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Feb 7, 2006
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Wanderlei cheers for Lyoto against Rashad

Next Saturday (23), Lyoto Machida will enter in the UFC octagon to face Rashad Evans, when the American puts his belt for the first time in game. One of the biggest names in the history of MMA, Wanderlei Silva, who just drop to middleweight division to face Rich Franklin, is cheering for the victory of the Brazilian at the UFC 98. "Both have an elusive style, both gets out and enter. Man, when the bell rings each one will run to one side, they’ll stick in the fence waiting for the other to attack (laughs)", jokes Wanderlei, analyzing the game of the athletes.

"It's a chess match, I think it will be very smart game. Evans is very good at wrestling, and both are unbeaten. A fight of unbeaten is always interesting. Lyoto is a very cool guy, never let the success go up the head... He is a guy that I respect both inside and outside the octagon", he said, sending a message to the fighter: “I wish all the luck in the world to Lyoto, train a lot because that’s for you. I hope that Lyoto brings this belt to Brazil”.
 

YOUNGNUTT

I'm so O.C.
Jul 9, 2002
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Santa Ana to Long Beach
^^^
Herring Out; Kongo-Velasquez Set for UFC 99

Cheick Kongo will replace an injured Heath Herring to take on Cain Velasquez at UFC 99 on June 13 in Germany, the UFC announced Wednesday.

Kongo has won three straight in the Octagon. Most recently he stopped Antoni Hardonk in the second round at UFC 97 in April. At 14-4-1 overall, he is expected to be Velasquez’s toughest matchup thus far.

Velasquez is 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the UFC. A member of the American Kickboxing Academy, he is considered one of the top heavyweight prospects in MMA.
HOLY SHIT!!! NOW THAT'S EVEN BETTER!!!
 
Feb 7, 2006
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Bellator Fighting Championships confirms schedule for tourney finals

With Bellator Fighting Championships taking a one-week hiatus from live action, the organization today confirmed the schedule for the lone remaining semifinals contest and four championship bouts in its debut eight-man tournaments.

The semifinals left to be contested will feature two middleweight contest in Hector Lombard (19-2-1) vs. Damien Stelly (10-2) and Jared Hess (8-0-1) vs. Yosmany Cabezas (8-1) at Bellator's May 29 event in Monroe, La.

The finalized schedule includes a previously unannounced June 5 event at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, Calif.

The newly announced June 5 event, Bellator Fighting Championships Week 10, will feature the featherweight title bout between Joe Soto (6-0) and Yahir Reyes (14-5).

The previously announced Week 11 event, scheduled for June 12 in Uncasville, Conn., will be headlined by the welterweight tournament final between Lyman Good (9-0) and Omar De La Cruz (5-1).

The final show of Bellator's debut season is scheduled for June 19 in Hollywood, Fla. Lightweight finalists Eddie Alvarez (17-2) and Toby Imada (22-12) will determine Bellator's debut 155-pound title holder, while the winners of the May 29 middleweight semifinals will also meet to determine the organization's first 185-pound belt holder.

Tickets for all four remaining events in Bellator's debut season are currently on sale. Each event will air via one-day tape delay on ESPN Deportes.
 
Feb 7, 2006
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Bill Douglas vacates head post with California State Athletic Commission

California State Athletic Commission Assistant Executive Officer Bill Douglas has resigned from his post.

Douglas recently informed MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) via email of his resignation from the commission in order to accept a Senior Policy Analyst position with the Department of Consumer Affairs.

"(It was) career advancement, plain and simple," Douglas stated. "It's a great opportunity that I simply couldn't pass up. I gave thirty-days' (notice) back on April 17, so I started my new position [Monday]."

The CSAC is included under the umbrella of the Department of Consumer Affairs, and Douglas' move to the Division of Legislative and Policy Review will require him to be in office in the department's Sacramento, Calif., headquarters.

Douglas served as an analyst for the CSAC for several years before he was appointed to the assistant executive officer position in November 2008. Douglas landed the role when then-Executive Officer Armando Garcia resigned from his position.

Prior to Douglas' appointment, the CSAC had come under heavy criticism for its drug testing program for mixed martial arts. Sean Sherk, Phil Baroni and Antonio Silva were all vocally opposed to the commission's decisions following their respective failed tests.

Douglas made it his immediate goal to revamp the commission's program – a goal that resulted in several revised polices and procedures surrounding the testing process and the penalties the commission can hand down following a failed test.

With his departure complete, Douglas told MMAjunkie.com that his permanent successor was not immediately known.

"Currently, CSAC has nobody at the helm," Douglas stated. "All management positions are vacant.

"(I have) no idea what is planned moving forward."

The commission is currently scheduled to convene on May 27 to discuss the potential regulation of amateur MMA in California.

Gil DeLuna has been named the CSAC's Acting Assistant Executive Officer until a permanent replacement can be found.
 
Feb 7, 2006
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Report: Andre "Dida" Amade vs. Katsunori Kikuno at DREAM.10

With the star-studded DREAM.9 event just days away, the Japanese-based is now busy filling the roster of its July 20 show, DREAM.10.

