MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

DREAM.10 weigh-ins complete as Hayato "Mach" Sakurai finally makes weight (Updated)

All 14 competitors slated for Monday's DREAM.10 event have hit the scales in preparation for the show, and all have finally made weight. But one very high-profile fighter struggled to get there.

Welterweight grand prix semifinalist Hayato "Mach" Sakurai, a Japanese superstar and tournament favorite, needed three attempts and seven-and-a-half additional hours to make weight. With the lack of an athletic commission to oversee the procedures and DREAM declining to set an official limit, Sakurai, who was 0.6 kg (1.3 lb.) over the limit after the official ceremony, finally made weight on his third attempt.

DREAM.10, which takes place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, airs in North America on HDNet at 3 a.m. ET Monday morning.

Sakurai is slated to face Lithuanian striker Marius Zaromskis (9-2). DREAM officials did not announce potential contingency plans at the weigh-ins had Sakurai failed to make the required limit of 76 kg (167.2 lb.), but Zaromskis said he's simply remaining focused on the task at hand.

"I'm not worrying about it," Zaromskis said. "I'm concentrating on the fight; I'm only thinking about tomorrow."

The evening's remaining competitors, including former WEC middleweight champion Paulo Filho (16-1) – who had his own weight struggles in recent contests – all made weight without incident.

The full weigh-in results included:

* Shinya Aoki (153.6 lb./69.8 kg) vs. Vitor Ribeiro (153.8 lb./69.9 kg)
* Jesse Taylor (185.7 lb./84.4 kg) vs. Dong Sik Yoon (186.6 lb./84.8 kg)
* Paulo Filho (184.8 lb./84 kg) vs. Melvin Manhoef (184.4 lb./83.8 kg)
* Andre "Dida" Amade (154 lb./70 kg) vs. Katsunori Kikuno (154 lb./70 kg)
* Andre Galvao (167.2 lb./76 kg) vs. Jason High (167.2 lb./76 kg)+
* Hayato "Mach" Sakurai (167.2 lb./76 kg) vs. Marius Zaromskis (166.8 lb./75.8 kg)+
* Tarec Saffiedine (166.8 lb./75.8 kg) vs. Ikemoto Seichi (166.8 lb./75.8 kg)*

* - Welterweight grand prix reserve fight
+ - Welterweight grand prix semifinal fight

 

[Shogun Locc]

LIDDELL REMAINS SILENT; WHITE SAYS HE'S RETIRED

Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White said leading up to Chuck Liddell's UFC 97 bout with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua that if the former light heavyweight titleholder didn't look impressive, he would urge his longtime friend to retire. White's position hasn't changed.

Rua defeated Liddell by technical knockout late in the first round. It was Liddell's forth loss in his last five fights with three being by way of knockout.

During UFC 100 event weekend, White maintained, "Chuck Liddell is retired."

Liddell has yet to make an official statement addressing whether he plans to retire or continue fighting.

"Chuck's in a very weird political situation right now with a lot of different people. Chuck is such a good guy and such a loyal friend and an amazing person that he doesn't say no to anybody," White explained. "I don't know all the ins and outs of it, but I'm sure enough people around him still need to make some money."

Liddell was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame on July 10, and White said, looking back on his career, "We were putting together this montage for his Hall of Fame thing. We were sitting there watching all these things. And you guys know, how much fun were the Chuck Liddell fights when he came out?

"It was almost like the Tyson thing. It's like oh man, this is Mike Tyson, he's gonna knock somebody out," reminisced the UFC president. "It was fun. He had his time. I don't want to see him get hurt."

Liddell's a fighter's fighter. It's always a game of Russian Roulette when he enters the Octagon. No matter what, the fight is most likely going to end in a knockout. He entered the sport when there were no big paydays, no mainstream sponsorship deals and no reality shows. Liddell has always been in it for the fight. The "Iceman" is financially secure. He's reached the pinnacle of the sport. There's nothing left to prove or accomplish, except maybe to himself.

