MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

JAY HIERON VS. NICK DIAZ FOR STRIKEFORCE TITLE

MMAWeekly.com sources on Wednesday confirmed that Jay Hieron has signed a new multi-fight contract with Strikeforce that will put him on the promotion’s Aug. 15 event “Carano vs. Cyborg.” He will face Nick Diaz for the first ever Strikeforce welterweight championship.

Sources indicated that Hieron was in talks with both Strikeforce and the Ultimate Fighting Championship that came down to the wire. One of the deciding factors between the two promotions appears to be Hieron having already committed to appearing in the upcoming MMA video game from EA Sports, a challenger to the UFC branded THQ video game “UFC 2009 Undisputed.”

It was announced on Wednesday that Fedor Emelianenko – still in talks with the UFC – will don the cover of the EA Sports game.

Hieron (17-4) was on the front lines for the collapse of the IFL in summer 2008 and had fielded offers from the UFC and Strikeforce before accepting an offer with Affliction. In January, he fought Jason High in the swing bout for Affliction’s second event, “Day of Reckoning,” earning a brutal knockout in 64 seconds. A native of Long Island, N.Y. He is a mainstay of Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas.

Strikeforce started the “Carano vs. Cyborg” event with four title bouts scheduled, which it saw dwindle to two due to varying circumstances. The signing of Hieron vs. Diaz for the welterweight belt, and the previously announced signing of a bout with Renato “Babalu” Sobral defending his Strikeforce light heavyweight title from Gegard Mousasi, Strikeforce is back to four title bouts on Aug. 15.

The Babalu vs. Mousasi bout had originally been slated to appear on the recently cancelled Affliction “Trilogy” event.

 

[B-Buzz]

Fighting Mixed Combative! Some Details Out

It seems like the first event will take place on August 16th and be a Korea vs. Japan card (as previously reported) since August 15th is the day Korea got independent from Japan. Don’t expect much of this card if most fights are Korea vs. Japan.

The second event will take place at the end of September (25-26).

All contracts for the first card are already set, and they are currently working on completing the second one.

They plan to hold FMC events in Russia, Japan, and other countries next year.

It seems like soccer kicks will be prohibited but stomps will be allowed. The fights will take place in a ring and be 3 5 minute rounds (why!?).

It seems like they will use a GP system to crown champions similar to some Japanese organizations.

The representative says that there will be doping tests, and also health checks 7 days before the fight.

It seems like the participation of Igor is now not as sure as before. Ivan and Aleksander are signed though.

In Korea they will work with big TV channel MBC, and they have contacted foreign channels, but they don’t know what will become of that yet.

In 5 years they want to be an organization with many fans who like the organization.

I read an interview yesterday where Igor said he's only going to watch and thought they were doing something to honor him and never had any intention to fight. But he's getting surgery on his arm in October and thinks he'll be able to fight again after that.

 

[MrPeete]

UFC Quick Quote: ‘Rampage’ Jackson feels threatened by Rashad Evans

“You know what, during the taping of the show … We got into it every time we faced each other, you know? It got challenging for both of us to keep our hands off of each other. He don’t like me and I don’t like him, so it got really hard for me not to tee off on him and I’m sure he felt the same way. I think Rampage wants to be the only one. I don’t know if he wants to be the only brotha. I don’t know what it is. I don’t know, he’s just very competitive with me. I think besides all of that and the fact that he feels threatened by me, a lot happened when we got into each others face at the UFC when he fought Jardine. After that, we got into it on our own time. We got into it on our own personal time. I think that one of his biggest problems is that he’s fallen in love with his power. He counts on his power. He’s like Tyson after he got rid of Kevin Rooney. He just relied on his power because he knew he had it. Well that’s what Rampage is doing. He’s not as well-rounded as he was when he fought for Pride.”

I like the mind game Rashad is playing with Rampage. He's trying to set him up for a submission

Let me rephrase that ...

He BETTER try to set him up for a submission, because I don't think he wants to stand and trade with Rampage... :knockout:

 

[Shogun Locc]

Report: Paul Daley signs mutli-fight UFC deal

British fighter Paul Daley (21-8-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has reportedly signed a four-fight deal with the UFC and will join the organization's roster of welterweight fighters.

