MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

Penn Wants Late Summer Return

It’s family time for B.J. Penn, which means the UFC lightweight champion might not be back in the cage as soon as others would like.

UFC President Dana White told multiple press outlets last week that Penn’s next title defense against No. 1 contender Kenny Florian was a possibility for UFC 99 on June 13 in Cologne, Germany. However, Penn’s older brother and manager J.D. told Sherdog.com on Monday that the date is not feasible for his celebrated sibling.

“No, it’s too close to BJ’s last fight,” the elder Penn wrote in a text message. “He wants to spend time with his baby.”

Penn, 30, welcomed his first child, daughter Aeva, to the growing Hilo clan in October 2008. However, the new father spent a substantial amount of time thereafter promoting and training for his Jan. 31 mega-fight against UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre at UFC 94 in Las Vegas.

St. Pierre pummeled Penn (13-5-1) for the majority of four rounds in their 170-pound contest until the Hawaiian’s cornermen called it quits before the last stanza. The bout's outcome has been hotly contested by allegations that St. Pierre's corner used Vaseline to grease the Canadian and keep him out of the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt's grasp. Now Penn's camp wants their fighter to receive all the time he needs to re-group for his bout with Florian.

“We are still negotiating the fight,” the elder Penn said. “No date [is] scheduled, but we are thinking late July or early August.”

The UFC might be anxious for their talented lightweight champion to return to the division where he’s had the most success, but Penn has always moved to the beat of his own drum. Penn, who comes from a wealthy background, has been unhindered by the usual financial burdens other fighters have had to bare. In fact, the shortest time Penn has paused between fights since his return to the Octagon in 2006 has been four months, though he’s averaged closer to half-year hiatuses in all other cases.

Florian, who earned his shot at the vaunted lightweight with a tour de force first-round submission over Joe Stevenson at UFC 91 last November, said the UFC had voiced tentative plans for a June 13 showdown.

“I talked to my manager Joe Cavallaro today and [UFC matchmaker] Joe Silva told him June 13,” Florian said to Sherdog.com on Monday. “That was the date they wanted because they wanted it to be the main event and the only main event. That’s what fight made the most amount of sense for June 13. July [11, UFC 100] apparently is backed up, so July’s probably out of the question, and August…”

Though it’s far from finalized and the promotion will have the final say in determining the bout’s date, an even-handed Florian (11-3) said he’d be willing to wait if he had to, especially if it meant it would produce Penn at his best.

“For me, it’s the fight that I want and it’s the fight he wants and we both need to come to terms on it, so if that’s what I need to do to make it happen, if I have to wait, then I have no choice,” he said.

Florian, 32, said he could adjust his training as needed. Still, a postponed date would effect the Boston native in a way the affluent Penn family never has to worry about.

“Schedule-wise it makes it a little difficult because money-wise, you expect a certain amount to come in and I’ve been trying to budget things accordingly,” said Florian, who earned $80,000 for his last win. “It might be a little tougher now.”

Still, the would-be challenger kept his chin up.

“Maybe they’ll say it’s in Boston,” he laughed.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Family Feud is No Game

If the Gracies are the first family of fighting, the Shamrocks certainly aren’t too far behind. However, adopted brothers Ken and Frank have brought a whole new meaning to the term.

“If he were to walk in front of my gym right now, I would beat his ass,” said Ken Shamrock on the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show on Monday. “Whether it’s going to happen other than that I have no idea because I’m not in charge of that. I’m willing to beat his ass. I’ll make this loud and clear. I will beat his ass. I don’t need a contract.”

While a bout between the volatile siblings –- both legends of the game -- has been bandied about for the last couple of years, it’s a matchup the brothers have had to fight to keep alive and are starting to doubt will ever happen.

After dropping five straight bouts in the last three years, Ken Shamrock (27-13-2) rebounded with a one-minute submission victory over super heavyweight Ross Clifton on Feb. 13. Frank Shamrock (23-9-2) broke his arm in his last loss against striking sensation Cung Le at Strikeforce nearly a year ago. Neither fighter has stayed particularly relevant to the sport’s active rankings. Still, their proposed bout against one another has garnered more than it’s fair share of attention.

“It was my idea and I got the first contract for Ken, which he did sign,” the younger Shamrock, 36, told “Beatdown” on Monday. “The minute he got knocked out by [Robert ‘Buzz’ Berry [at Cage Rage in March 2008] all the financing was pulled out the window. We got another contract and deal in place then when Ken didn’t show up October 4, every network and every financial backer [wanted] absolutely nothing to do with Ken Shamrock. So unless I pay for it and/or drive there and kick his ass, I don’t think it’s going to happen.”

The 45-year-old Shamrock and Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson were slated to headline EliteXC’s third installment of “Saturday Night Fights” last October on CBS, but the UFC Hall of Famer was deemed medically ineligible to compete after he sustained a gash over his eye warming up for the bout earlier in the day. CBS and HDNet were two of the networks interested in the “Blood Brothers” billing until Ken dropped from the Oct. 4 card, said the younger Shamrock.

“Well the Buzz Berry loss was manageable,” said the former UFC middleweight champion. “We could have recovered from that. In fact, we did recover from that. But not showing up for a fight and suddenly getting a very mysterious eye cut, especially the day after you tried to hold the network up for more money, it’s just not good business.”

Business, monetary or not, wasn’t the only thing on Ken Shamrock’s mind that day, he admits.

“I got a call. My father took a turn for the worst. He was going in for surgery and we were going through contract negotiations on the same day with these guys so I had all this junk in my head,” said Shamrock. “I told them to put everything on hold and we’ll work things out later. I’ve got to get my head back into fight. I pulled my friend aside, Dan Freeman, and told him I was completely out of touch with this fight. He said, ‘Let’s roll around a little bit to get your mind right.’”

Siblings pointing fingers at one another is nothing surprising, said the elder Shamrock.

“Frank, when we went through with this thing, had never intended on doing this fight,” he said. “I said this six months ago when they first brought this to my attention. I said I’m fine to talk about this and I did interviews all the way up to three months ago, where I said I wish this fight would happen but I’m telling you right now Frank won’t do this fight. He won’t fight me. He’ll find a way for this not to happen. He throws my name out there like he’s going to fight me. Everyone jumps on board and starts doing interviews with him and then he goes off and does something else because he got his name back up again.”

As if on cue, Frank Shamrock named his adopted brother -- albeit with an air of hesitancy -- as a potential suitor following his 195-pound catch-weight bout against Nick Diaz at Strikeforce on April 11 in San Jose, Calif.

“There’s always the option for Ken,” said Frank Shamrock on Monday. “Ken’s just made some very bad decisions as of late and frankly I’ve spent a lot of time and money making that fight happen and I’m very disappointed that it may or may not happen at this point.”

Surprisingly, one of the feuding brothers’ greater points of contention –- their ailing father Bob –- has been one of the elusive fight’s biggest proponents. Bob Shamrock, who took Ken and Frank into his boys’ home program and helped raise them during their younger years, underwent heart and kidney surgery last October.

According to Ken, Frank “turned his back” on the “only man that cared about him.” Still, Ken believes Bob wants this bout to happen just as much as anyone.

“My father, when we set this, he said that he hopes this fight would happen and the best man would win,” said Ken Shamrock. “He doesn’t mean by me winning or by Frank winning. He just means by that God will come in and take over this fight. It would bring things to a close and things would be forgiven. My father is the kind of guy that reached out and helped thousands of kids. His whole personality is to giving kids a second opportunity and that’s all he’s done his whole life. That’s what he thinks right now. He hopes this thing will happen and put all this to rest. My father has been very angry with Frank, but at the same time he wishes this could be put behind us.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Frank Shamrock again ready to blaze trail

Frank Shamrock has been on the ground floor of several new MMA companies, so it's nothing new for him to be headlining on the debut of the latest, and perhaps most significant, opposition to the UFC's throne when the revamped Strikeforce debuts on Showtime in April, building to the company's CBS debut later in the year.

Shamrock, 36, is in the main event of the first card on April 11 in San Jose against Nick Diaz.

