MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

Arlovski Focused on Rogers
videolink: http://www.sherdog.com/videos/recent/Arlovski-Focused-on-Rogers-2003
Despite his short notice agreement to fight Brett Rogers on Strikeforce’s June 6 event, Andrei Arlovski says he will be sufficiently prepared come fight night.

Sherdog.com news editor Loretta Hunt caught up with the former UFC heavyweight champion to discuss his bout with Rogers and his disappointing loss to Fedor Emelianenko.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Potential MMA regulation passes major hurdle in New York state

The fight for mixed-martial-arts regulation in the potentially lucrative New York market cleared a major hurdle today.

The New York State Assembly's Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports today garnered a favorable vote for Bill 2009-B, which would call for the New York State Athletic Commission to regulate MMA.

MMAjunkie.com medical columnist Dr. Johnny Benjamin, who helped state politicians form arguments in favor of the sport and its safety, today confirmed the vote passed with a 14-6 margin.

Eleven votes were needed to pass the bill beyond the committee.

"We've cleared a huge hurdle in getting it [past] our committee," Michael Kim, assistant to New York Assemblyman (and bill supporter) Steven Englebright, stated in an email. "Until today, we had never gotten it [past] our committee."

However, before it heads to the Assembly floor, the bill must first clear New York's Codes Committee, which will inspect the legal details of the bill.

The biggest hurdle, though, was getting the bill out of the Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports. Although MMA's most prominent organization, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, entered the fight with a massive public-awareness campaign, the bill faced heavy opposition, most notably from Assemblyman Bob Reilly.

"MMA is a sport with an excellent track record of being proactive when it comes to fighter safety," Dr. Benjamin said. "I'm happy that I could play a small role to help further that message."

The UFC has long desired to hold an event in New York, which last hosted a UFC event in 1995, when "UFC 7: The Brawl in Buffalo" took place in front of 9,000 spectators at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium.

The state banned MMA two years later.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Heavyweights Ben Rothwell vs. Chase Gormley booked for "Affliction: Trilogy" card

A heavyweight bout between Ben Rothwell (30-6) and Chase Gormley (6-0) has been booked for August's "Affliction: Trilogy" card.

Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio confirmed the bout to MMA FanHouse during today's press conference in New York City.

The presser was held to promote the Aug. 1 fight card, which takes place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., and features a main event between WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko and Josh Barnett.

Rothwell, a former IFL champ who went 9-0 in the now-defunct organization, last competed for Affliction in July 2008, when he suffered a third-round knockout loss to Andrei Arlovski. Rothwell, though, bounced back five months later when he defeated Chris Guillen via submission (due to strikes) at Adrenaline MMA II in December.

Gormley, meanwhile, faces the toughest test of his young undefeated career. He debuted professionally in 2007 with a decision win over EliteXC veteran Jon Murphy. Most recently, he defeated Eric Pele via decision at a May event in Canada.

In addition to Rothwell vs. Gormley, "Affliction: Trilogy" will feature Affliction welterweight Brett Cooper (9-4) and former IFL lightweight Deividas Taurosevicius (10-3) in separate undercard bouts, according to the report.

The latest rumored "Affliction: Trilogy" card now includes:

* Champ Fedor Emelianenko vs. Josh Barnett (for WAMMA heavyweight title)
* Paul Buentello vs. Tim Sylvia
* Gegard Mousasi vs. Renato "Babalu" Sobral
* Vitor Belfort vs. Jorge Santiago*
* Ben Rothwell vs. Chase Gormley
* Paul Daley vs. Jay Hieron
* Chris Horodecki vs. Dan Lauzon
* Mark Hominick vs. TBA*
* Brett Cooper vs. TBA*
* Deividas Taurosevicius vs. TBA*

* - Not officially announced

 

[Shogun Locc]

Josh Koscheck and Frank Trigg meet Sept. 19 at UFC 103 in Dallas

Top UFC welterweight contender Josh Koscheck (12-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) will indeed meet returning UFC veteran Frank Trigg (19-6 MMA, 2-3 UFC) at UFC 103 in Dallas.

Rumors of the bout have been widespread in recent days, and sources close to the event have indicated to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that bout agreements have been distributed and are expected to be finalized shortly.

While initial reports suggested the bout would take place on Sept. 26, and possibly in the U.K., the event will now be held on Sept. 19, just three days after UFC Fight Night 19 takes place in Oklahoma City.

Koscheck started his UFC career by winning seven of his first eight fights in the organization. The American Kickboxing Academy-trained fighter has since gone just 3-3, dropping hard-fought decisions to Georges St. Pierre and Thiago Alves, as well as a surprising TKO defeat to Paulo Thiago in his most recent performance.