Tatame.com reports that K-1 and DREAM veteran Andre "Dida" Amade (6-3-1) will meet current DEEP champion Katsunori Kikuno (11-1-1).

Featuring a lightweight title fight between champ Joachim Hansen and challenger Shinya Aoki, as well as the conclusion of a welterweight grand prix, DREAM.10 takes place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama Japan.

Dide will be looking to bounce back from two-consecutive losses at the hands of top lightweight fighters Eddie Alvarez and Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante. The Brazilian had been undefeated in his past seven contests, including a September 2007 decision win over Caol Uno and a March 2007 TKO win over Hiroyuki Takaya.

Kikuno has fought all but one of his 14 career contests for DEEP, and the Japanese fighter has gone unbeaten in his past 10 bouts. Six of Kikuno's 11 career wins have come by knockout or TKO.

DREAM.10 will be televised on HDNet in North America, thought the all-high-definition channel hasn't announced whether the card will be carried live or on tape-delay.

The card now includes:

* Champ Joachim Hansen vs. Shinya Aoki (for DREAM lightweight title)
* Andre "Dida" Amade vs. Katsunori Kikuno*

WELTERWEIGHT GRAND PRIX SECOND ROUND

* Andre Galvao vs. Jason High
* Hayato "Mach" Sakurai vs. Marius Zaromskis

* - Not officially announced.
 
Feb 7, 2006
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Fight Path: WEC's Anthony Pettis found MMA after father's tragic death

Anthony Pettis and his older brother answered the knocks at their family's front door late on Nov. 12, 2003.

"We thought it might be dad," Pettis told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "He would come and go at weird hours."

Instead, there stood two Milwaukee Police Department detectives. Not knowing if their father was in trouble — his past in and out of drug use had gained him a sometimes-difficult group of friends — the 15-year-old Pettis and his brother were vague with answers, especially when the detectives said they were investigating a homicide.

Who was he hanging out with? They said they didn't know.

Where had he been? They said they didn't know.

"We didn't want to give them any information," Pettis said. "We didn't know if his friends had done something. So they pull out this picture of him in the back of an ambulance with his eyes wide open. I'll never forget that image."

Pettis' father, who had stabilized his life with a janitorial job at a Christian center for troubled teens, had been killed by a would-be robber at a friend's home. He had been stabbed two times in the chest, leaving his wife and three sons behind.

The experience was part of a rough-and-tumble upbringing for Pettis (6-0), whose preliminary card lightweight fight against Mike Campbell at "WEC 41: Brown vs. Faber II" on June 7 will mark his WEC debut. His tough Milwaukee neighborhood, though, has helped make Pettis a fighter who respects others outside of the cage but will battle endlessly — even with a dislocated shoulder — inside of it.

Pettis also carries the memory of a father who was good to the family during his time with them but also troubled.

"He was an awesome guy; he had little sayings and lines that would stick with you," Pettis said. "He counseled some youth here, worked hard for us. He taught me a lot."

Not a bunch of dairy farms

During stretches of Pettis' youth, though, his father was absent from the family's home. His mother, while balancing work during the day and school at night, searched for an activity to occupy her three boys in the evening while she studied.

Alverno College boasted a Tae Kwon Do program, and Pettis' mother enrolled him. The boys took to it immediately His older brother became a fourth-degree black belt while Pettis earned a third-degree black belt.

The Pettis brothers continued success in Tae Kwon Do until the night their father was killed, which sent them into an uncertain period.

"The next two years were like a blur," Pettis said. "I spent two years pretty much going through the motions. I stopped doing martial arts and boxing. I'm thinking, 'Why am I trying to be a good guy when this bad stuff happens?'"

During his senior year in high school — after his older brother became the first male member of his family to graduate from high school — Pettis found support from a school nun. She encouraged him to enroll in the Kenosha Fire Academy, where he earned the proper qualifications and became a firefighter for 18 months.

It had been a sometimes-difficult childhood in the Midwest.

"There are gangs, and there's violence all over the place," Pettis said of his native neighborhood. "I tell people a lot that Milwaukee and Wisconsin aren't just dairy farms. It's city life, and it can be tough."

Fighting to the end

About three years ago, as he emerged from his funk, Pettis began searching online for alternative martial arts forms, now tired of Tae Kwon Do. He discovered the Duke Roufus MMA Academy in Milwaukee, and he wandered in for an MMA open house one afternoon.

Just months later, Pettis was regularly training in jiu jitsu, had taken Roufus on as his manager and trainer, and won his first amateur fight in just 24 seconds. After two more amateur fights, Pettis turned pro and won his debut with a 36-second submission at a Gladiators Cage Fighting event in December 2007.

His third professional fight, against Mike Lambrecht in March 2008, proved to be a defining moment for the still-young fighter.

"He was a wrestler, so I focused on my standup," Pettis said. "In the first round I'm tearing him up with my hands, so I go for this Superman punch. He changes levels, and he shoots on me, picks me up and slams me. Not knowing exactly what to do, I put my arm out, and I dislocated my right shoulder when I landed."

