MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

Even on short notice, Matt Brown seeking UFC 91 bonus

After losing a very narrow split decision, some UFC fighters would be careful in the selection of their next opponent -- cautious in protecting their future with the organization.

Matt Brown (7-7 MMA, 1-1 UFC), stepping in on two weeks notice to the undercard of "UFC 91: Couture vs. Lesnar," is not one of those people.

"There's never any hesitation with me taking a fight, especially in the UFC," Brown recently told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "[Expletive], it's the UFC."

In September, Brown dropped a heart-breaking split decision to Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 88. Brown still disagrees with the call, but takes full responsibility for the loss.

"Any time a fight goes to the judges, you're risking a loss," Brown said. "It was my fault that it went to the judges.

"I believe I could have finished the fight. I take full responsibility for that fight going to the judges. I do feel like I won, but I do understand where the judges gave it to him just based on the fact that he won the first two minutes of the fight and the last two minutes of the fight. So I see where they gave it to him, but I (still) don't think a knowledgeable judge would see it in his favor."

Brown was tapped by the UFC as a late-replacement for the injured Matt Riddle. When the call came for a shot to erase the memory of his loss to Kim, Brown wasted little time in accepting.

"The actual week I took the fight, I was actually taking that week off -- just kind of taking a little vacation," Brown said. "So I thought maybe I'd be out of shape. But I've checked my heart rate since then, and I'm being pushed by tough guys for three or five rounds. Everything feels really good. So I'm actually surprised at how good of shape I'm in."

Brown said he has studied his opponent, Ryan Thomas, who was submitted in his UFC debut by Ben Saunders at UFC 87 in August.

"I know he's a wrestler at heart," Brown said. "But from the videos I've seen, it looked like he didn't really wrestle until he got rocked. It look like he liked to keep it on the feet, which would work to my advantage.

"Looking at his record, he's got a pretty good record -- two losses and a lot of wins. But he hasn't really fought any really tough guys. Just like Kim in my last fight. He was 10-0, but hadn't really fought anybody, especially nobody like me."

Of course, with just two weeks to prepare, Thomas' style is of little concern.

"It doesn't matter anyway," Brown said. "Especially when you take a bout on two weeks notice it doesn't matter what you know about the guy. It's a fight, and it is what it is. There's not really time to gameplan or think about things. You've just got to go in there and just fight."

In an organization that will often release a fighter after two consecutive losses, this bout could be seen as a must-win for both fighters. Brown says the thought never even crossed his mind.

"I wish you didn't say that because I never thought of that before," Brown said. "I absolutely never think of that. As soon as you start thinking like that, that's when you get [expletive] up.

"I go in every fight to win the fight. That's all there is to it. I go in there to [expletive] fight the best that I can. If I get kicked out of the UFC because I'm not good enough, then I'm not good enough. They're not going to kick you out if you're good enough to be there. But if I don't deserve to be there, then I don't deserve to be there. Then I need to go back and work harder on my skills, and I'll come back in the future, hopefully."

Instead Brown's focus will be on an entirely different thought.

"I'm [expletive] ready to fight," Brown said. "I'm going to look for 'Knockout of the Night.' I could definitely use the 60 or 80 grand.

"I should be the first fight of the night. I want to set the tone for the biggest fight in MMA history -- and make my fight the best in MMA history."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Paulo Filho agrees to relinquish WEC middleweight title

It appears that Chael Sonnen will be able to fulfill the wish of his ill father by presenting him with the WEC middleweight title after all.

Sonnen had been scheduled to fight Paulo Filho at WEC 36 this past Wednesday in a five-round bout in which Filho’s middleweight title would be at stake. However, Filho failed to meet his contracted weight requirement of 185 pounds and the match was switched to a three-round non-title affair.

Soon after Tuesday’s weigh-ins, a report surfaced on MMA Weekly that quoted Matt Lindland, Sonnen’s trainer, as saying that Filho’s camp had agreed to hand the title over to Sonnen in the event that he was able to win the fight. Despite Sonnen’s unanimous decision victory, Filho retained possession of the title.

However, according to an SI.com report by Josh Gross, Filho’s manager, Ed Soares, has confirmed that Sonnen will be presented the belt.

“Flying back to Los Angeles from Florida the day after what was supposed to be a five-round championship fight, Filho’s manager, Ed Soares, said he planned on shipping the belt to Sonnen as soon as he could,” writes Gross.

While Sonnen will take possession of the title, he will not be officially recognized as a WEC middleweight title holder. He will also not receive an opportunity to win the title outright, as the WEC is shutting down its middleweight division following its WEC 37 event on Dec. 3.

