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AFFLICTION & M-1 “DAY OF RECKONING” LOS ANGELES PRESS CONFERENCE
SPECIAL GUEST—TITO ORTIZ.WEDNESDAY! DECEMEBER 17 @ 12 Noon.The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
A group of the world’s top MMA fighters participating in the upcoming Affliction “Day of Reckoning” fight card will host a Los Angeles press conference to discuss their January 24, 2009 bouts at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
More after the jump.
WHO: “Day of Reckoning” fighters including main event fighter ANDREI ARLOVSKI, as well as: JOSH BARNETT, VITOR BELFORT, MATT LINDLAND, RENATO “BABALU” SOBRAL, THIERRY SOKOUDJOU, CHRIS HORODECKI, DAN LAUZON, VLADIMIR MATYUSHENKO, SPECIAL GUEST—TITO ORTIZ AND MORE
WHAT: A group of the world’s top MMA fighters participating in the upcoming Affliction “Day of Reckoning” fight card will host a Los Angeles press conference to discuss their January 24, 2009 bouts at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Fighters will be on hand to discuss their opponents and match-ups. Interviews, Broll & Photo Ops will be available.
WHEN: Wednesday, December 17, 11:00 am – Media Arrival / Lunch. 12 Noon – Press Conference Begins
WHERE: Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel - Cinegrill Room, 7000 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028, (323) 466-7000
FACTS: Promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and brought to you by Affliction Entertainment and its partners, Donald J. Trump and M-1 Global, Affliction “Day of Reckoning” is scheduled to include 11 bouts of fierce, full-throttle battle and will take place on January 24, 2009 at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
CONTACTS: Jeremy Silkowitz, Swanson Communications, 202.783.5500, [email protected]
Ilona Kolesnicheko, Access Media Plus, Russian media 917.842.2341 [email protected]
SPECIAL GUEST—TITO ORTIZ.WEDNESDAY! DECEMEBER 17 @ 12 Noon.The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
A group of the world’s top MMA fighters participating in the upcoming Affliction “Day of Reckoning” fight card will host a Los Angeles press conference to discuss their January 24, 2009 bouts at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
More after the jump.
WHO: “Day of Reckoning” fighters including main event fighter ANDREI ARLOVSKI, as well as: JOSH BARNETT, VITOR BELFORT, MATT LINDLAND, RENATO “BABALU” SOBRAL, THIERRY SOKOUDJOU, CHRIS HORODECKI, DAN LAUZON, VLADIMIR MATYUSHENKO, SPECIAL GUEST—TITO ORTIZ AND MORE
WHAT: A group of the world’s top MMA fighters participating in the upcoming Affliction “Day of Reckoning” fight card will host a Los Angeles press conference to discuss their January 24, 2009 bouts at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Fighters will be on hand to discuss their opponents and match-ups. Interviews, Broll & Photo Ops will be available.
WHEN: Wednesday, December 17, 11:00 am – Media Arrival / Lunch. 12 Noon – Press Conference Begins
WHERE: Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel - Cinegrill Room, 7000 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028, (323) 466-7000
FACTS: Promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and brought to you by Affliction Entertainment and its partners, Donald J. Trump and M-1 Global, Affliction “Day of Reckoning” is scheduled to include 11 bouts of fierce, full-throttle battle and will take place on January 24, 2009 at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
CONTACTS: Jeremy Silkowitz, Swanson Communications, 202.783.5500, [email protected]
Ilona Kolesnicheko, Access Media Plus, Russian media 917.842.2341 [email protected]
The Ultimate Fighter 8 Finale averages 1.9 million viewers
This past Saturday's "The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir" live finale scored a 1.3 rating and averaged 1.9 million viewers.
Spike TV, which hosted the three-hour broadcast of the Las Vegas event, today released the ratings information.
The event, which scored more viewers (539,000) in the men 18-34 demographic than another program on cable or network television during its time period, peaked with a 1.51 rating during lightweight Efrain Escudero and light heavyweight Ryan Bader's "TUF" championship fights.
The Dec. 13 event, which took place at The Pearl in the Palms Casino Resort, was aired live. A replay aired immediately after the live showing, and between the two broadcasts, the event was seen by a total of 8.7 million viewers (based on a one-minute qualifier), according to Spike TV.
The live finale, which concluded the eighth season of the UFC's groundbreaking reality series, featured Escudero's unanimous-decision victory over fellow finalist Phillipe Nover, as well as Bader's first-round TKO of runner-up Vinny Magalhaes. The broadcast also featured Jason MacDonald vs. Wilson Gouveia and Anthony Johnson vs. Kevin Burns, as well as Junie Browning vs. fellow "TUF" competitor Dave Kaplan.
The event aired just three days after the Dec. 10 "UFC Fight Night 16: UFC Fight for the Troops" event, which averaged two million viewers.
The 1.3 rating for the TUF8 Finale is the second-lowest in series history and trails only the 1.1 rating that accompanied season four's live finale. Seasons two, three and five scored the largest (2.0) finale ratings. The previous finale, season seven, drew a 1.4 rating.
This past Saturday's "The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir" live finale scored a 1.3 rating and averaged 1.9 million viewers.
Spike TV, which hosted the three-hour broadcast of the Las Vegas event, today released the ratings information.
The event, which scored more viewers (539,000) in the men 18-34 demographic than another program on cable or network television during its time period, peaked with a 1.51 rating during lightweight Efrain Escudero and light heavyweight Ryan Bader's "TUF" championship fights.
The Dec. 13 event, which took place at The Pearl in the Palms Casino Resort, was aired live. A replay aired immediately after the live showing, and between the two broadcasts, the event was seen by a total of 8.7 million viewers (based on a one-minute qualifier), according to Spike TV.
The live finale, which concluded the eighth season of the UFC's groundbreaking reality series, featured Escudero's unanimous-decision victory over fellow finalist Phillipe Nover, as well as Bader's first-round TKO of runner-up Vinny Magalhaes. The broadcast also featured Jason MacDonald vs. Wilson Gouveia and Anthony Johnson vs. Kevin Burns, as well as Junie Browning vs. fellow "TUF" competitor Dave Kaplan.
The event aired just three days after the Dec. 10 "UFC Fight Night 16: UFC Fight for the Troops" event, which averaged two million viewers.
The 1.3 rating for the TUF8 Finale is the second-lowest in series history and trails only the 1.1 rating that accompanied season four's live finale. Seasons two, three and five scored the largest (2.0) finale ratings. The previous finale, season seven, drew a 1.4 rating.
Lesnar Content With MMA Life
2008 saw Brock Lesnar come into his own as a true rainmaker when it came to MMA revenues. Lesnar headlined three events during the year, with combined PPV sales going north of 2 million buys. His commitment to the sport, though, seemed to still be an open question stemming from his track record of flitting from one career to the next. In a recent piece with his local paper, The Rapid City Journal, Brock seems to have adapted to the MMA world and looks to be here for the long term:
“I’m done bouncing around trying to figure out what I want to do with my life,” Lesnar said in a phone interview while weaving through Twin Cities traffic. “(MMA) has been everything I hoped for and more. With the way this sport is going, I feel like this is the tip of the iceberg. I’m still pretty inexperienced at this, and I’m going to keep working to sharpen my skills.”
His agent, Brian Stegeman, puts it more bluntly: “This is what Brock was born to do. He’s not the Next Big Thing anymore. He’s the Big Thing.”
2008 saw Brock Lesnar come into his own as a true rainmaker when it came to MMA revenues. Lesnar headlined three events during the year, with combined PPV sales going north of 2 million buys. His commitment to the sport, though, seemed to still be an open question stemming from his track record of flitting from one career to the next. In a recent piece with his local paper, The Rapid City Journal, Brock seems to have adapted to the MMA world and looks to be here for the long term:
“I’m done bouncing around trying to figure out what I want to do with my life,” Lesnar said in a phone interview while weaving through Twin Cities traffic. “(MMA) has been everything I hoped for and more. With the way this sport is going, I feel like this is the tip of the iceberg. I’m still pretty inexperienced at this, and I’m going to keep working to sharpen my skills.”
