MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

Dynamite Fighter Comments

“Coming here I recall Yarennoka?! from two years ago. Since then DREAM started and make no mistake about it, I carried DREAM and I carried Japanese MMA. Tomorrow I want to clearly show that difference.” – Aoki

“Everyone did good coming in this damn cold today. Tomorrow (pointing at Alistair) I’ll fight that monster over there but I’ll show my fighting spirit so please cheer for me.” – Fujita

“Good evening, I’m first generation SENGOKU Featherweight champion Masanori Kanehara. KID didn’t come today but I’m in perfect form and I’ll wipe him out tomorrow. Please support me.” – Kanehara

Kawajiri asked the referee to please stop him if he uses too much power in his strikes tomorrow.

Yokota said that Kawajiri’s popularity is far higher than his own but he wants to prove tomorrow that his own abilities are higher than Kawajiris.

Kawajiri then once again left as the two were going to get photographed by the media.

Tokoro thanked Kim Jong Man for taking the fight on short notice. He is proud to be called a DREAM representative and will prove the promotions strength tomorrow.

Kim is honored to be able to fight on an event like Dynamite!! tomorrow and he said that his and Tokoro’s fight will probably be the most entertaining of the event.

“Mach” said that he doesn’t know what to say since Gono has always been his neighbor at press conferences. But with DREAM on his back he wants to give it his all.

Look forward to Gono’s entrance.

Shibata said that Izumi’s parents are tuna fishermen and he called Izumi a tuna (tuna (maguro) is used by MMA fans in Japan like people in the west use (tomato) can).

 

[Shogun Locc]

Satoshi Ishii Interview

DREAM got a hold of Ishii after the weigh-ins to ask some questions.

How’s your condition?
Good.

Weight?
104 kg.

Who will your second be?
Harumi Shimanishi.

Your training since returning to Japan?
Just been moving my body.

Will you wear a gi?
I didn’t plan on wearing one from the outset.

What will you wear in the fight then?
Trunks.

When you enter as well?
Yes.

Entrance music?
Amazing by Kanye West.

The color of your trunks?
Red. I was going back and forth between red and black but chose the color which stood out.

MMA debut and the Olympics, any difference?
I don’t know how I will feel yet.

There are rumors that Yoshida might retire after this fight…
Retire?! I’m not Yoshida so I don’t know.

The fight order for the event.
I don’t know yet. Early is good. I want to go home as soon as possible. Masato’s retirement fight? I’ll go home.

Your impression of Yoshida?
Same as before.

Yoshida was 110 kg.
I thought he was big.

What’s your reason for not sticking to one team and traveling around to train everywhere?
I like being one person/alone. For the sake of continuing for a long time I want to do things at my pace.

Is the designer of your trunks someone famous?
No, not really.

Normal trunks?
Yes.

Any advice from Akiyama?
None.

Your body build has changed.
Because the body changes it doesn’t necessarily mean that one is stronger. I want to astonish with my performance.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Dynamite 2009 Weigh-In Results

Shinya Aoki (69.8 kg) vs. Mizuto Hirota (69 kg)
Alistair Overeem (118 kg) vs. Kazuyuki Fujita (114 kg)
Satoshi Ishii (104 kg) vs. Hidehiko Yoshida (103 kg)
Norifumi “KID” Yamamoto (62.4 kg) vs. Masanori Kanehara (63 kg)
Tatsuya Kawajiri (70 kg) vs. Kazunori Yokota (69.9 kg)
Hideo Tokoro (64 kg) vs. Kim Jong Man (64 kg)
Melvin Manhoef (83 kg) vs. Kazuo Misaki (82.5 kg)
Hayato “Mach” Sakurai (76 kg) vs. Akihiro Gono (76 kg)
Hiroyuki Takaya (64 kg) vs. Michihiro Omigawa (64 kg)
Katsuyori Shibata (90 kg) vs. Hiroshi Izumi (93 kg)

 

[Shogun Locc]

Star-studded "Dynamite!! 2009" lineup, fight order announced

The final lineup and fight order for tomorrow's "Dynamite!! 2009: DREAM vs. WVR" event is set.

The event, which is a star-studded affair featuring K-1 bouts and MMA fights with competitors from DREAM and World Victory Road's Sengoku event series, takes place on New Year's Eve at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

The event airs in North America on HDNet beginning at 3 a.m. ET (midnight PT).

Many of the MMA bouts feature fighters from DREAM against their rivals from fellow Japanese-based promotion WVR. Additionally, K-1 bouts, such as Masato vs. Andy Souwer and Yosuke Nishijima vs. Ray Sefo, as well as DREAM's Super Hulk open-weight tournament finale (Ikuhisa Minowa vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou), are also slated for the stacked card.

The night's main-event slot is reserved for the Masato vs. Souwer fight, and late addition Gegard Mousasi takes on Gary Goodridge in the night's co-headliner. The card features 18 total fights.