"Chuck's all set. He doesn't need to make any more money. Chuck's made a lot of money. He's become very famous and he's got lots of stuff going on. He'll always be, as long as I'm alive, he'll do just fine," stated White. "He'll always be my guy. He's helped us build this business. He's been a true friend, a true partner, and an amazing champion."

White's opinion is based on friendship and not business, but that's what makes his opinion on the subject intriguing. The mastermind behind the UFC stands to lose revenue by having Liddell call it quits, but his stance is based in concern.

"When a guy starts getting knocked out four or five times in a row... for what? He doesn't need the money. He's already been a world champion. He's already incredibly famous. People love him. What's there left to fight for?" questioned White. "I just don't understand it. I don't get it."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Paulo Filho Talks Melvin Manhoef at DREAM.10 and Rohypnol addiction

 

[Shogun Locc]

Lembo: The Value of Amateur MMA Programs

The following was written by Nick Lembo of the New Jersey State Athletic Commission for TheGarv.com and speaks to the value that amateur MMA programs create in a particular state, province, or country:

The amateur program allows competitors to test their skills in the cage for the first time and experience the emotions and adrenaline that comes along.

It allows returning competitors to test themselves further against tougher opponents and allows trainers to work on game plans that feature strengths. It allows competitors to be exposed to opponents with different strengths, skill sets and body types.

The amateur rules limit ground and pound and force the competitors to work on their jiu-jitsu, balance, positioning and defense. Sure, ground and pound is an integral part of mixed martial arts, but you must be technically proficient in jiu-jitsu to go anywhere in this sport.

It is an opportunity for fighters to hone their skills and try new manuevers without the attachment of a loss on their professional record which will affect their marketability and pay rate.

Payout Opinion:

I’ll just add that amateur MMA is also an excellent way to ease into the sport from a regulatory perspective.

In areas where MMA has been held back, amateur competitions could serve as a dry run whereby the government and its commissions have the opportunity to monitor the safety, the integrity, and the outright legitimacy of the sport. It also allows a commission to identify and correct potential problems in their oversight responsibilities - before they happen at the pro level.

Kudos to Lembo for stepping up and penning a great read!

 

[Shogun Locc]

DREAM 10 press conference videos

 

[B-Buzz]

Bodog wouldn't accept my deposit so if this hits I'm a one man riot

 

[VanD]

dont worry because it probably wont hit. Hayato Sakurai wont lose and Shinya Aoki probably wont lose either. altho there is a chance and thatd be crazy if ur shit hits.

 

[naner12]

Would've been one fight off Buzz. I would've probably rioted with you on principle. That would've been a nasty parlay. Zaromskis untelegraphed head kicks are beautiful and being able to land a short straight right after the kick is even better.

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC DOMINATION & ZUFFA'S AGE OF IMPERIALISM

UFC president Dana White has never been shy about revealing a broad overview of his business plans for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. It can be summed up in two simple words: world domination.

"We're going to be everywhere man," White recently said matter-of-factly to MMAWeekly.com. "We're going to be all over the world. We're going to be everywhere. The sport isn't going backwards. We're going forward. We're getting bigger."

Zuffa also owns World Extreme Cagefighting, an organization that showcases mixed martial arts' lighter weight classes and airs on the Versus network.

Any general knows you cannot embark on an international campaign without support on the home front. In March of 2006, Marc Ratner resigned from the Nevada State Athletic Commission where he was executive director to take a position within Zuffa and has been instrumental in the Las Vegas-based company's expansion in the U.S. He spearheads the effort to get mixed martial arts sanctioned in states where it's not.

In 2008, the UFC took the trademarked Octagon to eight different U.S. cities: Las Vegas, Columbus, Denver, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Omaha, Chicago, and Fayetteville. This year, they've put on events in Las Vegas, Columbus, Nashville, Tampa and have shows scheduled in Philadelphia, Portland, Oklahoma City, Dallas and Los Angeles.