His agent, Brian Stegeman, puts it more bluntly: “This is what Brock was born to do. He’s not the Next Big Thing anymore. He’s the Big Thing.”
UFC Set to Post Record Year on Pay-per-view
With the results in from ten of the UFC’s twelve pay-per-views, the company appears certain to post a record number of pay-per-view buys in 2008. The company’s current record year came in 2006 when it posted an estimated 5.2 million buys. With the returns from UFC 88 and UFC 92 outstanding, the company has already tallied 4,850,000 buys in 2008. In 2007, the company drew 4,885,000 buys.
In 2006 the company staged ten pay-per-view events, averaging 520,000 buys per event. In 2007 the company held eleven events which averaged 440,090 buys each. So far in 2008 the company is averaging 485,000 per event.
With the results in from ten of the UFC’s twelve pay-per-views, the company appears certain to post a record number of pay-per-view buys in 2008. The company’s current record year came in 2006 when it posted an estimated 5.2 million buys. With the returns from UFC 88 and UFC 92 outstanding, the company has already tallied 4,850,000 buys in 2008. In 2007, the company drew 4,885,000 buys.
In 2006 the company staged ten pay-per-view events, averaging 520,000 buys per event. In 2007 the company held eleven events which averaged 440,090 buys each. So far in 2008 the company is averaging 485,000 per event.
Lesnar's Jiu-Jitsu Trainer on His Ground Skills
Two-time absolute world jiu-jitsu champion Rodrigo “Comprido” Medeiros began training with Brock Lesnar roughly five months ago.
“Besides being very strong, he learns very fast,” the Brazilian, who now lives in Chicago, said after his first session with Lesnar.
A student of Romero Jacaré, who was a disciple of the legendary Rolls Gracie, Medeiros has beaten jiu-jitsu stars like Antonio "Nino" Schembri, Saulo Ribeiro, Roberto Roleta, Mario Sperry and Paulo Filho. He’s also optimistic about Lesnar’s chances against the winner of the Dec. 27 UFC heavyweight title fight between jiu-jitsu black belts Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Frank Mir.
“Whoever wins will have a tough time against Brock,” Medeiros guaranteed in this exclusive interview with Sherdog.com.
Sherdog.com: How did you start working with Lesnar?
Medeiros: I got a phone call from his manager, Brian, last July. He wanted someone to help Lesnar with his ground skills and I accepted immediately, but when I saw the size of this monster, I almost gave up (laughs).
Sherdog.com: What impressed you the most about him?
Medeiros: At first his size, but in our first conversation I also liked his humility and his tenacity, and his interest to learn jiu-jitsu also called my attention. It’s pretty common that a professional athlete is not open to learning new techniques. I was also really impressed with how fast he learns the positioning and techniques. I believe his amazing capacity of assimilating new techniques is his biggest quality.
Sherdog.com: In his last fight against Couture, Lesnar just fought standup. How is his technical development on the ground?
Medeiros: He already has an excellent base that makes him naturally hard to sweep and he is working hard in every drill I teach him in order to fix important techniques. He trains hard, and his improvement is really good.
Sherdog.com: What’s his strongest technique on the ground?
Medeiros: His side attack. His attack from the back is also improving. His submission defense is really nice too, and by the day of [his next] fight, it will be much better.
Sherdog.com: Which technique did you train most for Couture?
Medeiros: We knew Couture would be very well trained and prepared with a nice strategy and we believed that Brock would be on top if the fight went to the ground, so we worked a lot on controlling positioning. I mean on the ground, but of course he trained a lot of boxing and Greco. I believe the training was perfect because he beat one of the best MMA fighters ever.
Sherdog.com: As (Lesnar’s) ground trainer, do you prefer Mir or “Minotauro” to win and why?
Medeiros: As a trainer I prefer Frank Mir. First because Lesnar is really motivated to face him in a rematch, and even with Frank training with my friend and partner Robert Drysdale, I believe Minotauro is a much more difficult opponent. He has more experience and excellent ground skill, good boxing, a big heart and an unbelievable capacity of recovery that reminds me of Rocky Balboa. But the truth is that Brock will be ready for Mir or Nogueira. Anyone who wins will have a tough time against him.
Sherdog.com: You almost fought Rodrigo Minotauro in the final of the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship in 1999. Why didn’t this fight happen?
Medeiros: I defeated Mario Sperry in one semifinal and Roberto Roleta (Gracie Barra) defeated Rodrigo Minotauro in a very close decision. In the final I submitted Roleta using a footlock and got the gold medal.
Sherdog.com: How would a fight between Lesnar and Minotauro and also Lesnar and Fedor go?
Medeiros: I believe sooner or later those fights will happen. Against Minotauro, I see a typical jiu-jitsu vs. wrestling fight but with lots of boxing. Against Fedor, I believe it would be easier for Brock because he would dominate both on the ground and standing up. He is taking some days off, and as soon as he returns we will start to work to make him ready for Minotauro, Mir, Fedor or any other challenger.
Sherdog.com: How do you see your training partners Demian Maia, Marcelo Garcia and Andre Galvao in the MMA world?
Medeiros: Demian is doing an amazing job. I believe soon he will fight for the title. It wouldn’t be bad to have a UFC champion in Brasa (laughs). Galvão started winning but learned a lot in his fight. Recovering like he recovered in that fight is something that only a special fighter can do. Marcelo was having a great debut, but unfortunately he got cut. Actually I believe all those guys will be champions (because) they are the best we have in jiu-jitsu.
Sherdog.com: What about you? Do you think about having an MMA debut?
Medeiros: I have a lot of will to have an MMA match. Actually I’ve already had two Pankration-type fights in 1999, and every time I see my teammates fighting, my hands get sweaty. First I’m establishing my academy in Chicago. It’s a very new academy and needs all my attention, but all my Brasa friends are supporting me a lot to make my MMA debut. Soon I hope to make it, but right now my main focus is to welcome anyone who would like to train jiu-jitsu at my academy in Chicago. My address is 709S Vermont St. www.flomma.com.
Two-time absolute world jiu-jitsu champion Rodrigo “Comprido” Medeiros began training with Brock Lesnar roughly five months ago.
“Besides being very strong, he learns very fast,” the Brazilian, who now lives in Chicago, said after his first session with Lesnar.
A student of Romero Jacaré, who was a disciple of the legendary Rolls Gracie, Medeiros has beaten jiu-jitsu stars like Antonio "Nino" Schembri, Saulo Ribeiro, Roberto Roleta, Mario Sperry and Paulo Filho. He’s also optimistic about Lesnar’s chances against the winner of the Dec. 27 UFC heavyweight title fight between jiu-jitsu black belts Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Frank Mir.
“Whoever wins will have a tough time against Brock,” Medeiros guaranteed in this exclusive interview with Sherdog.com.
Sherdog.com: How did you start working with Lesnar?
Medeiros: I got a phone call from his manager, Brian, last July. He wanted someone to help Lesnar with his ground skills and I accepted immediately, but when I saw the size of this monster, I almost gave up (laughs).
Sherdog.com: What impressed you the most about him?
Medeiros: At first his size, but in our first conversation I also liked his humility and his tenacity, and his interest to learn jiu-jitsu also called my attention. It’s pretty common that a professional athlete is not open to learning new techniques. I was also really impressed with how fast he learns the positioning and techniques. I believe his amazing capacity of assimilating new techniques is his biggest quality.
Sherdog.com: In his last fight against Couture, Lesnar just fought standup. How is his technical development on the ground?
Medeiros: He already has an excellent base that makes him naturally hard to sweep and he is working hard in every drill I teach him in order to fix important techniques. He trains hard, and his improvement is really good.
Sherdog.com: What’s his strongest technique on the ground?
Medeiros: His side attack. His attack from the back is also improving. His submission defense is really nice too, and by the day of [his next] fight, it will be much better.
Sherdog.com: Which technique did you train most for Couture?
Medeiros: We knew Couture would be very well trained and prepared with a nice strategy and we believed that Brock would be on top if the fight went to the ground, so we worked a lot on controlling positioning. I mean on the ground, but of course he trained a lot of boxing and Greco. I believe the training was perfect because he beat one of the best MMA fighters ever.