Filho’s defeat, the first of his 17 fight career, capped off a strange and turbulent week for the talented Brazilian grappler. After having his rematch vs. Sonnen postponed three times — once due to weather but twice due to issues stemming from an inpatient stay to treat depression and chemical dependency problems — Filho weighed in at 192 pounds on Tuesday during his initial attempt. He was given two additional hours to meet the required limit of 185 pounds, but still fell short, weighing in during his second and final attempt at 189 pounds.

During the fight, Filho refused to engage Sonnen in the standup and at times during the fight looked disinterested and even despondent. According to Gross’ report, Filho was apparently unaware the fight had even ended after being informed in the locker room that he had lost. It appears that there was even enough concern in regard to Filho that he was examined at a local hospital following the event.

“Soon, Filho drew attention from doctors when the dilation of his pupils didn’t match,” Gross reported. “Later that evening, however, the 30-year-old grappler was released from a local hospital, his eyes functioning as close to normal as they’d done all night.”

The former PRIDE star’s fighting future is now uncertain. A report by the Brazilian website Tatame indicates that Filho will move his training camp from Brazil to Los Angeles with one of his coach’s, Josuel Distak, quoted as saying that Filho will be moving to light heavyweight.

With the WEC disbanding its middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, Filho will have to move over to the UFC in order to remain employed with Zuffa. However, after Wednesday’s bizarre performance, Gross indicates that a chance to compete in the Octagon is less than certain at this point. Long-time MMA reporter Dave Meltzer also wrote in his Thursday update on the Figure Four website to “not expect to see Paulo Filho fighting in UFC or WEC for a long, long time.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Affliction exec’s radio outburst could cost company relationship with Couture and a chance to sign Carano

It appears that Affliction general partner Todd Beard’s outburst during an impromptu appearance on “The Scott Ferrall Show” on Sirius Satellite Radio earlier this month might have caused even more harm than first thought.

In addition to ridiculing UFC owners Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana White, Beard also took aim at UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture.

Couture, whose Xtreme Couture clothing label is manufactured and distributed by Affliction, is scheduled to defend his title vs. Brock Lesnar on Nov. 15 in Las Vegas.

“Randy, if you’re listening right now, I hope (expletive) Lesnar kills you,” Beard said in anticipation of the matchup.

In the days immediately preceding the comments, Couture gave strong hints that the outburst could cause him to end all ties with the clothing maker/MMA promotional company. It now appears in recent days though that the other shoe has dropped.

“I’m not terribly surprised by anything (Beard) does at this point,” Couture is quoted as telling Yahoo Sports! and ESPN Radio 1100’s Steve Cofield. “He’s been a bit of a loose cannon our entire relationship. Now he’s pushed it over the line where it’s not re-salvageable.”

If losing Couture wasn’t bad enough, it appears Beard’s vitriol could cost Affliction Entertainment a chance to promote Gina Carano’s future MMA fights, most notably a superfight against Cris Cyborg.

Carano trains out of Couture’s Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas and is not only routinely cornered by Couture’s wife, Kim, during her fights, but is also represented by the same manager as Couture, Matt Walker, of The Wasserman Group.

According to a report by Fighters Only Magazine’s website, which indicated that Carano and Cyborg are looking to sign their next MMA contract in tandem so that they can fight each other, Carano isn’t so sure that Affliction will be an option for her.

“There’s a bit of a barrier between me and Affliction,” Carano is quoted as saying in the report. “You know, with Randy and that whole thing. ”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Kim Stuns ‘K-Taro’ in Cage Force

TOKYO -- Korean import Jang Yong Kim delivered a surprise technical knockout against UFC and Dream veteran Keita Nakamura in the featured bout at Cage Force EX Eastern Bound on Saturday at the Differ Ariake Arena.

Nakamura (15-4-2), who had never been finished in 20 previous fights, entered the bout as a heavy favorite against an opponent with just three bouts to his credit.

After “K-Taro” slammed two stiff jabs into Kim’s face, the Korean fighter snapped. Swarming straight forward on a backpedalling Nakamura, Kim’s strikes broke through to their target and sent the 24-year-old Japanese fighter crashing to the mat.

Kim (2-2) continued his angry onslaught of punches and forced the referee to intervene just as Nakamura’s corner threw in the towel. The end came 59 seconds into round one, as Kim snapped a two-fight losing streak and handed Nakamura his first defeat on Japanese soil.

In the co-main event, Hidetaka Monma and Andre Mafetoni took “Fight of the Night” honors in an exciting one-round war.