And that's not to mention Montreal, Cologne, and Manchester in the foreign markets.

Zuffa has pushed hard to bring their product to New York, but thus far America's largest city has eluded them. Progress is being made and White is confident that opening New York will come to fruition.

"We're going to be in New York. It's going to happen," he stated prior to UFC 100 in Las Vegas.

On the international front, Zuffa has signed multiple television deals in various countries throughout the world over the last two years including Goboset in Brazil, TELESPORT, one of the largest sports networks in Romania, and returned to Japanese television with WOWOW.

Just prior to UFC 100 that took place on July 11, Zuffa secured a television deal with the Mexican network Grupo Televisa broadening their reach to 100 million potential viewers in Mexico and aired UFC 100 for free.

“I’ve said for years that we would love to bring the UFC to Mexico. Some of the greatest fighters in history are from Mexico, and the fans there are among the most passionate and loyal in all of sports,” said White when the deal was inked.

"We've always known it would be a huge market for us," he commented on July 10. "We'll continue to show UFC programming there just like we did here in the United States and then we're bringing the live events down to Mexico. And it's about time. I'm really excited about it."

With the European invasion in full swing, Zuffa turns its attention to Asia.

"There's over 240 million people in China," pointed out White. "China is big for us too."

Often lost in the background, but of no small import to the promotion's plans to spread its brand of mixed martial arts across the world, was last year's addition of co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. He left his post at his family's Station Casinos to take up residence full-time at Zuffa.

"I've been one guy trying to get this thing going for eight years," commented White. "Lorenzo came on board a year ago and Lorenzo's job and his initiative was the global. We're in 75 countries for UFC 100. That's what he's done.

"People don't realize what a big deal it is that he left Stations and came to the UFC."

To clarify, that is UFC 100 aired LIVE in 75 countries around the world. Just how big of an increase is that from when Fertitta climbed on board full time?

"Like 75!" laughs White. "We weren't doing anything live in these other countries (before Fertitta). We were in 175 different countries in some form of television, but we weren't beaming anything live.

"Life didn't become easier, but what I said was, you don't realize what's gonna happen when he comes on board because now there's two of us," explained White.

"This is just one year. Where are we gonna be in three years? I kept saying wait till you see what we do in the next 10 years. We'll be the biggest sport in the world. The reason I said 10 years is because I know the next 10 years is gonna be a lot easier than the last 10 years were. It might be three years. It might be a year and a half. I don't know now. It's going so fast, I don't know now."

The age of Zuffa imperialism is upon us, and while determined to take over Earth, the UFC president has stopped short of proclaiming they'll land on the moon by the end of the decade.

Today, UFC programming can be seen in over 100 countries and territories worldwide in 17 different languages. To White, it's simple. "It's about reaching as many people as you possibly can with a product you know they're going to love."

 

[Shogun Locc]

AMIR SADOLLAH'S OCTAGON EDUCATION CONTINUES

Reminiscent of the days that Rashad Evans graced his own season of The Ultimate Fighter, Amir Sadollah had all the odds stacked up against him going into TUF.

Season 7, coached by two of the UFC’s most charismatic fighters in former champions Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Forrest Griffin, was where the new 32-man tournament blueprint was put into affect.

Sadollah, having had no professional fights going into the season as a middleweight was thought to be the season's underdog, but quickly gained the respect of his peers with his more than stellar performance throughout the competition, having earned his way into the house by submitting UFC veteran Steven Byrnes in what only marked the beginning of something special.

His story, a plot stolen out of a Disney-esque, Rudy-like movie, the underdog eventually prevailed, knocking out and submitting his way into the finals. There, he would submit C.B Dollaway (whom he had met with previously on the show's semifinals) once again via armbar.

Poised with a sense of humor and charm that holds a striking resemblance to fellow Xtreme Couture fighter and good friend Forrest Griffin, there was a lot of great things to look forward to when the Brooklyn, N.Y., native was set to make his official UFC debut… that was eight months ago.