Trigg fights for the first time in the UFC since 2005, when back-to-back losses to Georges St. Pierre and Matt Hughes led to his release from the organization. The Xtreme Couture fighter has amassed a 7-2 record since his release, including a four-fight win streak he'll carry into the September contest.

While the UFC generally does not conduct multiple events within such a short time frame, the move is not without precedent. The UFC's first (and to date, only) trip to Texas in April 2007 (Houston's UFC 69) was preceded just two days earlier by a UFC Fight Night card held in Las Vegas.

While UFC 103 is expected to take place at the American Airlines Center, an official venue for the event has not been named.

MMAjunkie.com first reported Dallas as a possible location earlier this week. Sources close to the event said Phoenix was also under consideration for UFC 103.

 

[Shogun Locc]

CALIFORNIA APPOINTS INTERIM EXECUTIVE OFFICER

The California State Athletic Commission on Tuesday appointed Dave Thornton as its Interim Executive Officer while the search for the position’s permanent placement continued.

After Assistant Executive Officer Bill Douglas resigned in April, the Department of Consumer Affairs appointed Gil Deluna to oversee the office in transition. Deluna will continue to work at CSAC while candidates for the Executive Officer position are evaluated, said Sarah Waklee, a representative with the commission.

Thornton served with the California Medical Board for 32 years and was appointed as its Executive Officer in 2004.

"The Athletic Commission knows Dave Thornton has a long track record of making government efficient,” said Tim Noonan, Chair of CSAC. “He will help assure that the sports of boxing, kickboxing and mixed martial arts remain safe, fair and competitive throughout California. We are excited to have him as part of our team even though his tenure is on an interim basis."

Waklee said the permanent position had been re-opened on the DCA’s website and could be vacant for several months.

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC FIGHT NIGHT 19 HEADED FOR OKLAHOMA

The Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., will play host to UFC Fight Night 19 on Sept. 16.

MMAMania reported the news on Tuesday citing Tulsa World. Oklahoma State Athletic Commissioner Joe Miller confirmed the event.

The card will serve as a lead-in to the Spike debut of "The Ultimate Fighter" season 10.

The last time the UFC touched down in the Sooner State, Royce Gracie had his final hurrah as dominant champion in the emerging sport, submitting Dan Severn at UFC 4 to win his third UFC tournament championship.

The venue holds 15,000 seats and is used for arena football, concerts, and other events.

Rumored participants for the Midwest card are newly signed heavyweight Mike Russow and Brazilian lightweight Ronnys Torres.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Strikeforce open workout recap for ‘Lawler vs Shields’ June 6 event

ST. LOUIS (June 3, 2009) - Undefeated heavyweight monster Brett “The Grim” Rogers (9-0) and welterweight (170 pound) powerhouse Joe “Diesel” Riggs (29-10) joined local stars Jesse Finney (3-0) and Pat Benson (2-5-2) for an open workout at Finney’s MMA/St. Louis Workout where they entertained a host of local media and fans on Wednesday, June 3, three days before their respective bouts on the star-studded Strikeforce: “Lawler vs. Shields” mixed martial arts (MMA) mega-card at Scottrade Center.

Four-time world champion and MMA legend Frank Shamrock was also on hand to field questions from the press during the special pre-fight event.

All four fighters participating in the open workout demonstrated their wide array of combat skills while punching and kicking boxing mitts and Muay Thai pads and while grappling with training partners on the gym’s mats.

Here is what the fighters said:

Brett Rogers:

“Back home, I’ve got family that is dependent on me and fans that are pulling for me. I’ve also got to represent Ambition MMA so I just got to go out there and do work. I’m not in this game for fun.”

On Andrei Arlovski, his opponent Saturday: “I used to watch him when I was in school, but I have to push that to the side and say, ‘You know what, I’m not a fan of Arlovski anymore. I can fight this guy. His chin is definitely getting weak. He kind of exposes himself. He likes to lead first and then come with the punch.

Joe Riggs:

“This is going to be a great fight for me. I’ve said it before - I’m in the best shape of my life.”

“This is a fight that everyone around me has wanted for me for a long time. It never happened because we were always fighting for different promotions or in different weigh classes. Now, we are both fighting for Strikeforce, so it’s on.”

Jesse Finney:

“I come from a boxing and kickboxing background so, for the last three to four months, I’ve been doing straight wrestling and grappling to work on my weaknesses. A part of me almost wants to be put on my back so I can show what I’ve got as far as jiu-jitsu and wrestling.”

“My opponent is 7-0 and supposed to be very athletic. I wanted to step things up in my hometown. This is probably going to be the biggest fight of my pro career.”

“I feel better than I have ever felt in years. My body is really healthy and I was supposed to fight on April 17, but we pushed the show back because Strikeforce announced that it was coming to town. So, I’ve been really training since the first of the year.”

“People don’t realize how big I am. I’m almost 6 foot 1 and walk around at around 200 pounds and I cut to 175.”

