MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

CAIN VELASQUEZ: GETTING THERE IS HALF THE FUN

With his victory over Cheick Kongo at UFC 99, 27-year-old Cain Velasquez went back to the gym with a firm goal: never hesitate.

The former Arizona State University wrestler said he waited a split-second too long in front of Kongo and paid dearly. Those punches, which might have felled other men, were his lesson.

Velasquez, however, dug deep and clung to his game plan with a decision won on the mat.

Velasquez’s next opponent, Ben Rothwell at UFC 104, may be the perfect fighter to work towards the goal. Rothwell is a year older than him, but has 10 years of fights under his belt and heavy hands to boot.

He’s also more well-rounded, which Velasquez acknowledges as an added threat.

Velasquez’s trainer, Javier Mendez, doesn’t believe Rothwell is on the same level of striking ability as Kongo. But there’s still danger in getting the fight where Velasquez ultimately wants it – downstairs.

Getting there, says Velasquez, is a matter of setting it up correctly.

“I’m looking to set up a lot of stuff with my striking, just to make it easier to get the takedown, if it’s there, and if I make an opening for it,” he said.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Anderson Silva interview

The elbow surgery was necessary, but Anderson Silva thinks his time off should end now. “I’m crazy to come back to training, to fight again, but I have to wait. It’s in doctor’s hands now… If I had the option, I’d be back to training tomorrow”, Silva said, commenting the recovery. In an exclusive interview, Anderson talked about being in Lyoto Machida’s corner for his fight against Silva’s former team mate, Maurício “Shogun”, talked Vitor Belfort’s Karate training and much more.

Are you in United States or in Brazil?
I’m in United States. After Minotauro’s fight I went to Bitteti (Combat) and to Jungle (Fight), then I came here. I went under surgery on my elbow, let’s see when will the doctor let me back to training.

How was the surgery, everything happened as you expected?
Everything ok, thanks God. My recovery is very good, better than we expected. I’m recovering very fast, now I have to wait the doctor’s liberation to see when I’ll be back to train. I’m crazy to be back to train so I can fight. We have a Nike’s doctor, he knows the stuff, it’s one of the best doctors, he takes care of football players, of Kobe Bryant... The recovery is ok, but I can’t train a lot. I’m doing some cardio, I’m ready, crazy to get back to train, to kick asses, but I gotta wait. It’s in doctor’s hands. By me, I’d be back to training tomorrow.

Did doctors gave any deadline to the return?
I had the surgery, took some time, took the stitches off, started to make physiotherapy and wanted to train, but the doctor doesn’t liberated me. I needed to use the arm sling for 40 days, but I couldn’t stand and took it before, because I didn’t wanted to stand still. Now he liberated me, I’m trying to convince him to let me get back to training, but it’s okay.

Will you stay on Lyoto’s corner at UFC 104?
I’m with Lyoto here, he came the day before yesterday. He’s well prepared and I on his corner or not won’t make any difference, because he’s very well trained guy, focused. He’s with his family, a great advantage that he has over all his opponents, because who’s in his corner is his family. No one better than his family to say what he can or can’t do, because they know him well, they know his strong and weak points, his limits and potential. Of course I’ll help, but I’ll be there supporting him, as always, for he can bring this victory to Brazil. It’s a tough fight, Shogun is a tough guy too, and will also come well trained and that’s a great opportunity to him. Let’s see, it’ll be an historical fight.

How do you analyze this fight, which weapons each one can bring to win?
It’s really hard to talk about this fight, but I had the chance to train with both... Shogun got much more mature since the time we use to train together, he has a very good Jiu-Jitsu, just like Lyoto. It’s hard. Standing up, Shogun is a good athlete, but near Lyoto... Lyoto is much better with movements, he has refined reflexes standing up. It’s a tough fight for both. I believe that there’s a big chance to Shogun win, but the chances of making mistakes is much bigger to Shogun, but he has chances. I think that he’ll make much more mistakes than Lyoto. Shogun is a great fighter, he defeated tough guys on Pride, but Lyoto, on each fight, put his rhythm in a way that he doesn’t expose himself, and Shogun will put himself in risk much more. On this category, I don’t see anyone who can beat Lyoto.

Your manager, Ed Soares, said that you were interested in this fight against Belfort at a 195lbs catch weight. Is that your decision?
I want to fight and, if the doctor lets me to be back to training, I’ll train and I may fight with Dan Henderson, Vitor, I don’t choose opponent, dude. I’m here to fight anyone. If the weight matches, 195, or 205, or 185 pounds, if I have to fight, I’ll fight. Each one has an opinion and says what think is better, and I’m training to be back better than never to keep with my work, whoever my opponent is. I don’t have to prove anything to anyone. I get there to do my job and there’s nowhere to run, that our life. Of course I have my personal opinion about some people attitudes, but it has no influence on UFC’s decision to make one fight or other. I want to defend my title and my personal interests, of course, and you gotta have strategy inside and outside the octagon. I’m crazy to grab somebody, I’m crazy to kick asses.