It's just the latest in firsts for Shamrock:

In his 1994 MMA debut, he was part of a 16-man tournament in Japan to crown the first major promotion world champion in the sport – the original King of Pancrase tournament, won by adopted older brother and original trainer, Ken Shamrock. Frank defeated Bas Rutten via decision in his first pro fight before losing in the second round of the tournament to Manabu Yamada.

In 1997, he was in the first legitimate main event match in RINGS, which up to that point had been a pro wrestling promotion, winning a decision over Tsuyoshi Kosaka, at the time one of the best heavyweights in the world.

Three months later, he became the first weight-class champion in UFC history, winning the middleweight (now known as light heavyweight) championship, beating former Olympic gold medalist Kevin Jackson in 14 seconds with an armbar.

In 2006, on the debut of the Strikeforce MMA promotion, and the first major show held in the state of California, he was in the main event, knocking out Cesar Gracie in 21 seconds.

The next year, he was on the debut of MMA on premium cable, the first show of EliteXC on Showtime, losing via disqualification for an illegal knee to the back of the head against Renzo Gracie. He was also the catalyst as headliner later that year for the first major joint promotional effort, the combined EliteXC and Strikeforce show in San Jose, when he defeated Phil Baroni.

All of those companies had a heyday, but RINGS hasn't existed for years, and IFL and EliteXC only lasted a few years. Pancrase still exists, but it hasn't been a major MMA promotion in a decade.

He's seen a lifetime of business failure – including stock in the IFL and EliteXC that at one point was worth millions on paper before the companies imploded – in a sport that until recent years, he wasn't even sure would even make it. But he's confident Strikeforce will avoid the mistakes that saw UFC lose millions before it turned its fortunes around in 2005 and killed most of the pretender companies.

"From Day One I knew ProElite didn't know what they were doing," he said. "They were making the same mistakes that Dana (White) made when he first got the UFC. They didn't have anyone who knew martial arts.

"The IFL, they came along with a concept (the teams idea), but they weren't ready for television, and television wasn't ready for them.

"They did all the things television people told them to do. They hired the pretty girl (to be the co-host of the TV show). They made music videos. It didn't work, and they had people who had worked for UFC and had seen what didn't work when UFC tried the same thing.



"When I started in UFC (the original version in late 1997), they were already in the grave. and I was trying to keep the dirt off.

"Bob (original owner Bob Meyrowitz) made a lot of mistakes. He treated the talent good but didn't understand the grave situation he had gotten himself into. By the time he embraced that he had to change (no longer market it as a freak show and needed athletic commissions to accept it as a sport), it was too late. Bob was proud and a little bit arrogant, and it came back to haunt him.

"With Strikeforce we didn't have the capitalization to take advantage of our initial success. We really expected 10,000 people at our first show (March 10, 2006, in San Jose's HP Pavilion). We ended up with 18,000 and turned away several thousand. It was a lot of things. The first show in California. MMA was just hitting it big. The Shamrock vs. Gracie names in the main event. But getting capitalized was a challenge."

Shamrock even believes that in the long haul, Strikeforce, with CBS clearances, has an advantage over UFC because UFC's television platform is the basic-cable Spike TV.

He noted that with more eyeballs watching, they have a bigger platform to create stars more quickly, and he believes the UFC's monthly $45 pay-per-view concept won't last forever.

Shamrock feels the difference between those who failed at a national level is that Scott Coker has 20 years experience in promotion, originally with kickboxing, and has been around the martial arts scene his whole life.

The companies that failed were either run by fans who didn't understand promoting or promoters who had no experience in martial arts and didn't know the sport.

"With Showtime and CBS, the technology, money and distribution are all there," he said.

The question is, even if the foundation to be a viable long-term second major U.S. promotion is in place, did it come in time for Shamrock?

"In my mind, I've got nine years left," he said. "I want (to) retire at 45 and have a 24-year-career. I feel I can do it."

But with the singular exception of Randy Couture, the plight of past-40 MMA fighters has not been pretty. Shamrock is coming off a broken arm in a loss to Cung Le in his last fight a year ago. He's taking a risk in fighting with a plate still in his arm, saying that he's been to seven doctors, and they are mixed on whether he should get the plate removed before fighting, with the risk being if the arm breaks again, the plates could sever a tendon. And the training injuries are coming more frequently now than when he was younger, causing him to have to constantly work around them.

He's also abandoning a long-held concept for a match that he thinks would capture the public's imagination more than even that of a usual big fight and taking on a new approach.

For years, he proposed "Blood Brothers," his idea for a pay-per-view fight against his brother, Ken Shamrock. He figured if the story of both of their lives and careers were told, it could be a match that would capture the imagination of people who weren't necessarily even fans of the sport. Promoter Gary Shaw of EliteXC was a major proponent of the idea and had talked of it being the main event for the company's first pay-per-view show. But the company burned through money so fast it never got there.

Frank Shamrock said he spent more than $100,000 trying to put it together and worked on it for a couple of years but is now resigned to the fact that it's not going to happen, much to the chagrin of Ken.

"Ken held CBS up (for more money) the day before the Kimbo fight," Frank Shamrock said, noting that when Ken Shamrock's name has been brought up with anyone from Showtime or CBS the past few months, it elicits a very cold response saying they have no interest.

His new idea is to venture into pro boxing and fight a big-name pro boxer, doing another first, as the first major name in MMA to face a major name pro boxer. He's even thrown out the name Antonio Tarver as his desired opponent.

On the surface, it sounds like suicide for someone who has never had a pro boxing match to face an experienced star under that person's rules.

Even though boxing is a part of MMA and virtually all fighters train as boxers, the sports are entirely different. Shamrock believes the first such match could draw huge curiosity from fans of both sports and perhaps even the general public, which would make the difference between normal and huge business.

It's one of the reasons Anderson Silva has talked of doing a match with Roy Jones Jr. While there are no guarantees, the first meeting of this type as a gimmick with big enough names and good enough hype has a shot of doing big numbers. But it's clearly a novelty and getting there second would be too late.

"It's always been a dream of mine," he said. "I came to a realization in 1999 of how important striking was going to become in this sport because it's the most efficient way to finish a fight. Almost all of my training in the last 10 years has been in boxing and kickboxing."

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC planning U.K. shows for late summer and early fall

Following this past weekend's successful UFC 95 event at The 02 in London, England, UFC U.K. President Marshall Zelaznik said the organization will likely return to the U.K. for an event in late summer and one in early fall.

Zelaznik recently discussed the two possible shows with the U.K.-based Fighter's Only magazine.

The UFC has officially announced no events past UFC 98, which takes place May 23 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

However, after a June show expected to take place in Cologne, Germany, the UFC is likely to return to Europe for the two U.K. shows later this year.

Every U.K. show to date has been a success in promoting the band overseas, and UFC 95 was no exception. With Diego Sanchez vs. Joe Stevenson in the main event and British star Dan Hardy vs. Rory Markham in the co-main event, UFC 95 drew more than 13,000 fans to create a live gate of more than $1 million. (However, as MMAPayout.com noted, UFC 85, which took place at the same venue, drew 15,327 fans for a gate of $2.93 million in June 2008.)

The show aired in the U.S. via delay on Spike TV. For a card that was sometimes criticized for a lack of starpower, the show created some solid fights. Sanchez scored an impressive unanimous-decision win in his lightweight debut, Demian Maia and Nate Marquardt both scored impressive stoppages to solidify their spots in the UFC's middleweight title picture, and UFC newcomer Paulo Thiago shocked fans with a first-round knockout of UFC veteran Josh Koscheck.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Spike TV's UFC 95 broadcast peaks with three million viewers

The recent Feb. 21 broadcast of "UFC 95: Sanchez vs. Stevenson," which aired via same-day tape delay this past Saturday on Spike TV, peaked with three million viewers.

The broadcast, originally slated to feature five fights (though a record total of nine actually made the broadcast), scored more viewers in the key demographics of Men 18-34 (634,000) and Men 18-49 (1.24 million) than any cable or network program during its 9 p.m. to midnight timeslot, Spike TV today announced.

The broadcast scored a 1.6 household rating and averaged 2.4 million viewers.