Perpetual injuries left the 28-year-old out of action for just over a year since his initial inception into the UFC, but now he finally appears to have found his stride. He will face off against fellow undefeated fighter Johny Hendricks at UFC 101 this August, a tough WEC import that will mark Sadollah's first move to the welterweight division, putting his infamous “Taco Bell and McDonald's and Burger King” sandwich on the backburner, for now.

“Not until you just said that now,” he joked with the MMAWeekly radio crew, when proposed if he felt “cursed” to have been injured each time he was alleged to have made his post-TUF debut.

“I definitely, after each time, I had to stop and wonder and kind of analyze what happened and if I’ve done anything differently and I think I’ve done pretty well with learning the lessons that are available to be learned and kind of making the best of the situation”.

A fellow, yet casual Xtreme Couture affiliate, Hendricks has yet to brush up against the likes of Sadollah inside the facilities. However, the now Las Vegas resident will look to try and take out another strong opponent in Hendricks who will mark his fourth collegiate wrestler in his past five fights, including those on The Ultimate Fighter.

“How many times can this guy possibly push his luck with these wrestlers?" joked Sadollah.

Though frustrating, Sadollah chooses to look at this trend as a chance to work on what he perceives to be the weakness in his game and only hopes that opponents like a Johny Hendricks can propel him to that next level, to remain in the UFC for years to come and hopefully on a consistent basis.

“I don’t know. That’s just kind of the way that it worked. In a way, its funny how when I went on the show that was one of things that me and some of the guys back home were talking about that, that was probably a bad fight for me (a wrestler) or my weakest point that I need to have to work on to get better, to fight a really good wrestler and I’ve had a few of those so this is like continuing education.”

The education continues against Johny Hendricks on Aug. 8 at UFC 101 in Philadelphia.

 

[Shogun Locc]

ZAROMSKIS DREAM CHAMP; AOKI DEFEATS SHAOLIN

In front of an estimated 20,000 fans at the Saitama Super Arena, Marius Zaromskis became the DREAM welterweight champion by winning the DREAM Welterweight Grand Prix in impressive fashion, knocking out both of his opponents.

In the final of the DREAM Welterweight Grand Prix, Zaromskis survived some early trouble to violently knock out American wrestler Jason High. He came out flying with a knee to start the fight, but soon found himself on his back. After some grappling, Zaromskis reversed out and ended up on top of High. The two made it back to their feet and Zaromskis pounced, landing a vicious high kick that dropped High to the canvas. He landed a couple of more punches for good measure as the referee jumped in to stop the fight.

Japanese lightweight Shinya Aoki got back in the win column, defeating former Shooto champion Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro. In a shocking turn of events, Aoki kept the fight on the feet. He landed dozens and dozens of kicks to Shaolin’s arms and body, marking up his forearms. Shaolin landed several stiff jabs, but was frustrated by Aoki, as he tried on several occasions to take the fight to the ground without success. It wasn’t until halfway until the second round that Shaolin got the fight to the ground; from there, he landed sporadic ground and pound until the end of the fight. When it was all said and done, Aoki’s dominance on the feet swayed the judges to give him the unanimous decision.

Ultimate Fighter participant Jesse Taylor was victorious in his Japanese debut against Korean judoka Dong Sik Yoon, but the fight ended on a disappointing note. Taylor immediately took the fight to the ground, slamming Yoon to the mat. After some grappling, however, Yoon indicated to both Taylor and the referee that he couldn’t continue. During the slam, Yoon seemed to have broken his ankle and was unable to continue after the injury, giving Taylor the stoppage victory.

After a shaky start, former WEC middleweight champion Paulo Filho submitted a game Melvin Manhoef. Manhoef came out aggressive like always, tagging Filho with punches, and hurting the Brazilian, who was unable to get the fight to the ground. He poured on the punches and dropped Filho, but was unable to finish him off. Filho managed to get back to his feet. Then, out of nowhere, took the fight the ground, mounted Manhoef, and locked on an armbar that forced the tap.