“I feel like Strikeforce has a second home in St. Louis. The fans are getting their money’s worth 10 times over. What we have going on here with all these fighters - when do you really get all guys of this caliber on a fight card? This is the first time these guys have come to St. Louis and once they make their mark on Saturday, I think Strikeforce will be here to stay.”

“Of the undercard fights, I think that every one of those fights could go the distance because they are good matchups.”

Frank Shamrock:

“We had a lot of educated, hardcore MMA fans out there today. One dude busted out a 20 year old magazine with me in it so that was pretty cool to see.”

“It’s definitely an “A” level card - blow out material. Everyone I’ve talked to is super-excited for it.”

The highly anticipated Lawler-Shields matchup will highlight an 11-fight card in the biggest, most significant MMA event in the history of the Gateway City.

Tickets, starting at $30, are on sale at the Scottrade Center box office, all Ticketmaster locations (800-745-3000), Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com) and Strikeforce’s official website (www.strikeforce.com). Doors at the Scottrade Center will open at 6:30 p.m. CT on Saturday. The first non-televised preliminary bout will begin at 6:45 p.m.

A six-bout undercard featuring a top match between Rafael Feijao and Mike Kyle will also include a number of local stars including Finney and Tyron Woodley. It will precede a five-fight telecast on SHOWTIME (10 p.m., ET/PT, delayed on the west coast).

In televised fights on SHOWTIME, top ranked middleweight (185 pounds) “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler will square off with top rated welterweight (170 pounds) Jake Shields in a 182 pound catch weight main event.

Trash-talking, knockout artist Phil “The New York Bad Ass” Baroni will face crowd-pleasing, aggressive-minded Joe “Diesel” Riggs in a welterweight scrap, exciting, power-punching Scott “Hands Of Steel” Smith will meet talented, Cesar Gracie black belt Nick Diaz and two-time NCAA Division I national wrestling champion Kevin Randleman will thrown down with Mike Whitehead in a light heavyweight matchup.

Rogers will face Arlovski in an Affliction sponsored bout.

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC Quick Quote: Anderson Silva is in trouble with Wanderlei Silva

“Before he was my friend, and I trained with him for a long time in Brazil before he (left). But I don’t know why he started talking bullshit about me in Brazil. I don’t know why … I think I’m inconveniencing him, understand? Because he knows who I am, and he knows it’s possible he’s in trouble with me.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Baroni on Riggs: ‘I’m planning on blowing right through this kid’

Joining Lawler and Shields on the recent Strikeforce conference call on their June 6 event was the one and only “New York Bad Ass” Phil Baroni.

Baroni, who will step into the cage against Joe “Diesel” Riggs on the televised portion of the card, made sure to remind fans of why he’s always been known as a fighter who isn’t afraid to speak his mind. Riggs found himself directly in Baroni’s crosshairs, especially in regards to his apparent absenteeism from the call.

“The guy is a no-show for the conference call,” said Baroni. “He’s got a real big problem. I’ve been telling you since day one you better have someone else lined up because I don’t think he’s going to show up. We’re all busy and we’re all training right now and we don’t want to do this but we’re all big and professional except that (expletive). It’s up to him how long the fight is going to last. I want to show everyone in MMA that I’m for real. All roads lead through Joe Riggs. I’m planning on blowing right through this kid.”

The outspoken Long Islander, who is 3-0 since making the move down to 170 pounds, made it clear he’s going to be especially agitated on Saturday night and it will have nothing to do with cutting weight.

“(Dropping to welterweight) has been real comfortable,” explained Baroni. “Losing sixteen pounds of muscle helped a lot. I feel great. I feel like I’m nineteen years old again. I have tons of energy. I feel like I should be on a box of Wheaties and doing cereal commercials.

“I’m on edge right now. Don’t cross me now because I haven’t had sex in four weeks and I’m on a diet. I’m ready to kill someone. This is going to be a war and I’m in total fight mode. I don’t even know what I’m talking about right now. Next question!”

In closing, Baroni expressed excitement about the opportunity he’d been given and continued to hype the fight as only he can.

“I’m just ready to go,” Said the animated Baroni. “It’s a coming out party for me. I’m a different person out there. Joe Riggs is underestimating me and making a big mistake. The talking is done. It’s time to do it in the ring. I can’t wait to get in there and show the world I’m a legitimate contender and can do this. Better later than never.”

It sounds as though fans in St. Louis are in for a treat this weekend when Strikeforce rolls into the Gateway City. In fact, it sounds like all MMA enthusiasts are.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Notes on the Affliction M-1 Global Presser

Affliction M-1 Global “Trilogy” is scheduled for Aug. 1 in Anaheim, Calif. Fedor Emelianenko headlines against Josh Barnett, and Gegard Mousasi meets Renato “Babalu” Sobral in what Affliction described Wednesday as the co-main event. It’s a solid card. Notes from the news conference in New York:

• The conference was delayed briefly because Babalu was in the bathroom.