On the ground, Pettis' mind raced. Roufus had put Pettis in the fight against the more-experienced Lambrecht as a test, and Pettis didn't want to fail. He wanted to do anything to avoid tapping out – despite a shoulder that was out of socket.

In a show of strength and determination that amazed many that night, Pettis kicked Lambrecht back, got to his feet and again faced the opponent.

"I look at my corner, and they're all in shock," Pettis said. "I knew I had two kicks in me."

The first went to Lambrecht's knee and missed. Pettis then eyed Lambrecht's leg, coerced Lambrecht to move to protect the leg and landed a kick to the head that knocked Lambrecht out at the 1:49 mark of the first round.

After a year of rehabilitation on the shoulder, Pettis is back to full strength with a stellar fighting record, an emotional past and a resolve built in a hardscrabble neighborhood.

"We came close to moving when my father passed," Pettis said. "When I drive past the place, I remember what happened, but my dad is buried here and I would like to stay where my dad is. I have a huge family, and most of them live here. My gym is here. I want to build a good life here."
 
Feb 7, 2006
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Despite 36-pound drop, third-choice Chael Sonnen thankful for UFC 98 slot

Driving to Team Quest in the midst of a two-month-long depression, Chael Sonnen received the call to change his outlook on life.

The UFC needed someone to fight Dan Miller at UFC 98, and Sonnen immediately accepted.

It was May 1, 22 days before the fight. Never mind that he was the UFC's third choice (Yushin Okami bowed out due to injury, and Ed Herman declined due to a prior commitment) and that he was 36 pounds overweight. The Oregonian could finally let go of the past.

"I needed to move on," he told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "That call gave me a whole new set of problems to deal with."

A loss to Demian Maia at UFC 95 had given Sonnen (21-10 MMA, 1-3 UFC) lingering doubts and questions.

"That loss was really hard on me," Sonnen said. "I was so confident going into that fight. Things were going well, and I was sure I was going to win. It was bothering me every day until I got this call."

Sonnen's stock was soaring after handing Paulo Filho his first loss at WEC 36. He came back to the UFC after the WEC dissolved its upper weight classes, and he was clamoring for a title shot against Anderson Silva. Sonnen believed a win over Maia would give him that shot – perhaps when the UFC came to Portland. Instead, Maia – the third consecutive undefeated fighter Sonnen had faced – finished the fight with a triangle choke at 2:37 of the first round. A jab delivered from the bottom earlier in the round set up the submission.

"I've never been hit so hard, and I was basically out of it after that," Sonnen said. "The lights were on, but no one was home. We went on for a while after that, but it was basically over after that punch."

No shame in losing to Maia (10-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC). The Brazilian has feasted on fighters with Team Quest ties (Ryan Jensen at UFC 77, Herman at UFC 83 and Nate Quarry at UFC 91) and was Sonnen's fourth consecutive undefeated opponent (Maia, Bryan Baker and Filho, twice). But things won't be any easier against Miller (11-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC). Since upsetting Ryan McGivern for the IFL middleweight championship in 2008, Miller has won three straight in the UFC.

"Miller is really good," Sonnen said. "He's only lost once, and I've never seen him in trouble. I've never even seen him get punched. Not one time. I've got to get him out of his comfort zone."

Sonnen had been prone to pro wrestling-style hyperbole in the past (once claiming – as a joke – to wear a picture of Paulo Filho inside his shoe so that each step would be on Filho's face.), but he reigned himself in preparing for Miller. At UFC Fight Night 17 in February, Miller choked out Jake Rosholt in the first round. Rosholt and Sonnen share similar styles and wrestling backgrounds, though Sonnen has far more experience in the cage.

"Miller is a problem and a tough dude," Sonnen said. "He's crafty. He's really good at submissions. He isn't afraid to go for risky things. I have to make him pay if he does that."
 
Feb 7, 2006
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KRZYSTOF SOSZYNSKI IS FORGING HIS UFC PATH

Semi-finalist on the eighth season of the Ultimate Fighter, Frank Mir’s number one pick Krzysztof Soszynski is coming into his own.

The Winnipeg native has now rattled off two impressive wins inside the Octagon, his last being a first round submission victory over former WEC light heavyweight champion Brian Stann, a former teammate and friend, on his home turf at UFC 97 in Montreal, Canada.

Stepping up on short notice, a little over a month out from his last appearance, Soszynksi will meet fellow IFL veteran Andre Gusmao at UFC 98 in Las Vegas, this Saturday on the preliminary portion of the card.

“The Polish Experiment” has garnered two-straight submission victories by way of Kimura since entering the UFC this past December and will bring a wealth of experience, with nearly 30 fights to his credit against Andre’s six.

Still riding the “high” from his last victory in April, Soszynski’s experience of fighting in front of his fellow Canadians is one that he will carry with him forever and a first round victory on the televised portion of the card doesn’t hurt either. He displayed his ground prowess, which can be accredited to his friends and teammates over at Team Quest. Though most fighters are critical of performances, win or lose, the married father of one couldn’t have been happier.