DEEP lightweight champion Katsunori Kikuno dispatched Brazilian wunderkind Andre “Dida” Amade. The two started slugging it out and Dida dropped Kikuno with a punch. Kikuno was able to recover and effectively slow the fight down to his liking. As the fight slowed, Kikuno landed a vicious body kick that hurt Dida. The fighters went to ground, Kikuno immediately mounted Dida and then took his back, where he viciously grounded and pounded him until the referee saved Dida from any further punishment.

Jason High won a disputed split decision over decorated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter Andre Galvao in the second semi-final of the Welterweight Grand Prix. High started off strong, landing some decent punches that hurt Galvao. As the round wore on, Galvao was finally able to get the fight to the ground, where he took over, switching from position to position, getting High’s back, and going for the choke several times. To High’s credit, he survived Galvao’s relentless ground attack and made it out of the round.

High again came out strong and dropped Galvao right off the bat in the second, putting the pressure on. Galvao desperately wanted the fight on the ground. He recovered, but was still being tagged on the feet by High, as they finished the fight slugging it out. At the end of the day, the judges were impressed with High’s strong second round, awarding him the split decision and a spot in the final.

In a back and forth slugfest, Lithuanian Marius Zaromskis upset tournament favorite Hayato “Mach” Sakurai. These two wasted no time as Zaromskis came out flying with punches, knees, and kicks. Sakurai responded with solid low kicks and good one-two combinations that found their mark. Zaromskis winged wild punches that also found a home, as he bloodied Sakurai, opening two cuts around his left eye. He was starting to get the better of Sakurai when the fight was halted to check Sakurai’s cuts. Once restarted, Zaromskis continued his onslaught and landed a flush left high kick that dropped Sakurai, finishing him off with punches to advance to the final.

In the opening fight of the night, undefeated Team Quest welterweight Tarec Saffiedine won a unanimous decision over DEEP welterweight champion Seichi Ikemoto in the welterweight reserve match. All throughout the fight, Saffiedine was able to land crisp combinations on the feet to Ikemoto’s single punches. Towards the end of the fight, he took it to the ground and mounted Ikemoto, who reversed out and finished the fight trying to pound on Saffiedine, but it was to no avail, as he lost the judge’s decision.

Dream 10 Results
-Marius Zaromskis def. Jason High by KO, R1
-Shinya Aoki def. Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro by Unanimous Decision, R2
-Jesse Taylor def. Dong Sik Yoon by TKO (Injury), R1
-Paulo Filho def. Melvin Manhoef by Submission (Armbar), R1
-Katsunori Kikuno def. Andre “Dida" Amade by TKO, R1
-Jason High def. Andre Galvao by Split Decision, R2
-Marius Zaromskis def. Hayato “Mach” Sakurai by TKO, R1
-Tarec Saffiedine def. Seichi Ikemoto by Unanimous Decision, R2

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC Quick Quote: Michael Bisping wants to rematch Dan Henderson after kicking some backside at UFC 105

“I am gonna kick someone’s backside in Manchester in front of my hometown crowd, then fight again as soon as possible and then rematch with Henderson. That wasn’t the best of me in the ring in Vegas and I want another crack at him. I want a top fighter in Manchester, I want to get back up there straight away. That’s what I have told the UFC. I can’t wait to fight in Manchester again, it will be good to fight in front of my own supporters again.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Just say no: Hawaiian funny business sours KenFlo on UFC 101 title fight

I think things changed a little bit when [BJ Penn] went and helped train Joe Lauzon (to fight Florian last April). I take these things personally — when someone decides to train someone that’s going to fight you. If someone had come to me and said, ‘Hey, can you help me train to fight B.J.?’ I would have said no. He decided to do that and that’s his decision."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Bitetti Combat: Paulo Filho vs Alex Schoenauer in the works for Sept. 12

Fresh off his submission victory over Melvin Manhoef at DREAM 10, former WEC middleweight champion Paulo Filho (17-1) will lock horns with IFL veteran Alex Schoenauer (14-9) this Fall at “Bitetti Combat” from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on September 12, according to Super Lutas .

