MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

NSAC medically suspends eight fighters from The Ultimate Fighter 8 Finale

The Nevada State Athletic Commission issued medical suspensions to eight fighters following the live finale of "The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir," which was the eighth season of the UFC's reality series.

NSAC Executive Director Keitk Kizer today sent the list of suspensions via email to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

Among those issued suspensions after the event, which took place Dec. 13 at the Palms Casino Report in Las Vegas, is "TUF" light-heavyweight winner Ryan Bader, who could be suspended up to six months.

Bader, who defeated Vinny Magalhaes with a first-round TKO to win the show's 205-pound division, must have his right hand X-rayed and cleared by a doctor. Otherwise, he's suspended until June 9.

Magalhaes, meanwhile, will serve a suspension until Jan. 14 with no contact during training until Jan. 5 for precautionary reasons.

The NSAC suspended neither Efrain Edcudero, who won the show's 155-pound division, nor his opponent, Phillipe Nover. Edcudero won a unanimous decision in a tough three-round fight.

Kevin Burns, who posted a TKO victory over Anthony Johnson earlier this summer, didn't fare as well in the second meeting. Burns suffered a third-round TKO in the rematch and must be cleared of possible left-orbital and left-ankle fractures. Otherwise, he's suspended until June 9. Even if cleared, he must serve a mandatory suspension until Feb. 9 with no contact till Jan. 25.

Jason MacDonald, who was TKOd in the first round by fellow middleweight Wilson Gouveia, is suspended until Jan. 14 with no contact until Jan. 5 due to a forehead laceration.

Dave Kaplan, who was submitted by Junie Browning via armbar, is suspended until Jan. 25 with no contact until Jan. 14 due to lacerations above and below his right eye.

Shane Primm, who was submitted via kimura by Krzyszrof Soszynski, must have an MRI of his left shoulder and clearance from an orthopedic doctor. Otherwise, he's suspended until June 9. Even if cleared, he must serve a mandatory suspension until Jan. 14 with no contact till Jan. 5.

Jules Bruchez, who tapped from a rear-naked choke during a bout with Eliot Marashall, is suspended until Jan. 14 with no contact until Jan. 5 due to a laceration under his left eye.

Finally, Tom Lawlor, who won a unanimous decision over Kyle Kingsbury, must have his left hand X-rayed by a doctor. Otherwise, he's suspended until June 9. Even if cleared, he must serve as a mandatory suspension until Jan. 25 with no contact till Jan. 14.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Exclusive: Aoki/Alvarez For WAMMA?

DreamFighters.com was able to meet up with WAMMA COO Mike Lynch and WAMMA VP of Fighter & Promoter Relations Pat Miletich to talk about the Shinya Aoki vs. Eddie Alvarez fight Possibly being the first to include the WAMMA LightWeight Championship belt.

WAMMA and DREAM/FEG are still in negociations to include the WAMMA Belt.

DreamFighters.com: Thanks Mike and Pat for joining me today. First off, Pat congratulations on your knockout victory last week at Adrenaline II.

Pat Miletich: Thanks, Adam. It felt great being back and I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome.

DreamFighters.com: Now to the question at hand. There has been a lot of talk that the upcoming Eddie Alvarez v. Shinya Aoki fight on Dec. 31 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan at FEG’s “Dynamite!!” could be for a WAMMA Lightweight Championship. What is the story?

Mike Lynch: To be clear, WAMMA is still in talks with Dream and K-1 to have the belt on the line. Nothing is official and it is our hope that things can get worked out to make it happen. That being said, WAMMA is very excited about the fight and would be thrilled to see a WAMMA Championship awarded to the winner. This is a very special fight - Alvarez and Aoki are two of the premier lightweights in the world, ranked #3 and #2 respectively in the November WAMMA Rankings on www.gowamma.com. Dream and K-1 are outstanding promotions and WAMMA would be honored to be a part of the show and crown the first world, undisputed WAMMA Lightweight Champion in Mixed Martial Arts. Truly, it would be MMA history in the making on New Year’s Eve.

DreamFighters.com: What makes this fight so special?

Mike Lynch: The Alvarez/Aoki fight is special for many reasons. First, rarely can fans see legitimately ranked #2 and #3 fighters in the world compete against one another. And remember, the WAMMA Rankings are across promotional lines. This isn’t fight between the #2 and #3 fighters within a promotion, this is cross promotional fight between #2 and #3 in the WORLD. Plus, the fight happens in Japan between a Western and Japanese fighter, on New Year’s Eve to boot!

