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Undefeated Roger Bowling announces Strikeforce deal, expected early 2010 debut
Undefeated welterweight Roger Bowling, one of the top stars and the 170-pound champion of the Ohio-based MMA Big Show promotion, has signed a multi-fight deal with Strikeforce.
A press release distributed by MMA Big Show states that Bowling signed the deal during the organization's Oct. 24 "Full Force" event.
The Cincinnati-based fighter, who's 6-0 with six first-round stoppages, expects to make his promotional debut in February or March of 2010.
Bowling's deal had been rumored for the past couple months, though Strikeforce officials continually told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) negotiations were still ongoing. With a deal now apparently done, the fighter will likely cut his teeth in the prospects-driven "Strikeforce Challengers" series.
Bowling is known as a tough-as-nails fighter with significant strength and stamina. During a recent appearance on MMAjunkie.com Radio, he discussed some of that trademark grit while describing how he broke his hand at his full-time job when a pipe slammed into his wrist.
"It was kind of a nasty break," Bowling said. "I broke my radius bone in half, and then the other bone kind of overlapped. It was a compound break. They went in and put a plate and seven screws in, then two screws in my radius bone. One of the screws reattached the ligament that went up in my arm.
"But as ugly as it sounds, I never even wore a cast. I bounced back pretty quick."
Bowling owns victories over the likes of IFL vet Seth Baczynski and StrikeForce fighter Shamar Bailey. He is currently managed by Jason Appleton, the CEO of MMA Big Show.
Undefeated welterweight Roger Bowling, one of the top stars and the 170-pound champion of the Ohio-based MMA Big Show promotion, has signed a multi-fight deal with Strikeforce.
A press release distributed by MMA Big Show states that Bowling signed the deal during the organization's Oct. 24 "Full Force" event.
The Cincinnati-based fighter, who's 6-0 with six first-round stoppages, expects to make his promotional debut in February or March of 2010.
Bowling's deal had been rumored for the past couple months, though Strikeforce officials continually told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) negotiations were still ongoing. With a deal now apparently done, the fighter will likely cut his teeth in the prospects-driven "Strikeforce Challengers" series.
Bowling is known as a tough-as-nails fighter with significant strength and stamina. During a recent appearance on MMAjunkie.com Radio, he discussed some of that trademark grit while describing how he broke his hand at his full-time job when a pipe slammed into his wrist.
"It was kind of a nasty break," Bowling said. "I broke my radius bone in half, and then the other bone kind of overlapped. It was a compound break. They went in and put a plate and seven screws in, then two screws in my radius bone. One of the screws reattached the ligament that went up in my arm.
"But as ugly as it sounds, I never even wore a cast. I bounced back pretty quick."
Bowling owns victories over the likes of IFL vet Seth Baczynski and StrikeForce fighter Shamar Bailey. He is currently managed by Jason Appleton, the CEO of MMA Big Show.
Broken hand forces lightweight Alex Karalexis out of WEC 44 contest
Former "The Ultimate Fighter 1" cast member and current WEC lightweight Alex Karalexis (10-4 MMA, 4-2 WEC) has been forced to withdraw from a scheduled contest with Kamal Shalorus (4-0-1 MMA, 0-0 WEC) after suffering a broken hand.
Fighters.com was the first to report Karalexis' withdrawal from the WEC 44 prelim contest, and MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has since confirmed the change with sources close to the event.
Featuring a highly anticipated matchup between current WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown and top challenger Jose Aldo, "WEC 44: Brown vs. Aldo" takes place Nov. 18 at the The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.
Karalexis has now been forced out of back-to-back WEC events. The Massachusetts native had been slated to fight Anthony Pettis at WEC 43 before an injury forced him off the card, as well.
A replacement for Karalexis has not yet been determined, and a timeframe for his return has not been set.
Shalorus, who is a WEC newcomer, owns three TKO victories among his four career wins, including a 66-second TKO of Jeff Davis (10-4 at the time) when the Texas-based English-Iranian fighter made his MMA debut last year.
The full WEC 44 card currently includes:
MAIN CARD
* Champ Mike Brown vs. Jose Aldo (for WEC featherweight title)
* Manny Gamburyan vs. Leonard Garcia
* Karen Darabedyan vs. Rob McCullough
* Danny Castillo vs. Shane Roller
PRELIMINARY CARD (un-aired)
* Kamal Shalorus vs. TBA*
* L.C. Davis vs. Diego Nunes
* John Franchi vs. Cub Swanson
* Antonio Banuelos vs. Kenji Osawa
* James Krause vs. Ricardo Lamas
* Seth Dikun vs. Frank Gomez
* - Not officially announced.
Former "The Ultimate Fighter 1" cast member and current WEC lightweight Alex Karalexis (10-4 MMA, 4-2 WEC) has been forced to withdraw from a scheduled contest with Kamal Shalorus (4-0-1 MMA, 0-0 WEC) after suffering a broken hand.
Fighters.com was the first to report Karalexis' withdrawal from the WEC 44 prelim contest, and MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has since confirmed the change with sources close to the event.
Featuring a highly anticipated matchup between current WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown and top challenger Jose Aldo, "WEC 44: Brown vs. Aldo" takes place Nov. 18 at the The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.
Karalexis has now been forced out of back-to-back WEC events. The Massachusetts native had been slated to fight Anthony Pettis at WEC 43 before an injury forced him off the card, as well.
A replacement for Karalexis has not yet been determined, and a timeframe for his return has not been set.
Shalorus, who is a WEC newcomer, owns three TKO victories among his four career wins, including a 66-second TKO of Jeff Davis (10-4 at the time) when the Texas-based English-Iranian fighter made his MMA debut last year.
The full WEC 44 card currently includes:
MAIN CARD
* Champ Mike Brown vs. Jose Aldo (for WEC featherweight title)
* Manny Gamburyan vs. Leonard Garcia
* Karen Darabedyan vs. Rob McCullough
* Danny Castillo vs. Shane Roller
PRELIMINARY CARD (un-aired)
* Kamal Shalorus vs. TBA*
* L.C. Davis vs. Diego Nunes
* John Franchi vs. Cub Swanson
* Antonio Banuelos vs. Kenji Osawa
* James Krause vs. Ricardo Lamas
* Seth Dikun vs. Frank Gomez
* - Not officially announced.
Fight Path: "Thrilla in Manila" site helped launch WEC newcomer Karen Darabedyan's career
Karen Darabedyan's engineer father might not have quite imagined the scene when he first enrolled his then-4-year-old son in karate lessons in the family's Armenian hometown.
About 16 years later, Darabedyan entered Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, for his third professional mixed-martial-arts fight.
It was the same venue where Muhammad Ali met Joe Frazier in the 1975 Thrilla in Manila heavyweight boxing bout. And even though Darabedyan didn't have much MMA experience, he had a lifetime of martial arts training.
He had been a karate and tae kwon do black belt before he was old enough to drive. He had then moved on to boxing and Muay Thai. Then, he noticed the popularity of MMA and asked a coach at his gym to get him a fight.
He had been an immediate hit in his backyard professional debut, and two fights later, he was in the Philippines.
"It was a team thing," Darabedyan told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "I only had two fights, there was seating for about 20,000 people, and I'm walking out there thinking, 'What did I get myself into?'"
A successful MMA career, it seems. After suffering a unanimous decision loss to Koji Oishi in the Philippines in December 2007, the 22-year-old Darabedyan (8-1) has won six straight fights and will make his WEC debut in a 155-pound bout against "Razor" Rob McCullough (17-5) at WEC 44 on Nov. 18 in Nevada.
The Oishi matchup did more for Darabedyan than inspire him with a loss. It taught him one of the main differences between MMA and many other forms of martial arts: conditioning. Since working up his cage stamina, he has been able to win three of his past five fights in first-round stoppages and continue his transition from traditional martial arts to MMA.
"I would say, from what I've done, I'm a true mixed martial artist," Darabedyan said. "I've done just about everything, and now I'm trying to improve in MMA."
Coming to America
Darabedyan's martial arts career had already begun by the time he and his family moved to Glendale, Calif., when he was about 5 years old.
They had come from Armenia, where his parents had a comfortable life with friends, but the job outlook was a little more difficult in the country. Hoping for a better life, they moved.
The family had to change to meet the new culture.
"Here, everyone has their own thing going; they don't really care about their neighbors," Darabedyan said. "There, neighbors are like family. Everyone is very close. But, as far as a place to work, it's not the best, there aren't a lot of jobs, and there's a lot of poverty."
Like many parents, Darabedyan's father enrolled him in classes to keep him out of trouble, and his son flourished. It wasn't just martial arts. Darabedyan also tried swimming, gymnastics and many other athletic opportunities.
He excelled almost immediately, and martial arts has been one of the biggest thing in his life since.
"I couldn't live a week without training," he said.
Things soon changed to help him concentrate more on family and training. About three years ago, Darabedyan's father died, so he moved back in with his mother and focused on martial arts.
He continued his concentration on judo and boxing until friends and instructors at his gym helped get him into a relatively small-time MMA show in July 2006.
"There were 10 fights scheduled," Darabedyan said. "But the cops broke it up after the first six. Luckily I got mine in, and I won. It was a different feeling, being in a cage, a different intensity."
Greater intensity, bigger fights
Desiring more of the feeling that he got in the backyard cage, Darabedyan continued looking for MMA opportunities.