Filho — the last man to hold the World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) middleweight title (albeit under bizarre circumstances) — came off an eight month layoff to score a first round armbar win over the K-1 wrecking machine on July 10.

"Ely" signed with the WEC in 2007 with an undefeated record (14-0) and a reputation as one of the top 185 pounders in the world. However, his status among the elite in the category quickly diminished because of depression and substance abuse issues outside the cage that affected his performance inside it.

The talent and skill set was always there, but his personal demons seemed to prevent him from breaking through to the highest level. His impressive win over "Marvelous" may perhaps be a sign that he’s back on track and ready to reclaim his position as one of the worlds top 185-pound fighters.

That could be bad news for Schoenauer.

The former IFL vet cut his teeth on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, getting bounced from the reality show courtesy of a Forrest Griffin beatdown on episode nine. He made his first and only UFC appearance at the April 2005 Finale before a brutal knockout at the hands of Mike Swick just 20 seconds into the bout sent him packing.

The Xtreme Couture product kept the engine running in smaller promotions, compiling a 3-3 record before graduating to the IFL with a submission win over Travis Wiuff at "Legends Championship 2006."

He went 5-5 for the now-defunct fight league and has not competed since outpointing Brendan Barrett via split decision at IFL "New Jersey" back in April 2008.

Bitetti Combat will feature a light heavyweight showdown between Marvin Eastman and Ricardo Arona. Pedro Rizzo and Jeff Monson are also expected to hook ‘em up.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Programming Alert: M-1 Global to air free live stream of ‘The Flying Dutchman’ event on July 21

Amsterdam, Holland - During last June’s M-1 Challenge, M-1 Global officials held an MMA event in one of the most unique venues ever to host an MMA event with multiple episodes taped on the deck of "The Flying Dutchman."

And next week M-1 will re-visit last year’s groundbreaking event at "The Dutchman," a converted Yacht now serving as a high-end restaurant in St. Petersburg, Russia owned by M-1 Global President Vadim Finkelchtein. That’s because the ship has been chosen to serve as the next venue for the M-1 Selection fight series.

The fifth edition of the M-1 Selection is scheduled for Tuesday, July 21 at 12:30 p.m. ET/20:30 St. Petersburg time with fighters from Red Devil in St. Petersburg, Sochi Star in Sochi, the Crazy Bears of Perm, Russia Legion from Rostov on Don, the Combat Bears of Nizniy Novgorod, Action Force from St. Petersburg, RusFighters of St. Petersburg, and the National Team of Dagestan all slated to compete on Neva River.

Fight fans from all over the world will be able to witness the spectacle live, free of charge, via www.M-1Global.com and www.Mixfight.ru.

The M-1 Selection is the newest fight series created by M-1 Global and serves as a qualifying tournament for the 2010 M-1 Challenge. Using a points system that combines individual wins with team wins, the winners of Group A and Group B are scheduled to meet in November with the winning team being awarded the opportunity to represent its home country in next year’s Challenge.

Russia Legion currently holds a slim two-point lead over Action Force in Group B with 16 points compared to Action Force’s 14. With both teams set to compete tomorrow (Tuesday), a playoff berth will be at stake. Legion currently is the division leader in Group D of the M-1 Challenge with a 2-0 record.

In Group A, Red Devil, which competes under the name Team Imperial in this year’s M-1 Challenge, leads the division with 18 points. Much like Legion, its hold on first place is narrow, as Team Anapa is right behind in second place with 16 points. Once again, both teams will be competing next Tuesday with playoff implications on the line.