DreamFighters.com: Why isn’t BJ Penn fighting for the WAMMA title? Isn’t he ranked #1?

Pat Miletich: Yes, BJ Penn is ranked #1 and nothing less than a superb fighter. But, BJ is moving up to fight GSP at Welterweight in January. Ideally, BJ should be fighting for a WAMMA title, be it in the UFC or by way of a cross-promoted fight within two organizations. However, given that BJ is moving up to Welterweight and the UFC will not cross promote fights, a fight with BJ as a participant is not possible at this time. At some point the question will arise as to how along a fighter can hold onto a #1 WAMMA Ranking in a weight division without fighting the top contenders in that division.

DreamFighters.com: When will fans know if the fight will have the WAMMA Undisputed World Lightweight Championship on the line?

Mike Lynch: A WAMMA Lightweight Championship at FEG’s “Dynamite!!” is a natural fit and a win-win-win for the fighters, the fans and all organizations involved. WAMMA is hopeful we can announce something very soon. I will certainly keep you posted.

Thanks for taking time to chat with us. Have a great week.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Sergey Golyaev vs. Eiji Mitsuoka booked for Jan. 4 Sengoku event

Sergey Golyaev (12-6) will meet fellow lightweight Eiji Mitsuoka (14-6-2) at World Victory Road's Jan. 4 Sengoku no Ran 2009 event.

The Japanese-based organization announced the fight over the weekend.

The upcoming event, which features the crowning of the organization's first-ever middleweight and lightweight champions, takes place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Golyaev returns to action for the first time since his stunning split-decision victory over highly ranked lightweight Takanori Gomi. The November victory came at Sengoku Sixth Battle and pushed Golyaev's overall win streak to five fights.

The longtime M-1 fighter, a 27-year-old Russian-born Red Devil Sport Club member, will watch Gomi fight Satoru Kitaoka for WVR's lightweight title on the same card. Despite Golyaev's victory, Gomi instead was granted the title shot.

Golyaev will now meet Mitsuoka, a former PRIDE fighter who will make his fourth WVR appearance. He's 2-1 in his past three appearances. After posting first-round submission victories over Kwang Hee Lee and Rodrigo Damm, he suffered a submission loss of his own to Satoru Kitaoka in November at Sengoku Seventh Battle.

The 32-year-old scored one of his biggest victories at a November 2007 Shooto event when he defeated Joachim Hansen via majority decision. It was part of a recent streak in which Mitsuoka won seven fights in an eight-fight span from September 2006 to August 2008.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Sengoku is planning to hold a tryout on January

Sportsnavi reported about a tryout by SENGOKU on December 15.

Takahiro Kuniyasu, WVR public relations officer said that Sengoku was planning to hold a tryout in January. Currently Shigeki Osawa and Maximo Blanco are training to debut in Sengoku. The detail of the tryout will be announced shortly.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Tito Ortiz to appear at Wednesday's "Affliction: Day of Reckoning" press conference

Former UFC fighter Tito Ortiz, one of the most notable names currently available on the free-agent market, will be a special guest at Wednesday's press conference for "Affliction: Day of Reckoning."

The California-based Affliction Entertainment today announced the former UFC champion's upcoming appearance.

Ortiz has long been in negotiations with Affliction, and back in August, he even famously announced he was about to sign the largest contract in MMA history with the organization.

That deal never came to fruition, though, and just three months later, he attended "EliteXC: Heat" and told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) he expected to sign with the EliteXC within a month.

But, after the event, EliteXC canceled its November show and has since been reduced to a skeleton staff. The organization's fighters remain in a state of limbo as potential buyers consider purchasing the nearly dead company. No fighters have been signed since the collapse of the CBS-backed organization.

In any manner, even if Ortiz announces he's signed with Affliction, don't expect him to compete at the Jan. 24 "Day of Reckoning" event, which takes place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Ortiz underwent back surgery in October and said he expects to be out approximately six months, though similar injuries in other fighters have resulted in 12- to 18-month layoffs.

Ortiz (15-6-1) remains one of the sport's most recognizable stars and one of the very top pay-per-view draws in MMA history. However, he's winless in his past three fights, and he hasn't fought professionally since a loss to Lyoto Machida in May. Ortiz fulfilled the terms of his UFC contract with the fight, and he recently vowed never to return to the organization, largely because of his public feud with his former manager and current UFC President Dana White.