Daley had been slated to fight Jay Hieron at the Aug. 1 "Affliction: Trilogy" event before the event's cancellation last week.

Following the subsequent demise of Affliction's MMA-promotional arm altogether, he inked a deal with the UFC, according to Fighters Only online.

Daley, a six-year veteran who's fought for organizations ranging from Cage Rage to EliteXC to Strikeforce, has won three of his past four fights and nine of his past 11. Of his 21 professional victories, 16 have come via knockout.

Daley most recently competed at an April World Free Fight Challenge event in Slovenia, where he defeated Junior Barata via TKO.

No octagon debut date has been set for the fighter.

 

[lenbiasyayo]

i really wanna see forest smash anderson and prove he is human like everyone else and i hope bj murks kenflo cause kenflo's voice is annoying and i hate his hair, but the rest of the telivsed card dont interest me a bit. i think ufc is doin to many shows and thinnin out there talent just a little bit

 

[B-Buzz]

^^ Ya besides those two fights the only other one Im interested in seeing is Pellegrino vs. Neer and that would be undercard for a lot of other nights.

And fuck yeah UFC signing Semtex is awesome, not sure how well he'll do against all the wrestlers but hopefully he takes a couple heads off.

 

[UCDgreek]

im hoping they show the mccrory fight. ive liked what i have seen from him in other fights. and also leites-sakara. good grappler vs striker matchup

 

[Robby2Slobby]

Will leites just fall on his back the whole fight? Or will he actually fight. They shouldve cut him lose right after the Anderson silva fight. That was an embarassnent for the ufc.

 

[PsyDaL]

^^^^ You dont seem to realize that leites falls on his back cause hes by far one of the most dominant pure jiu jitsu practioners in the world. Of course he wants the fight on the ground. Its a strategy gone bad. IF you see the Royler Gracie vs Sakuraba fight he pretty much did the same thing, only Sakuraba chased him down to the ground and fought his battle.

Go to a jiu jitsu meet and you will understand the ground game and appreciate it and learn to love it....

 

[Robby2Slobby]

Yeah. I like good jits. But that was rediculous. It's the fight of your career. Actually fight. If leites loses. He is gone. I think that was established when the fight was signed. Pulling guard is different then falling a million times during a fight. If silva was biting. Yeah keep doing it. But it wasn't working. Try something else then. Like a rolling kneebar or something. Lol. Dude had no chance really tho.

 

[Neshani]

^^^^ You dont seem to realize that leites falls on his back cause hes by far one of the most dominant pure jiu jitsu practioners in the world. Of course he wants the fight on the ground. Its a strategy gone bad. IF you see the Royler Gracie vs Sakuraba fight he pretty much did the same thing, only Sakuraba chased him down to the ground and fought his battle.

Go to a jiu jitsu meet and you will understand the ground game and appreciate it and learn to love it....

You don't seem to realize that it's called Mixed Martial Arts. There was no mix, just a one-trick pony unable to do shit when someone wouldn't play his game. No doubt dude has skills, but dropping to your back 20 times in a fight is gay as fuck.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Fight Path: For XFC's big man Chris Barnett, martial arts was a family affair

Chris Barnett was a solid 320 pounds when went into the Xtreme Fighting Championships tryout in October.

The Tampa gym was busy with fighters who wanted a shot at MMA, especially in an organization known to host some of the most exciting up-and-comers around. Not many of them, though, had heard about the tryout following a breakdancing back-and-forth with one of the organization's representatives, as Barnett had.

But Barnett was unusual in several ways. He had come from a taekwondo-practicing family with an Air Force father who was quiet but respected. He had been a small-college wrestler who had learned judo with a friend because, frankly, there's not much else to do in Campbellsville, Ky.

Plus, the way he moved for a 320-pounder wasn't a normal sight for most in the gym.

"There were people falling out, saying, 'This is too tough,'" Barnett said. "I was like, 'We haven't even gotten started.'"

