MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

The Story of How HDNet Fights Landed Jason “Mayhem” Miller

One day Jason “Mayhem” Miller was riding in his car, cruising along the freeway, when his cell phone began to ring. So he picked it up.

A mystery caller greeted him — and then told him to look out his window.

Outside, the 26-year-old fighter couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Hanging from a rope, tied to a helicopter, was Mark Cuban.

What in the world was the billionaire HDNet Fights owner doing, flailing about as they sped down the highway?

Recruiting.

Grasping the rope with one hand, Cuban was waving a fight contract with the other.

“That’s when I knew it was serious business,” Miller said.

And that’s the story of how Miller signed on with HDNet Fights for a Dec. 15 co-main event with Sean Salmon.

Well, that’s how Miller told the story, anyway, during today’s HDNet Fights media conference call. And anyone familiar with the personable and carefree middleweight knows he may have taken some creative license with the storytelling.

HDNet Fights recently signed both Miller and Salmon — as well as co-main-event fighters Frank Trigg and Edwin Dewees — to contracts for the Dec. 15 event, which takes place at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. “HDNet Fights: Reckless Abandon” airs live on HDNet in high-definition.

HDNet Fights matchmaker Guy Mezger today confirmed that both Miller and Trigg signed three-fight, nonexclusive deals with the upstart Dallas-based organization.

The signing of Miller came a just a month after the fighter officially severed ties with Zuffa LLC, the parent company of the UFC and WEC. Miller had been assigned to the WEC, but once he saw a way to escape, he said he took it.

Despite the fact that he was the only real contender to challenge WEC middleweight Paulo Filho, Miller said he had little incentive to stay with the organization.

“It’s pretty hard to get excited for (WEC) fights,” Miller said. “I know the WEC is pushing hard to be on par with the UFC, but I felt like I was back in high school wrestling again and fighting in front of 200 people. I wasn’t excited about my career.

“The Zuffa organization does a good job of trying to lock up their top guys forever. When I felt like I had an opportunity to leave, I did.“

Miller said he’s been treated phenomenally by HDNet Fights officials. However, he said the generous pay they offered (which was better than an offer he said he received from EliteXC), as well as the opportunity to fight outside the organization, is what convinced him to sign a contract.

“I have a short amount of time to make a maximum amount of money beating people up,” Miller said. “I have no other job skills.“

 

[Robby2Slobby]

I think Elite XC should put Kimbo Slice against Antonio Silva

 

[Arson]

damn, thats a beautiful counter punch jardine threw, i keep watching it.

 

[Shogun Locc]

damn, thats a beautiful counter punch jardine threw, i keep watching it.

Yeah jardine picked chuck apart out striking him.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Strikeforce Weigh-in Video
here is the link: http://www.sherdog.com/videos/videos.asp?v_id=1332
SAN JOSE, Calif., Nov. 15 -- Less than 24 hours remain before the first sanctioned mixed martial arts single-night mixed martial arts tournament in California history is set to begin.

Participants in the four-man middleweight Strikeforce-promoted event -- Trevor Prangley (Pictures), Jorge Santiago (Pictures), Yuki Sasaki (Pictures) and Falaniko Vitale (Pictures) -- didn't learn until Thursday evening what their potential path to the tournament crown would look like.

Randomly selecting numbers, the fighters took turns placing their names in the tournament bracket. First was Sasaki, who drew American Top Team's Santiago. Prangley, fighting out of the area's top gym, American Kickboxing Academy, immediately learned he'd fight Hawaii's Vitale.

Though the field appeared set, California State Athletic Commission executive officer Armando Garcia said a pre-tournament MRI raised questions regarding the health of Sasaki, which could force the Japanese veteran off the card.

After ordering an MRA -- a test that uses a magnetic field and pulses of radio wave energy to provide pictures of blood vessels inside the body -- on the heels of the MRI, Sasaki's status is still unknown pending official word from the doctor who administered the exam.

Should Sasaki fall off the card, Jeremiah Metcalf (Pictures) was tabbed as the replacement, this despite Sean Salmon (Pictures) and Dennis Hallman (Pictures) being slated for the tournament's lone alternate bout. Metcalf, however, needs expired lab work completed in order for the CSAC to clear him, Garcia said, and with such short notice there is a high probability that he won't meet licensing requirements in time.

Sasaki's fate could be learned late tonight, though chances are the CSAC will make its final determination Friday morning.

