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Jon Jones vs. Matt Hamill & Frankie Edgar vs. Kurt Pellegrino official for TUF 10 Finale
A light heavyweight battle between Jon Jones and Matt Hamill, along with a lightweight showdown between Frankie Edgar and Kurt Pellegrino, have both been confirmed to take place on “The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights” Finale through Spike TV and the UFC.
The TUF 10 Finale is set to take place on December 5 from the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, airing live on Spike TV.
“Bones” Jones sports an undefeated record of 9-0 and is widely praised as one of the brightest prospects in mixed martial arts. His career in the UFC has seen him rack up wins over the likes of Andre Gusmao and Stephan Bonnar by decision, before most recently stopping former heavyweight Jake O’Brien with a nasty guillotine choke in the second round of their UFC 100 bout.
Hamill’s record of 6-2 is deceptively impressive considering he made his professional fighting debut with the promotion. While “losing” a hotly contested decision to Michael Bisping and suffering a TKO defeat at the hands of Rich Franklin, Hamill has compiled wins over the likes of Seth Petruzelli, Tim Boetsch, and most recently Mark Munoz at UFC 96.
Edgar has established himself as a top dog in the UFC’s lightweight division with wins over Tyson Griffin, Hermes Franca and Sean Sherk, while Pellegrino is currently riding a three fight win streak in the UFC with wins over Thiago Tavares, Rob Emerson and Josh Neer.
A light heavyweight battle between Jon Jones and Matt Hamill, along with a lightweight showdown between Frankie Edgar and Kurt Pellegrino, have both been confirmed to take place on “The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights” Finale through Spike TV and the UFC.
The TUF 10 Finale is set to take place on December 5 from the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, airing live on Spike TV.
“Bones” Jones sports an undefeated record of 9-0 and is widely praised as one of the brightest prospects in mixed martial arts. His career in the UFC has seen him rack up wins over the likes of Andre Gusmao and Stephan Bonnar by decision, before most recently stopping former heavyweight Jake O’Brien with a nasty guillotine choke in the second round of their UFC 100 bout.
Hamill’s record of 6-2 is deceptively impressive considering he made his professional fighting debut with the promotion. While “losing” a hotly contested decision to Michael Bisping and suffering a TKO defeat at the hands of Rich Franklin, Hamill has compiled wins over the likes of Seth Petruzelli, Tim Boetsch, and most recently Mark Munoz at UFC 96.
Edgar has established himself as a top dog in the UFC’s lightweight division with wins over Tyson Griffin, Hermes Franca and Sean Sherk, while Pellegrino is currently riding a three fight win streak in the UFC with wins over Thiago Tavares, Rob Emerson and Josh Neer.
‘Bigfoot’ Silva “won’t blink” against Werdum
Three weeks before the fight, Antônio “Bigfoot” Silva is ready to get in Strikforce’s octagon for the first time and face Fabricio Werdum, on November 7. Doing one of the fights that will air live on CBS, the American Top Team heavyweight is excited to be back on North-American events after 16 months of suspension.
“I’m extremely happy, very happy to be back to United States after a year and four months. Everybody asked me when I would be back, and now I have the opportunity to face a great fighter”, Silva said, praising the opponent. “Werdum is an experienced guy, he passed thru big events and faced great guys… The expectation is the best as possible”.
With six victories in a row, “Bigfoot” promises a great show to the fans. “It’s gonna be a beautiful fight. Americans likes to see two Brazilians facing each other. If we have to fight standing, we’ll do it, if we have to fight three rounds on the ground, we’ll go for it. The first to blink, will lose… You can’t blink”, said Silva. With Parrumpinha and Ricardo Libório leading the Jiu-Jitsu’s training at ATT, the heavyweight says he isn’t afraid of Werdum’s ground game.
“Everybody knows Werdum, he’s two times ADCC champion and has a great ground, but I’m a Jiu-Jitsu’s black belt and my Jiu-Jitsu is focused to MMA. I have two great Jiu-Jitsu coaches, so I don’t have to worry about that”, guarantees the EliteXC champion, telling that the he’s ready for a war on striking too. “Each day I feel more comfortable standing… I trained with Ouali for a long time and now I’m with Katel Kubis, who everybody knows that is a great specialist”, finished.
Three weeks before the fight, Antônio “Bigfoot” Silva is ready to get in Strikforce’s octagon for the first time and face Fabricio Werdum, on November 7. Doing one of the fights that will air live on CBS, the American Top Team heavyweight is excited to be back on North-American events after 16 months of suspension.
“I’m extremely happy, very happy to be back to United States after a year and four months. Everybody asked me when I would be back, and now I have the opportunity to face a great fighter”, Silva said, praising the opponent. “Werdum is an experienced guy, he passed thru big events and faced great guys… The expectation is the best as possible”.
With six victories in a row, “Bigfoot” promises a great show to the fans. “It’s gonna be a beautiful fight. Americans likes to see two Brazilians facing each other. If we have to fight standing, we’ll do it, if we have to fight three rounds on the ground, we’ll go for it. The first to blink, will lose… You can’t blink”, said Silva. With Parrumpinha and Ricardo Libório leading the Jiu-Jitsu’s training at ATT, the heavyweight says he isn’t afraid of Werdum’s ground game.
“Everybody knows Werdum, he’s two times ADCC champion and has a great ground, but I’m a Jiu-Jitsu’s black belt and my Jiu-Jitsu is focused to MMA. I have two great Jiu-Jitsu coaches, so I don’t have to worry about that”, guarantees the EliteXC champion, telling that the he’s ready for a war on striking too. “Each day I feel more comfortable standing… I trained with Ouali for a long time and now I’m with Katel Kubis, who everybody knows that is a great specialist”, finished.
Cavalcante seeks redemption at Strikeforce
With only one fight in 2009, Rafael “Feijão” Cavalcante is back to Strikeforce and wants redemption. After three quick knockouts on EliteXC, the Brazilian was waiting for a title shot at Strikeforce, but an opponent changed in the last minute and the knockout loss against Mike Kyle changed his plans.
In interview to TATAME.com, the fighter spoke about the preparation for the fight. “I made a work to keep my weight lower, I’ve changed it. The last time, something went wrong and now we’re working to get better… We will be better”, guarantees Cavalcante, who’ll make his preparation in Brazil.
“I’ll stay in Brazil... I’ll go there just to fight. I’ll prepare myself here, I won’t have this weight problem anymore. I can even lose the fight, but not for this reason”, Feijão said, revealing the strategy for the fight.
"I saw a fight of him and he’s quite complete, good standing up, is not very good in the takedowns. We’re still analyzing, but we’ll make a strategy focusing on my game, to fight in striking … I’m ready, I just need the final sprint on this five weeks and do the work”, finished.
With only one fight in 2009, Rafael “Feijão” Cavalcante is back to Strikeforce and wants redemption. After three quick knockouts on EliteXC, the Brazilian was waiting for a title shot at Strikeforce, but an opponent changed in the last minute and the knockout loss against Mike Kyle changed his plans.
In interview to TATAME.com, the fighter spoke about the preparation for the fight. “I made a work to keep my weight lower, I’ve changed it. The last time, something went wrong and now we’re working to get better… We will be better”, guarantees Cavalcante, who’ll make his preparation in Brazil.
“I’ll stay in Brazil... I’ll go there just to fight. I’ll prepare myself here, I won’t have this weight problem anymore. I can even lose the fight, but not for this reason”, Feijão said, revealing the strategy for the fight.
"I saw a fight of him and he’s quite complete, good standing up, is not very good in the takedowns. We’re still analyzing, but we’ll make a strategy focusing on my game, to fight in striking … I’m ready, I just need the final sprint on this five weeks and do the work”, finished.
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.
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.
Dynamite!! 2009! Masato’s Fight Possibly A 10 Rounder
At a press conference today, FEG’s Tanigawa talked about this years Dynamite!! event. The event is planned to be on around the same scale as last years, which consisted of 18 K-1 and MMA fights.
Masato’s fight is currently the plan for main event of the night. However, it isn’t sure that the fight will be against this years MAX champion. A potential opponent is also Andy Souwer (winning the MAX GP or not), who Masato has never beaten in K-1.
About the rules of the fight, Tanigawa wants it to be at least a 5 rounder and if it’s OK with Masato and his opponent, he’d like to make it a 7 or even 10 rounder.
The event will take place at the Saitama Super Arena and Tanigawa expects an attendance of 40,000. Because of the large attendance, the event will consist of an all-star cast. Tanigawa mentioned Kazushi Sakuraba, Kiyoshi Tamura, Norifumi “KID” Yamamoto, Hayato “Mach” Sakurai, Shinya Aoki, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Badr Hari, and Jerome Le Banner as a few possible participants.
The event will be broadcasted on TBS for 5 and a half hours without break. The first card announcement will take place sometime after the next DREAM and K-1 MAX events.
At a press conference today, FEG’s Tanigawa talked about this years Dynamite!! event. The event is planned to be on around the same scale as last years, which consisted of 18 K-1 and MMA fights.
Masato’s fight is currently the plan for main event of the night. However, it isn’t sure that the fight will be against this years MAX champion. A potential opponent is also Andy Souwer (winning the MAX GP or not), who Masato has never beaten in K-1.
