MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal vs. Don Frye signed for M-1 Global's first "major show" on Aug. 28

Ready to host its own major shows (rather than co-promoting with other organizations), M-1 Global will kick off a new era of fight promotion on Aug. 28 with a main event of top prospect Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal (4-0) vs. MMA trailblazer and legend Don Frye (20-7-1).

Sources close to the negotiations today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) bout agreements have finally been signed for the previously rumored matchup.

The event, "M-1 Global Presents Breakthrough," takes place at the Los Angeles Convention Center in California.

An HDNet official today told MMAjunkie.com the event airs live on the all-high-definition cable station.

The show, which takes place on the eve of UFC 102 in Portland, Ore., is being held in conjunction with IMMAE, an international MMA expo and trade show.

M-1 Global, a Russian-based organization, is perhaps best known for its "M-1 Challenge" event series, which M-1 officials bill as the "World Cup of Mixed Martial Arts." The series uses a country-vs.-country format for team competitions. However, while popular with many overseas locations, the event series has experienced minimal success in the U.S.

However, event organizers want to penetrate the lucrative U.S. market, and they plan to use a non-team event series (similar to the UFC and Strikeforce) for some future shows. M-1 has traditionally teamed with Affliction Entertainment to co-promote events but will go solo on Aug. 28.

Many major names have fought under the M-1 banner – including heavyweight kingpin Fedor Emelianenko – and could be options for future shows.

The first event, though, will feature two newcomers to M-1.

Lawal, an NCAA Division II national wrestling champion and Division I All-American at Oklahoma State, made his pro MMA debut in 2008. The 28-year-old has fought exclusively for World Victory Road's Japanese-based Sengoku event series, where he's 4-0 with three knockout victories a recent unanimous-decision win over Ryo Kawamura in March. He'll make his U.S. MMA debut at the M-1 event.

Frye, a 13-year veteran who made his MMA debut at UFC 8 in 1996, also comes from a collegiate wrestling background. Frye won UFC 8's tournament and three years later won the Ultimate Ultimate 96 tourney. He began his career with a 15-1 record while fighting primarily for the UFC and PRIDE. Although 43 years old, Frye has remained competitive in recent years and is 5-2-1 over the past three years.

 

[Shogun Locc]

DREAM announces "Super Hulk" pairings for tourney semifinals at DREAM.11 on Oct. 6

With the date now official for the second round of DREAM's open-weight "Super Hulk" tournament, the organization has now made the matchups official.

As was previously rumored, Hong Man Choi (2-2) meets Ikuhisa Minowa (42-30-8), while Gegard Mousasi (25-2-1) faces Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (6-4) at DREAM.11 on Oct. 6 in Kanagawa, Japan.

DREAM officials made the matchups official during Monday's DREAM.10 broadcast on HDNet.

The "Techno Goliath" earned his way to the semifinals with a 77-second shellacking of former baseball star Jose Canseco at May's DREAM.9. The 7-foot-2 super-heavyweight will enjoy a significant size advantage over "Minowaman," though that didn't matter much in "The Punk's" first-round matchup.

Minowa needed just 75 seconds to submit the massive Bob Sapp in his first-round contest. The 13-year-veteran has made a career of taking on all comers, and the bout with Choi, who is nearly twice Minowa's weight, will certainly maintain the "freak show" feel made famous in Japan.

Mousasi, who will first face Renato "Babalu" Sobral at the Aug. 1 event "Affliction: Trilogy," made his way to the "Super Hulk" semifinals with a 79-second submission win over Mark Hunt. Mousasi is currently on an impressive 12-fight win streak.

Sokoudjou broke out of a recent slump and earned a first-round win over kickboxer Jan Nortje in May. The explosive win ended in controversial fashion when Sokoudjou delivered a few hotly contested blows that some deemed unnecessary. Sokoudjou later apologized for the blows.

DREAM.11 will also feature the semifinals and finals of DREAM's current featherweight grand prix.

 

[Shogun Locc]

DREAM.11 featherweight grand prix semis set: Fernandes vs. Warren, Takaya vs. Tokoro

The matchups are set for DREAM's featherweight grand prix semifinals, which take place Oct. 6 at DREAM.11.