Do you think that Belfort’s Karate training can surprise you?
I respect it, but I do that for a long time, since I was a kid I train martial arts, so things that happens to me are not surprise, are things that I did when I was a kid, a natural thing, I didn’t have to push anything. When I was five I used to train Capoeira, when I was 8 I started to train Taekwondo, when I was 13 I started to train Boxing, when I was 18 I used to train Taekwondo and Muay Thai and I was always training. Then my friends started to train Jiu-Jitsu, but I couldn’t because the kimono was too expensive, so I trained with them on their houses.

I train martial arts for a long time, a lot of them, I had a lot o teachers and each one passes something to me. Of course that you train Karate, Taekwondo, Boxe, it’s from each one... People have to understand that it’s not Jiu-Jitsu that will make you win or not... “Oh, I’ll train Gracie’s Jiu-Jitsu“, it’s not that the difference to who will start to train now... The difference is your head, what’s before the fight, the friends behind you, who care about you and aren’t with you by interest. It’s not Karate that will change something, or Taekwondo, but the person, the personality, the nature that will make the difference when you’re in the octagon. The training is important, but to be happy with what you’re doing, confident, with no interest from the others.

It’s not Karate that’s good, the martial art from the moment... Machida Karate is the Karate of the moment. Lyoto is different of the other Karate fighters, it’s not an ordinary Karate, it’s not anyone that will come on go fast as Lyoto. On my fight against Roy Jones, it’s not the fact that I train Boxing with Muhammad Ali or Mike Tyson that will make the difference. He’s an Olympic athlete and I have a few chances to win, almost none. When I’m in Brazil, in Curitiba, I train Taekwondo with my old friends that are champions, but it doesn’t make much difference. The difference is you have people around you wanting good thing to you. Winning or losing, our friendship will stay, that what matters to me and makes the difference.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Vale Tudo Japan 09! Warren Out

Joe Warren has injured his left knee in training and will not be able to recover until Vale Tudo Japan 09. Replacing him will be another wrestler in Corey Grant, who was Warren’s teammate during their wrestling days.

Grant started training MMA in 2007 at Team Quest and has since improved his MMA record to 3-0. Warren speaks very highly of him.

Also announced for the card, Kosuke “Jukucho (private-school principal)” Eda will take on SENGOKU Gold Cup participant Masato Sannai in a regular Shooto rules fight.

And apparently Yoichiro Sato’s opponent has already been announced. He’ll take on Korean Jung Ming Kang.

Vale Tudo Japan 09
Date: October 30th, 2009
Place: JCB Hall in Tokyo, Japan

VTJ Rules, 71kg, 5×5 mins:
Takanori Gomi vs. Tony Hervey

VTJ Rules, 65kg, 5×5 mins:
Lion Takeshi vs. Alexandre Franca Nogueira

VTJ Rules, 63kg, 3×5 mins:
Rumina Sato vs. Corey Grant

Shooto Welterweight Title Fight, 3×5 mins:
Willamy “Chiquerinho” Chiquerim vs. Kenichiro Togashi

Shooto Bantamweight Fight, 3×5 mins:
Mamoru Yamaguchi vs. Jesse Taitano

VTJ Rules, 67kg, 3×5 mins:
Tenkei Fujimiya vs. Tito Jones

Shooto Middleweight Fight, 2×5 mins:
Yoichiro Sato vs. Jung Ming Kang

Shooto 62kg Fight, 2×5 mins:
Kosuke “Jukucho” Eda vs. Masato Sannai

 

[drunkaholic707]

Dana White: Dan Henderson demanded to be "by far the highest-paid guy in the UFC"

LOS ANGELES – UFC fans hoping to hear a positive update on current free agent Dan Henderson's return to the UFC might not want to read any further.

At Thursday's UFC 104 pre-event press conference, UFC president Dana White told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that Henderson's financial demands are simply unrealistic.

"We're at a stalemate right now," White said. "The money that [Henderson] is asking for would make him by far the highest-paid guy in the UFC."

White initially told Yahoo! Sports less than a week ago that his negotiations with Henderson had failed and that "Hollywood" was close to signing with Strikeforce. Henderson then refuted those claims with several media outlets, insisting his contact with Strikeforce had simply been introductory in nature.

White today said a chance encounter on Wednesday night led him to believe perhaps the relationship was progressing.

"You know what's [expletive] hilarious?" White asked. "I went to dinner last night, and [Henderson's] lawyer and (Strikeforce CEO) Scott Coker are sitting at dinner together last night. I said, 'What are the [expletive] odds that out of every restaurant in L.A., the one that I go to, these guys are here?'"

White did say that Henderson still has an open invitation to rejoin the UFC, but the former PRIDE champion would need to accept the terms the UFC executive has offered – which he insists are better than anything the two-division contender will find on the open market.

"The negotiations are done," White said. "I made [Henderson] an offer, and I guarantee you the offer that I made him, Strikeforce can't pay."

So, at least for now, Henderson will remain on the outside of the promotion.

White has said in the past that he considers Henderson a friend, and the UFC president assured MMAjunkie.com that these failed negotiations won't stand in the way of the pair's personal relationship.

