MMA News Thread
- Thread starter Shogun Locc
- Start date
im gonna have to disagree. Its up to the fighter to win. Dana White (or joe silva) in most cases shouldnt have to give the new fighters scrubs to fight so they win the first match. People who are paying want to see good fights against good fighters.
And hes basically saying if you want a scrub opponent come to ELite XC and ill give you one.
And hes basically saying if you want a scrub opponent come to ELite XC and ill give you one.
BET’s “Iron Ring Fighting” Finale Taped Monday in New Orleans
“Iron Ring Fighting,” an upcoming MMA reality/show competition that debuts next month on Black Entertainment Television (BET), will tape its season finale this coming Monday, Feb. 18, at the New Orleans Convention Center in New Orleans, La.
The event will feature competitors from the TV show, which is in its final stages of production. The show, which is set to debut on BET sometime next month, features six teams of fighters that are “managed” by Floyd Mayweather, Nelly, Ludacris and other sports and entertainment notables. Coaches, which include former UFC and PRIDE fighters, are also assigned to each team.
Monday’s finale will be taped in front of a live audience. Tickets for the event, which range from $45 to $350, are currently on sale at the Superdome Box Office and at Ticketmaster.
MMA fighter and MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) columnist Frank Trigg today confirmed that he’s been hired a color commentator for the broadcast.
Although the show garnered some attention early on, the buzz for Iron Ring Fighting has largely fizzled out since the initial announcement this past summer. Tryouts for the show were held last year in cities throughout the U.S., and the early dates were reportedly unorganized and plagued with problems (though they’d improve with later tryouts dates).
Six episodes of the show will be produced and aired on BET, a Washington, D.C.-based cable station launched in 1981 and targeted toward young African-American and urban viewers.
The full roster of team managers includes Mayweather, Nelly, Ludacris, T.I., Lil Jon and Dipset (Juelz Santana and Jim Jones). According to the show’s producers, coaches for the team include UFC veteran Shonie Carter, former UFC fighter Roberto Traven, PRIDE/EliteXC fighter Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett, longtime trainer Abdul Mutakabbir, fighter/instructor Jermaine Andre, and trainer Novell Bell.
Iron Ring Fighting is produced by Zilo. The company’s founders, David Isaacs and Campbell McLaren, developed and produced UFC events throughout the 1990s. BET has billed the show as coming “from the creators of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.“
“Iron Ring Fighting,” an upcoming MMA reality/show competition that debuts next month on Black Entertainment Television (BET), will tape its season finale this coming Monday, Feb. 18, at the New Orleans Convention Center in New Orleans, La.
The event will feature competitors from the TV show, which is in its final stages of production. The show, which is set to debut on BET sometime next month, features six teams of fighters that are “managed” by Floyd Mayweather, Nelly, Ludacris and other sports and entertainment notables. Coaches, which include former UFC and PRIDE fighters, are also assigned to each team.
Monday’s finale will be taped in front of a live audience. Tickets for the event, which range from $45 to $350, are currently on sale at the Superdome Box Office and at Ticketmaster.
MMA fighter and MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) columnist Frank Trigg today confirmed that he’s been hired a color commentator for the broadcast.
Although the show garnered some attention early on, the buzz for Iron Ring Fighting has largely fizzled out since the initial announcement this past summer. Tryouts for the show were held last year in cities throughout the U.S., and the early dates were reportedly unorganized and plagued with problems (though they’d improve with later tryouts dates).
Six episodes of the show will be produced and aired on BET, a Washington, D.C.-based cable station launched in 1981 and targeted toward young African-American and urban viewers.
The full roster of team managers includes Mayweather, Nelly, Ludacris, T.I., Lil Jon and Dipset (Juelz Santana and Jim Jones). According to the show’s producers, coaches for the team include UFC veteran Shonie Carter, former UFC fighter Roberto Traven, PRIDE/EliteXC fighter Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett, longtime trainer Abdul Mutakabbir, fighter/instructor Jermaine Andre, and trainer Novell Bell.
Iron Ring Fighting is produced by Zilo. The company’s founders, David Isaacs and Campbell McLaren, developed and produced UFC events throughout the 1990s. BET has billed the show as coming “from the creators of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.“
JOSH HAYNES REPLACES BENJI RADACH IN IFL
MMA veteran Josh "Bring the Pain" Haynes, who has competed for a dozen professional mixed martial arts organizations, including the UFC, will compete at 185-lb. against Leopoldo Serao at the International Fight League event at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on Friday, February 29.
Haynes replaces popular IFL star Benji Radach who suffered a neck injury in training and will be out of action indefinitely.
Haynes, who has competed on the pro MMA circuit since 2002, is perhaps best known for his time on The Ultimate Fighter television program in 2006, in which he advanced to the finals. On Feb. 29, he will compete for his camp, Xtreme Couture, against World Class Fight Center's Serao.
"It's a fantastic opportunity. I've wanted to fight for the IFL for a little while," said Haynes. "Ever since I left the UFC it's been something I've wanted to do, and I think the matchup is fantastic. I love the opportunity to represent my gym. I've got a great camp and I think this guy is going to be unpleasantly surprised."
The Xtreme Couture-World Class Fight Center matchup also features bouts between Lew Polley and Alexandre Ferreira, as well as Rafael Dias and Santino DeFranco.
Also on the card, Team Quest, coached by Matt Lindland, faces Ken Shamrock's Lion's Den, with title fights between lightweight champ Ryan Schultz and John Gunderson, heavyweight title holder Roy Nelson taking on Fabiano Scherner, and middleweight belt holder Matt Horwich facing Miletich fighter Ryan McGivern.
FIGHT CARD:
Preliminary Bout
Ian Loveland Vs. Dennis Davis
Team Xtreme Couture vs. MMA Top Team
Santino Defranco vs. Rafael Dias
Josh Haynes vs. Leopoldo Serao
Lew Polley vs. Alexandre Ferreira
Team Quest vs. Lions Den
Jake Ellenberger vs. Pat Healy
Ryan Schultz vs. John Gunderson
Roy Nelson vs. Fabiano Scherner
Championship Bout
Ryan McGivern vs. Matt Horwich
MMA veteran Josh "Bring the Pain" Haynes, who has competed for a dozen professional mixed martial arts organizations, including the UFC, will compete at 185-lb. against Leopoldo Serao at the International Fight League event at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on Friday, February 29.
Haynes replaces popular IFL star Benji Radach who suffered a neck injury in training and will be out of action indefinitely.
Haynes, who has competed on the pro MMA circuit since 2002, is perhaps best known for his time on The Ultimate Fighter television program in 2006, in which he advanced to the finals. On Feb. 29, he will compete for his camp, Xtreme Couture, against World Class Fight Center's Serao.
"It's a fantastic opportunity. I've wanted to fight for the IFL for a little while," said Haynes. "Ever since I left the UFC it's been something I've wanted to do, and I think the matchup is fantastic. I love the opportunity to represent my gym. I've got a great camp and I think this guy is going to be unpleasantly surprised."
The Xtreme Couture-World Class Fight Center matchup also features bouts between Lew Polley and Alexandre Ferreira, as well as Rafael Dias and Santino DeFranco.
Also on the card, Team Quest, coached by Matt Lindland, faces Ken Shamrock's Lion's Den, with title fights between lightweight champ Ryan Schultz and John Gunderson, heavyweight title holder Roy Nelson taking on Fabiano Scherner, and middleweight belt holder Matt Horwich facing Miletich fighter Ryan McGivern.