UFC 95 took place at The 02 in London, England. The peak number of viewers came approximately two-and-a-half hours into the broadcast for the main event between "The Ultimate Fighter 1" winner Diego Sanchez and "TUF2" winner Joe Stevenson. Sanchez, making his UFC debut at lightweight, ultimately won via unanimous decision.

Because only two of the night's 10 fights went to decision, Spike TV was able to broadcast nearly the entire card. Only the night's first preliminary bout, Troy Mandaloniz vs. Paul Kelly, didn't make the broadcast (Kelly won via unanimous decision). The previous record was seven fights.

According to the MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) ratings archives, the UFC 95 ratings were up sharply from Spike TV's most recent broadcasts, including UFC Fight Night 17, which aired live earlier this month. The Feb. 7 two-hour broadcast scored a 1.3 rating and averaged 1.7 million viewers. Additionally, a Dec. 13 airing of The Ultimate Fighter 8 Finale earned a 1.3 rating and averaged 1.9 million viewers. UFC Fight Night 16, which Spike TV broadcast on Dec. 10, also scored a 1.3 rating with 1.9 million viewers.

In fact, UFC 95 scored Spike TV's biggest UFC ratings since an October 2008 broadcast of "UFC 89: Bisping vs. Leben" from Birmingham, England. Like UFC 95, UFC 89 aired on same-day tape delay. The broadcast scored a household rating of 1.7 and averaged 2.6 million viewers.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Josh Thomson vs. Gilbert Melendez II official for April 11 Strikeforce event

With the organization having difficulty finding opponents for each fighter, Strikeforce will instead pit Strikeforce world lightweight champion Josh Thomson (16-2) vs. Gilbert Melendez (14-2) at the April 11 "Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz" event on Showtime.

The two fighters first fought in June 2008, and Thomson defeated then-champ Melendez with a shutout unanimous-decision victory.

Strikeforce executive Mike Afromowitz today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) Thomson vs. Melendez II is official for the April 11 event and will be a five-round title fight.

In recent hours, sources close to both fighters had told MMAjunkie.com that with most other options flaming out, Thomson vs. Melendez II had been agreed upon by both fighters.

The bout was first reported as a possibility by fiveouncesofpain.com on Monday.

"We were excited to put in on," said Afromowitz. "I think everyone wanted it, whether it was Showtime or Strikeforce. ... The first one was a great, and I think fans were hungry for more. Josh got the better of Gil that night, but it was still nominated as one of the year's best fights.

"Both guys are top-10 lightweights any way you look at it."

Soon after Strikeforce announced the acquisition of key ProElite assets, including EliteXC fighters and the Showtime broadcast deal, earlier this month, Strikeforce promoter Scott Coker announced the April 11 debut on Showtime.

In addition to Frank Shamrock vs. Nick Diaz (at a catch-weight of 179 pounds) in the main event, Thomson and Melendez were both mentioned as likely participants for the card. However, Coker initially hoped to pit Thomson against EliteXC lightweight champ K.J. Noons, and Melendez against PRIDE vet and recent Strikeforce signeee Mitsuhiro Ishida or UFC veteran Jorge Gurgel.

However, as MMAjunkie.com recently reported, Gurgel is still rehabbing a recent elbow injury and is unlikely to return before May. Additionally, Noons turned down the fight with Thomson, and Ishida recently entered DREAM's welterweight grand prix, which commences March 8.

Earlier this afternoon, a source close to Melendez told MMAjunkie.com that the fighter was open to the fight with Thomson since few other options were available. Additionally, a source close to Thomson said he, too, would agree to the fight with Melendez if he approved it.

That led to the organization booking Thomson vs. Melendez II today.

Thomson returns to competition for the first time since his September 2008 TKO victory over Ashe Bowman in a non-title fight. It was Thomson's eighth consecutive victory, which includes six stoppages.

Melendez, meanwhile, will fight for the first time since the original meeting with Thomson (which he lost 50-45 on all three judges' scorecards). After launching his professional career with 13 straight victories, Melendez is now 2-1 in his past three, which included a unanimous-decision loss to Ishida in December 2007 and a TKO victory over Gabe Lemley in March 2008.

In addition to Shamrock vs. Diaz and Thomson vs. Melendez II, Strikeforce has officially announced middleweight contests between "The Ultimate Fighter 4" cast member Scott Smith (16-5) and IFL/UFC vet Benji Radach (19-4), as well as reigning EliteXC middleweight champ Jake Shields (22-4-1) and Joe Riggs (29-10). The organization is also on the search for an opponents to meet former EliteXC stand-out female fighter Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos (6-1).

 

[Shogun Locc]

IS SILVA OR MAIA NEXT FOR MARQUARDT?

Greg Jackson disciple Nate Marquardt exploited a gap in footwork and conditioning to secure his seventh victory in the UFC on Saturday.

His opponent, Wilson Gouveia, a transplant to the middleweight division as of last year, ran short on gas in the third and was unable to stop a flying knee that was the beginning of the fight’s end.

If Marquardt looked more equipped to handle a three-round slugfest on Saturday, he took his lesson from Anderson Silva.

“I've changed my conditioning after I fought for the title,” said the 29-year-old fighter, who suffered a first-round blowout by the Brazilian champion at UFC 73. “I've got a great strength and conditioning coach, John Chambers. I felt great.

“Even when I'm tired in the third round, or whenever, I still feel explosive. I still feel I can move quickly and I have the knockout power in the hands.”

Of course, it was more than just his hands that sealed Gouveia’s fate. After landing the knee flush, Marquardt knocked the American Top Team product across the cage with a trio of high kicks, the last followed by a 45-degree spinning backfist. Gouveia sat in concession when another knee met his head.

The sequence was not unlike something the champ would cook up.

“The funny thing is I started in Karate and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu – full contact Karate – so I have a lot of stuff in my background where I'm able to pull from, like the spinning back fist," said Marquardt at UFC 95’s post-fight presser. “And I've been working a lot of Muay Thai with a British guy, James McSweeney, and it's helping me out a lot. I felt very good on my feet."

The win was Marquardt’s second straight since UFC 85, where repeated fouls cost him a victory over current contender Thales Leites. In his previous bout at UFC 88, he sent prospect Martin Kampmann to the welterweight division after dispatching the Danish fighter with a high kick and punches. Marquardt racked up four straight victories prior to his first bout with Silva.

Another prospect, undefeated jiu-jitsu phenom Demian Maia, appears poised for a contender bout to determine the challenger to the winner of Silva vs. Leites at UFC 97. Marquardt wants another chance to prove himself at the highest level, now that conditioning is a lesser concern. But if another Brazilian stands in his way, he will welcome a last test.

“I think my last three or four fights have shown that I deserve a title shot, but if I need to face Demian (Maia) first, that would be great," said Marquardt.

 

[Shogun Locc]

DAMACIO PAGE SHOOTS FOR TOP 10 AT WEC 39

With the decision by World Extreme Cagefighting to eliminate all weight classes 170-pounds and above, more emphasis will now fall upon the blossoming bantamweight division to fill the gap.

Among those 135-pounders looking not only to capitalize on the weight class’ emphasized importance is Greg Jackson student Damacio Page. A native of New Mexico, Page has always been a fighter to step up to face top competition, never once wanting to take safer fights to pad his record.

Such is the case on March 1, when he takes on No. 5 ranked Marcos Galvao in a feature match at the WEC 39 in Corpus Christi.

“I feel good,” said Page heading into the fight. “I set a personal goal that I want to accomplish this year – to not lose in ’09.”

For the first time in two years, Page fell to defeat, at the hands of No. 2 ranked bantamweight Brian Bowles in August. According to him, he’s not going to let the loss change how he fights as he works to accomplish his goal of a perfect 2009.

“Every time I put on a fight, I put on a show, 100 percent,” exclaimed Page. “I’m not one of those guys who is going to sit back; I’m one of those guys who is going to try to take control and fight.

“I’m not going to wait and see what happens, I’m going to try to push the action and make something happen.”

It’s this aggressiveness Page hopes will help him upset Marcos Galvao on March 1 in a fight that could determine who gets a title shot sometime down the road later this year.

“He’s a real tough kid,” he said of Galvao. “He’s a gamer and is going to go out there and is going to try to fight. He wouldn’t be ranked if he wasn’t good.