• Donald Trump is clueless about MMA. I’ve seen him at three pressers now. When asked about the sport, invariably he says something along the lines of, “Really exciting stuff and this Affliction is amazing,” and then passes the microphone to whoever will take the thing off his hands. He’ll take the mic back, though, if you ask him about “The Apprentice.” (And people do, they really do.)

• But what do you expect? Trump’s purpose: When he shows up, so does the media. Not just MMA media either -- I mean mainstream outlets that don’t know much about Affliction but might mention it alongside a photo of Trump grinning and looking rich. Fedor doesn’t get the first question at these news conferences either; Trump does.

• Chatter from the photographers illustrates this best. Notes on their demands during the post-conference photo op: “Put Trump together with the fighters!” “Yeah, put Trump in the middle.” “Get that guy with the black glasses [Affliction VP Tom Atencio] out of the shot, why don’t ya?” “Promote this right. Put Trump in the middle.” “Yeah, that’s what we like. That’s the ticket. Put your dukes up, Donald!”

• The photographers pushed Fedor and Barnett around too. The heavyweights made the mistake of shaking hands in front of the cameras: “Ah geez, you can tell these guys are friends.” “Don’t shake hands. They’re supposed to kill each other, these guys.” “Don’t smile!” “Face off.” “Put Trump in the shot.” And so on. At one point they tried to kick Mark Cuban out of a photo until someone spoke up and said he could stay.

• Fedor had called Barnett a “true friend” during the conference but also said he fights his friends daily in training. “It’s a sport,” Fedor said. “We’re athletes, and we’ll be in the ring to compete. I’m very confident that our friendship will continue after the fight.”

• Barnett replied by saying the friendship wasn’t an issue and that, if anything, they owe it to each other to put on the best fight possible. With that said, this stuff is usually more interesting to read when fighters loathe each other. But Barnett and Fedor aren’t going to fake it, and that’s respectable.

• Atencio on holding a third straight event in Anaheim: “We’ve built a great base there. It’s our backyard, so it makes life a little bit easier, and California is definitely the Mecca of MMA. … It just makes sense for us.”

• You can tell criticism of Affliction has agitated Atencio some. He pointed out again that the promotion is just starting up and that the Aug. 1 event is only Affliction’s third show. “We’re kind of between a rock and a hard place here. The public acts like it’s our 10th, 15th show, but everybody else sees this as our third event.” By “public,” I think he meant “asshole journalists and the fans in the forums who keep saying we’re doomed.” You know, people like Jake Rossen.

• “We’re taking everything slow,” Atencio said. “Once we get past this event, then we’ll announce our next event and go forward.”

• Atencio on whether Affliction can sell pay-per-views despite a crappy economy: “I think in this economy -- actually, I know in this economy, people need an escape.”

• In this economy, people need a job.

• M-1 Global’s Joost Raimond called out the UFC, challenging Dana White to match the UFC’s best against Affliction and M-1 Global’s. Nothing new here. Atencio knows it’s not happening and said as much later. Barnett chimed in with thoughts on UFC heavyweight champions Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir: “Fedor can have Brock and I can take Mir or vice versa, doesn’t matter.”

• Mark Cuban’s HDNet will be showing the undercard. Cuban expounded on his view that MMA is an international sport bigger than the UFC. He’s positioning his network accordingly: “HDNet’s goal is to dominate mixed martial arts. Other than one organization, when it comes to anything internationally involving mixed martial arts, it’s going to be on HDNet.”

• “The groundswell of MMA fans behind Affliction and Strikeforce and other non-UFC events is enormous,” Cuban said. “It’s only going to continue to grow. What’s going to [succeed] in the end are the organizations that develop the best talent.”

• Cuban also believes the UFC is playing catch-up outside of the U.S.: “There are so many other fighters out there, internationally. That’s why you see the UFC trying to get out to the rest of the world -- because they know M-1 is already there; they know they’re losing that talent.”

• Counterpoint: Before the conference began, footage of Fedor played on two plainly visible screens, showing the top heavyweight choking the bejesus out of Tim Sylvia, knocking out an airborne Andrei Arlovski and beating the radials out of a tire with a sledgehammer. He’s awesome. The video showed that. But a random guy who wandered into the conference while it played wasn’t looking for Fedor. “Excuse me,” he said. “Is Brock Lesnar going to be here?”

 

[Shogun Locc]

SATOSHI ISHII TO TRAIN WITH FEDOR EMELIANENKO AND GEGARD MOUSASI

Japanese Olympic Judo Gold Medalist Satoshi Ishii will be spending some time preparing for his much-anticipated MMA debut with a man he once publicly challenged.