The bouts include Bibiano Fernandes (5-2) vs. Joe Warren (2-0) and Hiroyuki Takaya (11-6-1) vs. Hideo Tokoro (21-14-1).

Those matchups and a tournament finale will join the conclusion of DREAM's open-weight "Super Hulk" grand prix at the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan. The event is expected to air live on HDNet.

The tournament matchups were revealed during today's early-morning DREAM.10 broadcast on HDNet.

Fernandes, who owns a four-fight win streak, advanced in the tournament with unanimous-decision wins over Takafumi Otsuka and Masakazu Imanari. Warren, an accomplished amateur wrestler, made his MMA debut in the first-round of DREAM's grand prix and posted victories over Chase Beebe (TKO) and Norifumi Yamamoto (split decision) to advance to the semifinals.

Meanwhile, Takaya, who fought with the WEC last year, earned his place in the semifinals with TKO victories over Jong Won Kim and Yoshiro Maeda. Tokoro, a longtime K-1 HERO'S fighter who defeated Remigijus Morkevicius at UFC 73, is the tournament's most experienced fighter. He lost his opening round bout to Daiki "DJ.taki" Hata but advanced anyway when his opponent was injured and couldn't continue in the tournament. Tokoro then earned a spot in the semifinals with a victory over Abel Cullum.

 

[B-Buzz]

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.

Kind of irrelevant now, but my friend was going to split 25/25 on Filho + Zaromskis + JT Money with me after I saw all the shit about Mach not being able to make weight but we found out his account got cancelled lol.

I've been avoiding MMA news all day because my friend had it DVR'd, just finished watching and Zaromskis is the goddamn man. He throws head kicks like other guys throw leg kicks. Went from being one of my favorite Dream fighters to one my favorite fighters in MMA.
I can't believe Filho didn't get KO'd by all the shit Manhoef threw at him. And Kikuno creeped me out by smiling the entire fight.

 

[B-Buzz]

And if anyone hasn't seen them yet

Zaromskis vs. Mach


Zaromskis vs. High (Finals)

 

[Shogun Locc]

GEGARD MOUSASI: "IT'S NOT A JIU-JITSU FIGHT"

Gegard Mousasi has plenty of options when he faces Renato “Babalu” Sobral at Affliction “Trilogy” in on Aug. 1.

The Iranian-born resident of the Netherlands believes it’s important to fight opponents at their weakest points. In his last showing at Dream 9, against Mark Hunt, he did just that, taking the giant striker down and cinching a quick submission. Against brawler Melvin Manhoef… the same.

Backed by a 12-win streak, the strategy has worked so far. Slowly but surely, he has climbed into consideration as one of the top fighters in the world.

The prudent option is to keep Babalu on his feet – their stand-up credentials aren’t in the same league. On the ground, Babalu has the clear advantage.

Mousasi realizes that at some point, the action will hit the mat. The former UFC contender likes to draw strikers in by exchanging just enough to prompt a takedown. But Mousasi isn’t afraid of the Brazilian’s submission skills.

“I think (if) he underestimates me on the ground, he will be surprised,” said Mousasi. “People have taken me down and (opponents) think it’s easy to take me down. We’ll see. It’s a fight. It’s not a jiu-jitsu fight. I’m going to punch him.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Eliot Marshall vs. Jason Brilz set for UFC 103

A light-heavyweight bout between "The Ultimate Fighter 8" cast member Eliot Marshall (7-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) and fellow light heavyweight Jason Brilz (17-1-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) is set for UFC 103.

The fight was first reported by FiveOuncesofPain.com, and a source close to one of the fighters told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that bout agreements have been distributed and signed.

UFC 103 takes place Sept. 19 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. The Marshall vs. Brilz fight will take place on the un-aired preliminary card of the pay-per-view event.

The UFC on Monday announced UFC 103, which is the first UFC event in Texas in more than two years, will feature a main event of Rich Franklin vs. Dan Henderson. The two fighters first met at UFC 93 in January, when Henderson won a split decision.

Marshall, a longtime Ring of Fire veteran, looks to continue his success on MMA's biggest stage. Since his stint on "TUF 8," he's picked up a first-round submission victory over Jules Bruchez at the show's live finale in December and then a unanimous-decision win over show runner-up Vinny Magalhaes at UFC 97 in April; it's the only time Marshall, whose lone career loss came to UFC vet Rob MacDonald in 2007, has gone to a decision in seven career victories.