“I want to make it a stand-up war. If I do that I will do good. I don’t think there’s too many people at 135 who hit as hard as me. I think a lot of 135-pounders aren’t ready for that.”

Regardless of outcome, Page is not going to sit back and take things lightly, as he knows to make it into the rankings. He’s going to have to take hard fights each time out.

“I actually pushed to fight Brian and Marcos,” he stated. “I feel like I’m close to the Top 10 rankings and that I belong in those rankings; that’s why I push to fight guys like Brian and Marcos.

“I don’t think anybody at lower competition is going to be able to challenge me.”

While the bantamweight division was already gathering a head of steam heading into this year, the new emphasis on it to help carry the WEC in the future only means more opportunity for bigger and better things for exciting fighters such as Page.

“I want to thank Tapout for helping me out,” he concluded. “I want to thank everyone on the team for helping me get ready for this fight.

“Come out and support us, me and my teammate Leonard Garcia, and all local Chicano fighters. All you Latinos are out there watch us on Versus on March 1.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Melvin Manhoef: Walking Hand Grenade

Concussions, knockouts and migraine headaches have been handed out freely throughout the career of one of the absolute most dangerous strikers in the brief history of the sport.

Melvin Manhoef is the very definition of a knockout artist. A walking hand grenade. Twenty three times he has tasted victory in mixed martial arts and twenty two of those times the Dutch terminator has finished his fights on his terms, violently, and by knockout.

It’s no surprise that Manhoef has long been referred to throughout Holland as the Dutch Mike Tyson. Like Manhoef, Tyson was typically the smaller man in the ring but usually found a way to even the odds with the dynamite in his fists.

However, the two are far from identical. Manhoef has a kick that would make Tong Po proud and Tyson never had some of the worlds best submission artists trying, with every fiber of their being, to take him to the mat and choke the life out of him.

Born in Paramaribo, Suriname, fighting wasn’t always in the script for Manhoef. His uncle, ‘Django’, was a professional kickboxer and would often try to get the young Manhoef to give kickboxing a try, to no avail. Even after his childhood friends began training with his uncle, and his brother became involved with the sport, Manhoef could not be persuaded. He was going to be an athlete, but he wasn’t going to be a fighter.

“As a child I started playing soccer,” reflected Manhoef in an exclusive interview with FiveOuncesOfPain.com. ”I was quite talented and was training hard to become a pro.”

“I was never really interested in kickboxing. My uncle was a famous fighter in Rotterdam, he tried to excite me for the sport but I showed no interest. My brother Moreno was also fighting at the time.”

At just 12-years old, Manhoef moved to the city of Zaandam, which is just outside of Amsterdam, and joined the soccer academy of AZ. Long one of Holland’s most beloved soccer teams, AZ Alkmaar gave the aspiring up and comer a shot after a couple of Manhoef’s friends had convinced some of the teams scouts to give the young Dutchman a look.

Everything was coming along as planned for Manhoef in his journey to become a professional soccer player until disaster struck. According to Manhoef, the death of one dream was just the birth of another.

“After I broke my ankle and couldn’t play soccer anymore I thought I would finally give kickboxing a try,” said Manhoef. “From that point on, I liked it very much. Within three months I entered the ring for the first time.”

The ability to separate his opponents from consciousness has always come fairly easy to the ferociously aggressive thirty two year old. Manhoef has been knocking people out since day one.

“From quite early on I was very strong,” admitted Manhoef. ”Even when I was eighteen years old and 155-160 pounds, I had a strong punch with knockout power. When I got heavier this developed much more and I got even stronger.”

Upon entering the world of professional fighting, Manhoef has trained with many of the very best gyms in Holland. He has trained with Choku Gym in Zaandam, Rock Gym in Zaandam, and Chakuri Gym in Amsterdam in before finally settling with his current gym, and according to Manhoef, there’s no place like home.

Owner of Mike’s Gym and Manhoef’s head trainer, Mike Passenier is more than just ‘coach’ to the former Cage Rage champion. Passenier has become a mentor and friend to Manhoef, inside the ring, and out.

“Mike made me better and stronger as a fighter,” said Manhoef. ”He made me wiser and more focused in the ring. Also, outside the ring he made me more mature and focused.”

Passenier has produced many of Holland’s most feared fighters, among them, one of K-1’s most lethal heavyweight strikers, Badr Hari. Having a guy like Hari available in the gym has become a huge benefit for Manhoef in more ways than one.

“Me and Badr Hari have spent a lot of time together because of all of the fights that we have had in Japan,” said Manhoef. ”He is a good friend of mine. When we travel, we have a great time and laugh a lot.”

“Only when we are sparring are we not so friendly.”

Manhoef showed what he’s all about in his most recent performance when he agreed to face the much larger Mark Hunt on less than twenty four hours notice for the K-1 Dynamite New Years Eve event. His only training for the fight was his time on the mitts before he went out.

“I wasn’t supposed to fight in Dynamite, so I wasn’t really in training,” admitted Manhoef. ”I went along with Badr for his fight against Alistair Overeem. The night before the event K-1 asked me to fight because Jerome Le Banner couldn’t fight Mark.”

Manhoef would be lying if he said that the short notice and massive difference in weight didn’t have him a little bit shook up, but Melvin doesn’t scare easily.

“Sure, I was a little worried about taking the fight with Mark on such short notice,” confessed Manhoef when asked if the lack of a training camp was playing on his mind when he entered the ring against Hunt.

“The weight difference was nearly 100 pounds and I wasn’t really trained for a fight,” he continued. ”I knew it was challenge for me. After my victory over Paul Slowinsky, who was 45 pounds heavier than me, I knew I could handle the weight difference. Since I’m smaller and lighter than most guys, I have to fight heavier guys anyway.”

Hunt rushed in at Manhoef in the opening moments of round one and was met with a shower of fists that left the hefty New Zealander with the iron chin sprawled out on the canvas, unconscious. Hunt’s cast iron jaw may have been the type that legends are made of, but in MMA, there’s a first time for everything.

“Mark had never been knocked out before,” pointed out Manhoef. ”I think it was a surprise for the both of us.”

“It was the best possible outcome for me”

At the bouts conclusion, Manhoef took the microphone and joked about possibly facing off with the 7′2″, 330 pound, Hong Man Choi. A fight that the freak show crazed Japanese fans would surely love to see, but a fight that, according to Manhoef, won’t be happening anytime soon.

“I won’t fight Hong Man Choi, the size difference is too big,” said Manhoef. ”Although, I would wonder if I had a chance.”

While he won’t be fighting anyone over seven foot tall anytime in the near future, there is one man that Manhoef has been itching to fight for quite some time now. Having recently beaten one of his fighting idols in Kazushi Sakuraba, there is just one more guy that the Dutch bomber has left on his “former hero’s to fight bucket list”.

“It would be an honor to fight Wanderlei,” said the 5′9″, 200 pound wrecking machine.

A fight with Wanderlei Silva would mean that either fighter would have to come to the other’s promotion. It’s safe to say that the UFC has no plans of renting out “The Axe Murderer” anytime soon, so what’s left is a possible move to the UFC for Manhoef. A move that has been speculated upon among hardcore fans for years, and unfortunately, a move that will have to wait. Manhoef said that he’s doing good, right where he’s at.

“At the moment I’m really not thinking about that,” admitted Manhoef when asked about a possible move to any of the major promotions in the United States. ”I’m happy with the K-1 organization. I just focus on my career in Japan for this moment.”

Although the match up with Silva will most definitely have it’s share of road blocks and obstacles to overcome, there is one fight that Manhoef desires that could become a reality, sooner, rather than later.

“Of course I want a rematch with Gegard,” confessed Manhoef. ”I’m very disappointed with myself for losing this fight and the DREAM title.”

Just because the man referred to as “No Mercy” has no immediate plans of fighting in the states, that doesn’t mean he’s not a fan of the country. Having trained with The American Top Team in Florida recently, if a rematch with Gegard Mousasi was to come to fruition, a return to America may be in order.

“I will definitely go back to ATT to train,” said Manhoef. ”The guys there help me to improve my ground skills and have become good friends of mine.”