Mafetoni took Monma (15-8-3) to task early, sparking the Japanese fighter with a flurry of punches in the first 30 seconds of the bout. “Napao” chased Monma to the canvas and tried to finish with punches, but Monma recovered and made an unsteady return to his feet. There, he surrendered a back clinch to the Brazilian and was issued a warning after he grabbed the cage to prevent a suplex. Mafetoni (0-1) racked up a warning of his own when he kneed Monma in the groin soon after.

Upon resumption of the fight, Mafetoni sought to finish what he started with more big punches. Accepting he had nothing left to lose, Monma fired back with a crowd-rousing right hand that sent Mafetoni crashing to the mat. Monma lunged to finish his opponent, but the Brazilian weathered the heavy strikes, kicked off Monma and returned to a standing position.

Rocked and spent after going for broke in the previous four minutes, the two men traded more punches before Mafetoni dove for the takedown in the final seconds. Monma had the wherewithal to cinch a guillotine choke, however, and coaxed the submission 4:47 into the first round.

Meanwhile, World Extreme Cagefighting and Shooto veteran Kenji Osawa defeated Tomoya Miyashita with three rounds of conservative counter grappling and striking, as he picked up a unanimous decision.

Opening each round with punches that masked his takedown attempts, Miyashita (9-5-5) had Osawa against the cage in all three periods, but Osawa’s experience against stateside wrestlers served him well, and he reversed position every time. Osawa (14-8-2) also pinned and trapped a turtled Miyashita’s arms, ala Matt Hughes, and delivered punches from above in the second round. Finishing the final round with some tit-for-tat striking, Osawa earned the nod from all three judges.

In other action, Yasuhiro Urushitani won for the first time in more than a year and finished Kiyotaka Shimizu early in the first round, albeit by an anticlimactic doctor stoppage.

Though Shimizu (0-1-1) scored with unchecked low kicks, Urushitani (15-4-6) returned with grazing punches and kicks. One of his high kicks grazed Shimizu’s right eye, cutting him bone-deep and prompting the doctor to step in 3:06 into the first round.

Kim, Monma and Urushanti were not the only Cage Force participants to finish fights.

Yukiya Naito stopped Alex Silva in the first round of their middleweight bout, as he pounded out the jiu-jitsu fighter 4:29 into the match.

Despite some position exchanges, Silva (1-1) took Naito’s back, but the Japanese Judoka escaped through the back door and brought the fight to a standing position. Silva was unable to bring the fight back to the ground, however, and paid for it. With a hard right hand, Naito (14-4-2) crumpled Silva and followed up with hammer fists for the technical knockout. Naito has won five consecutive fights.

When the going got tough for Takenori Sato, he turned to takedowns.

Sato’s opponent, Rikuhei Fujii, was the better stand-up fighter, but, despite landing some punishing punches on the Kazushi Sakuraba-trained Sato, Fujii (3-3) was still no match for him on the canvas.

Sato (7-5-4) secured a double-leg, passed Fujii’s guard and dropped elbows and punches from side control in all three rounds. By bout’s end, Sato’s complete control earned him a nod from all three judges.

In welterweight action, Powergate hero Hiroki Tanaka dropped a unanimous decision to hometown journeyman Keitaro Maeda in a three-round affair that saw a stalking Maeda land repeated flurries to his opponent’s head.

Unable to take down Maeda (3-3-1) in the opening rounds, Tanaka (14-5-3) reverted to tying up Maeda in the clinch and putting him against the cage. Maeda’s forward-pressing flurries found their mark in the third round, however, as he widened his lead on the scorecards en route to a unanimous decision.

Finally, Naoto Miyazaki kept Daisuke Hoshino on his toes with distracting hand motions and hard low kicks.

Ultimately, Miyazaki (1-1-1) pushed Hoshino against the cage, where a quick transition from the clinch to back control opened an opportunity for Miyazaki to sink the rear-naked choke. The previously unbeaten Hoshino (4-1) tapped out 1:48 into round two.

Other Bouts:
Yoshiaki Takahashi def. Arata Fujimoto -- Technical Submission (Armbar) 1:07 R1
Masamitsu Sato def. Yuta Yasunaga -- TKO (Strikes) 2:26 R1

 

[Shogun Locc]

Shields, 'Big' John Featured on HDNet’s 'Inside MMA'
videolink:http://www.sherdog.com/videos/recent/Shields-Big-John-Featured-on-HDNets-Inside-MMA-1820
On this week’s HDNet “Inside MMA,” Bas Rutten and Kenny Rice were joined by Jake Shields, "Big" John McCarthy and author Sam Sheridan.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Garcia Resigns from CSAC

The California State Athletic Commission will formally accept the resignation of Executive Officer Armando Garcia at a commission meeting on Nov. 18 in Los Angeles, according to a notice posted on the CSAC Web site. Garcia left the position he held for over three years this week, Sherdog.com has learned.