"I like Dan," White said with a smile. "We're totally cool. You'll never hear me say a bad thing about Dan Henderson, other than he's ugly, and that's just the truth."

 

[drunkaholic707]

Despite issuing 3,300 free tickets, Dana White happy with UFC 104 sales

LOS ANGELES – When the UFC first visited Los Angeles' Staples Center for UFC 60 in May 2006, the event was considered by many as a bit of a disappointment at the gate after it attracted just 10,347 paid attendees.

Just two days away from the organization's return to the venue, UFC president Dana White said he's content with the sales this time around.

And that's despite the fact that White said he has distributed 3,300 complimentary tickets in recent fan giveaways.

"Everything is good," White said following Thursday's UFC 104 pre-event press conference. "We're happy with ticket sales. I'm [expletive] thrilled that in this economy, we're doing what we're doing."

The UFC actually issued 4,418 complimentary tickets for UFC 60 according to California State Athletic Commission reports. But the $280.27 average ticket price for the 2006 was widely panned, and current economic conditions would certainly make a repeat of the $2.9 million gate from 2006 a success for the promotion.

White said despite lower ticket prices on this trip to Los Angeles, the UFC is nearing that mark.

"We're conscious of the problems that are going on in this country, and we try to price [tickets] the best we can," White said. "You've still got to a pay a guy. You still have to run a business, but you can't crush the fans and price them out of the fights.

"To be dead honest with you, I haven't looked at the ticket report in three or four days. But the last time I looked, we were at like $2 million. I'm happy."

Tickets for upcoming events have been lowered in response to current economic conditions, and December's star-studded UFC 107 event in Memphis, Tenn., even has tickets for as low as $50. White said he and the UFC will continue to do everything they can to make the live event experience available to all mixed martial arts fans.

"We're always looking at the ticket situation and how to make it easier for fans," White said. "The people that couldn't afford them came and found me, and I gave [tickets] to them."

Los Angeles' Staples Center is a 10-year-old multi-purpose arena. The venue's attendance record of 20,820 fans was set in January for a boxing match between Antonio Margarito and Shane Mosley.

For complete coverage of UFC 104, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com

 

[drunkaholic707]

HDNet carries Sunday's DREAM.12 event live

Just an hour or two following the conclusion of UFC 104 on pay-per-view, HDNet will offer more mixed-martial-arts action with the live broadcast of DREAM.12.

The event takes place Sunday, Oct. 25, and airs on HDNet at 2 a.m. ET (11 p.m. PT).

DREAM.12 takes place at the Osaka Castle Hall in Osaka, Japan.

A number of notables are in action at the event, which is the first DREAM event to use a cage rather than the tradition ring. DREAM welterweight champion Marius Zaromskis returns for a non-title affair, former WEC middleweight champion Paulo Filho is on the card, and Americans Eddie Alvarez and Chase Beebe are also in action.

If you can't catch the event live, HDNet airs a replay of DREAM.12 on Friday, Oct. 30, at 10:30 p.m. ET.

The full card for the event includes:

* Zelg Galesic vs. Kazushi Sakuraba
* Tokimitsu Ishizawa vs. Katsuyori Shibata
* Champ Marius Zaromskis vs. Myeon Ho Bae (welterweight non-title fight)
* Keisuke Fujiwara vs. Tomoya Miyashita
* Paulo Filho vs. Yoon Dong Sik
* Chase Beebe vs. Yoshiro Maeda
* Eddie Alvarez vs. Katsunori Kikuno
* Kuniyoshi Hironaka vs. Won Sik Park
* Alistair Overeem vs. James Thompson

For the latest on DREAM.12, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC update: UFC 105 sold out, Mexico likely in April, Virginia next new domestic market

LOS ANGELES – The UFC's ventures abroad continue to earn financial success, and UFC president Dana White today declared November's "UFC 105: Couture vs. Vera" in the U.K. an official sellout.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) was informed by additional Zuffa officials that less than 1,000 seats remain for the Nov. 14 event at Manchester Evening News Arena in Manchester, England. All are expected to be gone by fight time.

White also said the UFC is targeting an April trip to Mexico, while confirming the organization's recently rumored trip to the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va., for UFC Fight Night 20 on Jan. 11 is also official.

While the UFC 105 trip to the U.K. is already a success, White said traveling internationally presents some unique financial challenges.

"The hard part about going to these other countries right now is the economic situation," White said. "It's not just here in the U.S. It's everywhere. To get down to any of these countries, you need a big sponsor."

White said a recently rumored April trip to Mexico for the UFC was far from official, though the move seems probable.

"We've actually done very well with some Hispanic brands right now," White said. "So, it's looking good. It's looking like we're going to pull this off. ... Mexico is looking a lot more positive."

White said the Philippines may prove one casualty of the tough financial times.

"At one point, before everything crashed, we were talking about going to the Philippines," White said. "We had a big press conference over there. It was [expletive] crazy. A big riot broke out in the thing; people were so excited. All the sponsors ended up crashing and burning, so it didn't happen."

