Thomson has improved since their first meeting, but feels his own game has also evolved.

"Both Josh and I have improved," Edwards stated. "He's always been comfortable in the cage, but his stand-up looks a lot better and he looks like he puts things together a lot better than he used to. He also looks even harder to take down than before."

An eleven-year professional, Edwards was considered among the sport's elite when the two met in the UFC. Since the bout, the Texas resident has earned mixed results -- compiling just a 7-6 record in that span.

A switch of training camps to the well-respected American Top Team did net Edwards a three-fight winning streak. The Thugjitsu practitioner appeared poised to return to the top of the sport, but suffered a stunning 48-second TKO loss to KJ Noons in an EliteXC lightweight title shot in his most recent outing.

The fight card for "Strikeforce: Destruction" now includes:

Champ Josh Thomson vs. Yves Edwards (for Strikeforce world lightweight title)
Champ Bobby Southworth vs. Renato "Babalu" Sobral (for Strikeforce world light heavyweight title)
Joe Riggs vs. Luke Stewart

 

[Shogun Locc]

Pete Sell seeks redemption at UFC 90

In an organization that often will release a fighter after a single loss, Pete Sell (7-4) has survived four-straight UFC defeats.

But as Sell recently told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com), his bout with Josh Burkman at Saturday night's "UFC 90: Silva vs. Cote" offers a chance to erase three years of frustration.

"[A win would] mean everything to me," Sell said. "Throw me a freaking bone here, man."

Sell won his first six professional bouts, including his debut for the organization in 2005 at UFC 51. After earning a submission victory over Phil Baroni, Sell would then lose his next four bouts in the UFC -- to Scott Smith, Thales Leites and twice to Nate Quarry.

Sell's last bout was in September of 2007, and "Drago" said he has changed with the time off.

"It was just a lot of down time," Sell said. "A lot of time reflecting on my life and the direction I'm going.

"I'm going for the gusto. I'm going to try and make it with this fight game. To me you've got to either do this 100 percent or you're not. I want to put in all my time, training three times a day, and really do it for real. I don't want to do it half-ass."

Sell admits that hasn't always been the case.

"There were times where I was doing it half-ass," Sell said. "Or I was kind of, in between fights, not training as much. You know, partying, doing my thing. I'm a lot more serious now."

In addition to a refocused intensity in his training routine, the already chiseled Sell has made the drop from middleweight to welterweight. The bout with Burkman will be his first in the weight class.

"I always felt strong at 185 (pounds)," Sell said. "I'm going to feel real strong at this weight. I'm going against lighter guys, and I feel a lot faster. Everything is flowing better, and I feel more agile."

While always dangerous, Burkman has also struggled as of late. Defeated in three of his past four bouts, Burkman will also be looking to answer his critics in the bout.

Sell believes he has a game plan prepared that will earn him a win.

"I see the guy is an athletic guy, and he definitely comes hard and looks for the bombs," Sell said. "I definitely feel that I've seen him get tired in a couple of fights, later on in the later rounds. I just feel like I'm in such good shape right now that that's definitely not happening to me. Whether that happens to him or not, I just know that it's definitely not happening to me."

Sell also said he spent his time off focusing on his ground skills -- an area that he previously felt was a liability. Of course, the hard-hitting sell will never stray too far from his roots.

"I like to mix it up more now," Sell said. "I'll do whatever it takes. At heart, I'm a fighter. I definitely like to bang it out. It's fun.

"But to me, you can't go in there and think, 'Alright, this fight's going to go this way and this is what I'm going to do,' all of the time. You have to see how it goes. I have some gameplans ready to go, and I'm pretty much ready for anything."

While Sell hasn't always been successful in the UFC, the 26-year-old has always been exciting. And the New York native knows that with just a few brief changes, his career could have taken a completely different path.

"I've had some tough breaks," Sell said. "With the second Quarry fight, I had him out for a second. I was on my way to winning that fight. With the Scott Smith fight, I hit him with a body shot and then I got caught.

"Imagine if I won those two fights, and I got knockout of the night. Imagine that. What position would I be in now? I may be doing something else. Maybe I would have never even went to 170 (pounds). Maybe I'd still be at 185.

"Life throws curveballs at you, and there's bumps in the road. You've got to take it in stride and just move forward and see what happens."

Sell will see what life has in store for him Saturday night. But win or lose, Sell said he will enter the bout with no regrets.

"I really feel like I did the right thing," Sell said. "I have no regrets, and I feel like I deserve good things to come out of this fight because I've done everything right -- which I can't say about a lot of other times. I've done well.

"I haven't always done the right thing. But for the last eight months, I've been killing it. I'm ready to rock."

 

[Shogun Locc]

"The Ultimate Fighter 9" U.K. tryouts net record number of prospects

Before packing up and returning to the U.S. after Saturday's "UFC 89: Bispng vs. Leben," the UFC held an open casting call for "The Ultimate Fighter 9: U.S. vs. U.K." in London.

Just two days after Brit and "The Ulitmate Fighter 3" winner Michael Bisping was victorious in front of his countrymen, MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has learned over 200 hopeful fighters showed up to the Earls Court Exhibition Centre for their chance at a UFC contract.