The commission will also name an interim executive officer and appoint a search committee to review candidates for Garcia’s replacement on Nov. 18, according to the agenda notes.

Numerous commission-hired employees who asked not to be identified confirmed to Sherdog.com on Saturday that Garcia had left the post, but were not given details of his exit. Sherdog.com corresponded with Garcia via email as late as Thursday to discuss the CSAC’s decision to suspend the promoter licenses of Pro Elite and King of the Cage last Wednesday.

Commission representatives declined to comment on Garcia’s departure at a state-regulated MMA event on Saturday in Fresno, Calif. Representatives said an official statement from the Dept. of Consumer Affairs, which oversees the commission, would be issued shortly.

With nearly 20 years of experience as a boxing referee and judge, Garcia was appointed as executive officer for the CSAC in mid 2005. In his tenure, he was instrumental in the passage of MMA regulations in California in late 2005 and oversaw the first regulated event in March 2006 with Strikeforce “Shamrock vs. Gracie,” which held the North American attendance record for one year with 18,265 spectators.

Garcia was also at the center of the controversial steroid suspensions of former UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk, Strikeforce participant Phil Baroni, and most recently, in the one-year suspension of EliteXC heavyweight champion Antonio Silva.

In an interview with BoxingInsider.com in August 2008, Garcia said he had regulated over 500 boxing and MMA events in California during his three-year tenure.

“Commission revenue the year before I took over the job was at about $441K,” Garcia told BoxingInsider.com. “In my first year we went to $1.3 million, the next one $1.6 million and then this tremendous $2 million plus year.”

Garcia was not immediately available for comment.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Kenny Florian seeks truth in UFC 91 clash with Joe Stevenson

While the vast majority of the attention for "UFC 91: Couture vs. Lesnar" is being centered around the main event -- and rightfully so -- an important lightweight scrap between contenders Kenny Florian (10-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) and Joe Stevenson (29-8 MMA, 6-2 UFC) will also grace the card.

And as Florian recently told TAGG Radio (www.taggradio.com), the official radio partner of MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com), the bout is quickly developing some real emotion behind it.

"[Stevenson] said he's reading on the internet that everyone is saying that I'm the favorite," Florian said. "He doesn't understand why. He's just had some real odd comments. I don't know why he's upset, or why it's motivating him now. I don't have to read the internet to get motivated for a fight."

Florian has won his past five bouts, four of them by submission. His unanimous decision win over Roger Huerta at UFC 87 in August was his first career win not decided before the final bell. Florian said he intends to go back to his "I finish fights" form in his bout with "The Ultimate Fighter 2" winner.

"I don't want to make excuses (for not finishing Huerta)," Florian said. "I wish I did, and I think I should have finished him -- and had opportunities to finish him and just didn't. I think I learned from that.

"It's always my intention to try and go out there and fight and knock my opponent out or submit him, and I'm hoping to do that in this fight (with Stevenson). I definitely want to get the finish somehow."

Stevenson has openly stated he doesn't believe Florian has the ability to end the fight. The 32-year-old can't wait to prove his opponent wrong.

"He says I can't knock him out," Florian said. "He says I can't submit him. Well I believe I can.

"At the end of the day he can say whatever he wants. He needs to come in to fight and prove it. He says he wants to finish me. Then finish me. I'm ready, and I've trained real hard."

In adding to an already successful training routine, Florian recently opened his own gym in Boston. The lightweight said the ability to be the center of attention in the gym has proven beneficial to the development of his game.

"If you're in a gym that's big with a ton of fighters and a ton of fights coming up -- it's awesome because you obviously get phenomenal training, really high-level training," Florian said. "But it can be tough to have the coaching staff cater to just your needs and your fight."

Florian has been able to get the individualized attention he craves in preparation for his bout with Stevenson. The Massachusetts resident believes the results will shine through on Saturday night.

"I just want to try to beat him at everything," Florian said. "Joe Stevenson, everyone talks about his wrestling being really good (and) him being really strong. And his stand-up is getting better all the time. Obviously he's got phenomenal jiu-jitsu. And I just want to beat him at everything.

"Whatever range, whatever situation we find ourselves in, I want to be the guy with the upper hand and doing the damage. And that's what I plan on doing. I just want to -- from start to finish -- beat him down at everything."

Despite the harsh comments from his opponent, Florian said he is unconcerned about the battle of words. Instead, he will focus on proving himself the superior fighter on Nov. 15.

"The great thing about fighting, the great thing about combat, is that the truth will always find you," Florian said. "You can't hide behind other team members. It's just you and your opponent, and that's it.