According to Salmon's agent Ken Pavia, the middleweight from Ohio, who is signed to fight Jason Miller Dec. 15 on HDNet, agreed to step into the main draw if needed.

Tournament bouts, consisting of two five-minute rounds cleaved by a 75-second rest period, prohibit the use of elbows to the head of a downed fighter. Should judges at ringside fail to agree on a winner, the referee inside the cage will determine which middleweight advances.

Eight of Friday's 13 bouts at the HP Pavilion, including the tournament final, will be streamed live on the Internet via Yahoo! starting at 8 p.m. PT to anyone outside a 150-mile blackout radius.

Other notable matches on the bodogFIGHT-sponsored event include a clash for the vacant Strikeforce heavyweight championship between Paul Buentello (Pictures) and Alistair Overeem (Pictures), and the return of local star Cung Le (Pictures), who takes on "The Ultimate Fighter" participant Sam Morgan (Pictures) at a catch-weight of 182 pounds.

Weigh-in results:

Paul Buentello (Pictures) (250) vs. Alistair Overeem (Pictures) (224)
Yuki Sasaki (Pictures) (183.75) vs. Jorge Santiago (Pictures) (184)
Trevor Prangley (Pictures) (185) vs. Falaniko Vitale (Pictures) (185)
Dennis Hallman (Pictures) (183) vs. Sean Salmon (Pictures) (185)
Cung Le (Pictures) (181) vs. Sam Morgan (Pictures) (177.75)
Lemont Davis (171.75) vs. Brian Schwartz (167)
Anthony Ruiz (Pictures) (204) vs. Bobby Southworth (Pictures) (204)
Luke Stewart (Pictures) (171) vs. Bryson Kamaka (Pictures) (169)
Josh Neal (Pictures) (186) vs. Eric Lawson (Pictures) (184)
Pete Sabala (Pictures) (137) vs. Anthony Figueroa (Pictures) (132)
Alex Crispin (Pictures) (155.5) vs. Clint Coronel (Pictures) (154.75)
Chris Drumm (145.5) vs. Evan Esguerra (Pictures) (145)

 

[Shogun Locc]

NEW JERSEY COMMISSIONER LARRY HAZZARD FIRED

Larry Hazzard, Sr., the commissioner of the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board, was fired Wednesday by the state’s attorney general, Anne Milgram. Milgram’s office confirmed the firing according to Franklin McNeil and Rick Hepp of the New Jersey Star-Ledger.



A spokesman for the attorney general, David Wald, told the Star-Ledger, “It was time for a change. It’s a few months into (Milgram’s) own administration and she’s been examining division directors and she wanted to make a change.”



According to the report, however, Hazzard claims that the move was made in retaliation for his writing to Gov. Jon Corzine about a dispute he had with Milgram’s office about employees that he felt were jeopardizing the welfare of fighters.



Hazzard is a former three-time Golden Glove champion. He was the chief boxing referee in New Jersey when Gov. Tom Kean, in late 1985, appointed him Commissioner of the NJSACB.



Under the leadership of Hazzard, the NJSACB became for the first major sanctioning body in the United States to sanction mixed martial arts.



The full detailed report by McNeil and Hepp can be found on The Star-Ledger’s website.

 

[Shogun Locc]

KARO on the diaz bros, chonan and more

http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5irXD-TUwULIJr38J4TxNLsNtpr3g
Fire burns bright in Karo (The Heat) Parisyan as he aims to regain UFC title shot

9 hours ago

Ryo Chonan may not have done himself any favours by calling UFC 78 opponent Karo (The Heat) Parisyan crazy.

"Well I guess he'll really find out how crazy I am when I get in the damn cage with him," Parisyan said of his mixed martial arts opponent Saturday night in Newark, N.J.

In Chonan's defence, the Japanese fighter prefaced the comment on the UFC website with a compliment.

"He is a strong fighter with good judo skills. I saw him on the show 'The Ultimate Fighter' and thought he was crazy," Chonan was quoted as saying.

Some might agree with Chonan after seeing the Parisyan meltdown on Season 5 of the reality TV show. Parisyan, whose cousin Manny Gamburyan ended up the losing finalist on the show, made a cameo as a guest coach and was shown in a spat with eventual winner Nate Diaz.

"He tried to show disrespect," Parisyan explained in an interview. "I guess he had it bottled up inside since I beat his brother (Nate Diaz, at UFC 49 in August 2004). But I don't take anything from anybody, man, especially freaking Nate Diaz. Give me a freaking break."