In the months since, Barnett's mixed-martial-arts career has certainly begun. Since impressing at the XFC's tryouts, the 22-year-old Tampa resident has gained experience in four amateur fights before winning his professional debut in April against a highly experienced Johnathan Ivey, who had nearly 70 professional fights on his resume.

Now, Barnett is preparing for his second fight, on Sept. 5 against Daniel Perez (3-0). Many who have seen Barnett feel his size mixed with speed and lifelong martial-arts training, as well as his experience as a wrestler and football player, make him an exciting heavyweight to watch in the coming months.

"I just wanted to go into the tryout and show them what I could do, put a bug in their ear if I ever decided to give it a try," Barnett said. "But the feeling it gave me, and how they treated me, made me say, 'Yeah, this is what I want to do.'"

All in the family

Barnett was born in Spain before the family moved to Germany and to Colorado before his martial-arts life began. A brother, five years older, was already taking part in classes with Barnett's father by the time he started his first class at age 6.

Barnett's brother, Curtis, has also made the most of taekwondo. The 28-year-old won USA Taekwondo's middleweight championship earlier this month to earn a chance to try out for the U.S. Olympic Taekwondo Team.

It was indeed a family affair. Mom and dad would work during the day while Chris and Curtis were in school, then each family member would meet at the gym in the afternoon for classes and training. Barnett even brought along homework to complete while his brother and father trained in the advanced classes.

It was, Barnett said, the glue that held his family together.

"It was something we could all do together, all talk about," Barnett said. "Not every family has something like that."

Barnett was 14, he remembers clearly when he first beat his brother in a fight. Barnett had come home from a day of classes when he saw his brother studying.

"He shoved me out of the way, and that day I just wasn't having it," Barnet said. "He came at me, and he hit me with about the hardest roundhouse kick I ever faced, right in the ribs. But I got to him, I slammed him to the kitchen floor and from there it was just ground and pound.

"I hear my mom run upstairs, and she yells out for my dad, 'David! David! You'd better get these boys out of the kitchen. My brother just said, 'Look at what this school has done to him. They've created a monster.'"

A monster, indeed

So there's Barnett, walking into this XFC tryout looking like a hulking former wrestling star but not necessarily a conditioned, nimble martial-arts veteran. Few there probably heard about the tryout as Barnett did, at a Tampa club after noticing that another guy's breakdancing moves seemed awful martial arts-like. Then he noticed the guy's XFC shirt, and he got a flyer about the tryout.

His first fight of the day set the tone.

"I sparred some guy who told me later he thought I would be a slugger because of my size," Barnett said. "He thought I would use mostly my hands. But I caught him with a spinning sidekick that stopped him in 18 seconds. People were coming over to check on him, and people were, like, gathering around. I think I made an impression."

The XFC brass, understanding the mix of power and skill, immediately took an interest. They signed him up for amateur fights, to get him used to the feel of MMA.

The first professional fight happened April 25 against Ivey, the longtime veteran, at XFC 8. After watching Ivey's previous fights, Barnett knew what to expect.

"He's a showman," Barnett said. "He'll ruin your whole game plan with his antics, making faces at you, throwing you off completely, then he strikes."

Barnett, with an added mental toughness to his physically strength, committed to not letting that happen. By the second round, Barnett felt he had the focus he needed to hang with the veteran.

Barnett, in fact, prefers knockouts, but that didn't appear to be an option with Ivey. So, in his own piece of showmanship, Barnett got onto Ivey's back during one portion of the fight and mimicked a cowboy.

"Like a guy whipping a bull," Barnett said with a laugh.

Barnett won the entertaining fight by unanimous decision, committed himself even more to MMA and has gained a slew of supporters heading into his September fight. His opponent, Perez, is the only man to have stopped Marcus Jones, a former NFL player who is making an appearance on this season of "The Ultimate Fighter."

But now, along with his stable past and considerable skill, Barnett also has experience and has continued to gain an appetite for the sport.

"This is my focus now," Barnett said of MMA. "This is where I feel like I belong. Now I want to prove, especially to the people who gave me a chance, that I'm not a fluke."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Richard Crunkilton vs. Dave Jansen lightweight bout set for WEC 43 in September

WEC 43's fight card has quickly filled.

