MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

Miguel Torres eyes January return, targets Brian Bowles – with or without the belt

SAN ANTONIO – Former WEC bantamweight title holder Miguel Torres (37-2 MMA, 5-1 WEC) has come to terms with his shocking August loss to new champion Brian Bowles (8-0 MMA, 5-0 WEC).

And as Torres told the gathered crowd at a Q&A session following Friday's "WEC 43: Cerrone vs. Henderson" weigh-ins, getting his title back is now a primary focus.

That shot could come in a 2010 rematch with Bowles, but Torres said he wants to redeem himself against the HardCore Gym product whether his opponent is wearing a belt or not.

"I want a shot with Brian Bowles," Torres said. "I want to fight him again."

Torres knows he may not get an immediate rematch. Dominick Cruz (14-1 MMA, 4-1 WEC), who defeated Joseph Benavidez (10-1 MMA, 2-1 WEC) on the same night as Bowles' upset win over Torres, may get first crack at the title.

But Torres said he's willing to work in another contest before looking to regain the 135-pound crown.

"I've got to get a fight lined up," Torres said. "I'm looking toward January, after the new year, and I want to get my title back. I want to get one fight in and get my title shot.

"We'll see what the WEC says. I'm willing to fight whoever they put in front of me."

But who he will fight in that intermediate contest may very well depend on how a potential Bowles vs. Cruz fight plays out. If Bowles should prove unable to defend his title, Torres wants to avenge that loss before trying to reclaim his crown.

"I know that Dominick has earned his shot, so I don't want to take that," Torres said. "If he beats Bowles, and Bowles isn't the champ of the world, I want to fight Bowles before I get a title shot."

And with a valuable lesson learned in just the second loss of his near-10-year career, Torres promises different results.

"I got caught in my last fight," Torres said. "I got a little bit cocky. That's not going to happen again."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Jamie Varner on Donald Cerrone: "We can run it back and see who the real man is"

SAN ANTONIO – Being Jamie Varner (16-2 MMA, 4-0 WEC) just isn't easy.

After the WEC champ entered a post-WEC 43 weigh-ins Q&A session to a chorus of boos, one of the first questions asked was if he could explain the feeling of "living on his knees" rather than be willing to "die on his feet."

But as Varner later explained to the San Antonio crowd, dealing with haters is just a part of the business, and he's more than willing to deal with Donald Cerrone (10-1 MMA, 3-1 WEC), too.

"Fans are difficult," Varner said. "They love you when you're on top and knocking people out. But if there's any sort of downfall or controversy?

"When you're on top you can't be touched. But even when you're on top there will be haters."

Varner currently remains on top as the WEC's lightweight champ despite not competing since suffering extensive injuries in a hotly contested January contest with Cerrone.

Public disdain has grown for Varner following the conclusion of that contest due to an illegal strike from Cerrone in the fifth frame. But while Varner declared himself unfit to continue in that bout, the Arizona Combat Sports product reminded the crowd that he wasn't awarded the win via disqualification.

"I don't know if you guys watched the same fight, but Donald knows, I know, everybody that is a fighter knows that he had just as much opportunity to win that fight as I did," Varner said. "The illegal knee at the end; he didn't lose by disqualification. He lost by a decision. That means he had four rounds to win that fight.

"It wasn't like I was just taking him down and laying on top of him. I broke my hand early on in the fight, and I still kept fighting. You guys had no idea."

Regardless, Cerrone will face Benson Henderson in the main event of tonight's Versus-broadcast "WEC 43: Cerrone vs. Henderson" event for the WEC's interim lightweight title. The winner is then set to face Varner to unify the titles, and the current champ said he's itching to get back to competition.

And guess who he's cheering for.

"The hand is 100 percent," Varner said. "I got cleared last Monday, so I'm ready to get back in there.

"Honestly, I'm hoping for a good main event. I don't care who wins, but for obvious reasons I would like to see Donald Cerrone win that fight."

And of Cerrone proves victorious, Varner promises to prove the first result was no fluke.

"If you guys have any doubt – if he has any doubt – hopefully he wins that fight, and we can run it back and see who the real man is."

 

[Shogun Locc]

BOUTS SET FOR NOV. 6 STRIKEFORCE CHALLENGERS

Two more bouts are confirmed for the fourth installment of ShoMMA: Strikeforce Challengers Series, scheduled for Nov. 6 at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif.