“That was--I guess you can say the perfect fight for me. It was a fantastic fight, a perfect weekend and yeah, everything worked out perfectly,” commented Soszynski while a guest on the MMAWeekly Radio show.

The ‘perfect fight’ was complemented with the ‘perfect surroundings,’ as it was Soszynski’s first time back fighting on Canadian soil in a little over a year. Like any hometown fighter, he felt compelled to deliver in front of the sold-out crowd at the Bell Centre arena and with that carried a sense of honor and pride that is insurmountable in light of the fact that it was for the biggest promotion of them all.

“I was extremely proud and honored to be on the card. Nerves to be honest, yeah a bit of nerves, everybody gets nervous before a fight, but for me this was six years of hard work put into this one little moment – one big moment and it was just an amazing experience. I can see me walking out with a big huge smile on my face. I wanted to show everybody ‘hey, I’m here and this is an unbelievable experience.'”

Though the win was something Soszynski wouldn’t trade for anything in the world, it came at a price in the form of the aforementioned friend and teammate Brian Stann, a decorated marine who has served the United States proudly was a former WEC Champion and one of few whom were transitioned into the UFC after the dissolution of the heavier weight classes. Having trained together at Team Quest in preparation for several of Stann’s bouts within the WEC, Stann and Soszynski had built a relationship that culminated at UFC 97, where Stann found himself on the losing end.

“We talked after the fight, to make sure he was okay. We just talked a little bit about what he’s training now, what’s going on. We didn’t exchange too many words, but he was a training partner of mine for about six weeks a few years ago and it just happened that it worked out that I got the win.”

With his last two bouts ending by way of Kimura, is it safe to say that “The Polish Experiment” has a signature move?

“I think every fighter has they’re own thing, whether it’s a wrestler has his favorite takedown, whether a jiu-jitsu guy has his favorite submission, or a standup striker has his favorite combination – it's just a submission that works really well for me and for my body. I feel that if I get in a position where I can grab onto the arm, nobody can take that away from me and nobody can stop it, so it’s just working for me right now.”

With just three weeks notice, one would think a fighter with that amount of time would harbor some second thoughts on entering any fight, regardless of opponent. However, with the level of athlete being spawned everyday, true professionals remaining training year-round, ready to be on call for any opportunity that may present itself; a professional like Soszynski who is out to prove all the naysayers wrong, once again.

“I got a call about two weeks ago, on Saturday from Dan Henderson and he tells me that there’s an opportunity for me to fight and I immediately said yes. I did take two weeks off after the Brian Stann fight. I relaxed, had a lot of pizza and a lot of ice cream and just enjoyed life with the family but as soon as he called me I was game. There’s so many people in my life that’s told me this couldn’t be done, it's not possible, ‘you’ll never make it’ or ‘you’ll never make it to the UFC,’ this tells me that I belong. I wanna be there and this is just my way of showing them.”

With motivation now in every fight to prove he belongs, Soszynski will look to go 3-0 inside the UFC and place himself a step closer to contender status when he faces Renzo Gracie trained Andre Gusmao, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who will be looking for his first win inside the Octagon after dropping a unanimous decision to light heavyweight prospect Jon Jones. A fight that could have happened in the days of the now defunct IFL, Soszynski looks forward to the challenge ahead and another UFC bonus wouldn’t hurt either. He has gone three-for-three in his three UFC appearances.

Though winning is his main objective, Soszynski would be pleased if he just puts on a good performance in front of the UFC brass and make an exciting fight; a crowd pleaser for the fans which he hopes will cement his status and longevity in the UFC.

“To be honest with you, I don’t really think about what he has to do, I think about me and what I have to do. As long as I keep winning, as long as I keep putting on good performances I will be in the UFC for a long time to come and that’s been the game plan all along. I want to show the UFC that I’m not just a one or two-fight win guy, I wanna stay here. Keith Jardine – I kind of look up to Keith Jardine because we were in the same situation when we got off The Ultimate Fighter and now I’m following in his footsteps.”
 
Feb 7, 2006
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UFC 98: FRANKIE EDGAR AND THE MUSCLE SHARK

Exciting fights keep you in the UFC. Winning those exciting fights makes you a commodity. When you’re a commodity you become a contender. When you become a contender… well, you’re Frankie Edgar.

Taking the lightweight division by storm, the New Jersey native made his Octagon debut against fellow top lightweight Tyson Griffin in a rousing three-round battle (which still is seen on television sets across the globe thanks to UFC Unleashed) with each fighter having their moments. The victory ultimately went to Edgar, who used effective wrestling coupled with a solid stand-up game to hand Griffin his first professional loss.

After suffering his own first professional loss to Xtreme Couture’s Gray Maynard, in true Edgar form, he came back with another exciting fight against former title challenger Hermes Franca at UFC Fight Night 14 in Las Vegas this past July.

Gearing up for his most important fight to date, against former UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk, to be televised on the main card of UFC 98, Edgar spoke with the MMAWeekly Radio show discussing his pivotal match-up and what had kept him out of action for the remainder of 2008.