About the rules of the fight, Tanigawa wants it to be at least a 5 rounder and if it’s OK with Masato and his opponent, he’d like to make it a 7 or even 10 rounder.
The event will take place at the Saitama Super Arena and Tanigawa expects an attendance of 40,000. Because of the large attendance, the event will consist of an all-star cast. Tanigawa mentioned Kazushi Sakuraba, Kiyoshi Tamura, Norifumi “KID” Yamamoto, Hayato “Mach” Sakurai, Shinya Aoki, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Badr Hari, and Jerome Le Banner as a few possible participants.
The event will be broadcasted on TBS for 5 and a half hours without break. The first card announcement will take place sometime after the next DREAM and K-1 MAX events.
“Wicky” And Mizuno To America! Training At Matt Hume’s Gym
It was announced today that DREAM participants Akiyo “Wicky” Nishiura and Tatsuya Mizuno will be sent to the U.S. for training at Matt Hume’s gym. These two are the first in a planned series that will be sent somewhere abroad for training.
The plan is for them to leave this weekend at the soonest and 2 months seems to be the current length of their stay, though that could be extended. Of course DREAM want these two to return to fight in Japan, but fights in M-1 or Strikeforce could also take place.
In other DREAM news, Myeon Ho Bae reveals to Korean MMA site MFight that he will most likely face Andrews Nakahara at DREAM.12.
It was announced today that DREAM participants Akiyo “Wicky” Nishiura and Tatsuya Mizuno will be sent to the U.S. for training at Matt Hume’s gym. These two are the first in a planned series that will be sent somewhere abroad for training.
The plan is for them to leave this weekend at the soonest and 2 months seems to be the current length of their stay, though that could be extended. Of course DREAM want these two to return to fight in Japan, but fights in M-1 or Strikeforce could also take place.
In other DREAM news, Myeon Ho Bae reveals to Korean MMA site MFight that he will most likely face Andrews Nakahara at DREAM.12.
STRIKEFORCE WANTS TO UNIFY TITLES WITH DREAM
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker on Wednesday said that his promotion is ready to take the leap forward and do something that has rarely been attempted in major mixed martial arts promotions, unifying titles across promotions. It’s something that he would like to pursue with Japanese promoter Dream.
Though it’s often been discussed by various promotions, Strikeforce and Dream already have an official fighter sharing partnership in place, so it would be less of a stretch for the two to come to some sort of agreement on unification bouts.
Coker announced the alliance between Strikeforce and Dream in early August, just after tapping Dream’s Mitsuhiro Ishida to come to the U.S. and challenge Gilbert Melendez for the Strikeforce interim lightweight championship.
He likened the agreement to the post-season in Major League Baseball, where teams from different leagues compete to declare the top team in the sport.
In actuality, Coker has been sharing fighters with Dream for quite some time, but once Strikeforce signed Fedor Emelianenko to a multi-fight contract, the two promotions decided to make the alliance more official. The formal partnership could now lead to the title unification bouts, and Coker is ready for that next step.
“I think that one of the reasons why we made the alliance is so we can see some of the best fighters of Dream fight the best fighters of Strikeforce. Unifying those title belts, I have no problem with that. As a fan and as a company, we would definitely like to pursue that.”
Strikeforce is fairly well equipped for its next two major events as far as title bouts go. Jake Shields and Jason “Mayhem” Miller will determine a new middleweight champion on Nov. 7 on CBS, where Fedor Emelianenko and Brett Rogers will likely determine the first challenger to heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem. The undercard of the Chicago event will also produce a contender to Cris “Cyborg” Santos’ title when Erin Toughill and Marloes Coenen square up. Lightweight champion Josh Thomson will face Melendez in December.
Two openings would appear to be at welterweight, where filling the vacant slot has become somewhat of a Bermuda Triangle, and light heavyweight. Champion Gegard Mousasi will face Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou in a light heavyweight non-title affair on Nov. 7, but has few legitimate challengers waiting in the ranks of the current Strikeforce roster.
But if and when Coker can put together a cross-promotional unification bout, it will be a major development in mixed martial arts.
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker on Wednesday said that his promotion is ready to take the leap forward and do something that has rarely been attempted in major mixed martial arts promotions, unifying titles across promotions. It’s something that he would like to pursue with Japanese promoter Dream.
Though it’s often been discussed by various promotions, Strikeforce and Dream already have an official fighter sharing partnership in place, so it would be less of a stretch for the two to come to some sort of agreement on unification bouts.
Coker announced the alliance between Strikeforce and Dream in early August, just after tapping Dream’s Mitsuhiro Ishida to come to the U.S. and challenge Gilbert Melendez for the Strikeforce interim lightweight championship.
He likened the agreement to the post-season in Major League Baseball, where teams from different leagues compete to declare the top team in the sport.
In actuality, Coker has been sharing fighters with Dream for quite some time, but once Strikeforce signed Fedor Emelianenko to a multi-fight contract, the two promotions decided to make the alliance more official. The formal partnership could now lead to the title unification bouts, and Coker is ready for that next step.
“I think that one of the reasons why we made the alliance is so we can see some of the best fighters of Dream fight the best fighters of Strikeforce. Unifying those title belts, I have no problem with that. As a fan and as a company, we would definitely like to pursue that.”
Strikeforce is fairly well equipped for its next two major events as far as title bouts go. Jake Shields and Jason “Mayhem” Miller will determine a new middleweight champion on Nov. 7 on CBS, where Fedor Emelianenko and Brett Rogers will likely determine the first challenger to heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem. The undercard of the Chicago event will also produce a contender to Cris “Cyborg” Santos’ title when Erin Toughill and Marloes Coenen square up. Lightweight champion Josh Thomson will face Melendez in December.
Two openings would appear to be at welterweight, where filling the vacant slot has become somewhat of a Bermuda Triangle, and light heavyweight. Champion Gegard Mousasi will face Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou in a light heavyweight non-title affair on Nov. 7, but has few legitimate challengers waiting in the ranks of the current Strikeforce roster.
But if and when Coker can put together a cross-promotional unification bout, it will be a major development in mixed martial arts.
Other Strikeforce notes
• Besides selective non-exclusivity, Coker says he has a loose policy when it comes to sponsorship.
“We’re not restrictive in any way, unless the networks (Showtime and CBS) don’t allow it,” said Coker. “That’s kind of a business we leave to the fighters and they do their own thing. It’s not something we put in the agreement. Our policy is let them go do what they do and if they get sponsorships, great, then it’s better for them.”
• Shields, a lifelong welterweight entering his second 185-pound bout for a title, voiced his concerns in trying to keep on the added weight.
“Ultimately, I’m still not a huge 185-pounder,” said Shields. “If it was up to me, I’d fight at both weights, but it depends on what happens, if my teammate Nick (Diaz) tries to take the belt below or what.”
• Coker wouldn’t name a contender for the middleweight title following Nov. 7, though the promoter mentioned Tim Kennedy and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza.
• Combating recent Internet chatter that CBS has done little to promote the Nov. 7 “Fedor vs. Rogers” card, Coker reminded all that CBS has its own timetable in securing the casual fan outside the hardcore fanbase. In addition, Coker pointed out that CBS ran promo ads during both NFL and college football games last weekend, including the No. 1 most-watched game Saturday night between Florida and LSU. That game netted 10 million viewers.
• Questioning took an unconventional turn when USA Today’s Beau Dure asked about Miller’s impending Nov. 7 fight entrance. Miller and Coker assured Dure that the fighter will get to do “his thing,” (which usually includes props and other entertaining flare) while Shields said he might get in on the action too.
“Maybe I’ll have to come up with something to top Jason,” said Shields.
• Besides selective non-exclusivity, Coker says he has a loose policy when it comes to sponsorship.
“We’re not restrictive in any way, unless the networks (Showtime and CBS) don’t allow it,” said Coker. “That’s kind of a business we leave to the fighters and they do their own thing. It’s not something we put in the agreement. Our policy is let them go do what they do and if they get sponsorships, great, then it’s better for them.”
• Shields, a lifelong welterweight entering his second 185-pound bout for a title, voiced his concerns in trying to keep on the added weight.
“Ultimately, I’m still not a huge 185-pounder,” said Shields. “If it was up to me, I’d fight at both weights, but it depends on what happens, if my teammate Nick (Diaz) tries to take the belt below or what.”
• Coker wouldn’t name a contender for the middleweight title following Nov. 7, though the promoter mentioned Tim Kennedy and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza.
• Combating recent Internet chatter that CBS has done little to promote the Nov. 7 “Fedor vs. Rogers” card, Coker reminded all that CBS has its own timetable in securing the casual fan outside the hardcore fanbase. In addition, Coker pointed out that CBS ran promo ads during both NFL and college football games last weekend, including the No. 1 most-watched game Saturday night between Florida and LSU. That game netted 10 million viewers.
• Questioning took an unconventional turn when USA Today’s Beau Dure asked about Miller’s impending Nov. 7 fight entrance. Miller and Coker assured Dure that the fighter will get to do “his thing,” (which usually includes props and other entertaining flare) while Shields said he might get in on the action too.
“Maybe I’ll have to come up with something to top Jason,” said Shields.