Strikeforce Director of Communications informed MMAWeekly.com of the additions Friday afternoon.

A previously rumored match-up between welterweights Luke Rockhold and Jesse Taylor will grace the main card of the up-and-comer series.

Rockhold (5-1) is coming off a first round TKO victory over Cory Devela at ShoMMA 2. The American Kickboxing Academy fighter has yet to see a second round in his professional career.

Taylor (17-4) dropped a unanimous decision to Jay Hieron at Carano vs. Cyborg in August, his first loss in seven fights after a rocky stint in the UFC and the seventh season of "The Ultimate Fighter." The Nov. 6 fight will be his eighth professional fight this year.

Additionally, heavyweights Shane Del Rosario and Brandon Cash will battle to keep their undefeated records intact.

Cash (5-0) fights out of Team Buhawe in Fresno and last fought Steve Gavin at the now defunct Palace Fighting Championships in February, winning a unanimous decision.

Del Rosario (8-0) is coming off a three-fight stint in overseas competition for the M-1 Challenge. A member of Team Oyama in Irvine, Calif., Del Rosario cut his teeth in ShoXC, the now defunct up-and-comer series of ProElite, and has finished all but one of his fights in the first round.

 

[Shogun Locc]

DAN LAUZON VS. COLE MILLER AGREED FOR UFC 108

A lightweight match has been added to the UFC 108 undercard. Dan Lauzon makes his return to the Octagon to face American Top Team fighter Cole Miller.

The bout was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com on Friday by sources close to the fight. Both fighters have verbally agreed to the bout.

Lauzon (12-2) will compete on the UFC 108 card alongside his brother, Joe Lauzon, who will face Sam Stout. Dan, the younger of the two, last appeared in the UFC in 2006. At just 18 years of age, he lost to Spencer Fisher.

Since that time, Lauzon has gone 8-1, reeling off eight wins in a row. His last fight was in January, while working with the now defunct Affliction promotion, picking up a win over Bobby Green by rear naked choke.

Returning to action in January, Miller (15-4) hopes to bounce back from a tough loss in September to former "Ultimate Fighter" winner Efrain Escudero. Miller was riding a two-fight win streak heading into the bout, but suffered a TKO loss after Escudero caught him with a big punch mid-way through the first round.

Miller will work with his usual cast of characters at American Top Team to prepare for the January showdown against Lauzon at UFC 108.

While there has been no official announcement from the UFC regarding the bout, it is believed the fight be part of the untelevised preliminary card.

A bout between UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort is expected to headline the as yet unannounced event.

 

[Shogun Locc]

KOTC CHAMP JOKER GUYMON REALIZES UFC DREAM

King of the Cage welterweight titleholder Michael "The Joker" Guymon relinquished his belt and signed a four-fight deal with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. For the 35-year-old fighter it was a dream come true.

"It was just because the whole dream I had," Guymon told MMAWeekly.com. "I started out this sport looking at it on the couch in high school watching UFC 1. I wanted to be there, and now that I'm there it's like, wow. I can't believe it.

"It's been such a long, hard road."

Guymon steps into one of the toughest divisions in MMA with Georges St. Pierre sitting atop the 170-pound weight class.

"From top to bottom that 170-pound bracket is just a nightmare. You've got guys in there that are just insane wrestlers. They're big, strong. Everybody can do everything," stated Guymon. "You have the cream of the crop. You've got the best athletes, the best of everything in the UFC, so it's going to be a test and I'm ready for it."

No opponent or date has been set for The Joker to make his UFC debut, but he's confident he'll be ready when the time comes.

"I'm training now. I'm going to train harder, smarter, better. I'll be bigger, better, faster, and stronger," said the Joker's Wild Fighting Academy trained fighter. "I'm going to start my diet again and I'm going to be in good shape and ready to go for whenever they do give me that call."

Guymon made his professional mixed martial arts debut in 1999, and has an 11-2-1 record. He defended his title on Oct. 1, defeating Quinn Mulhern by technical knockout.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Big Nog wants Lesnar: “It’ll be a great fight”

After defeating Randy Couture (UFC 102), Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira spoke with TATAME.com’s Marcelo Alonso in the backstage in Portland about the historical fight, revealing he already expects a chance for the title against the winner of Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin. In an exclusive interview, which you can read at TATAME Magazine’s October edition, Minotauro commented how would be a fight against the heavyweight champion.