His second fight came more than a year after his first, and he won a decision at an Extreme Fighters World Championships show. Then, his coach put together a team to participate in the Philippines event, and Darabedyan headed into a famous stadium for what would be a career-changing fight.
"He caught me off guard," said Darabedyan, who, despite his extensive martial arts background, still had little MMA-specific training. "I had no conditioning training, and I wasn't used to it. What I did, I pretty much did with sheer heart. I stayed in it, even though I was so fatigued I could barely get up when he knocked me down."
The decision loss didn't stop Darabedyan from fighting. About 20 months later, more focused on training for MMA, he started what would become a six-fight winning streak with a victory at a Long Beach Fight Night event.
Darabedyan still doesn't feel he has reached the top of his potential.
"I don't think I'm even at 50 percent of what I could be," he said.
About five months ago, Darabedyan met the man who would become his manager, Darin Harvey. Then, a few weeks ago, behind Darabedyan's performances and with Harvey's help, the WEC came to him when it faced a short-notice opening for the fight against McCullough.
With the focus on training for the cage and motivation from the death of his father, he is working to capitalize on the opportunity.
"I think now that I've got this contract, I know it's time to put everything I've got into it," Darabedyan said. "I was a pretty good kid in school, but after my dad passed, this is all I've got. I let go of all my schooling, so the main thing making some type of foundation in MMA. That's what I have to do now."
Karen Darabedyan's engineer father might not have quite imagined the scene when he first enrolled his then-4-year-old son in karate lessons in the family's Armenian hometown.
About 16 years later, Darabedyan entered Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, for his third professional mixed-martial-arts fight.
It was the same venue where Muhammad Ali met Joe Frazier in the 1975 Thrilla in Manila heavyweight boxing bout. And even though Darabedyan didn't have much MMA experience, he had a lifetime of martial arts training.
He had been a karate and tae kwon do black belt before he was old enough to drive. He had then moved on to boxing and Muay Thai. Then, he noticed the popularity of MMA and asked a coach at his gym to get him a fight.
He had been an immediate hit in his backyard professional debut, and two fights later, he was in the Philippines.
"It was a team thing," Darabedyan told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "I only had two fights, there was seating for about 20,000 people, and I'm walking out there thinking, 'What did I get myself into?'"
A successful MMA career, it seems. After suffering a unanimous decision loss to Koji Oishi in the Philippines in December 2007, the 22-year-old Darabedyan (8-1) has won six straight fights and will make his WEC debut in a 155-pound bout against "Razor" Rob McCullough (17-5) at WEC 44 on Nov. 18 in Nevada.
The Oishi matchup did more for Darabedyan than inspire him with a loss. It taught him one of the main differences between MMA and many other forms of martial arts: conditioning. Since working up his cage stamina, he has been able to win three of his past five fights in first-round stoppages and continue his transition from traditional martial arts to MMA.
"I would say, from what I've done, I'm a true mixed martial artist," Darabedyan said. "I've done just about everything, and now I'm trying to improve in MMA."
Coming to America
Darabedyan's martial arts career had already begun by the time he and his family moved to Glendale, Calif., when he was about 5 years old.
They had come from Armenia, where his parents had a comfortable life with friends, but the job outlook was a little more difficult in the country. Hoping for a better life, they moved.
The family had to change to meet the new culture.
"Here, everyone has their own thing going; they don't really care about their neighbors," Darabedyan said. "There, neighbors are like family. Everyone is very close. But, as far as a place to work, it's not the best, there aren't a lot of jobs, and there's a lot of poverty."
Like many parents, Darabedyan's father enrolled him in classes to keep him out of trouble, and his son flourished. It wasn't just martial arts. Darabedyan also tried swimming, gymnastics and many other athletic opportunities.
He excelled almost immediately, and martial arts has been one of the biggest thing in his life since.
"I couldn't live a week without training," he said.
Things soon changed to help him concentrate more on family and training. About three years ago, Darabedyan's father died, so he moved back in with his mother and focused on martial arts.
He continued his concentration on judo and boxing until friends and instructors at his gym helped get him into a relatively small-time MMA show in July 2006.
"There were 10 fights scheduled," Darabedyan said. "But the cops broke it up after the first six. Luckily I got mine in, and I won. It was a different feeling, being in a cage, a different intensity."
Greater intensity, bigger fights
Desiring more of the feeling that he got in the backyard cage, Darabedyan continued looking for MMA opportunities.
His second fight came more than a year after his first, and he won a decision at an Extreme Fighters World Championships show. Then, his coach put together a team to participate in the Philippines event, and Darabedyan headed into a famous stadium for what would be a career-changing fight.
"He caught me off guard," said Darabedyan, who, despite his extensive martial arts background, still had little MMA-specific training. "I had no conditioning training, and I wasn't used to it. What I did, I pretty much did with sheer heart. I stayed in it, even though I was so fatigued I could barely get up when he knocked me down."
The decision loss didn't stop Darabedyan from fighting. About 20 months later, more focused on training for MMA, he started what would become a six-fight winning streak with a victory at a Long Beach Fight Night event.
Darabedyan still doesn't feel he has reached the top of his potential.
"I don't think I'm even at 50 percent of what I could be," he said.
About five months ago, Darabedyan met the man who would become his manager, Darin Harvey. Then, a few weeks ago, behind Darabedyan's performances and with Harvey's help, the WEC came to him when it faced a short-notice opening for the fight against McCullough.
With the focus on training for the cage and motivation from the death of his father, he is working to capitalize on the opportunity.
"I think now that I've got this contract, I know it's time to put everything I've got into it," Darabedyan said. "I was a pretty good kid in school, but after my dad passed, this is all I've got. I let go of all my schooling, so the main thing making some type of foundation in MMA. That's what I have to do now."
Ben Rothwell and Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic likely to meet at UFC 110
A heavyweight clash between Ben Rothwell (30-7 MMA, 0-1 UFC) and Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (25-7-2 MMA, 2-3 UFC) is likely to take place in February at UFC 110.
The matchup was first reported by Sherdog.com, and MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has confirmed with sources close to the event that the fight has been discussed as a possibility but not signed.
Although not officially announced by the UFC, UFC 110 is expected to take place Feb 21. The event, which takes place at Acer Arena, marks the UFC's debut in Australia.
A middleweight bout between Wanderlei Silva and Yoshihiro Akiyama could take the card's main-event slot.
Rothwell, a former star of the now-defunct International Fight League, signed with the UFC earlier this year and made his promotional debut in a TKO loss to Cain Velasquez at UFC 104 in October. Including a loss to Andrei Arlovski in July 2008 at "Affliction: Banned," Rothwell has now dropped two of his past three fights. The skid followed a career-high 13-fight win streak the Miletich fighter posted from 2005 to 2007.
Filipovic, meanwhile, returns to the octagon following a second-round submission loss to Junior Dos Santos at UFC 103 in September. Filipovic, a former star of PRIDE Fighting Championships, made his UFC debut in 2007 with a TKO win over Eddie Sanchez. However, he then suffered back-to-back losses to Gabriel Gonzaga and Cheick Kongo, and he then left the UFC to compete in Japan, where he went 2-0 before returning to the UFC with a controversial TKO win over Mostapha Al Turk (the referee failed to see Filipovic's illegal, but accidental, eye poke).
Following the latest loss, UFC president Dana White told MMAjunkie.com Filipovic might be dropped by the organization. Rumors of a potential retirement, partially spurred by "Cro Cop," then surfaced. However, it appears the Croatian fighter will enter the cage at least once more.
A heavyweight clash between Ben Rothwell (30-7 MMA, 0-1 UFC) and Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (25-7-2 MMA, 2-3 UFC) is likely to take place in February at UFC 110.
The matchup was first reported by Sherdog.com, and MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has confirmed with sources close to the event that the fight has been discussed as a possibility but not signed.
Although not officially announced by the UFC, UFC 110 is expected to take place Feb 21. The event, which takes place at Acer Arena, marks the UFC's debut in Australia.
A middleweight bout between Wanderlei Silva and Yoshihiro Akiyama could take the card's main-event slot.
Rothwell, a former star of the now-defunct International Fight League, signed with the UFC earlier this year and made his promotional debut in a TKO loss to Cain Velasquez at UFC 104 in October. Including a loss to Andrei Arlovski in July 2008 at "Affliction: Banned," Rothwell has now dropped two of his past three fights. The skid followed a career-high 13-fight win streak the Miletich fighter posted from 2005 to 2007.
Filipovic, meanwhile, returns to the octagon following a second-round submission loss to Junior Dos Santos at UFC 103 in September. Filipovic, a former star of PRIDE Fighting Championships, made his UFC debut in 2007 with a TKO win over Eddie Sanchez. However, he then suffered back-to-back losses to Gabriel Gonzaga and Cheick Kongo, and he then left the UFC to compete in Japan, where he went 2-0 before returning to the UFC with a controversial TKO win over Mostapha Al Turk (the referee failed to see Filipovic's illegal, but accidental, eye poke).
Following the latest loss, UFC president Dana White told MMAjunkie.com Filipovic might be dropped by the organization. Rumors of a potential retirement, partially spurred by "Cro Cop," then surfaced. However, it appears the Croatian fighter will enter the cage at least once more.