Sherdog.com: As (Lesnar’s) ground trainer, do you prefer Mir or “Minotauro” to win and why?
Medeiros: As a trainer I prefer Frank Mir. First because Lesnar is really motivated to face him in a rematch, and even with Frank training with my friend and partner Robert Drysdale, I believe Minotauro is a much more difficult opponent. He has more experience and excellent ground skill, good boxing, a big heart and an unbelievable capacity of recovery that reminds me of Rocky Balboa. But the truth is that Brock will be ready for Mir or Nogueira. Anyone who wins will have a tough time against him.
Sherdog.com: You almost fought Rodrigo Minotauro in the final of the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship in 1999. Why didn’t this fight happen?
Medeiros: I defeated Mario Sperry in one semifinal and Roberto Roleta (Gracie Barra) defeated Rodrigo Minotauro in a very close decision. In the final I submitted Roleta using a footlock and got the gold medal.
Sherdog.com: How would a fight between Lesnar and Minotauro and also Lesnar and Fedor go?
Medeiros: I believe sooner or later those fights will happen. Against Minotauro, I see a typical jiu-jitsu vs. wrestling fight but with lots of boxing. Against Fedor, I believe it would be easier for Brock because he would dominate both on the ground and standing up. He is taking some days off, and as soon as he returns we will start to work to make him ready for Minotauro, Mir, Fedor or any other challenger.
Sherdog.com: How do you see your training partners Demian Maia, Marcelo Garcia and Andre Galvao in the MMA world?
Medeiros: Demian is doing an amazing job. I believe soon he will fight for the title. It wouldn’t be bad to have a UFC champion in Brasa (laughs). Galvão started winning but learned a lot in his fight. Recovering like he recovered in that fight is something that only a special fighter can do. Marcelo was having a great debut, but unfortunately he got cut. Actually I believe all those guys will be champions (because) they are the best we have in jiu-jitsu.
Sherdog.com: What about you? Do you think about having an MMA debut?
Medeiros: I have a lot of will to have an MMA match. Actually I’ve already had two Pankration-type fights in 1999, and every time I see my teammates fighting, my hands get sweaty. First I’m establishing my academy in Chicago. It’s a very new academy and needs all my attention, but all my Brasa friends are supporting me a lot to make my MMA debut. Soon I hope to make it, but right now my main focus is to welcome anyone who would like to train jiu-jitsu at my academy in Chicago. My address is 709S Vermont St. www.flomma.com.
UFC newcomer John Howard signs to fight Chris Wilson at UFC 94
Recently signed UFC newcomer and former International Fight League fighter John "Doomsday" Howard (10-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has signed to meet UFC welterweight Chris Wilson (14-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC) at UFC 94.
Howard today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) bout agreements have been signed.
The Howard-Wilson fight will appear on the preliminary card of UFC 94. The pay-per-view event takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and features a UFC welterweight championship fight between title-holder Georges St. Pierre and lightweight champ B.J. Penn.
MMAjunkie.com reported Howard's signing and potential UFC 94 debut earlier this month.
Howard's now agreed to meet Wilson, a fellow IFL veteran who entered the UFC earlier this year with four consecutive victories. The streak came to an end at UFC 82 when he suffered a unanimous-decision loss to Jon Fitch, but he rebounded in August with a decision victory over Steve Bruno at UFC 87.
Howard, though, said he was willing to fight any 170-pound fighter in his octagon debut.
"I didn't care who it was," Howard told MMAjunkie.com. "It's the UFC. I'm not scared to fight anyone. I'm not scared to get my ass beat. I'm not scared to take a beatdown. I'm a fighter. If I get my ass beat, so be it. If a man's better than me, so be it. But I will try.
"Even if they would have given me a chance to fight Georges St. Pierre, I wouldn't think I would beat him, but I will fight him. And if he whooped my ass, then so be it. I got my ass beat by the best. It doesn't matter who it is. I will fight you. That's my mentality."
Howard, a veteran of Northeast organizations such as Ring of Combat and Cage Fury Fighting Championships, said the UFC contract was a dream come true.
"(My manager) Chris Palmquist called me in the middle of the night, like 2 or 1 in the morning, and asked me, 'How do you feel?'" Howard said. "I said, 'I feel pretty good. Why, what's up?' He said, 'I've got some good news. I got you a contract for the UFC.' I thought he was playing. I said, 'Get the hell out of here. Stop playing with me.' He said, 'I'm dead serious. I have a contract right here. Do you want it or not?' I said, 'Do I want it? Hell [expletive] yeah I want it.' So he gave me the opportunity (and) opened the door for me. And I just walked in it.
"It means a whole lot to me. It's been my dream from when the UFC first came out. Watching the Gracies, the Shamrocks, I would always look up and say, 'One day I want to be there.' I absolutely can't believe that I'm on the same stage that once upon a time they were on. Just to be a part of the UFC, I can't believe it. I'm so happy to be there."
Recently signed UFC newcomer and former International Fight League fighter John "Doomsday" Howard (10-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has signed to meet UFC welterweight Chris Wilson (14-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC) at UFC 94.
Howard today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) bout agreements have been signed.
The Howard-Wilson fight will appear on the preliminary card of UFC 94. The pay-per-view event takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and features a UFC welterweight championship fight between title-holder Georges St. Pierre and lightweight champ B.J. Penn.
MMAjunkie.com reported Howard's signing and potential UFC 94 debut earlier this month.
Howard's now agreed to meet Wilson, a fellow IFL veteran who entered the UFC earlier this year with four consecutive victories. The streak came to an end at UFC 82 when he suffered a unanimous-decision loss to Jon Fitch, but he rebounded in August with a decision victory over Steve Bruno at UFC 87.
Howard, though, said he was willing to fight any 170-pound fighter in his octagon debut.
"I didn't care who it was," Howard told MMAjunkie.com. "It's the UFC. I'm not scared to fight anyone. I'm not scared to get my ass beat. I'm not scared to take a beatdown. I'm a fighter. If I get my ass beat, so be it. If a man's better than me, so be it. But I will try.
"Even if they would have given me a chance to fight Georges St. Pierre, I wouldn't think I would beat him, but I will fight him. And if he whooped my ass, then so be it. I got my ass beat by the best. It doesn't matter who it is. I will fight you. That's my mentality."
Howard, a veteran of Northeast organizations such as Ring of Combat and Cage Fury Fighting Championships, said the UFC contract was a dream come true.
"(My manager) Chris Palmquist called me in the middle of the night, like 2 or 1 in the morning, and asked me, 'How do you feel?'" Howard said. "I said, 'I feel pretty good. Why, what's up?' He said, 'I've got some good news. I got you a contract for the UFC.' I thought he was playing. I said, 'Get the hell out of here. Stop playing with me.' He said, 'I'm dead serious. I have a contract right here. Do you want it or not?' I said, 'Do I want it? Hell [expletive] yeah I want it.' So he gave me the opportunity (and) opened the door for me. And I just walked in it.
"It means a whole lot to me. It's been my dream from when the UFC first came out. Watching the Gracies, the Shamrocks, I would always look up and say, 'One day I want to be there.' I absolutely can't believe that I'm on the same stage that once upon a time they were on. Just to be a part of the UFC, I can't believe it. I'm so happy to be there."
Report: Heavyweight Neil Grove signs four-fight contract with UFC
Former Cage Rage heavyweight contender Neil Grove (6-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has signed a four-fight contract with the Ultimate Fighter Championship and could debut with the organization at UFC 95 in February.
The news comes from Fighter's Only.
Grove, a British fighter who debuted professionally two years ago, has posted knockout stoppages in all six of his career victories.
The fighter, who debuted with the UK Mixed Martial Arts Championship before heading to Cage Rage, has twice defeated Robert Berry. Additionally, in just his third professional bout, he also scored a major upset up former PRIDE fighter and EliteXC headliner James Thompson with a 10-second knockout.
Grove's lone loss came to Rob Broughton (7-4-1) via majority decision earlier this year.