“This fight would have more striking. It’s be a fight with a lot of movement, if I go to the ground with him I can’t stop with that giant on top of me, I have to move my hips all the time so that I don’t let him use his weigh against me and try to use the submissions… The submission would come, and it’s gonna be a great fight”, guarantees.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Paulo Filho Interview

With opponent set on Dream 12, Paulo Filho is focused to put his Jiu-Jitsu one more time and beat the Dong Sik Yoon on November 25. In an exclusive interview to TATAME.com, the black belt talked about his expectations to the fight. “The guy is a judo champion, he has a dangerous ground, but I think he’ll play my game and I think that, because my strength, I’ll have an advantage”, bets Filho, who also talked about his mistakes on the preparation to his last fight and the next combats in UFC and Strikeforce.

What do you expect from the fight against Dong Sik Yoon?
The guy is a judo champion, he has a dangerous ground… On his fight with (Gegard) Mousasi, he didn’t take the arm for a detail, because it was fit. He’s a tough guy, but I think he’ll play my game and I think that, because my strength, I’ll have an advantage. Jiu-Jitsu’s is more efficient than a Judo... I’ll take advantage on that. He’s a great guy, a good man, very competitive, makes his work. It will be a nice fight.

How are the training for the fight? Will you train with Anderson and Minotauro?
Now I’m training with Máster Oswaldo Alves, training more the things that will happen on the fight. He’s not a striker, neither am I, so I have to work the Jiu-Jitsu game, to get to a better position and put my game and, who knows, to submit.

Looking back, which were the mistakes you made before and during the fight on Bitetti Combat?
We can’t justify... What happened is that I accepted the fight. Nobody wanted me fighting with (Melvin) Manhoef and I suffered a big psychological pressure and I wanted to breath. Everybody thought that I would be defeated by Manhoef and I got a little tired. I wanted to have fun, I stop training for a while, didn’t care that much. Not because I thought that my opponent was less important, I just needed some time. The high level athlete gotta have a break in every three months between one fight and another. I made fights in a row and wasn’t satisfied. I didn’t run away from my commitment and I know it wasn’t a wonderful fight, but I faced the challenge.

You were rumored to fight Mousasi for Strikerforce’s title, but he’ll face o Sokoudjou. Who do you think that will take this fight?
Sokoudjou is extremely dangerous, he has really heavy hands and that’s more than proved, but Mousasi is a great athlete. I think Sokoudjou is more healthy. I think (Renato) Babalu was out of parameter, he’s a high level fighter, but he was a bit nervous, unfocused, something happened and he didn’t give his best. I think Babalu, well prepared, would kick Mousasi’s ass. Mousasi will be as good as people think he is, but it will take some time. He’s young, immature and too much confident. Sokoudjou can hit one and he'll go down.

After this fight, will you go to Strkeforce?
I don’t know... I’ll “cry” to see if I can get there and hit that crook-back (laugh)... He’s really abused.

How do you think the fans from USA will welcome you after the bad fights you did in WEC?
I wasn’t very focused, excited. It’s not about Japan or United States, it was a moment on my life when I wasn’t applied to the training as I should. I think I’m independent of their opinion, mine’s is more important. I know that when I’m prepared I’m tough, my record is 18-1, I don’t have to prove anything to anybody. I know that, when I’m trained, I’m a trouble to anyone. The thing is to have the head on the place and do my work.

Your wish is go to the UFC?
My goal is fight, fight and fight, don’t matter where. The opponent is the most important thing. There are a lot of better guys in other organizations. Fight is fight, everybody deserves respect.

The Brazilians are doing a great job in UFC’s light heavyweight division, with Lyoto, Shogun, Cane, Minotouro, Thiago Silva and Anderson. How do you think that would be you coming in this category?
Undoubtedly, it’s really hard, this division is very tough. UFC is a big event, but Americans do what they can for you can’t apply your technique. They match incompatible games, preferably with whoever they want, everything to take you down. American is American, they want Americans with the belt and eliminate the Brazilians, but they’ll have to work hard because we’re the best.