M-1 Global sources informed www.M-1Global.com on Tuesday that Ishii will enlist the services of M-1 Global's Fedor Emelianenko leading up to his first-ever bout under the Sengoku banner.

An exact date for Ishii's training sessions with Fedor have not been finalized, however, sources within M-1 Global indicated that Fedor will work with Ishii in Holland at Gegard Mousasi's brand new M-1 training facility in Amsterdam.

 

[BROWN GUERRERO]

Fucking Ishii trains with everybody that's great. Smart man!! He's going to be good.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Jeff Curran vs. Takeya Mizugaki formally announced for WEC 42 in August

A bantamweight bout between Jeff Curran (29-11-1 MMA, 1-3 WEC) and Takeya Mizugaki (11-3-2 MMA, 0-1 WEC) has been formerly announced for World Extreme Cagefighting's WEC 42 card in August.

The bout had been rumored since April and was recently added to the event's official fight card.

WEC 42 takes place Aug. 9 at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and features a main event between WEC bantamweight champ Miguel Torres and top contender Brian Bowles.

Both Curran and Mizugaki look to rebound from recent losses. Both competed in April at "WEC 40: Torres vs. Mizugaki," with Curran dropping a decision loss to bantamweight prospect Joseph Benavidez while Mizugaki fell short in a bid to upset 135-pound champ Torres.

An 11-plus-year veteran of MMA, Curran has struggled against the WEC's best in recent appearances. "The Big Frog" has dropped three straight contests (to Benavidez, featherweight champion Mike Brown and No. 1 contender Urijah Faber). While a three-fight losing streak would generally spell a release for most fighters, the quality of opposition Curran has faced – coupled with his performances in the bouts – has earned him a reprieve.

Mizugaki entered his bout with Torres as a relative unknown to many American fans. Tapped as a replacement for an injured Bowles, Mizugaki turned in a gutsy performance but dropped a decision to the champ.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Fight Path: Early fatherhood inspired Bellator middleweight finalist Jared Hess

Things were going as planned for Jared Hess during his senior year of high school in Oklahoma City. The wrestler who found the sport by signing up for a junior-high class was set for a standout season for Western Heights High School after moving up a weight class to 189 pounds.

Then, in the fall of 2001, Hess learned that his girlfriend was pregnant.

"There was some adversity there, wrestling and going through school while she was pregnant," Hess said. "Wrestling was probably a savior, keeping me from going crazy. When I got into the wrestling room, I could shut out the real world for awhile."

Hess, 25, has embraced both the real world and the fighting world, and he has become a success at each. While simultaneously helping to raise his young daughter and earning his college degree, Hess became an All-American wrestler during a college career that set him up for a quick transition to mixed martial arts.

That career has been a major success. Now 9-0-1 in less than two years as a professional, Hess is preparing for the middleweight tournament finale for Bellator Fighting Championships. In facing the more experienced and more decorated Hector Lombard (20-2-1), a fellow finalist, Hess could become Bellator's first middleweight champion and continue his passion for fighting and one-on-one competition that leads him to volunteer as an assistant wrestling coach with alma mater University of Central Oklahoma.

Hess will joke that he has no fascinating family hurdles to share – because he comes from a happy family with his mother, stepfather and three sisters. What he didn't anticipate, though, was an early fatherhood that showed him as a teenager that his cares and responsibilities needed to go beyond his personal wants.

The date was June 2, 2002.

"No matter how old you are, it changes you," Hess said of his daughter's birth date. "It did that for me, as far as maturity. You can't help but be a better person, and a better fighter, because of it."

His world is wrestling
Hess first expressed interest to his stepfather in boxing, but that conversation didn't progress far before a not-in-your-lifetime response was given. By the time he was in junior high school, Hess had become a skilled youth baseball and football player, but he wanted to try a one-on-one sport.

His junior high offered several sports classes for end-of-the-day periods, so Hess signed up for wrestling. He synched with the sport immediately, even though he continued football, as well.

Hess's high school experience underscored his passion for wrestling. Even though was a star football player, Hess was part of a team that went 2-8 during his senior season. The same school year, he was a state champion wrestler.

"In football, I trained my ass off, tried as hard as I could, and we had two wins," Hess said. "In wrestling, I trained my ass off, tried as hard as I could, and I was a state champion. That's when it really hit me, that this was a sport where you don't have to rely on the linemen or your neighbors to be successful. I could rely on myself and my own effort."

In wrestling, that's all he needed. Continuing to Central Oklahoma, Hess went 91-32 during a career that included short-notice work at 184 and 197 pounds as a freshman even though he had entered the season at 174 pounds because of a team shuffle. Experience against larger competition helped prove to Hess size doesn't always equal power.

In his final two college seasons, Hess won 71 of 86 matches and earned a third-place national finish as well as All-American honors as a senior.