COMMENTATOR GUY MEZGER ON DREAM 11 & 12
Unpredictability seemed to be the name of the game at the recent Dream 11 event.
From the Featherweight Grand Prix to defeat of the sport’s biggest athlete, almost no one could have foresaw how things would happen this past week in Japan, including HDNet and Dream broadcaster Guy Mezger.
A former fighter for both the UFC and Pride, Mezger has seen just about everything, but as he explained to MMAWeekly.com recently, he could not have anticipated what we saw at Dream 11.
MMAWEEKLY: First off, Guy, tell us your thoughts on the overall happenings of Dream 11 this past week.
GUY MEZGER: I thought that this show exceeded expectations for me. You always expect Dream to have a very colorful show and have great athletes, but this particular show I thought was very entertaining.
It was a very emotional card. With (Ikuhisa) Minowa pulling it out, this kid (Hiroyuki Takaya) coming out of nowhere almost winning the deal -- to be honest, it’s been a long time since I’ve been that stoked up about a card -- where I was personally engaged in the card.
MMAWEEKLY: You mention Minowa, who gave up nearly a foot and a half and over 100 pounds to Hong Man Choi and still winning the fight. How crazy was that?
GUY MEZGER: I was so blown away by that. I know Minowa from the Pancrase days, and he was always so colorful back then, and you’ve got to love that guy. He’ll take anybody on, any time, and put it out there. He gives 100 percent and is an incredible showman and gives the audience their money’s worth whatever he’s doing.
MMAWEEKLY: What about the final two rounds of the Featherweight Grand Prix, which saw Bibiano Fernandes taking home the gold.
GUY MEZGER: I think that the finals fight between Takaya and Fernandes is a candidate for Fight of the Year. These guys threw down, and it was good technical stuff and an incredible fight. It was a really tough one to call, and to be honest could have been a really great draw.
I was really surprised Takaya was there. He’s a tough guy, no doubt about it, but I thought there was no way he was going to make it. He’s one of those dark horses and is a great story. I really started rooting for him. You’re not supposed to root for anybody when you’re the commentator, but you can’t help but root for this guy.
MMAWEEKLY: The night’s other title match featured lightweight champ Joachim Hansen losing his title to Shinya Aoki at the last second. How devastating is a loss like that?
GUY MEZGER: It’s absolutely heartbreaking. I love that guy; he is a warrior 100-percent. The term ‘warrior’ gets over used. You hear people say, “Tiger Woods is a warrior,” Tiger Woods is a (expletive) golfer, a good one, but he ain’t a warrior. (Being a warrior is) probably the reason why he got caught.
Japan has had some crazy decisions. Hansen knows it, he knows he cannot stay in that position, because they could very easily state with their rules that he was almost finished and that counts for more than the ass whoopin’ Aoki took the whole rest of the time.
MMAWEEKLY: One of the other surprises of the evening was the announcement that the upcoming Dream 12 event later this month would be held inside a white cage, instead of the traditional ring. What do you think is the reasoning for that?
GUY MEZGER: The reason being is that they’re trying to advance their market share on TV. They’re going to capture the interest (of fans outside Japan). They’re going to have five-minute rounds. I’m not sure how the judging is going to be, but it’s going to look more universal, which I think is good. We need to be more universal with our (presentation), that’s how you grow.
MMAWEEKLY: Do you think the international fighters who have cage experience will have a field day with the Japanese fighters who have competed almost exclusively in rings their entire careers?
GUY MEZGER: I think “field day” is a strong term. Will they have an advantage? Yeah. There are different dynamics from cage fighting and ring fighting. Most of these guys will probably make the adjustment. Fighting is fighting, so they’ll figure it out.
Personally, I like the ring better, but I’ve never really found it a big deal, really. Are there different nuances from cage fighting versus ring fighting? Yeah. The advantage will go to the guys who have experiences on it.
MMAWEEKLY: Thanks for taking time out for us Guy. Is there anything you want to say in conclusion?
GUY MEZGER: I really appreciate the support we’ve gotten with our MMA and K-1 programming. We’ve got a tremendous amount of positive response for that. We’ve become the number one programming on HDNet, which is great because you keep me employed.
I want to thank the fans for tuning in and for their positive feedback on my commentating. It’s not as easy as you think, and I’m getting a lot of positive reinforcement, so I appreciate that.
Unpredictability seemed to be the name of the game at the recent Dream 11 event.
From the Featherweight Grand Prix to defeat of the sport’s biggest athlete, almost no one could have foresaw how things would happen this past week in Japan, including HDNet and Dream broadcaster Guy Mezger.
A former fighter for both the UFC and Pride, Mezger has seen just about everything, but as he explained to MMAWeekly.com recently, he could not have anticipated what we saw at Dream 11.
MMAWEEKLY: First off, Guy, tell us your thoughts on the overall happenings of Dream 11 this past week.
GUY MEZGER: I thought that this show exceeded expectations for me. You always expect Dream to have a very colorful show and have great athletes, but this particular show I thought was very entertaining.
It was a very emotional card. With (Ikuhisa) Minowa pulling it out, this kid (Hiroyuki Takaya) coming out of nowhere almost winning the deal -- to be honest, it’s been a long time since I’ve been that stoked up about a card -- where I was personally engaged in the card.
MMAWEEKLY: You mention Minowa, who gave up nearly a foot and a half and over 100 pounds to Hong Man Choi and still winning the fight. How crazy was that?
GUY MEZGER: I was so blown away by that. I know Minowa from the Pancrase days, and he was always so colorful back then, and you’ve got to love that guy. He’ll take anybody on, any time, and put it out there. He gives 100 percent and is an incredible showman and gives the audience their money’s worth whatever he’s doing.
MMAWEEKLY: What about the final two rounds of the Featherweight Grand Prix, which saw Bibiano Fernandes taking home the gold.
GUY MEZGER: I think that the finals fight between Takaya and Fernandes is a candidate for Fight of the Year. These guys threw down, and it was good technical stuff and an incredible fight. It was a really tough one to call, and to be honest could have been a really great draw.
I was really surprised Takaya was there. He’s a tough guy, no doubt about it, but I thought there was no way he was going to make it. He’s one of those dark horses and is a great story. I really started rooting for him. You’re not supposed to root for anybody when you’re the commentator, but you can’t help but root for this guy.
MMAWEEKLY: The night’s other title match featured lightweight champ Joachim Hansen losing his title to Shinya Aoki at the last second. How devastating is a loss like that?
GUY MEZGER: It’s absolutely heartbreaking. I love that guy; he is a warrior 100-percent. The term ‘warrior’ gets over used. You hear people say, “Tiger Woods is a warrior,” Tiger Woods is a (expletive) golfer, a good one, but he ain’t a warrior. (Being a warrior is) probably the reason why he got caught.
Japan has had some crazy decisions. Hansen knows it, he knows he cannot stay in that position, because they could very easily state with their rules that he was almost finished and that counts for more than the ass whoopin’ Aoki took the whole rest of the time.
MMAWEEKLY: One of the other surprises of the evening was the announcement that the upcoming Dream 12 event later this month would be held inside a white cage, instead of the traditional ring. What do you think is the reasoning for that?
GUY MEZGER: The reason being is that they’re trying to advance their market share on TV. They’re going to capture the interest (of fans outside Japan). They’re going to have five-minute rounds. I’m not sure how the judging is going to be, but it’s going to look more universal, which I think is good. We need to be more universal with our (presentation), that’s how you grow.
MMAWEEKLY: Do you think the international fighters who have cage experience will have a field day with the Japanese fighters who have competed almost exclusively in rings their entire careers?
GUY MEZGER: I think “field day” is a strong term. Will they have an advantage? Yeah. There are different dynamics from cage fighting and ring fighting. Most of these guys will probably make the adjustment. Fighting is fighting, so they’ll figure it out.
Personally, I like the ring better, but I’ve never really found it a big deal, really. Are there different nuances from cage fighting versus ring fighting? Yeah. The advantage will go to the guys who have experiences on it.
MMAWEEKLY: Thanks for taking time out for us Guy. Is there anything you want to say in conclusion?
GUY MEZGER: I really appreciate the support we’ve gotten with our MMA and K-1 programming. We’ve got a tremendous amount of positive response for that. We’ve become the number one programming on HDNet, which is great because you keep me employed.
I want to thank the fans for tuning in and for their positive feedback on my commentating. It’s not as easy as you think, and I’m getting a lot of positive reinforcement, so I appreciate that.
URIJAH FABER ANTICIPATES JANUARY RETURN
Former World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight titleholder Urijah Faber expects to return to action in January, but an opponent has yet to be named for "The California Kid."
Faber confirmed during the WEC 43 broadcast on Oct. 10 that Jan. appears to be when he'll fight again. "That would be perfect timing for me," Faber told MMAWeekly.com "I'm hoping it's January."
No opponent has been named, but the 30-year old fighter anticipates a tough match up.
"I imagine I'll get a tough opponent. That's the way mixed martial arts is, the best fights the best. I'm looking forward to challenging myself and putting the smack down on somebody," said Faber.
Faber last competed at WEC 41 on June 7, losing by decision to current titleholder Mike Brown and has been sidelined due to hand injuries suffered during the bout. He's eager to get back to doing what he does best.