Already tabbed as the coach of the U.K. team, Bisping and fellow English fighters and UFC 89 participants Terry Etim and Paul Taylor were also on hand in support of the would-be "TUF" contestants.

Mixed martial arts has enjoyed a rapid surge in popularity and participation in the U.K. in recent years. After a five year absence from the U.K., the UFC has held five events across the Atlantic in the past 18 months.

In contrast, when the UFC held open tryouts for the third season of "The Ultimate Fighters" in 2006, less than 30 fighters showed up for the session.

One of the more notable participants in the afternoon's session was "The Ultimate Fighter 3" cast member Ross Pointon. The Cage Rage veteran appeared twice in the UFC following his stint on the show, losing both contests.

Vying for an unprecedented second stint on the program, Pointon showed up with a haircut that sported the letters "UFC" etched into the back of his head.

Filming for "The Ultimate Fighter 9: U.S. vs. U.K" will begin in Las Vegas in January, and the new season will air on Spike TV beginning in April. The season will feature 16 American and 16 British fighters competing for a UFC contract in the 185 pound and 170 pound divisions.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Rich Clementi seeking breakthrough performance at UFC 90

It's been a difficult chore finding an opponent for undefeated UFC lightweight Gray Maynard (5-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC). So imagine UFC matchmaker Joe Silva's surprise when Rich Clementi (32-12-1 MMA, 5-3 UFC) requested the bout at Saturday night's "UFC 90: Silva vs. Cote."

But as Clementi today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com), the matchup is just what the 31-year-old needs to reach elite-level status in the lightweight division.

"Me, I'll fight anybody," Clementi said. "That's how I've been my whole career."

Clementi said once he asked for the bout, Silva wasted little time in arranging the matchup.

"At first [the UFC] didn't have an opponent (for me)," Clementi said. "And I was like, 'What about Gray?' And [Silva was] like, 'Hell, nobody wants to fight Gray. Let's do that.' So that's how this fight came about."

Currently riding a six-fight win streak, Clementi has seemingly had a career renaissance over the past 13 months. But as the "The Ultimate Fighter 4" cast member explained, he just needed to settle into his natural weight class.

"I think a lot of the problem is the first time people really got to see me on that stage was from 'The Ultimate Fighter,' fighting at 170 (pounds)," Clementi said. "I mean it was a great opportunity, but I'm just a little too small to fight at 170 (pounds).

"I fought Roan Carneiro, which is a huge 170 pounder. And then just getting my weight back down (to 155 pounds) when I fought Din (Thomas), I was just starting to get back in my groove and stuff. I think one of the main things now is that I'm just fighting back at my natural weight."

Since making the move back down to lightweight, Clementi has earned four-straight victories in the UFC over Anthony Johnson, Melvin Guillard, Sam Stout and Terry Etim. The Louisiana native credits an improved training routine for the success.

"I've really just taken my training on to the next level," Clementi said. "I think sometimes the old school guys like myself that have been around for years, we're used to the situation where you did a lot of different things and still fought. Now, fighting is 100 percent commitment. Since I've done that, I really made a push to fix some mistakes in my training camp and stuff, and really bring it to the next level."

With his recent success in the lightweight division, Clementi has found the confidence that he had while riding a nine-fight streak before his February 2003 debut for the organization at UFC 41. And while many fighters have shied away from tangling with the up-and-coming Maynard, Clementi sees the bout as an opportunity to establish his position in the lightweight division.

"I think first of all why other people are avoiding [Maynard] is because he's just as dangerous as any of the top guys, and yet he hasn't been on that big stage yet," Clementi said. "A lot of these guys who are up there on the big stage, meaning like top five in their weight class in the UFC, they don't want to get beat by a guy that nobody knows.

"I look at him as just another guy who's in the weight class that's going to be tough to fight. I like fighting one-dimensional guys. I'm pretty well-rounded. It lets me have a little bit of flexibility."

Maynard's superior wrestling skills have earned him great praise in his young career. But Clementi believes it will take more than one great skill from an opponent to beat him with his current abilities.

"I feel like really the only guys who are going to beat me are guys who have been in the sport as long as me or are as well-rounded as me." Clementi said. "You know, kind of some saltier cats. I fell well about what I do against guys that are really, really strong in one area."

Clementi broke from his normal training routine for this camp, and he feels the change has been beneficial.

"I actually went away to Cincinnati for my training camp," Clementi said. "I've been working with Rob (Radford), Rich Franklin's boxing coach. He's been doing my conditioning. And I worked with Josh Rafferty.

"[Rafferty] usually comes down and trains with me for about a month, a month and a half prior to my fights. But because of the two storms and stuff, I was like, '[Expletive] it. Let me just come up there. You guys got some really great wrestlers.'

"Everything has been in place for this training camp. I've just been doing really, really well. I'm as strong as I've ever been. I'm as fast as I've ever been. I'm a tricky cat. I'm a tough cat to fight, I think. I'm tough to put away. So it should be a great fight."