MMAjunkie.com will be on scene and reporting from Wednesday's press conference, which takes place in Los Angeles, so stay tuned for news about Ortiz's appearance.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Overeem Vs. Kharitonov Set For Dynamite!! 2008, 12/31

According to the MMA rumors section on MMAWeekly.com, Alistair Overeem will face Sergei Kharitonov on December 31st at Fields K-1 Dynamite!! 2008.

A close source to Overeem has confirmed to MMANews.com that this was the bout that was put together when Mirko CroCop, who was quoted in saying that he would be rematching Overeem on 12/31, pulled out and the fight was pushed back to sometime in 2009.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Patrick Cote Has Successful Surgery, Walking Again

As we first reported here last week, Patrick Cote went in for surgery to repair a torn MCL and meniscus and now we can report that the surgery was a complete success.

"I feel great" Cote told MMANews.com via text message. "I'm already walking with a brace and it's all good. I'll be back soon."

The injury, which occurred during Cote's crack at the UFC Middleweight title against Anderson Silva, caused the bout to end in favor of Silva when Cote blew a wheel and could not continue.

The injury will likely keep Cote on the shelf for around six months and he is already planning a come back around June or July assuming all goes well during recovery. Cote is in high spirits and will look to get right back to where he was before the injury and that is at the top of the UFC middleweight division.

 

[Shogun Locc]

10 Tough Debuts

Former NAIA collegiate wrestler Bobby Lashley made his MMA debut the right way this weekend: in near-obscurity.

Lashley, a broad-shouldered refugee of the highly intellectual pursuit of professional wrestling, defeated unknown, unheralded Josh Franklin in an untelevised event Saturday in Miami. Despite notoriety from his WWE tumbling days, Lashley did the smart thing and stuck only the proverbial toe in the shark-infested waters of prizefighting -- both he and his opponent sported 0-0 records.

Lashley had -- if you’ll pardon the inane use of the expression -- a fighting chance. He won the bout in 41 seconds.

Not all combat athletes have been so lucky. Lured by big paydays and sadistic promoters, debuting fighters have often been used as chum for some of MMA’s most experienced punishers.

Even in the highly unethical world of boxing, there appears to be no record of rookie pugilists taking their first fight against Mike Tyson -- at least, not after he had been established to be responsible for more concussive brain injuries than a construction site.

In many cases, we’ll never know if a slower introductory pace would’ve carved out bigger, better careers. Some unfortunate fighters who opted for the hard road their first time out:

10. Pawel Nastula vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Pride Critical Countdown, 6/26/05)

Nogueira is, as Frank Mir recently pointed out, not a terrible lot of fun to fight. He’s never been knocked out, never been submitted and appears to have the constitution of a snapping turtle. I anticipate him living for hundreds of years, wearing down opponents with glacial indifference to their attacks until he latches on to a leg or arm.

Or, as Mir said: “He’s like a cockroach. But in a good way.” Exactly.

Nastula was no slouch, having earned a Gold Medal in the 1996 Atlanta Games in judo -- but Nogueira was already a veteran of 29 fights by the time they met in ’05. It took a little while -- Nog is rarely in a rush to do anything -- but he eventually folded Nastula up and tucked him in.

9. Muhammed Lawal vs. Travis Wiuff (Sengoku, 9/28/08)

While most first-timers tend to crumble under the pressure of an experienced opponent, credit NCAA wrestling champion Lawal with embracing it. Dancing out to face Wiuff -- who’s logged more fights than Junie Allen Browning surrounded by a camera crew -- the debuting fighter stopped Wiuff with strikes in under a round.

Perhaps Lawal cemented his own fate: By coming out in a king’s crown and robe, losing isn’t much of an option.

8. Karam Ibrahim vs. Kazuyuki Fujita (K-1 Dynamite, 12/31/04)

I’ve written about Ibrahim’s depressing performance against Fujita so many times that Ibrahim would be justified in telling me to get over it already; problem is, I can’t.

The Egyptian, who won the Greco-Roman Gold Medal in the 2004 Olympics, is a heavyweight with the agility of a featherweight. He makes Kevin Randleman look arthritic in comparison. His promise in MMA appeared to be unlimited.

Too bad he fought Fujita, completely ignored his wrestling base, and traded strikes with that giant block of cement until he got caught, never to fight again -- sacrificed at the altar of New Year’s Eve ratings in Japan.

7. Dong Sik Yoon vs. Kazushi Sakuraba (Pride Total Elimination, 4/23/05)

By the spring of ’05, fabled “Gracie Killer” Sakuraba was beginning to lose the veneer of technical superiority he had displayed for so long -- but he was still plenty capable of roughing up opponents with little ring experience, a trait he put on display against judoka Yoon in the first round of a Pride tournament.