Grove had been preparing for a Cage Rage bout with Mustafa Al-Turk. The bout never materialized, though, and Al-Turk signed with the UFC soon after. He meets Cheick Kongo later this month at UFC 92, though Grove thinks their bout could now take place at some point in the UFC.
Former Cage Rage heavyweight contender Neil Grove (6-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has signed a four-fight contract with the Ultimate Fighter Championship and could debut with the organization at UFC 95 in February.
The news comes from Fighter's Only.
Grove, a British fighter who debuted professionally two years ago, has posted knockout stoppages in all six of his career victories.
The fighter, who debuted with the UK Mixed Martial Arts Championship before heading to Cage Rage, has twice defeated Robert Berry. Additionally, in just his third professional bout, he also scored a major upset up former PRIDE fighter and EliteXC headliner James Thompson with a 10-second knockout.
Grove's lone loss came to Rob Broughton (7-4-1) via majority decision earlier this year.
Grove had been preparing for a Cage Rage bout with Mustafa Al-Turk. The bout never materialized, though, and Al-Turk signed with the UFC soon after. He meets Cheick Kongo later this month at UFC 92, though Grove thinks their bout could now take place at some point in the UFC.
MIKE SWICK PROVES HE'S BACK ON TRACK
If there’s one ideal that’s become all too commonplace in sports, it is “what have you done for me lately?” What someone may have accomplished in the past can quickly be forgotten if in the eyes of observers they haven’t performed up to those previous standards in recent times.
For Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight Mike “Quick” Swick that is must have been how it felt to him – despite his impressive credentials for both the promotion and in his overall MMA career – when people began to doubt him and his skills.
Having developed arm trouble, which contributed to a stretch of four straight fights going to decision, some thought Swick had peaked and was possibly not the explosive fighter he had shown to be early in his career. Thus his determination to prove them wrong at last week’s UFC Fight for the Troops.
“I knew a lot of the people who became critics were saying that I was a changed fighter and I might be a boring fight now or have changed my style, so it was important for me to show everyone that I haven’t changed as a fighter,” stated Swick. “You have ups and downs and this and that, but as a fighter I’m the same guy I as always was, if not better.
“I just had a bad year and nothing’s changed as far as permanently. It went great and I went out there and did exactly what I planned to do. It couldn’t have played out any better than it played out in my head in the months leading up to it.”
Indeed Swick reminded those who may have forgotten why he’s 8-1 in UFC competition and 13-2 overall with his 33-second demolition of Jonathan Goulet at Fight for the Troops.
“The fight went according to plan,” he commented. “We planned to come out aggressive, and it’s great to have my right arm and throw it and not worry about it. I wanted to make sure I threw it as much as I could and take advantage of the opportunity.”
The win established Swick as a true threat in the welterweight division.
“I feel very confident right now at 170 pounds,” he said. “I’ve made all the adjustments to be the best I can be at this weight class. I think it’s a great weight class for me, and I’m expecting to do big things at it.”
With Georges St. Pierre and B.J. Penn due to face off for the welterweight title at UFC 94 in January, and then possibly both changing weight classes to take on other contenders, it could be a while before Swick sees a 170-pound title shot, which is okay by him.
“I’m in no rush,” he stated. “I’m living my dream right now. I’ve always wanted to be in the UFC and be fighting, so I’m just enjoying it.
“I’ll fight whoever they want me to fight. If I deserve to get a title shot, it will come – I’m not really focused on that right now.”
He plans on making the most of the upcoming holiday break before taking the next step towards claiming a title shot that could be well due.
“I’m going to head over to Thailand, with half the trip being a honeymoon with my newlywed wife, and the other half is going to be training,” Swick announced. “I’m going to work on my Muay Thai, then come back and get in fight camp to get ready for my next fight.”
Known for his interesting experiences abroad, Swick urges fans to keep track of his adventures via his official website blog and YouTube page and see what sort of craziness he gets into this time.
“I did the snake pit last time, which is on my YouTube page, and I plan on maybe testing the waters at a croc farm this time and see if I can get my hands a crocodile,” he said. “That seems really interesting.”
Silencing those who thought his best days might have been behind him, Swick now looks forward to a future that’s brighter than ever, both personally and professionally.
“I want to say thanks to all the fans and military around the world,” he concluded. “It was incredible fighting on a military base. It was electric when I walked out and they were great to us the entire week we were there.
“I want to thank all my sponsors for the fight; Full Tilt Poker, Oak Grove, Sprawl, Pain Inc., TSM Studios, Score Clinic and all the other sponsors on my website. 2009 is going to be a great year for me. I feel great at this weight class, I’m the best shape I’ve ever been in and I plan on doing great things next year.”
If there’s one ideal that’s become all too commonplace in sports, it is “what have you done for me lately?” What someone may have accomplished in the past can quickly be forgotten if in the eyes of observers they haven’t performed up to those previous standards in recent times.
For Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight Mike “Quick” Swick that is must have been how it felt to him – despite his impressive credentials for both the promotion and in his overall MMA career – when people began to doubt him and his skills.
Having developed arm trouble, which contributed to a stretch of four straight fights going to decision, some thought Swick had peaked and was possibly not the explosive fighter he had shown to be early in his career. Thus his determination to prove them wrong at last week’s UFC Fight for the Troops.
“I knew a lot of the people who became critics were saying that I was a changed fighter and I might be a boring fight now or have changed my style, so it was important for me to show everyone that I haven’t changed as a fighter,” stated Swick. “You have ups and downs and this and that, but as a fighter I’m the same guy I as always was, if not better.
“I just had a bad year and nothing’s changed as far as permanently. It went great and I went out there and did exactly what I planned to do. It couldn’t have played out any better than it played out in my head in the months leading up to it.”
Indeed Swick reminded those who may have forgotten why he’s 8-1 in UFC competition and 13-2 overall with his 33-second demolition of Jonathan Goulet at Fight for the Troops.
“The fight went according to plan,” he commented. “We planned to come out aggressive, and it’s great to have my right arm and throw it and not worry about it. I wanted to make sure I threw it as much as I could and take advantage of the opportunity.”
The win established Swick as a true threat in the welterweight division.
“I feel very confident right now at 170 pounds,” he said. “I’ve made all the adjustments to be the best I can be at this weight class. I think it’s a great weight class for me, and I’m expecting to do big things at it.”
With Georges St. Pierre and B.J. Penn due to face off for the welterweight title at UFC 94 in January, and then possibly both changing weight classes to take on other contenders, it could be a while before Swick sees a 170-pound title shot, which is okay by him.
“I’m in no rush,” he stated. “I’m living my dream right now. I’ve always wanted to be in the UFC and be fighting, so I’m just enjoying it.
“I’ll fight whoever they want me to fight. If I deserve to get a title shot, it will come – I’m not really focused on that right now.”
He plans on making the most of the upcoming holiday break before taking the next step towards claiming a title shot that could be well due.
“I’m going to head over to Thailand, with half the trip being a honeymoon with my newlywed wife, and the other half is going to be training,” Swick announced. “I’m going to work on my Muay Thai, then come back and get in fight camp to get ready for my next fight.”
Known for his interesting experiences abroad, Swick urges fans to keep track of his adventures via his official website blog and YouTube page and see what sort of craziness he gets into this time.
“I did the snake pit last time, which is on my YouTube page, and I plan on maybe testing the waters at a croc farm this time and see if I can get my hands a crocodile,” he said. “That seems really interesting.”
Silencing those who thought his best days might have been behind him, Swick now looks forward to a future that’s brighter than ever, both personally and professionally.
“I want to say thanks to all the fans and military around the world,” he concluded. “It was incredible fighting on a military base. It was electric when I walked out and they were great to us the entire week we were there.
“I want to thank all my sponsors for the fight; Full Tilt Poker, Oak Grove, Sprawl, Pain Inc., TSM Studios, Score Clinic and all the other sponsors on my website. 2009 is going to be a great year for me. I feel great at this weight class, I’m the best shape I’ve ever been in and I plan on doing great things next year.”
UFC INKS THREE-YEAR TV DEAL IN BRAZIL
The Ultimate Fighting Championship and Globosat on Wednesday announced a three-year television distribution agreement to show UFC events on two Globosat channels – Premiere Combate and SporTV – in Brazil.