"I'm just ready to compete against anybody. The way it is now, everybody is tough. It's a crap-shoot in there," said the Team Alpha Male trained featherweight. "I feel like I'll have the upper hand on anyone I face, but no one is going to be a walk in the park."
"I can't wait to get back in there. This is what I do. This is what I love," he added. "This is going to be my coming back party after a great fight where I was injured and fought through some adversity.
This is going to be a big one for me, and I'm hoping it's going to be against an opponent that also puts on great shows. I'm definitely going to get the win. It's going to be a special fight for me."
Former World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight titleholder Urijah Faber expects to return to action in January, but an opponent has yet to be named for "The California Kid."
Faber confirmed during the WEC 43 broadcast on Oct. 10 that Jan. appears to be when he'll fight again. "That would be perfect timing for me," Faber told MMAWeekly.com "I'm hoping it's January."
No opponent has been named, but the 30-year old fighter anticipates a tough match up.
"I imagine I'll get a tough opponent. That's the way mixed martial arts is, the best fights the best. I'm looking forward to challenging myself and putting the smack down on somebody," said Faber.
Faber last competed at WEC 41 on June 7, losing by decision to current titleholder Mike Brown and has been sidelined due to hand injuries suffered during the bout. He's eager to get back to doing what he does best.
"I'm just ready to compete against anybody. The way it is now, everybody is tough. It's a crap-shoot in there," said the Team Alpha Male trained featherweight. "I feel like I'll have the upper hand on anyone I face, but no one is going to be a walk in the park."
"I can't wait to get back in there. This is what I do. This is what I love," he added. "This is going to be my coming back party after a great fight where I was injured and fought through some adversity.
This is going to be a big one for me, and I'm hoping it's going to be against an opponent that also puts on great shows. I'm definitely going to get the win. It's going to be a special fight for me."
HARDONK KNOWS WHAT HE'S GETTING AT UFC 104
Dutch heavyweight Antoni Hardonk has a pretty good idea of what he’s getting into when he meets Pat Barry on Oct. 24 at UFC 104 in Los Angeles. He worked with the Southerner for years in his Holland gym, serving as sparring partner, cornerman, and test audience.
“I know his style, I know his strengths, his weaknesses,” Hardonk told MMAWeekly.com. “I also know his personality. He’s quite a funny guy. He’s got a lot of humor. But I kind of know what to expect. But now, it’s MMA. It’s a total different game.”
The two share a kickboxing background, although Hardonk made the transition long before Barry, who until last year made his living as a K-1 fighter and World Combat League regular.
Hardonk believes he has the advantage in MMA, though he’s not counting out his old partner’s skills.
“I think I have a more well-rounded style. I’m more developed fighting on the ground, and my wrestling, I think, is a little bit better. But I think he has some advantages because of his build. He’s a very short, heavy-built guy, so he’s got a low center of gravity; it’s hard to take him down. And that’s basically where he focuses... keep it in the stand-up fight and try to surprise people there and try to force his style over his opponents.”
Dutch heavyweight Antoni Hardonk has a pretty good idea of what he’s getting into when he meets Pat Barry on Oct. 24 at UFC 104 in Los Angeles. He worked with the Southerner for years in his Holland gym, serving as sparring partner, cornerman, and test audience.
“I know his style, I know his strengths, his weaknesses,” Hardonk told MMAWeekly.com. “I also know his personality. He’s quite a funny guy. He’s got a lot of humor. But I kind of know what to expect. But now, it’s MMA. It’s a total different game.”
The two share a kickboxing background, although Hardonk made the transition long before Barry, who until last year made his living as a K-1 fighter and World Combat League regular.
Hardonk believes he has the advantage in MMA, though he’s not counting out his old partner’s skills.
“I think I have a more well-rounded style. I’m more developed fighting on the ground, and my wrestling, I think, is a little bit better. But I think he has some advantages because of his build. He’s a very short, heavy-built guy, so he’s got a low center of gravity; it’s hard to take him down. And that’s basically where he focuses... keep it in the stand-up fight and try to surprise people there and try to force his style over his opponents.”
One on One with Wanderlei Silva
In late September, Sherdog.com’s Marcelo Alonso sat down with Wanderlei Silva to review “The Axe Murderer’s” MMA career.
Topics included the bare-knuckle days of the IVC, training at Chute Boxe, the baddest man he’s ever known, whether Lyoto Machida is unbeatable and who he thinks will knock off Brock Lesnar.
At the time of the interview, Silva was training but not allowed to get hit due to a recent surgery on his nose. By now he is preparing for his next bout, which is expected to come against Yoshihiro Akiyama early next year.
Sherdog: How was your adaptation to Vegas?
Silva: It’s been two years that I’ve lived here. In the beginning it was really hard, but now I’m fine. Unlike most parts of the USA, we don’t have too many Brazilians here, like in Boston or Florida, so I had to develop my English and try to build a new life for myself. When I arrived here, I first tried to live in West Palm Beach (Florida), but it was a new academy and I didn’t have training there and I had my fight against Liddell already scheduled, then I decided to come to Vegas, where Couture welcomed me and helped me a lot in the beginning. Later I decided to open my own gym and I had a really hard time doing so because here you need to get permission for everything and I didn’t speak English at that time. It was really hard. But building that academy was like making my dream come true, so I did everything I could to reach this goal. Thank God I was able to do what I want in the way I want. The American market is really fabulous, and I’m really happy with the result.
Sherdog: Who are your coaches here?
Silva: Rafael Alejarra, one of the best coaches in the world, helped me a lot in my last fight. I’ve been with him for a long time and he’s my friend, but he’s a great professional and showed me a lot of heart. Rafael Cordeiro and I have started a partnership with his new gym, Kings Muay Thai. He’s a very respectful guy and is becoming even more like a master, not only inside the ring but outside too. He always taught many lessons to me. He was by my side for the most important moments in my life, some hard times, when I was kicked out of the gym and had to look for another team, but he managed my return to the team too. It happened many years ago. I left the team and they helped me, asked to let me go back to the team, so I decided to go back and train there.
Sherdog: What do you have to say about your last loss to Rich Franklin?
Silva: I think I won this fight against Franklin. I did my best, and even the American fans told me I won. I got a little bit upset about that because I did a very nice show and I thought I won.
Sherdog: So when will you return to the ring?
Silva: When God wants. For the first time in 13 years, I stopped a little bit. … I’ll stop a little bit and get focused on my academy, on helping my guys. Develop myself as a manager and trainer. I opened two new classes where I’m teaching. Because anyone who wants to work in martial arts has to learn about all areas, and teaching is one of those. Thank God I’m seeing that outside of the ring can be as profitable as the inside of the ring. Actually, in my case, it doesn’t even come close, but let’s say I can make good money to pay the bills.
Sherdog: People in Brazil were really impressed after you invited Paulo Filho and Arona to train.
Silva: For sure. The times of rivalries are over, and when you come to live outside (Brazil), your patriotism grows. Which leaders wouldn’t like to have Arona and Filho representing his team? My academy is open to anyone who wants to train. I’ve already received here names like Forrest Griffin, “Minotauro,” Gilbert Yvel, Heath Herring, Werdum, Demian. So everybody is welcome here. Every Tuesday and Thursday I have an open sparring training where guys can come from (their academies) with their coaches from other academies. If I open space to people that I don’t really know, for sure the doors of my academy are open to the new talents from Brazil or Japan. Actually I’m using all the promotion around my name here in the USA to promote the new talents who are coming from Brazil or Japan.
Sherdog: On Aug. 22 we had the opportunity to see you for the first time as a coach when your fighter Jorge Lopez defeated a student of Josh Barnett by unanimous decision. After such a successful career as an athlete, how do you feel about winning as a trainer?
Silva: I’m very happy Jorge is our revelation. This is his seventh fight. I told him, ‘When you have 15, I’ll put you in the UFC.’ Today, besides him, we have a lot of new talents on Wand Fight Team, like Mike Whitehead, Vitor Vianna and other newcomers. I’m very happy that I’m able to pass to my students the winning philosophy that I received from my master, Rudimar, during my whole life.
Sherdog: After you left Chute Boxe, did Rudimar ever visit you?
Silva: No. Actually I would like to thank master Rudimar for everything I am. I’ve already told him that I’m waiting for his visit. I always teach my students to respect the master and I really respect my master.
Sherdog: How do you reflect on your IVC fights?
Silva: That event was unbelievable, one of the biggest in the world at that time. At that time, we didn’t have Pride, and UFC wasn’t as big as it is today. That was crazy, one 30-minute round. … I didn’t kick my opponent’s balls because I didn’t want to, but they allowed that. (Sergio) Batarelli was a great manager and did some great fights, like Fabio Gurgel against Mark Kerr. A fantastic fight. Gurgel showed a lot of heart. “Pelé” fought against Chuck Liddell. That fight was awesome. Pelé almost knocked Liddell out. (Pele’s) fights against “Macaco.” IVC was historical.
Sherdog: Do you think it was an important stage to get the sport where it is today, or do you think, “How did I do this?”