Parisyan explained the beef started when others on Gamburyan's team got in the way of his coaching his cousin against Matt Wiman by getting in Gamburyan's ear. Parisyan reckoned it should have been him doing the talking, reasoning no one knew his cousin like he did and no one else could speak Armenian.

Diaz suggested he shut it, according to Parisyan. It may have started as a joke but soon escalated into trash-talking and threats of violence. Parisyan ended up having to be pulled away.

While he doesn't consider the incident worth revisiting, he still has strong opinions about Nate Diaz.

"He's a little bitch. Just like his brother."

Parisyan, who was six when he came to the U.S. from Armenia via Russia, is big on respect. He's also clearly not afraid of confrontation, although he is as engaging outside the ring as he is dangerous in it.

The 25-year-old welterweight carries a chip on his shoulder and dares other fighters to knock it off. Not many have managed to do so. Parisyan's only losses in nine UFC fights are to Canadian Georges St. Pierre and Diego Sanchez.

He believes Josh Burkman, his last opponent, took him lightly after some uninspired Parisyan performances at a shared training camp in Big Bear, Calif., following his August 2006 loss to Sanchez.

"People sometimes take you very lightly and I love that," Parisyan said.

Burkman admits he came into their UFC 71 fight thinking he could knock Parisyan out. Instead it was the judo expert who put on a clinical striking display en route to a unanimous decision.

"These guys don't understand when you fight, it's a whole new ball game," Parisyan said. "I'm going balls out when I fight. Basically I just went in there and I just shocked all of them."

Parisyan showed his mettle against Drew Fickett in December 2006. When Fickett's elbow opened a ditch-like cut under his eye, Parisyan just got mad.

Suddenly the fight got personal for Parisyan, who promptly returned the favour by carving open Fickett's face.

"'Oh man you have no idea what you just did. You really really pissed me off,"' he recalled thinking. "And I love it when guys try to hurt me and hit me. It just makes me very upset and I just go after them."

Parisyan needed 20 stitches after the win. He has the scar to prove it.

The knock on Parisyan at times is he has not trained as well as he should. He says he has not had the best training partners in the past, although he has moved to fix that by spending time at Randy Couture's gym in Las Vegas.

"There's nobody that's going to touch me at 170, if I'm in shape," he says.

Still Parisyan has distractions. He shares his home with family, for example.

"That is a downfall in a certain way, because there's so much stuff going around you that you have to take care of yourself."

Prior to this fight, his schedule included buying a new home. Single, Parisyan will have four other family members living with him.

Parisyan's sense of injustice is also fuelled by a title shot against Matt Hughes that went by the boards because of injury. He points to the UFC giving St. Pierre time to recover from an injury so a Hughes-St. Pierre rematch could come off at UFC 65.

"Karo Parisyan got injured, Karo Parisyan had to come back and start climbing the ladder again." Parisyan said.

Adding to his sense of injustice is the fact that he beat Matt Serra, the current welterweight champion, at UFC 53 in June 2005. But still he has to wait behind St. Pierre, who is due to meet the winner of a Serra-Hughes December bout.

"It is what it is. What can I do? . . . Actions speak louder than words. I think time will come around and people will figure out that I need my damn title shot."

Parisyan's immediate future is Chonan, whose nickname has evolved from Shark to Piranha over the years.

"I'm expecting a very tough fight and I'm expecting him to come out and come after me," Parisyan said. "He's a tough guy, he's a very tough guy. He's good at everything not really great at anything. He's a very tricky opponent. Bottom line, he's a very tough guy."

Chonan, 31, usually fights at 185 pounds, but has moved down to 170 for this fight. His 14-7 record includes a rare win over current UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and former welterweight champion Carlos Newton of Newmarket, Ont. It also includes a crushing KO at the hands of Dan Henderson, who took care of Chonan in 22 seconds at a 2005 Pride show.

Sherdog.com, which tracks fighters' records, lists Parisyan at 17-5 but he says his record is actually 25-4.

He says he was 14 when he first fought, against a 23-year-old in Mexico. "I kicked his butt for five rounds." His first 10 fights were for free - and sometimes he did twice in a day.

"I fought a guy and I fought his coach. Just for the pride," he said. "Just for my name."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Nogueira Waiting for Couture, Sylvia

Former PRIDE heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Pictures) is one of the most respected fighters in mixed martial arts. The Brazilian has fought Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures), Josh Barnett (Pictures), Mirko "Cro Cop" and countless other top opponents while compiling a 30-4-1 record.