As for who might headline a show in Mexico, White said the obvious choice was to bring some of the organization's top Hispanic fighters. But the UFC exec also insisted that wasn't necessarily the best strategy, something learned by the promotion's European shows.

"Obviously when we go into a new market, we want to bring big stars," White said. "But like I said today in the press conference, we're in L.A. right now, and the main event is two Brazilians that don't even speak English very well, and people care. We're breaking through all those barriers in sports and all these other things where 'We have to go Mexico and Cain Velasquez has to be the champion and he has to be the headline guy.' It's not like that anymore.

"We started goofing around with it in England, and the English people were like, '[Expletive] that. We want all the big stars. We can see English guys fight here all the time. We want to see the big stars fight that we see on TV.' I think when we got into these different markets, because we're on television in like 175 different countries right now, they expect to see what they see on TV. That's what they want."

After confirming that the UFC would, indeed, visit the new market of Fairfax, Va., for UFC Fight Night 20 in January, White was questioned whether the UFC may soon be in danger of over-saturating the market with too much MMA.

The UFC exec was passionate in reply.

"Is there too much football on?" White asked. "Is there too much baseball? I think as long as you're putting on good fights, there's no such thing as too much.

"When you're a big fight fan – and again, I go by how I was and my friends – you couldn't give us enough good fights. We got excited for it, we couldn't wait to see it."

As he often does, White said the key was not to follow boxing's recent business model.

"What happened in boxing is, when everything went to the pay model, everything got so big and starting making so much money, that guys that went from fighting all the time were fighting [expletive] twice a year," White said. "Forget that. When they started putting the fights on free TV, they were fights that sucked so bad people didn't care about it. You didn't want to see it.

"I believe if you have great fights, you keep putting them out, who won't watch some great fights?"

 

[Shogun Locc]

Dana White considers futures of Mirko Filipovic, Quinton Jackson and Chuck Liddell

LOS ANGELES – A trio of recently departed MMA superstars may not actually be any closer to returning to the promotion, but UFC president Dana White refused to rule out a return trip to the octagon by Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson or Chuck Liddell.

Filipovic, Jackson and Liddell have all recently been considered defunct parts of the organization for a variety of reasons.

White addressed all three fighters' status following Thursday's UFC 104 pre-event press conference.

"I haven't talked to Mirko since he left the last fight," White said. "He's one of those guys, when he starts thinking about what he wants to do, he'll call me."

Filipovic was rumored to have been considering retirement after suffering a loss – his third defeat in four UFC fights – to Junior dos Santos at September's UFC 103.

White also told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) after UFC 103 that Filipovic might be done.

"You get to a certain age where you remember what you used to be able to do, and you can see all the openings," White said. "You just can't pull the trigger. I think that's where [Filipovic] is at."

On Thursday, White said he remained open to the Croatian striker's return.

"I like Mirko, and I've got a lot of respect for him, especially the way he handled that whole situation when we were leaving Germany," White said. "Remember when the Japanese tried to pull some [expletive] on me again, and he fixed it? I respected him before that, and I respect him for that."

Jackson is an entirely different situation.

After bailing on his duties as a coach of "The Ultimate Fighter," Jackson elected to take a role as B.A. Baracus in "The A-Team" rather than fight at UFC 107. The promotion brought the Dec. 12 even to "Rampage's" hometown of Memphis, Tenn., as a favor to the former light heavyweight champion. The ensuing publicly waged tussle between Jackson and White led the fighter to declare he was retired.

White said he's unsure exactly what's next for Jackson but refused to say he was done.

"We've got so many problems right now with the 'Rampage' thing," White said. "We've got to let this (Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua) fight happen first, see how it pans out, because there's more stuff going down with me and 'Rampage.' We've got to figure this thing out, then we'll go from there."

Rumors have circulated that a meeting between White and Jackson is pending, though the UFC exec seemed a bit less certain.

"If [Jackson] wants to meet, he can come down here and meet me," White said. "I'm not going to chase him."

Lastly, and perhaps more certainly, White said he and former light heavyweight champ Liddell were planning to meet to determine the "Iceman's" next move.

"I was out with [Liddell Wednesday] night, and I need to keep him busy so he doesn't start hanging out a bunch again," White said. "I'm going to figure it out.

"Me and Chuck are going to figure out what he's going to do. I set up a meeting to meet with him in the next few weeks. We'll figure it all out."

White was then asked by the media if he would ever consider following in Liddell's, ahem, footsteps as a contestant on "Dancing with the Stars."

"You will never, ever see me on 'Dancing with the Stars,'" White said. "If you even see me dancing, I'm way too drunk. Put me in a cab and send me home."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Henderson Denies White’s Contract Claims

UFC President Dana White said Thursday that Dan Henderson’s asking price to re-sign with the UFC would make him “by far the highest-paid guy in the UFC," before reiterating that he and the fighter remain friendly.

"You’ll never hear me say a bad thing about Dan Henderson, other than he’s ugly, and that’s just the truth,” said White.

Henderson denied both claims.