Silva: I don’t really care about being injured and all that stuff. I didn’t have any fear or self-protection instinct, and that’s why I think my career is like this. I actually started my career when I was 13, and I became professional at 15. From 15 to 33, where I am today, I never stopped. I was always fighting four, five times a year, and now two or three. I never had free time, so now I gave myself that free time for the first time to take care of myself and return with everything next year. To tell you the truth, I stopped now because I have to, because I’d to like to be back to training. Something I always say is that I love to train, and you have to be inspired to do it. It’s like making love: The man can’t fake it. Sometimes it’s good and sometimes it’s not, and we can’t fake it. And I’m like this: If I do something, I do it for real.
Sherdog: Looking back, how important was Chute Boxe to your career?
Silva: Chute Boxe is a champion maker, an exceptional team. Master Rudimar (Fedrigo) is a born leader. He has the power of finding the best of each fighter. Unfortunately for the team, he has a political career now, and I’m sure that he’s doing a great job in Curitiba, helping all the martial arts, not only MMA. Rudimar was always a very busy man and did not always have time to lead the training, so Master Rafael (Cordeiro) used to do it for him. Rafael taught us a lot, formed “Shogun.” If you ask anyone there, everybody will say that Rafael is their master. Rafael is an exceptional guy, and he was formed by Rudimar, and that’s why we had some problems.
Sherdog: How does it happen?
Silva: At that time, we had a rivalry between athletes, but today the sport is more professional and we realized that we have to do partnerships. … This rivalry between martial arts and athletes doesn’t exist anymore. I’m welcomed in any gym I go to, from muay Thai to jiu-jitsu. Some years ago I went to Royler’s gym, and he treated me very well. I trained with the guys there, and they were very good. It was an honor to go there. He was a visionary guy.
Sherdog: When you started fighting, who did you see as an idol?
Silva: Master Rafael. He’s two or three years older than me, and when I started, he was already a black belt. He’s very ugly, but he was famous and had a beautiful girlfriend, so it gave me hope that I could do well one day too. He was very good in fights and muay Thai, then he started in jiu-jitsu and did great too, then in Karate too. He’s very talented. I never saw a guy more talented in training or leading the training. Rafael was unbelievable. On the other hand, Pelé also inspired me. He was the baddest man I every met. I never met a guy as bad as he is. We had no way of training with him. He beat you up in training and didn’t care.
Sherdog: You two got black belts together?
Silva: Yes, we got them with Nilson de Castro. Nilson is a great guy too, and I asked to train with him too because he’s a great teacher. At the time we got the black belts, we didn’t have gloves in the gyms. We slapped each other. He almost knocked me out at the black belt graduation. He kicked very fast, just like Rafael. I reacted and kicked him some times, made him scream, but he was great, just like Pelé.
Sherdog: Talk about this new Wanderlei, in the new stage of your career. What’s the difference?
Silva: I think it’s the new training mode, more focused, having to readapt with everything again. A fighter has to be recycling, being in a constant evolution. There are a lot of new guys, so you have to develop a lot to continue at the top. I will be back, for sure. I’ll show everybody that I can overcome this, that I don’t do it for the money, that I do it because I love it. I have a lot of other business, but what I do is fighting. I love to fight. That adrenaline that you feel when you’re going to fight is unique. Fighting is in my blood. Of course I also do it for the money -- it’s my job -- but thank God (that’s) not the most important thing today. I do it to make MMA bigger around the world. It’s a slow job. I go from gym to gym doing seminars.
Sherdog: Talk about your Web site for those who want to come and train with you.
Silva: My American Web site is wandfc.com, and now I’m going to create an Orkut, which is the biggest network in Brazil. I also have a MySpace here. Some guys created a profile for me, but I want to create my own and talk directly with my fans. If you’re here in the U.S. and need some help, come here and talk with me. I’ll help in anything I can do. I can find you a cheaper house because I know how hard it is to go to a place without knowing anyone. I know guys who own nightclubs and bars, where you can find a job. I’m here to help.
Sherdog: Something you said to me one day is that the place where you sign the least autographs is Curitiba.
Silva: Yeah, almost everybody there has it already (laughs). The people from Curitiba are very shy. Do you know what the guys from Curitiba do when they catch their wives in bed with another man? Nothing. Because they don’t talk to strangers (laughs). But I’m well recognized there because I have a lot of friends and people that I know there because I lived in Curitiba my whole life. There are a lot of places in the world that I can’t even walk on the street.
Sherdog: Where do you think you’re most recognized?
Silva: In the first place, Japan. Now here in Las Vegas too. Canada is impressive. In Toronto and Montreal it’s something crazy. That’s a huge market for MMA, and I’m going to open branches there, but I want to do exactly what I have here. I also think about Brazil because I want to help the guys here.
Sherdog: Talking about the globalization of MMA, Belfort was training with Minotauro and Anderson, and now he wants Anderson’s belt. How do you see that?
Silva: I think that it depends on the way the teacher does. … About fighting each other, that’s something that is happening now, and it’s complicated.
Sherdog: Who do you think can beat Brock Lesnar?
Silva: I think Minotauro. Minotauro is the man to beat Lesnar because he won’t fear him. He doesn’t fear anyone, and he’ll punish him standing.
Sherdog: Lyoto trained with you in the past. At that time, did you realize he had something different?
Silva: He’s lucky to be born is a house of fighters. He has his brothers, and he is, undoubtedly, a great fighter. He’s a cool guy, and I think he’s a great fighter.
Sherdog: What do you think about his next fight, against Shogun?
Silva: I still think Shogun is one of the best fighters in this division. I think this fight is tough. Lyoto has great timing and works well, so I think whoever hits first will win. We’re gonna see if it’s the lottery or not. I think it’s gonna be one of the best fights in the UFC.
Sherdog: A lot of people are saying that he is unbeatable.
Silva: No, no. Nobody is unbeatable. There are a lot of great fighters fighting around the world, and I don’t believe the best fighter in the world exists.
Sherdog: What do you expect for your career now? For how long will the fans watch Wanderlei fight?
Silva: I want to fight the best, and I know I’ll be fighting the best. Even because with how much they pay me, they won’t put me against (just) anyone. I want to fight the best, teach my training method, help the Brazilian fighters who need to come to the U.S. I want to welcome them here. I want to create champions. I want to make my team bigger. Thank God in MMA we still have a lot of areas to explore, but I don’t want this job to mess with my career inside the Octagon. No, I’m gonna get my camp together to start training for my next fight. … I’ll see what UFC wants from me, but I want to keep giving a show to my fans. That’s what motivates me. I’ve seen around the world what the UFC has become. It’s like the World Cup final, and it motivates me even more.
In late September, Sherdog.com’s Marcelo Alonso sat down with Wanderlei Silva to review “The Axe Murderer’s” MMA career.
Topics included the bare-knuckle days of the IVC, training at Chute Boxe, the baddest man he’s ever known, whether Lyoto Machida is unbeatable and who he thinks will knock off Brock Lesnar.
At the time of the interview, Silva was training but not allowed to get hit due to a recent surgery on his nose. By now he is preparing for his next bout, which is expected to come against Yoshihiro Akiyama early next year.
Sherdog: How was your adaptation to Vegas?
Silva: It’s been two years that I’ve lived here. In the beginning it was really hard, but now I’m fine. Unlike most parts of the USA, we don’t have too many Brazilians here, like in Boston or Florida, so I had to develop my English and try to build a new life for myself. When I arrived here, I first tried to live in West Palm Beach (Florida), but it was a new academy and I didn’t have training there and I had my fight against Liddell already scheduled, then I decided to come to Vegas, where Couture welcomed me and helped me a lot in the beginning. Later I decided to open my own gym and I had a really hard time doing so because here you need to get permission for everything and I didn’t speak English at that time. It was really hard. But building that academy was like making my dream come true, so I did everything I could to reach this goal. Thank God I was able to do what I want in the way I want. The American market is really fabulous, and I’m really happy with the result.
Sherdog: Who are your coaches here?
Silva: Rafael Alejarra, one of the best coaches in the world, helped me a lot in my last fight. I’ve been with him for a long time and he’s my friend, but he’s a great professional and showed me a lot of heart. Rafael Cordeiro and I have started a partnership with his new gym, Kings Muay Thai. He’s a very respectful guy and is becoming even more like a master, not only inside the ring but outside too. He always taught many lessons to me. He was by my side for the most important moments in my life, some hard times, when I was kicked out of the gym and had to look for another team, but he managed my return to the team too. It happened many years ago. I left the team and they helped me, asked to let me go back to the team, so I decided to go back and train there.
Sherdog: What do you have to say about your last loss to Rich Franklin?
Silva: I think I won this fight against Franklin. I did my best, and even the American fans told me I won. I got a little bit upset about that because I did a very nice show and I thought I won.
Sherdog: So when will you return to the ring?
Silva: When God wants. For the first time in 13 years, I stopped a little bit. … I’ll stop a little bit and get focused on my academy, on helping my guys. Develop myself as a manager and trainer. I opened two new classes where I’m teaching. Because anyone who wants to work in martial arts has to learn about all areas, and teaching is one of those. Thank God I’m seeing that outside of the ring can be as profitable as the inside of the ring. Actually, in my case, it doesn’t even come close, but let’s say I can make good money to pay the bills.
Sherdog: People in Brazil were really impressed after you invited Paulo Filho and Arona to train.