After a week already full of fight bookings, an additional one has been added: Richard Crunkilton (16-2 MMA, 8-1 WEC) vs. Dave Jansen (12-0 MMA, 0-0 WEC).

Earlier this month, MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) reported that undefeated prospect Jansen had signed with the WEC and would debut at WEC 43, and Matt Erickson of the Northwest Times of Indiana reports that he'll meet veteran Crunkilton at the show.

WEC 43 takes place Sept. 2 at the Covelli Center in Youngstown, Ohio.

WEC officials have not determined which fights will be part of the Versus-televised main card, which features an interim lightweight title fight between top contender Donald Cerrone and Benson Henderson.

Crunkilton, a former top WEC lightweight contender, makes his 10th WEC appearance after returning from an 18-month layoff due to injuries. The one-time UFC fighter has won seven of his past eight fights, six of which have come via stoppage. He most recently rebounded from a title loss to then-champ Rob McCullough at WEC 30 and scored a unanimous-decision win over Sergio Gomez at WEC 33.

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)
* Damacio Page and Akitoshi Tamura*
* Manny Tapia vs. Eddie Wineland*
* Rafael Assuncao vs. Yves Jabouin*
* Wagnney Fabiano vs. Erik Koch*
* Dave Jansen vs. Richard Crunkilton Jr.*
* Alex Karalexis vs. Anthony Pettis*
* Charlie Valencia vs. Coty Wheeler*

* - Not officially announced

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC lands on ESPN in U.K. and Ireland, next week's UFC 101 event airing

A previously rumored deal between the UFC and ESPN that will keep the world's top MMA organization on airwaves in the U.K. and Ireland was made official today.

The UFC and ESPN have agreed to a multi-year deal, though details of the partnership were not disclosed.

The UFC lost its previous U.K. broadcast partner, Setanta Sports, after the financial collapse of the troubled station in June.

The ESPN coverage, which airs on a region-specific version of the worldwide leader in sports, kicks off with next week's UFC 101 event, which takes place Aug. 8 in Philadelphia.

"ESPN's aim is to serve U.K. and Ireland sports fans by bringing the very best of both domestic and international live sport to their living rooms," stated Jeroen Oerlemans, ESPN vice president for TV Channels in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. "We are delighted to add UFC; TOP 14 ORANGE, the leading French Rugby Championship; the Australia Football League; EuroBasket and DTM to our growing portfolio of live sport."

Prior to the June 13 UFC 99 event in Cologne, Germany, UFC President Dana White repeatedly reassured fans that the show would be available on Setanta despite the station's problems. The event did air without incident, though UFC 100 was forced to broadcast on an alternate station.

Earlier this year, Setanta reportedly lost millions of dollars while denouncing rumors of a potential demise. However, the company later entered into administration, ceased its U.K. operations and is in the processing of laying off more than a hundred employees following sagging subscription numbers and missed payments to partners such as the English Premier League. (The rights have since been purchased by ESPN.)

The UFC and Setanta first joined forces in January 2008. The partnership fueled the UFC's move overseas and into a variety of U.K. and other European markets before Setanta's financial troubles doomed the relationship.

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC is no longer interested in Andrei Arlovski

Of all the fighters to recently exit the UFC, Andrei Arlovski was the guy that Dana White stated he was not pleased to see depart.

Back in December 2008 when asked about Arlovski, White said, “In nine years, there’s only one fighter that I’ve lost that I didn’t want to lose.”

However, after recording two straight defeats to Fedor Emelianenko and Brett Rogers, Arlovski is no longer high on the UFC’s shopping list.

“Now, he’s had a couple of bad performances,” said White. “He’s got to get back in the mix and win.”

White also had some advice for his former employee.

“Sometimes, we make bad career decisions. I think leaving the UFC was a bad career decision for him.”

Should Arlovski get his career back on track, he would seem to have a chance to return to promotion that made him famous. White still has appreciation for Arlovski the person if not his current win-loss record.

“I like Andre,” said White. “I don’t dislike him. He’s a nice guy.”