Sherdog.com caught up with Nogueira as he waits to hear who will stand across the cage from him with the UFC heavyweight title on the line.

Gleidson Venga: You just came back from the United States last week. Did you go there to sign for your title shot in the UFC?
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Pictures): UFC joined together a lot of their top fighters for some kind of a seminar about things like how to behave with the media, dietary supplements, et cetera. Being that the UFC is a big company, the athletes must know what they are taking, better training conditions, know about the American IRS. They also spoke about the gambling business, for us to not get involved in this. It was very productive, like a company reunion. Dana White confirmed I'll fight February 2, but he didn't tell me about my opponent.

GV: There are rumors saying it will be Tim Sylvia (Pictures), or Randy Couture (Pictures) if he gets things right with the UFC. Is that true?
RN: I must face one of these two, but they're still dealing with the UFC. They didn't confirm Tim Sylvia (Pictures) yet because Couture is still the reigning champion. There's nothing officially signed, but I must face one of them.

GV: What do you think about their attributes?
RN: They have totally different attributes. Randy Couture (Pictures) is a good striker, but he is a wrestler, so I must be ready for the ground fight. But against Tim Sylvia (Pictures) I must sharpen my wrestling and work on my BJJ to close the distance to strike, aware of his jabs. They are both awesome athletes, but in opposite ways. Against both of them I must to work on my clinch because they have good clinches. In the clinch one will unleash his knees and the other will take you down. I'll be ready for any one of them; in February I'll be ready.

GV: Are you already training for this fight?
RN: For sure, I'm training a lot. I'm back from USA and now I won't stop training.

GV: How is the building of your new headquarters?
RN: The building is almost ready. It will be finished in the next days. There will be the training center, plus the dorm rooms for anybody who comes from other places to train with us. The training center we will open now and the dorm rooms later.

GV: Who will be the coaches?
RN: The BJJ will be under Amaury Bitetti, and I will help him. Striking will be under Luiz Dórea (boxing) and Luis Alves (Muay Thai), plus Kelson Pinto. The wrestling coach will be Rodrigo Artilheiro, who's an Olympic athlete and a big guy -- this is great for our team because we have heavy guys. I'm training a lot of wrestling with him because when I know about my opponent, I'll be ready. We have an official-sized ring, a UFC-sized Octagon.

GV: How do you analyze your debut against Heath Herring (Pictures) and what do you think you must improve for your next fight?
RN: Heath Herring (Pictures) surprised me with that kick. I was dominating the first round. I would go for the knockout, but I think I exposed myself too much, and then he kicked me. I think I must adapt my ground game to the fence. In UFC they use a lot of Vaseline, and they get a little slippery to submit. It makes things more difficult. But I'm working on it; I'm training a lot of BJJ with Bitetti, and next time I will be better. Octagon is too different from a ring; it's harder to get close to the opponent to take him down.

GV: You watched the Anderson Silva-Rich Franklin (Pictures) match. What do you think about his performance?
RN: It was exciting. Anderson improves himself every fight, and he is definitely the best in his weight class. I think he and Paulo Filho (Pictures) are the best. Anderson has my congratulations -- he's the best. I heard Dana White himself saying he's the best pound-for-pound fighter. He is a showman. Only he can do those things in the ring, spinning punch, front kicks, elbows, a lot of things surprising us every fight. I train with him, and everything he does in his fights he does even better in training. So that guy has a lot of things to show. His BJJ is sharp; he is very good. George, his coach, has my congratulations.

GV: The fans are anxious to see your brother, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (Pictures), back in the ring. What can they expect about his comeback?
RN: Rogerio now is more experienced in his striking. He is more mature, and his BJJ skills are even better. He signed to an organization in Canada, but they postponed the fight. Let us see if there will be something new for him this year. For sure he will fight well and please his fans, like usual.

 

[PsyDaL]

It would be a nice treat for us that Zuffa and Randy Couture could come to an agreement and put the Big Nog vs. Randy fight together. Thats a fight i been wanting to see. Even against Tim, Big Nog will tax that ass with his striking.

I cant wait to see the Ryo vs Karo fight. Karo puts up a good fight, and I like seein him judo throw fools to the ground....

 

[Shogun Locc]

Yuki Sasaki Pulled from Tonight’s Strikeforce Tourney; Sean Salmon Tapped as Replacement

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Unable to get medical clearance for California’s first-ever sanctioned MMA tournament, Yuki Sasaki has been scratched from tonight’s “Strikeforce: Four Men Enter, One Man Suvives” event, which takes place at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

Sean Salmon (14-4) has been tapped as Sasaki’s replacement and will fight American Top Team’s Jorge Santiago (14-7) in the tournament’s opening round.