Silva: For sure. The times of rivalries are over, and when you come to live outside (Brazil), your patriotism grows. Which leaders wouldn’t like to have Arona and Filho representing his team? My academy is open to anyone who wants to train. I’ve already received here names like Forrest Griffin, “Minotauro,” Gilbert Yvel, Heath Herring, Werdum, Demian. So everybody is welcome here. Every Tuesday and Thursday I have an open sparring training where guys can come from (their academies) with their coaches from other academies. If I open space to people that I don’t really know, for sure the doors of my academy are open to the new talents from Brazil or Japan. Actually I’m using all the promotion around my name here in the USA to promote the new talents who are coming from Brazil or Japan.
Sherdog: On Aug. 22 we had the opportunity to see you for the first time as a coach when your fighter Jorge Lopez defeated a student of Josh Barnett by unanimous decision. After such a successful career as an athlete, how do you feel about winning as a trainer?
Silva: I’m very happy Jorge is our revelation. This is his seventh fight. I told him, ‘When you have 15, I’ll put you in the UFC.’ Today, besides him, we have a lot of new talents on Wand Fight Team, like Mike Whitehead, Vitor Vianna and other newcomers. I’m very happy that I’m able to pass to my students the winning philosophy that I received from my master, Rudimar, during my whole life.
Sherdog: After you left Chute Boxe, did Rudimar ever visit you?
Silva: No. Actually I would like to thank master Rudimar for everything I am. I’ve already told him that I’m waiting for his visit. I always teach my students to respect the master and I really respect my master.
Sherdog: How do you reflect on your IVC fights?
Silva: That event was unbelievable, one of the biggest in the world at that time. At that time, we didn’t have Pride, and UFC wasn’t as big as it is today. That was crazy, one 30-minute round. … I didn’t kick my opponent’s balls because I didn’t want to, but they allowed that. (Sergio) Batarelli was a great manager and did some great fights, like Fabio Gurgel against Mark Kerr. A fantastic fight. Gurgel showed a lot of heart. “Pelé” fought against Chuck Liddell. That fight was awesome. Pelé almost knocked Liddell out. (Pele’s) fights against “Macaco.” IVC was historical.
Sherdog: Do you think it was an important stage to get the sport where it is today, or do you think, “How did I do this?”
Silva: I don’t really care about being injured and all that stuff. I didn’t have any fear or self-protection instinct, and that’s why I think my career is like this. I actually started my career when I was 13, and I became professional at 15. From 15 to 33, where I am today, I never stopped. I was always fighting four, five times a year, and now two or three. I never had free time, so now I gave myself that free time for the first time to take care of myself and return with everything next year. To tell you the truth, I stopped now because I have to, because I’d to like to be back to training. Something I always say is that I love to train, and you have to be inspired to do it. It’s like making love: The man can’t fake it. Sometimes it’s good and sometimes it’s not, and we can’t fake it. And I’m like this: If I do something, I do it for real.
Sherdog: Looking back, how important was Chute Boxe to your career?
Silva: Chute Boxe is a champion maker, an exceptional team. Master Rudimar (Fedrigo) is a born leader. He has the power of finding the best of each fighter. Unfortunately for the team, he has a political career now, and I’m sure that he’s doing a great job in Curitiba, helping all the martial arts, not only MMA. Rudimar was always a very busy man and did not always have time to lead the training, so Master Rafael (Cordeiro) used to do it for him. Rafael taught us a lot, formed “Shogun.” If you ask anyone there, everybody will say that Rafael is their master. Rafael is an exceptional guy, and he was formed by Rudimar, and that’s why we had some problems.
Sherdog: How does it happen?
Silva: At that time, we had a rivalry between athletes, but today the sport is more professional and we realized that we have to do partnerships. … This rivalry between martial arts and athletes doesn’t exist anymore. I’m welcomed in any gym I go to, from muay Thai to jiu-jitsu. Some years ago I went to Royler’s gym, and he treated me very well. I trained with the guys there, and they were very good. It was an honor to go there. He was a visionary guy.
Sherdog: When you started fighting, who did you see as an idol?
Silva: Master Rafael. He’s two or three years older than me, and when I started, he was already a black belt. He’s very ugly, but he was famous and had a beautiful girlfriend, so it gave me hope that I could do well one day too. He was very good in fights and muay Thai, then he started in jiu-jitsu and did great too, then in Karate too. He’s very talented. I never saw a guy more talented in training or leading the training. Rafael was unbelievable. On the other hand, Pelé also inspired me. He was the baddest man I every met. I never met a guy as bad as he is. We had no way of training with him. He beat you up in training and didn’t care.
Sherdog: You two got black belts together?
Silva: Yes, we got them with Nilson de Castro. Nilson is a great guy too, and I asked to train with him too because he’s a great teacher. At the time we got the black belts, we didn’t have gloves in the gyms. We slapped each other. He almost knocked me out at the black belt graduation. He kicked very fast, just like Rafael. I reacted and kicked him some times, made him scream, but he was great, just like Pelé.
Sherdog: Talk about this new Wanderlei, in the new stage of your career. What’s the difference?
Silva: I think it’s the new training mode, more focused, having to readapt with everything again. A fighter has to be recycling, being in a constant evolution. There are a lot of new guys, so you have to develop a lot to continue at the top. I will be back, for sure. I’ll show everybody that I can overcome this, that I don’t do it for the money, that I do it because I love it. I have a lot of other business, but what I do is fighting. I love to fight. That adrenaline that you feel when you’re going to fight is unique. Fighting is in my blood. Of course I also do it for the money -- it’s my job -- but thank God (that’s) not the most important thing today. I do it to make MMA bigger around the world. It’s a slow job. I go from gym to gym doing seminars.
Sherdog: Talk about your Web site for those who want to come and train with you.
Silva: My American Web site is wandfc.com, and now I’m going to create an Orkut, which is the biggest network in Brazil. I also have a MySpace here. Some guys created a profile for me, but I want to create my own and talk directly with my fans. If you’re here in the U.S. and need some help, come here and talk with me. I’ll help in anything I can do. I can find you a cheaper house because I know how hard it is to go to a place without knowing anyone. I know guys who own nightclubs and bars, where you can find a job. I’m here to help.
Sherdog: Something you said to me one day is that the place where you sign the least autographs is Curitiba.
Silva: Yeah, almost everybody there has it already (laughs). The people from Curitiba are very shy. Do you know what the guys from Curitiba do when they catch their wives in bed with another man? Nothing. Because they don’t talk to strangers (laughs). But I’m well recognized there because I have a lot of friends and people that I know there because I lived in Curitiba my whole life. There are a lot of places in the world that I can’t even walk on the street.
Sherdog: Where do you think you’re most recognized?
Silva: In the first place, Japan. Now here in Las Vegas too. Canada is impressive. In Toronto and Montreal it’s something crazy. That’s a huge market for MMA, and I’m going to open branches there, but I want to do exactly what I have here. I also think about Brazil because I want to help the guys here.
Sherdog: Talking about the globalization of MMA, Belfort was training with Minotauro and Anderson, and now he wants Anderson’s belt. How do you see that?
Silva: I think that it depends on the way the teacher does. … About fighting each other, that’s something that is happening now, and it’s complicated.
Sherdog: Who do you think can beat Brock Lesnar?
Silva: I think Minotauro. Minotauro is the man to beat Lesnar because he won’t fear him. He doesn’t fear anyone, and he’ll punish him standing.
Sherdog: Lyoto trained with you in the past. At that time, did you realize he had something different?
Silva: He’s lucky to be born is a house of fighters. He has his brothers, and he is, undoubtedly, a great fighter. He’s a cool guy, and I think he’s a great fighter.
Sherdog: What do you think about his next fight, against Shogun?
Silva: I still think Shogun is one of the best fighters in this division. I think this fight is tough. Lyoto has great timing and works well, so I think whoever hits first will win. We’re gonna see if it’s the lottery or not. I think it’s gonna be one of the best fights in the UFC.
Sherdog: A lot of people are saying that he is unbeatable.
Silva: No, no. Nobody is unbeatable. There are a lot of great fighters fighting around the world, and I don’t believe the best fighter in the world exists.
Sherdog: What do you expect for your career now? For how long will the fans watch Wanderlei fight?
Silva: I want to fight the best, and I know I’ll be fighting the best. Even because with how much they pay me, they won’t put me against (just) anyone. I want to fight the best, teach my training method, help the Brazilian fighters who need to come to the U.S. I want to welcome them here. I want to create champions. I want to make my team bigger. Thank God in MMA we still have a lot of areas to explore, but I don’t want this job to mess with my career inside the Octagon. No, I’m gonna get my camp together to start training for my next fight. … I’ll see what UFC wants from me, but I want to keep giving a show to my fans. That’s what motivates me. I’ve seen around the world what the UFC has become. It’s like the World Cup final, and it motivates me even more.
UFC signs Rory MacDonald, undefeated 20-year-old KOTC champion
Undefeated King of the Cage champion Rory MacDonald (9-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC.
The Canadian's coach, David Lea of Team Toshido MMA in British Columbia, Canada, announced the signing on the popular MMA forum, The Underground.
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has since confirmed the signing with Lea.
MacDonald has signed a four-fight deal, though no debut date was disclosed for the young fighter.