Sure, Manhoef is back to business as usual, knocking people senseless any chance he can get, but not very long ago the electrifying finisher made an announcement that he was done with the sport. He was walking away from the game.

So many times in the fight world, there is more than meets the eye, especially when it comes to the fighters lives on the home front. The sacrifices that go into competing at the level that Manhoef does on a fight to fight basis comes with a price tag.

“I made a lot of sacrifices for a long time,” explained Manhoef. “My life was all about training, I was in the gym 24/7 and I didn’t do anything else or see or talk to anyone.”

“During the time I was in Japan for Dream 6, my father lost his wife. I couldn’t be there for him then. This made me realize that there are more important things in life than fighting. I had to be there for my family too.”

Once a fighter, always a fighter, and Manhoef just can’t shake that bug. Luckily for him, he has come to grips with the fact that he just can’t seem to stay away from this game that he has come to love and another departure from the walking highlight reel is not looming in the immediate future.

“For a long time I’ve been fighting both in MMA and kickboxing,” said Manhoef. ”I will keep continuing both disciplines. I will keep on giving the fans exciting and spectacular fights.”

There’s more to fighting now for Manhoef than just the fun of it, or making a living for himself, he has mouths to feed. His special talent of being able to pummel another man into complete bewilderment has the potential to make it a lot easier for those he cares for the most in the long run.

“I think about my children’s future,” admitted Manhoef. ”I want the best for them. My fighting can maybe give them a better future. So I’ll do all I can.”

It’s not only his children that Manhoef looks after. He has started a program in Holland to help the kids find an outlet for their aggression and do something positive with their lives.

“We started Kickbox Kids to improve and professionalize kickboxing for children up to 15 years old,” said Manhoef. ”We organize events and tournaments in which the children are the center of attention.”

The position of responsibility in the lives of many of the young students that look up to Manhoef is one that he welcomes.

“The kids look up to me and I try to be a role model,” said Manhoef.

There were a few people that Manhoef wanted to thank for supporting him throughout his fighting career.

“I would like the fans who support me. I need the support to keep giving my best. I would like to thank the people around me who help me train and make sure I can focus on training. The people closest to me help me a lot they make it possible for me to focus on training and fighting and take many other things of my shoulders. They help me achieve my goals. Of course, I want to thank my sponsors, Fraldi Real Estate and MDY Sports Nutrition. MDY Sports Nutrition products help me recover, give me strength and help me build and keep up my physique.”

 

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UFC Inks Akiyama

The Ultimate Fighting Championship today announced that it has signed top-ten middleweight contender Yoshihiro Akiyama to an exclusive promotional contract that will see him step into the UFC Octagon for the first time this summer.

“I’m excited to bring Akiyama into the UFC and I can see him making an immediate impact in the middleweight division,” said UFC President Dana White. “Besides his great judo and submission game, he’s a finisher, and UFC fans are going to love watching him because he always shows up to fight.”

Born of Korean descent in Osaka, Japan, Akiyama first made his name in the international sports world as a decorated black belt in judo who collected numerous titles, including a Gold medal in the 2002 Asian Games.

By 2004, Akiyama sought a new challenge in the world of mixed martial arts, and he made an immediate impact on December 31, 2004 when he debuted with a first round submission win in his bout against former world heavyweight boxing champion Francois Botha.

Over the next three years, the 5 foot 10 Akiyama built a stellar reputation as one of the best fighters in the world, submitting highly-touted knockout artist Melvin Manhoef, knocking out UFC middleweight Denis Kang, and engaging in battles with the likes of Kazushi Sakuraba and Kazuo Misaki. In 2008, the 33-year old continued his run of excellence, submitting Katsuyori Shibata and Masanori Tonooka to up his stellar MMA record to 12-1 with two no-contests, with none of his bouts going the distance.

Press conferences in Japan and Korea will take place in the coming days; details to be announced shortly.

No opponent or date has been determined for Akiyama’s UFC debut.

 

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Mizugaki in Against Torres at WEC 40

An injured Brian Bowles has withdrawn from his title bout against World Extreme Cagefighting bantamweight champion Miguel Torres at WEC 40 on April 5 at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, but top-10 ranked Takeya Mizugaki has stepped out of the wings to fill the void. The replacement bout has been agreed to and will be inked shortly, according to multiple sources close to the negotiations.

The undefeated Bowles, who’s clocked in four straight WEC victories, suffered a severe back injury on Monday and will recuperate for the next month, said a camp source.

The 25-year-old Japanese standout has been offered a five-fight deal with the promotion, according to his management, with Mizugaki’s first order of business to be against the revered East Chicago, Ind., native in a five-round title tilt.

Torres (35-1), one of the sport’s most accomplished competitors, will carry an incredible 16-fight winning streak into his third title defense. The 28-year-old firebrand last competed in December when he throttled the previously undefeated Manny Tapia at WEC 37, burying the Californian under a second-round barrage of punches and elbows. Torres has finished his last 11 opponents -- six of them inside one round -- and has not tasted defeat in more than five years.

Mizugaki (11-2-2) was an overwhelming favorite in Greatest Common Multiple’s Cage Force bantamweight tournament, where he punched out veteran Masahiro Oishi in December’s final to take the title. The former Shooto rookie MVP is currently ranked as Sherdog.com’s No. 6 bantamweight.

Also on the card, former featherweight title challenger Jeff Curran will make his long-awaited debut at 135 pounds when he meets the fast-rising Joseph Benavidez at WEC 40.

A polished Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, Curran (29-10-1) has dropped back-to-back fights to the world’s top two featherweights -- Mike Thomas Brown and Urijah Faber -- and has not competed since June. The 31-year-old holds victories against former International Fight League featherweight champion Wagnney Fabiano, Rafael Assuncao and Antonio Carvalho, among others.

Benavidez (9-0), a Faber protégé, made a successful promotional debut at WEC 37 last December, though he was taken the distance for the first time in a unanimous decision victory against Danny Martinez. Six of his nine wins have come by submission.

 

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Mayeda Examines MMA’s Role in Society

Fights inside and outside the cage and ring fall under the mixed martial arts umbrella. For David Mayeda, MMA has become as much about responsibility as excitement.

The “human cockfighting” phrase still reverberates, despite support from mainstream advertisers like Nike, Bud Light and Microsoft. Mayeda, who earned his PhD in American Studies from the University of Hawaii, set out to explore MMA’s place in society in 2005 after coming to know the sport through “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series.

“I knew, even though I was seduced by mixed martial arts as a fan, it potentially could have differing effects on society in terms of violence,” said Mayeda, who has placed his academic focus on violence prevention geared toward youth.

“Fighting for Acceptance: Mixed Martial Artists and Violence in American Society” was published in February 2008. Mayeda took his theses from print to film when he directed, co-produced and narrated the documentary “MMA 808: Inside Hawaii’s Fight Game,” which was later derived from his book.

“I’m going to stick to my assertion that because MMA is the closest thing to the complete sport of fighting, it holds -- the sport as a whole holds -- a broader social responsibility,” he said. “That overlap between MMA and street school or domestic violence is the most striking concern for me socially. I’d like to see the MMA community take a broader responsibility in distancing the sport from those types of violence and sending out the right social messages to prevent those types of violence.”

MMA enthusiasts charge Mayeda with taking the sport backward by acknowledging its warts. Detractors, on the other hand, view him as an apologist.

The Hawaiian recognizes reluctance to be honest about the sport because of the obstacles it has had to overcome to become accepted in the mainstream. If the UFC applies its marketing muscle to social issues, it can make a visible impact, according to Mayeda. He was pleased with UFC Fight Night 16 “Fight for the Troops” in December and hopes the show serves as the first step in significant social involvement.

Balance between violence and the “feel good” story seems paramount, and the former high school football player points to the NFL as a potential model for the UFC. That organization -- the most popular and powerful professional sports entity in America -- also walks arm-in-arm with violence.

“They have really strong charitable organizations that they promote during their commercials during their games,” Mayeda said.

Responsibility does not rest solely with the UFC. If an MMA promotion can profit from a community, it can give back to it, as well. Mayeda offered one startling example of MMA doing its best to curb violence. In Kailua, Hawaii, more than a year ago, a man beat his ex-girlfriend to death with the butt of his gun. MMA Hawaii executives who run MMA Hawaii Magazine and mmahawaii.com recognized the perpetrator as one of the spectators at an event they sponsored.