With a degree in industrial safety and a minor in criminal justice, knowing he could follow a different career path if fighting didn't pan out, Hess set to training for MMA. He just didn't know how quickly it would work.

No losses, one draw
In July 2007, less than two months after he earned his college degree on time despite quickly learning fatherhood and becoming an All-American athlete, Hess entered the cage for the first time. It was a Warriors of the Cage show in Oklahoma City, and opponent Richard Harris might not have been prepared for Hess's skill.

Without much MMA-specific training, Hess won by submission in 33 seconds.

"I just used what I learned in being an athlete," Hess said. "I prepared the same. I had been to big tournaments, been in front of crowds. My nerves were ready."

Hess won his first three fights in the first round before a February 2008 draw against Nathan James at C3 Fights that taught him the virtue of expending all possible energy to avoid a judge's decision.

Since, increasing his martial-arts skills along the way to match his wrestling prowess, Hess has won six straight fights, including tournament victories against Daniel Tabera and Yosmany Cabezas in Bellator to set up the June 19 middleweight final.

With a victory, Hess would add a professional MMA title to his high school state and college national championships. Or, if nothing else, another trophy to show his daughter.

But the matchup with Lombard could be Hess's biggest test yet in using his hands.

"He reminds me of like a Mike Tyson in the way he uses his hands," Hess said. "His hands are just phenomenal, and he definitely has knockout power. It's going to be a big test for me, but I'm a competitor, too."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Fight Path: Early fatherhood inspired Bellator middleweight finalist Jared Hess

Things were going as planned for Jared Hess during his senior year of high school in Oklahoma City. The wrestler who found the sport by signing up for a junior-high class was set for a standout season for Western Heights High School after moving up a weight class to 189 pounds.

Then, in the fall of 2001, Hess learned that his girlfriend was pregnant.

"There was some adversity there, wrestling and going through school while she was pregnant," Hess said. "Wrestling was probably a savior, keeping me from going crazy. When I got into the wrestling room, I could shut out the real world for awhile."

Hess, 25, has embraced both the real world and the fighting world, and he has become a success at each. While simultaneously helping to raise his young daughter and earning his college degree, Hess became an All-American wrestler during a college career that set him up for a quick transition to mixed martial arts.

That career has been a major success. Now 9-0-1 in less than two years as a professional, Hess is preparing for the middleweight tournament finale for Bellator Fighting Championships. In facing the more experienced and more decorated Hector Lombard (20-2-1), a fellow finalist, Hess could become Bellator's first middleweight champion and continue his passion for fighting and one-on-one competition that leads him to volunteer as an assistant wrestling coach with alma mater University of Central Oklahoma.

Hess will joke that he has no fascinating family hurdles to share – because he comes from a happy family with his mother, stepfather and three sisters. What he didn't anticipate, though, was an early fatherhood that showed him as a teenager that his cares and responsibilities needed to go beyond his personal wants.

The date was June 2, 2002.

"No matter how old you are, it changes you," Hess said of his daughter's birth date. "It did that for me, as far as maturity. You can't help but be a better person, and a better fighter, because of it."

His world is wrestling
Hess first expressed interest to his stepfather in boxing, but that conversation didn't progress far before a not-in-your-lifetime response was given. By the time he was in junior high school, Hess had become a skilled youth baseball and football player, but he wanted to try a one-on-one sport.

His junior high offered several sports classes for end-of-the-day periods, so Hess signed up for wrestling. He synched with the sport immediately, even though he continued football, as well.

Hess's high school experience underscored his passion for wrestling. Even though was a star football player, Hess was part of a team that went 2-8 during his senior season. The same school year, he was a state champion wrestler.

"In football, I trained my ass off, tried as hard as I could, and we had two wins," Hess said. "In wrestling, I trained my ass off, tried as hard as I could, and I was a state champion. That's when it really hit me, that this was a sport where you don't have to rely on the linemen or your neighbors to be successful. I could rely on myself and my own effort."

In wrestling, that's all he needed. Continuing to Central Oklahoma, Hess went 91-32 during a career that included short-notice work at 184 and 197 pounds as a freshman even though he had entered the season at 174 pounds because of a team shuffle. Experience against larger competition helped prove to Hess size doesn't always equal power.

In his final two college seasons, Hess won 71 of 86 matches and earned a third-place national finish as well as All-American honors as a senior.

With a degree in industrial safety and a minor in criminal justice, knowing he could follow a different career path if fighting didn't pan out, Hess set to training for MMA. He just didn't know how quickly it would work.

No losses, one draw
In July 2007, less than two months after he earned his college degree on time despite quickly learning fatherhood and becoming an All-American athlete, Hess entered the cage for the first time. It was a Warriors of the Cage show in Oklahoma City, and opponent Richard Harris might not have been prepared for Hess's skill.