MacDonald, a four-year professional who's just 20 years old, has spent the majority of his career with KOTC, where he's picked up the organization's world and Canadian lightweight titles. All nine of his wins have come via stoppage (five submissions and four knockouts), five in the first round.
He most recently defeated former KOTC 205-pound champion Nick Hinchliffe (11-4 at the time) with a second-round knockout last month.
MacDonald, who's competed at 170 pounds in his two most recent fights, is now expected to compete in the UFC's deep welterweight division.
Undefeated King of the Cage champion Rory MacDonald (9-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC.
The Canadian's coach, David Lea of Team Toshido MMA in British Columbia, Canada, announced the signing on the popular MMA forum, The Underground.
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has since confirmed the signing with Lea.
MacDonald has signed a four-fight deal, though no debut date was disclosed for the young fighter.
MacDonald, a four-year professional who's just 20 years old, has spent the majority of his career with KOTC, where he's picked up the organization's world and Canadian lightweight titles. All nine of his wins have come via stoppage (five submissions and four knockouts), five in the first round.
He most recently defeated former KOTC 205-pound champion Nick Hinchliffe (11-4 at the time) with a second-round knockout last month.
MacDonald, who's competed at 170 pounds in his two most recent fights, is now expected to compete in the UFC's deep welterweight division.
Fight Path: For UFC 104's Razak Al-Hassan, the art always came before the martial
At first, Razak Al-Hassan didn't know there was a problem.
"I didn't feel it," Al-Hassan told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) of his dislocated elbow following his UFC debut in December 2008. "When the referee stopped it, I was bewildered. I was thinking, 'OK, why are you stopping the fight?'"
The referee, in fact, noticed what pretty much everyone else watching the fight against Steve Cantwell did. Al-Hassan, caught in an armbar, was going to suffer a significant arm injury, but he was refusing to tap out.
The first-round injury has made him into a notable UFC character. Some, he said, criticize him for not tapping out even though an injury was imminent. Others have slapped him on the back and praised him for his toughness in declining to quit.
In the heat of the moment, Al-Hassan wasn't thinking of it that way.
"At the time, I wasn't thinking, 'No, I'm not going to tap; I'm a badass,'" he said. "I was just thinking, 'I need to get out of this. I need to keep fighting.'"
After rehabilitating, Al-Hassan will indeed keep fighting. The 27-year-old, who is 6-1 as a professional with a significant tae kwon do background, will return at UFC 104 on Oct. 24 to fight Kyle Kingsbury (7-2-1) in a 205-pound bout.
His elbow, he said, is back to 100 percent, and his striking ability has returned. Plus, he maintains the martial arts ability he gained as a member of a tae kwon do-trained family, and he just recently quit his job at a bank to concentrate on MMA full time.
If nothing else, Al-Hassan doesn't want the extent of his UFC reputation to come from his notable in-cage injury.
"I don't want to have any regrets," he said. "I didn't want to work full time and train then look back and wish I had committed myself to it."
A reserved striker
Al-Hassan's family first arrived in Ames, Iowa, so that his father could pursue his Ph.D. in genetics. His parents were originally from Ghana, but Al-Hassan was born in Ames, the home of Iowa State University.
His parents split when he was young, and his hard-working mother, a nurse, enrolled her three children – Al-Hassan and his younger brother and sister – in tae kwon do classes for the discipline and activity involvement.
He inherited his parents' values on education and a reserved demeanor, so he's polite, well-spoken and thoughtful. At the same time, he was a skilled martial artist.
He'll be the first to admit, though, that he wasn't a lifelong MMA devotee.
"I watched the first season of 'The Ultimate Fighter,' but I didn't really know anything about the UFC before that," he said.
He found a gym nearby in Des Moines, Iowa, and began training for MMA. He had advantages, he noticed, in flexibility and striking ability because of his previous training.
What he didn't care for as much, though, was the attitude of some of the other fighters.
"I was focusing on technique, not necessarily fighting, not just rushing to get into a cage as soon as possible," Al-Hassan said. "I felt like I had more respect for learning how to do things.
"In tae kwon do, you enter the facility, bow, then bow to the instructor, and everything's very organized. You address the coaches as 'Yes sir' and 'No sir.' A lot of guys I saw just wanted to fight. They cared more about the martial than the art."
Finally, in January 2007, Al-Hassan decided to take his first amateur fight. Once it ended in 12 seconds with a head kick, he thought he might be able to do a little bit more with MMA than just train.
The famous elbow injury
Al-Hassan's first professional fight, in February 2007, ended in similar fashion, as he earned a 54-second submission at a Royalty Fight Now show.
After a July 2007 win, he was 3-0 and looking forward to another chance in August. A pulled groin, though, made him think about giving up the sport.
"I didn't have any fights, not because I didn't want to, but because I couldn't get any," he said. "I couldn't get promoters to call me back. All my buddies were getting fights and winning, but I couldn't find anything."
Al-Hassan scratched together a few fights and eventually reached out to the connection that eventually got him into the UFC. He called a friend named Chad Bergmeier, who was involved with Extreme Challenge shows in Iowa. Bergmeier gave Al-Hassan a shot in Extreme Challenge 107, which was another first-round win.
Then, the UFC called. Joe Silva, the UFC's matchmaker, contacted Bergmeier and asked if he had any 205-pounders who could fill a slot. Wanting the chance, Al-Hassan took the fight against Cantwell, who was then 6-1.
It was just a few minutes into the fight when Al-Hassan got into trouble.
The injury, though, wasn't as bad as some thought. It didn't even register with him until he started walking out of the cage.
"The adrenaline started to wear off, and I'm thinking, 'OK, something might be wrong,'" Al-Hassan said. "It wasn't awful, but it was uncomfortable. I'm fine with that. We're supposed to be modern-day gladiators, and that's just part of doing what we do."
There was no break, and even no surgery. There was rehabilitation for four months a few times a week.
Meanwhile, he decided his career in a bank collections department could be hindering his MMA career, so he chose to concentrate on the sports full time.
Now, with the elbow healed, with a new focus and with a desire to prove he can compete at the top level, Al-Hassan is back in the UFC.
"It's the opportunity of a lifetime," he said, "and I'm thankful I'm getting another chance."
At first, Razak Al-Hassan didn't know there was a problem.
"I didn't feel it," Al-Hassan told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) of his dislocated elbow following his UFC debut in December 2008. "When the referee stopped it, I was bewildered. I was thinking, 'OK, why are you stopping the fight?'"
The referee, in fact, noticed what pretty much everyone else watching the fight against Steve Cantwell did. Al-Hassan, caught in an armbar, was going to suffer a significant arm injury, but he was refusing to tap out.
The first-round injury has made him into a notable UFC character. Some, he said, criticize him for not tapping out even though an injury was imminent. Others have slapped him on the back and praised him for his toughness in declining to quit.
In the heat of the moment, Al-Hassan wasn't thinking of it that way.
"At the time, I wasn't thinking, 'No, I'm not going to tap; I'm a badass,'" he said. "I was just thinking, 'I need to get out of this. I need to keep fighting.'"
After rehabilitating, Al-Hassan will indeed keep fighting. The 27-year-old, who is 6-1 as a professional with a significant tae kwon do background, will return at UFC 104 on Oct. 24 to fight Kyle Kingsbury (7-2-1) in a 205-pound bout.
His elbow, he said, is back to 100 percent, and his striking ability has returned. Plus, he maintains the martial arts ability he gained as a member of a tae kwon do-trained family, and he just recently quit his job at a bank to concentrate on MMA full time.
If nothing else, Al-Hassan doesn't want the extent of his UFC reputation to come from his notable in-cage injury.
"I don't want to have any regrets," he said. "I didn't want to work full time and train then look back and wish I had committed myself to it."
A reserved striker
Al-Hassan's family first arrived in Ames, Iowa, so that his father could pursue his Ph.D. in genetics. His parents were originally from Ghana, but Al-Hassan was born in Ames, the home of Iowa State University.
His parents split when he was young, and his hard-working mother, a nurse, enrolled her three children – Al-Hassan and his younger brother and sister – in tae kwon do classes for the discipline and activity involvement.
He inherited his parents' values on education and a reserved demeanor, so he's polite, well-spoken and thoughtful. At the same time, he was a skilled martial artist.
He'll be the first to admit, though, that he wasn't a lifelong MMA devotee.
"I watched the first season of 'The Ultimate Fighter,' but I didn't really know anything about the UFC before that," he said.
He found a gym nearby in Des Moines, Iowa, and began training for MMA. He had advantages, he noticed, in flexibility and striking ability because of his previous training.
What he didn't care for as much, though, was the attitude of some of the other fighters.
"I was focusing on technique, not necessarily fighting, not just rushing to get into a cage as soon as possible," Al-Hassan said. "I felt like I had more respect for learning how to do things.
"In tae kwon do, you enter the facility, bow, then bow to the instructor, and everything's very organized. You address the coaches as 'Yes sir' and 'No sir.' A lot of guys I saw just wanted to fight. They cared more about the martial than the art."
Finally, in January 2007, Al-Hassan decided to take his first amateur fight. Once it ended in 12 seconds with a head kick, he thought he might be able to do a little bit more with MMA than just train.
The famous elbow injury
Al-Hassan's first professional fight, in February 2007, ended in similar fashion, as he earned a 54-second submission at a Royalty Fight Now show.