Clementi feels he is now in a position to break through to a new level with a victory.

"I'm stoked," Clementi said. "I just feel like it's my time. I feel like everything is clicking.

"I've done well my whole career, but I haven't broke to that next level. But at the same token, I haven't done what it takes to break to that next level. I feel like everything is in place for that to happen now. So I'm just excited."

Beyond a change of scenery for his training camp, Clementi also dropped all of his ties and responsibilities while training for Maynard. Clementi can't wait for Saturday night's main card appearance to show the world his progress.

"I'm just really ready and just excited," Clementi said. "Excited to be on TV, excited to be back in the picture with the UFC, and to fight a tough guy that come people think is going to beat me.

"I've pulled away almost from everything for this fight. It's kind of crazy because I've never really done that. I mean from my shows, from my businesses back home, from my family, from my two-year-old. It's like I'm going in there mean and almost a little bit angry, and really just ready to fight."

 

[Shogun Locc]

JASON MILLER: "I ALWAYS WANTED TO FIGHT ANDERSON SILVA"
link: http://www.fighthype.com/pages/content3650.html?PHPSESSID=976afd100061cd06a38dd34a13ae5aa7
"I always wanted to fight Anderson Silva. Even if he…I know everyone is saying he would kick my ass, but just to give it a go. I'm just going to keep training and improve my game and I know he's a phenomenal fighter, but that's why I want to fight him. That's why I've always wanted to fight him. I've really always wanted that. He's about to make me come out of retirement and I've only been retired for an hour," stated Jason "Mayhem" Miller as he talked about his recent retirement from MMA. Check out what he had to say about his future plans and much more.

 

[Shogun Locc]

JASON MILLER: "I ALWAYS WANTED TO FIGHT ANDERSON SILVA"
link: http://www.fighthype.com/pages/content3650.html?PHPSESSID=976afd100061cd06a38dd34a13ae5aa7
"I always wanted to fight Anderson Silva. Even if he…I know everyone is saying he would kick my ass, but just to give it a go. I'm just going to keep training and improve my game and I know he's a phenomenal fighter, but that's why I want to fight him. That's why I've always wanted to fight him. I've really always wanted that. He's about to make me come out of retirement and I've only been retired for an hour," stated Jason "Mayhem" Miller as he talked about his recent retirement from MMA. Check out what he had to say about his future plans and much more.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Cane more than happy with knockout

On the biggest challenge of his career, Luis Arthur Cane showed a great performance. Facing the tough Top 10 Thierry Sokoudjou, the light-heavyweight fighter used the perfect strategy and surprised the Cameroon fighter with a knockout on the second round at UFC 89, that happened last Saturday at England. “It was hard... It was very important for my career, beat a Top 10 fighter was a great experience”, said Cane, who for the first time in career needed more than one round to finish the fight. “I don’t have nothing set yet for my next fight, they didn’t say anything about it. I’m waiting, no rush. I fought with an injured elbow and now I need a small surgery, then I’ll be back on training and see what UFC has for me. I trust on their work and I know they’ll put another good fight to me”, said the fighter.

 

[Shogun Locc]

SENGOKU VI Officially Complete

The fight between Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Moise Rimbon for SENGOKU VI on November 1st was officially announced today. The fight will be fought in the Light Heavyweight division as Rimbon follows King Mo and drops from Heavyweight following his SENGOKU debut.

SENGOKU VI
Date: November 1st, 2008
Place: Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan

Lightweight Fight:
Takanori Gomi vs. Sergey Golyaev

Light Heavyweight Fights:
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Moise Rimbon
King Mo vs. Fabio Silva

Lightweight GP Series 2008 Final Fight:
Kitaoka/Mitsuoka vs. Hirota/Yokota

Lightweight GP Series 2008 Semifinal Fights:
Satoru Kitaoka vs. Eiji Mitsuoka
Mizuto Hirota vs. Kazunori Yokota

Lightweight GP Series 2008 Reserve Fight:
Bang Seung Hwan vs. Jorge Masvidal

Middleweight GP Series 2008 Final:
Nakamura/Sasaki vs. Santiago/Bahadurzada

Middleweight GP Series 2008 Semifinal Participants:
Kazuhiro Nakamura vs. Yuki Sasaki
Jorge Santiago vs. Siyar Bahadurzada

Middleweight GP Series 2008 Reserve Fight:
Joe Doerksen vs. Izuru Takeuchi

 

[Shogun Locc]

Mike Brown: Rated Exclusive Interview
videolink: http://mmarated.com/videos/v/20081020/mike_brown__rated_exclusive_interview-6113.html

 

[Shogun Locc]

GAMBURYAN TO RETURN AT UFC 94, TAVARES LIKELY

Lightweight prospect Manny Gamburyan is returning to action at the UFC's Super Bowl weekend card, UFC 94, on Jan. 31 in Las Vegas. Gamburyan confirmed the fight to MMAWeekly.com on Sunday.

Though bout agreements have not been signed, he says he has agreed to face Brazilian Thiago Tavares. Tavares’ American representatives were unavailable for comment.