“Believe it or not, I sprained my ACL in my right leg and my MCL in the other one. It was kind of one after the other, so it was tough to deal with, but I got over it. No surgery needed; physical therapy, one hundred percent” explained Edgar.

Eager to continue climbing the mountain that is the lightweight division, the Ricardo Almeida pupil had the option of returning to the fight game earlier this year, however, opted to wait until May to compete against Sherk. With a win over the former champion, Edgar could begin to stake his claim as the next title challenger in the crowded division.

“I just feel that the opportunity to fight Sherk is an opportunity you could wait for.”

Originally scheduled to face Matt Wiman back in December, after succumbing to multiple injuries, Edgar has used his time out efficiently. And with plenty of notice to face Sherk, the newly minted father (who admits fatherhood is his biggest challenge, taking precedence over fighting) believes that the extra allotted time can only benefit him physically and uses his daunting task at hand as extra motivation to come in pristine condition.

“Being that my knee was banged up, being that Sherk is such a tough opponent, I wanted to start this training camp out really early, so timing was excellent for this one.”

Having been able to win the majority of his fights based on pure skill rather than physicality, questions began to circle the Tom River, N.J., resident when he garnered his first and only loss, to Maynard, who is the epitome of “large” lightweights. Many feel that Edgar would be much better suited in the featherweight division… but not him.

“I enjoy fighting in the UFC. I wanna stay here. You never know what the future holds, but right now I feel like I have a great opportunity heading in with Sherk. I feel like if I beat Sherk, I’m right in the picture for this title, so I don’t see any reason to go down (to 145). When people question my ability at 155 it absolutely motivates me. I don’t mind being the little guy; I think it’s a fun position to be in as a fighter.”

Knowing well that the win over Sherk is a near guarantee for top spot for the lightweight title, Edgar will make the best of the opportunity given to him. He also relishes the chance to prove the naysayers wrong and make a statement that size doesn’t matter.

“I really feel like Sean is on his way back to the title. I feel that if I beat him, I take his spot or at least a notch right below it. I think it can only help me to where I want to be, so that’s why I was really quick to jump on this one."
 
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YOSHIDA WORKS WITH TEAM JACKSON FOR UFC 98

The education of a mixed martial artist never truly stops. For Japanese Judoka Yoshiyuki Yoshida the learning curve came at the expense of a knockout loss to Josh Koscheck in December 2008, but he believes he has learned from the mistakes he made, and is ready to return at UFC 98 this Saturday night.

For his last bout, Yoshida was expected to be a tough match-up for the former NCAA wrestling champion, but what many thought would be a ground war turned into a stand-up fight that the Japanese fighter lost in the first round.

"I think I thought about the opponent too much and basically forgot to fight my style of fight," Yoshida told MMAWeekly.com in an exclusive interview prior to his fight at UFC 98. "So this time, I want to go and just do what I do best and win."

What Yoshida did to get back to his winning ways was completely change his training routine, and that included adding himself into the mix at Greg Jackson's gym in New Mexico.

"I have been training at Greg Jackson's at almost two full months. For this fight I didn't wanted to train in Japan. If I train in Japan then coming to America and fight in the UFC, that itself would put everything into something extraordinarily and rare," Yoshida stated. "I wanted to approach this fight like any other fight I fought in Japan. So train in New Mexico for full two months, then take short flight out to Vegas to fight. It's about changing the environment to prepare for this fight in a different mindset.

"Also of course, I wanted to train and spar with best fighters in the world, particularly UFC fighters, under great coaching and I thought Greg Jackson's is the place for that."

For his third fight in the Octagon, Yoshida will face Brandon Wolff, a young up and comer who suffered a loss in his debut bout for the UFC when he was TKO'd by American Top Team fighter Ben Saunders, after a devastating series of knees in the first round.

Admittedly, Yoshida knows little about his opponent, but he isn't worried about what Wolff is going to do. Wolff should be worried about him.

"I do have DVDs of his fight, but this time, I am not going to watch so I won't know anything about it," said Yoshida. "One of the coaches at Greg Jackson's here apparently saw Wolff's fight and advised me on few points, but that is about it. I want to concentrate on doing my fight. I don't want to think about my opponent."

Of course the biggest pressure added into the mix for this fight is the fact that both Yoshida and Wolff are coming off of losses, and while the UFC hates to lose quality competitors, winning is the only guarantee to keep you around.

"There is always a pressure to win in this sport," Yoshida commented. "I mean, at this level, you have got to win every fight. That is the bottom line. So the pressure is the same."

Having only fought twice in 2008, Yoshida is hopeful for a slightly busier 2009, but his main focus is on Brandon Wolff and getting back on a winning track in the UFC.

Yoshida also thanked the sponsors that supported him to this point, and helped him get ready for the fight at such a crucial spot in his career.

"I would like to thank Sprawl, that has been staying behind me from basically my very first day in the US," said Yoshida. "Manto, polish apparel brand, that makes awesome shorts and rash guard. I also would like to (thank) Hayabusa Fight Wear. I am very excited to be able to work with fast growing brand, and also KUBED, the brand that makes very stylish wears and gears."