What are you expecting for the fight between Lyoto and Shogun?
It’s a hard fight... Lyoto works on strategy, Shogun is brave. They both are great, but I’d bet on Lyoto because of the strategy. Fight is fight and we’ll just know when it’s over. It will be a great fight.

Anderson will probably face Vitor Belfort in 2010. How do you think that fight is gonna be?
It’s really hard... Vitor have a very good sight, Anderson has nothing else to prove... They’re both great athletes, they both can win. It’ll depend of each one’s spirit on the fight’s day. Who gets there more focused will win

 

[Shogun Locc]

Bang Seung Hwan Returns! U.S. Debut

After a bad judgement decision in SENGOKU, a quarterfinal advancement in a 16-man WBC Korea Boxing tournament, and a Kickboxing victory over a K-1 MAX veteran in South Korea, the original “touch face, you die”, Bang Seung Hwan, will make his MMA return as well as his U.S. MMA debut.

Korean MMA site mfight reveals that Bang Seung Hwan will face Bobby Green, who you might remember fought Dan Lauzon in Affliction, at “Respect In The Cage” in California on November 20th.

One of American promotions UFC, Strikeforce, or Bellator is the goal for Bang who will not only start to fight in the U.S., but start training MMA there as well.

 

[Shogun Locc]

DEEP CAGE IMPACT! FULL MMA Rules

DEEP 44 IMPACT took place today in Japan. Hiromitsu Kanehara, who has had good results this year, faced MAX Miyazawa at the event and improved his 2009 MMA record to 2-0-1 when he KO’d MAX with a right hook as fast as 25 seconds into the first round.

After the victory, Kanehara took the mike and said that he wants to fight his U-International and RINGS senior Kiyoshi Tamura on NYE.

Also at the event, Yuya Shirai took his second victory since the DREAM Welterweight GP when he defeated Shigetoshi Iwase by unanimous decision.

On December 19th, DEEP will hold a cage event called DEEP CAGE IMPACT…

* Octagon
* Elbows, stomps, soccer kicks allowed
* Current plan: Annually, at the end of the year
* A lot of fights between Japanese fighters
* They will rent out the cage

DEEP CAGE IMPACT
Date: December 19th, 2009
Place: Differ Ariake in Tokyo, Japan

Planned Participants:
Nobuhiro Obiya
Masakazu Imanari
Koichiro Matsumoto
Eiji Ishikawa
ISE
TAISHO
Takeshi Yamazaki
Bernard Ackah

Possible Participant:
DJ.taiki

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC planning to make Australian debut in February at Sydney's Acer Arena

The Ultimate Fighting Championship will soon head to Australia.

The UFC, which has never previously previously hosted an event on the continent nation, has contacted the Combat Sports Authority about holding a show at Acer Arena in Sydney Olympic Park, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

Frank Trigg actually first told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) about the possibility of the Australia event last month and said he hoped to compete on the card.

No date has been nailed down for the show.

In the report, UFC UK head Marshall Zelaznik said planning is underway for the event, though the newspaper used the same, tired "human cockfighting" comparisons and cries of violence in describing the event.

Regardless, MMA is nothing new to Australia, which is home to the Cage Fighting Championship, where Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard has often competed.

Acer Arena, part of Sydney Olympic Park, can accommodate more than 21,000 fans, which could help create one of the UFC's largest crowds outside of Montreal.

At least one fighter likely to end up on the card is George Sotiropoulos, an Australian who competed on "The Ultimate Fighter 6" who takes a four-fight win streak into November's UFC 106 match-up with Jason Dent.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Yves Edwards TKOs fellow 50-fight vet Kyle Jensen at weekend Raging Wolf event

After back-to-back losses and a 4-7 record from 2005 to mid-2008, UFC and PRIDE veteran Yves Edwards was worried that his once-dominant reputation would be spoiled upon his exit from the fight game.

This past weekend, though, the 33-year-old Edwards (36-15-1) continued his comeback and picked up his second straight victory with a first-round TKO win over fellow 50-fight veteran and former WEC fighter Kyle Jensen (39-11-2).

The bout headlined Raging Wolf's fifth event, "Mayhem in the Mist," a pro-am card at the Seneca Niagara Casino Events Center, which is part of the Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel in New York.