Gamburyan, 27, has gone 2-1 in the UFC since an injury loss to Nate Diaz dashed his chance at winning the fifth season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” The Armenian fighter caught another piece of bad luck at UFC 87, losing by quick knockout to fellow Ultimate Fighter 5 alum Rob Emerson.

Tavares, 23, is coming off two losses, most recently to Kurt Pellegrino at UFC 88. Despite impressive performances in all showings, the Brazilian has a .500 record in the Octagon with three wins and three losses.

"He's a phenomenal fighter," Gamburyan said. "I'm really happy I'm fighting him. With a good victory, that's going to put me on top for sure."

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC 89: KEITH JARDINE'S FIRST STEP IN MAKEOVER

In Keith Jardine’s rise to prominence among UFC light heavyweights, he’s been pegged as the “herky-jerky” fighter. His awkward, shuffling style confounds opponents. Even if you’re not a student of the stand-up game, you can tell he's a little left of center.

Only during Jardine's fight with Brandon Vera at UFC 89, he was the one who felt out of step. Vera’s defenses were too sharp. There was little to build on in the way of momentum.

“He had a really good defense,” Jardine told MMAWeekly.com after the fight. “It took me a while to figure it out. It was really awkward and hard to fight him, so I was trying to push the pace the whole time.”

When Jardine moved in, he met a considerable amount of resistance. Vera’s best weapons were from the left side of his body, but he also switched from southpaw to traditional stance, trying to psyche Jardine out further. Vera threw a ton of kicks to the body, enough to give “The Dean of Mean” pause when charging forward.

“I wasn’t really worried about his punches, I was worried about his kicks,” he said. “But I was just trying to find a way in the whole time. When I got a good angle, he was so fast at getting out of there.”

Jardine found success going over the top, using his oddly flung punches to smack the side of Vera’s head. He returned Vera’s favor, landing several kicks to the Filipino fighter’s midsection.

Coupled with his aggression and an early takedown, it was enough to inch by on the judges’ scorecards. Jardine says he was scared when he heard a judge name Vera as the winner, but felt he had won the majority of the fight.

“I think I won the first round, and I think I won the third round,” he said. “The second round was a little bit tough.”

There are no straight lines for Jardine’s career. Close friend and training partner Rashad Evans is cresting near the top of the division, and the two have quashed any ideas of a fight between them. For future opponents, Jardine only asks to fight the fighters that keep him relevant in the division.

“I don’t really care right now, just anybody in the Top 10, just a contender,” he said. “Every fight right now is the same as a title fight.”

After taking a little time off, Jardine will focus on his wrestling and assist Evans in preparing for Forrest Griffin at UFC 92.

“For me, I’m just starting over right now,” Jardine said. “I’m done messing around. I had a couple of big wins, couple of big losses, and this fight for me was all about changing my game a little bit, taking this a little bit differently. Work my way back to the top, start all over again.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Ready for a war: Patrick Cote UFC 90 interview exclusive with MMAmania.com

Patrick “The Predator” Cote (13-4) has said it for months: he and his camp have the perfect game plan to do what no other fighter has managed to do in eight fights — beat Anderson Silva (22-4).

Hell, if you don’t count the disqualification when Silva illegally up-kicked Yushin Okami’s head into the rafters, it’s even more than eight fights — the guy hasn’t truly lost since December 2004.

But Cote is nothing but confident that Silva’s reign is about to come to an abrupt end.

He’s not worried about the crazy odds. In fact, that takes away the pressure. And he’s inviting Silva to stand and trade, something a host of UFC fighters like former middleweight champion Rich Franklin, Dan Henderson, Nate Marquardt, Chris Leben, James Irvin and more have all had significant trouble with.

All the talk … and the wait is almost over.

Cote will face “The Spider” for the middleweight strap this Saturday, October 25 at UFC 90. It airs on pay-per-view (PPV) from the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill., starting at 10 p.m. ET.

When we recently caught up with “The Predator,” he shared his thoughts on how his training camp has gone, these crazy Vegas odds and just how strong his chin really is.

Here we go:

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): I last talked to you before your Ricardo Almeida fight at UFC 86. That fight ended in a split decision. How did you feel about your performance in that fight?

Patrick Cote: I think that I did what I had to do. I was sticking to the game plan. For sure when you put two guys together like that who have completely different styles, you can’t expect for a crazy standup war or a crazy jiu-jitsu fight. My style is to stay on my feet and avoid the takedowns, and that’s exactly what I did. I’m not going to play jiu-jitsu with a six-time world champion of jiu-jitsu.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Absolutely. I thought that it was a great performance, and it was clearly enough to earn you the title shot. You face Anderson Silva this Saturday. You’ve talked about fighting Silva for a while now, saying that you feel that you and your camp have the perfect game plan for him. How amped up are you for this fight?

Patrick Cote: I’m in really, really good shape right now — the best shape of my life. I can’t wait to fight him. If they asked me to fight him today, I would do it.

I can’t wait to fight Anderson. I think I’m going to shock a lot of people. A lot of people have a lack of respect toward me, because they have already looked over me. I just want to prove to everybody that I will give him a war, and I will win the belt, and after that everybody will know that they made a mistake (looking past me).