Without much MMA-specific training, Hess won by submission in 33 seconds.

"I just used what I learned in being an athlete," Hess said. "I prepared the same. I had been to big tournaments, been in front of crowds. My nerves were ready."

Hess won his first three fights in the first round before a February 2008 draw against Nathan James at C3 Fights that taught him the virtue of expending all possible energy to avoid a judge's decision.

Since, increasing his martial-arts skills along the way to match his wrestling prowess, Hess has won six straight fights, including tournament victories against Daniel Tabera and Yosmany Cabezas in Bellator to set up the June 19 middleweight final.

With a victory, Hess would add a professional MMA title to his high school state and college national championships. Or, if nothing else, another trophy to show his daughter.

But the matchup with Lombard could be Hess's biggest test yet in using his hands.

"He reminds me of like a Mike Tyson in the way he uses his hands," Hess said. "His hands are just phenomenal, and he definitely has knockout power. It's going to be a big test for me, but I'm a competitor, too."

 

[Shogun Locc]

"TUF" castoff Noah Thomas' journey finally leads to WEC 41 bout with Frank Gomez

Two years ago, Noah Thomas' (13-4 MMA, 0-0 WEC) MMA career appeared just about over.

After taking part in "the most technical streetfight in history" with Marlon Sims while filming "The Ultimate Fighter 5," Thomas was banished from the UFC and appeared to be forever blacklisted from the sport's biggest organization.

Then things got worse.

"Dana White made the right call," Thomas recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). "I messed up. I should have been more professional when Marlon did what he did, but it didn't go down like that."

Left to find a new path, Thomas then suffered a devastating knee injury.

"I was working out with a fairly inexperienced guy," Thomas said. "It's kind of my fault as much as his. I don't want to put any blame on it.

"The guy just didn't like to get hit, and he's a better wrestler than me. ... I was getting ready for a fight, and I caught him with a stiff jab. He dove in after my leg. I stuffed him, and he continued the shot and blew my knee out. It was quite possibly the most painful thing I've ever had happen in my life."

But rather than head straight to the doctor for an examination, Thomas felt it was simply another minor setback that was testing his resolve as a fighter.

"I thought I was just being a wuss at the time, so I trained four more months with [my knee] blown out completely until I was sparring with a training partner and it would keep popping out," Thomas said. "I was like, 'OK, something's got to be wrong here because I'm losing total mobility and all stability. I'm falling, and it's the most excruciating pain every time it pops out.'

"So I went in, and they told me I had a severed ACL. We fixed it, and then after about an eight-month period of rehab and all sorts of stuff like that, we got back in the cage."

But the trials weren't yet over. Thomas was forced to train while maintaining a full-time job, taking away from his time in the gym. Then came a broken hand. Then the passing of his father.

But Thomas never lost focus on his goal, and a current seven-fight win streak led him not to the WEC, but the upstart Bellator Fighting Championships. Thomas was preparing to fight on the ESPN-Deportes-broadcast organization when the call he had been waiting on, yearning for, came just in time.

The WEC tapped Thomas to replace an injured Eddie Wineland in a bout with Frank Gomez (6-1 MMA, 0-0 WEC) at Sunday's WEC 41.

"Bellator's great," Thomas. "They've done some really, really good things so far. But ultimately, the thing was I wanted to get to the WEC. That's where I wanted to end up. Ultimately, that was my goal at the beginning of my entire comeback."

Gomez will be looking to bounce back from the first defeat of his MMA career, ironically for the aforementioned Bellator organization, and Thomas knows the Greg Jackson product will provide a difficult challenge, but a manageable one.

"[Gomez] is a tough guy," Thomas said. "He comes prepared. But he's been preparing for a standup fighter for the last however long. Now he has to contend with a mutual wrestler and a jiu-jitsu guy."

But it wouldn't have mattered who the opponent was. For Thomas, Sunday night's bout is a chance to prove to White, to the WEC, to Zuffa, LLC, that he learned his lessons and belongs in the sport.

"It's going to a very tough fight," Thomas said. "I feel he brings some good things to the table, some puzzles I've got to solve.

"But hopefully, God willing, I'm going to come away with the 'W.'"

 

[Shogun Locc]

MMA Quick Quotes: Youth vs Experience to co headline Affliction ‘Trilogy’ on Aug. 1

“I just had a baby two weeks ago so I was unable to fight on the Strikeforce show. My family is very important to me and Strikeforce was great with that. I’d like to apologize to Rafael ‘Feijao’ for not being able to fight him. I would love to fight him in the future and I will be back to defend my light heavyweight title … Now all my focus is on Gegard Mousasi. I have seen his last few fights; he is a huge challenge for me. I look forward to stepping in there against a former Dream Middleweight Champion. This fight will be champion vs. champion…Mousasi is coming up from 185 but size will not offer any advantages to me. Mousasi just beat a huge man in Mark Hunt. We both have great styles so this fight will come down to youth vs. experience. Mousasi is a young hungry fighter. He wants it. We will see which mindset wins out.”