Yoshiyuki Yoshida makes his return to action on Saturday night against Brandon Wolff at UFC 98 in Las Vegas.
 
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Mustapha Al-Turk plans to bring home Mirko Cro Cop’s scalp after UFC 99 fight

“I suppose nowadays in the fight game there are no easy fights. I’m stepping up as usual and hoping to take a big scalp come June 13th. I feel good. I feel like I’ve got the tools and the know-how and the skill to deal with him and beat him…. You know, I’ve got a good stand-up game — probably not as good as his — and I’ve got a good ground game. I’m a good wrestler. My jiu-jitsu’s good. I’ve got a good chance and I believe in myself, that’s the most important thing…. It’s only three and a half weeks away. It is quite short notice, but hey, you know, I’m stepping up and I’m going to take it to him. We’ve had to change all the training. It is quite short notice, and it is a steep learning curve to change my game. I’ve been working eleven weeks to deal with Todd Duffee, but that’s changed now and true intelligence is adaptation to environment, so if I can adapt to my environment I can demonstrate true intelligence.”

Mustapha Al-Turk — who was originally slated to face undefeated American Top Team (ATT) heavyweight Todd Duffee at UFC 99: “The Comeback” at the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany, on June 13 — talks about his preparation (and chances) against his new foe, Pride FC 2006 Open Weight Grand Prix winner Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic. The former British Cage Rage heavyweight champion came up short in his Octagon debut against Cheick Kongo, losing via brutal technical knockout. Cro Cop didn’t have much luck against the Parisian, either, dropping a unanimous decision back in 2007, which forced his exit from the promotion. Does Al-Turk really have the tools to topple the Croatian and send him packing once again or will Cro Cop have the last laugh courtesy of his trademark Mohican head kick?
 
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UFC Quick Quote: Martin Kampmann refuses to fight TJ Grant at TUF 9 Finale

“No disrespect to T.J. Grant, but I don’t think it’s a fight that makes any sense for me at the moment. I want to fight some higher ranked guys. I never even knew who the guy was, and he’s probably a tough guy. But I want to fight guys who make sense for me and who can escalate me up the ladder more, so I didn’t accept that fight. I don’t know what happened, but apparently some miscommunication somewhere because I saw it all over the Internet…. If I’m thinking with my b*lls, I’ll take any fight that comes up. But I got to be smart about my career and take the fights that make sense for me, and I don’t think that fight makes sense for me at this time. Maybe when he gets some more wins in the UFC and builds up some good wins in the UFC, then maybe will meet somewhere along the road later.”
 
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Bobby Lashley ready for a ‘Battle of the Giants’ against Bob Sapp on June 27

BILOXI, Miss. (May 21, 2009) – Fresh off his 24-second destruction of Mike Cook, former WWE superstar Bobby Lashley called his June 27th showdown against Bob “The Beast” Sapp in the “Ultimate Chaos” pay-per-view event headliner, live from the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi, the “Battle of the Giants.”

“Ultimate Chaos,” presented by Prize Fight Promotions and Fight Force International, in association with the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum, Treasure Bay Casino and Budweiser, is being produced and distributed by Gotham MMA and Integrated Sports at 9:00PM ET/6:00PM PT in the United States and Canada on cable and satellite Pay Per View via iNDemand, TVN, DirecTV, Bell TV, Shaw, Star Choice and Viewer’s Choice for a suggested retail price of only $29.95.

The 6-2, 255-pound Lashley, 3-time NAIA wrestling champion at Missouri Valley College, is an incredible physical specimen. Bobby joined the U.S. Army and was a 2-time Armed Forces Champion and 2002 Military Games Championship silver medalist. Two years ago, the chiseled Lashley became a WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) superstar, joining Donald Trump at Wrestlemania 23 in a bet against WWE president Vince McMahon. Lashley won the match and helped Trump shave McMahon’s head in the ring.

Bobby’s third pro MMA fight was a major hit last weekend as he displayed tremendous power submitting Cook, who had taunted the unbeaten Lashley by wearing a pro wrestling-type mask into their fight, with a near spine-snapping Guillotine choke. Bobby looked like a much more polished MMA fighter than he did in his previous three-round decision against Jason Guida.

“He tried to get in my head but I wasn’t going to let him,” Bobby explained. “He probably saw that the opponent in my previous fight had gotten a little in my head, but I learned from that experience and just shrugged it off this time. I trained hard and knew I was ready for that fight. My cardio was great and I worked on my boxing. I’ve reached a level of validation. When he put that mask on, I was only concerned with being validated to my opponent. The WWE thing will always be there, whether I have three or 300 MMA fights, but I’m glad that I have that WWE fanbase.”

Lashley fights a larger man for the first time in MMA action when he steps into the cage against an imposing 6-4, 350-pound Sapp (10-3-1), who played in the NFL for four years before becoming an iconic combat fighter in Japan, where he starred in PRIDE and K-1.