In response, MMA Hawaii initiated partnerships with the Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Mothers Against Drunk Driving. MMA Hawaii Magazine also enlisted Icon Sport middleweight champion Kala Hose and had him pose with his daughter under the caption: “You love your daughter. You want to give her the world. Start by treating her mother with respect. Real fighters keep it in the ring.” Mayeda thinks responsible fighters should speak out against domestic violence, drunken driving, substance abuse and other social ailments more often.

Even with island MMA in recovery after the extended absence of Rumble on the Rock and Icon Sport -- Mayeda believes MMA was more popular in 2001 than it is now -- ads like the one involving Hose do more than educate fans; they educate lawmakers, too. It frustrates Mayeda that similar campaigns are not already fixtures in the sport.

“I think those icons need to be pushed, not just as athletes but as humanitarians, as well,” he said. “I think that can do a lot to change the culture of mixed martial arts.”

Mayeda thinks MMA has the power to use its popularity to bring about positive change. He and Antonio McKee -- a former International Fight League standout who also works with children in his community -- agree that youth violence prevention programs involving MMA appeal to at-risk kids because it provides a release through which they can draw on their physical abilities. However, advancing the culture of MMA has many obstacles, and one -- “The Ultimate Fighter” -- stands out above all the rest.

Each installment of the Spike TV reality series brings promising talent to the UFC. What happens along the way perturbs Mayeda. The fights may not be official, but UFC President Dana White’s presence -- along with prominent fighters serving as coaches -- makes the show a representation of the UFC, in particular, and MMA, in general. It has a heavy influence on first impressions.

“They already have the [male] 20- and 30-something demographic kind of hooked,” Mayeda said. “So I don’t know that ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ is bringing new fans from that demographic. They need to be reaching out to an older demographic, men and women.”

Mayeda sees it as a tug-of-war between long-term investment and a shortsighted play for ratings and cash. He points again to the NFL, which puts together family-friendly events despite the inherent violence associated with football. MMA role models abound, according to Mayeda.

“[Rosi Sexton has] a 2-year-old child and [is an] 8-1 mixed martial artist with a PhD,” he said.

Mayeda now watches traditional MMA programming as he continues his advocacy for a sport still struggling to find its identity. The more he speaks out, the more criticism he receives. His is a thankless job. Mayeda no longer watches “The Ultimate Fighter,” even though it brought him to MMA. He suggests Junie Allen Browning’s antics on the most recent season countered the UFC’s efforts to keep negative images -- like the infamous Noah Thomas-Marlon Sims street fight on season five -- under wraps. Mixed signals are being sent.

“It’s hard to reconcile that inconsistency,” Mayeda said. “It’s like ‘Jackass’ the movie for the series. They’re really helping to create that ambiance. I just don’t understand anymore. They should have learned from TUF 1. They’re not evolving. They’re devolving.”

Mayeda wants MMA to borrow from traditional martial arts. Teach it for discipline, self defense and self-esteem building. Teach younger students more grappling than striking. Build family relationships and educational goals.

“Those are the things that martial arts schools are known for doing,” he said. “If MMA schools can capture that identity and really pursue those goals, it’ll have a much easier time gaining acceptance across the country.”

 

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Lineup Fills for UFC Fight Night 18

“The Ultimate Fighter 8” winners Efrain Escudero and Ryan Bader have dance partners for April Fool’s Day.

The unbeaten Escudero (11-0) will meet Jeremy Stephens in a featured lightweight bout at UFC Fight Night 18 on April 1 at the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tenn. The UFC has announced 11 fights for the show, as the promotion plunges head first into the Music City.

A collegiate All-American wrestler, Escudero roared through the competition on “The Ultimate Fighter,” capping his run with a unanimous decision victory against the favored Phillipe Nover in December. Shaped by the Rage in the Cage and Cage Supremacy promotions, the 23-year-old Arizonan has secured nine of his 11 career wins by submission.

The 22-year-old Stephens (14-4) fought earlier this month when he submitted to an armbar from Joe Lauzon at UFC Fight Night 17. The heavy-handed Iowan scored one of the most spectacular knockouts of 2008 when he leveled Rafael dos Anjos with an uppercut at UFC 91. Stephens also holds victories against American Top Team’s Cole Miller and Diego Saraiva.

Meanwhile, Bader will tackle ATT light heavyweight Carmelo Marrero in his first appearance since he won “The Ultimate Fighter.”

Based out of Arizona Combat Sports, Bader (8-0) stopped Vinicius Magalhaes at “The Ultimate Fighter 8” Finale in December. A two-time All-American and three-time Pac-10 conference champion in college, the 25-year-old can call upon considerable wrestling skills inside the cage. Only one of his eight career bouts has gone to the judges, and he has finished six opponents inside one round.

Marrero (10-2), a former heavyweight, will enter the Octagon for the first time since he submitted to a Wilson Gouveia guillotine choke at UFC 71 in May 2007. He last fought in November, when he earned an underwhelming split decision against Bader’s teammate, Steve Steinbeiss, at WEC 38. Marrero will carry a three-fight winning streak into the match.

Other UFC Fight Night 18 matches pair former King of Pancrase Ricardo Almeida with one-time International Fight League middleweight champion Matt Horwich, dos Anjos with lightweight contender Tyson Griffin and Miller with the volatile Junie Allen Browning. In addition, middleweight veteran Jorge Rivera will collide with Nissen Osterneck.

One-time World Extreme Cagefighting welterweight champion Carlos Condit will make his promotional debut against Danish striker Martin Kampmann in the main event. The 24-year-old Condit (22-4) will take an eight-fight winning streak into the bout.

UFC Fight Night 18
Wednesday, April 1
Sommet Center
Nashville, Tenn.

Carlos Condit vs. Martin Kampmann
Efrain Escudero vs. Jeremy Stephens
Ryan Bader vs. Carmelo Marrero
Cole Miller vs. Junie Allen Browning
Tyson Griffin vs. Rafael dos Anjos
Ricardo Almeida vs. Matt Horwich
Brock Larson vs. Jesse Sanders
Jorge Rivera vs. Nissen Osterneck
Rob Kimmons vs. Joe Vedepo
Tim McKenzie vs. Aaron Simpson
Steve Steinbeiss vs. Ryan Jensen

 

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HARDY BUILDING EXCITEMENT, WELCOMES DAVIS BOUT

Dan Hardy may be well known in the United Kingdom, but after his extremely impressive knockout victory over Rory Markham at UFC 95 this past weekend, fans worldwide got a taste of the panache and exciting style that he brings to the Octagon.

Markham came out aggressive against Hardy, and that was his downfall. Hardy countered a combination, completely stunning the Miletich trained fighter. While Hardy wasn't planning to knock him out so early, he isn't completely surprised at the outcome either.

"I wasn't planning on landing that knockout shot that early on,” he said following his victory. “My intention was to kind of draw him in and get him to make a few mistakes. He's a very aggressive fighter. He has that one thing that he's very good at and that's putting people to sleep. So, my intention was to really kind of keep him on his toes and keep him guessing, throw a few fakes. I think I landed two kicks and two punches, but I faked a lot more. My intention was to fake, make him throw something because he really commits to his punches and that's basically what happened. When I caught him with that jab, I could see it in his eyes that he was like, he's ready to step it up. And when he came after me, I was expecting to knock him out with the overhand right to be honest, but the left hook just follows up from that nicely and happened to catch him."

Not only did the left hook catch Markham, it caught the attention of millions of fans watching in the United States. Hardy was on the main card for this event and with his ostentatious hair and explosive punching power, the fans watching in the United States finally caught a glimpse a new breakout star in the welterweight division.

The 170-pound division in the UFC is perhaps one of the most stacked in all of mixed martial arts. So far, Hardy has already taken out two very tough opponents in Markham and Akihiro Gono. While he hopes to be keep getting top-named opponents, he has no problems just getting in the gym and preparing for whatever name is picked for him to fight.