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Speaking of that, I think you can’t talk about this fight without talking about the fact that Vegas has you as a huge underdog.* Do you find that insulting that the oddsmakers don’t seem to have confidence in you, or do you attribute it to simply that Silva has been such a devastating fighter for so many people.

(Note: Betus.com currently has the split at Silva -700, Cote +500.)

Patrick Cote: No, it’s perfect. I don’t care. It’s easier for me to fight — I don’t have any pressure on me.

The biggest difference between me and the opponents who have already fought Silva is that I don’t care if I’m fighting Anderson Silva. I know that this guy is one of the best in the world, but I’m not scared of him. I’m not nervous to fight him.

A lot of fighters who fought him before had already lost before the fight because they were too afraid of him. Me? I don’t care. I’m not going to be nervous or scared to face Anderson. That’s exactly what I’m going to do — I’m going to prepare myself very well.

A lot of people, a lot of my friends, are going to put money on me, and they will be rich after the fight.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): (Laughs) Right on, man. Well let’s talk about Silva. He’s a dangerous striker. If he keeps you at a distance, his kicks can be deadly; however, if you close the distance, his clinch is also so extremely dangerous, as Rich Franklin found out the hard way on two separate occasions.

What do you think about Silva’s standup, and what strategies do you feel will be most successful against thechamp?

Patrick Cote: I feel great. Everybody knows me and everybody knows my style. I’m a striker. I like to stay on my feet and exchange with people who will stand with me. (Silva) said that he’s happy to fight me because I will stay on my feet and exchange with him, so hopefully he’s gonna do it too.

As for striking, I’ve never been rocked in my life, and I’ve never been knocked out in my life. So I go in there very confident.

We know exactly what to do, we have a good game plan. Now I just have to do it. Mark DellaGrotte will be in my corner. As a corner man, he’s already gone three times against Anderson Silva, so he knows him very well.

We know exactly what to do to beat him. Right now, it’s the time for Anderson Silva to lose and I’m the perfect opponent to do it. I ain’t scared of him. I don’t care. I just need one punch to put him away, so we’ll see what happens.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Have you been preparing for this fight differently than you have in previous fights?

Patrick Cote: Oh, for sure. I took 10 weeks for my training camp — two and a half months — I’m in great shape. I have a new conditioning and strength training coach too. I’ve spent a lot of time here at Sityodtong in Boston with Mark DellaGrotte, a good Muay Thai guy here. I’ve been sparring with a couple of guys from Thailand too. My training camp is perfect for this fight. I can’t wait to fight, like I told you. I’m ready to fight tomorrow.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Did the UFC have you sign a contract extension before this fight, and if so, how many fights do you have on the contract?

Patrick Cote: For this fight or before?

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): I was under the impression that you only had one or two fights on your contract remaining.

Patrick Cote: I didn’t sign any contract, but this fight is very important for me to have a good contract after that, and to be the champion and it is going to be easier to negotiate after that. So I’m still on the same contract.

But sure, I fight for the money, I fight because this is my job; but first I want to be #1. I fight to be the best in the world, and to be the best in the world you have to have the belt around your waist, so that’s the most important thing for me right now.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): The last time I talked to you was on The Ultimate Fight Train before UFC 83. You provided the ringside commentary at that event for the French pay-per-view. You had told me before that you were interested in continuing this gig for future UFCs in Canada. Have you discussed with the UFC when they plan to return north of the border, and if you will continue to provide commentary for the next UFC event in Canada?

Patrick Cote: They told me that I did a good job, but no, we haven’t talked about that. If they offered me to do it again, for sure I would do that. I enjoyed it a lot. But I prefer to be in the Octagon than outside it.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Well Patrick, as always it’s a pleasure to talk with you, and I wish you luck against Anderson Silva. I want to give you a chance to thank any sponsors or if you have any parting words for your fans?

Patrick Cote: I just want to thank my sponsors. I have a lot of good sponsors that help me train full time — Warrior Wear, One More Round — they help me out a lot.

For my fans, I will give a good show. For everybody who believes in me, I’m not going to disappoint you. I will be there 100 percent and the UFC will have a new middleweight champion for sure.

 

[Shogun Locc]

An Economic “Perfect Storm” Affecting MMA

The twin forces of a credit crunch and a continually deteriorating economy are coming together and are having an impact on the financial backdrop of the mixed martial arts industry. While it is said that a rising tide lifts all boats, it seems to be that this “Perfect Storm” is battering all the MMA ships that are out to sea, the UFC included.

As reported earlier on MMAPayout.com, the Fertitta’s Station Casinos bond rating recently placed on CreditWatch with negative implications. The company is being monitored due to it’s increasing level of leverage that violates certain covenants of its’ bonds. The leverage covenants aren’t being met due to more recent turmoil in the financial markets and continued weakening of economy, which is bringing down performance in the Las Vegas locals market more than previously thought.