FIGHT CARD:
Preliminary Bout
Ian Loveland Vs. Dennis Davis
Team Xtreme Couture vs. MMA Top Team
Santino Defranco vs. Rafael Dias
Josh Haynes vs. Leopoldo Serao
Lew Polley vs. Alexandre Ferreira
Team Quest vs. Lions Den
Jake Ellenberger vs. Pat Healy
Ryan Schultz vs. John Gunderson
Roy Nelson vs. Fabiano Scherner
Championship Bout
Ryan McGivern vs. Matt Horwich
Rapper Pitbull To Perform At EliteXC "Street Certified&
John Beyrooty from Showtime sent along the following:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GOLD-SELLING MIAMI RAPPER PITBULL TO PERFORM DURING ELITEXC’S SPECTACULAR MMA EVENT FEB. 16, AT BANKUNITED CENTER
Local Favorite and YouTube Legend, Kimbo Slice, Faces Tank Abbott In Main Event of What Will Be an Exciting Evening of Fights and Music
LOS ANGELES (Feb. 11, 2008) �" From the stage to the cage, without missing a beat.
Pitbull, a hugely popular, gold-selling Miami-based hip hop superstar, will perform during EliteXC’s highly anticipated Mixed Martial Arts event in Miami , Fla. , Saturday, Feb. 16, at BankUnited Center at the University of Miami .
The main event will feature Miami ’s YouTube legend, Kimbo Slice, against MMA pioneer and fellow street brawler, Tank Abbott, of Huntington Beach , Calif. , but the opportunity for the hometown fans to witness live the extraordinarily talented Pitbull is worth the price of admission.
Since he burst on the national scene as a featured performer on Lil Jon’s double platinum selling album Kings of Crunk in 2002, the phenomenal Pitbull has had three smash albums -- his gold-selling debut M.I.A.M.I (2004), El Mariel (2006) and the recently released The Boatlift (2007).
The Boatlift showcases Pitbull’s lyrical prowess as he crusades through 18 tracks penning clever and captivating rhymes on each song. Pitbull has created an incredibly diverse album ranging from R&B-influenced sounds like the first single "Secret Admirer" featuring Lloyd, to hypnotic club banger “Go Girl” teaming with Trina and Young Boss, and current Afro-Cuban melodic single “The Anthem” with a bombastic chant by Lil Jon. "The Anthem" is No. 15 on the Top 40 Rhythm chart and breaking big on Mainstream Top 40 (Pop) radio.
Cuban-American MC Pitbull surpassed gold status for more than 500,000 copies sold of his debut album M.I.A.M.I.: Money Is A Major Issue in the United States . The accomplishment gave Pitbull the biggest-selling bilingual hip-hop debut since Cypress Hill’s 1991 self-titled debut, and put him in the rare category of Latino rappers who have achieved major success in English-language radio. In addition to being the No. 1 Latin artist on MySpace, Pitbull unleashed his sophomore album El Mariel in late 2006 spawning the No. 1 Latin Rap hit, "Dime".
Tickets for a 10-bout event start at $35 and are available at all Ticketmaster locations, online at www.ticketmaster.com and at the BankUnited Box Office. Doors open at 7 p.m. ET; first fight is at 7:30.
Besides an exciting heavyweight brawl between Kimbo (1-0) and Tank (9-13), a tremendous undercard will include Antonio “Big Foot’’ Silva (9-1), who lives in Coconut Creek, Fla., vs. former UFC champion Ricco Rodriguez (27-7), of Staten Island, N.Y., Australian Kyle “The Ozzie’’ Noke (11-2), the bodyguard of the late Steve “Crocodile Hunter’’ Irwin, vs. Scott “Hands Of Stone’’ Smith (12-5), of Sacramento, Calif., Edson Berto (13-4-1), of Tampa, Fla., vs. Yves Edwards (32-13-1) of Conroe, Tex.
John Beyrooty from Showtime sent along the following:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GOLD-SELLING MIAMI RAPPER PITBULL TO PERFORM DURING ELITEXC’S SPECTACULAR MMA EVENT FEB. 16, AT BANKUNITED CENTER
Local Favorite and YouTube Legend, Kimbo Slice, Faces Tank Abbott In Main Event of What Will Be an Exciting Evening of Fights and Music
LOS ANGELES (Feb. 11, 2008) �" From the stage to the cage, without missing a beat.
Pitbull, a hugely popular, gold-selling Miami-based hip hop superstar, will perform during EliteXC’s highly anticipated Mixed Martial Arts event in Miami , Fla. , Saturday, Feb. 16, at BankUnited Center at the University of Miami .
The main event will feature Miami ’s YouTube legend, Kimbo Slice, against MMA pioneer and fellow street brawler, Tank Abbott, of Huntington Beach , Calif. , but the opportunity for the hometown fans to witness live the extraordinarily talented Pitbull is worth the price of admission.
Since he burst on the national scene as a featured performer on Lil Jon’s double platinum selling album Kings of Crunk in 2002, the phenomenal Pitbull has had three smash albums -- his gold-selling debut M.I.A.M.I (2004), El Mariel (2006) and the recently released The Boatlift (2007).
The Boatlift showcases Pitbull’s lyrical prowess as he crusades through 18 tracks penning clever and captivating rhymes on each song. Pitbull has created an incredibly diverse album ranging from R&B-influenced sounds like the first single "Secret Admirer" featuring Lloyd, to hypnotic club banger “Go Girl” teaming with Trina and Young Boss, and current Afro-Cuban melodic single “The Anthem” with a bombastic chant by Lil Jon. "The Anthem" is No. 15 on the Top 40 Rhythm chart and breaking big on Mainstream Top 40 (Pop) radio.
Cuban-American MC Pitbull surpassed gold status for more than 500,000 copies sold of his debut album M.I.A.M.I.: Money Is A Major Issue in the United States . The accomplishment gave Pitbull the biggest-selling bilingual hip-hop debut since Cypress Hill’s 1991 self-titled debut, and put him in the rare category of Latino rappers who have achieved major success in English-language radio. In addition to being the No. 1 Latin artist on MySpace, Pitbull unleashed his sophomore album El Mariel in late 2006 spawning the No. 1 Latin Rap hit, "Dime".
Tickets for a 10-bout event start at $35 and are available at all Ticketmaster locations, online at www.ticketmaster.com and at the BankUnited Box Office. Doors open at 7 p.m. ET; first fight is at 7:30.
Besides an exciting heavyweight brawl between Kimbo (1-0) and Tank (9-13), a tremendous undercard will include Antonio “Big Foot’’ Silva (9-1), who lives in Coconut Creek, Fla., vs. former UFC champion Ricco Rodriguez (27-7), of Staten Island, N.Y., Australian Kyle “The Ozzie’’ Noke (11-2), the bodyguard of the late Steve “Crocodile Hunter’’ Irwin, vs. Scott “Hands Of Stone’’ Smith (12-5), of Sacramento, Calif., Edson Berto (13-4-1), of Tampa, Fla., vs. Yves Edwards (32-13-1) of Conroe, Tex.
Cro Cop heads to Japan to make announcement tomorrow
“I’m off to Tokyo! A big announcement will come straight from Japan tomorrow (February 13). When the official part is done I’ll be able to provide more information about everything, and believe me, I have many things to say. What you could easily guess by now is that I won’t be retiring. I’ll keep on fighting, it’s my life, it’s what I do.”