"That's really up to the UFC,” responded the English fighter. “All I do is train and fight. I think I proved that I could get the job done. It was nice to fight on the main card. I'm pleased with the exposure. I'm excited about the fact that America now knows who I am. It's up to the UFC. I'm just appreciative of being here and being a part of this.

"I'm just happy with what the UFC's got planned for me to be honest,” he continued. “I don't really give that too much thought. I get the phone call from Mr. Silva (UFC matchmaker) and he says, how about this guy? And I go, okay. That's the next victim."

One possible fight that fans would be sure to enjoy, as well as Hardy, would be against Marcus Davis. Davis is notorious for his exciting and explosive style, which happens to mirror Hardy. He has been able to build himself up in the United Kingdom and Ireland over the last year and half and has earned the respect of many of the fans. That doesn't matter to Hardy and he would like to remind Davis that he is the authentic hometown kid.

"I certainly think it would make an exciting fight without a doubt. Marcus is a great fighter to watch. I'm a fan of his. I like watching all of his fights. He's had a few fights in the U.K. now and he's kind of built himself a little fan base, but he's not English. He's not Irish. I was born here and I've been bred here. I don't mind taking on that challenge and showing him that this is my home and not his."

Fans can only hope that a fight like that will happen sooner rather than later.

 

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CRUNKILTON OUT; RICARDO LAMAS IN AT WEC 39

A change has been made to the upcoming WEC 39 card in Corpus Christi, Texas, as lightweight Richard Crunkilton has been forced out of his matchup against Bart Palaszewski due to a knee injury. Stepping in to replace him will be WEC newcomer Ricardo Lamas, who takes the fight on just four days notice.

The injury and new opponent were confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the situation on Tuesday evening.

Palaszewski and Crunkilton were set to be the co-main event of the evening opposite of the WEC featherweight title fight between champion Mike Brown and Leonard Garcia. All indications point to the fight between Palaszewski and Lamas still staying on the main card with the same slot as the previous bout.

Lamas will make his WEC debut with a record of 5-0 as a professional, training out of Chicago. He was a wrestler and also an assistant coach at Elmhurst College in Illinois, and trains jiu-jitsu with Jeff Neal.

WEC 39 takes place Sunday night from the American Bank Center. It will be televised live on the Versus Network.

 

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THOMSON: MIXED EMOTIONS ON MELENDEZ REMATCH

Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson does not sound excited to face Gilbert Melendez.

Only hours after news broke that he’d be facing his sometime training partner again at “Strikeforce: Shamrock versus Diaz” – their second meeting since a five-round war last June – Thomson alternated between resignation, disappointment, and optimism.

On Saturday, the two ran into each other at the Cage Combat Fighting show in Santa Rosa, Calif., and Thomson thought the fight wouldn’t happen.

“My interpretation of what I got from him is that he wasn’t going to accept the fight,” he told MMAWeekly.com. “We both heard about it on the way up there. So I really don’t know what made him change his mind. I’ve always considered myself pretty straight forward. Maybe he wanted to get it over with so we could start training together again.”

While Thomson dominated their first fight, he’s absolutely convinced the same won’t happen again when they meet on April 11 in San Jose.

“I’m dreading the five rounds,” he groaned.

Thomson spent the last half of 2008 on the disabled list. He was forced to bow out of a title defense against Yves Edwards in November, hobbled by a nagging toe injury that prevented him from preparing for the fight.

He said the injury is not 100 percent healed, like his shoulder was not 100 percent before he turned in a brilliant performance against Melendez. But Thomson remains candid about his struggles, namely the ones he’ll face in the rematch.

“This one, the roles are reversed,” he said. “The pressure is all on me. I think people are looking for me to finish him, and I can’t go in there that way. I see it being another grueling five rounds of us scraping by. I actually see this one possibly being a split decision. I don’t think one person is going to dominate.

“There’s no pressure on him right now. He has nothing to lose. He could come out and go 100 miles an hour and gas out and be finished in the second, and everyone would be like, ‘we knew that was going to happen.’ He’s just got to perform like he always does and do what he does best, which is apply pressure.”

While Melendez was unable keep the fight at his strongest point – the mat – Thomson doesn’t think he’ll double his efforts this time around.

“I think he’s going to try and stand,” he said. “He’s going to try and make some changes to his game, and I think some of it will work.

“It’s not going to be the same Gilbert we all saw last year. It’s not. There’s no way in hell he’s going to come in and fight the same way. The same fight’s not going to happen.”

While he has mixed emotions about the meeting, he understands Strikeforce’s rationale behind it. They need a barnburner for their new Showtime deal.

“I guess the benefit of it all is if I do win, hopefully he can come back and train with us knowing that there won’t be a rematch for a long, long time,” said Thomson. “If I lose, than we might do it again for a third one. I’ve always wanted a trilogy; I’ve always wanted a nemesis, and what better person to have than a close friend of mine and somebody I respect 100 percent. Like Barrera and Morales, Marquez and Vasquez – those are all great fights. That’s where we’re going to try to put this one at.”

But give him a few days to warm to the idea.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Cain Velasquez and Mike Swick targeted for June returns at UFC 99

Undefeated heavyweight prospect Cain Velasquez (5-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) and welterweight contender Mike Swick (13-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) have both been targeted for an upcoming June UFC 99 card in Cologne, Germany.

Sources close to the American Kickboxing Academy fighters told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that each competitor is expected to appear on the card, though opponents have not been determined.

UFC 99 is expected to take place at the Lanxess Arena, though the UFC has yet to officially announce the event or a specific date for the show.

Velasquez returns to competition for the first time since his second-round TKO of Denis Stojnic earlier this month at UFC Fight Night 17. It was his fifth consecutive knockout in five career fights, and it was the only one to go past the first round.

Velasquez earned a $30,000 Knockout of the Night bonus for the victory, which was his third straight in the UFC.

Swick, meanwhile, will return from a six-month layoff following his 33-second knockout of Jonathan Goulet at UFC Fight Night 16 in December. It was his third consecutive win since he moved to the welterweight division following a loss to middleweight Yushin Okami in 2007.

In a recent interview with MMAjunkie.com, Swick, who recently broke a bone in his foot, said he originally hoped to fight Thiago Alves. But with Alves given a title shot with champ Georges St. Pierre, Swick now just wants a meaningful fight that helps his title aspirations.

"I'll fight whoever, but I would really like to have a bout that's going to put me in the top ranking if I have a good performance and I win," Swick said. "I'm 8-1 in the UFC, and I feel like I definitely deserve a big fight.

"I want to get out there. I'm training hard. I want to prove that I belong in the contendership at 170 pounds."

 

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Responding to Dan Hardy's challenge, Marcus Davis asks for UFC 99 matchup

Fresh off of a devastating knockout of Rory Markham at UFC 95, English welterweight Dan Hardy (21-6 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has made it clear he'd like to step into the cage with Marcus Davis (16-4 MMA, 8-1 UFC).

Today, "The Irish Hand Grenade" told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that he's told the UFC to make it happen.

"I went up to (UFC matchmaker) Joe Silva and I said, 'Joe, make this fight,'" Davis said. "I want this fight. This kid's running his mouth."

Davis said the budding rivalry began during this past Friday's weigh-ins for "UFC 95: Sanchez vs. Stevenson."

"I had the Q&A at the weigh-in," Davis said. "I was doing the Q&A, and this little guy came up to the mic and said that he was there with Dan Hardy's manager, and that Dan Hardy had called me out and was wondering if I had accepted the challenge.

"I said, 'When did Dan Hardy call me out?' He said, 'He called you out when he first got into the UFC.' I said, 'Well this is the first time I ever heard of it.' He goes, 'Yeah, well he did. His manager's right back there,' and he pointed back to a guy that was waving at me. And I said, 'Yeah, go back and bring him out here and I'll pound his face in to dust.'"

Just as in his January 2008 bout with Frenchman Jess Liaudin, Davis said Hardy made the potential meeting personal when he questioned the Team Sityodtong fighter's connection to the U.K. At the UFC 95 post-event press conference, Hardy said he would enjoy fighting Davis and "showing him that [the U.K.] is my home and not his."

"Then I heard [Hardy] is running his mouth, saying the same stuff like (Jess) Liaudin did," Davis said.