Starting with UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008, Premiere Combate, a Globosat subscription channel, will air all UFC live events per year, along with an active schedule of other UFC programs including UFC Fight Night events, UFC All Access and UFC Unleashed. These popular UFC series feature riveting fight action such as knockouts and historic mega-fights, as well as training highlights and behind-the-scenes action and commentary.
Also launching with UFC 92, the Globosat premium channel SporTV will feature five UFC live events on its annual programming lineup, as well as a one-hour weekly highlight series “SporTV Combate” to continue in early 2009.
“We are thrilled to have the world’s most exciting live sports event – the UFC – available through Globosat,” said Dana White, UFC President. “We have over 20 Brazilian fighters in the UFC, including our middleweight champion Anderson Silva, interim heavyweight champion 'Minotauro' Nogueira, Wanderlei Silva, Lyoto Machida, Gabriel Gonzaga, and the list goes on and on. Now fight fans in Brazil can see their fights and follow their favorite fighters starting Dec. 28 with 'Minotauro' and Wanderlei at UFC 92.”
“We are very happy to be able to show the UFC for another three years, this is the event that our subscribers continually request,” said Elton Simões, Globosat’s premium channels director. “We are certain this deal will allow Globosat to deliver the best mixed martial arts fights in the world.”
The Ultimate Fighting Championship and Globosat on Wednesday announced a three-year television distribution agreement to show UFC events on two Globosat channels – Premiere Combate and SporTV – in Brazil.
Starting with UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008, Premiere Combate, a Globosat subscription channel, will air all UFC live events per year, along with an active schedule of other UFC programs including UFC Fight Night events, UFC All Access and UFC Unleashed. These popular UFC series feature riveting fight action such as knockouts and historic mega-fights, as well as training highlights and behind-the-scenes action and commentary.
Also launching with UFC 92, the Globosat premium channel SporTV will feature five UFC live events on its annual programming lineup, as well as a one-hour weekly highlight series “SporTV Combate” to continue in early 2009.
“We are thrilled to have the world’s most exciting live sports event – the UFC – available through Globosat,” said Dana White, UFC President. “We have over 20 Brazilian fighters in the UFC, including our middleweight champion Anderson Silva, interim heavyweight champion 'Minotauro' Nogueira, Wanderlei Silva, Lyoto Machida, Gabriel Gonzaga, and the list goes on and on. Now fight fans in Brazil can see their fights and follow their favorite fighters starting Dec. 28 with 'Minotauro' and Wanderlei at UFC 92.”
“We are very happy to be able to show the UFC for another three years, this is the event that our subscribers continually request,” said Elton Simões, Globosat’s premium channels director. “We are certain this deal will allow Globosat to deliver the best mixed martial arts fights in the world.”
NO SHADOW, ARLOVSKI COULD CHANGE EVERYTHING
Vadim Finkelstein made an offer; Andrei Arlovski refused.
It was 2005, the time of Arlovski's reign as UFC heavyweight champion. His talent and ambition had brought him Stateside in April of 2000 after capturing the European crown of Finkelstein's promotion, M-1 Mix Fight, earlier that year. His UFC 28 debut was a success, announcing his presence in the then-struggling company with a submission victory over Aaron Brink.
Arlovski slowly worked his way to the top of the UFC's heavyweight division, persisting through setbacks at UFC 32 and 36 to wrest the interim, and later official, title away from Tim Sylvia at UFC 51. He was living his American dream.
Then, his old boss came calling.
"Vadim contacted me and said, 'I want you to be a member of my team; train with Fedor,'" Arlovski told MMAWeekly.com in an exclusive video interview.
Back in 2000, he was still green as a fighter, and Emelianenko was unknown to him. Five years later, he was well acquainted with the Russian's talents, as was the rest of the MMA world.
There were rumblings of the UFC trying to acquire Emelianenko in 2005 for a mega-fight – proof that the free agency mania surrounding him existed long before post-Bodog and Pride days – which Arlovski took with a grain of salt.
The way he saw it, there was no reason to join Emelianenko's camp. He was at the peak of his career, and wanted to do things his way.
"I said, 'First of all, I have a lot of ambitions, and maybe one day I will fight Fedor and I don't want to be his shadow,' (like) most guys in his heavyweight camp," he continued. "I said, 'no thank you.'"
Just like that, Arlovski went his way, and Emelianenko went his.
In 2006, Arlovski lost his title, and a little bit of his luster, at UFC 59 in a rematch with nemesis Tim Sylvia; he failed to regain it in their rubber match at UFC 61. He rebounded with three solid wins against Marcio Cruz, Fabricio Werdum, and Jake O'Brien, but by then, the UFC heavyweight picture had changed dramatically. Unhappy with the numbers in a new contract offering, Arlovski left the organization on cordial terms in June.
"I took a lesson from those fights," he said. "I choose fighting. I change all my life."
Emelianenko continued to dominate his opponents, though many were ill-suited to face him. Affliction scooped up the heavyweight in Spring 2008 after negotiations with the UFC broke down yet another time. His 36-second victory over Sylvia at Affliction's "Banned" did much to resurrect his myth as an unbeatable fighter.
In the end, Arlovski's prediction came true. After initially being scheduled to face top ranked heavyweight Josh Barnett on Oct. 11, Affliction's next show, "Day of Reckoning," was moved to Jan. 24, with Emelianenko taking Barnett's place.
Needless to say, Arlovski is happy with his decision.
"If I try to do something, I try to do the best, and I'm a grown man and I have my vision of life and my personal ambitions," Arlovski said. "I don't want to be (the) shadow of somebody. I don't want to do what somebody wants that I do. I want to do what I want, and that's exactly what I'm doing now."
The Belarusian heavyweight is currently in Los Angeles for a three-week camp with renowned boxing coach Freddie Roach. The two have been working together on and off for seven years, and share a mutual affection. On Christmas, they will log two training sessions. UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva will drop in for some sparring.
Arlovski feels the timing of the Emelianenko fight is right, particularly after Emelianenko's loss last month at the World Sambo Championships. Nothing will be left to chance.
"After his loss in the Sambo tournament, I think he's messed up a little bit," Arlovski said. "He says it's not important, but c'mon, let's be serious. He was unbeatable, like, five years, six years in Sambo, and he's not beatable in MMA. When you lose something, of course it's (expletive) important. For me, it's really hard to believe that he doesn't care about it. Of course he cares. He's not like 100 percent sure of himself."
That said, he is banking on the hardest fight of his life, one eight years in the making.
"If I think I can beat him because he lose his Sambo, I would be a stupid person," he said. "I want to beat him because of my hard work.
"I have a great opportunity to change everything."
Vadim Finkelstein made an offer; Andrei Arlovski refused.
It was 2005, the time of Arlovski's reign as UFC heavyweight champion. His talent and ambition had brought him Stateside in April of 2000 after capturing the European crown of Finkelstein's promotion, M-1 Mix Fight, earlier that year. His UFC 28 debut was a success, announcing his presence in the then-struggling company with a submission victory over Aaron Brink.
Arlovski slowly worked his way to the top of the UFC's heavyweight division, persisting through setbacks at UFC 32 and 36 to wrest the interim, and later official, title away from Tim Sylvia at UFC 51. He was living his American dream.
Then, his old boss came calling.
"Vadim contacted me and said, 'I want you to be a member of my team; train with Fedor,'" Arlovski told MMAWeekly.com in an exclusive video interview.
Back in 2000, he was still green as a fighter, and Emelianenko was unknown to him. Five years later, he was well acquainted with the Russian's talents, as was the rest of the MMA world.
There were rumblings of the UFC trying to acquire Emelianenko in 2005 for a mega-fight – proof that the free agency mania surrounding him existed long before post-Bodog and Pride days – which Arlovski took with a grain of salt.
The way he saw it, there was no reason to join Emelianenko's camp. He was at the peak of his career, and wanted to do things his way.
"I said, 'First of all, I have a lot of ambitions, and maybe one day I will fight Fedor and I don't want to be his shadow,' (like) most guys in his heavyweight camp," he continued. "I said, 'no thank you.'"