Strikeforce promoter Scott Coker today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that Sasaki underwent a second MRA that didn’t turn out well for the longtime Pancrase and Shooto veteran.

“The neurologist just couldn’t clear him to fight,” Coker said.

Sasaki’s original MRA and MRI exams raised concerns, and yesterday, the California State Athletic Commission and Strikeforce officials announced that Sasaki was questionable for tonight’s event. Numerous sourced told MMAjunkie.com that Sasaki wasn’t expected to be cleared for the fight.

Salmon, a former UFC fighter who’s posted a 5-1 record since leaving the organization in July, will now take the spot. He was originally scheduled to fight Dennis Hallman (37-12-2) in the tournament’s alternate bout. Hallman will now fight late replacement Jeremiah Metcalf (5-3), who was cleared by the commission this afternoon.

“Sean’s been a little more active than Dennis lately, so we thought he might make the fight a little more competitive,” Coker said while explaining why Salmon got the open slot.

Salmon’s agent, Ken Pavia, told the former Ohio State wrestler he’d been chosen as the replacement at approximately 4 p.m. ET — about seven hours before fight time.

Trevor Prangley (16-4), an American Kickboxing Academy fighter and UFC veteran, takes on Strikeforce and SuperBrawl veteran Falaniko “Niko” Vitale (24-7) in the tournament’s other first-round bout.

Prangley, a 35-year-old South African with a five-fight win streak, is the small favorite to win the tournament.

“I’m always ready to fight whoever they want me to,” said Salmon. “To tell you the truth, it’s almost been a relief not knowing who I’ll be fighting, although I was really looking forward to Hallman. He’s a really good guy, and I think it would have been a good fight for the fans.“

Salmon, who’s fought five times in the past three months, is scheduled to fight Jason “Mayhem” Miller next month in the co-main event of a Dec. 15 HDNet Fights event.

The entire Strikeforce tournament, as all as five main-card fights, will air as part of a Yahoo! Sports broadcast that kicks off at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT. The broadcast is available only to online viewers who reside outside a 150-mile radius of San Jose.

The tournament bouts consist of two, five-minute rounds. If the judges fail to decide on a victor after the two rounds, the referee will determine the winner of the fight.

Up until tonight, the California State Athletic Commission had never sanctioned an MMA tournament. Coker spent the better part of 2007 working with CSAC Executive Director Armando Garcia to make the event a reality.

However, to get the tournament sanctioned, Strikeforce officials had to disallow elbow strikes to the head of a downed opponent in all of tonight’s tournament fights, thus limiting a primary tool of ground-and-pound wrestlers like Prangley and Salmon.

The winner of tonight’s tournament will be awarded an impressive championship belt that was on display during yesterday’s weigh-ins. The winner might also receive a future title shot with current Strikeforce world middleweight champion Frank Shamrock in 2008.

Shamrock’s expected to be in attendance tonight.

Also on tap for tonight’s event, headliner and world champion kickboxer Cung Le (4-0) will look to continue an undefeated streak when he faces “The Ultimate Fighter 2” cast member and former UFC fighter Sam Morgan (18-8).

Additionally, former UFC heavyweight contender Paul Buentello (23-9) takes on PRIDE veteran Alistair Overeem (25-11) for the Strikeforce vacant heavyweight title, and world light heavyweight champion Bobby Southworth (8-4) takes on Anthony Ruiz (17-10) in a five-round title fight.

 

[UCDgreek]

"There's nobody that's going to touch me at 170, if I'm in shape," he says.

my ass no one can touch him at 170. GSP will destroy him along with some others

 

[Shogun Locc]

Strikeforce - Four Men Enter, One Man Survives - Results

Event Name: Strikeforce - Four Men Enter, One Man Survives
Event Date: 11/16/2007
Event Location: HP Pavilion, San Jose, California