However, with Affliction MMA’s recent demise, the opportunities for “nice guys” has certainly taken a serious hit.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Semifinals Announced! Miyata And DJ Clash

The semifinal pairings of the DREAM Featherweight GP as well as the GP reserve fight were today announced for DREAM.11 in October. Hideo Tokoro will take on Hiroyuki Takaya in one semifinal and Joe Warren will face Bibiano Fernandes in the other. In the reserve fight, DJ.taiki, who had to pull out after the first round of the GP with an injury, will take on Kazuyuki Miyata, who has two straight victories since beginning his move to Featherweight.

Update: It seems that a survey at the event hall was made and that Tokoro facing a Japanese fighter got the most votes.

Update #2: Takaya wants to win both fights by KO. He’s not looking past Tokoro at all, he is very vary of his grappling, and he says that his summer is over now. Until October he wants to train mainly grappling and wrestling. He will train with members of WK who have a Wrestling background.

Update #3: On the other hand, Tokoro will go on a training camp with WBC Flyweight Champion Daisuke Naito in August.

Update #4: DREM EP Sasahara revealed that he is currently considering Tatsuya Kawajiri and Norifumi “KID” Yamamoto in single fights on DREAM.11. He is thinking seriously especially about “KID” since he lost by KO in his last fight.

HEIWA DREAM.11 Featherweight GP 2009 Finals
Date: October 6th, 2009
Place: Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan

DREAM Featherweight GP Final:
Tokoro/Takaya vs. Warren/Fernandes

DREAM Featherweight GP Semifinals:
Hideo Tokoro vs. Hiroyuki Takaya
Joe Warren vs. Bibiano Fernandes

DREAM Featherweight GP Reserve Fight:
DJ.taiki vs. Kazuyuki Miyata

Super Hulk Tournament Semifinals:
Minowaman/Choi Hong Man/Sokoudjou/Gegard Mousasi

Possible Fights:
DREAM MW Title Fight: Ronaldo Jacare vs. Jason “Mayhem” Miller
DREAM LW Title Fight: Joachim Hansen vs. Shinya Aoki
Andrews Nakahara vs. Zelg “Benkei” Galesic

Possible Participants:
J.Z.Calvan
Kazushi Sakuraba
Tatsuya Kawajiri
Norifumi “KID” Yamamoto

 

[B-Buzz]

Satoru Kitaoka Training for Mizuto Hirota (Sengoku 9 Aug. 2nd)


Seeing him own Uno against the wall made me realize how fucking scary he'd be in a cage.

 

[MOREBASS]

Thought this was kinda cool.

To prepare for the rigors of camp, linebacker Patrick Willis devoted three weeks this month to mixed martial arts training at the Las Vegas gym of UFC Hall of Fame fighter Randy Couture.

Willis said he trained twice a day with trainers and fighters and got to do a little sparring on his penultimate day in the gym.


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/30/SP2K191IJ9.DTL#ixzz0MoXeIpTi

 

[Shogun Locc]

PAUL DALEY UNSIGNED, WEIGHING HIS OPTIONS

While there have been reports that former Affliction fighter Paul Daley has signed a four-bout agreement with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, MMAWeekly.com sources indicate that such pronouncements are premature.

In attempts to confirm the initial reports, MMAWeekly.com was informed from sources close to the situation that, while the UFC has made an attractive offer to Daley, there are several other promotions currently negotiating for the Brit’s services. A final determination on his destination has yet to be determined.

Daley (21-8-2) is one of the numerous refugees left in the fallout from Affliction pulling the plug on its mixed martial arts promotional arm late last week. He had been scheduled to face Jay Hieron (17-4) as part of the pay-per-view portion of Affliction’s fight card scheduled for Saturday in Anaheim, Calif.

Hieron has since signed on with Strikeforce to step in as a replacement for Nick Diaz’s original Aug. 15 opponent, Joe Riggs, in a battle to declare the first ever Strikeforce welterweight champion.