Edwards used a sustained ground-and-pound assault to force a TKO stoppage approximately three minutes into the first round. Jensen entered the fight with a 9-0-1 record in his previous 10 fights, which included first-round stoppages of UFC vets James Giboo and Rich Clementi and a draw with current UFC fighter Nick Lentz.

Edwards took the fight just five weeks after his second-round submission victory over James Warfield (15-4) at Shine Fights II in Miami.

Prior to that bout, Edwards, who's also recently competed for EliteXC and Strikeforce, told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio) he wants to get some meaningful wins so he can potentially work his way back to a major organization (such as the UFC) and leave the sport on a high note.

"I don't want to go out like the last two or three years," said Edwards, once considered the uncrowned champion of the UFC's lightweight division. "I want to leave something behind, something that I can remember, something that I can be proud of. I think that kind of got away from me for a while. I'm just trying to get that back.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Spike TV to air UFC 104 prelim fights of Bader vs. Schafer, Hardonk vs. Barry on Oct. 24

In what MMA fans will surely hope is sign of things to come, Spike TV today announced it'll air two fights from the UFC 104 preliminary card before the event's main card goes live on pay-per-view.

The two bouts chosen for free viewing are "The Ultimate Fighter 8" light heavyweight winner Ryan Bader (9-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) vs. Eric Schafer (11-3-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) and Antoni Hardonk (8-5 MMA, 4-3 UFC) vs. fellow heavyweight Patrick Barry (4-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC).

UFC 104, headlined by UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, takes place Oct. 24 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, and the one-hour Spike TV broadcast kicks off at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Strangely, though, while Bader vs. Schafer and Hardonk vs. Barry were chosen for the broadcast, a fight between Yushin Okami (23-4 MMA, 7-1 UFC) and Chael Sonnen (23-10-1 MMA, 2-3 UFC) remains on the un-aired portion of the card. Okami is a longtime middleweight contender who's only career UFC loss came via close decision to former champ Rich Franklin in 2007. However, many criticize the fighter for a lackluster fighting style that often leads to decisions.

Bader most recently fought in an April win over Carmelo Marrero at UFC Fight Night 18. The Arizona Combat Sports-trained fighter injured his knee in the contest, tearing both his MCL and PCL. It was the "TUF" champion's first bout since defeating Vinicius Magalhaes at The Ultimate Fighter 8 Finale in December 2008, Bader's first official contest in the UFC. Bader has won all nine of his professional fights, seven of them by stoppage.

His opponent, Schafer, is in his second stint with the UFC. After back-to-back losses to Stephan Bonnar and Michael Bisping in 2006 and 2007, "Red" earned two wins in the Wisconsin-based Gladiators Cage Fighting organization. Now back in the UFC, he has since defeated Antonio Mendes and Houston Alexander to run his current win streak to four bouts.

Hardonk, meanwhile, most recently suffered a defeat via TKO to Cheick Kongo at UFC 97 in April. The loss snapped a three-fight win streak for the Dutch striker, a run that included victories over Mike Wessel, Eddie Sanchez and Colin Robinson.

Barry also looks to bounce back from a loss, which was the first of the former kickboxer's MMA career. After earning four-straight wins to open his career, which included a first-round TKO of Dan Evensen, Barry suffered a submission loss to Tim Hague in May at UFC 98.

The UFC and Spike TV first used the teaser-fight setup last month for UFC 103 in Dallas. The Sept. 19 broadcast, which featured Efrain Escudero vs. Cole Miller and Tomasz Drwal vs Drew McFedries, drew 1.4 million viewers (1.0 rating) and was the No. 2 rated program in the coveted 18-to-34 year old male demographic.

Following UFC 103, UFC president Dana White told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) he wasn't sure if the organization would use other Spike TV/PPV tandem cards in the future. However, the organization apparently will do so with its first opportunity. Still, it's not known if this will be a standard setup for future cards or simply a matter of the UFC again gathering data.

Regardless, Spike TV officials said the broadcast will air commercial-free.