Dennis Hallman defeats Jeremiah Metcalf by Submission (Heel Hook) at 1:39 in RD 1
Chris Drumm no contests Evan Esguerra at 2:35 in RD 2
Alex Crispin defeats Clint Coronel by Decision (Unanimous) at 5:00 in RD 3
Anthony Figueroa defeats Pete Sabala by Decision (Split) at 5:00 in RD 3
Eric Lawson defeats Josh Neal by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 0:20 in RD 2
Jorge Santiago defeats Sean Salmon by KO (Flying Knee) at 0:24 in RD 1
Trevor Prangley defeats Falaniko Vitale by Decision (Referee) at 2:12 in RD 2
Luke Stewart defeats Bryson Kamaka by KO (Knee) at 0:19 in RD 1
Anthony Ruiz defeats Bobby Southworth by TKO (Cut) at 0:52 in RD 2
Lemont Davis defeats Brian Schwartz by Decision (Unanimous) at 5:00 in RD 3
Alistair Overeem defeats Paul Buentello by Submission (Knees) at 3:42 in RD 2
Jorge Santiago defeats Trevor Prangley by TKO (Knee) at 2:31 in RD 1
Cung Le defeats Sam Morgan by TKO (Kick) at 1:58 in RD 3

 

[Shogun Locc]

Melendez vs. Thomson set for March; Shamrock accepts Le's challenge

There were several major news items coming out of last night's Strikeforce show in San Jose, Calif.

First, Jorge Santiago won the four-man middleweight tournament when he defeated BodogFIGHT middleweight champion Trevor Prangley in the tournament final. Santiago did not win the Bodog title but may have potentially earned himself a shot at the Strikeforce middleweight title currently held by Frank Shamrock.

Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Bobby Southworth also lost to Anthony Ruiz in a non-title bout.

Alistair Overeem won the Strikeforce heavyweight title when Paul Buentello tapped out at 3:42 of round two following a knee strike.


Following Overeem's win, Gilbert Melendez and Josh Thomson were brought out and it was announced that Melendez will defend his Strikeforce lightweight title against Thomson on March 29, according to the Wrestling Observer. That's going to be an awesome match.
Then, after Cung Le's third round TKO over Sammy Morgan, Shamrock came out and both he and Le addressed the live crowd. Le issued a challenge and Shamrock accepted.

While Le vs. Shamrock appears certain to happen in '08, It's uncertain as to when the match might take place. Shamrock could potentially face Santiago and has also expressed an interest in fighting Renzo Gracie in a rematch following their controversial EliteXC bout last February. There have also been rumors that Le could end up fighting Phil Baroni in either February or March, although the rumors have yet to be addressed by Strikeforce.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Sean Salmon doing okay after apparent seizure

There was a scary moment coming out of last night's Strikeforce show in San Jose, Calif. when Sean Salmon, fighting in place of Yuki Sasaki, was knocked out by Jorge Santiago during the promotion's semifinal of a one-night middleweight tournament.

According to reports, Salmon suffered an apparent seizure and was taken out of the cage via stretcher and transported to a local hospital for treatment.

The good news is that Salmon does not appear to have suffered any life-threatening injuries, as Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer has reported the following:

Salmon had what is believed to have been a seizure in the ring. He is okay now but they have taken him to the Valley Medical Center trauma center.

And:



Salmon's CT scan was negative. No bleeding of the brain and no skull fracture.
While Salmon appears to be okay, his career as a fighter in the state of California is uncertain:

Armando Garcia of the CSAC said that the doctors will decide, but said there is a chance they wouldn't sanction him to fight again.

Garcia is the executive director of the California State Athletic Commission. It's interesting that he would even go on the record to speculate whether the commission would sanction Salmon again. Garcia has a background in law enforcement and really isn't qualified to be addressing Salmon's fighting future just minutes after he had sustained an injury.

Salmon's reported seizure comes on the heels of a life-threatening injury to Sammy Vazquez, who has been in critical condition, since suffering a knockout in a fight that took place on Oct. 20, according to The Fight Network

Vazquez has been in a critical care unit at Saint Joseph's Medical Center following a third round knockout loss to Vince Libardi on a Renegades Extreme Fighting card in Houston, Texas.

The Fight Network has not updated Vazquez's status since Nov. 15.

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC ANNOUNCES SILVA VS. HENDERSON

The Ultimate Fighting Championship, at the post-fight press conference in New Jersey, announced that Pride 185-pound division champion Dan Henderson has finally relented and has agreed to fight UFC champion Anderson Silva.

The bout is to take place sometime in March, which would most likely be at the UFC’s return to Columbus, Ohio on March 1 at Nationwide Arena.

Henderson suffered a disappointing decision loss in his return to the UFC last September, when he lost to current light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson. Despite that loss, he had steadfastly said he wanted to remain in the 205-pound class.