And courtesy of M-1, fight fans will be treated to all the action free of charge tomorrow (Tuesday) at 12:30 p.m. ET/9:30 a.m. PT live on M-1Global.com and Mixfight.ru.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Gesias eyes Dream return in October

Rumored to return to the Dream 11 against Eddie Alvarez, Gesias Cavalcante won’t face the Bellator champion, but still don’t know when will return to the Dream’s ring. "It still haven’t happened anything... They confirmed that the Dream 11 will be on October 6th, so I think I’ll fight. I don’t know what is going on there, they’ve told me that it’s possible a fight against Alvarez, but I heard from the mouth of his manager saying he won’t fight. It’s Japan’s thing, right?", jokes the fighter, hoping to face Joachim Hansen, who he has already lost in the Shooto, in 2004.

"I'm waiting to see who will be the ball of the time. Hansen would be a good fight. He was supposed to fight with Aoki, but Shaolin fought against him and so far no one knows why Hansen has left... I hope his health is good so we can be able to fight in October, make the fight that didn’t happen at the end of the year", he said, recalling the episode of the K-1 Dynamite of the end of 2008, which canceled the fight between both on the day of the event due to an injury.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Mike Brown Interview

Defending the WEC featherweight crown, Mike Brown needed five rounds to remain champion against the former featherweight king Urijah Faber, and spoke with TATAME.com after the fight. Set to fight José Aldo in November, the American fighter commented the upcoming bout, expecting a tough fight. “I know it’s gonna be a fuckin’ war, I know that”, said Brown, in the interview below.

When and how you started training to fight MMA?
I watched UFC in 1993, 1994, and I started training one year later. I did a little bit of Jiu-Jitsu and I was a big fan, I loved the sport and had my first fight in 2001.

Were you inspired by Royce Gracie’s victories?
Yeah, of course… It was amazing. I saw Royce and I thought ‘man, I want to move to Brazil and learn this stuff’.

Did you ever come to Brazil?
I went one time, in 2003, and trained for one week. I was fun. Where did you train here? I trained at BTT, a couple days, and Ruas Vale Tudo.

When you started fighting, back in 2001, you imagined you’d be one day the champion in a big event like WEC?
No way, no way… I’ve never expected this. At that time, there was no title for 145 pounders, and I did it just for fun, because I was a fan and loved the sport, I just wanted to say I did it.

When you started at WEC, you faced Urijah Faber, who was considered one of the best pound for pound fighters of the world. Do you think he underestimated you?
No, I don’t think so. He knew me, he knew what I was capable of. I talked to him many times… When I fought in the UFC, in 2004, he was in the backstages and talked to me, he was just starting.

In the second fight between you, you did a 25 minutes war against him. How did you felt about this victory?
I was really happy with it, you know? It was the first time I went five rounds, it was good, another great experience to my career and now I know, I’m confident I can go five rounds. I never lost a decision, so if it goes to the distance I’m gonna win.

Did you realize, during the fight, that he had a broken hand?
I thought he had hurt his hand, but I didn’t knew which one, ‘cause my corner told me he broke his right hand, but actually he broke his left hand. I knew he was hurt, but I couldn’t tell exactly what was hurt… I was confused.

I saw an interview with you where you said that you’d like to face José Aldo in your next title defense, and now you’ll face him in November. How do you think this fight will be?
I wanted the fight with Aldo because he’s the most exciting and he best fighter in the WEC, everyone knows him and he’s knocking everybody out, so that’s what the fans want. I just want big fights. I expect a very tough fight and I don’t think it’ll go on five rounds.

Do you think this fight will play more standing or in the ground?
I’m not really sure… I know it’s gonna be a fuckin’ war, I know that.

I spoke with Conan Silveira and he bet you’d beat Aldo or Wagnney Fabiano, whoever comes first to fight you. What’s the importance of having a camp like ATT helping you for the fights?
American Top Team is everything to me. They got me where I am today, we have so many fighters, especially lightweights, and I know nobody has the partners I do, nobody goes to the war I go everyday during the trainings. We don’t play around, we try to hurt each other everyday in training, so I’m confidence against everyone in the world.