Brilz, too, also looks for his third consecutive UFC win. The former collegiate wrestler and coach took a two-year break from professional competition before he defeated Erik Jenks in May 2008. He then made his octagon debut four months later and has defeated Brad Morris (second-round TKO) and Tim Boetsch (unanimous decision) to extend his undefeated streak to 13 fights. During that stretch, he's defeated the likes of UFC vets Jason MacDonald, Alex Schoenauer, Michael Patt and Nate Schroeder in outside organizations.

The latest UFC 103 card now includes:

* Dan Henderson vs. Rich Franklin
* Junior Dos Santos vs. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic
* Martin Kampmann vs. Mike Swick
* Josh Koscheck vs. Frank Trigg
* Hermes Franca vs. Tyson Griffin
* Sean Sherk vs. Gleison Tibau*
* Efrain Escudero vs. Cole Miller
* Tomasz Drwal vs. Drew McFedries*
* Rafael dos Anjos vs. Matt Wiman*
* Jason Brilz vs. Eliot Marshall*

* - Not officially announced

 

[Shogun Locc]

CANTWELL VS. STANN 3 AT UFC FIGHT NIGHT 19

A light heavyweight rubber match between Brian Stann and Steve Cantwell is set for UFC Fight Night 19, the UFC announced on Monday night. The bout's placement is unknown.

The Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City will host the Sept. 16 event.

The duo first met at WEC 26, where the fast-rising Stann railroaded Cantwell in 41 seconds with punches. Stann went on to become the light heavyweight champion of the promotion at WEC 33, but failed to defend his title when Cantwell stopped him in the second frame of their rematch at WEC 35. The promotion soon after shuttered the 205-pound division.

Since then, both fighters have migrated to the UFC, with mixed results.

Cantwell (7-2) was successful in his Octagon debut at UFC “Fight for the Troops” in December, dislocating fellow newcomer Razak Al-Hussan's elbow with an armbar in the first round of their fight. More recently, Cantwell put up a valiant effort against rising star Luiz Cane at UFC 97, but was defeated by decision.

In his Octagon debut, Stann (6-2) lost to Krzysztof Soszynski by Kimura inside the first round, his second consecutive defeat with the Cantwell loss.

 

[Shogun Locc]

GILBERT YVEL DOESN'T CARE IF HE'S THE FAVORITE

It’s news to Gilbert Yvel that he’s the favorite in his fight with Paul Buentello at Affliction “Trilogy.”

He doesn’t really care what Buentello or fans think, anyways. There’s always been a gap between what people say is going to happen and what does happen.

Buentello says he’s never shot for a takedown in his career and won’t start in August, but Yvel’s heard that one before.

“We’ll see about that,” Yvel told MMAWeekly.com. “Everybody says, ‘yeah, I’m just going to (stand) with you.’”

The Dutch striker is well resigned to the idea that a perfect opponent – which, based on history alone, Buentello appears to be – may never come.

“(My trainer) John Lewis says, ‘Gilbert, if I was the opponent’s trainer, I would just say, let’s try to take him down. His ground game’s not good… why be stupid and try to fight him on the feet?’” said Yvel.

Previous opponent Josh Barnett took that advice word-for-word and punished Yvel for three rounds with elbows and punches from mount. Yvel survived until the very end, tapping out in the final minutes of the fight.

Since moving to Las Vegas last year, Yvel has worked on his ground game with smaller wrestlers, adjusting himself to fast transitions on the mat. He still works with heavier guys, but likes getting a run for his money.

So while he’d like to showcase the “Hurricane,” he won’t be disappointed if he doesn’t appear.

“I’m just ready for everything,” said Yvel.

It’s the last week of hard work before tapering down, and he’s modified his cardiovascular training to facilitate a long fight. A quick knockout of Pedro Rizzo in June actually made things more difficult when he returned to the gym.

“The thing is, if you train for a fight, it’s building up and building up, and the moment the fight is there, you need to unload,” said Yvel. “My fight was so quick I didn’t get a chance to unload, so I probably unload two days before I go back to the gym again. So it was difficult for me to get the focus to train again. I had to really talk to myself: ‘c’mon, man, it’s time to go.’ But it’s okay now.”