"At the end of the day talk doesn't mean anything. You've got to go out there and fight and prove it. I can't wait to

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC 91: MATT BROWN HAS STATEMENT TO MAKE

With a record of 1-1 in the Ultimate Fighting Championships and a .500 record overall, it’s apparent that now is the time if Matt Brown hopes to remain a part of the promotion.

A former cast member of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series, Matt’s willingness to take a fight any place, any time both in and out of the cage has been a source of strength and weakness for him in his career.

With Matt Riddle going down to injury, Brown was once again willing to step in at a moment’s notice, this time against Ryan Thomas on the undercard of this coming weekend’s UFC 91 event in Las Vegas.

“It feels great,” he exclaimed of his late addition to the card. “This is being billed as one of the biggest cards in history – it makes for a lot of fans watching and people paying attention – it’s a huge opportunity in my opinion.”

Even though he is carrying a record into the fight that is not one normally would associate with a UFC level fighter, Matt is not concerned and views this coming Saturday as business as usual.

“It’s just as important as any time,” he stated. “I’m always looking to make a statement, finish fights, come in and fight the best I can.

“This is just another fight. I’m not looking at it as if I have to do anything special in this fight.”

Like Brown, Ryan Thomas is coming off a loss in his last UFC fight and looking to keep himself in the promotion with a win.

According to Matt, even though Thomas is a fellow veteran of the promotion, being a late addition to the card hasn’t allowed him to formulate a detailed game plan for the match-up.

“On two weeks notice, even if you know them, there’s not a whole lot you can do to really prepare for a specific guy,” he admitted. “So, I’m pretty much just going to go in there and fight – whatever happens, happens.

“I’m just going to have to believe in the skills I have right now and go after it.”

Short prep time aside, Brown says that his style hasn’t changed much since his last fight, and fans can come to expect the same from him as they have before.

“With me you can always look forward to an exciting fight,” he said. “I’m going to try to bang it out, fight hard and use my good cardio (to my advantage).

“They can expect for the fight to constantly be moving. There’s not going to be a lot of stops or breaks in action, because I’m going to try to keep it going, stay in this guy’s face and break him mentally.”

Having had the opportunity to step on the sport’s biggest stage this year allows Matt to build upon his experiences and hopefully put together the kind of run that will see him having consistent success in the coming year.

“This has been a big year for me,” commented Brown. “I got on ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ and I have two UFC fights under my belt no, so this is pretty much the biggest year of my life.

“All I want to do next year is take what I did this year and build upon it next year. I’m going to keep working, busting my ass and get better and better.”

To keep that dream alive, Matt has to win and prove to everyone he belongs where he has worked so hard to get to at this point in his career.

“I want to thank Tapout and Reid Fight Wear,” he concluded. “I want everyone to checkout my website, TheImmortal.tv and check out my MySpace.

“When you get in that cage, a fight’s a fight, and no matter if you’re fighting in front of 10 people or 10,000 people, it’s all the same.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

DENIS KANG SAYS "TIMING WAS RIGHT" FOR UFC DEAL

Considered one of the top free agents in mixed martial arts just a week ago, Denis Kang signed on with the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Monday to become the latest top fighter to land with the biggest promotion in the sport today.

When the doors of Pride Fighting Championships closed, Kang was on the roster, but after the final contracts were moved and reassigned to the UFC, the American Top Team stand-out didn’t end up fighting in the Octagon, instead opting to stay and compete overseas.

Just over a year later, Kang is now finally a part of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and ready to stack up in the 185-pound division.

“It’s a combination of different things. The negotiation went well and for me being a free agent and all, I mean I just think the timing was right,” Kang told MMAWeekly.com about his new contract. “UFC is at its peak, there’s no other organizations that are close in my opinion, so I think it was only fitting that I make my move.”

With EliteXC going out of business, the Dream promotion in Japan sitting on wobbly legs, and of course the buyout of Pride by Zuffa, Kang admits that job security also played into his decision to sign with the UFC.

“There’s a lot of pretenders to the throne, but none of them can really secure a strong foothold and get that position that the UFC’s in right now,” stated Kang. “They’ve got the whole sport branded.”

One big difference between now and his last contract negotiation was Kang’s desire to fight in his home country of Korea for the Spirit MC promotion. The UFC has never been one to have non-exclusive athletes, and the 31-year-old fighter has now said that his move is something that both he and Spirit MC wanted, which will mean the end of his time with that organization.

Beyond that move, Kang also commented that he’s happy to avoid the 15-plus hour flights to fight in Japan and staying close to home for a change.

“I’m finally going to be able to have all my friends and family watch me fight live, that’s a huge thing right there,” he said.

Now that the contracts have been signed, Kang’s new focus is getting ready to make a place for himself in a loaded 185-pound weight class that continues to build, seemingly with each UFC event.