Sakuraba, who rarely scores standing KOs, put Yoon the mat and finished him with strikes. The bout had alleged political overtones, with Sakuraba representing Japan against Yoon and Korea; fair play wasn’t apparently part of the equation.

6. Masaaki Satake vs. Mark Coleman (Pride Grand Prix, 1/30/00)

An impressive kickboxing career can prepare you for many things, but unless your name is Maurice Smith, it can’t prepare you for Mark Coleman.

Satake, a tenacious and successful striker in K-1, made his mixed-style entrance by being tossed into a 16-man open-weight tournament. If that weren’t crippling enough, he was seeded against Coleman, who -- despite coming off consecutive losses in the UFC -- was still plenty capable of wrenching Satake’s head clean off and tossing it aside.

That’s more or less what he did, using a neck crank to mimic on Satake’s spine the stress of a head-on vehicle collision. Satake went on to accrue seven more losses before finally taking the hint.

5. Sergey Ignatov vs. Ricardo Arona (10/31/04)

There’s no waiting list of athletes looking for a fight with Arona. He’s strong, methodical and can make even the most experienced and aggressive of combatants look ineffectual.

The Russian Ignatov looked unconcerned by all this, gamely trotting out for competition. Arona proceeded to use him as an inanimate practice dummy, passing guard and garnering his back or the mount at will.

Possibly as offended by the mismatch as fans were, Arona held a rear-naked choke well past the point of reason. Ignatov never fought again. What exactly any of this was supposed to prove remains a mystery.

4. Cesar Gracie vs. Frank Shamrock (Strikeforce, 3/10/06)

Long the patriarch in a stable of high-profile, high-value fighters (Nick and Nate Diaz, Jake Shields), Gracie had never had a professional MMA bout until meeting up with a semi-retired Shamrock. The difference in striking ability was evident immediately, with Shamrock needing only 21 seconds to end his three-year layoff with a victory.

In the long, distressing list of offenses committed by the California State Athletic Commission with Armando Garcia at the helm, a 0-0 fighter paired with 22-7 opponent is at the top of the pile. Or the bottom.

3. Istvan Majoros vs. Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto (K-1 Dynamite, 12/31/06)

Ounce for ounce, there may be no better athlete in the sport than the diminutive “Kid,” a firecracker of a wrestler so gutsy he actually took on K-1 kickboxing legend Masato in a stand-up match -- and knocked him down in his own game.

The Hungarian Majoros, a Greco-Roman Gold Medal winner in the 2004 Olympics, continued the ignoble trend of using that chunk of precious metal as admission into a fight far exceeding his current abilities. After a brief feeling-out process, “Kid” pounded on him like he was a dirty throw rug.

As if the skill disparity weren’t enough, Majoros was a 55-kilogram entrant in the Games -- 121 pounds of prime competition weight to Yamamoto’s 145. Another thrilling achievement in the annals of Japanese sports history.

2. Tatsuya Iwasaki, Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Wanderlei Silva (Various)

Poor bastards.

1. Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir (UFC 81, 2/2/08)

So it’s a bit of a cheat -- Lesnar’s first pro MMA bout came against Min Soo Kim in 2007. But I argue that if your opponent doesn’t punch you back, it’s not much of a fight.

Lesnar’s real test came against Mir in his UFC debut, a fight that organizers seemed to concoct with the intention of giving Lesnar the most difficult road possible. Where Lesnar is at his most formidable and comfortable -- providing offense on top -- is where Mir is most dangerous, a fact he proved less than a couple of minutes in with a kneebar.

That Lesnar was able to rebound speaks to his confidence as an athlete, and the fact that he didn’t enter the sport for the quick payday. While I generally yawn at rematches, this is one that would likely provide contrast between first-fight jitters and the cage calm that comes with experience.

 

[Shogun Locc]

North Carolina issued medical suspensions to six UFN16 competitors

The North Carolina Boxing Authority has officially suspended six competitors from last week's "UFC Fight Night 16: UFC Fight for the Troops" event.

The Dec. 10 event, which featured some rather gruesome injuries and knockouts, took place at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, N.C., in conjunction with the Fort Bragg military institution.

Yoshiyuki Yoshida, Jonathan Goulet, Razak Al-Hassan, Nate Loughran, Brandon Wolff and Corey Hill – who all suffered losses at the Spike TV-televised event – were suspended, according to paperwork the commission sent to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

Yoshida, who suffered a first-round knockout to Josh Koscheck in the night's main event, is suspended 60 days for precautionary reasons due to the knockout.