“I’m not comfortable discussing contract negotiations in a public forum, but I’d have to respectfully disagree with both statements,” said Henderson through a representative on Thursday. “I am neither seeking to be the highest paid athlete in the UFC, nor am I ugly.”

Aaron Crecy, Henderson’s business partner and manager who has been privy to all offers circulated between the two parties, reiterated similar sentiments regarding White's contract claims.

“Contracts are confidential, so that statement’s impossible to prove or disprove,” said Crecy. “However, we have done our due diligence. We certainly don’t believe that to be the case. Dan understands and we have a certain belief on where he stands in the hierarchy. Certainly there are champions and former UFC champions that deserve to be paid more than Dan.”

Crecy added that Henderson’s counteroffer to the new contract presented to him last July likely wouldn’t even place him among the top 10 athletes in the organization in terms of pay.

Recent Internet rumblings have suggested the sides are stuck on a seven-figure signing bonus the fighter had requested. The UFC has issued signing bonuses to a handful of athletes in the past, though that information is never made public.

Crecy said he believed there were multiple sticking points but wouldn’t comment further. He was also surprised to hear White’s previous assertion that negotiations were “done.” Crecy said Henderson’s agent, Jordan Feagan, kept in contact with Zuffa “over the weekend and into this week.”

On Thursday White described the negotiations as at a “stalemate,” but last week he told Yahoo Sports that the promotion and Henderson could not reach a deal. The Yahoo report also stated that Henderson was “on the verge” of signing a deal with rival promotion Strikeforce. Henderson refuted the story and said talks with Strikeforce had been preliminary at best.

“The only reason we spoke with Strikeforce, if I’m not mistaken, was because Dana suggested we do so, at a time when he said the UFC wasn’t prepared to pay Dan what he’s asking, and that’s fine,” said Crecy.

Crecy confirmed that Feagan and Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker met Wednesday in Los Angeles. White told reporters Thursday he’d seen them in a restaurant. Crecy also indicated that Henderson would not be required to present any outside offers he receives to the UFC for matching, a standard practice usually included in the promotion’s contracts.

“Right now (Dan’s) just trying to gather information, and that’s his right to do as someone who has no obligation to any particular organization,” said Crecy. “After negotiating exclusively with the UFC for the last few months, he’s exploring what options there are.”

Crecy said Henderson will attend Strikeforce’s next major event on Nov. 7 in Chicago but that the fighter was far from a decision. Crecy also said he wouldn’t be surprised if Henderson hashed out a deal and returned to the Octagon.

“Our position has never been to argue in the media,” said Crecy. “We understand where the economy is. The last thing Dan wants to do is complain about money to fans. Ultimately, Dan does have a good relationship with and a great deal of respect for (UFC owners) Dana, Lorenzo (Fertitta), and Frank (Fertitta). He has nothing negative to say about them. Nothing’s done until a contract’s signed. Period.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

ALMEIDA EXPLAINS FITCH FIGHT CANCELLATION

Big news came out of the UFC’s welterweight division this week when the scheduled Jon Fitch versus Ricardo Almeida fight slated for UFC 106 on Nov. 21 in Las Vegas was cancelled due to Almeida being forced out of the fight with an injury.

In a statement issued exclusively to MMAWeekly.com, Almeida explained his reason for dropping out of his fight with Fitch.

“My knee popped during training at Renzo (Gracie’s) this week and right away I knew it wasn't good. (I) got an MRI and the results were a sprained and partially torn MCL and a tear also of my meniscus.

“(I) went to an orthopedist, who has treated many pro athletes from hockey through baseball and football here in the tri-state area, (and) we discussed surgery, but he said that (the) MCL tends to heal pretty well. (As a result of his diagnosis) I will be wearing a brace and doing physical therapy three times a week over the next four weeks.

“I was really scared about possibly having to sit out 6 months or more, so I'm stoked I don't have to go through surgery and a long rehabilitation period. My goal is to be back training in four weeks and hopefully fighting again late February or March.

“It is heartbreaking to have to pull out of such a big fight. I hate to leave the fans hanging and the UFC scratching to find a replacement. I was really looking forward to this fight.”

With Almeida out, the UFC opted to substitute Fitch into Paulo Thiago’s place at UFC 107 against Thiago Alves in what now becomes a battle of Top 10 ranked, former welterweight title contenders on Dec. 12 in Memphis, Tenn.

No official word yet from the UFC when Paulo Thiago will be rescheduled to fight and against whom.

 

[Shogun Locc]

NO SECRETS FOR BEN ROTHWELL AT UFC 104

LOS ANGELES – There was no shade of secrecy in Ben Rothwell’s pre-fight hype talk with reporters.

After 10 years working his way to the top of the mixed martial arts world, Rothwell, 28, was serious as a heart attack about what he was going to do to UFC 104 opponent Cain Velasquez – and what Velasquez was going to try to do to him.

“It’s no secret that he’s working to become a kickboxer who has a wrestling background, and if he gets in trouble, he’s going to take me to the ground, try to control me on the ground, grind out a decision,” said Rothwell, staring straight forward. “Basically, my game plan is to show him that he’s not the better kickboxer, stop his takedowns, and if it does go to the ground, beat him there too.