“Most heavyweights (in MMA) weigh 230-240 and that’s the size of guys I’ve fought,” Lashley said. “But I’m fighting a huge opponent in this coming fight. This guy must have weighed 370 at the press conference. Even if he gets down to 340, he’ll still outweighs me by around 85 pounds. Sapp’s really aggressive and I know he’s going to come out hard. He won’t be able to go through me, though. He’s strong but his weakness is in the gas tank, even though I know he’s training hard for this fight. It’s going to be a good fight.”

“We liked this fight when it was first offered. When I fight there’s always been a ‘but’ after it. It was a good fight but ……fill in the blank. Well, I’m fighting a bigger guy who’s popular overseas. I don’t think this fight will go long. It certainly won’t be a long, drawn-out fight. There will be a lot of heavy blows, lots of banging – ‘Battle of the Giants!’ I’m training right now back home in Colorado. I like working in the altitude but I’ll probably make a brief trip to train (with American Top Team) in Florida where there are a lot of big guys at our fight club. I may have to stack three guys up (to simulate Sapp, Bobby jokingly said). I have some big guys here I’m training with. They not be quite as big as Sapp, but they’re big, very strong and have heavy hands like Bob.”

Controversial Dutch heavyweight Gilbert “The Hurricane” Yvel (35-13-3) takes on 3-time UFC title challenger Pedro “The Rock” Rizzo (16-8-0) in an intriguing co-feature. Former King Of The Cage and Gladiator Challenge champion Javier “Showtime” Vasquez (12-2-0) meets dangerous lightweight Din “Dinyero” Thomas (24-8-0), star of The Ultimate Fighter 4; Canadian lightweight sensation Chris “The Polish Hammer” Horodecki (12-1-0) faces 4-time World Muay Thai champion William “The Bull” Sriyapai (12-4-0).

Also fighting on the card are welterweights Brett Cooper (8-4-0) vs. Waachiim “Native Warrior” Spirit Wolf (5-4), Affliction vice president Tom Atencio (1-0) vs. pro debuting lightweight Randy Hedderick, middleweight James Orso (8-3-0) vs. Colby McMahan (3-1-0), The Ultimate Fighter 3 star Danny Abbadi (3-4-0) vs. veteran middleweight Lance Thomson (4-2-0); welterweight Eric Bradley (2-1-0), 2-time All-America wrestler and 2003 NCAA boxing champion at Penn State, vs. Belfast, Northern Ireland brawler Colin McKee (3-2-0). All fights and fighters are subject to change.

Tickets are priced at $25.00 (limited discount seating), $40.00 (general admission) and $55.00 (premium reserved seating) and sale at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum and all TicketMaster outlets.

For more information go to www.theultimatechaos.com, www.fightforce.org or www.mscoastcoliseum.com. Doors open at 5PM/CT, first fight 6 PM/CT, and the first PPV fight is at 8 PM/CT.
 
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Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legends at China for AOW

Royce Gracie, Renzo Gracie, Rickson Gracie, Ricardo Libório, Fabrício Werdum, Demian Maia, Thales Leites, Vitor Shaolin, Fábio Leopoldo, Rolls Gracie. This real Dream Team of the Jiu-Jitsu is in Beijing to watch from the first row the 12th Edition of Art of War, which will happen this Saturday in the Olympic Sports Center. The Brazilians head the list of nearly 200 celebrities from the world of MMA and Jiu-Jitsu, brought by the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who has just organized the first professional world cup of the sport and now pretends to officially announce his entry in the MMA world.

"Neither in Pride times we could see so many celebrities together and in a so friendly climate", commented, today, at breakfast, the American journalist Stephen Quadros, who divided the table with Rickson Gracie, Ricardo Libório and Fabrício Werdum, minutes before the arrival of Tim Sylvia, Demian Maia and Thales Leites. "We brought almost 200 invited among journalists and fighters from around the world, not forgetting the plane with the delegation from Abu Dhabi, which arrived today in Beijing with more than 300 people”, revealed first-hand the organizer of the event Konrad Pi, beside his brother and partner Andy Pi, who, for security reasons, didn’t want to reveal if the Sheik will be at the event. "We brought the greatest judge of the Pride, the greatest judge of the UFC, the first champions of Pride (Rickson) and UFC (Royce) and the main journalists of the MMA world. All I can say is that we’ll make an excellent show, and later we’ll have five more in 2009", Andy told us.

At the meeting of rules, realized this Thursday just after lunch, the 24 fighters of the event were told that the fights will be disputed in a round of 10 minutes plus a five minutes round, mixing rules of the Pride (stomps and soccer kicks) with the ones from the UFC (elbows will be allowed without restrictions). The only Brazilian in the card will be Rolles Gracie, son of the legendary Rolls, who will face the Russian Baga Agaev. Today, Rolles, showing excellent shape, met his cousin Rickson, who had just arrived from almost 20 hours of travel.
 
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Anderson talks about Griffin and Wand’s bet

After making history in UFC’s middleweight, defending his belt one more time and breaking the record of consecutive victories in the UFC, Anderson Silva is now getting ready for his next fight at the light heavyweight division. After debuting against James Irvin, winning by knockout in only 61 seconds, Anderson will have a hard challenge ahead, where he faces, in the UFC 101, the former champion Forrest Griffin.