Goulet, who was knocked out in the first round by Mike Swick, is also suspended 60 days. He must also get an orthopedic doctor's clearance before returning to competition.

Al-Hassan, who dislocated his elbow during an armbar submission loss to Steve Cantwell, is suspended 30 days. He also must get an orthopedic doctor's clearance before returning to competition.

Loughran, who suffered a second-round TKO to Tim Credeur, is suspended 30 days for precautionary reasons.

Wolff, who suffered a TKO loss to Ben Saunders in the first round, is suspended 30 days for precautionary reasons.

Hill, who broke his leg in a TKO loss to Dale Hartt, is suspended indefinitely pending an orthopedic doctor's clearance.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Bobby Lashley follows in Brock Lesnar’s footsteps

Usually when fighters make their professional debut, only friends and family know about it.

When you are Bobby Lashley and you've already spent two years as a pro wrestling star, quietly starting in a new sport is not an option.

He's a little too well known and far too big to go unnoticed. And the spotlight isn't likely to go away, because people are already talking about a match down the line with Brock Lesnar.

Lashley, the latest wrestling star to move into mixed martial arts, didn't take long to win his first match. In the semi-main event and most talked about match on Saturday night's Mixed Fighting Alliance show in Miami, Lashley took only 41 seconds to open a deep cut near the hairline of Joshua Franklin, who was also making his pro debut, before the match was stopped.

Lashley wasn't sure which blow opened the cut, which reportedly needed 32 stitches to close. There were a few quick punches on the ground, and one solid shot just as Franklin was trying to get up before the match was called.

"It was a good start to get rid of some of the pressure," said Lashley, 32. "There were some worries because it would determine my future and in MMA, anything can happen."

Lashley, at 6-foot-1 and weighing 252 pounds for his debut fight, isn't quite as large as Lesnar, but he is, if you can believe it, significantly more muscular. Lashley's training, working on his boxing and jiu-jitsu defense, as well as stamina, have only slightly changed his physique from his World Wrestling Entertainment days.

But despite the modest size differences, the similarities between Lashley and Lesnar are striking.

Both grew up in families with money problems. Both gravitated toward amateur wrestling, with Lashley winning three NAIA championships from 1997-99 at Missouri Valley College, in the 177-pound weight class. Unlike Lesnar, who left amateur wrestling in 2000 to join WWE after winning the Division I title, Lashley continued on, becoming an Army champion.

Like Lesnar, Lashley had the choice of either going into pro wrestling or MMA. Lashley came heavily recommended to WWE by Kurt Angle, the 1996 Olympic gold medalist, who at the time was one of the company's biggest stars. He was looking at doing either pro wrestling or MMA at the time.

Lashley and Lesnar ran through opponents in the first round in their MMA debuts to heavy fanfare, with Lashley's win very similar to Lesnar's debut win over Kim Min-soo.

In 2004, before UFC got on cable television, like with Lesnar, pro wrestling seemed the smarter career option than MMA. Lashley, like Lesnar several years earlier, chose the WWE. He may be one of the last of the generation of amateur wrestling stars who went into wrestling's entertainment version, as from 2005 on, most college wrestling stars who would have gone to pro wrestling in the past have instead taken the MMA route because it enables them to remain active in legitimate athletic competition.

Like Lesnar, Lashley was on the fast track to entertainment stardom. Lashley signed at about the same time Lesnar quit. Lashley was even given Lesnar's trademark ring entrance, where he would jump from the floor to the ring apron, because both men had ridiculous vertical leaps for large men. The two have never met, and Lesnar, who broke almost all ties with pro wrestling when leaving, didn't even know who Lashley was until Lesnar started being asked about him a year ago when Lashley left the company and started hinting at doing MMA.

Lashley's stardom was expected to skyrocket in 2007, when WWE owner Vince McMahon told the writing staff that they were going all the way with him, in an attempt to build him for a long-term run as one of the company's signature stars.

He was put in a storyline where he was picked by Donald Trump to represent the billionaire at that year's WrestleMania, in a match where either Trump or colorful McMahon, who doubles as a performer on his own shows, would get their head shaved upon conclusion of a wrestling match where each would pick their emissary. Lashley was scripted to win the match, and in the follow-up, Trump shaved McMahon's head.

WrestleMania 23 before 74,687 fans at Ford Field in Detroit was the most successful event in company history, doing 1.25 million pay-per-view buys. But after taking time off for shoulder surgery, Lashley was ready to return, but he had a conflict with a member of the WWE's writing staff and quit.