"Jacare" vs. Lindland, "King Mo" part of Dec. 19 "Strikeforce: Evolution" event in San Jose
CHICAGO – A recently rumored Strikeforce event expected to take place on Dec. 19 has been added to the organization's promotional calendar.
Scott Coker today confirmed the plans with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) during a press conference for Saturday's "Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers" event.
Coker said the main event is "still being negotiated," but he confirmed Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza (10-2) takes makes his promotional debut against fellow middleweight newcomer Matt Lindland, and Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal (5-0) makes his promotional debut against an opponent to be named.
The event, which airs on Showtime, takes place at Strikeforce's longtime home, the HP Pavilion.
Coker also confirmed that Strikeforce 145-pound women's champion Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos (8-1), who was forced off this weekend's card with a shoulder injury, will not be part of the Dec. 19 card and instead is tentatively slotted for a January 2010 return.
"We're calling the card 'Evolution,'" Coker said. "It's a big card for us as we feature some of the new fighters signed with some of the established, proven stars. Fans will get to see the new and old."
Souza hasn't fought since DREAM.9 in May, when he followed a September 2008 loss to Gegard Mousasi with a no-contest in a fight with Jason "Mayhem" Miller for DREAM's vacant middleweight belt. However, Miller opened a gash on Souza's head with an illegal kick, and the bout was halted without a winner.
Prior to the loss and no-contest, the 29-year-old Brazilian posted 10 consecutive victories, nine of which came via submission.
Lindland, meanwhile, returns to the cage for the first time since a brutal 37-second knockout loss to Vitor Belfort in January at "Affliction: Day of Reckoning." The 39-year-old Olympic gold medalist (Greco-Roman wrestling) formerly competed in the UFC and emerged as one of the world's top 185-pounders. However, he's fought just three times in the past two and a half years with losses to Vitor Belfort and Fedor Emelianenko and a decision win over Fabio Nascimento.
Lindland, who won the Republican Oregon House of Representatives District 52 primaries (but lost in the general election), signed a multi-fight deal with Strikeforce earlier this year.
Lawal, who's competed as both a light heavyweight and heavyweight, also makes his Strikeforce debut following a newly signed contract. The former NCAA Division I All-American and Big 12 champion (Oklahoma State) turned pro just 13 months ago and has already posted wins over the likes of Mark Kerr, Ryo Kawamura and Travis Wiuff while fighting for World Victory Road and M-1 Global. The Wiuff win, which came in Lawal's pro debut, snapped the YAMMA Pit Fighting tournament winner's nine-fight win streak and was just his second loss in 13 fights.
CHICAGO – A recently rumored Strikeforce event expected to take place on Dec. 19 has been added to the organization's promotional calendar.
Scott Coker today confirmed the plans with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) during a press conference for Saturday's "Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers" event.
Coker said the main event is "still being negotiated," but he confirmed Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza (10-2) takes makes his promotional debut against fellow middleweight newcomer Matt Lindland, and Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal (5-0) makes his promotional debut against an opponent to be named.
The event, which airs on Showtime, takes place at Strikeforce's longtime home, the HP Pavilion.
Coker also confirmed that Strikeforce 145-pound women's champion Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos (8-1), who was forced off this weekend's card with a shoulder injury, will not be part of the Dec. 19 card and instead is tentatively slotted for a January 2010 return.
"We're calling the card 'Evolution,'" Coker said. "It's a big card for us as we feature some of the new fighters signed with some of the established, proven stars. Fans will get to see the new and old."
Souza hasn't fought since DREAM.9 in May, when he followed a September 2008 loss to Gegard Mousasi with a no-contest in a fight with Jason "Mayhem" Miller for DREAM's vacant middleweight belt. However, Miller opened a gash on Souza's head with an illegal kick, and the bout was halted without a winner.
Prior to the loss and no-contest, the 29-year-old Brazilian posted 10 consecutive victories, nine of which came via submission.
Lindland, meanwhile, returns to the cage for the first time since a brutal 37-second knockout loss to Vitor Belfort in January at "Affliction: Day of Reckoning." The 39-year-old Olympic gold medalist (Greco-Roman wrestling) formerly competed in the UFC and emerged as one of the world's top 185-pounders. However, he's fought just three times in the past two and a half years with losses to Vitor Belfort and Fedor Emelianenko and a decision win over Fabio Nascimento.
Lindland, who won the Republican Oregon House of Representatives District 52 primaries (but lost in the general election), signed a multi-fight deal with Strikeforce earlier this year.
Lawal, who's competed as both a light heavyweight and heavyweight, also makes his Strikeforce debut following a newly signed contract. The former NCAA Division I All-American and Big 12 champion (Oklahoma State) turned pro just 13 months ago and has already posted wins over the likes of Mark Kerr, Ryo Kawamura and Travis Wiuff while fighting for World Victory Road and M-1 Global. The Wiuff win, which came in Lawal's pro debut, snapped the YAMMA Pit Fighting tournament winner's nine-fight win streak and was just his second loss in 13 fights.
WEC newcomer Will Kerr signed, replaces Alex Karalexis at WEC 44 (Updated)
After Alex Karalexis (10-4 MMA, 4-2 WEC) was forced off the card with a broken hand earlier this week, World Extreme Cagefighting officials searched for a replacement outside the organization and today found one: Will Kerr (8-1).
The WEC newcomer meets fellow rookie Kamal Shalorus (4-0-1 MMA, 0-0 WEC) on the preliminary card of this month's WEC 44 event at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today learned from a source close to the event.
The WEC has since confirmed the booking.
Featuring a highly anticipated matchup between current WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown and top challenger Jose Aldo, "WEC 44: Brown vs. Aldo" takes place Nov. 18 and airs on Versus.
Kerr, a Connecticut-based fighter who's primarily fought for the Northeast-based Full Force Productions organization (where he's the organization's longtime lightweight champion), enters the WEC with a five-fight win streak, though he's fought just once in the past year. He had been announced as a headliner for the Nov. 7 Reality Fighting event, where he was slated to meet RF champion Rene Nazare. (The bout is now unlikely to take place.)
Kerr, an accomplished Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitor, has finished four of his past five fights via stoppage (three via submission). His lone career loss came to Team Quest's Ian Loveland in 2006.
Shalorus owns three TKO victories among his four career wins, including a 66-second TKO of Jeff Davis (10-4 at the time) when the Texas-based English-Iranian fighter made his MMA debut last year.
The full WEC 44 card currently includes:
MAIN CARD
* Champ Mike Brown vs. Jose Aldo (for WEC featherweight title)
* Manny Gamburyan vs. Leonard Garcia
* Karen Darabedyan vs. Rob McCullough
* Danny Castillo vs. Shane Roller
PRELIMINARY CARD (un-aired)
* Will Kerr vs. Kamal Shalorus*
* L.C. Davis vs. Diego Nunes
* John Franchi vs. Cub Swanson
* Antonio Banuelos vs. Kenji Osawa
* James Krause vs. Ricardo Lamas
* Seth Dikun vs. Frank Gomez
* - Not officially announced
After Alex Karalexis (10-4 MMA, 4-2 WEC) was forced off the card with a broken hand earlier this week, World Extreme Cagefighting officials searched for a replacement outside the organization and today found one: Will Kerr (8-1).
The WEC newcomer meets fellow rookie Kamal Shalorus (4-0-1 MMA, 0-0 WEC) on the preliminary card of this month's WEC 44 event at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today learned from a source close to the event.
The WEC has since confirmed the booking.
Featuring a highly anticipated matchup between current WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown and top challenger Jose Aldo, "WEC 44: Brown vs. Aldo" takes place Nov. 18 and airs on Versus.
Kerr, a Connecticut-based fighter who's primarily fought for the Northeast-based Full Force Productions organization (where he's the organization's longtime lightweight champion), enters the WEC with a five-fight win streak, though he's fought just once in the past year. He had been announced as a headliner for the Nov. 7 Reality Fighting event, where he was slated to meet RF champion Rene Nazare. (The bout is now unlikely to take place.)
Kerr, an accomplished Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitor, has finished four of his past five fights via stoppage (three via submission). His lone career loss came to Team Quest's Ian Loveland in 2006.
Shalorus owns three TKO victories among his four career wins, including a 66-second TKO of Jeff Davis (10-4 at the time) when the Texas-based English-Iranian fighter made his MMA debut last year.
The full WEC 44 card currently includes:
MAIN CARD
* Champ Mike Brown vs. Jose Aldo (for WEC featherweight title)
* Manny Gamburyan vs. Leonard Garcia
* Karen Darabedyan vs. Rob McCullough
* Danny Castillo vs. Shane Roller
PRELIMINARY CARD (un-aired)
* Will Kerr vs. Kamal Shalorus*
* L.C. Davis vs. Diego Nunes
* John Franchi vs. Cub Swanson
* Antonio Banuelos vs. Kenji Osawa
* James Krause vs. Ricardo Lamas
* Seth Dikun vs. Frank Gomez
* - Not officially announced
"The Ultimate Fighter 10," episode No. 8 scores 2.5 million viewers, wins key demo
Ratings for the eighth episode of "The Ultimate Fighter 10," which aired this past Wednesday (Nov. 4) on Spike TV, held steady with an audience of 2.5 million viewers and 1.8 household rating.