– Renato “Babalu” Sobral

“Sobral is so tough. When he comes he comes to fight. He has a good wrestling and jiu-jitsu background. He is near the top 10 of fighters in the division so it will be a good test for me. I don’t pick my opponents and I was very happy with this choice. With Sobral, I will try to fight stand up game. If it goes to the ground I will take top position and work him over with my ground and pound. Sobral will have to watch out for my elbows; I want to use them in this fight. If I end up on my back, I can defend myself and eventually we will stand back up again. This fight will be and all out war; and exciting fight…If it were for the WAMMA light heavyweight title that would be great … After Sobral, I will fight Sokoudjou in the Dream open weight tournament. I am young and have not had injuries. So I enjoy this schedule. If I feel good I want to fight a lot. It is my profession.”

– Gegard Mousasi

 

[Shogun Locc]

Michael Bisping: Rampage could ‘definitely’ beat Lyoto Machida

“Machida looks great right now he’s finally stopping people. He’s not taking a lot of damage and he’s looking very, very impressive. He’ll be a tough fight for anyone but I’m sure we’ll help Rampage put together a good game plan when he comes to fight him. He is very, very good and is a tough nut to crack but he’s certainly not unbeatable by any stretch of the imagination — Rampage could definitely do it. I actually asked the UFC if I could fight Machida after I fought Elvis Sinosic in Manchester [in 2007]. I fancied fighting him but it didn’t happen for one reason or another — but what I’m trying to say is that nobody in this sport is unbeatable. If you come in with a great game plan and study his fights, everyone has got weaknesses.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC Quick Quote: Al-Turk looking to step up (and step over) Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 99

“My initial reaction was ‘Oh my God, I’ve got to change my strategy to fight a southpaw. It threw me a little to begin with. It hasn’t been a problem, though. There were slight difficulties adjusting from Duffee to Cro-Cop, but I think we’ve got there in the end. I’m just looking to step up now and make the most out of the situation. I see this as a great opportunity to make a name for myself. Beating Cro-Cop would be a massive win for me. I know I’m in for a tough old fight. I’m not expecting a walkover by any means. I’m going to Germany to win. I’m confident my hand will be raised at the end of this fight.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Sengoku Shows Off Prized Catch

The open to the public contract signing of Satoshi Ishii took place in front of around 3000 fans in Shinjuku today. As usual, Ishii made a few jokes, saying: “I decided on SENGOKU since I received a gift certificate from president Yasuda of Don Quijote (main sponsor of SENGOKU)”.

Ishii once again said that he is ready to debut at anytime. He also said that it has been his dream from before to become an MMA champion. He won’t fight with a Judo gi since he has quit Judo.

A fax from Josh Barnett, who faces Fedor Emelianenko on August 1st, was received and it said: “Ishii is a good fighter but I’ll be waiting on the ring!”.

Update #1: Ishii was cheered on by his two Judo gold medalist seniors in Hidehiko Yoshida and Makoto Takimoto. He was very happy by their comments. Of course, a possible fight between Ishii and Yoshida was the center of attention but it is up to WVR. Neither denied anything though.

Update #2: Kazuo Misaki didn’t attend the event despite being on the list of attendees yesterday. His opponent, Nakamura was not happy and said “I’ll kill him!”. When asked by a fan who he would like to fight he said that he wants to fight Wanderlei Silva one more time. He received an applause by the audience for that comment.

Update #3: Yuki Kondo said that he’s currently charging and that he wants to return to the ring in summer. His long-time rival, Sanae Kikuta, said that he wants to fight at the August 2nd event.

Update #4: Omigawa said: “I want to cry “kusottare” (shithead/bastard) on August 2nd. Please come and cheer for me.”

Nakamura wasn’t the only one angry that his opponent didn’t show up. Masanori Kanehara wasn’t very happy with Hioki’s absence either, saying that he wants to strike him hard with his anger.

Yoshihiro “KISS” Nakao is healed since a freak injury in his fight against Antonio Silva on January. Nakao wants the question “Who is the strongest in SENGOKU?” to be answered. To answer that he wants a Heavyweight tournament to be held. He also wants to settle everything with Silva through a rematch. He said that he wants to fight on August 2nd and also wants a fight with Kazuyuki Fujita which he has asked for before.

SENGOKU Training Player Maxi said that he’ll do his best to become champion in SENGOKU and Pancrase.

Update #5: At the end of the event the revival of a beast/wild animal after one and a half year was also announced. The SENGOKU participation of a Japanese Welterweight was also hinted at.