– Mirko Cro Cop affirms via his personal blog that he wants to continue to fight (something we already knew) and that he’s headed to the “Land of the Rising Sun” to make a major announcement tomorrow. Has he agreed to a new fight? Has he been released from the UFC because he costs too much? Will he fight for another promotion? Is he a mopping mat rat on Fedor’s new television reality series (sarcasm)? Only time will tell. Stay tuned.
“I’m off to Tokyo! A big announcement will come straight from Japan tomorrow (February 13). When the official part is done I’ll be able to provide more information about everything, and believe me, I have many things to say. What you could easily guess by now is that I won’t be retiring. I’ll keep on fighting, it’s my life, it’s what I do.”
– Mirko Cro Cop affirms via his personal blog that he wants to continue to fight (something we already knew) and that he’s headed to the “Land of the Rising Sun” to make a major announcement tomorrow. Has he agreed to a new fight? Has he been released from the UFC because he costs too much? Will he fight for another promotion? Is he a mopping mat rat on Fedor’s new television reality series (sarcasm)? Only time will tell. Stay tuned.
Xyience Bankruptcy Proceeding Continues
Xyience's Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings continue Tuesday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Las Vegas. Among the six motions on the docket is a pair related to Zuffa and Zyen being contested by a shareholder group.
The first motion is an emergency motion allowing Zyen to provide post-petition financing of up to $2,690,620.14 and to provide waiver and avoidance protection. The shareholders claim that the motion is "primarily for the benefit of Zyen and not Debtor's creditors."
The shareholder group's filing contains new details of the Zyen financing agreement. As previously reported by Sherdog.com, Zyen is controlled by Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, majority owners of UFC's parent company, Zuffa. The $12 million funding effort was announced last October along with a new three-year extension of Xyience's sponsorship agreement with the UFC.
According to the filing, the $12 million note carried a 15-percent interest rate and was repayable in one year. The note was collateralized by all of Xyience's assets. The terms also allegedly included warrants for 10 percent of capitalization of the company at one cent per share and 50 percent of the company's equity if Xyience failed to repay.
As a result, in the event of default, the Fertittas could purchase 60 percent of the company's stock for a nominal purchase price. This default provision would also be triggered by the removal of any members of the board of directors, according to the shareholders' motion in opposition.
"A review of the $12 million pre-petition funding transaction shows that rather than being in the best interest of [Xyience], the transaction principally benefited Zuffa and Zyen," claims the shareholder group. "The funding was provided by a Fertitta entity that was formed three weeks prior to the funding and not-so-subtly named Zyen. A majority of the funds from the $12 million funding were immediately disbursed to another Fertitta entity, Zuffa.
"Thereafter, a month later [Xyience] failed to make the very first payment due Zyen in November. The Shareholder Group believes that this failure to pay was simply an orchestrated default. Consequently, Zyen issued its Notice of Strict Foreclosure, which gave it the right to foreclose under an agreement not approved by the shareholders nor in the best interest of [Xyience]. Pursuant to the notice, Zyen sought to foreclose on [Xyience's] assets, including the trade name Xyience and energy drinks under the trade name of, among other things, Xenergy drinks."
According to a filing in response by Zyen, because of the Xyience's significant debt and scant assets, the shareholders "have little, if anything, at stake in this bankruptcy case, yet the so-called Shareholder Group raises objections to how the pre-petition secured lender, Zyen, is attempting to provide emergency post-petition financing to the Debtor in an effort to market and sell its assets. It is apparently of no importance to the Shareholder Group whether they destroy [Xyience] in an apparent attempt to perpetuate their ‘direct' litigation claims in the State Court Litigation. The Shareholder Group's actions are not in the best interests of [Xyience], [Xyience's] estate and the creditors who actually have a stake in this bankruptcy case, and thus their Objection must be overruled."
Zyen's response also claims that the note was approved by more than 60 percent of the company's shareholders, including some of those now in opposition.
The second motion at issue is the final approval of a nonexclusive license agreement with Zuffa Marketing, a subsidiary of Zuffa. The agreement would allow Xyience to continue to use the UFC trademark on Xyience products.
The shareholder group claims the motion is "farcical because it seeks adequate protection for noncash collateral that apparently has no value and purports to provide a loan to [Xyience] when, in fact, no funds are being paid by Zuffa to [the company]. The primary motivation for the Zuffa motion appears to be providing waiver and releases to Zuffa from avoidance claims because Zuffa received a significant payment from [Xyience] on October 5, 2007."
The payment is listed later in the filing as approximately $6.5 million.
Zuffa's response echoes Zyen's, stating that "the Shareholder Group is hopelessly out of the money and simply does not have a stake in this bankruptcy case."
The filing goes on to state that "the Zuffa agreement gives [Xyience] the opportunity to generate more assets, to stay in business and the ability to sell itself as a going concern. Apparently the Shareholder Group would rather have the [company] destroy its inventory and shut its doors rather than maximize value for the estate."
According to Zuffa, Xyience stands to lose more than $8 million in revenue if the deal is not approved, including the value of the current inventory and lost potential revenue.
Judge Mike K. Nakagawa will hear the motions.
Xyience's Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings continue Tuesday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Las Vegas. Among the six motions on the docket is a pair related to Zuffa and Zyen being contested by a shareholder group.
The first motion is an emergency motion allowing Zyen to provide post-petition financing of up to $2,690,620.14 and to provide waiver and avoidance protection. The shareholders claim that the motion is "primarily for the benefit of Zyen and not Debtor's creditors."
The shareholder group's filing contains new details of the Zyen financing agreement. As previously reported by Sherdog.com, Zyen is controlled by Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, majority owners of UFC's parent company, Zuffa. The $12 million funding effort was announced last October along with a new three-year extension of Xyience's sponsorship agreement with the UFC.
According to the filing, the $12 million note carried a 15-percent interest rate and was repayable in one year. The note was collateralized by all of Xyience's assets. The terms also allegedly included warrants for 10 percent of capitalization of the company at one cent per share and 50 percent of the company's equity if Xyience failed to repay.
As a result, in the event of default, the Fertittas could purchase 60 percent of the company's stock for a nominal purchase price. This default provision would also be triggered by the removal of any members of the board of directors, according to the shareholders' motion in opposition.
"A review of the $12 million pre-petition funding transaction shows that rather than being in the best interest of [Xyience], the transaction principally benefited Zuffa and Zyen," claims the shareholder group. "The funding was provided by a Fertitta entity that was formed three weeks prior to the funding and not-so-subtly named Zyen. A majority of the funds from the $12 million funding were immediately disbursed to another Fertitta entity, Zuffa.
"Thereafter, a month later [Xyience] failed to make the very first payment due Zyen in November. The Shareholder Group believes that this failure to pay was simply an orchestrated default. Consequently, Zyen issued its Notice of Strict Foreclosure, which gave it the right to foreclose under an agreement not approved by the shareholders nor in the best interest of [Xyience]. Pursuant to the notice, Zyen sought to foreclose on [Xyience's] assets, including the trade name Xyience and energy drinks under the trade name of, among other things, Xenergy drinks."
According to a filing in response by Zyen, because of the Xyience's significant debt and scant assets, the shareholders "have little, if anything, at stake in this bankruptcy case, yet the so-called Shareholder Group raises objections to how the pre-petition secured lender, Zyen, is attempting to provide emergency post-petition financing to the Debtor in an effort to market and sell its assets. It is apparently of no importance to the Shareholder Group whether they destroy [Xyience] in an apparent attempt to perpetuate their ‘direct' litigation claims in the State Court Litigation. The Shareholder Group's actions are not in the best interests of [Xyience], [Xyience's] estate and the creditors who actually have a stake in this bankruptcy case, and thus their Objection must be overruled."