“You never know, I might end up on top, and put him somewhere he’s never been before, either.”

Rothwell brushed aside talk of any UFC jitters, saying this was his time to shine.

“This is all excitement,” he said. “The Octagon for me is like bliss.”

He pointed out he had as many losses on his record as Velasquez had fights. The difference, he said, was the 30 victories to his name.

Rothwell was 270 pounds on Wednesday, way ahead of schedule on his weight cut to 265 pounds. Usually, he said he had to cut 10 to 15 pounds at that point.

On Saturday, he will attempt to prove he belongs in the world's deepest talent pool.

“This is the best I’ve ever been, the best I’ve ever looked,” he said.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Martin Kampmann vs. Rory Markham targeted for January's UFC 108 in Las Vegas

A potential slugfest is currently in the works for UFC 108 as Martin Kampmann (15-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) and Rory Markham (16-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC) have been targeted for a welterweight contest at the event.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has learned from sources close to the event that both fighters have verbally agreed to the contest, though bout agreements have yet to be signed.

While the UFC has yet to officially announce the event, UFC 108 is expected to take place Jan. 2 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Kampmann looks to rebound from a disappointing TKO loss to UFC newcomer Paul Daley at "UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort" in September. The loss was Kampmann's first in three welterweight bouts after the Danish striker dropped down from 185 pounds.

Meanwhile, Markham also looks to bounce back from a loss to a British slugger. After a UFC debut saw Markham defeat Brodie Farber in highlight-reel fashion, the 27-year-old was knocked out by Dan Hardy at UFC 95 in February.

Markham has yet to go to a decision in 21 trips to the cage, while Kampmann has seen the final bell just twice in his 18 career bouts.

While the tentative main event of the as-yet-unannounced UFC 108 event still hinges on the health of Anderson Silva, the card currently includes:

* Champ Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort (for middleweight title)*
* Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva*
* Junior Dos Santos vs. Gabriel Gonzaga*
* Carlos Condit vs. Paul Daley*
* Tyson Griffin vs. Jim Miller*
* Martin Kampmann vs. Rory Markham*
* Joe Lauzon vs. Sam Stout*
* Dan Lauzon vs. Cole Miller*
* Ryan Jensen vs. Mark Munoz*
* Jake Ellenberger vs. Mike Pyle*

* - Not officially announced

 

[Shogun Locc]

Coach talks Pitbull vs. Fitch rematch

Before winning seven fights in a row, Thiago “Pitbull“ Alves was defeated by Jon Fitch. Three years later, the Brazilian will have the rematch, once that Ricardo Almeida suffered a knee injury is out of the fight, scheduled to UFC 107. Who tells the news is Conan Silveira, one of the American Top Team leaders.

“They changed the opponents, it’ll be a rematch between Pitbull and Jon Fitch“, Conan explained, excited to the second meeting between the fighters on December 12. “Pitbull is a natural athlete, we just have to do some adjustments on his training, not too much, but we’re prepared. It didn’t surprise us, because we know that happen all the time, so this kind of chance is on our minds“.

And a victory over Fitch puts the Brazilian back on the track for a title fight. “I never thought that Pitbull is out of the best 170lbs fighters. I can’t say that he was back to the middle of the line (with the loss to GSP), he continued to be one of the title contenders. I’m sure that you’ll see a completely different Pitbull. I know he’ll win, he’s starving, because he knows that it’ll put him next to the title and there’s a thing between them too“, bets Conan.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Cacareco signs multi-fight deal with Shine

With five consecutive victories by submission, Alexandre “Cacareco” Ferreira, who was rumored to sign with the UFC, signed a three fight deal with Shine Fights. Rudimar Fedrigo, Chute Boxe’s leader, confirmed the negotiation. “We’ll sign it today”, said Rudimar. “We’ll continue in our focus, but the best proposal in the moment was that, and he’ll fight for the title in the first fight. We loved it”.

Shine Fight’s matchmaker, Ron Foster commented the negotiations. “I sent him over the contract and I'm just waiting to get it back from him as we speak. He was also who helped me close the deal with Luis Azeredo”, said Foster, excited for Shine’s third edition. “Our next show is going to be amazing! I’m m trying to get as much talent from Brazil as I can”. Stay tuned for more news about the show.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Kanehara To Jackson’s MMA! First SRC 12 Pre-Sale Sold Out On First Day

A ZST.22 press conference was held today where SENGOKU FW Champion Masanori Kanehara was present. Though no opponent is set for him yet he said that he’s happy to be back for a fight in ZST after becoming champion. About his title defense on NYE, he wants to have another go at Hatsu Hioki.

Kanehara will head for the U.S. to train at Greg Jackson’s MMA gym on Tuesday for a month. He says that he’d like to learn everything there.

The ZST PR said that a possible opponent for Kanehara was none other than Kanehara’s friend, Hideo Tokoro. However, it seems that Tokoro got injured in his last fight. The PR also said that ZST have relationships with DREAM, SRC, and Pancrase, and he wants to choose an opponent after looking into the current affairs of those organizations.