He’s unimpressed with what Buentello brings to the table.

“If he hits you, he hits you hard,” said Yvel. “That’s it. He’s not bad, but he’s not really a good fighter. He doesn’t have a lot of tools to work with. He has his hands, and that’s it. I think I have four more weapons. I’ve got my knees and my feet.”

For his specialty, he works often with Wanderlei Silva, where sparring sessions often get heated.

“Sometimes he gets a little too excited,” laughed Yvel. “It’s okay. It’s no problem. I can handle this.”

He has one fight remaining with Affliction, but the ultimate prize is the UFC.

“I hope that the UFC gives me a chance, or maybe another shot at Josh Barnett,” he said. “I hope to show the world what I can do.”

First up is Buentello, whose hands present a serious threat to him. He’s not planning past that.

“I approach everybody the same: I go in the ring and try to knock them out, whether he’s the best fighter in the world, or people say he’s not that good,” said Yvel. “I’m not seeing nobody as an underdog. It’s always 50-50.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

OVEREEM INJURY PERSISTS; TITLE BOUT IN JEOPARDY

Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem is struggling with complications from a hand injury sustained in a bar brawl and may not be able to defend his title against Fabricio Werdum at Strikeforce “Carano vs. Cyborg” on Aug. 15.

Multiple sources who asked not to be named reported the news to MMAWeekly.com on Monday evening and Tuesday morning.

One source indicated that it was highly unlikely that Overeem would be physically ready to fight on Aug. 15.

Overeem was taken to an area hospital following the May brawl – which erupted inside an Amsterdam nightclub and involved his brother Valentijn – where doctors discovered a serious infection that might have cost him his hand, according to a report from Fighters Only. Overeem remained in the hospital for several days, forcing the cancellation of a scheduled title defense at Strikeforce “Shields vs. Lawler” on June 6.

Overeem began training for Werdum after receiving treatment for the infection, but returned to the hospital on several occasions when it re-appeared. The length of the recovery, and his inability to train properly, hastened doubts he would be able to compete in August.

Overeem won the Strikeforce heavyweight championship by defeating American Kickboxing Academy standout Paul Buentello at “Four Men Enter, One Man Survives” in November 2007. The Dutch striker subsequently migrated to Dream, where he amassed two victories before repeated fouls brought a no contest against Croatian star Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic last September. Two months later, he dispatched longtime veteran Gary Goodridge by submission at “Glory 10” in his native Netherlands.

Overeem’s first title defense is one of four title bouts scheduled for the Aug. 15 event in San Jose, Calif.’s HP Pavilion, headlined by a historic 25-minute meeting between top female mixed martial artists Gina Carano and Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos.

Strikeforce Director of Communications Mike Afromowitz declined comment on the situation.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Justin McCully vs. Mike Russo and Tim Hague vs. Todd Duffee complete UFC 102 card

With the addition of two heavyweights bout on the preliminary card, the lineup for UFC 102 is now complete with a total of 11 fights.

"UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira" takes place at the Rose Center in Portland, Ore., and airs on pay-per-view.

As MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) first reported last week, UFC 102 has two new bouts: Mike Russo (11-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) vs. Justin McCully (9-4-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) and Todd Duffee (4-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) vs. Tim Hague (10-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC).

McCully had been slated to fight rising heavyweight prospect Junior Dos Santos at the Portland event. However, last week he told MMAjunkie.com Radio that Dos Santos had been scratched from the card and replaced by UFC newcomer Russo. Additionally, Duffee, originally slated to fight Russo, is now slated to fight Hague.

As we later found out, Dos Santos was pulled from the UFC 102 card so he could fight Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, who had reportedly signed a DREAM contract (only to later deny the claim), in the co-main event of UFC 103.

With the card shuffling now complete, so, too, is the full UFC 102 card.

It includes:

MAIN CARD

* Randy Couture vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
* Keith Jardine vs. Thiago Silva
* Chris Leben vs. Jake Rosholt
* Demian Maia vs. Nate Marquardt
* Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Brandon Vera

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Chris Tuchscherer
* Wilson Gouveia vs. James Irvin
* Justin McCully vs. Mike Russo
* Todd Duffee vs. Tim Hague
* Nick Catone vs. Mark Munoz
* Evan Dunham vs. Matt Veach

 

[Shogun Locc]

WEC signs EliteXC lightweight vet Muhsin Corbbrey to multi-fight deal

World Extreme Cagefighting's lightweight division has grown by one.