Among the season's eight episodes, the figure tied episode No. 7 for the season's smallest audience, though ratings have still far surpassed past installments of the reality competition series.
Despite going head to head with FOX's airing of Game 6 of the 2009 World Series, "TUF" was the No. 1 rated program in the 10-11 p.m. timeslot in the key Men 18-49 demo, according to Spike TV officials.
In this week's episode of the highly touted season, Team Rampage's Marcus Jones (a former NFL No. 1 draft pick) fought Team Rashad's Mike Wessel (a one-time UFC fighter). Jones had the tall task of trying to avoid Team Rashad from making it a clean, 8-0 sweep of Team Rampage in the opening round of the show's 16-man tournament.
The episode also featured the unveiling of the tournament's quarterfinal matchups and another blowup between coaches Rashad Evans and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.
The "TUF 10" debut set a ratings record with 4.1 million viewers (topping the "TUF 3" debut by 1.3 million viewers), and when DVR viewing was included, pushed the total audience to 4.5 million viewers.
The bar was set even higher in week three for the highly anticipated and promoted fight between final IFL champion Roy Nelson and former EliteXC headliner and street-fighting sensation Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson. That episode drew 5.3 million viewers and peaked with a whopping 6.1 million viewers. When DVR viewing was factored in, the numbers ballooned to 5.7 million and 7.25 million viewers, respectively.
The full ratings for "TUF 10" (not including DVR viewing) include:
* "TUF 10" episode No. 1: 4.1 million viewers
* "TUF 10" episode No. 2: 2.9 million viewers
* "TUF 10" episode No. 3: 5.3 million viewers
* "TUF 10" episode No. 4: 2.8 million viewers
* "TUF 10" episode No. 5: 2.8 million viewers
* "TUF 10" episode No. 6: 2.8 million viewers
* "TUF 10" episode No. 7: 2.5 million viewers
* "TUF 10" episode No. 8: 2.5 million viewers
Ratings for the eighth episode of "The Ultimate Fighter 10," which aired this past Wednesday (Nov. 4) on Spike TV, held steady with an audience of 2.5 million viewers and 1.8 household rating.
Among the season's eight episodes, the figure tied episode No. 7 for the season's smallest audience, though ratings have still far surpassed past installments of the reality competition series.
Despite going head to head with FOX's airing of Game 6 of the 2009 World Series, "TUF" was the No. 1 rated program in the 10-11 p.m. timeslot in the key Men 18-49 demo, according to Spike TV officials.
In this week's episode of the highly touted season, Team Rampage's Marcus Jones (a former NFL No. 1 draft pick) fought Team Rashad's Mike Wessel (a one-time UFC fighter). Jones had the tall task of trying to avoid Team Rashad from making it a clean, 8-0 sweep of Team Rampage in the opening round of the show's 16-man tournament.
The episode also featured the unveiling of the tournament's quarterfinal matchups and another blowup between coaches Rashad Evans and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.
The "TUF 10" debut set a ratings record with 4.1 million viewers (topping the "TUF 3" debut by 1.3 million viewers), and when DVR viewing was included, pushed the total audience to 4.5 million viewers.
The bar was set even higher in week three for the highly anticipated and promoted fight between final IFL champion Roy Nelson and former EliteXC headliner and street-fighting sensation Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson. That episode drew 5.3 million viewers and peaked with a whopping 6.1 million viewers. When DVR viewing was factored in, the numbers ballooned to 5.7 million and 7.25 million viewers, respectively.
The full ratings for "TUF 10" (not including DVR viewing) include:
* "TUF 10" episode No. 1: 4.1 million viewers
* "TUF 10" episode No. 2: 2.9 million viewers
* "TUF 10" episode No. 3: 5.3 million viewers
* "TUF 10" episode No. 4: 2.8 million viewers
* "TUF 10" episode No. 5: 2.8 million viewers
* "TUF 10" episode No. 6: 2.8 million viewers
* "TUF 10" episode No. 7: 2.5 million viewers
* "TUF 10" episode No. 8: 2.5 million viewers
Reminder: Friday's "Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers" weigh-ins free and open to public
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Nov 05, 2009 at 7:00 pm ET
As a reminder, Friday's official fighter weigh-ins for "Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers" are free and open to the public.
The festivities, which take place on the eve on Strikeforce and M-1's CBS debut, are hosted by the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Ill., near Chicago. The same venue hosts Saturday's event, which is headlined by Fedor Emelianenko (30-1) vs. Brett Rogers (10-0).
The weigh-ins begin Friday at 6 p.m. ET (5 p.m. CT local time), and doors open an hour prior.
The event takes place on the main concourse of the arena, which is located at 5333 Prairie Stone Parkway.
As always MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) will be on scene for tomorrow's weigh-ins and Saturday's event with live results and complete post-show coverage. (We're also on scene for Friday's Strikeforce Challengers card in Frenso, Calif.)
While the weigh-ins are free with plenty of seats, tickets to Saturday's event are are quickly going. At today's pre-event press conference in downtown Chicago, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said the show is about "95 percent" soldout, and he expects all 12,000 available seats to be filled by fight time.
Other fighters competing at the event and taking part in the weigh-ins are Jake Shields and Jason "Mayhem" Miller (who meet for Strikeforce's vacant middleweight title), Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (who meet in a non-title fight), and Fabricio Werdum and opponent Antonio Silva. All four bouts are part of the night's televised main card, which airs on CBS at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Nov 05, 2009 at 7:00 pm ET
As a reminder, Friday's official fighter weigh-ins for "Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers" are free and open to the public.
The festivities, which take place on the eve on Strikeforce and M-1's CBS debut, are hosted by the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Ill., near Chicago. The same venue hosts Saturday's event, which is headlined by Fedor Emelianenko (30-1) vs. Brett Rogers (10-0).
The weigh-ins begin Friday at 6 p.m. ET (5 p.m. CT local time), and doors open an hour prior.
The event takes place on the main concourse of the arena, which is located at 5333 Prairie Stone Parkway.
As always MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) will be on scene for tomorrow's weigh-ins and Saturday's event with live results and complete post-show coverage. (We're also on scene for Friday's Strikeforce Challengers card in Frenso, Calif.)
While the weigh-ins are free with plenty of seats, tickets to Saturday's event are are quickly going. At today's pre-event press conference in downtown Chicago, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said the show is about "95 percent" soldout, and he expects all 12,000 available seats to be filled by fight time.
Other fighters competing at the event and taking part in the weigh-ins are Jake Shields and Jason "Mayhem" Miller (who meet for Strikeforce's vacant middleweight title), Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (who meet in a non-title fight), and Fabricio Werdum and opponent Antonio Silva. All four bouts are part of the night's televised main card, which airs on CBS at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
Official weigh-in results: "Strikeforce Challengers IV: Evangelista vs. Gurgel" (Updated)
FRESNO, Calif. – MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) was on scene and reporting live from today's "Strikeforce Challengers IV: Evangelista vs. Gurgel" weigh-ins at the World Sports Cafe in in Fresno, Calif.
Friday's event, which features a headliner between lightweight contenders Billy Evangelista and Jorge Gurgel, takes place at the SaveMartCenter in Fresno and airs on Showtime.
Evangelista and Gurgel both weighed 159 pounds. And although the bout listed as a 155-pound fight, a California State Athletic Commission official later clarified with MMAjunkie.com that the fight was contracted at a catch-weight of 160 pounds.
So, both fighters made weight for the show.
The same, though, can't be said for preliminary-card fighter Chris Culley, who missed the 146-pound limit for his featherweight fight with Casey Olson by two and a half pounds. According to the CSAC, Culley will forfeit 20 percent of his fight purse to his opponent as a penalty.
The full weigh-in results include:
MAIN CARD
* Billy Evangelista (159) vs. Jorge Gurgel (159)*
* Brandon Cash (256) vs. Shane del Rosario (240)
* Luke Rockhold (185.5) vs. Jesse Taylor (186)
* Ousmane Thomas Diagne (155.5) vs. Merrit Warren (154)
* Elisha Hellspur (134.5) vs. Zoila Frausto (132.5)
PRELIMINARY CARD (un-aired)
* Johnny Goh (154) vs. Ben Holscher (155.5)
* Chris Culley (148.5)** vs. Casey Olson (145.5)
* Cole Escovedo (135.5) vs. Maurice Eazel (133)
* Rico Altamirano (171) vs. Alex Trevino (170.5)
* - Bout was listed as a 155-pound contest, but the CSAC later told MMAjunkie.com it was actually contracted for 160 pounds; both fighters made weight
** - Missed weight and will forfeit 20 percent of fight purse to opponent
FRESNO, Calif. – MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) was on scene and reporting live from today's "Strikeforce Challengers IV: Evangelista vs. Gurgel" weigh-ins at the World Sports Cafe in in Fresno, Calif.
Friday's event, which features a headliner between lightweight contenders Billy Evangelista and Jorge Gurgel, takes place at the SaveMartCenter in Fresno and airs on Showtime.
Evangelista and Gurgel both weighed 159 pounds. And although the bout listed as a 155-pound fight, a California State Athletic Commission official later clarified with MMAjunkie.com that the fight was contracted at a catch-weight of 160 pounds.
So, both fighters made weight for the show.
The same, though, can't be said for preliminary-card fighter Chris Culley, who missed the 146-pound limit for his featherweight fight with Casey Olson by two and a half pounds. According to the CSAC, Culley will forfeit 20 percent of his fight purse to his opponent as a penalty.