The Station Casinos stake may not be the only portion of the Fertitta empire to be hitting on hard times. MMAPayout.com has learned that the UFC has recently went through a round of layoffs in their operations. The UFC looks to be cutting away the fat to make itself lean and mean and capable of weathering an extended time period of financial stress and lowered performance.

The credit crunch has also affected Viacom/CBS, which may in turn impact ProElite/EliteXC. Sumner Redstone, a controlling shareholder of Viacom Inc and CBS Corp, might be forced to sell either of the companies to help tide over the current financial crunch being faced by his movie theater chain, National Amusements Inc, according to a report by Reuters. Such a sell off would place highly in doubt a possible purchase of EliteXC by the Tiffany Network or it sister network Showtime. A purchase by the network had been thought to be highly probable as the company went into its recent EliteXC: Heat card that was to feature Kimbo Slice and Ken Shamrock. The subsequent loss by Slice to Seth Petruzelli as well as a fight fixing controversy in the aftermath of the fight are now joined by the news that one or more pieces of the Viacom empire may be jettisoned. All of these factors in concert call into question whether such a deal for the fight promotion will be ultimately consummated.

 

[Shogun Locc]

The Zuffa Freeze Out And Unintended Consequences

Contrary to the Countdown to UFC 89’s contention that Brandon Vera sat out of competition for a year due to “management problems”, in reality Brandon was the initial test case in the “Zuffa Freeze Out” strategy. The freeze out strategy mainly consists of the front loading of fights on a fighters contract in order to increase negotiating power with the threat of holding out the fighter until nearly the end of the contract before giving said fighter their last fight. Such a measure cuts down the fighters ability to generate income from fights and sponsorship money as well as impacting the fighter value if he chooses to exit the UFC. Other noted fighter who have gotten or look to get the treatment are Andre Arlovski and Roger Huerta.

While the UFC is able to use their multiple marketing platforms to rehabilitate a fighter’s profile and visibility if they eventually resign a fighter, the UFC isn’t able to do such a job on an athlete’s skillset and experience level that veers towards stagnation during such a “freeze out” period. Such a deterioration looks to be the case with a fighter like Brandon Vera. Dana White spoke with ESPN and commented on the impact of the layoff on Vera’s game:

“It’s like he lost something,” White said. “That year off, I don’t know what it was with him. But he doesn’t have that killer instinct; he doesn’t go after it. This kid used to be so cocky. … He was good; he was walking through heavyweights. He took that year off, all the contract stuff, and hasn’t been the same guy since. I don’t know what’s wrong with him.”

Dana unwittingly seems to put forward the idea that his own freeze out strategy impaired the value of the same product he ended up reinvesting in. Such long layoffs would have a detrimental affect on the athlete. While it is admirable to think that fighters will keep themselves in shape and working on their game during such a layoff, that may not be the truth of the matter. An example of this would be a fighter like be Rampage Jackson, who came into his fight against Forrest Griffin looking like a shadow of his former physical self due to a ten month layoff and his performance seemed to bear that out.

Such a layoff is particularly detrimental for a fighter like Vera, who had a limited number of career fights at the time he was under the “Zuffa Freeze Out”. While such a freeze out would seem to hurt their own product, the strategy looks to be here to stay. Varying from the strategy would put them at risk of putting to the free market a fighter that would be fresh from the Zuffa hype machine ready to be snapped up by a competitor to reap the benefits.

 

[Shogun Locc]

EliteXC Nov. 8 Event, Pro Elite on Rocks

EliteXC “Night of Champions,” scheduled for Nov. 8 at the Reno Events Center in Reno, Nev., is in jeopardy of cancellation as the promotion heads into what may be its final days of business, Sherdog.com has learned from numerous anonymous sources.

TJ Thompson, an EliteXC executive, told Sherdog.com Thursday that, to his knowledge, the Nov. 8 event was off and that the company was closing its doors this week. Thompson's Hawaii-based Icon Sport promotion was purchased by EliteXC's parent company Pro Elite in 2006.

Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer said he had not received word that the event would be cancelled as of Monday afternoon, though Sherdog.com was told by a source that some, if not all, of the fighters scheduled to compete on Nov. 8 have been notified that the event may not take place due to a lack of funding.

A notice posted Monday evening at graciefighter.com read, “We are confirming that EliteXC has folded. What this means for our fans and supporters is that there will not be a Nick Diaz vs. Eddie Alvarez fight on November 8th.”

Graciefighter.com is operated by representatives of Diaz’s camp, who was slated to face Alvarez for the vacant EliteXC 160-pound title.

Representatives from Pro Elite, the parent company of EliteXC, did not return calls Monday.

Pro Elite, which has accrued $55 million deficit during its two years of operation, had been in need of a helping hand in recent months.

On Sept. 17, Showtime Networks filed public notice with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announcing its intention to enter preliminary negotiations for the purchase of the fledgling company.

Showtime, a subsidiary of the parent conglomerate CBS Corporation, already has broadcasting deals with the Los Angeles-based company on both its premium cable channel and CBS. Showtime also has a 20% ownership stake in Pro Elite.