WEC officials today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) the organization has signed three-time EliteXC fighter Muhsin Corbbrey (8-3) to a multi-fight deal.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, and no date or opponent has been set for his WEC debut.

Corbbrey, who turned pro in 2001 before taking a break from professional MMA competition from 2002 to 2006, hasn't fought since a June 2008 TKO loss to notable Nick Diaz at "EliteXC: Return of the King." The loss snapped Corbbrey's three-fight win streak, which included wins over Lee Gibson (unanimous decision) and Bobby McMaster (submission) in EliteXC's "ShoXC" prospect-showcase series.

However, despite the loss to Diaz, Corbbrey still impressed many in the MMA community. Diaz missed weight for the fight and tipped the scale at 169 pounds for the 160-pound contest. Despite an obvious size difference on fight night, Corbbrey kept pace with Diaz before succumbing to strikes late in the third round.

Corbbrey, who's also competed professionally as a boxer and Muay Thai fighter, has posted submission victories in six of his eight pro wins. However, he has a solid stand-up game that carried him to a 6-2-1 pro boxing record over the past four years. The North Carolina-based fighter most recently topped Troy Nelson via six-round unanimous decision at a February boxing event in South Carolina.

For the past couple years, Corbbrey tried to work his way to a UFC contract. He twice tried out for "The Ultimate Fighter" but was ultimately passed over by the show's producers.

With a few wins under the WEC banner, Corbbrey could enter the organization's title picture fairly quickly. Current champ Jamie Varner is sidelined by injuries, and top contenders Donald Cerrone and Benson Henderson meet for the interim title on Sept. 2. He'll now look to join a list of additional contenders that currently includes the likes of Danny Castillo, Marcus Hicks, Richard Crunkilton Jr., Anthony Pettis and Rob McCullough.

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC 100 officially nets second-largest gate in company history with $5.13 million

UFC 100 officially drew 10,871 attendees (9,793 paid) for a live gate of $5,128,490, Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer today confirmed in an email to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

The UFC's historic July 11 show now ranks as the second-largest gate in UFC history and fell just $268,810 short of UFC 66's record $5,397,300 gate, which resulted from the heavily hyped Chuck Liddell-Tito Ortiz rematch in late 2006.

The gate figure does not include an additional $312,800 from the 6,256 fans who purchased tickets to watch a closed-circuit feed of the event for viewing parties in Las Vegas and New York City.

UFC 100, one of the deepest cards in the organization's 16-year history, featured three-main-event worthy bouts at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas: UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar's TKO victory over interim title-holder Frank Mir, welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre's unanimous-decision win over Thiago Alves, and Dan Henderson's brutal knockout of rival "The Ultimate Fighter 9" coach Michael Bisping.

UFC 100 also drew a record 240 credentialed media members and was aired in 75 countries.

The top five gates in UFC history now include:

1. UFC 66 (Liddell vs. Ortiz II): $5,397,300 gate (12,191 attendance)
2. UFC 100 (Lesnar vs. Mir II): $5,128,490 gate (10,871)
3. UFC 83 (St-Pierre vs. Serra II): $5,100,000 gate (21,390 attendance)
4. UFC 79 (St-Pierre vs. Hughes): $4,994,050 gate (9,704 attendance)
5. UFC 91 (Couture vs. Lesnar): $4,815,675 gate (13,224 attendance)

 

[Shogun Locc]

WEC signs undefeated lightweight Dave Jansen, debut set for WEC 43 in September

World Extreme Cagefighting has signed undefeated lightweight prospect Dave Jansen (12-0) to a multi-fight deal, and the 29-year-old Team Quest fighter will make his promotional debut at WEC 43 in September.

WEC officials today confirmed the signing with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, and an opponent had not been determined for the WEC newcomer's debut fight.

WEC 43 takes place Sept. 2 at the Covelli Center in Youngstown, Ohio. The night's main card airs on Versus, though Jansen is expected to compete on the night's un-aired preliminary card.