The full weigh-in results include:
MAIN CARD
* Billy Evangelista (159) vs. Jorge Gurgel (159)*
* Brandon Cash (256) vs. Shane del Rosario (240)
* Luke Rockhold (185.5) vs. Jesse Taylor (186)
* Ousmane Thomas Diagne (155.5) vs. Merrit Warren (154)
* Elisha Hellspur (134.5) vs. Zoila Frausto (132.5)
PRELIMINARY CARD (un-aired)
* Johnny Goh (154) vs. Ben Holscher (155.5)
* Chris Culley (148.5)** vs. Casey Olson (145.5)
* Cole Escovedo (135.5) vs. Maurice Eazel (133)
* Rico Altamirano (171) vs. Alex Trevino (170.5)
* - Bout was listed as a 155-pound contest, but the CSAC later told MMAjunkie.com it was actually contracted for 160 pounds; both fighters made weight
** - Missed weight and will forfeit 20 percent of fight purse to opponent
Caol Uno vs. Fabricio Camoes prelim bout completes UFC 106 fight card
A bout between veteran Caol Uno (25-12-4 MMA, 3-4-1 UFC) and Brazilian lightweight Fabricio Camoes (10-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is now official and completes the fight card for UFC 106.
The matchup is part of the event's un-aired preliminary card.
UFC 106 takes place Nov. 21 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, and the night's main card, including the main event of Forrest Griffin vs. Tito Ortiz, airs on pay-per-view.
The UFC recently unveiled all of the night's matchups except for the Uno vs. Camoes bout.
A 13-year professional veteran, Uno looks to rebound from back-to-back losses for the first time in his career. Uno dropped a unanimous decision to Spencer Fisher at UFC 99 in June, and prior, a unanimous decision to Shinya Aoki in a July 2008 DREAM event. The 34-year-old Uno, who was once one of the UFC's top lightweight contenders, seeks his first win in the octagon since a UFC 39 decision victory over Din Thomas in September 2002.
After opening his career just 3-4, Camoes has reeled off seven consecutive wins, six of which have come via submission. Camoes fought once under the Strikeforce banner and earned a submission win over Torrance Taylor at May's "Strikeforce Challengers" event, and he also competed in EliteXC's "ShoXC" series, where he went 2-0. He now makes his debut with the UFC.
The full "UFC 106: Ortiz vs. Griffin II" lineup now includes:
MAIN CARD
* Forrest Griffin vs. Tito Ortiz
* Anthony Johnson vs. Josh Koscheck
* Phil Baroni vs. Amir Sadollah
* Luiz Cane vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
* Dustin Hazelett vs. Karo Parisyan
PRELIMINARY CARD (un-aired)
* Marcus Davis vs. Ben Saunders
* Paulo Thiago vs. Jacob Volkmann
* Kendall Grove vs. Jake Rosholt
* Brian Foster vs. Brock Larson
* Fabricio Camoes vs. Caol Uno
* Jason Dent vs. George Sotiropoulos
A bout between veteran Caol Uno (25-12-4 MMA, 3-4-1 UFC) and Brazilian lightweight Fabricio Camoes (10-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is now official and completes the fight card for UFC 106.
The matchup is part of the event's un-aired preliminary card.
UFC 106 takes place Nov. 21 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, and the night's main card, including the main event of Forrest Griffin vs. Tito Ortiz, airs on pay-per-view.
The UFC recently unveiled all of the night's matchups except for the Uno vs. Camoes bout.
A 13-year professional veteran, Uno looks to rebound from back-to-back losses for the first time in his career. Uno dropped a unanimous decision to Spencer Fisher at UFC 99 in June, and prior, a unanimous decision to Shinya Aoki in a July 2008 DREAM event. The 34-year-old Uno, who was once one of the UFC's top lightweight contenders, seeks his first win in the octagon since a UFC 39 decision victory over Din Thomas in September 2002.
After opening his career just 3-4, Camoes has reeled off seven consecutive wins, six of which have come via submission. Camoes fought once under the Strikeforce banner and earned a submission win over Torrance Taylor at May's "Strikeforce Challengers" event, and he also competed in EliteXC's "ShoXC" series, where he went 2-0. He now makes his debut with the UFC.
The full "UFC 106: Ortiz vs. Griffin II" lineup now includes:
MAIN CARD
* Forrest Griffin vs. Tito Ortiz
* Anthony Johnson vs. Josh Koscheck
* Phil Baroni vs. Amir Sadollah
* Luiz Cane vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
* Dustin Hazelett vs. Karo Parisyan
PRELIMINARY CARD (un-aired)
* Marcus Davis vs. Ben Saunders
* Paulo Thiago vs. Jacob Volkmann
* Kendall Grove vs. Jake Rosholt
* Brian Foster vs. Brock Larson
* Fabricio Camoes vs. Caol Uno
* Jason Dent vs. George Sotiropoulos
Sengoku 11th Battle weigh-in results: All 22 fighters make weight
All competitors taking part in Saturday's Sengoku 11th Battle event, which is the latest offering from the Japanese-based World Victory Road promotion, today made weight for the show.
The show takes place at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan and airs in North American early Saturday morning (2 a.m. ET) on HDNet.
Headliners Hatsu Hioki and Michihiro Omigawa, whose meeting in the finale of the Sengoku featherweight grand prix was spoiled by injury earlier this year, both weighed 143.1 pounds.
Sengoku middleweight champion Jorge Santiago weighed 183 pounds, and opponent Mamed Khalidov, who meets the champ in a non-title fight, weighed 181.7 pounds.
Santiago, who won the WVR middleweight grand prix and belt last year, goes for his 10th straight win, though he's competed just once in the past year.
"I'm happy to fight in a Sengoku show again this year because the last one was in May," he said. "It was a very long time, so I took some time to let my body heal and work on my conditioning."
The full weigh-in results included:
* Hatsu Hioki (64.9 kg/143.1 lb) vs. Michihiro Omigawa (64.9 kg/143.1 lb)
* Mamed Khalidov (82.4 kg/181.7 lb) vs. Jorge Santiago (83 kg/183 lb)
* Satoru Kitaoka (70 kg/154.3 lb) vs. Jorge Masvidal (70 kg/154.3 lb)
* Eiji Mitsuoka (70 kg/154.3 lb) vs. Kazunori Yokota (69.7 kg/153.7 lb)
* Stanislav Nedkov (92.5 kg/203.9 lb) vs. Kevin Randleman (92.1 kg/203 lb)
* Akihiro Gono (76 kg/167.6 lb) vs. Yoon Young Kim (75.8 kg/167.1 lb)
* Yuji Hoshino (65 kg/143.3 lb) vs. Marlon Sandro (65 kg/143.3 lb)
* Dave Herman (108.7 kg/239.6 lb) vs. Jim York (116.3 kg/256.4 lb)
* Ronnie "Ushiwaka" Mann (64.6 kg/142.4 lb) vs. Shigeki Osawa (64.8 kg/142.9 lb)
* Yuichiro Yajima (56.8 kg/125.2 lb) vs. Ryota Uozomi (56.6 kg/124.8 lb)
* Hirokazu "Bull" Konno (64.8 kg/142.9 lb) vs. Tomoaki Ueyama (64.7 kg/142.6 lb)
All competitors taking part in Saturday's Sengoku 11th Battle event, which is the latest offering from the Japanese-based World Victory Road promotion, today made weight for the show.
The show takes place at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan and airs in North American early Saturday morning (2 a.m. ET) on HDNet.
Headliners Hatsu Hioki and Michihiro Omigawa, whose meeting in the finale of the Sengoku featherweight grand prix was spoiled by injury earlier this year, both weighed 143.1 pounds.
Sengoku middleweight champion Jorge Santiago weighed 183 pounds, and opponent Mamed Khalidov, who meets the champ in a non-title fight, weighed 181.7 pounds.
Santiago, who won the WVR middleweight grand prix and belt last year, goes for his 10th straight win, though he's competed just once in the past year.
"I'm happy to fight in a Sengoku show again this year because the last one was in May," he said. "It was a very long time, so I took some time to let my body heal and work on my conditioning."
The full weigh-in results included:
* Hatsu Hioki (64.9 kg/143.1 lb) vs. Michihiro Omigawa (64.9 kg/143.1 lb)
* Mamed Khalidov (82.4 kg/181.7 lb) vs. Jorge Santiago (83 kg/183 lb)
* Satoru Kitaoka (70 kg/154.3 lb) vs. Jorge Masvidal (70 kg/154.3 lb)
* Eiji Mitsuoka (70 kg/154.3 lb) vs. Kazunori Yokota (69.7 kg/153.7 lb)
* Stanislav Nedkov (92.5 kg/203.9 lb) vs. Kevin Randleman (92.1 kg/203 lb)
* Akihiro Gono (76 kg/167.6 lb) vs. Yoon Young Kim (75.8 kg/167.1 lb)
* Yuji Hoshino (65 kg/143.3 lb) vs. Marlon Sandro (65 kg/143.3 lb)
* Dave Herman (108.7 kg/239.6 lb) vs. Jim York (116.3 kg/256.4 lb)
* Ronnie "Ushiwaka" Mann (64.6 kg/142.4 lb) vs. Shigeki Osawa (64.8 kg/142.9 lb)
* Yuichiro Yajima (56.8 kg/125.2 lb) vs. Ryota Uozomi (56.6 kg/124.8 lb)
* Hirokazu "Bull" Konno (64.8 kg/142.9 lb) vs. Tomoaki Ueyama (64.7 kg/142.6 lb)
Kyle Dietz vs. Brad Pickett bantamweight bout official for WEC 45 prelims
A rumored bout between WEC newcomer Brad Pickett (17-4 MMA, 0-0 WEC) and fellow bantamweight Kyle Dietz (5-1 MMA, 0-1 WEC) is now official for next month's WEC 45 event.