How did you entered to ATT?
I was fighting in AFC, here in Florida, and I talked to Ricardo Libório and he said ‘if you want to come train, just buy a plane ticket’. And I bought a plane ticket and the rest is history.

You used to fight as a lightweight, right?
A little bit… I was always a featherweight, but I fought as a lightweight because it was more money and better opportunities.

Do you plan coming back to lightweight and fight in the UFC?
Yes, I will, because the money is better. I’m a better featherweight, but I want big fights… Lightweight has bigger fights and more money, I just want the most for my career.

How do you think would be a fight between you and BJ?
It’d be a very hard fight, but I just come out, go crazy…

Talking about your life outside the octagon, how your family support you in fighting?
I don’t have a big family. I have a circle or best friends, who I grew up with, and they believed me and I love them very much. I have my girlfriend, who support me very much, and I got a dog, that’s it, That’s my family.

Send a message to your Brazilian fans.
I love Brazil, I think Brazil gave us Mixed Martial Arts and Vale Tudo, so I wanna thank everyone in Brazil for bringing the greatest sport in the world.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Shogun training for Machida at TATAME TV

 

[Shogun Locc]

Tim Kennedy Signed for EA MMA

The confirmed list of fighters signed for the EA MMA video game has been minimal so far. The list of fighters so far includes Randy Couture, Tim Sylvia, and Frank Shamrock. You can add another name to the list, as the Army Times is reporting that Strikeforce Middleweight Tim Kennedy will appear in the game:

Kennedy is preparing for his second Strikeforce fight, on Sept. 25. He also will appear in an EA Sports MMA video game as “Tim Kennedy, Army fighter,” and he plans to stay involved in nonprofit organizations that advocate and care for wounded warriors.

The EA MMA game is in development and is scheduled for a release in 2010.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Matt Hamill out 3-4 weeks, Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Brandon Vera at UFC 102 (Updated)

An intriguing light-heavyweight bout between Matt Hamill (6-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) and Brandon Vera (10-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) has been scratched from UFC 102's main card and will be replaced by a Vera vs. Krzysztof Soszynski (18-8-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) fight.

The change, first reported by Sherdog, resulted from an injured knee suffered by Hamill during a recent training session.

"(It's) just a meniscus tear," Hamill's trainer, Duff Holmes, told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "He's going for a scope tomorrow, and we'll be back to training after three or four weeks of rehab.

"It was something that just crept up on us and was getting worse and worse. It was really affecting his ability to go to the ground and was giving out on him. ... We are very disappointed with having to pull out, and we were really looking forward to the fight with Vera. He is a true mixed martial artist, and we were eager to test Matt against someone of his abilities."

UFC 102 takes place Aug. 29 at the Rose Center in Portland, Ore. The event, headlined by Randy Couture vs. fellow former UFC heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, airs on pay-per-view.

As of Monday afternoon, the Vera vs. Hamill bout was still listed on UFC.com. Although not official, the Vera vs. Soszynski bout will likely remain on the night's televised main card.

Vera fights for the fourth time since dropping to light heavyweight after back-to-back losses to heavyweights Tim Sylvia and Fabricio Werdum. Vera defeated Reese Andy via a lackluster unanimous decision in his 205-pound debut in 2008 and then suffered a split decision loss to Keith Jardine.

Vera, though, rebounded at UFC 96 earlier this year and showed a dominant stand-up game from the clinch. He scored an impressive second-round TKO over Michael Patt via leg kicks, and after the event, Vera said it was indicative of his new commitment to the sport.

Soszynski, meanwhile, looks for his fourth consecutive UFC win. After an early career spent fighting primarily in Canada and the now-defunct International Fight League, he competed on the eighth season of "The Ultimate Fighter." Although knocked out of the competition in the semifinals, "The Polish Experiment" defeated fellow cast member Shane Prime via submission at the show's live finale.

Since then, he's defeated Brian Stann (submission) at UFC 97 and Andre Gusmao (knockout) at UFC 98. He earned Submission of the Night bonuses for both the submission victories.