The full UFC 103 card includes:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view)

* Champ Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (for light-heavyweight title)
* Ben Rothwell vs. Cain Velasquez
* Josh Neer vs. Gleison Tibau
* Spencer Fisher vs. Joe Stevenson
* Anthony Johnson vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)

* Ryan Bader vs. Eric Schafer
* Patrick Barry vs. Antoni Hardonk

PRELIMINARY CARD (Not televised)

* Yushin Okami vs. Chael Sonnen
* Rob Kimmons vs. Jorge Rivera
* Razak Al-Hassan vs. Kyle Kingsbury
* Stefan Struve vs. Chase Gormley

 

[Shogun Locc]

DAMACIO PAGE CATAPULTS INTO CONTENTION

World Extreme Cagefighting bantamweight Damacio Page defeated Will Campuzano by submission at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, on Saturday, improving his record to 12-4 and moving himself into contender status in the 135-pound division.

The bout lasted only 62 seconds, but was action filled, fought at a frantic pace.

"I was planning on fireworks flying. That's how I fight. I was planning on getting in his face, so I kind of did what I wanted to do," Page told MMAWeekly.com. "That's just the way I fight, so anybody in front of me is going to get guns blazing no matter what.

"Thirty seconds into the fight about a hundred punches were thrown," recollected Page. "Then I decided to take him down and the rest is history; took his back and choked him out."

"The Angle of Death" was defeated by current WEC bantamweight titleholder Brian Bowles at WEC 35 in August 2008. He's competed twice in 2009, two first round finishes totaling 120 seconds inside the cage, and he'd like to get another fight in before year's end against whomever the WEC wants.

"I really don't care whoever. Just throw me in there. Just let me fight. Just throw me out there," said the 27-year-old. "Throw me in November (the WEC's next event). I don't care."

 

[Shogun Locc]

WEC 44: BROWN VS. ALDO FEATURES FULL FIGHT CARD

World Extreme Cage fighting has stocked the Nov. 18 fight card for WEC 44: Brown vs. Aldo.

WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown (22-4) will attempt the third defense of the title he won from the ever-popular Urijah Faber. He faces a formidable challenge from Brazilian fighter Jose Aldo (14-1), who has defeated all five of his WEC opponents by either knockout or TKO.

Also featured is a featherweight bout that is likely to produce a future challenger to the title. Leonard Garcia (13-4) is 3-1 since making the move from lightweight down to the WEC’s 145-pound division, his only loss being to Brown. He’d love a rematch, but first has to get past Manny Gamburyan (9-4), who also made the drop in weight to come to the WEC where he is 1-0.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Fighter Sponsorships and Assessing ROI

The sponsorship of fighters is very crucial for the mixed martial arts industry, because they represent a form of income which can often mean the difference between the fighter working a second job or training full-time. The benefits of which are obvious.

Moreover, this sponsorship is also a larger endorsement of the sport of MMA as a whole. It signals to the sports community – and to some extent the world – that MMA is legitimate in the eyes of the sponsoring company.

Thus, it makes sense to look at ways in which MMA can improve the value that sponsors get for their money – i.e., increase ROI. Not only is it good practice to look out for the best interests of your business partners, but it also stands to reason that the more value MMA can create for its sponsors, the more sponsorship money it will receive in the long run.

While the business world has yet to come up with any solid quantitative measure for sponsorship ROI, general assessments can be made as to whether something is working or not.

The fundamental purpose of sponsorship is to generate consumer recall – the act of remembering a brand’s association with a person, place, or event. Companies need and want to embed their brand within the mind of the consumer, and sponsorship aids in this process.

But there is now a growing body of evidence to suggest that consumer recall is heavily influenced by pre-existing brand (logo) recognition. It may also suggest that the ROI for companies with low amounts of pre-existing brand recognition is, in many cases, quite low.

Now, generally, pre-existing brand recognition isn’t a problem for the blue chip companies that seem to be sprinting towards MMA these days. It is an issue, however, for many up-and-coming MMA-based companies (clothing brands, supplements, etc) looking to build their brand through tiny bit sponsorships on a fighter’s clothing. Unless a brand without pre-existing recognition can afford to be the exclusive sponsor of a fighter – or one of a few sponsors for a very popular fighter – that investment isn’t likely to have the desired effect.

Why is this so? The brain works in such a way as to recognize familiar visuals before all others. It’s why you can almost always pick out the face of a friend in a crowd, or another model of the same car that you’re driving as you make your way to work. It’s simply a shortcut for your brain to help manage and process enormous loads of information.