"It's a tough fight, the light heavyweight category isn’t mine, I have to train. Griffin is a tough guy, he’ll go to striking, so I have to train", said Anderson to TATAME.com, revealing that hasn’t pushed the training to the fight yet. "I’m calm, helping the guys in their training here. I didn’t start my hard training yet, I’m only doing the maintenance, my Boxing... There’s a Thailand teacher here. We’ll get back from (Rafael) Feijão’s fight and then I’ll get the heavier trainings for this fight", says Anderson, commenting the bet offered by Wanderlei Silva to his next fight against Rich Franklin, who spend a week training with Anderson.

"Man, no comments. Rich is a nice guy, I like him a lot, we have a nice friendship, although we have faced each other twice. Rich came here, made classes with us and we trained what we could, I don’t know if it will make some difference to this fight, but yes, he trained with us. Unfortunately, Wanderlei is Brazilian and will fight with him, but we aren’t cheering for anyone. I prefer to remain quiet with these comments, I don’t even have anything to say. Each one speaks what they wants, the time that wants", declared the champion.
 
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Fedor Emelianenko vs. Josh Barnett agreed to for August 1

The bout that MMA fans have been waiting to see for some time now may be coming to fruition this August.

Fedor Emelianenko and Josh Barnett have verbally agreed to meet at the next Affliction event tentatively scheduled for August 1 according to a recent report by MMA Fanhouse. The event is to take place at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

Fedor has been Affliction’s golden boy and he has delivered in two outstanding performances on his part. At the first Affliction event in July of 2008 he dismantled former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia in just 36 seconds. This past January at “The Day of Reckoning” pay-per-view he knocked out another former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski in the first round.

Josh Barnett has competed on both cards as well defeating Pedro Rizzo and then Gilbert Yvel. The two also fought for Pride and there was talk back then of a Barnett-Fedor bout but it obviously never happened. Some have speculated that the two share a close friendship and have been hesitant to fight each other. Regardless this is the only bout that makes sense for Affliction in what could be its last hurrah.

Also rumored for the unnamed event is a fight featuring Gegard Mousassi who won the Dream middleweight grand prix but has since decided to move up to the light heavyweight division. His opponent is none other than the “Phenom” Vitor Belfort who has currently been fighting at middleweight but has fought at 205lbs in the past.

Belfort has been impressive in his last two bouts as he knocked out Terry Martin in the second round of the inaugural Affliction card and then completely devastated perennial top 10 middleweight Matt Lindland with a left hand just seconds into their bout at “Day of Reckoning” leaving Lindland unconscious for sometime on the canvas.

Tim Sylvia who is taking part in a boxing match with 47 year old former world champion Ray Mercer next month in Alabama is rumored to be on the card as well. His opponent may be either Gilbert Yvel or Paul Buentello.
 
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Dana White on Chuck Liddell: "If he still wants to fight, he can fight"

LAS VEGAS – Chuck Liddell's career as a mixed martial arts fighter isn't definitively over. Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White left the door open a crack on Thursday for the former light heavyweight champion to compete once more.

A minor controversy developed after Liddell's knockout loss to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 97 in Montreal on April 18. White said at the postfight news conference that the 39-year-old Liddell, who has lost four of his last five, would retire and be given an office job with the UFC.

At that same news conference, Liddell was not nearly as definitive, only going so far as to say he "probably" would not fight again. But Liddell's trainer, John Hackleman, said later that it isn't White's call and that Liddell had not made up his mind whether he'd fight again. Hackleman said White was pressuring Liddell to quit, but he said Liddell was mulling his options.

On Thursday at the MGM Grand, following the prefight news conference for UFC 98, White wouldn't entirely rule out the possibility of Liddell fighting again.

He said "there are no rumblings" that Liddell may fight once more and placed the blame for the speculation on Hackleman. But when prodded with the fact that Liddell himself said he's still mulling his future, White backed off slightly.

"Trust me when I tell you, he's ready to retire," White said. "He's ready to retire. It's the reason we love Chuck Liddell. He has nothing left to prove. He's got a [expletive] load of money. He's been a world champion. He's beaten a who's who of mixed martial arts fighters. He's the most famous guy in the sport. There's no reason to fight. He's 40 years old, man. He and I had an agreement. We had a deal.

"Am I his father? Can I tell him not to fight? Absolutely not. If he still wants to fight, he can fight. I'm not saying, 'It will never happen. It will never happen.' But he made a deal with me. He's never not listened to me. We'll see what happens."

White could block Liddell from fighting in the UFC by simply refusing to book him. If he did that and Liddell decided he wanted to fight, that could create a ticklish situation of Liddell having to look for a fight outside of the UFC.

White is Liddell's former manager and the two are close friends. When asked if he'd stand in the way of Liddell fighting outside the UFC if Liddell opted to fight, White hedged.

"I don't know, man," he said, grimacing. "I'm honestly telling you guys I can not see him coming back to me and saying, ‘I want to fight one more.' We already did that. I can't see it happening. I think there are a lot of people around him who need his money putting pressure on him. That's what I think."

Liddell could not be reached for comment on Thursday.