“Of course I’m confident, and I feel I’ve got what it takes to be the best, but I think that I also have to prove it in the Octagon,” Kang commented about with his place in the middleweight division. “I’m seriously taking one fight at a time right now.”

His first fight hasn’t been decided upon, but for now Kang will stay in Canada to help friend and training partner Georges St. Pierre prepare for his January showdown with B.J. Penn, before heading back to Florida and his home camp at American Top Team.

As far as timing for his official UFC debut?

“I can fight as early as January,” Kang said. “Whether the UFC makes the decision to put me on that card is entirely up to them, but I can be ready as early as January.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua to ’set the story straight’ against Mark Coleman at UFC 93

“Well, I personally would never want to beat someone that way. I wouldn’t celebrate the win and wouldn’t go bragging about it, and that’s what Coleman did the whole time. I was really bothered by him celebrating the win in that way, and afterwards talking a lot of crap about me in interviews. I always respected all the fighters I’ve fought, since I know how hard it is to make it to the top of the list and just getting into the ring means you’re a winner, so they deserve respect. I respect Coleman as an athlete, the guy’s an MMA legend. I hope to have a good fight with him, I’m confident. God willing I’ll win…. In the category in which I fight there are only top guys, so I see about 10 guys I could fight. Coleman really is a guy I want to face, because of our last fight, but I wasn’t sure it would be him. This was good for both of us, we’ll be able to set the story straight.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Jamie Varner says next title defense will be against Donald Cerrone

World Extreme Cagefighting lightweight champion Jamie Varner has revealed that his second-ever title defense will come against undefeated prospect Donald Cerrone. According to Varner, the title fight will take place during a WEC event tentatively scheduled for January 25 in San Diego.

The news comes courtesy of an exclusive report by Ariel Scherner of The Fight Network, of which FiveOuncesOfPain.com is a content partner of.

Varner made the revelation during Friday’s weigh-ins for XMMA 6 in Montreal, Canada. The former UFC veteran is at the event to corner Jesse Forbes, a teammate of Varner’s at Trevor and Todd Lally’s Arizona Combat Sports training center.

Varner, 15-2, has not competed since his successful first defense of the title at WEC 35 this past August. Facing Marcus Hicks, Varner was declared the victor following a TKO at 2:08 of round 1. He had won the title in his previous fight at WEC 32 in February, TKO’ing then-incumbent champ “Razor” Rob McCullough at 2:54 of round 3.

He’ll have his work cut out for himself against Cerrone, who improved his record to 9-0 following a unanimous decision win over McCullough this past Wednesday at WEC 36. The bout garnered “Fight of the Night” honors with both Cerrone and McCullough receiving $7,500 bonuses for the effort.

The 25-year old Colorado native has notable wins over current UFC fighter Ryan Roberts, former UFC veteran Nate Mohr, and prospect Jesse Brock, formerly of EliteXC.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Paul Daley signs to fight John Alessio at MFC 19 on Dec. 5

A rumored welterweight bout between Britain’s Paul Daley and Canada’s John Alessio is signed, sealed, and set to be delivered during Maximum Fighting Championship 19 in Canada on Dec. 5.

Daley confirmed in an e-mail to FiveOuncesOfPain.com in recent days that he has formally signed to fight Alessio.

Daley is an EliteXC contracted fighter but has competed outside of the organization in the past for promotions such as Cage Rage and Cage Warriors.

He most recently competed during EliteXC and CBS’ third-ever installment of Saturday Night Fights on Oct. 4. Matched against EliteXC welterweight champion Jake Shields, Daley submitted to an armbar at 3:47 of round 2 after a strong showing in the first round.

Alessio is also an EliteXC contracted fighter but has never competed for the promotion. A veteran of the UFC and WEC, Alessio is 24-11 and has just one loss in his last six fights. He last competed during “Night of Combat II” on Oct. 11 and recorded a TKO victory over Gideon Ray just 45 seconds into the fight.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Tito Ortiz says that he’s once again close to signing a contract

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz has gone on the record once again to claim that his current status as a free agent is about to change.

According to a blog entry by Michael David Smith of AOL’s FanHouse, Ortiz indicated during a recent television interview with Rumble in the Park in Frenso that he’s on the verge of finalizing a contract with a major national promotion.

“It’s either going to be with the UFC or it’s going to be with Affliction, but guaranteed, you guys will see me fight — no matter what — by July,” Smith quotes Ortiz as saying.

Despite Ortiz making the proclamation himself, it’s unclear just how credible his statement is. In early-September, Ortiz claimed he was on the verge of signing a record-breaking contract with Affliction. Despite reports that an announcement was forthcoming, an agreement was never finalized.