Paralleling some of these examples into the fast and furious sport of MMA, the consumer is likely to only recognize the brands that he or she is already familiar with:

1. Tyson Griffin at UFC 103. Griffin had no less than 12 different logos on his pre-fight banner. What kind of ROI were any of those sponsors getting? The brain might recognize two very familiar logos, but it doesn’t even bother with the rest unless the consumer is really focusing.

2. Donald Cerrone at WEC 43. Cerrone fought Henderson for the interim lightweight title in what was probably a candidate for fight of the year. He had probably 8-10 different logos on his fight shorts, but was anyone in the audience or watching at home able to recognize and recall more than two?

Where’s the ROI for these sponsors? The answer: it’s not there, not for many of them.

The question now appropriately becomes, what can a company do to help its ROI (pre-existing recognition or otherwise)?

* Eliminate competition and distractions. A cluttered t-shirt or pair of fight shorts isn’t going to help your brand unless you’re the strongest brand within that clutter. Even then the mess of logos is likely to make the brain give up altogether.

* Simple and striking logo design. A logo that is simple and striking will catch the eye of the viewer more easily than something that is incomprehensibly gawdy and colourful. Badboy is a great example of one of the few MMA companies that’s got a catchy logo that bucks the current MMA trend (though even their shirts can become cluttered).

* Don’t be an imitator. The uniqueness of the nike logo is what allows it to stand out. Relatedly within MMA, there are far too many Affliction knock-offs on the market. The entire gothic skulls and bones look is getting played out pretty quickly.

* Sponsor the fighter beyond the cage. It’s very difficult to build a brand, or receive adequate ROI when the consumer is only seeing the association in a single place and for a short period of time. The diversity and frequency of an association should lead to better recall.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Paulo Filho’s coach talks return to Dream

Paulo Filho already has an opponent to his return to Dream. Ready to face Dong Sik Yoon on Dream 12, that takes place in Japan on November 25. Distak thinks it’s gonna be an intense ground fight. “We’re focused. I think this fight will go straight to the ground… We’re training a lot with Master Oswaldo Alves and this fight will be pure Jiu-Jitsu”, bets Distak.

Besides the inconstant career on MMA, the Korean is considered one of the biggest names of Judo, with a sequence of 47 victories, defeating hitting big names of the art. On the MMA rings, Dong Sik debuted at Pride against Kazushi Sakuraba, being knocked out in 38 seconds. In the following fights, he lost to Quinton Jackson and Murilo Bustamante, getting his first victory by submitting Melvin Manhoef.

Besides Filho, the coach reveals that other Brazilians might fight in November. “(Ronaldo) Jacaré doesn’t have an opponent yet, but he’ll probably fight for Strikeforce’s title on November 7. The event is deciding, they told us that may be Jacaré too. Besides him, (Rafael) Feijão will be back on September 6th”, told, excited about the training. “They are training very hard. Jacaré didn’t stop training since ADCC and he’s ready to face any opponent. We’re training to have no surprises”.

 

[Shogun Locc]

GONZAGA VS. DOS SANTOS TARGETED FOR UFC 108

Heavyweights Junior Dos Santos and Gabriel Gonzaga are expected to meet at UFC 108 on Jan. 2 in Las Vegas.

Multiple sources on Monday told MMAWeekly.com that the fight has been agreed to and contracts are expected to be signed shortly. Fiveknuckles.com was first to report the pairing on Sunday. The bout has yet to be officially announced by the UFC.

Sources tell MMAWeekly.com that the match-up is expected to groom the next contender for the heavyweight title.

Dos Santos (10-1) last month emerged from a starmaking turn against Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic at UFC 103 in Dallas. The 25-year-old Brazilian battered Filipovic with a crisp striking attack that caused the former Pride champion to quit with three minutes left in the 15-minute bout. It was his second upset victory since taking to the Octagon at UFC 90, where he knocked out the highly touted Fabricio Werdum in the first round.

Gonzaga (15-4) is coming off a controversial victory over UFC newcomer Chris Tuchscherer at UFC 102. After an inadvertent low kick struck Tuchscherer in the groin, causing him to briefly lose consciousness, the bout's continuance was placed in jeopardy. Tuchscherer was able to continue after the referee halted the bout, but was unable to stop Gonzaga's relentless attack after the fight was restarted. He succumbed to punches midway through the first round.