Just like that, Arlovski went his way, and Emelianenko went his.
In 2006, Arlovski lost his title, and a little bit of his luster, at UFC 59 in a rematch with nemesis Tim Sylvia; he failed to regain it in their rubber match at UFC 61. He rebounded with three solid wins against Marcio Cruz, Fabricio Werdum, and Jake O'Brien, but by then, the UFC heavyweight picture had changed dramatically. Unhappy with the numbers in a new contract offering, Arlovski left the organization on cordial terms in June.
"I took a lesson from those fights," he said. "I choose fighting. I change all my life."
Emelianenko continued to dominate his opponents, though many were ill-suited to face him. Affliction scooped up the heavyweight in Spring 2008 after negotiations with the UFC broke down yet another time. His 36-second victory over Sylvia at Affliction's "Banned" did much to resurrect his myth as an unbeatable fighter.
In the end, Arlovski's prediction came true. After initially being scheduled to face top ranked heavyweight Josh Barnett on Oct. 11, Affliction's next show, "Day of Reckoning," was moved to Jan. 24, with Emelianenko taking Barnett's place.
Needless to say, Arlovski is happy with his decision.
"If I try to do something, I try to do the best, and I'm a grown man and I have my vision of life and my personal ambitions," Arlovski said. "I don't want to be (the) shadow of somebody. I don't want to do what somebody wants that I do. I want to do what I want, and that's exactly what I'm doing now."
The Belarusian heavyweight is currently in Los Angeles for a three-week camp with renowned boxing coach Freddie Roach. The two have been working together on and off for seven years, and share a mutual affection. On Christmas, they will log two training sessions. UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva will drop in for some sparring.
Arlovski feels the timing of the Emelianenko fight is right, particularly after Emelianenko's loss last month at the World Sambo Championships. Nothing will be left to chance.
"After his loss in the Sambo tournament, I think he's messed up a little bit," Arlovski said. "He says it's not important, but c'mon, let's be serious. He was unbeatable, like, five years, six years in Sambo, and he's not beatable in MMA. When you lose something, of course it's (expletive) important. For me, it's really hard to believe that he doesn't care about it. Of course he cares. He's not like 100 percent sure of himself."
That said, he is banking on the hardest fight of his life, one eight years in the making.
"If I think I can beat him because he lose his Sambo, I would be a stupid person," he said. "I want to beat him because of my hard work.
"I have a great opportunity to change everything."
Olympic Judo gold medalist Satoshi Ishi headed for American Top Team
After flirting with DREAM, Olympic Judo gold medalist Satoshi Ishii has opted to pursue a career in the UFC rather than the Japanese promotion according to Fighters Only Magazine.
Quoteworthy:
“I made up my mind finally - the UFC is where I want to fight. I’m a white belt in MMA. I understand the possibility of starting from WEC. If I was an unknown judoka, I would definitely build up my MMA experience in Japan first. However, I have decided put my Judo gold medal to use. I believe my name value will attract the UFC.”
Ishii was expected to make his mixed martial arts debut on New Year’s Eve at the FieLDS Dynamite!! supershow scheduled for the end of this year. He verbally agreed to sign with Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG) and even held a fan club celebration party on November 3.
The 22-year old Ishii was apologetic for his failure to commit, and his hero status could take a serious hit when he heads to the famed American Top Team (ATT) camp in March of 2009.
This isn’t the first time Ishii has made noise in the world of MMA.
After winning his gold medal in Beijing, Ishii issued an open challenge to heavyweight deity Fedor Emelianenko. I guess he didn’t see what Fedor did to silver medalist Naoya Ogawa at PRIDE Final Conflict back in 2004.
Fedor of course smiled and went about his business, as Ishii has yet to prove that he can transition from Judo to mixed martial arts - and a few questions have been raised of his ability to strike (or be struck).
In addition, his Judo Federation doesn’t seem too keen on the idea of him making the jump from Judo to mixed martial arts, despite Ishii’s persistence.
From Tokyo’s Kokushikan University program leader Kazuo Yoshimura:
“This guy turns everybody into an enemy. He’d better get out [of Japan] without delay.”
After flirting with DREAM, Olympic Judo gold medalist Satoshi Ishii has opted to pursue a career in the UFC rather than the Japanese promotion according to Fighters Only Magazine.
Quoteworthy:
“I made up my mind finally - the UFC is where I want to fight. I’m a white belt in MMA. I understand the possibility of starting from WEC. If I was an unknown judoka, I would definitely build up my MMA experience in Japan first. However, I have decided put my Judo gold medal to use. I believe my name value will attract the UFC.”
Ishii was expected to make his mixed martial arts debut on New Year’s Eve at the FieLDS Dynamite!! supershow scheduled for the end of this year. He verbally agreed to sign with Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG) and even held a fan club celebration party on November 3.
The 22-year old Ishii was apologetic for his failure to commit, and his hero status could take a serious hit when he heads to the famed American Top Team (ATT) camp in March of 2009.
This isn’t the first time Ishii has made noise in the world of MMA.
After winning his gold medal in Beijing, Ishii issued an open challenge to heavyweight deity Fedor Emelianenko. I guess he didn’t see what Fedor did to silver medalist Naoya Ogawa at PRIDE Final Conflict back in 2004.
Fedor of course smiled and went about his business, as Ishii has yet to prove that he can transition from Judo to mixed martial arts - and a few questions have been raised of his ability to strike (or be struck).
In addition, his Judo Federation doesn’t seem too keen on the idea of him making the jump from Judo to mixed martial arts, despite Ishii’s persistence.
From Tokyo’s Kokushikan University program leader Kazuo Yoshimura:
“This guy turns everybody into an enemy. He’d better get out [of Japan] without delay.”
Dida out of K-1 World Max 2009
Announced the first part of the staff that will be at K-1 World Max 2009 tournament, that begins in February 23rd in Japan, André “Dida” Amade used to figure between the names as the unique Brazilian, but the fighter won’t be able to dispute the GP anymore. In conversation with TATAME, Dida explained the absence. “I started to train, but I had visa problem. I’m at Canada now and I can’t go out until March, so I called the president of the event telling that I wouldn’t be able to be there”, reveled the fighter, lamenting the happened.
“I’m very sad about that… I’m doing a very good work here with my brother and I can’t let it away. I’m a fighter and first of all is my career, but in the moment I’ll have to sacrifice that, but after March I’ll be prepared to come back to Japan”, affirmed André, who imagine that his next fight will be of MMA. “How they were calling me to a Muay Thai fight, I was only training that, but now that I’m out of this event and they usually does a MMA event then, I’ll stay ready and trained to this date”, reveled the fighter.
Announced the first part of the staff that will be at K-1 World Max 2009 tournament, that begins in February 23rd in Japan, André “Dida” Amade used to figure between the names as the unique Brazilian, but the fighter won’t be able to dispute the GP anymore. In conversation with TATAME, Dida explained the absence. “I started to train, but I had visa problem. I’m at Canada now and I can’t go out until March, so I called the president of the event telling that I wouldn’t be able to be there”, reveled the fighter, lamenting the happened.
“I’m very sad about that… I’m doing a very good work here with my brother and I can’t let it away. I’m a fighter and first of all is my career, but in the moment I’ll have to sacrifice that, but after March I’ll be prepared to come back to Japan”, affirmed André, who imagine that his next fight will be of MMA. “How they were calling me to a Muay Thai fight, I was only training that, but now that I’m out of this event and they usually does a MMA event then, I’ll stay ready and trained to this date”, reveled the fighter.