Soon after talks with Affliction broke off, Ortiz was then involved in deep negotiations that nearly landed him with the Los Angeles-based Elite Xtreme Combat. During weigh-ins for the promotion’s Oct. 4 “Heat” event, Ortiz informed several members of the media that he was close to finalizing an agreement with the promotion.

At the time, sources revealed to FiveOuncesOfPain.com that Ortiz had met several times with high-level CBS executives in Sunrise, Florida the week leading up to network’s telecast of the Oct. 4 event from the Bank Atlantic Center. The sources indicated that CBS execs came away very impressed with Ortiz and that a deal was “all but signed.”

CBS apparently felt comfortable enough in their talks with Ortiz to not only put him on camera during the Saturday Night Fights telecast but to also grant him backstage access. However, a deal was never consummated and all talks likely broke off after EliteXC announced massive layoffs to its staff and signaled its intent to suspend operations two weeks ago.

Ortiz also revealed during the interview that he recently underwent successful surgery on his back and made the claim that the procedure he underwent was similar to one that current UFC middleweight Nate Quarry underwent. While Ortiz is claiming he will resume fighting no later than July, Quarry’s surgery sidelined him for 15 months.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Arona prepares a training center in Rio

Without fighting since 2007, Ricardo Arona keeps training at home at Itacoatiara Beach, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro. Promising to fight again in 2009, the fighter is building a training center near his house, and guarantees this will be the start of a new moment in his career. “I have a lot of things to do here at Itacoatiara. I woke up and surf, climb some mountains, do some boxing, work out and I’m doing some Jiu-Jitsu training too. I’m using this time in my favor, I think a lot in fights. I’m with a project to build my own training center at Niterói, where I’ll have all martial arts and, in fact, back to fights depend on that, bring the training near home”, revealed the fighter.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Rebuilt Bonnar Plots Return

What a difference a year makes.

Around this time in 2007, Stephan Bonnar was on a roll. He was building momentum on back-to-back wins, including a solid performance at UFC 77 in which he earned a second-round technical knockout against former training partner Eric Schafer.

Unfortunately for Bonnar (11-4), the fight would be his last to date, as a nasty knee injury required reconstructive surgery and forced him to miss over six months of training. Behind claims that his knee is now “90 to 95 percent,” the 31-year-old has returned to training for his fight against unbeaten Jon Jones at UFC 94 on Jan. 31 in Las Vegas.

While Bonnar was on the shelf, Jones was just starting his mixed martial arts career. Fighting at a break-neck pace, the 21-year-old has amassed a 6-0 record since April. Five of those victories have come by stoppage, and the lone decision win was tallied in his promotional debut at UFC 87 in August. There, he earned the nod over former International Fight League standout and Renzo Gracie prodigy Andre Gusmao in a battle of undefeated light heavyweight prospects.

Bonnar remains best remembered for his epic clash with Forrest Griffin at the inaugural “The Ultimate Fighter” Finale -- a fight considered by many to be the impetus behind the UFC’s meteoric rise to power. He sees Jones as a legitimate threat.

“He’s really long and athletic and still learning,” Bonnar said. “Along with wrestling, his best attributes are his strength and his length, as well as his awkwardness. He’ll throw stuff that a lot of people are scared to throw, like spin moves, unorthodox things; he has that X factor.”

Having relocated from Chicago to Las Vegas before the Schafer tilt, Bonnar hopes the time he has spent training at Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts and Sergio Penha’s Brazilian jiu-jitsu academy proves to be a deciding factor in his showdown with Jones.

“My jiu-jitsu has gotten tighter since working with Sergio, and, since my knee’s gotten better, I’ve been training a lot of wrestling at Couture’s,” said Bonnar, a disciple of the late Carlson Gracie. “I’d like to work on it even more. I feel like I’ve gained a lot in the past two months, and I’ve still got three more months till the fight.”

In moving to Las Vegas, Bonnar was reunited with his former rival, Griffin, at Xtreme Couture.

“With Forrest, it’s always going to be good training,” Bonnar said. “He trains technical when doing wrestling, and [in] sparring, he goes hard and pushes you. Just like in our fight, we bring the best out of each other, so he’s a hell of a training partner.”

Bonnar -- who has been finished only once, by the undefeated Lyoto Machida, in 15 career bouts -- does not take anything for granted and admits his knee injury cast doubts on his future in the sport.

“After the surgery, I could barely stand up for a week and a half,” he said. “I thought, ‘What if I couldn’t come back and fight?’ I was pretty depressed. Now when I’m training, I have a different way of looking at it. I’m thankful I get to train and do martial arts, whereas before I would kind of get worn out on that stuff.”