The fight is slated for the night's un-aired preliminary card.
WEC 45 takes place Dec. 19 at The Pearl at The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, and the night's main card, including a headliner of Donald Cerrone vs. Ed Ratcliff, airs on Versus.
As MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) reported earlier this week, Pickett, a longtime fighter on the British fight scene, recently signed with the UFC. Although he's competed previously at 145 pounds, he'll make his WEC debut at 135 pounds.
The Cage Rage and Ultimate Challenge UK veteran has fought in the U.S. in the past, though his WEC deal marks his first multi-fight contract with an American organization. He's currently riding a seven-fight win streak, which included an August win over former UFC fighter David Lee. Although 11 of his 17 wins have come via stoppage, only three came via way of knockout.
Dietz, meanwhile, recently suffered his first career loss and snapped a five-fight win streak with a submission loss to Rafael Rebello (a late replacement for Charlie Valencia) in his own WEC debut at WEC 41 in June. He likely needs a win to remain under contract with the WEC.
The latest WEC 45 card now includes:
MAIN CARD
* Donald Cerrone vs. Ed Ratcliff
* Chris Horodecki vs. Anthony Njokuani
* Joseph Benavidez vs. Rani Yahya
* Scott Jorgensen vs. Takeya Mizugaki
PRELIMINARY CARD
* Bart Palaszewski vs. Anthony Pettis*
* Erik Koch vs. Jameel Massouh*
* Kyle Dietz vs. Brad Pickett
* Tyler Toner vs. Brandon Visher*
* - Not yet officially announced
A rumored bout between WEC newcomer Brad Pickett (17-4 MMA, 0-0 WEC) and fellow bantamweight Kyle Dietz (5-1 MMA, 0-1 WEC) is now official for next month's WEC 45 event.
The fight is slated for the night's un-aired preliminary card.
WEC 45 takes place Dec. 19 at The Pearl at The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, and the night's main card, including a headliner of Donald Cerrone vs. Ed Ratcliff, airs on Versus.
As MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) reported earlier this week, Pickett, a longtime fighter on the British fight scene, recently signed with the UFC. Although he's competed previously at 145 pounds, he'll make his WEC debut at 135 pounds.
The Cage Rage and Ultimate Challenge UK veteran has fought in the U.S. in the past, though his WEC deal marks his first multi-fight contract with an American organization. He's currently riding a seven-fight win streak, which included an August win over former UFC fighter David Lee. Although 11 of his 17 wins have come via stoppage, only three came via way of knockout.
Dietz, meanwhile, recently suffered his first career loss and snapped a five-fight win streak with a submission loss to Rafael Rebello (a late replacement for Charlie Valencia) in his own WEC debut at WEC 41 in June. He likely needs a win to remain under contract with the WEC.
The latest WEC 45 card now includes:
MAIN CARD
* Donald Cerrone vs. Ed Ratcliff
* Chris Horodecki vs. Anthony Njokuani
* Joseph Benavidez vs. Rani Yahya
* Scott Jorgensen vs. Takeya Mizugaki
PRELIMINARY CARD
* Bart Palaszewski vs. Anthony Pettis*
* Erik Koch vs. Jameel Massouh*
* Kyle Dietz vs. Brad Pickett
* Tyler Toner vs. Brandon Visher*
* - Not yet officially announced
"Strikeforce Challengers'" Luke Rockhold "more than ready" for tough Jesse Taylor
The goal of Strikeforce's "Challengers Series" is to develop the organization's next potential stars.
American Kickboxing Academy has produced more than it's share of such stars, and tonight Strikeforce middleweight prospect Luke Rockhold (5-1) looks to become the next fighter from the San Jose, Calif., camp to gain national recognition.
"I feel like I'm more than ready for this," Rockhold recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). "I train with the best guys in the world, so I get a little more experience than most people."
Rockhold faces another promising young fighter in former "The Ultimate Fighter 7" cast member Jesse Taylor (13-4) on the main card of tonight's Showtime-broadcast "Strikeforce Challengers IV: Evangelista vs. Gurgel" event. Taylor will represent the biggest name Rockhold has yet faced, but the Californian said the test is coming at the perfect moment.
"I feel better than I've ever felt," Rockhold said. "Everything is coming along. My whole game is evolving, and this is a big name for me to fight. I feel like I'm ready to go out there and do what I've got to do."
What Rockhold will have to do is keep the powerful Taylor from wrestling him to the ground and maintaining top position. Rockhold has legitimate jiu-jitsu skills, earning five of his six career wins by submission, but Taylor has also proven the ability to neutralize opponents with his strength on the ground.
"I think it is (a great test)," Rockhold said. "It's not really a fighting style that I particularly like because [Taylor] just wants to get you down and impose his will. But it's a style you have to expect in a cage, and he's definitely tenacious, and he's non-stop.
"I've been training real hard with tough wrestlers, and I'm not going to let him dictate the pace and bully me around. I'm ready to go and do what I've got to do."
Dealing with a powerful wrestler won't be a new experience for Rockhold, who has been working with a pair of heavyweights in preparation for tonight's bout.
"I was working with (UFC heavyweight contender) Cain (Velasquez) a lot, to tell you the truth, before he went for his fight," Rockhold said. "Just getting used to a huge, big, good wrestler. I was trying to work with big, heavy wrestlers just to get myself ready for somebody obviously a lot bigger than Jesse. If I can deal with them to any extent, then it's a lot better for me when I get a hold of Jesse, and I'm able to throw him around.
"(Strikeforce heavyweight) Daniel Cormier has been in the gym lately. He's training with us, so I'm getting a lot of good wrestlers and training with the best in their peak position."
Rockhold currently holds a 4-0 record under the Strikeforce banner. A win over Taylor could potentially put Rockhold in a position to make the leap from the "Challengers Series" to Strikeforce's biggest shows.
Despite the opportunity that lies in front of him, Rockhold said he's not looking beyond tonight.
"It's amazing," Rockhold said. "I can't even believe it's happened this fast, but I want to take it one fight at a time.
"You've always got to focus. I've got a tough guy in front of me."
The goal of Strikeforce's "Challengers Series" is to develop the organization's next potential stars.
American Kickboxing Academy has produced more than it's share of such stars, and tonight Strikeforce middleweight prospect Luke Rockhold (5-1) looks to become the next fighter from the San Jose, Calif., camp to gain national recognition.
"I feel like I'm more than ready for this," Rockhold recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). "I train with the best guys in the world, so I get a little more experience than most people."
Rockhold faces another promising young fighter in former "The Ultimate Fighter 7" cast member Jesse Taylor (13-4) on the main card of tonight's Showtime-broadcast "Strikeforce Challengers IV: Evangelista vs. Gurgel" event. Taylor will represent the biggest name Rockhold has yet faced, but the Californian said the test is coming at the perfect moment.
"I feel better than I've ever felt," Rockhold said. "Everything is coming along. My whole game is evolving, and this is a big name for me to fight. I feel like I'm ready to go out there and do what I've got to do."
What Rockhold will have to do is keep the powerful Taylor from wrestling him to the ground and maintaining top position. Rockhold has legitimate jiu-jitsu skills, earning five of his six career wins by submission, but Taylor has also proven the ability to neutralize opponents with his strength on the ground.
"I think it is (a great test)," Rockhold said. "It's not really a fighting style that I particularly like because [Taylor] just wants to get you down and impose his will. But it's a style you have to expect in a cage, and he's definitely tenacious, and he's non-stop.
"I've been training real hard with tough wrestlers, and I'm not going to let him dictate the pace and bully me around. I'm ready to go and do what I've got to do."
Dealing with a powerful wrestler won't be a new experience for Rockhold, who has been working with a pair of heavyweights in preparation for tonight's bout.
"I was working with (UFC heavyweight contender) Cain (Velasquez) a lot, to tell you the truth, before he went for his fight," Rockhold said. "Just getting used to a huge, big, good wrestler. I was trying to work with big, heavy wrestlers just to get myself ready for somebody obviously a lot bigger than Jesse. If I can deal with them to any extent, then it's a lot better for me when I get a hold of Jesse, and I'm able to throw him around.
"(Strikeforce heavyweight) Daniel Cormier has been in the gym lately. He's training with us, so I'm getting a lot of good wrestlers and training with the best in their peak position."
Rockhold currently holds a 4-0 record under the Strikeforce banner. A win over Taylor could potentially put Rockhold in a position to make the leap from the "Challengers Series" to Strikeforce's biggest shows.
Despite the opportunity that lies in front of him, Rockhold said he's not looking beyond tonight.
"It's amazing," Rockhold said. "I can't even believe it's happened this fast, but I want to take it one fight at a time.