Shunichi Shimizu has been added to the card and Masayuki Okude’s opponent is Kenichi Ito from the rising Alliance-Square gym of Tsuyoshi Kohsaka.

In other news, the first SRC 12 ticket pre-sale which was going to go on from 12 PM today until the 25th is already over since the tickets were sold out today. I don’t know how many tickets they sold.

The second ticket pre-sale is now set for October 31st to November 2nd.

 

[007SYBORG]

I JUST MET VITOR "THE PHENOM" BELFORT.GOT PICX UP ON MY SITE

 

[BROWN GUERRERO]

Brock Lesnar out of fight with Carwin due to illness! FUCK!

http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news;_y...Eo14?slug=ki-lesnar102609&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

 

[B-Buzz]

Weekend Rundown

Mitsuhisa Sunabe defeated the previously unbeaten Isao Hirose by unanimous decision to remain the flyweight King of Pancrase at Pancrase “Changing Tour 6” on Sunday at the Differ Ariake Arena in Tokyo.

The 30-year-old Sunabe has pieced together a three-fight winning streak since his 2007 knockout loss to Cage Force veteran Daichi Fujiwara. He sent Hirose, 28, back to the drawing board with his first defeat as a professional.

In the “Changing Tour 6” main event, Yuki Kondo and Yuji Hisamatsu fought to a stalemate after three rounds in what was Kondo’s 80th professional mixed martial arts match. The 34-year-old Kondo -- a Pride Fighting Championships and UFC veteran -- has not won back-to-back fights in nearly two years.

Horwich Avenges Lambert Loss

Former International Fight League middleweight champion Matt Horwich edged Jason Lambert by split decision in the Aggression MMA 1 “First Blood” headliner on Saturday at the Edmonton Events Expo in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

The bout served as a rematch of a 2004 World Extreme Cagefighting showdown in which Horwich was struck into submission.

Anchored at Team Quest, the mercurial Horwich snapped a three-fight losing streak with the victory, as he won for the first time since he defeated Joey Guel at the IFL’s swan song in 2006. Lambert, meanwhile, has fallen on the hardest of times. A loser in five straight fights, his UFC 68 knockout of Renato “Babalu” Sobral now seems a distant memory.

Other winners at the Aggression MMA premiere included Sengoku featherweight grand prix quarter-finalist Nick Denis, unbeaten Bellator Fighting Championships veteran Nick Ring and Team Quest’s Cyrille “The Snake” Diabate. Glam rocker turned mixed martial artist Robin Black submitted to a first-round guillotine choke from Cory Lautischer.

Nagata Ends Winless Drought

Katsuhiko Nagata, a 2000 Olympic silver medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling, posted a unanimous decision win against Daisuke Hoshino in the Cage Force 13 main event on Saturday at the Differ Ariake Arena in Tokyo.

The victory halted a five-fight winless streak for Nagata, a 35-year-old Dream and K-1 Hero’s veteran. He entered the match reeling, having dropped consecutive first-round finishes to Kuniyoshi Hironaka and Vitor Ribeiro.

Magalhaes Triangles Davis

“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 8 light heavyweight finalist Vinny Magalhaes submitted Chris Davis with an opening-round triangle choke in the featured bout at Carolina Fight Promotions “Carolina Crown 2” on Saturday at the RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C.

Davis replaced journeyman Jason Guida, who withdrew from the matchup with a back injury. He scored with an early takedown but found himself trapped inside Magalhaes’ death trap of a guard. The fight ended soon after.

A former Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion, Magalhaes halted a three-fight losing skid, which included his technical knockout loss to the unbeaten Ryan Bader at “The Ultimate Fighter 8” Live Finale and a unanimous decision defeat to Eliot Marshall at UFC 97.

Jones Triumphs at Shogun Fights Debut

EliteXC, Ring of Combat and Ultimate Warrior Challenge veteran James “Binky” Jones defeated Jason McLean by unanimous decision in the Shogun Fights 1 headliner on Saturday at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore. The event was the first sanctioned MMA event in the state of Maryland.

The win brought an end to a two-bout losing streak for Jones, a Renzo Gracie protégé who has struggled to keep his head above water after losing four of his first five fights as a professional. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt and one-time Ring of Combat lightweight tournament champion, he has delivered five of his eight wins by submission.

 

[heyzel]

Rampage Jackson Blasts The UFC, Rashad Evans, MMA Judging, More

Rampage Jackson has posted a new blog on his website, claiming that the UFC looked like "assholes" over the weekend, as well as insults Rashad Evans and MMA judging. Check it out…





I was watching the fight this weekend with the director of the A Team movie, the movie crew & a couple of actors & I never been ashamed to be a part of MMA till now. The UFC looked like assholes this weekend. The main event was boring. I anticipated that because let's be real.. Machida is a boring fighter. But Shogun getting robbed like that was pretty cut throat. Then you hear Joe Rogan say you "you have to beat the champ to be a champ." & that made me think the UFC are full of shit! Not to be whiny here but I still don't feel like I've been beat in the UFC.. but I'm not champ anymore. If the UFC gives Shogun an immediate rematch because of the controversial loss then that would validate everything I have said about the UFC in my recent posts & why I'm pissed at the UFC. But yet he deserves one & so have I deserved one against Forrest.