While Bonnar was on the sidelines, the landscape of the UFC’s light heavyweight division changed dramatically. Griffin upset Quinton “Rampage” Jackson to capture the 205-pound crown at UFC 86 in July. In addition, another TUF fighter who owns a victory over Bonnar, season two winner Rashad Evans, emerged as the No. 1 contender with a stunning knockout victory against Chuck Liddell at UFC 88 in September.

Griffin and Evans will square off for the light heavyweight championship in the main event at UFC 92 on Dec. 27.

“It’s kind of come full circle,” Bonnar said. “Guys on the TV show used to get a hard time, but not anymore. I think everyone’s starting to respect them.”

When asked where he fits in the shifting sands of the stacked light heavyweight division, Bonnar was quick to voice his displeasure with the idea of rating fighters.

“I think rankings systems are pretty stupid, because styles make fight,” he said. “Sometimes, you match up well with guys ranked higher than you, and sometimes, you don’t match up well with someone ranked lower than you.”

Regardless of where he ranks, Bonnar looks forward to competing again. He hopes to emerge from his bout with Jones injury-free and quickly rack up some rounds in the cage.

“Hopefully, I can get out of this one unscathed,” Bonnar said. “And I’d love to fight in February, as soon as I can.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

MMAWarehouse.com To Offer Equipment and Apparel from Everlast

Northbrook, IL (PRWEB) November 8, 2008 — MMAWarehouse, one of the largest online-only MMA gear and apparel retailers in the world, announced today the addition of the flagship MMA line from Everlast Worldwide, Inc., one of the most recognized names in sporting goods equipment and apparel.

Consistently rated as “Outstanding”, the highest possible overall rating by Bizrate customer satisfaction surveys, MMAWarehouse offers one of the broadest selections of mixed martial arts products online at affordable prices.

“We offer our shoppers only the highest quality products and a rewarding customer experience,” said Mika Casey, President of MMAWarehouse. “Everlast has been recognized as a leader in the boxing and fitness industry for almost a century. We see the addition of Everlast as a great milestone for the sport and the affirmation of MMAWarehouse as a premier shopping destination for authentic MMA products. We are happy to welcome the Everlast line to our core equipment group.”

Everlast’s product family, designed with the guidance of actual mixed martial arts fighters, provides innovative and durable solutions for both the athlete in training and the discerning professional. MMAWarehouse now offers several products from the Everlast MMA line including Everlast Professional Competition Grappling Gloves, Everlast Leather Striking Training Gloves, and Everlast Grappling Shin-Instep Guards.

“Like Everlast, MMAWarehouse shares a similar passion for putting customers first and selling only the best quality products,” said Adam Geisler, president of Everlast. “When looking for a distribution partner to take Everlast’s expansion in the world of mixed martial arts to the next level, the decision to team up with MMAWarehouse was the natural choice.”

Everlast products are available at MMAWarehouse.com immediately

 

[MOREBASS]

Glad to see Cowboy getting a shot at a title.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Glad to see Cowboy getting a shot at a title.

This will be a very good fight for the Title.

 

[Shogun Locc]

DOS SANTOS KNOCKS WERDUM OUT OF UFC

Following a rocky time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, capped by a surprising knockout loss to Octagon newcomer Junior dos Santos at UFC 90, Chute Boxe fighter Fabricio Werdum has left the promotion.

Sources tell MMAWeekly.com that Werdum's exit comes on the heels of a failed contract renegotiation following the loss to dos Santos. The Brazilian came into the fight with the expectation that he would soon be contending for a heavyweight title shot.

The knockout at UFC 90 derailed anything of the like in the near future, and spurred a renegotiation of his contract. Werdum and the UFC were apparently unable to come to an agreement. He has already opened talks with other promotions in the U.S. and Japan.

After losing his opening salvo in the UFC to Andrei Arlovski, Werdum put together back-to-back impressive victories with TKOs of Gabriel Gonzaga and Brandon Vera, effectively positioning him as one of the top contenders in the promotion's heavyweight division.

Current champion Randy Couture faces Brock Lesnar at UFC 91 on Saturday and interim heavyweight titleholder Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira defends against Frank Mir on Dec. 27 at UFC 92. The winners of those two fights are expected to fight in early 2009, as a unification bout to the UFC mini-tournament.

Had Werdum taken care of business against dos Santos, he was expected to be in contention to face the unified heavyweight champion later in the year. Now it appears he will be moving on to another promotion such as Affliction in the U.S. or Dream or Sengoku in Japan.

 

[rylor206]

Glad to see Cowboy getting a shot at a title.

Me too i cant wait to see this fight by the way anybody no where i can get the Razor rob vs Cowboy fight i still havent seen it.