Zyen's response also claims that the note was approved by more than 60 percent of the company's shareholders, including some of those now in opposition.
The second motion at issue is the final approval of a nonexclusive license agreement with Zuffa Marketing, a subsidiary of Zuffa. The agreement would allow Xyience to continue to use the UFC trademark on Xyience products.
The shareholder group claims the motion is "farcical because it seeks adequate protection for noncash collateral that apparently has no value and purports to provide a loan to [Xyience] when, in fact, no funds are being paid by Zuffa to [the company]. The primary motivation for the Zuffa motion appears to be providing waiver and releases to Zuffa from avoidance claims because Zuffa received a significant payment from [Xyience] on October 5, 2007."
The payment is listed later in the filing as approximately $6.5 million.
Zuffa's response echoes Zyen's, stating that "the Shareholder Group is hopelessly out of the money and simply does not have a stake in this bankruptcy case."
The filing goes on to state that "the Zuffa agreement gives [Xyience] the opportunity to generate more assets, to stay in business and the ability to sell itself as a going concern. Apparently the Shareholder Group would rather have the [company] destroy its inventory and shut its doors rather than maximize value for the estate."
According to Zuffa, Xyience stands to lose more than $8 million in revenue if the deal is not approved, including the value of the current inventory and lost potential revenue.
Judge Mike K. Nakagawa will hear the motions.
RAZOR ROB DOING WHAT HE DOES BEST AT WEC
As World Extreme Cagefighting lightweight champion “Razor” Rob McCullough steps in to defend his title for a second time, he will again face the multitude of questions about the classic match-up of striker versus grappler, and it’s something he’s had to deal with his entire career.
In the early part of his mixed martial arts career, McCullough was a prominent kickboxer who tried to show the world just how well rounded he really was and as he disclosed in a recent interview with MMAWeekly Radio, he tried so hard that it cost him a fight.
After dominating a fight on his feet, McCullough’s opponent repeatedly shot in to take him down and the California native says he went for every submission he could think of, but didn’t land any to end the fight and after it was all said and done he lost a decision.
Once the fight was behind him, he adapted a new philosophy… have fun and do what you do best.
“I’m going to stick with what I have fun doing, what I’m good at. Knocking people’s heads off,” said McCullough. “I’ll get into submissions on the ground when I’m training with my partners, but to be honest, when I’m out there and I’m in the cage and I know it’s real, I just want to beat the hell out of someone.”
His style has worked flawlessly in his career lately, winning nine fights in a row, with seven of them coming by way of TKO or knockout.
Now, McCullough will once again face the age-old scenario when a devastating striker is involved in a match-up that his kryptonite will be to take him to the ground.
“It’s kind of a joke around with my trainers and my camp that when they line up another fight for me, ‘okay you’re going to fight Razor Rob, he’s a kickboxer…just take him down!’” McCullough said with a laugh. “I’m just wondering in the corners of how many guys I’ve fought that heard that. Just take him down. And it doesn’t seem to be the best game plan so far.”
While his opponent, Jamie Varner, actually has a fairly extensive boxing background, it’s his ground game that has garnered the most attention going into this fight and McCullough is confident that his opponent will go back to what he knows best during this fight as well.
“In the heat of the battle, a guy usually goes back to what he feels most comfortable, Jamie’s seems to be wrestling,” he commented. “So I’m assuming he’s going to throw a little hands, try to set up a takedown and just try to mash out a slow win, but that ain’t going to happen.”
Slow wins are something that McCullough isn’t accustomed to, winning the majority of his fights in the first or second rounds, but with a five-round title fight scheduled, the champ feels his conditioning could also be an advantage over Varner, who has never had to prepare for a 25-minute fight before.
“All my training sessions all have to entail five rounds; five, five-minute rounds. I usually add a minute to my rounds so I’m doing like six-minute rounds, just for a little extra,” McCullough said. “That being on my side, I think that definitely plays into it. Especially, Jamie’s style, very aggressive and he likes to push the pace, and Albuquerque, New Mexico’s at a high altitude, which is definitely going to play a factor on his lungs.”
The Huntington Beach native, who actually used to bus tables at a restaurant in his hometown and waited on fighters such as Tank Abbott, will have close friend Tito Ortiz in his corner for the fight and keeps his prediction for the upcoming title fight simple.
“I’m going to step in there. I’m going to smile at him. We’re going to bang it out. I’m going to smash his head open and I’m getting my belt on and I’m going to fly home and have my after party.”
“Razor” Rob McCullough will defend his lightweight title against Jamie Varner on Feb. 13 in Albuquerque.
As World Extreme Cagefighting lightweight champion “Razor” Rob McCullough steps in to defend his title for a second time, he will again face the multitude of questions about the classic match-up of striker versus grappler, and it’s something he’s had to deal with his entire career.
In the early part of his mixed martial arts career, McCullough was a prominent kickboxer who tried to show the world just how well rounded he really was and as he disclosed in a recent interview with MMAWeekly Radio, he tried so hard that it cost him a fight.
After dominating a fight on his feet, McCullough’s opponent repeatedly shot in to take him down and the California native says he went for every submission he could think of, but didn’t land any to end the fight and after it was all said and done he lost a decision.
Once the fight was behind him, he adapted a new philosophy… have fun and do what you do best.
“I’m going to stick with what I have fun doing, what I’m good at. Knocking people’s heads off,” said McCullough. “I’ll get into submissions on the ground when I’m training with my partners, but to be honest, when I’m out there and I’m in the cage and I know it’s real, I just want to beat the hell out of someone.”
His style has worked flawlessly in his career lately, winning nine fights in a row, with seven of them coming by way of TKO or knockout.
Now, McCullough will once again face the age-old scenario when a devastating striker is involved in a match-up that his kryptonite will be to take him to the ground.
“It’s kind of a joke around with my trainers and my camp that when they line up another fight for me, ‘okay you’re going to fight Razor Rob, he’s a kickboxer…just take him down!’” McCullough said with a laugh. “I’m just wondering in the corners of how many guys I’ve fought that heard that. Just take him down. And it doesn’t seem to be the best game plan so far.”
While his opponent, Jamie Varner, actually has a fairly extensive boxing background, it’s his ground game that has garnered the most attention going into this fight and McCullough is confident that his opponent will go back to what he knows best during this fight as well.
“In the heat of the battle, a guy usually goes back to what he feels most comfortable, Jamie’s seems to be wrestling,” he commented. “So I’m assuming he’s going to throw a little hands, try to set up a takedown and just try to mash out a slow win, but that ain’t going to happen.”
Slow wins are something that McCullough isn’t accustomed to, winning the majority of his fights in the first or second rounds, but with a five-round title fight scheduled, the champ feels his conditioning could also be an advantage over Varner, who has never had to prepare for a 25-minute fight before.
“All my training sessions all have to entail five rounds; five, five-minute rounds. I usually add a minute to my rounds so I’m doing like six-minute rounds, just for a little extra,” McCullough said. “That being on my side, I think that definitely plays into it. Especially, Jamie’s style, very aggressive and he likes to push the pace, and Albuquerque, New Mexico’s at a high altitude, which is definitely going to play a factor on his lungs.”