The reason why I was ashamed of the UFC is because some people around me were saying that the UFC is becoming corrupt like boxing & asked me is that stuff real? Most of the people from the A Team movie were just watching it because I was watching it & they don't know much about MMA & were starting to get into it but last night they didn't have anything good to say about my sport. So I was so ashamed


One good thing came out of the fight last night. Rashad looked more like a bitch. If he would have just tried to fight Machida instead of just nutting up he probably could have done better. I saw every last one of Machida's weaknesses this last weekend. No wonder TUF is editing Rahsad to try to make him look good cause they need all their fighters to sell tickets. They never should have tried to make me look bad cause I'm the wrong person to pull that type of crap with. Cause I don't give a fuck about the TUF show or about the UFC. There's not another fighter on this planet that can do what I do & they know it. I don't need them. All they did was fucken piss me off. & any fighter on my team who says they lost a fight because of my coaching can fucken kiss my ass & say that shit to my face. It's very easy to point the fingers when you lose. But I can't get into the cage & fight for ya'll. I can only fight for myself. & for all you UFC & TUF fans out there, here's a big announcement.... IT'S A DAMN TV SHOW! With how much footage they got & how much editing they did, they can make anyone look the way they want. This is my last time blogging about this damn TUF show. Just because I don't go into the cage when a fighter loses & cry all over him & hug on him makes me a bad person? I have many reasons why I don't go into the cage cause when I'm pissed I make bad decisions. So you guys say whatever you want to say about me, all the crap you want about Rampage, but one thing I'm gonna tell you is that Rampage is real & straight up Rashad is fake as hell. When I was coaching the show, I forgot that Rashad won the first heavyweight TUF show. I didn't think about the outcome or editing of the TUF show & them promoting their own. I don't see nothing wrong with that but don't do it on another guy's expense.

The UFC needs to get some new judges before I even think about coming back. I want the hardcore fans to go back & watch all the fights that you thought was kinda shady with the judges in the UFC & TUF & write down the names of the judges so you guys can complain & have a voice. Do your homework. This sport wouldn't be what it is without the fans. Its hard for me to believe that the UFC is so successful & has over 100 shows & can't tell who wins a fight. How is it that they can't tell who wins a fight on an important title fight? Me doing TUF 10 & seeing how they edited it now & seeing how Wes Shivers lost his fight is making me very skeptical about the UFC. Note to TUF: Anybody involved in making the TUF show do me a big favor... Don't look at me cause you're fake. Don't talk to me cause you're fake. Don't even think about me cause you're fake. & if you do you might just get cussed the fuck out

 

[Shogun Locc]

MFC STRIPS & RELEASES CHAMPION TREVOR PRANGLEY

As organizations finalize their last remaining shows of the year by adding and moving talent around, one of the more surprising roster moves of the season came Sunday night when Canada’s Maximum Fighting Championship announced it had stripped light heavyweight champion Trevor Prangley of his title and cut him from the organization.

Sunday night’s press release explained, “The move was required when Prangley violated his contract by signing with two smaller organizations while under contract with the MFC. Prangley’s management was informed of the violation after the first offense, but Prangley agreed to fight again outside of the MFC in blatant disregard of his signed exclusive contact.”

When contacted to give his side of the story, Prangley told MMAWeekly.com, “I just want people to understand that it wasn’t as badly (handled) as they make it out to be.

“We did ask for dates, we did ask for permission, but we just never got it back from them.”

He continued, “On the first show, we emailed them, ‘Are you going to use me around this date?’ and they said, ‘We’ll get back to you; we’ll get back to you.’ We never got any solid answers, so I did the fight.”

According to Prangley, it’s only then that MFC Owner/President Mark Pavelich officially notified him that he had breached his contract.

“I haven’t even done the second fight yet. It’s scheduled for the end of next month, but we did call him to see if he needed me before the second one and he just gave us a short answer back, (saying) we were in breach on the first one and that’s all we got.”

In the MFC press release, Pavelich said of Prangley’s actions, “It is unacceptable that Trevor Prangley and his management have gone about business in such an unscrupulous manner. I will not allow my organization and my title belts to be disrespected this way.

“Trevor was treated with the utmost respect when he came to fight in the MFC, and in turn for him and his management to treat the MFC this way simply will not be tolerated.”

To which Prangley replies, “I’m not interested in getting into an argument or pissing match with the MFC... But what the MFC fails to understand is this is my main source of income. I have two kids, and I need to make money.

“I can’t just sit and take just two fights a year, because like I said, I have to make money for my family.”

Prangley then reiterated that he has no ill will towards the promotion or its course of action. He feels it is best for both sides to move on and consider the issue closed.

“I don’t have anything bad to say about the organization,” he stated. “I enjoyed my fight (for them in May) and enjoyed my time there. That’s all I have to say.”