"You've always got to focus. I've got a tough guy in front of me."
Bantamweight John Hosman vs. newcomer David Smith completes WEC 45 card
A bantamweight contest between John Hosman (13-5-1 MMA, 0-1 WEC) and WEC newcomer David Smith (5-1 MMA, 0-0 WEC) completes the organization's upcoming "WEC 45: Cerrone vs. Ratcliff" event in Las Vegas.
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has learned from sources close to the event that both fighters have agreed to the preliminary card contest, and bout agreements are expected to be signed shortly.
Featuring a lightweight contest between contenders Donald Cerrone and Ed Ratcliff, "WEC 45: Cerrone vs. Ratcliff" takes place Dec. 19 at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort.
Hosman seeks his first win in the WEC after dropping his August debut to Rani Yahya. The soon-to-be-29-year-old took the Yahya fight on just two-weeks' notice but will now have a chance to compete with a full training camp under his belt.
Prior to the loss to Yahya, Hosman had dropped just one bout in a stretch of 12 contests. "The Goat" trains out of Illinois' Midwest Training Center along with UFC lightweight contender Clay Guida and former WEC bantamweight champion Chase Beebe.
Smith comes to the WEC on a three-fight win streak. Smith returned from a 20-month layoff with a TKO win over John Merkle in August at "Worlds Collide 4" in August.
Prior to the layoff, Smith put together a 2-1 record under the Strikeforce banner. That record included a pair of TKO wins over Sean Bassett and a decision loss to Andrew Montanez.
With the addition to the card, WEC 45 now includes:
MAIN CARD
* Donald Cerrone vs. Ed Ratcliff
* Chris Horodecki vs. Anthony Njokuani
* Joseph Benavidez vs. Rani Yahya
* Scott Jorgensen vs. Takeya Mizugaki
PRELIMINARY CARD
* Bart Palaszewski vs. Anthony Pettis*
* Muhsin Corbbrey vs. Zach Micklewright*
* Erik Koch vs. Jameel Massouh*
* Kyle Dietz vs. Brad Pickett
* John Hosman vs. David Smith*
* Tyler Toner vs. Brandon Visher*
* - Not yet officially announced.
A bantamweight contest between John Hosman (13-5-1 MMA, 0-1 WEC) and WEC newcomer David Smith (5-1 MMA, 0-0 WEC) completes the organization's upcoming "WEC 45: Cerrone vs. Ratcliff" event in Las Vegas.
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has learned from sources close to the event that both fighters have agreed to the preliminary card contest, and bout agreements are expected to be signed shortly.
Featuring a lightweight contest between contenders Donald Cerrone and Ed Ratcliff, "WEC 45: Cerrone vs. Ratcliff" takes place Dec. 19 at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort.
Hosman seeks his first win in the WEC after dropping his August debut to Rani Yahya. The soon-to-be-29-year-old took the Yahya fight on just two-weeks' notice but will now have a chance to compete with a full training camp under his belt.
Prior to the loss to Yahya, Hosman had dropped just one bout in a stretch of 12 contests. "The Goat" trains out of Illinois' Midwest Training Center along with UFC lightweight contender Clay Guida and former WEC bantamweight champion Chase Beebe.
Smith comes to the WEC on a three-fight win streak. Smith returned from a 20-month layoff with a TKO win over John Merkle in August at "Worlds Collide 4" in August.
Prior to the layoff, Smith put together a 2-1 record under the Strikeforce banner. That record included a pair of TKO wins over Sean Bassett and a decision loss to Andrew Montanez.
With the addition to the card, WEC 45 now includes:
MAIN CARD
* Donald Cerrone vs. Ed Ratcliff
* Chris Horodecki vs. Anthony Njokuani
* Joseph Benavidez vs. Rani Yahya
* Scott Jorgensen vs. Takeya Mizugaki
PRELIMINARY CARD
* Bart Palaszewski vs. Anthony Pettis*
* Muhsin Corbbrey vs. Zach Micklewright*
* Erik Koch vs. Jameel Massouh*
* Kyle Dietz vs. Brad Pickett
* John Hosman vs. David Smith*
* Tyler Toner vs. Brandon Visher*
* - Not yet officially announced.
The Two Sides of Shamar Bailey
Given his strict and structured background, Shamar Bailey seems a most unlikely dealer in the kind of controlled chaos and violence mixed martial arts requires. Still, he has thrived, outside and inside the cage.
A victor in nine of his first 10 professional bouts, Bailey will make his promotional debut this Saturday when he meets UFC veteran John Kolosci on the Strikeforce/M-1 Global “Fedor vs. Rogers” undercard at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill.
A devout, born-again Christian who spends as much as an hour a day giving the Bible his undivided attention, Bailey has no difficulty reconciling his faith with one of his chosen professions.
“I believe the very first form of any sport was one-on-one combat,” Bailey says. “God gives you talent to use to the best of your ability. It’s not like I’m going out and whooping somebody with them not having signed up for it.”
He grew up in five different states before settling in Indiana, the home-schooled son of a college professor and chemical engineer turned full-time pastor. A successful collegiate wrestling career at Maranatha Baptist Bible College -- where he was a national qualifier under 1972 Olympic gold medalist Ben Peterson -- laid the tracks for professional cage fighting. Sharpened by the same Integrated Fighting Academy iron as UFC veterans Chris Lytle and Jake O’Brien, Bailey sees MMA as his own community outreach program.
“I’m a Christian. I believe God put me on this earth to reach people,” he says. “When I first started wrestling, my goal was to be a national champion. As time went on, I realized I could use athletics to reach people. Whether it’s reaching people through the pulpit, through church or through fighting, I want everything I do to have a positive impact on people and to come across as something that honors God. I look at this as a ministry. People know what I stand for.”
The 27-year-old will carry a three-fight winning streak into his match with Kolosci, which marks the beginning of a potentially life-changing four-fight, 18-month contract with Strikeforce. Pat McPherson, who has trained Bailey for nearly four years, believes the promotion will like what it sees.
“He’s an aggressive wrestler, strong with aggressive ground-and pound and a very good top game,” McPherson says. “He’s one of those guys who soaks it up and will try new things even if he doesn’t think it fits his style.”
Bailey views his match with Kolosci, a semi-finalist on Season 6 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” as a golden opportunity to make waves in an industry always mining for untapped talent.
“It means the world to me,” Bailey says. “I’ve been working really hard for this. To be a fighter now, it seems like it takes forever to get that recognition and opportunity. It’s been a long time coming for me. Obviously, I don’t need to stumble on this stage and lose. I think I’m very marketable as a fighter and have a lot to offer.”
The 34-year-old Kolosci, like Bailey, has won three in a row and has roots in amateur wrestling. He made a failed run in the UFC following his appearance on the Spike TV reality series, as he submitted to a Matt Arroyo armbar in December 2007.
“I don’t know too much about him,” Bailey says. “I think we’re going to be in each other’s faces, and I have to establish myself as the better fighter.”
Neither man wants to start off on the wrong foot in Strikeforce.
“I think they’re pretty similar,” McPherson says. “I don’t think it’s going to be a finesse fight. I don’t think either of them is going to come out and throw flying triangles and armbars. It’s going to come down to who can control the cage. If Shamar flows, it’s going to be hard for Kolosci to stop him.”
Long odds and uphill climbs are nothing new to Bailey. One of only 40 firefighters hired out of a pool of 3,000 applicants, he has spent the last three years with the Indianapolis Fire Department.
“God placed it in my lap,” Bailey says. “I was working with inner city kids, and the job wasn’t able to pay me what I needed. I was struggling to pay the bills. I was going to church with the battalion chief, and he told me to put my application in. One thing led to another.”
He works a 24-hour shift, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., every third day and supplements his training at the firehouse, where he can lift weights and utilize the company treadmill. In addition, trainers and teammates from the Integrated Fighting Academy often join him to spar and hold pads during his shift. Bailey loves the prestige and sense of duty that comes with firefighting but admits he wants to give full-time MMA training a try.
“The job’s great, but I’d like to see how much better a fighter I could become training full-time,” Bailey says. “I just want to see how good I can be. I know God blessed me with a lot of athletic talent. I’ve only been doing this for three years, and I definitely want to get into a position where I’m challenging the top guys. I wouldn’t be in it if I didn’t want to be the best.”
For all that has gone right for the oldest of Irwin and Zenobia Bailey’s three children, he deals with some heavy family demons on a daily basis. His 26-year-old brother, Jared, remains behind bars at Pendleton Correctional Facility in Pendleton, Ind., currently serving a maximum security prison sentence for multiple felonies.
“I go once a month; it’s about an hour away,” Bailey says. “We used to do everything together. He’s kind of a different person now. It’s been a big challenge to see the damage it’s done to my family.”
In a strange way, his brother’s incarceration serves as an added incentive.
“It’s put pressure on me to be that much more successful,” Bailey says. “That’s my blood. No matter what, he always wants what’s best for me. I know that about him. People had high expectations for both of us. All it takes is a couple of bad decisions. It could be anybody in there. It motivates me to make the most of the life God has given me.”
Given his strict and structured background, Shamar Bailey seems a most unlikely dealer in the kind of controlled chaos and violence mixed martial arts requires. Still, he has thrived, outside and inside the cage.