JIM MILLER: "I WAS PRETTY COMFORTABLE EVERYWHERE"
link: http://www.fighthype.com/pages/content4005.html?PHPSESSID=3792c4203965fbe511f91fd9fa16e0f0
"It feels great. Matt is a tough guy and it sure wasn't easy. It took a lot of will. I was yelling at myself to keep pushing and to keep going. I knew if I slowed down or dropped my guard, Matt's a tough kid and he's dangerous everywhere and could have ended my night," stated UFC lightweight contender Jim Miller as he talked about his impressive win over Matt Wiman at last Wednesday's UFC Fight for the Troops card. Check it out!
link: http://www.fighthype.com/pages/content4005.html?PHPSESSID=3792c4203965fbe511f91fd9fa16e0f0
"It feels great. Matt is a tough guy and it sure wasn't easy. It took a lot of will. I was yelling at myself to keep pushing and to keep going. I knew if I slowed down or dropped my guard, Matt's a tough kid and he's dangerous everywhere and could have ended my night," stated UFC lightweight contender Jim Miller as he talked about his impressive win over Matt Wiman at last Wednesday's UFC Fight for the Troops card. Check it out!
Crocop vs. Hong man Choi - Official
It’s Official - Mirko CROCOP Filipovic will be taking on Hong Man Choi at Fields Dynamite! - Read more after the jump.
Last week DreamFighters.com first broke the news that Mirko will be fighting Hong Man, but did not have 100% confirmation from the FEG and Mirko him self. However, it appears our sources turned out to be right on.
Mirko Crocop Filipovic has just updated his blog where he states the following:
I’m excited to let you know that I have accepted DREAM’s offer to fight against Hong-man Choi on December 31 at Dynamite show. We arranged all details and the contract has been signed - the fight is officialy on.
I must say I’m happy with this opportunity to fight again in this year. This wasn’t the best year for me and I’m hoping that I’ll end it in a good spirit. I’m also happy to fight again in Japan at New Year’s Eve, which is always truly a fantastic experience.
There were plenty of rumors circling around about this fight and I’ll suggest once again that official information regarding my arrangements can be found only on www.mma-id.com, under my profile. Don’t believe to any MMA source and keep in mind that some people are willing to do anything just to boost their traffic.
So how do I feel about this fight? I already told you that I’m excited and it’s really a problem for me to accept this fight with only 14 days left to go. I’ve been training hard after my last fight and I’m ready to face the Korean giant. When you fight the opponent of that size, you just have to take the fight very seriously. Under MMA rules he’s not experienced, but he’s big and strong and that makes him dangerous.
Although I’m still having some difficulties with my old injuries there won’t be any excuses left in case of a bad result. I’ll handle this issues in January, but against Choi I’ll be ready and nothing will stop me this time. I’ll just do my best and end this year with a win hopefully. Then I’ll focus on 2009 and work on the further steps in my career.
Thank you for being patient when waiting for this announcement and thank you from bottom of my heart for your huge support. Don’t miss the show and have fun with your famillies and friends until then!
It’s Official - Mirko CROCOP Filipovic will be taking on Hong Man Choi at Fields Dynamite! - Read more after the jump.
Last week DreamFighters.com first broke the news that Mirko will be fighting Hong Man, but did not have 100% confirmation from the FEG and Mirko him self. However, it appears our sources turned out to be right on.
Mirko Crocop Filipovic has just updated his blog where he states the following:
I’m excited to let you know that I have accepted DREAM’s offer to fight against Hong-man Choi on December 31 at Dynamite show. We arranged all details and the contract has been signed - the fight is officialy on.
I must say I’m happy with this opportunity to fight again in this year. This wasn’t the best year for me and I’m hoping that I’ll end it in a good spirit. I’m also happy to fight again in Japan at New Year’s Eve, which is always truly a fantastic experience.
There were plenty of rumors circling around about this fight and I’ll suggest once again that official information regarding my arrangements can be found only on www.mma-id.com, under my profile. Don’t believe to any MMA source and keep in mind that some people are willing to do anything just to boost their traffic.
So how do I feel about this fight? I already told you that I’m excited and it’s really a problem for me to accept this fight with only 14 days left to go. I’ve been training hard after my last fight and I’m ready to face the Korean giant. When you fight the opponent of that size, you just have to take the fight very seriously. Under MMA rules he’s not experienced, but he’s big and strong and that makes him dangerous.
Although I’m still having some difficulties with my old injuries there won’t be any excuses left in case of a bad result. I’ll handle this issues in January, but against Choi I’ll be ready and nothing will stop me this time. I’ll just do my best and end this year with a win hopefully. Then I’ll focus on 2009 and work on the further steps in my career.
Thank you for being patient when waiting for this announcement and thank you from bottom of my heart for your huge support. Don’t miss the show and have fun with your famillies and friends until then!
Ortiz Joins Affliction Commentating Team
LOS ANGELES -- The sport’s most intriguing free agent announced he will take the mic for Affliction Entertainment in its sophomore event on Jan. 24 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
Tito Ortiz will join play-by-play announcer Sean Wheelock and color commentator Jimmy Smith to call the action at “Day of Reckoning,” which features a bout between world-ranked heavyweights Fedor Emelianenko and Andrei Arlovski. The Wheelock-Smith team currently calls the shots for M-1 Global, which airs a weekly show on HDNet and will be collaborating with Affliction on the Jan. 24 event.
“This has nothing to do with me fighting for Affliction,” said Ortiz at a press conference on Wednesday for the pending event. “I’ve been fighting for 11 years, so I think I know a thing or two about fighting.”
Ortiz, 33, satisfied a multi-fight contract in May with the UFC, where he has been one of the promotion’s top-three draws for the last 11 years. He said he is currently waiting out a non-compete renegotiation period with the Las Vegas organization that ends in June.
A public feud between UFC president Dana White and the polarizing Ortiz has been well documented, to the point where Ortiz commented that he would not re-sign with the UFC on multiple occasions.
The popular former UFC light heavyweight champion’s decision to work with the rival promotion could be interpreted as a step towards him potentially signing with the fledging organization in the coming months. However, it might be safer to say he is still playing the field.
Ortiz underwent spinal-fusion back surgery in October and told HDNet’s Inside MMA in November that he will likely not fight again until July 2009.
“I’m at about 40 percent,” Ortiz told Sherdog.com on Wednesday. “I’ve regained a lot of mobility just in the last two weeks.”
Ortiz said the surgery appears to be a complete success and he has initial plans to fight for the next four years.
A return to the promotion where he started must still be considered a viable option though. Ortiz’s December 2007 rematch against former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell remains the highest grossing pay-per-view in the sport’s history, netting a reported 1,000,080 buys.
One of the first bona fide stars of the sport, Ortiz has enjoyed mainstream exposure on Donald Trump’s celebrity season of “The Apprentice” on NBC in 2008. Ortiz and longtime girlfriend Jenna Jameson are expecting twins in April.
Ortiz (15-6-1) dropped a unanimous decision to Lyoto Machida (13-0) at UFC 84 “Ill Will” on May 24 in Las Vegas. It was his second loss in three fights.
LOS ANGELES -- The sport’s most intriguing free agent announced he will take the mic for Affliction Entertainment in its sophomore event on Jan. 24 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
Tito Ortiz will join play-by-play announcer Sean Wheelock and color commentator Jimmy Smith to call the action at “Day of Reckoning,” which features a bout between world-ranked heavyweights Fedor Emelianenko and Andrei Arlovski. The Wheelock-Smith team currently calls the shots for M-1 Global, which airs a weekly show on HDNet and will be collaborating with Affliction on the Jan. 24 event.
“This has nothing to do with me fighting for Affliction,” said Ortiz at a press conference on Wednesday for the pending event. “I’ve been fighting for 11 years, so I think I know a thing or two about fighting.”
Ortiz, 33, satisfied a multi-fight contract in May with the UFC, where he has been one of the promotion’s top-three draws for the last 11 years. He said he is currently waiting out a non-compete renegotiation period with the Las Vegas organization that ends in June.
A public feud between UFC president Dana White and the polarizing Ortiz has been well documented, to the point where Ortiz commented that he would not re-sign with the UFC on multiple occasions.
The popular former UFC light heavyweight champion’s decision to work with the rival promotion could be interpreted as a step towards him potentially signing with the fledging organization in the coming months. However, it might be safer to say he is still playing the field.
Ortiz underwent spinal-fusion back surgery in October and told HDNet’s Inside MMA in November that he will likely not fight again until July 2009.
“I’m at about 40 percent,” Ortiz told Sherdog.com on Wednesday. “I’ve regained a lot of mobility just in the last two weeks.”