Silva has dominated the 185-pound division since debuting in the UFC with a 49-second TKO of Chris Leben in June of 2006. He has finished all five of his fights in the Octagon, only two of them going outside the first round.

 

[Shaniac]

that will be a great fight

 

[Shogun Locc]

Alves, Lytle, Herman and Gono Win $55,000 UFC 78 Bonuses

Following Saturday’s UFC 78 event at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., UFC executives dished out a total of $220,000 in Fight of the Night, Submission of the Night, and Knockout of the Night bonuses.

The traditional post-event bonuses have gone from just $10,000 a year ago to the new level of $55,000.

Yes, $55,000 — $15,000 more than just last month.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) examined the Fight Night bonuses and their increasing dollar amounts last month when the amount went from $30,000 to $40,000.

Fight of the Night (the only award that pays the fight’s winner and loser) went to both Thiago Alves and Chris Lytle. The back-and-forth, up-and-down battle included knockdowns from both fighters. However, the fight was stopped after the second round because of a cut over Lytle’s eye. Both fighters protested the stoppage, but it did little good to influence the ringside doctor.

The welterweights fought on the night’s un-televised preliminary card.

The Knockout of the Night bonus went to — of all people — submission specialist Ed Herman. “The Ultimate Fighter 3” middlweight runner-up has been on a tear lately, earning impressive victories over Chris Price, Scott Smith and now Joe Doerksen. At Saturday’s UFC 78 event, Herman scored the first knockout of his career when he caught Doerksen with a left hook. The blow dropped the Canadian in the third round of the televised bout.

Submission of the Night went to UFC newcomer and PRIDE veteran Akihiro Gono, who scored an arm-bar submission of Tamden McCrory in the second round of the un-televised fight. McCrory was actually on his stomach, and Gono pulled his arm across his opponent’s back to force a verbal submission.

The submission was showcased briefly at the conclusion of Saturday’s pay-per-view broadcast.

 

[Shogun Locc]

STRIKEFORCE NOV. 16 SALARIES AND ATTENDANCE

MMAWeekly has obtained the fighter salary and attendance information from the California State Athletic Commission for the Nov. 16 Strikeforce event, which took place at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

The following figures are based on the fighter salary information that promoters are required by law to submit to the state athletic commissions, including the winners' bonuses when appropriate.

The total attendance for the event was 7,249, of which 5,621 was paid. The total gross receipts totaled $387,685, according to the CSAC.

Although MMA fighters do not have collective bargaining or a union, the fighters' salaries are public record, just as with every other major sport in the United States. Any undisclosed bonuses that a promoter also pays its fighters, but do not disclose to the athletic commissions (specifically, pay-per-view bonuses, fight of the night bonuses, etc.), are not included in the figures below.

In the listings below, "Main Event Fighters" are defined as fighters who compete in the main event of a show. "Main Card Fighters" are defined as fighters whose fights appear on the main card, but not in title fights or in the main event. "Preliminary Card Fighters" are defined as fighters whose matches take place before the live broadcast goes on the air, regardless of whether or not those matches end up airing on the TV or Internet broadcast.


MAIN EVENT FIGHTERS

– Cung Le: $50,000 (5th fight for Strikeforce; defeated Sam Morgan; no win bonus)

– Trevor Prangley: $30,000 (2nd and 3rd fights for Strikeforce; lost to Jorge Santiago, defeated Falaniko Vitale; no win bonus)

– Alistair Overeem: $30,000 (2nd fight for Strikeforce; defeated Paul Buentello; no win bonus)

– Paul Buentello: $20,000 (4th fight for Strikeforce; lost to Alistair Overeem; no win bonus)

– Jorge Santiago: $15,000 (1st and 2nd fights for Strikeforce; defeated Trevor Prangley and Sean Salmon; no win bonus)

– Sam Morgan: $10,000 (1st fight for Strikeforce; lost to Cung Le; no win bonus)


MAIN CARD FIGHTERS

– Brian Schwartz: $30,000 (1st fight for Strikeforce; lost to Lemont Davis; no win bonus)

– Falaniko Vitale: $20,000 (2nd fight for Strikeforce; lost to Trevor Prangley; no win bonus)

– Bobby Southworth: $10,000 (4th fight for Strikeforce; lost to Anthony Ruiz; no win bonus)

– Luke Stewart: $10,000 (5th fight for Strikeforce; defeated Bryson Kamaka; includes win bonus of $5,000)