The 30-year-old Gonzaga has oft stated a desire for a second shot at the heavyweight title after falling short to then-champion Randy Couture at UFC 74. His Octagon record stands at 7-3.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Shawn Tompkins Leaving Xtreme Couture?

It appears as though longtime Xtreme Couture striking coach Shawn Tompkins will be leaving the world famous Las Vegas based gym in the very near future.

FiveOuncesofPain.com has been able to confirm through sources close to the situation that the widely respected coach has plans to part ways with the gym due to undisclosed circumstances.

A former professional fighter and coach for the Los Angeles Anacondas with the IFL, Tompkins has been instrumental in the careers of succesful fighters such as Chris Horodecki, Sam Stout, Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort during his time spent as a top level mixed martial arts instructor.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Johny Hendricks set to face UFC newcomer Ricardo Funch at UFC 107 in December

Undefeated welterweight prospect Johny Hendricks (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is set to return to the octagon in December against UFC newcomer Ricardo Funch (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC).

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) learned of the matchup late Monday night from sources close to the event.

While not yet officially announced by the organization, UFC 107 is scheduled for Dec. 12 in Memphis, Tenn., and is expected to be headlined by a lightweight title fight between current champ B.J. Penn and top challenger Diego Sanchez.

A former two-time Division I collegiate wrestling champion, Hendricks made his UFC debut in August. The 25-year-old took out Amir Sadollah in just 29 seconds in the UFC 101 contest, Hendricks' fourth TKO win in six career contests.

Prior to his UFC debut, Hendricks went 2-0 during a brief run with the WEC. The Oklahoman's well-liked recent appearances on MMAjunkie.com Radio and passion for fast food have earned him the nickname "Baconator" from hardcore MMAjunkie.com followers.

Funch, the little-known Brazilian whom MMAjunkie.com Radio guest host and longtime MMA fan (and Hendrick's jiu-jitsu coach) Marc Laimon admitted he had never heard of on Monday's edition of MMAjunkie.com Radio, brings an undefeated record into his UFC debut. A Team Link fighter, Funch has earned four of his seven career wins by knockout or TKO.

With the addition to the card, UFC 107 now includes:

* Champ B.J. Penn vs. Diego Sanchez (for lightweight title)*
* Kenny Florian vs. Clay Guida*
* Cheick Kongo vs. Frank Mir*
* Thiago Alves vs. Paulo Thiago*
* Paul Buentello vs. Todd Duffee*
* Alan Belcher vs. Wilson Gouveia*
* Kevin Burns vs. T.J. Grant*
* Ricardo Funch vs. Johny Hendricks*
* Houston Alexander vs. TBA*

* - Not officially announced

 

[Shogun Locc]

WEC Flyweight Division on Hold

World Extreme Cagefighting Vice President Peter Dropick stated earlier this year that the promotion would be instituting a 125-pound division. Fans and pundits alike have speculated about when the weight class might debut ever since.

According to matchmaker Sean Shelby, the flyweight division remains a dilemma.

“When I first came in earlier this year, my goal was to build up the divisions we already had,” Shelby said. “We have built quality depth into 135 and 145, and I am working on 155 now. With the number of fights we are doing now, 125 is just not a viable division for us at this moment.”

Noting the considerable effort it will take to launch a flyweight division and to cultivate a worthy talent pool of contenders, Shelby said it would hurt the weight classes the WEC currently promotes if the organization jumped in before it was ready.

“Every fight we would be doing at 125 would take a spot from our already established divisions,” he said. “We have worked hard to create the depth we have, and I just don’t want to sacrifice that. We will do the flyweights, but it has to be the right time.”

Shelby recalled the UFC’s decision to absolve the lightweight division in 2003 because it was not promoting enough fights necessary to support the division. With that in mind, he remains cautious about a timetable for the institution of the weight class.

“When we feel we can support the division the way it needs to be supported, then we will bring in the best flyweights in the world,” said Shelby, who was hesitant to speculate on a timeframe. “We will be doing more shows next year, and, as [WEC General Manager] Reed [Harris] stated, we will be doing pay-per-view as well, so hopefully we will see the 125ers sometime in 2010.”