The Huntington Beach native, who actually used to bus tables at a restaurant in his hometown and waited on fighters such as Tank Abbott, will have close friend Tito Ortiz in his corner for the fight and keeps his prediction for the upcoming title fight simple.
“I’m going to step in there. I’m going to smile at him. We’re going to bang it out. I’m going to smash his head open and I’m getting my belt on and I’m going to fly home and have my after party.”
“Razor” Rob McCullough will defend his lightweight title against Jamie Varner on Feb. 13 in Albuquerque.
Gary Shaw rides on UFC coattail. Look how many times his promotion talks about or say UFC to boost the UFC followers. Dude is on UFCs bandwagon. Im kind of glad UFC didnt sign with HBO. I mean if you read an Elite/XC interview transcript, everyother word is Showtime. It wouldve been the same if Dana did a Deal with HBO. Dana could give a rats ass about elitexc. They showcase some good fights and its nice to see good fights. But having to keep talkin down on UFC cause hes trying to make more money aint happenin. Remember Gary is a boxing promoter by nature. And promoters talk shit to other promoters in different sanctioning bodies to make megafights happen....
Fighters Weigh in for “WEC: Condit vs. Prater”
The full weigh-in results included:
MAIN CARD
Champ Carlos Condit (167.5) vs. Carlo Prater (170) — for welterweight title
Champ Rob McCullough (155) vs. Jamie Varner (155) — for lightweight title
Champ Chase Beebe (135) vs. Miguel Torres (133.5) — for bantamweight title
Antonio Banuelos (136) vs. Manny Tapia (135)
Leonard Garcia (145) vs. Hiroyuki Takaya (143)
PRELIMINARY CARD
Mark Hominick (146) vs. Josh Grispi (143)
Del Hawkins (135) vs. Coty Wheeler (134.5)
Yoshiro Maeda (136) vs. Charlie Valencia (136)
Chance Farrar (146) vs. Micah Miller (147.5)*
Scott Jorgensen (136) vs. Damacio Page (135)
The full weigh-in results included:
MAIN CARD
Champ Carlos Condit (167.5) vs. Carlo Prater (170) — for welterweight title
Champ Rob McCullough (155) vs. Jamie Varner (155) — for lightweight title
Champ Chase Beebe (135) vs. Miguel Torres (133.5) — for bantamweight title
Antonio Banuelos (136) vs. Manny Tapia (135)
Leonard Garcia (145) vs. Hiroyuki Takaya (143)
PRELIMINARY CARD
Mark Hominick (146) vs. Josh Grispi (143)
Del Hawkins (135) vs. Coty Wheeler (134.5)
Yoshiro Maeda (136) vs. Charlie Valencia (136)
Chance Farrar (146) vs. Micah Miller (147.5)*
Scott Jorgensen (136) vs. Damacio Page (135)
Exclusive Interview Part II: Matt Arroyo Talks Amazing Race, New TV Show and Matt Ser
Page 1 of 5: 1 2 3 4 5 Next >>
This is the second part of an exclusive MMAFightline interview with UFC Fighter Matt “No Regard” Arroyo. In this part, Arroyo discusses why the UFC prevented his participation in The Amazing Race as well as a new television program that he is currently developing.
MMAFightLine.com: Let’s talk about Gracie Tampa. Are you the head instructor for the South Tampa branch?
Arroyo: Yeah, there are 3 of us – me, Rob Neagle and Rob Kahn. The North Tampa branch was doing so well, and there is really no one in South Tampa doing what we are doing, so I figured we would do a satellite school off of the main one. There is nobody down there so we may as well be there, and I always wanted to teach. I’m going to be doing that a lot longer than I’ll be fighting so I may as well start building the school now, and we’ve only been open 3 months but we are doing really well. We are way past the break-even point. New people are coming in every day. The publicity I got off of TUF was pretty much priceless for a business like that. We are open Monday through Friday 10:30 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. I teach a couple of days per week. Right now it is just jiu-jitsu and wrestling, but we are going to add striking in once we get a few more people and a little bit more demand for it. I love it. I get to wake up and teach jiu-jitsu. It’s unbelievable. Teaching is my job now. If I could pick my job that I would want to do, this is it, so I am happy.
MMAFightLine.com: I heard you and Allen Berube tried out for The Amazing Race but the UFC would not allow you to go on the show. What were the reasons behind the UFC’s decision?
Arroyo: When you sign The Ultimate Fighter contract not the UFC contract but the TUF contract, you are not allowed to do a reality show for 2 years after your stint on TUF.
MMAFightLine.com: Did you talk to Dana at all about it?
Arroyo: Yeah, we tried to bring it up to the source but we were told absolutely not.
MMAFightLine.com: Did you hear back from The Amazing Race before the UFC told you that you could not be on the show?
Arroyo: No, the UFC got wind of it before The Amazing Race made a decision. I know for a fact that Pilgrim Films and Craig Piligian – he is the guy that produces TUF – he and the CBS guy had their differences, so I am pretty sure they caught it before it even happened. I’m pretty sure that we would have gotten on if none of that had happened
http://www.mmafightline.com/news/2008/212/matt_arroyo_316090.shtml
Page 1 of 5: 1 2 3 4 5 Next >>
This is the second part of an exclusive MMAFightline interview with UFC Fighter Matt “No Regard” Arroyo. In this part, Arroyo discusses why the UFC prevented his participation in The Amazing Race as well as a new television program that he is currently developing.
MMAFightLine.com: Let’s talk about Gracie Tampa. Are you the head instructor for the South Tampa branch?
Arroyo: Yeah, there are 3 of us – me, Rob Neagle and Rob Kahn. The North Tampa branch was doing so well, and there is really no one in South Tampa doing what we are doing, so I figured we would do a satellite school off of the main one. There is nobody down there so we may as well be there, and I always wanted to teach. I’m going to be doing that a lot longer than I’ll be fighting so I may as well start building the school now, and we’ve only been open 3 months but we are doing really well. We are way past the break-even point. New people are coming in every day. The publicity I got off of TUF was pretty much priceless for a business like that. We are open Monday through Friday 10:30 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. I teach a couple of days per week. Right now it is just jiu-jitsu and wrestling, but we are going to add striking in once we get a few more people and a little bit more demand for it. I love it. I get to wake up and teach jiu-jitsu. It’s unbelievable. Teaching is my job now. If I could pick my job that I would want to do, this is it, so I am happy.
MMAFightLine.com: I heard you and Allen Berube tried out for The Amazing Race but the UFC would not allow you to go on the show. What were the reasons behind the UFC’s decision?
Arroyo: When you sign The Ultimate Fighter contract not the UFC contract but the TUF contract, you are not allowed to do a reality show for 2 years after your stint on TUF.
MMAFightLine.com: Did you talk to Dana at all about it?
Arroyo: Yeah, we tried to bring it up to the source but we were told absolutely not.
MMAFightLine.com: Did you hear back from The Amazing Race before the UFC told you that you could not be on the show?
Arroyo: No, the UFC got wind of it before The Amazing Race made a decision. I know for a fact that Pilgrim Films and Craig Piligian – he is the guy that produces TUF – he and the CBS guy had their differences, so I am pretty sure they caught it before it even happened. I’m pretty sure that we would have gotten on if none of that had happened
http://www.mmafightline.com/news/2008/212/matt_arroyo_316090.shtml
FROM SHERDOG: UFC NEEDS OUR HELP!!!