"I'm getting sick and tired of everyone saying I'm a fake Irishman or a fake this and fake that. I never told anybody I was an Irishman. What I am is proud of my heritage, which is Irish, Welsh and Scottish.

"It's OK for Oscar De La Hoya, who wasn't born in Mexico, to embrace his Mexican heritage. Or it's OK for all the African-Americans here in America to embrace their African heritage. But if you're a white guy and you embrace any of your European heritage, you're an idiot."

Davis had already been rumored for the as-yet-unannounced UFC 99 card on June 13 in Cologne, Germany. The 35-year-old said he would be happy to book that date with Hardy.

"June would be the best time for me, and the reason why is because it's on neutral ground," Davis said. "They could even call it 'UFC Whatever: Neutral Ground.'

"I don't want to fight him in London or England. I don't want that because I'm always the freaking bad guy there. I'm always beating these guys that are from that area. And he doesn't want to fight me in the U.S. or Ireland, so let's do it in Germany. If I could choose, that's where I'd want it to happen."

Coming off of a January bout with Chris Lytle, a man Davis considers a friend, "The Irish Hand Grenade" said he hopes the bout with Hardy can be made for an entirely different reason -- the same reason he used for motivation in a 64-second knockout of Liaudin.

"Hopefully, if it works out, I'll get to fight a second guy I don't like," Davis said.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Tim Sylvia set to box Ray Mercer, Affliction bout possible

In his first action since a July 2008 loss to Fedor Emelianenko, former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia will face Ray Mercer in the main event of Adrenaline MMA III.

First reported as a possible bout by Fiveouncesofpain.com, Sylvia's manager and Adrenaline MMA promoter Monte Cox today confirmed with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that Sylvia vs. Mercer will be headlining the May 30 event at the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J.

While first pitched as an MMA contest, Sylvia (24-5 MMA, 0-0 Boxing) will instead turn in his open-fingered gloves for a pair of boxing mitts.

"I was doing Tim Sylvia against Ray Mercer as a headliner," Cox said. "First I was doing it in MMA. We changed and thought it would be a lot more interesting in boxing."

Mercer (36-7-1 Boxing) began boxing professionally in 1989. Now 47-years-old, Mercer last fought in a majority decision win over Richel Hersisia (30-2 boxing).

"In boxing, who knows who is going to win," Cox said. "Mercer just beat a guy who is 30-2. He was ranked fifth in Europe and Mercer just beat him."

Mercer fought Wladimir Klitschko for the WBO heavyweight title in 2002 and lost via sixth-round TKO. "Merciless" has gone 6-2 since that bout, including four wins by knockout or TKO.

"You just have no idea who is going to win," Cox said. "I don't care if he's 47 (years old). He's been boxing his whole life, won an Olympic gold medal, went to split decision with Lennox Lewis. Believe me, he's going to hit hard. Tim's going to have a hard time."

Mercer is best-known by many MMA fans for his June 2007 submission loss in an exhibition bout with Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson.

Despite having one event remaining on a broadcast contract with HDNet, Adrenaline's third event will not be shown on the network that carried the organization's first two outings.

"It won't be on HDNet," Cox said. "I still have a deal left. But (HDNet Fights CEO) Andrew Simon decided that he didn't want to do that show."

Instead, Cox will look to broadcast the event with an alternate partner.

"I've got another group that put together a deal with me where it would be available in 55 million homes and another one that's up to 70 million homes," Cox said. "I'll do one of those two."

Cox said that there were not yet any other finalized bouts for the card, but that he plans on Adrenaline MMA III being "a good East Coast card."

As for Sylvia, "The Maine-iac" may also be looking to break his recent two-fight slide in a potential return to MMA action at Affliction's as-yet-unannounced third show.

Sources close to the bout have indicated to MMAjunkie.com that Paul Buentello could be in line for Sylvia. Cox said the bout was possible, but that Sylvia's participation would depend on the date Affliction elects to hold its event.

"I've been in discussion with them for that," Cox said. "A lot depends on what the date ends up being. Obviously we're doing May 30. If [Affliction's next show] is in July, we're definitely interested."

 

[Shogun Locc]

How a brush with death led Leonard Garcia to MMA and a WEC title fight

At 18 years old and away from his grandparents' strict care for the first time, Leonard Garcia was out one night with friends in Lubbock, Texas.

It was almost 15 years ago, and the skilled football player with fighting chops (gained from boxing uncles in the family home) was hanging out with friends in a Taco Cabana joint.

Soon, a man came to their table and, inexplicably, lifted a fistful of nachos from Garcia's meal. Not one to back down, Garcia quickly threw punches, and the man was booted out.

"The next thing I know, he's yelling at me to step out in the street," Garcia told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "I said, 'Dude, I already beat you up.' He came after me. We fought again. He was pretty banged up, but he had pulled a knife."

Garcia received eight stab wounds in the struggle, including punctures in both lungs. The emergency room trip spared any more damage, but the wounds ended a small-college football opportunity.

Soon after, Garcia (12-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) began a winding mixed-martial-arts career that continues Sunday when he challenges Mike Brown for the WEC featherweight title at WEC 39. The bout headlines the card and is the next in a line of notable 145-pound matches in the featherweight-strong WEC.

For Garcia, it has been no lightweight life. Raised by a grandfather who made his living breaking horses, Garcia was taught toughness and confidence that he brings with him to the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas, this weekend.

"This is the biggest stage I've ever been on," Garcia said. "I don't see myself losing this fight. I'm 5-0 in championship fights, and I do my best work in pressure situations. I feel like I'm up for the challenge."

On the farm

Garcia's life could've been a bigger challenge from Day 1, when his 17-year-old mother moved him to his grandparents' Plainview, Texas home. Garcia entered a loving but strict world of convenience-store and farming experience that molded his work ethic.

While friends were staying at each others' houses late and hanging out after school, Garcia was tending to chores.

"You would hear, 'We did this over the weekend; we did that.' I was shoeing horses," Garcia said. "I would hot walk them, clean out the horse bins, feed the cows and the pigs."

Garcia was a scrappy kid, a trait encouraged by his grandfather. The man Garcia calls "Dad" kept old pairs of boxing gloves in the house, which settled arguments within the family.

Living with older uncles, Garcia had his share of disagreements.

"Dad would say, 'If you guys got a problem, go ahead and fight it out,'" Garcia said. "I wouldn't back down. Sometimes I would be in tears and still fighting. They were bigger than me, but I kept coming. Dad saw what I was doing, and he got me involved in martial arts and boxing."

Martial arts didn't turn serious until after the stabbing incident, when Garcia attended a local show. The promoter sought him out in the audience and told him he had a cancellation. He offered Garcia $150 to fight, and Garcia jumped.

"I never looked back," he said.

A bumpy road

The career, though, hasn't been steady. After several years, Garcia stopped fighting because the money wasn't supporting him. For three years, he was barely training or competing, and the break allowed him unneeded free time.

"I got myself into trouble," Garcia said. "I didn't have anything to focus on, and I hung out with some bad people. I let my life take a turn for the worse."

Looking to break out of that path, Garcia took a phone call from his manager in early 2006. Still holding an 8-1 professional record, he appeared in Ring of Fire 23 and pounded a respected Rocky Johnson.

Soon, the UFC called, and Garcia auditioned for the fifth season of "The Ultimate Fighter." He was one of 19 finalists selected to appear on the show, but a medical exam showed a hairline fracture in his wrist that excluded him.

Garcia again found himself at home, wondering where next fight would be.

"I got another call," Garcia said. "It was, 'Hey, we were really impressed by you. We want you to fight Roger Huerta in UFC 69. You've got a month from today.'"

Garcia lost that fight, a picture of which later graced the cover of Sports Illustrated, by unanimous decision, but he beat Allen Berube with a first-round rear naked choke at The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale before losing another unanimous decision, this time to Cole Miller at UFC Fight Night 11.

Following that string with a pair of first-round WEC lightweight wins, Garcia has set himself up for this championship fight after a bumpy road threatened to throw him off course.

"This fight is huge for both of us," Garcia said of Brown and himself. "He's had his reign as champion. He had his highlight. I think this is my time.

"This is the fight in my career that changes it."