Ortiz said the surgery appears to be a complete success and he has initial plans to fight for the next four years.
A return to the promotion where he started must still be considered a viable option though. Ortiz’s December 2007 rematch against former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell remains the highest grossing pay-per-view in the sport’s history, netting a reported 1,000,080 buys.
One of the first bona fide stars of the sport, Ortiz has enjoyed mainstream exposure on Donald Trump’s celebrity season of “The Apprentice” on NBC in 2008. Ortiz and longtime girlfriend Jenna Jameson are expecting twins in April.
Ortiz (15-6-1) dropped a unanimous decision to Lyoto Machida (13-0) at UFC 84 “Ill Will” on May 24 in Las Vegas. It was his second loss in three fights.
UFC 93 fight card complete with Tomasz Drwal vs. Ivan Serati
As had been rumored, recent UFC signee Ivan Serati (10-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC), a hard-hitting former pro boxer who stopped each of his first five MMA opponents in less than 60 seconds, will meet Tomasz Drwal (14-2) at UFC 93.
The UFC recently added the bout to its official fight card, which now appears complete.
The light-heavyweight contest will take place on the preliminary card of UFC 93, which is set for Jan. 17 at The 02 in Dublin, Ireland.
The event's main card airs live on pay per view.
Serati, who signed with the UFC in September, made his pro debut in 2006 on the European circuit. After those five swift victories, the Italian fighter suffered his first loss with a first-round TKO to former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort (17-8) at an April 2007 Cage Rage event.
However, Serati has rebounded and is currently on a four-fight win streak. He's stopped all four opponents in that stretch -- with three of the wins coming in the first round.
He'll now meet Drwal, who took a 13-fight win streak into his octagon debut at UFC 75. However, the Polish fighter suffered a second-round TKO to undefeated 205-pound contender Thiago Silva.
Drwal hasn't fought since that September 2007 event. He had been slated to fight David Heath at UFC 81 and Andre Gusmao at UFC 87, but he was forced off both cards with injuries.
Barring any late additions, the final fight card for UFC 93 now includes:
MAIN CARD
* Dan Henderson vs. Rich Franklin
* Mark Coleman vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
* Alan Belcher vs. Denis Kang
* Jeremy Horn vs. Rousimar Palhares
* Marcus Davis vs. Chris Lytle
PRELIMINARY CARD
* Alexandre Barros vs. Martin Kampmann
* Antonio Mendes vs. Eric Schafer
* Thomasz Drwal vs. Ivan Serati
* Tom Egan vs. John Hathaway
* Nate Mohr vs. Denis Siver
As had been rumored, recent UFC signee Ivan Serati (10-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC), a hard-hitting former pro boxer who stopped each of his first five MMA opponents in less than 60 seconds, will meet Tomasz Drwal (14-2) at UFC 93.
The UFC recently added the bout to its official fight card, which now appears complete.
The light-heavyweight contest will take place on the preliminary card of UFC 93, which is set for Jan. 17 at The 02 in Dublin, Ireland.
The event's main card airs live on pay per view.
Serati, who signed with the UFC in September, made his pro debut in 2006 on the European circuit. After those five swift victories, the Italian fighter suffered his first loss with a first-round TKO to former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort (17-8) at an April 2007 Cage Rage event.
However, Serati has rebounded and is currently on a four-fight win streak. He's stopped all four opponents in that stretch -- with three of the wins coming in the first round.
He'll now meet Drwal, who took a 13-fight win streak into his octagon debut at UFC 75. However, the Polish fighter suffered a second-round TKO to undefeated 205-pound contender Thiago Silva.
Drwal hasn't fought since that September 2007 event. He had been slated to fight David Heath at UFC 81 and Andre Gusmao at UFC 87, but he was forced off both cards with injuries.
Barring any late additions, the final fight card for UFC 93 now includes:
MAIN CARD
* Dan Henderson vs. Rich Franklin
* Mark Coleman vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
* Alan Belcher vs. Denis Kang
* Jeremy Horn vs. Rousimar Palhares
* Marcus Davis vs. Chris Lytle
PRELIMINARY CARD
* Alexandre Barros vs. Martin Kampmann
* Antonio Mendes vs. Eric Schafer
* Thomasz Drwal vs. Ivan Serati
* Tom Egan vs. John Hathaway
* Nate Mohr vs. Denis Siver
AFFLICTION RELEASES TV LINE-UPS FOR HDNET & PPV
Affliction Entertainment on Wednesday announced the final line-up for its "Day of Reckoning" event promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and presented by Affliction Entertainment and its partners Donald J. Trump and M-1 Global.
Day of Reckoning takes place on Jan. 24 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., and will be broken up into two broadcasts.
The pay-per-view portion of the card will consist of six bouts, headlined by a WAMMA heavyweight championship title defense by Fedor Emelianenko against Andrei Arlovski. The pay-per-view begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and also features Josh Barnett vs. Gilbert Yvel, Vitor Belfort vs. Matt Lindland, Renato "Babalu" Sobral vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Chris Horodecki vs. Dan Lauzon, and Paul Buentello vs. Kiril Sidelnikov.
As a prelude to the PPV event, the rest of Day of Reckoning fight card will air on HDNet, featuring a main event of Antonio "Minotoro" Rogerio Nogueira vs. Vladimir Matyushenko. The five-fight HDNet telecast begins at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT.
The remainder of the HDNet telecast features Jay Hieron vs. Jason High, Mark Hominick vs. LC Davis, Albert Rios vs. Antonio Duarte, and Brett Cooper vs. Patrick Speight.
PAY-PER-VIEW FIGHT CARD:
-Fedor Emelianenko vs. Andrei Arlovski
-Josh Barnett vs. Gilbert Yvel
-Vitor Belfort vs. Matt Lindland
-Renato “Babalu” Sobral vs. Thierry Sokoudjou
-Chris Horodecki vs. Dan Lauzon
-Paul Buentello vs. Kiril Sidelnikov (Baby Fedor)
HDNET FIGHT CARD:
-Antonio Nogueira vs. Vladimir Matyushenko
-Jay Heiron vs. Jason High
-Mark Hominick vs. LC Davis
-Albert Rios vs. Antonio Duarte
-Brett Cooper vs. Patrick Speight
Affliction Entertainment on Wednesday announced the final line-up for its "Day of Reckoning" event promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and presented by Affliction Entertainment and its partners Donald J. Trump and M-1 Global.
Day of Reckoning takes place on Jan. 24 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., and will be broken up into two broadcasts.
The pay-per-view portion of the card will consist of six bouts, headlined by a WAMMA heavyweight championship title defense by Fedor Emelianenko against Andrei Arlovski. The pay-per-view begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and also features Josh Barnett vs. Gilbert Yvel, Vitor Belfort vs. Matt Lindland, Renato "Babalu" Sobral vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Chris Horodecki vs. Dan Lauzon, and Paul Buentello vs. Kiril Sidelnikov.
As a prelude to the PPV event, the rest of Day of Reckoning fight card will air on HDNet, featuring a main event of Antonio "Minotoro" Rogerio Nogueira vs. Vladimir Matyushenko. The five-fight HDNet telecast begins at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT.
The remainder of the HDNet telecast features Jay Hieron vs. Jason High, Mark Hominick vs. LC Davis, Albert Rios vs. Antonio Duarte, and Brett Cooper vs. Patrick Speight.
PAY-PER-VIEW FIGHT CARD:
-Fedor Emelianenko vs. Andrei Arlovski
-Josh Barnett vs. Gilbert Yvel
-Vitor Belfort vs. Matt Lindland
-Renato “Babalu” Sobral vs. Thierry Sokoudjou
-Chris Horodecki vs. Dan Lauzon
-Paul Buentello vs. Kiril Sidelnikov (Baby Fedor)
HDNET FIGHT CARD:
-Antonio Nogueira vs. Vladimir Matyushenko
-Jay Heiron vs. Jason High
-Mark Hominick vs. LC Davis
-Albert Rios vs. Antonio Duarte
-Brett Cooper vs. Patrick Speight