UFN 13 in Colorado is stacked. Apparently the UFC has offered SPIKE to show 3 hours instead of 2 of live coverage. Probably 6 fights instead of 4. The guy at fightlinker.com has posted this:
As you may or may not know, I'm in the middle of trying to get as many people as possible to email SpikeTV asking them to make the UFC Fight Night in Colorado a 3 hour show instead of 2 hours. The UFC has already stated that they've offered this and it's up to Spike to decide if they'll show 2 or 3 hours. I've already got a lot of support from site readers as well as forum people but I figure if we really want to bury Spike in requests, then we need your help!
If you can post about the effort going on at the moment and include a form email for your readers to send, that would be very much appreciated. You know I'm not the kind of guy to normally spam my contacts but this is a cheaper alternative to flying out to Colorado and I think it'd be a great way to show Spike that there's a HUGE demand for longer Ultimate Fight Nights.
Anyways, here's the form letter:
TO: [email protected]
SUBJECT: UFC Fight Night on April 2nd
Hi
I'm writing to ask that the UFC Fight Night on April 2nd be given three hours of time instead of two. The card is one of the best UFC cards ever put on Spike, and it deserves a longer timeslot. The entire fight community is looking forward to seeing this event, and I am sure you'll have a significantly higher number of viewers if you decide to show more of the card.
Thank you for your time
INSERT NAME HERE
UFN 13 in Colorado is stacked. Apparently the UFC has offered SPIKE to show 3 hours instead of 2 of live coverage. Probably 6 fights instead of 4. The guy at fightlinker.com has posted this:
As you may or may not know, I'm in the middle of trying to get as many people as possible to email SpikeTV asking them to make the UFC Fight Night in Colorado a 3 hour show instead of 2 hours. The UFC has already stated that they've offered this and it's up to Spike to decide if they'll show 2 or 3 hours. I've already got a lot of support from site readers as well as forum people but I figure if we really want to bury Spike in requests, then we need your help!
If you can post about the effort going on at the moment and include a form email for your readers to send, that would be very much appreciated. You know I'm not the kind of guy to normally spam my contacts but this is a cheaper alternative to flying out to Colorado and I think it'd be a great way to show Spike that there's a HUGE demand for longer Ultimate Fight Nights.
Anyways, here's the form letter:
TO: [email protected]
SUBJECT: UFC Fight Night on April 2nd
Hi
I'm writing to ask that the UFC Fight Night on April 2nd be given three hours of time instead of two. The card is one of the best UFC cards ever put on Spike, and it deserves a longer timeslot. The entire fight community is looking forward to seeing this event, and I am sure you'll have a significantly higher number of viewers if you decide to show more of the card.
Thank you for your time
INSERT NAME HERE
Report: Tim Boetsch Steps in for Injured Stephan Bonnar at UFC Fight Night 13
Tim Boetsch (7-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), a UFC newcomer who stepped in — and dominated — as a late replacement for an injured Tomasz Drwal at UFC 81, has again answered the call as a substitute fighter.
Boetsch will replace Stephan Bonnar, who was scratched from a UFC Fight Night 13 event due to a knee injury earlier this week, and will fight Matt Hamill at the April 2 event, according to a report from MMAWeekly.com.
UFC Fight Night 13 takes place at the Broomfield Event Center near Denver, Colo. The event, broadcast by Spike TV, is headlined by a lightweight bout between Kenny Florian and Joe Lauzon.
The Pennsylvania-based Boetsch, who recently turned 28, took on David Heath earlier this month at UFC 81 and picked apart the veteran with a series of front, body and leg kicks to set up a first-round TKO. The Extreme Challenge and International Fight League vet narrowly missed out on a $60,000 Knockout of the Night bonus for the performance.
In a recent MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) interview, Boetsch said he hadn’t been assured he’d be brought back to the UFC, but he was optimistic.
“Just from the response from the fans and everybody that saw (UFC 81), I think they’re going to have a hard time not bringing me back,” Boetsch said. “So I’m looking forward to getting back in there for them, hopefully in the near future, and putting on another good show.“
It’ll come sooner than he thought.
He’ll now take on Hamill, a cast member from “The Ultimate Fighter 2” who was knocked out of the competition due to injury. Hamill hasn’t competed since UFC 75, when he lost a controversial split decision to Michael Bisping. Hamill had minor knee surgery after the fight but resumed training by December.
With the loss of Bonnar, the Boetsch-Hamill fight isn’t guaranteed to stay on the televised main card; after all, the event is perhaps the most talent-rich fight card in Spike TV history.
MMAjunkie.com.
Tim Boetsch (7-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), a UFC newcomer who stepped in — and dominated — as a late replacement for an injured Tomasz Drwal at UFC 81, has again answered the call as a substitute fighter.
Boetsch will replace Stephan Bonnar, who was scratched from a UFC Fight Night 13 event due to a knee injury earlier this week, and will fight Matt Hamill at the April 2 event, according to a report from MMAWeekly.com.
UFC Fight Night 13 takes place at the Broomfield Event Center near Denver, Colo. The event, broadcast by Spike TV, is headlined by a lightweight bout between Kenny Florian and Joe Lauzon.
The Pennsylvania-based Boetsch, who recently turned 28, took on David Heath earlier this month at UFC 81 and picked apart the veteran with a series of front, body and leg kicks to set up a first-round TKO. The Extreme Challenge and International Fight League vet narrowly missed out on a $60,000 Knockout of the Night bonus for the performance.
In a recent MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) interview, Boetsch said he hadn’t been assured he’d be brought back to the UFC, but he was optimistic.
“Just from the response from the fans and everybody that saw (UFC 81), I think they’re going to have a hard time not bringing me back,” Boetsch said. “So I’m looking forward to getting back in there for them, hopefully in the near future, and putting on another good show.“
It’ll come sooner than he thought.
He’ll now take on Hamill, a cast member from “The Ultimate Fighter 2” who was knocked out of the competition due to injury. Hamill hasn’t competed since UFC 75, when he lost a controversial split decision to Michael Bisping. Hamill had minor knee surgery after the fight but resumed training by December.
With the loss of Bonnar, the Boetsch-Hamill fight isn’t guaranteed to stay on the televised main card; after all, the event is perhaps the most talent-rich fight card in Spike TV history.
MMAjunkie.com.
****VIDEO: CROCOP at DREAM Press conference VIDEO. ****
http://www.nokaut.com/MMA/videos/?l=e&solo_id=139&title=DREAM+Press+Conference
Breaking News: Mirko Joins DREAM
PRIDE's 2006 Open-Weight Grand Prix champion Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic has officially parted ways with the UFC and signed with DREAM - a new collaborative effort between FEG (K-1, HERO'S) and former DSE staff (PRIDE).
The new event is a drastic change following new creative leadership over HERO's. FEG is hoping to bring new life to their MMA show and the addition of former DSE staff is what they are looking for.
At an official press conference on Wednesday the promotion announced that "Cro Cop" had joined their ranks and would be fighting on their upcoming March 15 card. No opponent was named.
Specific details surrounding his departure from the UFC are currently unknown.
Filipovic (22-6-2) signed with the UFC following his first major championship - winning PRIDE's 2006 Open-Weight Grand Prix. He made his UFC debut against Eddie Sanchez in February of 2007. Following his TKO win he lost his next two fights - succumbing to a head kick KO from Gabriel Gonzaga and dropping a decision to Cheick Kongo.