A victor in nine of his first 10 professional bouts, Bailey will make his promotional debut this Saturday when he meets UFC veteran John Kolosci on the Strikeforce/M-1 Global “Fedor vs. Rogers” undercard at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill.
A devout, born-again Christian who spends as much as an hour a day giving the Bible his undivided attention, Bailey has no difficulty reconciling his faith with one of his chosen professions.
“I believe the very first form of any sport was one-on-one combat,” Bailey says. “God gives you talent to use to the best of your ability. It’s not like I’m going out and whooping somebody with them not having signed up for it.”
He grew up in five different states before settling in Indiana, the home-schooled son of a college professor and chemical engineer turned full-time pastor. A successful collegiate wrestling career at Maranatha Baptist Bible College -- where he was a national qualifier under 1972 Olympic gold medalist Ben Peterson -- laid the tracks for professional cage fighting. Sharpened by the same Integrated Fighting Academy iron as UFC veterans Chris Lytle and Jake O’Brien, Bailey sees MMA as his own community outreach program.
“I’m a Christian. I believe God put me on this earth to reach people,” he says. “When I first started wrestling, my goal was to be a national champion. As time went on, I realized I could use athletics to reach people. Whether it’s reaching people through the pulpit, through church or through fighting, I want everything I do to have a positive impact on people and to come across as something that honors God. I look at this as a ministry. People know what I stand for.”
The 27-year-old will carry a three-fight winning streak into his match with Kolosci, which marks the beginning of a potentially life-changing four-fight, 18-month contract with Strikeforce. Pat McPherson, who has trained Bailey for nearly four years, believes the promotion will like what it sees.
“He’s an aggressive wrestler, strong with aggressive ground-and pound and a very good top game,” McPherson says. “He’s one of those guys who soaks it up and will try new things even if he doesn’t think it fits his style.”
Bailey views his match with Kolosci, a semi-finalist on Season 6 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” as a golden opportunity to make waves in an industry always mining for untapped talent.
“It means the world to me,” Bailey says. “I’ve been working really hard for this. To be a fighter now, it seems like it takes forever to get that recognition and opportunity. It’s been a long time coming for me. Obviously, I don’t need to stumble on this stage and lose. I think I’m very marketable as a fighter and have a lot to offer.”
The 34-year-old Kolosci, like Bailey, has won three in a row and has roots in amateur wrestling. He made a failed run in the UFC following his appearance on the Spike TV reality series, as he submitted to a Matt Arroyo armbar in December 2007.
“I don’t know too much about him,” Bailey says. “I think we’re going to be in each other’s faces, and I have to establish myself as the better fighter.”
Neither man wants to start off on the wrong foot in Strikeforce.
“I think they’re pretty similar,” McPherson says. “I don’t think it’s going to be a finesse fight. I don’t think either of them is going to come out and throw flying triangles and armbars. It’s going to come down to who can control the cage. If Shamar flows, it’s going to be hard for Kolosci to stop him.”
Long odds and uphill climbs are nothing new to Bailey. One of only 40 firefighters hired out of a pool of 3,000 applicants, he has spent the last three years with the Indianapolis Fire Department.
“God placed it in my lap,” Bailey says. “I was working with inner city kids, and the job wasn’t able to pay me what I needed. I was struggling to pay the bills. I was going to church with the battalion chief, and he told me to put my application in. One thing led to another.”
He works a 24-hour shift, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., every third day and supplements his training at the firehouse, where he can lift weights and utilize the company treadmill. In addition, trainers and teammates from the Integrated Fighting Academy often join him to spar and hold pads during his shift. Bailey loves the prestige and sense of duty that comes with firefighting but admits he wants to give full-time MMA training a try.
“The job’s great, but I’d like to see how much better a fighter I could become training full-time,” Bailey says. “I just want to see how good I can be. I know God blessed me with a lot of athletic talent. I’ve only been doing this for three years, and I definitely want to get into a position where I’m challenging the top guys. I wouldn’t be in it if I didn’t want to be the best.”
For all that has gone right for the oldest of Irwin and Zenobia Bailey’s three children, he deals with some heavy family demons on a daily basis. His 26-year-old brother, Jared, remains behind bars at Pendleton Correctional Facility in Pendleton, Ind., currently serving a maximum security prison sentence for multiple felonies.
“I go once a month; it’s about an hour away,” Bailey says. “We used to do everything together. He’s kind of a different person now. It’s been a big challenge to see the damage it’s done to my family.”
In a strange way, his brother’s incarceration serves as an added incentive.
“It’s put pressure on me to be that much more successful,” Bailey says. “That’s my blood. No matter what, he always wants what’s best for me. I know that about him. People had high expectations for both of us. All it takes is a couple of bad decisions. It could be anybody in there. It motivates me to make the most of the life God has given me.”
Manager: 'Henderson Not Signed Anywhere'
Dan Henderson remains an unsigned commodity, the fighter’s business partner and manager, Aaron Crecy, told Sherdog.com late Thursday, responding to a new report that states the top-five middleweight has signed with Strikeforce.
“Dan hasn’t signed anywhere,” said Crecy.
Crecy has stepped forward twice in the last three weeks to counter claims that his client had signed with the UFC’s biggest U.S. competitor. In mid-October, the middleweight and his managerial team also squashed reports that Henderson was close to signing a deal with Strikeforce.
Henderson and the UFC have been stuck on the monetary terms of a new five-fight agreement since late July. In that time, UFC President Dana White has described the renegotiations as anywhere from “stalemated” to “done.”
However, Sherdog.com has direct knowledge from multiple parties involved that talks between both sides have continued the entire time and even into this week.
On Wednesday, White again commented publicly about Henderson.
“I guarantee you 1,000 percent that Dan Henderson is signed by Strikeforce,” White told Yahoo Sports.
Crecy said the statement is 100 percent false.
“Anyone that would report that is misinformed,” he said.
When asked if Henderson was still in negotiations with both the UFC and Strikeforce, Crecy said, “He’s open to all possibilities. Nothing is imminent.”
Henderson, 39, earned $350,000 for his second-round knockout of Michael Bisping at UFC 100 in July, which included a $100,000 knockout bonus awarded by the promotion. Crecy would not comment on his client’s new asking price, but has previously denied White’s claim that Henderson’s counter-offer would make him the UFC’s highest paid athlete.
Crecy reiterated that Henderson will attend Strikeforce’s Saturday event outside Chicago, and said that the fighter wasn’t any closer to making a decision regarding where he’ll fight in 2010.
Dan Henderson remains an unsigned commodity, the fighter’s business partner and manager, Aaron Crecy, told Sherdog.com late Thursday, responding to a new report that states the top-five middleweight has signed with Strikeforce.
“Dan hasn’t signed anywhere,” said Crecy.
Crecy has stepped forward twice in the last three weeks to counter claims that his client had signed with the UFC’s biggest U.S. competitor. In mid-October, the middleweight and his managerial team also squashed reports that Henderson was close to signing a deal with Strikeforce.
Henderson and the UFC have been stuck on the monetary terms of a new five-fight agreement since late July. In that time, UFC President Dana White has described the renegotiations as anywhere from “stalemated” to “done.”
However, Sherdog.com has direct knowledge from multiple parties involved that talks between both sides have continued the entire time and even into this week.
On Wednesday, White again commented publicly about Henderson.
“I guarantee you 1,000 percent that Dan Henderson is signed by Strikeforce,” White told Yahoo Sports.
Crecy said the statement is 100 percent false.
“Anyone that would report that is misinformed,” he said.
When asked if Henderson was still in negotiations with both the UFC and Strikeforce, Crecy said, “He’s open to all possibilities. Nothing is imminent.”
Henderson, 39, earned $350,000 for his second-round knockout of Michael Bisping at UFC 100 in July, which included a $100,000 knockout bonus awarded by the promotion. Crecy would not comment on his client’s new asking price, but has previously denied White’s claim that Henderson’s counter-offer would make him the UFC’s highest paid athlete.
Crecy reiterated that Henderson will attend Strikeforce’s Saturday event outside Chicago, and said that the fighter wasn’t any closer to making a decision regarding where he’ll fight in 2010.
Strikeforce mini heavyweight tournament kicks off Nov. 7 for title shot against Alistair Overeem in early 2010
“We know Alistair (Overeem) will be fighting in the first quarter of next year. Depending on the outcome of this fight and the next, we can work on putting a fight together. You see the match up potential between the winner of the Silva vs. Werdum fight and the winner of the Fedor vs. Rogers fight. I think it would make sense for those two guys to fight each other in the future depending on how things go. Then, Alistair can come in later and fight the winner of that fight. We have some great heavyweight fights upcoming and we are looking forward to promoting them. I believe Alistair will be available in the first quarter. We will get him in the mix as well as some other heavyweights we will announce here in the next week or so.”
“We know Alistair (Overeem) will be fighting in the first quarter of next year. Depending on the outcome of this fight and the next, we can work on putting a fight together. You see the match up potential between the winner of the Silva vs. Werdum fight and the winner of the Fedor vs. Rogers fight. I think it would make sense for those two guys to fight each other in the future depending on how things go. Then, Alistair can come in later and fight the winner of that fight. We have some great heavyweight fights upcoming and we are looking forward to promoting them. I believe Alistair will be available in the first quarter. We will get him in the mix as well as some other heavyweights we will announce here in the next week or so.”