Jansen, who turned pro in January 2007 after a 6-0 amateur career, has fought primarily for Matt Lindland's SportFight and the M-1 organizations. A longtime wrestler who competed two years for the University of Oregon, "The Fugitive" has posted stoppage victories in eight of his 12 wins (six via submission).

The Oregon native trains with the likes of Lindland, Chris Wilson, Ryan Schultz, Chael Sonnen, Ed Herman and many other of Team Quest's elite.

The latest WEC 43 card now includes:

* Donald Cerrone vs. Benson Henderson (for WEC interim lightweight title)
* Manny Tapia vs. Eddie Wineland*
* Rafael Assuncao vs. Yves Jabouin*
* Wagnney Fabiano vs. Erik Koch*
* Alex Karalexis vs. Anthony Pettis*
* Dave Jansen vs. TBA*

 

[Shogun Locc]

Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic: Brock Lesnar has ‘yet to have a real struggle’

“I must point out that his victory is a defeat for the sport as such. Don’t get me wrong, Lesnar is a fearsome and very dangerous opponent, but I am old school, I prefer skill and technique. This win was a defeat of martial skills. Much of what he achieved in the fight is a result of pure power… Of course, Lesnar has quality sparring partners, is an experienced wrestler and a man who learns very quickly. But he is yet to have a real struggle. He does not have many fights in his career and I would love to see how he would react to two or three good low kicks.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

MMA Quick Quote: Jesse Taylor wants the best Japan has to offer

“I feel great, it’s a win, it’s my first time here, definitely not my last. I really like being here in Japan and fighting here, I love the audience. I really loved it out here but I really wish you know it wasn’t an injury, I think I would have won any kind of way, I would have won anyways but I don’t like winning like that … the UFC kind of labeled me [as a “bad boy”] and I don’t know if I really like that or not but yeah I just want to show the fans, the people at home that I’m actually a pretty good guy. Obviously from my past I have a lot to prove now. I have two boys, two sons and you know this provides a means to an end and I really like fighting here, I mean, to tell the truth I like fighting here a lot more than in the States so hopefully you guys like me and hopefully I’ll be back and I want the best. I can also go both wegiht classes, so I can do welterweight or middleweight here, so wherever the fight you demand from me is where I’ll go.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Paulo Filho comments victory over Manhoef

Eight months after losing the first fight in the MMA career, Paulo Filho returned to the Japanese rings at Dream against the tough Melvin Manhoef. After suffering in the striking, the Brazilan took the fight to his area and submitted the opponent. Back to the hotel, Filho spoke with TATAME.com about the victory. Check below the exclusive interview with the fighter.

How was the fight against Manhoef?
The fight was more or less like I predicted, I knew he’d start with everything standing, but I managed to defend myself and I knew he’d get tired and I’d put my ground game on him. Thanks God everything was alright, he didn’t hit any strong punch that could make me knock me off, so I passed the guard, mounted and submitted with the arm-lock, my specialty.

You feared that the referee could end the fight when he was hitting you?
I wasn’t worried, because I know that (the referees) in Japan look a lot, but I was ok, looking to his hands all the time. There was a way to pull him into my guard to make him get tired, because he was hitting some shots standing and I felt he could hit one and make me go down. But everything was under control.

Your coach told me that you had some weight problems days before the fight…
I came here thinking that this fight would be at 205lbs, so I came with my regular weight, around 204. When got here, three days before the fight, my manager told me that we’d probably fight at 185 division. It was very hard, but my head was good and thanks god I made weight comfortably.

What’s your objective now?
Like any athlete, mu objective is to achieve the belt. Let’s see if they’ll give the opportunity to fight for the belt.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Lingering injury forces Alistair Overeem out of Strikeforce heavyweight title fight (Updated)

While it's been 20 months since Dutch striker Alistair Overeem (29-11) earned Strikeforce's heavyweight title, the champion still isn't quite ready to defend his belt.

AOL FanHouse reported a lingering hand injury forced Overeem out of his planned Aug. 15 bout with Fabricio Werdum (11-4-1) on the main card of the organization's "Carano vs. Cyborg" event in San Jose, Calif., and Strikeforce has since officially announced the champ's withdrawal.

According to AOL FanHouse Werdum will still fight on the card, though a new opponent has not yet been named. Strikeforce's official release simply states, "A replacement bout for the scratched heavyweight fight will be announced soon."