Prior to his 1-2 run in the UFC, "Cro Cop" was considered the number two heavyweight in the world. The Croatian striker holds wins over former UFC heavyweight champion and PRIDE's 2006 Open-Weight Grand Prix finalist Josh Barnett, Olympic Judo gold medalist Hidehiko Yoshida, Aleskander Emelianenko, former PRIDE middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva, Igor Vovchanchyn, Kevin Randleman, Mark Coleman, Heath Herring, Kazuyuki Fujita, Japanese superstar and MMA legend Kazushi Sakuraba, and Ikuhisa Minowa.
http://www.nokaut.com/MMA/videos/?l=e&solo_id=139&title=DREAM+Press+Conference
Breaking News: Mirko Joins DREAM
PRIDE's 2006 Open-Weight Grand Prix champion Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic has officially parted ways with the UFC and signed with DREAM - a new collaborative effort between FEG (K-1, HERO'S) and former DSE staff (PRIDE).
The new event is a drastic change following new creative leadership over HERO's. FEG is hoping to bring new life to their MMA show and the addition of former DSE staff is what they are looking for.
At an official press conference on Wednesday the promotion announced that "Cro Cop" had joined their ranks and would be fighting on their upcoming March 15 card. No opponent was named.
Specific details surrounding his departure from the UFC are currently unknown.
Filipovic (22-6-2) signed with the UFC following his first major championship - winning PRIDE's 2006 Open-Weight Grand Prix. He made his UFC debut against Eddie Sanchez in February of 2007. Following his TKO win he lost his next two fights - succumbing to a head kick KO from Gabriel Gonzaga and dropping a decision to Cheick Kongo.
Prior to his 1-2 run in the UFC, "Cro Cop" was considered the number two heavyweight in the world. The Croatian striker holds wins over former UFC heavyweight champion and PRIDE's 2006 Open-Weight Grand Prix finalist Josh Barnett, Olympic Judo gold medalist Hidehiko Yoshida, Aleskander Emelianenko, former PRIDE middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva, Igor Vovchanchyn, Kevin Randleman, Mark Coleman, Heath Herring, Kazuyuki Fujita, Japanese superstar and MMA legend Kazushi Sakuraba, and Ikuhisa Minowa.
Gomi Returns with a "Bang"
Takanori Gomi (Pictures) will take on UFC and K-1 veteran Duane "Bang" Ludwig (Pictures) on March 5 at Yoyogi National Stadium Gymnasium No. 1, World Victory Road announced Wednesday.
The 29-year-old Gomi, who announced his signing with WVR late last month, has not seen action since February 2007, where he took on Nick Diaz (Pictures) in their infamous Las Vegas encounter. Gomi was submitted in the second round via gogoplata, however, the fight was later overturned to a no-decision by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after Diaz tested positive for marijuana.
Ludwig, also 29, lost his most high profile bout in 2007 when he was dispatched by upstart UK product Paul Daley (Pictures). However, Ludwig rebounded in front of his hometown Colorado crowd in September, knocking out German Mario Stapel (Pictures) in under two minutes.
Ludwig was scheduled to compete two weeks before the slated Gomi bout on Feb. 23, when he was to take on Steve Berger (Pictures) as part of Strikeforce's card in Tacoma, Wash. Berger will now do battle with local fighter Eddy Ellis (Pictures).
WVR also unveiled two other bouts for the March 5 bill. BodogFight champion Nick "The Goat" Thompson will face Brazilian import Fabricio "Pitbull" Monteiro, and Ryo Kawamura (Pictures) meets undefeated Brazilian Antonio Braga Neto.
Earlier this week, WVR announced the signing of Kazuyuki Fujita (Pictures), who will be in action on the March 5 Sengoku bill against a yet-to-be-named opponent.
Takanori Gomi (Pictures) will take on UFC and K-1 veteran Duane "Bang" Ludwig (Pictures) on March 5 at Yoyogi National Stadium Gymnasium No. 1, World Victory Road announced Wednesday.
The 29-year-old Gomi, who announced his signing with WVR late last month, has not seen action since February 2007, where he took on Nick Diaz (Pictures) in their infamous Las Vegas encounter. Gomi was submitted in the second round via gogoplata, however, the fight was later overturned to a no-decision by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after Diaz tested positive for marijuana.
Ludwig, also 29, lost his most high profile bout in 2007 when he was dispatched by upstart UK product Paul Daley (Pictures). However, Ludwig rebounded in front of his hometown Colorado crowd in September, knocking out German Mario Stapel (Pictures) in under two minutes.
Ludwig was scheduled to compete two weeks before the slated Gomi bout on Feb. 23, when he was to take on Steve Berger (Pictures) as part of Strikeforce's card in Tacoma, Wash. Berger will now do battle with local fighter Eddy Ellis (Pictures).
WVR also unveiled two other bouts for the March 5 bill. BodogFight champion Nick "The Goat" Thompson will face Brazilian import Fabricio "Pitbull" Monteiro, and Ryo Kawamura (Pictures) meets undefeated Brazilian Antonio Braga Neto.
Earlier this week, WVR announced the signing of Kazuyuki Fujita (Pictures), who will be in action on the March 5 Sengoku bill against a yet-to-be-named opponent.
A ‘Dream’ Come True? New Promotion Announced
TOKYO, Feb. 13 -- Fight Entertainment Group and TBS will co-promote an event called Dream that will try to pick up where the former Japanese MMA giant Pride left off a year ago.
At a news conference Wednesday, representatives of FEG, TBS and the Yarennoka production team confirmed ongoing rumors of an alliance between FEG and staff members of former Pride promoters Dream Stage Entertainment. Described as being born from the "great dream alliance of New Year's Eve," today's presser introduced the world to Dream as the successor of both Pride and the K-1's Hero's series.
"Of course Pride is gone now, as is Hero's," said FEG President Sadaharu Tanikawa before the 300-plus fans and media in attendance. "However, we've wanted to put on a new mixed martial arts event that would continue the great dream alliance of last New Year's Eve. Promoting the event will be FEG, as well as TBS, while production will fall to the Yarennoka team.
"Heading the new promotion and matchmaking for us will be Keiichi Sasahara, while I personally will continue to do my best to support and produce K-1 events such as the K-1 World Grand Prix and K-1 Max. We want to put on cards that will be extensions of what was seen last New Year's Eve."
Although TBS bureau chief Kei Kano was reserved with his comments, Dream producer and front man Keiichi Sasahara recounted how the New Year's Eve experience had led to the creation of the new promotion, as well as how fan reaction had apparently been the impetus for the creation of the new event.
"We want to create a show that, first of all, would be enjoyed by the fans and will make for an exciting live event," Sasahara said. "We received around 3,000 signatures of fans who were requesting that we create that very event. The ‘world's greatest production team,' as praised by the fans, is going to put together something that no one has ever seen before."
Dream's first event will take place March 15 at former Pride home Saitama Super Arena. The show will kick off the promotion's lightweight grand prix. Headlining the tournament will be the long awaited Shinya Aoki (Pictures)-Gesias Calvancante (Pictures) bout, and expected to round out the card are fighters such as Tatsuya Kawajiri (Pictures), Mitsuhiro Ishida (Pictures), Andre Amade (Pictures), Caol Uno (Pictures), Bu Kyung Jung (Pictures), Kazuyuki Miyata (Pictures), Joachim Hansen (Pictures), Artur Oumakhanov (Pictures), Gilbert Melendez (Pictures), Luiz Buscape and Kotetsu Boku.