But Lashley has nothing bad to say about the company or his time there.

"I really love pro wrestling," he said. "Some MMA fans may not want to hear that. I love to still watch. I love to perform. If an opening came, I'd consider my options. Right now I'm focusing full-time on fighting. I won't say I'll never go back."

"There's a lot of people who want to see me lose because I was a pro wrestler. There were a lot of haters."

Lashley lives in Denver, but flew to South Florida every week for the past several months and trained Monday-Friday with the American Top Team. He regularly worked out with EliteXC heavyweight champion Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva and UFC stars Thiago Alves and Wilson Gouveia, as well as Olympic judoka Hector Lombard and former UFC fighter Carmelo Marrero.

"He's helped me out a lot," said Lashley of Silva, who is his main training partner. "If I do something wrong, he'll stop and point it out. He knows the better I get, the better he gets. But when the whistle blows, it's all out."

Unlike some who are taught everything at once, at ATT, Lashley is being taught in stages, with most of the emphasis being on boxing and submission avoidance. In the little that could be ascertained in his first fight is he still has his wrestling skill, as he slammed Franklin early, and he's got strong punching power.

Lashley, who was already back training two days after the fight, is looking at fighting again in February, and is entering stage two of training, where he starts focusing on kicking. He's under contract to the American Fight League, which isn't currently running events, but has to get their approval in taking a date. He's got offers for his second bout from the Palace Fighting Championships based out of Lemoore, Calif., as well as an organization in Oklahoma.

 

[Shogun Locc]

All WEC 37 fighters test clean for drugs

All nine fighters who underwent drug testing at "WEC 37: Torres vs. Tapia" have tested clean for steroids and drugs of abuse.

Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer today emailed MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) with the test results.

Headliners Miguel Torres and Manny Tapia, and Shane Roller, Cub Swanson, Bart Palaszewski, Johny Hendricks, Joseph Benavidez, Brian Bowles and Wagnney Fabiano were tested at the Dec. 5 event.

WEC 37 took place at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The night's main card aired live on Versus.

The NSAC tests for steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs, as well as drugs of abuse such as cocaine, marijuana and heroin. All of the competitors tested negative for both classifications of drugs.

The NSAC traditionally tests all main-event fighters, all winning competitors, and any fighters who have previously failed drug tests.

 

[Shogun Locc]

CLAY GUIDA INKS NEW DEAL, DIAZ ON TAP AT UFC 94

Clearly establishing himself as a fan favorite in the Ultimate Fighting Championship for his aggressive style and tenacity, Clay Guida's fan base apparently extends to his bosses. Guida informed MMAWeekly.com that he has signed a new four-fight contract with the UFC. His first bout on the new deal will be Ultimate Fighter winner Nate Diaz.

The two will meet on the undercard of the UFC 94 Super Bowl weekend fight card featuring a main event mega-fight as Georges St. Pierre defends his welterweight championship against UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn. The bout was first mentioned by GracieFighter.com, a web site owned and operated by Diaz' trainer Cesar Gracie.

Despite a rough 2-3 start to his Octagon career, Guida was exciting enough for the UFC brass to keep bringing him back. He is now in the midst of a two-fight winning streak, including a unanimous decision victory over Ultimate Fighter season six winner Mac Danzig at UFC Fight Night 15 in Omaha, Neb. He'll now get a shot at season five winner Diaz.

Diaz last saw action at the same UFC Fight Night 15 event, where he eked out the toughest victory of his UFC tenure. He fought a back-and-forth battle with tough Midwest fighter Josh Neer, earning a split decision victory. Diaz holds a professional record of 10-2 and is currently riding a five-fight winning streak.

 

[CHAPO GUZMAN]

i'd say wolff got the worst of it T.K.O. wise.. vicious knees.. you see him after the fight? his face looked swollen as fuck.. and his forearms were fucked up too from blocking the knees.

 

[Shogun Locc]

WANDERLEI SAYS "NO PROBLEM" TO FIGHT FORREST

The growth of MMA has also led to the growth of major gyms and teams around the world, but eventually teammates sometimes have to fight and that may be the case down the road for Wanderlei Silva and training partner Forrest Griffin if they both should win on Dec. 27.

Griffin spoke out on the subject recently, telling MMAWeekly.com, "It's going to happen one day. He knows that and he's cool with it; I'm cool with it."

Silva spoke to MMAWeekly Radio about his friend and training partner and the likelihood of them fighting in the future.