 

[Shogun Locc]

FLORIAN READY TO PROVE EVERYBODY WRONG

"If I tell you I'm good, you would probably think I'm boasting. If I tell you I'm no good, you know I'm lying." – Bruce Lee

Steadily climbing the ranks over the last year, top lightweight contender Kenny Florian has stayed as humble as any fighter in the game despite reeling off six wins in a row, and becoming one of the top 155-pound fighters in the world. Still, Florian believes that he had a lot to learn after his win over Joe Stevenson before facing lightweight champion B.J. Penn on Aug. 8 at UFC 101 in Philadelphia.

Coming off the win over Stevenson in November, Florian was immediately back in the gym working at the Florian Martial Arts Center in Massachusetts alongside his brother, Keith, and a cast of impressive training partners. The almost nine-month layoff is the longest the Boston native has had since before entering the UFC, but he feels it was time well spent.

"I think the long layoff affects people who don't want training all the time. For the guys who don't train when they're not fighting it definitely affects them. I've been doing sparring now for a long time, for months, I've been training for a long time," Florian told MMAWeekly Radio in a recent interview.

"It just gave me more time to get better as a martial artist, improve on things, I have a lot of work, I'm never satisfied with my game, there's a lot of things I needed to improve on and get better at and that's what I've been doing since November."

This training camp took Florian outside of his gym in Massachusetts to new settings in Montreal to work with UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre, as well as familiar surroundings working with coaches like Mark DellaGrotte and Peter Welch. The ultimate goal of course is to find the right combination of skill and strategy to unseat Penn as the 155-pound champion.

"I have a lot of respect for B.J. as a fighter and what he's done, he's been an inspiration to me as well. Look at what he's done. From the jiu-jitsu world becoming a world champion and what he's done in the UFC and the MMA world, and he'll go down as one of the best ever," Florian commented. "But on Aug. 8, you can't respect your opponent. You have to respect his skills and disrespect his strategy, and go out there and play your game and take him out."

The mistakes some have made against Penn in the past have been showing the champion too much respect and letting him dictate the pace of the bout. Florian says he's ready to bring the fight to the champion, and put the hurt on him for a change.

"I know he's going to go out there and try to hurt me, I have to do the same. This is about trying to be the best and I see him as being in my way," said Florian.

"I'm going to go out there and take him out and that's what it's about. You're either the hunter or you're the hunted, and you have to go out there and take care of business. Too much respect for your opponent will get you a nice loss on your career and that's something I'm not willing to give up."

The fight against Penn will be Florian's second shot at the UFC lightweight gold. In October 2006, Florian lost a unanimous decision to former champion Sean Sherk. It was the former "Ultimate Fighter" season 1 cast member's last defeat.

"I love hearing that. Well Kenny lost to Sherk and if they fought again he would lose. Or B.J. beat Sherk and Kenny lost to Sherk therefore B.J. will smash Kenny," Florian said with a laugh. "I'm a completely different fighter from then, and if people think I'm the same guy, then jeez I hope so, and hopefully it's my opponents. Hopefully my opponents think that."

It's the critics that have placed Penn as a heavy favorite in the fight, noting his takedown defense and stand-up as dangerous weapons heading into the championship bout. Florian loves the comments and is ready to prove everybody wrong when he steps in the Octagon.

"That's the challenge, you take that personally, that's what excites me the most about this fight," said Florian. "It's B.J.'s technique against my technique, and who's going to be the better man, who's going to have better timing, who's going to be on, who's going to execute. That's what gets me so excited.

"Everyone says that he's a better wrestler, he's a better striker, he's better at jiu-jitsu, well let's find out. That's what it's about. I'm going out there to prove everybody wrong."

It's a hard question for Florian to answer whether beating B.J. Penn or winning the UFC lightweight championship is the bigger accomplishment, but he knows that doing that will be the ultimate payoff for his months of work leading up to the UFC 101 title fight.

"To be able to beat B.J. would mean the world to me. The challenge of testing your skills against a fighter like that, that's what gets me excited, for me it would just be like hey all this freaking work I'm putting in here, all the hours when no one was watching, all the times I was working out when everyone else was just hanging out, when I'm eating healthy and everyone else is eating like crap, all the hours, and all the sacrifice, the blood, sweat and tears; it wasn't for nothing.

"The belt will be for anyone who's ever trained with me. It will be for my coaches. It will be for my family, my friends, and everyone whose supported me."