The announced weight limit for the Dream lightweight division is 154 pounds. While Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto, who attended the news conference, no longer fights at 154, Sasahara has said there are plans to create a new division for fighters such as Yamamoto. Also slated on the March card was the surprise addition of Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. When asked about the Croatian's current contract status with the UFC and whether it would interfere with his participation in Dream events, Sasahara said, "Though I can't share specific details about his contract, there will not be any foreseeable problems arising."
The 2006 Pride Grand Prix champion was vague in answering the question himself, qualifying his response by mentioning his intent to return to the American MMA giant sometime in the future.
"Well, as you all know, I had a bad period in my last two fights, which I'd lost in the UFC," Filipovic said. "I don't want anyone to think that I'm running away from the UFC, but I was thinking a lot about how to continue with my career, and I think in this moment, I think Dream is the right place for me.
"Another thing is that I never liked fighting in the cage. I always liked to fight in the ring. The second thing is that I liked fighting in Japan. Japan is like my second home -- I feel like I'm home in Japan. All those reasons [have brought me] here, and I'm very happy that I'm going to fight here in Japan. But of course, one day, I don't know when, but definitely I'll be back in the UFC to show that it was just a bad period for me. Now I'm fully recovered, physically and mentally, most important mentally."
Dream officials also mentioned plans for a middleweight grand prix to alternate cards with Dream's lightweight grand prix, though no names were cited as far as potential participants.
In the form of a short video message and a written address, Royce Gracie (Pictures), Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures) and Vadim Finklestein all expressed their support for the new promotion, as well as Gracie's and Emelianenko's intent to participate in future events.
Dream Weight Classes:
Lightweight: 154 lbs / 70 kg
Welterweight: 168 lbs / 76 kg
Middleweight: 185 lbs / 84 kg
Light Heavyweight: 205 lbs / 93 kg
Heavyweight: More than 205 lbs / 93 kg
Dream Event Schedule:
March 15: Heiwa Dream.1
Lightweight Grand Prix 2008 Opening Round at the Saitama Super Arena
April 29: Olympia Dream.2
Middleweight Grand Prix 2008 Opening Round at the Saitama Super Arena
May 11: Heiwa Dream.3
Lightweight Grand Prix 2008 Second Round at the Saitama Super Arena
Mid June (TBD): Olympia Dream.4
Middleweight Grand Prix 2008 Second Round at Yokohama Arena, Japan or Korea
July 21: Heiwa Dream.5
Lightweight Grand Prix 2008 Final Round at Osaka Castle Hall
Late September (TBD): Dream.6
Middleweight Grand Prix 2008 Final Round at Saitama Super Arena
TOKYO, Feb. 13 -- Fight Entertainment Group and TBS will co-promote an event called Dream that will try to pick up where the former Japanese MMA giant Pride left off a year ago.
At a news conference Wednesday, representatives of FEG, TBS and the Yarennoka production team confirmed ongoing rumors of an alliance between FEG and staff members of former Pride promoters Dream Stage Entertainment. Described as being born from the "great dream alliance of New Year's Eve," today's presser introduced the world to Dream as the successor of both Pride and the K-1's Hero's series.
"Of course Pride is gone now, as is Hero's," said FEG President Sadaharu Tanikawa before the 300-plus fans and media in attendance. "However, we've wanted to put on a new mixed martial arts event that would continue the great dream alliance of last New Year's Eve. Promoting the event will be FEG, as well as TBS, while production will fall to the Yarennoka team.
"Heading the new promotion and matchmaking for us will be Keiichi Sasahara, while I personally will continue to do my best to support and produce K-1 events such as the K-1 World Grand Prix and K-1 Max. We want to put on cards that will be extensions of what was seen last New Year's Eve."
Although TBS bureau chief Kei Kano was reserved with his comments, Dream producer and front man Keiichi Sasahara recounted how the New Year's Eve experience had led to the creation of the new promotion, as well as how fan reaction had apparently been the impetus for the creation of the new event.
"We want to create a show that, first of all, would be enjoyed by the fans and will make for an exciting live event," Sasahara said. "We received around 3,000 signatures of fans who were requesting that we create that very event. The ‘world's greatest production team,' as praised by the fans, is going to put together something that no one has ever seen before."
Dream's first event will take place March 15 at former Pride home Saitama Super Arena. The show will kick off the promotion's lightweight grand prix. Headlining the tournament will be the long awaited Shinya Aoki (Pictures)-Gesias Calvancante (Pictures) bout, and expected to round out the card are fighters such as Tatsuya Kawajiri (Pictures), Mitsuhiro Ishida (Pictures), Andre Amade (Pictures), Caol Uno (Pictures), Bu Kyung Jung (Pictures), Kazuyuki Miyata (Pictures), Joachim Hansen (Pictures), Artur Oumakhanov (Pictures), Gilbert Melendez (Pictures), Luiz Buscape and Kotetsu Boku.
The announced weight limit for the Dream lightweight division is 154 pounds. While Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto, who attended the news conference, no longer fights at 154, Sasahara has said there are plans to create a new division for fighters such as Yamamoto. Also slated on the March card was the surprise addition of Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. When asked about the Croatian's current contract status with the UFC and whether it would interfere with his participation in Dream events, Sasahara said, "Though I can't share specific details about his contract, there will not be any foreseeable problems arising."
The 2006 Pride Grand Prix champion was vague in answering the question himself, qualifying his response by mentioning his intent to return to the American MMA giant sometime in the future.
"Well, as you all know, I had a bad period in my last two fights, which I'd lost in the UFC," Filipovic said. "I don't want anyone to think that I'm running away from the UFC, but I was thinking a lot about how to continue with my career, and I think in this moment, I think Dream is the right place for me.
"Another thing is that I never liked fighting in the cage. I always liked to fight in the ring. The second thing is that I liked fighting in Japan. Japan is like my second home -- I feel like I'm home in Japan. All those reasons [have brought me] here, and I'm very happy that I'm going to fight here in Japan. But of course, one day, I don't know when, but definitely I'll be back in the UFC to show that it was just a bad period for me. Now I'm fully recovered, physically and mentally, most important mentally."
Dream officials also mentioned plans for a middleweight grand prix to alternate cards with Dream's lightweight grand prix, though no names were cited as far as potential participants.
In the form of a short video message and a written address, Royce Gracie (Pictures), Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures) and Vadim Finklestein all expressed their support for the new promotion, as well as Gracie's and Emelianenko's intent to participate in future events.
Dream Weight Classes:
Lightweight: 154 lbs / 70 kg
Welterweight: 168 lbs / 76 kg
Middleweight: 185 lbs / 84 kg
Light Heavyweight: 205 lbs / 93 kg
Heavyweight: More than 205 lbs / 93 kg
Dream Event Schedule:
March 15: Heiwa Dream.1
Lightweight Grand Prix 2008 Opening Round at the Saitama Super Arena
April 29: Olympia Dream.2
Middleweight Grand Prix 2008 Opening Round at the Saitama Super Arena
May 11: Heiwa Dream.3
Lightweight Grand Prix 2008 Second Round at the Saitama Super Arena
Mid June (TBD): Olympia Dream.4
Middleweight Grand Prix 2008 Second Round at Yokohama Arena, Japan or Korea
July 21: Heiwa Dream.5
Lightweight Grand Prix 2008 Final Round at Osaka Castle Hall
Late September (TBD): Dream.6
Middleweight Grand Prix 2008 Final Round at Saitama Super Arena