"I'm a professional, he's a professional. He's an amazing guy," the Brazilian said about Griffin. "I train with him so hard, this guy he's really upped his boxing. He's got very good ground, very good wrestling, and I think he's a very, very tough opponent."

Friendship aside, Silva wants a shot at the UFC light heavyweight title and if that road goes through Forrest Griffin, the two competitors will square off in the Octagon and then shake hands when it's all over.

"I know and he knows that this is a business and if I win and he wins, I'd fight him no problem," Silva stated. "He's my good friend, but business is business. This is professional."

With both fighters on the upcoming UFC 93 card in Las Vegas, Silva and Griffin have been sparring and training together non-stop in preparation for each of their respective bouts, Silva against former UFC champ Quinton Jackson and Griffin defending his belt from fellow Ultimate Fighter winner Rashad Evans.

"I train with him more because I’m going to fight the same day," commented Silva. "It's good to have him because he's tall, he's stronger, has good punches, good takedowns, and he does very good training."

Silva is confident that it is Forrest Griffin who will come out on top in his title defense, which could ultimately lead to a showdown of teammate vs. teammate.

"I'm thinking he's going to beat Rashad because he beat Shogun and he beat Rampage. I'm thinking he's going through the same trouble with Rashad in this match. I think he's going to win this match," said Silva.

If both fighters win, it could be as soon as early 2009 when Wanderlei Silva gets a shot at Forrest Griffin and the UFC light heavyweight title.

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC plans call for one Hall of Fame inductee per year

The UFC’s process for electing fighters to its Hall of Fame is one that has largely been a mystery. However, during a special public Q&A session at the Sports USA Bar in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, UFC President Dana White offered a small glimpse into the company’s procedure for enshrining fighters.

White described an informal balloting process that includes discussions involving him, UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta, and UFC Vice President of Talent Relations Joe Silva. He added that ideally, the promotion would like to add one member per year and that a decision regarding this year’s inductee could be decided soon.

To date, just five fighters have been inducted into the UFC’s Hall of Fame, with UFC 1 winner Royce Gracie, the promotion’s first-ever Superfight champion Ken Shamrock, UFC 5 winner Dan Severn, five-time UFC champion Randy Couture, and last year’s inductee, former UFC heavyweight champion Mark Coleman.

While White declined to name candidates for this year’s induction, top fighters currently not in the UFC Hall of Fame include Pat Miletich, Frank Shamrock, Oleg Taktarov, Don Frye, Bas Rutten, Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes, Vitor Belfort, and Evan Tanner.

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC looking to conquer new markets in 2009

During a special public Q&A session last Tuesday at the Sports USA Bar in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, UFC President Dana White gave a brief outline of cities in which the promotion will look to promote in 2009.

While interacting with fans, White indicated at various stages of the Q&A that the promotion has its eyes on domestic events next year to be held in both Tennessee as well as a return to North Carolina - possibly in Charlotte - by the end of 2009.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com also spoke with a Spike TV official last week who confirmed a previous report by MMAjunkie.com that the UFC will be holding its UFC Fight Night 17 event on Feb. 7 in Tampa, Florida. It’s believed that the UFC will look to promote more UFC Fight Night events outside of Vegas next year.

The UFC will also look to expand its global presence next year by promoting events in Britain and Ireland in 2009. UFC 99 is also tentatively scheduled to take place on June 13 in Cologne, Germany at the Lanxess Arena. White mentioned the Phillipines, France, Italy, and Spain as other potential International destinations next year as well.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Schafer to follow up win over Alexander with fight against Mendes at UFC 93

Coming off the heels of his mild upset victory over Houston Alexander at UFC Fight Night 15 this past September, Eric “Red” Schafer is now set to make his return to the Octagon on January 17 in Dublin, Ireland during at UFC 93.

MMAjunkie.com was the first to report the news and FiveOuncesOfPain.com has since verified the story with a source affiliated with Schafer’s camp. Antonio Mendes reportedly had been set to face Andre Gusmao, who is no longer expected to compete on the card.

With the win over Alexander, Schafer, 10-3-2, was able to extend his second tour of duty with the UFC. His first UFC stint ended after having suffered consecutive losses to Michael Bisping and Stephan Bonnar at UFCs 66 and 77, respectively.

Schafer will attempt to improve his lifetime record in the UFC to 3-2 when he faces Mendes, a Brazilian fighter who lost his UFC debut in May at UFC 84.