After a July 2007 win, he was 3-0 and looking forward to another chance in August. A pulled groin, though, made him think about giving up the sport.
"I didn't have any fights, not because I didn't want to, but because I couldn't get any," he said. "I couldn't get promoters to call me back. All my buddies were getting fights and winning, but I couldn't find anything."
Al-Hassan scratched together a few fights and eventually reached out to the connection that eventually got him into the UFC. He called a friend named Chad Bergmeier, who was involved with Extreme Challenge shows in Iowa. Bergmeier gave Al-Hassan a shot in Extreme Challenge 107, which was another first-round win.
Then, the UFC called. Joe Silva, the UFC's matchmaker, contacted Bergmeier and asked if he had any 205-pounders who could fill a slot. Wanting the chance, Al-Hassan took the fight against Cantwell, who was then 6-1.
It was just a few minutes into the fight when Al-Hassan got into trouble.
The injury, though, wasn't as bad as some thought. It didn't even register with him until he started walking out of the cage.
"The adrenaline started to wear off, and I'm thinking, 'OK, something might be wrong,'" Al-Hassan said. "It wasn't awful, but it was uncomfortable. I'm fine with that. We're supposed to be modern-day gladiators, and that's just part of doing what we do."
There was no break, and even no surgery. There was rehabilitation for four months a few times a week.
Meanwhile, he decided his career in a bank collections department could be hindering his MMA career, so he chose to concentrate on the sports full time.
Now, with the elbow healed, with a new focus and with a desire to prove he can compete at the top level, Al-Hassan is back in the UFC.
"It's the opportunity of a lifetime," he said, "and I'm thankful I'm getting another chance."
Frank Trigg undergoes successful knee surgery, says target return date unchanged
A knee surgery went better than expected for UFC welterweight Frank Trigg, who underwent a 30-minute procedure this morning in Las Vegas.
The procedure, which will keep him out of training for just two weeks, was scheduled after months of problems with his right knee.
"It was a lot better than we thought it would be," Trigg today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) of his knee. "I was on the table at 7 (a.m.) and off at 7:35. It took me longer to wake up from the anesthesia than the surgery itself."
Trigg, who returned to the UFC in September to fight Josh Koscheck at UFC 103, injured his knee a few months before the bout and briefly considered pulling out of the fight while sidelined two weeks by the injury. He was healed in time for the pay-per-view bout (though the knee remained "a little loose"), which he lost via first-round TKO, but the problems persisted after the fight.
"I took two weeks off after the fight hoping it'd get better," Trigg said. "But it only got worse. I tried carrying (my son) Stone to bed last week and couldn't even get up the stairs. So we made the call."
A series of MRIs had the 37-year-old fighter and his doctors expecting a possible torn meniscus. Instead, the problem was largely arthritis-related. Doctors drilled some holes in his bone to encourage the production of collagen, cleaned up the area of debris, and "did a little shaving" of the area.
The surgery won't affect Trigg's plans to return in early 2010. Specifically, he has his eye on a SuperBowl weekend card in his hometown of Las Vegas but said he's open to any upcoming cards, including one on Jan. 2 in Sin City. Despite reports, though, Trigg (19-7 MMA, 2-4 UFC) hasn't agreed to any specific fight date or match-up, though he and Matt Serra (9-6 MMA, 6-6 UFC) are both open to a bout against each other.
Still, Trigg said the UFC brass hasn't talked to him about the possibility of that or any other fight.
"I haven't heard anything except from Joe Silva, who told me to relax and quit calling him every 10 minutes about my next fight," he joked.
A knee surgery went better than expected for UFC welterweight Frank Trigg, who underwent a 30-minute procedure this morning in Las Vegas.
The procedure, which will keep him out of training for just two weeks, was scheduled after months of problems with his right knee.
"It was a lot better than we thought it would be," Trigg today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) of his knee. "I was on the table at 7 (a.m.) and off at 7:35. It took me longer to wake up from the anesthesia than the surgery itself."
Trigg, who returned to the UFC in September to fight Josh Koscheck at UFC 103, injured his knee a few months before the bout and briefly considered pulling out of the fight while sidelined two weeks by the injury. He was healed in time for the pay-per-view bout (though the knee remained "a little loose"), which he lost via first-round TKO, but the problems persisted after the fight.
"I took two weeks off after the fight hoping it'd get better," Trigg said. "But it only got worse. I tried carrying (my son) Stone to bed last week and couldn't even get up the stairs. So we made the call."
A series of MRIs had the 37-year-old fighter and his doctors expecting a possible torn meniscus. Instead, the problem was largely arthritis-related. Doctors drilled some holes in his bone to encourage the production of collagen, cleaned up the area of debris, and "did a little shaving" of the area.
The surgery won't affect Trigg's plans to return in early 2010. Specifically, he has his eye on a SuperBowl weekend card in his hometown of Las Vegas but said he's open to any upcoming cards, including one on Jan. 2 in Sin City. Despite reports, though, Trigg (19-7 MMA, 2-4 UFC) hasn't agreed to any specific fight date or match-up, though he and Matt Serra (9-6 MMA, 6-6 UFC) are both open to a bout against each other.
Still, Trigg said the UFC brass hasn't talked to him about the possibility of that or any other fight.
"I haven't heard anything except from Joe Silva, who told me to relax and quit calling him every 10 minutes about my next fight," he joked.
UFC Fight Night 20 targeted for Jan. 11 in Virginia, Spike TV to broadcast (Updated)
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is expected to make its Virginia debut in January.
Sources close to the event have told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) UFC Fight Night 20, which would air on Spike TV, is currently slotted for Monday, Jan. 11.
However, the UFC has made no formal announcement, and a representative from Virginia's Professional Boxing, Martial Arts and Wrestling Program said no date is official.
Additionally, while the cable station has begun preparations for the first quarter of 2010, including tryouts for "The Ultimate Fighter 11" and the show's April 2010 debut, Spike TV Vice President of Communications David Schwarz said nothing is official.
"We have nothing to announce yet for 2010," he said.
The UFC would enter a new state with the upcoming event. The UFC has never ventured to Virginia, though UFC president Dana White has said in the past that the state (especially near the Washington D.C. area) could be a site for future expansion. Additionally, UFC Vice President of Talent Relations Joe Silva currently lives in Virginia and scouts many of the area's shows.
At least one site believed to be under consideration for UFC Fight Night 20 is the 11,000-seat Patriot Center on the George Mason University campus in Fairfax.
UFC Fight Night events are traditionally held on Wednesdays or Saturdays, though the first of 2010 will apparently take place on a rare Monday.
According to mixedmartialarts.com, a bout between UFC newcomers Rory MacDonald (9-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and Mike "Joker" Guymon (11-2-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is un-signed but in the works for the upcoming show.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is expected to make its Virginia debut in January.
Sources close to the event have told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) UFC Fight Night 20, which would air on Spike TV, is currently slotted for Monday, Jan. 11.
However, the UFC has made no formal announcement, and a representative from Virginia's Professional Boxing, Martial Arts and Wrestling Program said no date is official.
Additionally, while the cable station has begun preparations for the first quarter of 2010, including tryouts for "The Ultimate Fighter 11" and the show's April 2010 debut, Spike TV Vice President of Communications David Schwarz said nothing is official.
"We have nothing to announce yet for 2010," he said.
The UFC would enter a new state with the upcoming event. The UFC has never ventured to Virginia, though UFC president Dana White has said in the past that the state (especially near the Washington D.C. area) could be a site for future expansion. Additionally, UFC Vice President of Talent Relations Joe Silva currently lives in Virginia and scouts many of the area's shows.
At least one site believed to be under consideration for UFC Fight Night 20 is the 11,000-seat Patriot Center on the George Mason University campus in Fairfax.
UFC Fight Night events are traditionally held on Wednesdays or Saturdays, though the first of 2010 will apparently take place on a rare Monday.
According to mixedmartialarts.com, a bout between UFC newcomers Rory MacDonald (9-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and Mike "Joker" Guymon (11-2-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is un-signed but in the works for the upcoming show.
Shinya Aoki: Tatsuya Kawajiri’s title challenge was (yawn) predictable
“I figured he would [call me out], but it made me laugh because his action was so predictable. During training, I told Caol Uno that I would borrow his words to retort if Kawajiri challenged me like that. Then, lo and behold, Kawajiri comes out dead serious. I just took it all in stride, because, come on, how did he think I would react? Kawajiri is so forthright, while I am just really devious. I think Kawajiri is a good fighter, so I can see myself fighting him; however, I do not know for sure yet. If I feel like fighting him, I will. But that’s something I decide — unfortunately, Kawajiri won’t have any say in the matter.”
“I figured he would [call me out], but it made me laugh because his action was so predictable. During training, I told Caol Uno that I would borrow his words to retort if Kawajiri challenged me like that. Then, lo and behold, Kawajiri comes out dead serious. I just took it all in stride, because, come on, how did he think I would react? Kawajiri is so forthright, while I am just really devious. I think Kawajiri is a good fighter, so I can see myself fighting him; however, I do not know for sure yet. If I feel like fighting him, I will. But that’s something I decide — unfortunately, Kawajiri won’t have any say in the matter.”