Discussions of Pro Elite’s purchase were said to have gone well and a deal looked imminent as of two weeks ago when EliteXC held its third installment of “Saturday Night Fights” on CBS. The Oct. 4 event, which was funded entirely by Showtime, drew 4.56 million viewers, which almost matched their initial May offering on the network.

But negative press surrounding questionable conduct before the main event between Seth Petruzelli and Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson have overshadowed the ratings success. Petruzelli, who stepped into the headlining bout on an hour's notice and beat Slice in 14 seconds with a short right jab, intonated afterward on a Monday morning talk show that promoters had given him added monetary incentive to stand with the less ground-savvy Slice.

Pro Elite officials later denied any wrongdoing, calling the pre-fight locker room discussion a "knockout bonus" offer, but public outcry led the Florida State Boxing Commission to open an investigation on the matter.

 

[Shogun Locc]

ELITEXC INSIDER DETAILS COMPANY'S DOWNFALL

In an interview with MMAWeekly.com Monday evening, Icon Sport founder T.J. Thompson said crisis management, or lack thereof, brought Pro Elite down.

Thompson history with Elite began in August of 2007 when he sold his Hawaiian MMA promotion Icon Sport to the then-expanding company. As part of his deal, he entered into a five-year consulting deal with the Los Angeles-based company and participated in many strategic talks with its executives.

A 15-year industry veteran who got his start promoting fights in the backrooms of bars to a couple hundred fans, Thompson got a call Monday morning from EliteXC Head of Fight Operations Jeremy Lappen, who informed him that the company had filed for bankruptcy and everyone in the company would be let go.

Thompson said it was CBS, not Showtime, who backed out of an impending deal to purchase the ailing fight promotion. Last Tuesday, he spoke with Elite CEO Chuck Champion, who said the company had a fifty-fifty shot of surviving.

“His opinion was that the deal was either going to close in the next two to four weeks, or it was going to crash a lot faster than that,” Thompson said.

Though he was not present during negotiations between Elite and CBS, Thompson believes the handling of Elite’s third CBS televised card, “Heat,” sealed their fate.

“I was there cageside and watched the whole thing happen,” he said. “I think (CBS) got cold feet watching. The way the Ken Shamrock pullout was handled, all the way from the beginning to the end with Seth Petruzelli. Watching Jared Shaw jumping up and down and screaming as a representative of the company, I think was disgusting and embarrassing.”

Almost as quickly as “Heat” was over, the Oct. 4 show was mired in controversy over comments Petruzelli made to an Orlando radio show. During his interview, Petruzelli implied that Elite XC officials had attempted to influence the outcome of the fight. Subsequent outcry from fans and media caused the Florida State Boxing Commission to open an investigation, another reason Thompson believes CBS pulled out of talks with Elite.

“I don’t have a smoking gun, (but) I’ve been around long enough, I’ve talked to enough people that were there, I won’t name names of executives in the company that I know—Seth was paid to stand up. I’m confident of that. If the commission wants to talk to me, I’ll tell them what I know.”

Thompson believes his company and other MMA promotions under the Pro Elite banner are destined to languish in bankruptcy court, along with EliteXC’s fighter contracts. On Tuesday, he will meet with his lawyers to determine whether it’s possible to free Icon Sport from its parent company. He’s not overly optimistic.

“(The promotions are) there for creditors to go after, really,” he said.

As a promoter, Thompson says he’s made hundreds of mistakes in his fifteen-year career. Elite’s size and visibility did not give them that luxury.

“When things are going good, anyone can promote a show,” he said. “Kimbo Slice knocking someone out, it’s pretty easy to get good ratings. It’s when crises happen that you earn your money as a promoter. It isn’t an exact since. The people that have been at the helm of EliteXC didn’t have the years of experience that are needed to promote MMA shows.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC 91 preliminary drug tests come back clean from NSAC

The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) today confirmed that several fighters have passed initial screenings for drugs and illegal substances prior to their clashes at UFC 91: “Couture vs. Lesnar” on Saturday, November 15.

UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture, Brock Lesnar, Nick Catone, Amir Sadollah, Aaron Riley and Jorge Gurgel were tested several weeks out from the pay-per-view (PPV) event that will be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas to eliminate the possibilities of “cycling off” performance enhancers such as steroids.

It’s a proactive and unique measure — often referred to as the new “out of competition” testing policy — that the NSAC has adopted to curtail and prevent the use of banned substances.

If a positive test is returned early, which would essentially devastate a major PPV event such as UFC 91, “the commissioners would decide” on a course of action based on the results, according to NSAC Executive Director, Keith Kizer.

These fighters — along with other random participants slated to compete on the card — will likely be tested again right around fight night. It is merely an extra layer of protection to ensure good clean fights when it comes time to bang.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Affliction signs Canadian featherweight Dave Pariseau

Five Ounces of Pain has learned that Affliction has signed Canadian featherweight Dave Pariseau to a three-fight contract. No date or opponent was announced for his debut.