– Sean Salmon: $5,000 (1st fight for Strikeforce; lost to Jorge Santiago; no win bonus)

– Anthony Ruiz: $3,500 (2nd fight for Strikeforce; defeated Bobby Southworth; no win bonus)

– Lemont Davis: $2,000 (1st fight for Strikeforce; defeated Brian Schwartz; includes win bonus of $500)

– Bryson Kamaka: $1,500 (1st fight for Strikeforce; lost to Luke Stewart; no win bonus)


PRELIMINARY CARD FIGHTERS

– Dennis Hallman: $10,000 (1st fight for Strikeforce; defeated Jeremiah Metcalf; includes win bonus of $5,000)

– Alexander Crispin: $6,500 (1st fight for Strikeforce; defeated Clint Coronel; includes win bonus of $1,500)

– Eric Lawson: $5,000 (1st fight for Strikeforce; defeated Josh Neal; no win bonus)

– Jeremiah Metcalf: $5,000 (2nd fight for Strikeforce; lost to Dennis Hallman; no win bonus)

– Anthony Figueroa: $4,000 (4th fight for Strikeforce; defeated Pete Sabala; includes win bonus of $1,500)

– Clint Coronel: $3,000 (2nd fight for Strikeforce; lost to Alexander Crispin; no win bonus)

– Josh Neal: $1,500 (1st fight for Strikeforce; lost to Eric Lawson; no win bonus)

– Chris Drumm: $1,000 (1st fight for Strikeforce; no contest with Evan Esguerra; no win bonus)

– Evan Esguerra: $1,000 (1st fight for Strikeforce; no contest with Chris Drumm; no win bonus)

– Pete Sabala: $1,000 (1st fight for Strikeforce; lost to Anthony Figueroa; no win bonus)


DISCLOSED FIGHTER PAYROLL: $275,000

 

[Shogun Locc]

JOE DOERKSEN SUFFERS BROKEN ORBITAL BONE

When he hit fifty, things didn’t go quite as Joe Doerksen had hoped.

On Saturday night in Newark, N.J., Doerksen fought in his 50th professional mixed martial arts bout. Unfortunately for him, Ed Herman was the one to score the victory in the opening moments of the third round, notching the first knockout of his 19-fight pro career.

Worse for Doerksen, Herman also broke his orbital bone with a knee to the face in the first round. Depending on the severity of the injury, Doerksen is likely to be out of commission for several months.

The two fought a back-and-forth battle at Ultimate Fighting Championship 78 with Herman seemingly edging ahead in the first two rounds with effective striking. Near the end of the second round, Doerksen nearly secured the win, locking on a deep armbar, but Herman lasted to the bell.

Thirty-nine seconds into the third stanza, Herman caught Doerksen with a left hook that dropped him and followed with a right hand as the Canadian lay on his back. The referee then stepped in to stop any further punishment.

Doerksen’s professional record now stands at 39-11, while Herman upped his record to 14-5 with his third straight victory.

 

[Shogun Locc]

HENDERSON TALKS ABOUT SHOT AT SILVA'S TITLE

After the Ultimate Fighting Championship finished with its return show to New Jersey, UFC president Dana White announced a middleweight title match-up between champion Anderson Silva and the only Pride champion in that weight class, Dan Henderson. They will meet on March 1 in Columbus, Ohio.

Henderson won the first ever 183-pound division title in Pride by winning a Grand Prix tournament, but this will be the first test for him at this weight since returning to the Octagon.

“I’m right in between the two weight classes,” he said in an interview with MMAWeekly.com about his drop to the middleweight division. “It’s pretty easy to cut the weight.”

Since his debut in the UFC, Anderson Silva has run roughshod over the middleweight division, but the Team Quest fighter will likely present the toughest test for the champion to date.

“He’s tough,” Henderson said about Silva. “He’s definitely proven that he’s a force to be reckoned with.”

The announcement of the title fight also answers questions about his long-term plans with the UFC.

“I’m kind of in the twilight of my career, don’t have that many years left of fighting,” he stated. “I don’t want to jump around at all. I was in Pride for seven years, so I kind of like to stay where I’m at and build relationships that way.”

While the Pride champion stated he was hoping for a fight in December, waiting until March gives him the chance to try and add another title to his resume. But Henderson hasn’t given up on another shot at the light heavyweight belt as well.

“I would definitely want to fight for that title again,” said Henderson about the 205-pound division championship. “(I’ll) see what I’ve got to do to get back there.”

First things first, Henderson will have to get past Silva on March 1.