Initial attempts by MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) to reach Strikeforce officials for comment were unsuccessful.

Overeem has been battling a severe hand infection following a May scuffle in an Amsterdam night club. Strikeforce blamed a "re-injured hand," but the organization offered no additional information on Overeem's status or when he is expected to return to action.

Overeem earned Strikeforce's heavyweight title in a November 2007 win over Paul Buentello. "Demolition Man" hasn't fought for the organization since the win, though he has gone 3-0 with one no contest in a pair of foreign-based promotions.

Considering Overeem's extended leave of absence from the organization, Strikeforce could elect to institute an interim heavyweight title or strip the Dutchman of the title. Should an interim title be instituted, undefeated slugger Brett Rogers (10-0) – who defeated Andrei Arlovski at June's "Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields" event – would certainly be a leading candidate to contest the new belt. When contacted by MMAjunkie.com, Rogers' manager, Mike Reilly, said he was not currently in dialogue Strikeforce regarding a potential appearance by his fighter.

"We have not been contacted," Reilly stated. "We wish Alistair a speedy recovery."

"Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg" will still feature three title fights, as the organization's lightweight, welterweight and first-ever female title will all be on the line. The main card of the event airs live on Showtime.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Gurgel-Evangelista Expected for Strikeforce Challengers

Jorge Gurgel and Billy Evangelista are expected to headline a Strikeforce Challenger Series event tentatively scheduled for Fresno’s Save Mart Center on Oct. 25. The only thing holding up the fight is an OK from Showtime brass, according to a source close to the promotion.

Gurgel (13-5) will look to make it two in a row under the Strikeforce banner after winning a barnburner over Conner Huen in June. The charismatic lightweight, known for his wide-open style, may put himself in line for a shot at the winner of the Josh Thomson-Gilbert Melendez bout for the 155-pound strap.

Evangelista is coming off the first loss of his career, a controversial disqualification to Mike Aina in May. The slugger from California’s Central Valley will be the hometown favorite against Gurgel and should prove a worthy foil in the standup department. Evangelista (9-1) is a highly regarded prospect who could also be under consideration for a title fight in the near future should he get past Gurgel.

 

[BROWN GUERRERO]

Lingering injury forces Alistair Overeem out of Strikeforce heavyweight title fight (Updated)

While it's been 20 months since Dutch striker Alistair Overeem (29-11) earned Strikeforce's heavyweight title, the champion still isn't quite ready to defend his belt.

AOL FanHouse reported a lingering hand injury forced Overeem out of his planned Aug. 15 bout with Fabricio Werdum (11-4-1) on the main card of the organization's "Carano vs. Cyborg" event in San Jose, Calif., and Strikeforce has since officially announced the champ's withdrawal.

According to AOL FanHouse Werdum will still fight on the card, though a new opponent has not yet been named. Strikeforce's official release simply states, "A replacement bout for the scratched heavyweight fight will be announced soon."

Initial attempts by MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) to reach Strikeforce officials for comment were unsuccessful.

Overeem has been battling a severe hand infection following a May scuffle in an Amsterdam night club. Strikeforce blamed a "re-injured hand," but the organization offered no additional information on Overeem's status or when he is expected to return to action.

Overeem earned Strikeforce's heavyweight title in a November 2007 win over Paul Buentello. "Demolition Man" hasn't fought for the organization since the win, though he has gone 3-0 with one no contest in a pair of foreign-based promotions.

Considering Overeem's extended leave of absence from the organization, Strikeforce could elect to institute an interim heavyweight title or strip the Dutchman of the title. Should an interim title be instituted, undefeated slugger Brett Rogers (10-0) – who defeated Andrei Arlovski at June's "Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields" event – would certainly be a leading candidate to contest the new belt. When contacted by MMAjunkie.com, Rogers' manager, Mike Reilly, said he was not currently in dialogue Strikeforce regarding a potential appearance by his fighter.

"We have not been contacted," Reilly stated. "We wish Alistair a speedy recovery."

"Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg" will still feature three title fights, as the organization's lightweight, welterweight and first-ever female title will all be on the line. The main card of the event airs live on Showtime.

Fuuuck that sucks. I'm going and wanted to see Overeem fight. Oh well still a great card!