Pariseau is a veteran of TKO, XMMA, and Ultimate Cage Wars who possesses a mixed martial arts record of 7-6-1. Pariseau holds victories over the likes of Jason St. Louis, Jacob MacDonald, and Alex Popov. Pariseau has also been in the cage with the likes of Chris Horodecki, Martin Grandmont, and Kajan Johnson, all in a losing effort.

Pariseau was last in action at XMMA 3 where he scored an impressive 19 second rear naked choke over his foe, Justin Doyon.

 

[WayCide-Ridah]

Elite XC Closes it's Doors

Elite XC, which produced seven of the 10 most-watched MMA matches in U.S. history on two CBS specials in recent months, will be closing its doors at the end of the week. This leaves a roster of fighters, including top draws Kimbo Slice and Gina Carano, looking for work in a constricted environment.

Elite XC joins the International Fight League and Bodog Fight as high-profile competitors to the industry leader, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, to fold during the past year.

With deals with CBS and Showtime, the latter a major shareholder, Elite XC had the exposure the other failed challengers lacked, but lost more than $55 million in its two years of operation. Its losses included having a bad television deal in the first year with Showtime, causing them to lose money on every show; losing millions on trying, and failing, to build a website that was designed to be a destination for the MMA community; and purchasing four promotions outright and putting money into a fifth.

One of them, the U.K.-based Cage Rage promotion, set them back $18 million in losses.

“I got a call earlier [Monday] telling me they were shutting down,” said Frank Shamrock, who was a television commentator, a main event fighter and a shareholder in the promotion.

Elite XC’s two biggest attractions, Slice and Carano, are unlikely to be moving to the sport’s highest-profile group. UFC president Dana White has repeatedly said he won’t use Slice, who made his reputation as a backyard streetfighter on YouTube videos but is not the caliber of even a mid-level MMA pro. White also has said he’s not interested in promoting women’s fighting, although Carano’s success as a draw may cause him to reconsider. Her match with Kelly Kobold two weeks ago ended up adding more new viewers than any MMA match on television in the U.S.

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Several agents for fighters have been in contact all day with the UFC. Some, like welterweight champion Jake Shields, would be welcomed into the promotion.

It had been widely known that due to the losses, and the inability to raise new capital, that the Elite XC would either be sold to Showtime or be forced to fold by the end of the year. Others within the company said bankruptcy papers would be filed.

Kelly Kahl, the CBS senior executive vice president of programming operations who oversaw the three Elite XC events on the station, declined to comment on the situation.

It is not known if CBS will start its own MMA company or strike a deal with one of the two companies left standing, the UFC or Affliction. Affliction was a sponsor and co-promoter of the Oct. 4 show, paying for the Andrei Arlovski-Roy Nelson match. The other active match promotion, Strikeforce, has a late night television deal with NBC, which has had preliminary talks with the company about doing live events.

The Elite XC sale was believed to be close to completion heading into the Oct. 4 show on CBS. The show was a ratings success, beating both Major League Baseball playoff games and both major college football games in the target male 18-49 demographic, but left the brand tainted due to a controversy stemming from the main event.

CBS funded the event because Elite XC didn’t have the money to continue while negotiations for the sale continued.

Ken Shamrock, scheduled as the opponent of Slice, got into a money argument with Elite XC officials before the show, and then, to blow off steam, did a training session in which he suffered a cut above his eye that required stitches. When he returned from the hospital, the Florida State Boxing Commission wouldn’t allow him to fight.

Seth Petruzelli, a journeyman fighter in a light heavyweight preliminary match, was chosen as the fill-in opponent for the 236-pound Slice, and the scenario couldn’t have gone worse, as Slice charged in, Petruzelli threw a jab on one leg and still knocked Slice down, and finished him with punches on the ground in 14 seconds.

While CBS officials were thrilled with the ratings, a controversy over a radio interview done by Petruzelli looks to have foiled the purchase.

“The promoters kind of hinted to me and they gave me the money to stand and trade with him,” Petruzelli said two days after the fight on “The Monsters in Orlando” radio show. “They didn’t want me to take him down.

“Let’s just put it that way. It was worth my while to try and stand up and punch with him.”

The next day Petruzelli said that what he meant was that he was offered a bonus for a knockout. Jeremy Lappen the head of operations for Elite XC confirmed Petruzelli got a knockout bonus, believed to be between $20,000 and $30,000 to go along with his $35,000 guarantee and $15,000 win bonus, but not a submission bonus.

A media outcry followed, with accusations a company official tried to manipulate the fight in favor of Slice, even though it backfired, leading to an investigation by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulations. The question was whether Petruzelli was offered a bonus to not take Slice down, which would be illegal, as opposed to a knockout bonus, which is legal and not uncommon.

With the investigation started, Showtime pulled out of negotiations and people inside the company were being told all day that Elite XC was shutting down.

Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, said Monday that he had not received word that the next show, scheduled for Nov. 8, in Reno, Nev., had been canceled.

But the website Graciefighter.com, which represents Cesar Gracie, the manager of Nick Diaz, who was scheduled to fight next month, wrote Monday night, “We are confirming that Elite XC has folded. What this means for our fans and supporters is that there will not be a Nick Diaz vs. Eddie Alvarez fight on Nov. 8.”