Facing the undefeated Thiago Silva, Mendes’ overall MMA record fell to 15-3 after submitting to punches at 2:24 of round 1. Prior to being signed by the UFC, the 27-year old had recorded a notable victory by International MMA standards after TKO’ing Kirill “Baby Fedor” Sidelnikov during an M-1 and MFC co-promoted event in 2007.

UFC 93 is scheduled from to emanate from the O2 Arena and will be headlined by a light heavyweight matchup featuring Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson. Additional matchups include Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Mark Coleman, Denis Kang vs. Alan Belcher, Rousimar Palhares vs. Jeremy Horn, and Marcus Davis vs. Chris Lytle.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Will Ribeiro crashes with bike in Rio

Two weeks after doing his second fight in WEC, at Las Vegas, Will Ribeiro now faces the most difficult of the battles. TATAME.com received a call from his coach Luiz Alves, telling about the bad motorcycle accident suffered in Rio de Janeiro, earlier today. “Things are really bad… The accident happened around 1a.m.. He were riding a bike without a helmet and, when tried to brake, skided and crashed”, told Luiz Alves, who also told the athlete is in coma at Andaraí’s Hospital.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Galvão celebrates his first MMA belt

Just at his second fight, André Galvão already won his first belt in MMA career. Used with the conquers in tatamis, the two times Jiu-Jitsu world champion went to FSC Evolution, last Saturday (13), at Canada, and had a tough challenge. With a new opponent a few hours before the fight, Galvão faced Mickey Gomes, Gracie Barra Orlando athlete and with nine victories and four defeats in his career.

“The guy was very tough, a very good guy who already had fought good events, like EliteXC, but thanks God my game flowed, it was everything like we programmed, I took him down and submitted”, celebrates Galvão, who didn’t felt the same pressure like in the debut fight. “I fought much calmer now, I administrated my Jiu-Jitsu and I imposed my rhythm without lose much position… Anderson (Silva) were in my corner and helped me a lot … That guy is very expert, helped me a lot here. I have no words… Now is time to celebrate”.

Postponing the return to Brazil in four days, Galvão will be back only in the next Saturday (20), after receiving one more little money to complete the Christmas party of the family. “I’m very happy, and have to thank first Jesus, who gave me this power, health, and everybody that helped me… I’ll stay here one more week giving BJJ class and seminars at Toronto BJJ”, tells André, who’ll give classes in the same academy of Jorge Brito and André Dida at Canada. I’ll stay here this week so that I can have a ‘fatter’ Christmas… The dinner will be more abundance this year, thanks God (laughs)”, jokes the fighter, who already thinks in the next fight.

“The next step is to continue training, seeing my mistakes and to look for improve each time more. My two fights were with expert guys and let’s see if we sign a contract with a big event now, but until now nothing is set yet. Maybe I’ll fight an event in April, but still isn’t nothing right about it”, finished the new welterweight champion.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Schilt vs. "Mighty Mo" added to Dec. 31 FieLDS Dynamite!! 2008

Three additional fights, including an MMA heavyweight bout between K-1 kickboxing champion Semmy Schilt and Siala "Mighty Mo" Siliga, have been added to the FieLDS Dynamite!! 2008 event.

Additionally, Hideo Tokoro (21-14-1) will meet Daisuke Nakamura (18-9) under MMA rules, and Yoshihiro Sato takes on Artur Kyshenko in a K-1 kickboxing match.

The Dec. 31 event, which features both MMA and K-1 bouts, takes place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Although executives for the high-definition cable station have made no announcement, HDNet could work out a last-minute deal to broadcast the New Year's Eve event.

Schilt (25-14-1), who won three consecutive K-1 titles from 2005-2007, returns to MMA for the first time in nearly a year. The Pacrase and PRIDE veteran has fought the world's top heavyweights -- with mixed results. He most recently defeated Nandor Guelmino at a January Lord of the Ring event in Serbia.

"Mighty Mo," meanwhile, is 3-0 in MMA, which includes a 2-0 mark since 2007. The kickboxer has finished all three bouts via knockout.

The latest fight card now includes:

Semmy Schilt vs. Siala "Mighty Mo" Siliga
Daisuke Nakamura vs. Hideo Tokoro
Artur Kyshenko vs. Yoshihiro Sato*
Mark Hunt vs. Jerome Le Banner
Eddie Alvarez vs. Shin'ya Aoki
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kozo Takeda*
Gegard Mousasi vs. Musashi*
Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Kiyoshi Tamura
Gesias "JZ" Calvancante vs. Joachim Hansen
Hiroya vs. Shimada Shota*
Kusakabe Ryuya vs. Urabe Koya*
* - Fight will be conducted under K-1 rules