The (reverse) bout order includes:

* Masato vs. Andy Souwer (K-1)
* Gary Goodridge vs. Gegard Mousasi (MMA)
* Shinya Aoki vs. Mizuto Hirota (MMA/DREAM VS. WVR)
* Kazuyuki Fujita vs. Alistair Overeem (MMA/DREAM VS. WVR)
* Satoshi Ishii vs. Hidehiko Yoshida (MMA)
* Masanori Kanehara vs. Norofumi "Kid" Yamamoto (MMA/DREAM VS. WVR)
* Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kazunori Yokota (MMA/DREAM VS. WVR)
* Jong Man Kim vs. Hideo Tokoro (MMA/DREAM VS. WVR)
* Melvin Manhoef vs. Kazuo Misaki (MMA/DREAM VS. WVR)
* Akihiro Gono vs. Hayato "Mach" Sakurai (MMA/DREAM VS. WVR)
* Michihiro Omigawa vs. Hiroyuki Takaya (MMA/DREAM VS. WVR)
* Hiroshi Izumi vs. Katsuyori Shibata (MMA/DREAM VS. WVR)
* Hiroya/Noiri winner vs. Ishida/Shimada winner (K-1 KOSHIEN final)
* Yosuke Nishijima vs. Ray Sefo (K-1)
* Ikuhisa Minowa vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (MMA/"Super Hulk" finale)
* Katsuki Ishida vs. Shota Shimada (K-1 KOSHIEN semifinal)
* Hiroya vs. Masaaki Noiri (K-1 KOSHIEN semifinal)
* Tsukasa Fuji vs. Ryuya Kusakabe (K-1 KOSHIEN semifinal reserve)

 

[Shogun Locc]

Jason "Mayhem" Miller part of "Dynamite!! 2009" broadcast team

Veteran fighter and fan favorite Jason "Mayhem" Miller joins Michael Schiavello and Guy Mezger for HDNet's upcoming broadcast of the "Dynamite!! 2009" event.

The show takes place in a little more than 12 hours (Thursday, Dec. 31, at 3 a.m. ET) from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Miller, host of MTV's "Bully Beatdown" series, recently fought for Strikeforce, as well as DREAM, which has a broadcast deal with HDNet.

HDNet officials today confirmed with MMajunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) Miller's participation and the three-man broadcasting team for the show.

Miller will help call the action from the night's 18-fight lineup, which features both MMA and K-1 bouts. Many of the event's matchups pit fighters from DREAM against their rivals from World Victory Road's Sengoku event series. Additionally, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou and Ikuhisa Minowa meet in DREAM's open-weight "Super Hulk" tournament finale, and other notables in action include Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Akihiro Gono, Hayato "Mach" Sakurai and others. Additionally, Sengoku featherweight champion Masanori Kanehara takes on Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto.

Although Miller has fought in Japan three times in the past year and a half, he's never competed in one of the blockbuster year-end shows. The Japanese organizations, including the now-defunct PRIDE Fighting Championships organization, traditionally feature legendary pomp and circumstance with flashy production values for the New Year's Eve shows.

Miller, a frequent guest on HDNet's "Inside MMA" news program, also headlined the second (and most recent) HDNet Fights event installment in November 2007 and defeated Tim Kennedy.

 

[007SYBORG]

MMA FANS

 

[B-Buzz]

Fitch vs. Alves Rematch Likely for March 27th

What once was lost now is found.

UFC welterweight stalwart Jon Fitch (21-3) is currently in discussions to rematch Thiago Alves (16-6) at UFC 111 from the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on March 27, setting up a fantastic 170-pound showdown that will prove once and for all how far both former number one contenders have come since their initial encounter back in 2006.

Their rematch was originally pegged for UFC 107 in Memphis, Tennessee; however, "The Pitbull" had to withdraw due to a knee injury. Fitch remained on the card and defeated Mike Pierce via unanimous decision.

Fitch scored a convincing second round technical knockout of the Brazilian at UFC Fight Night 5. He would go on to win his next five fights and earn a crack at division champion Georges St. Pierre at UFC 87: "Seek and Destroy" in Aug. 2008.

He was overwhelmed by the Canadian for 25 minutes, losing a lopsided unanimous decision.

Alves, too, went on a tear after the loss to Fitch with seven consecutive victories over top-ranked opponents such as Matt Hughes and Karo Parisyan, as well as outpointing Josh Koscheck on all three judges scorecards at UFC 90 in October of 2008.

However, St. Pierre would also end Alves’ run with another five-round clinic at UFC 100 back in July.

On the other hand, Fitch exacted revenge against submission specialist Paulo Thiago with a unanimous decision at UFC 100 and notched a similar result against Akihiro Gono earlier this year. He also outworked Mike Pierce (Alves' replacement at UFC 107) to earn the nod from all three judges sitting ringside.

So is Fitch still better than Alves more than three years later or has Alves matured to a point where his last loss is essentially meaningless because he is a totally different fighter?

Tune in on March 27 and find out once and for all. In the meantime, let's hear what you have to say below.

UFC 111 is expected to feature a 170-pound title defense by promotion superstar Georges St. Pierre as "Rush" answers the call of British striker Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy. Heavyweights Frank Mir and Shane Carwin are also expected to collide in an interim title match while Brock Lesnar recovers from recent surgery.

 

[B-Buzz]

Best of PRIDE to Debut Jan. 15th on SpikeTV

A new series that features some of the top matchups from the now-defunct PRIDE Fighting Championships organization debuts Jan. 15 on Spike TV.

"Best of PRIDE," which features the video library the UFC's parent company acquired after its purchase of the organization in 2007, airs each Friday at 10 p.m. ET/PT with replays throughout the week.

Maxim model Kenda Perez hosts the program.

UFC president Dana White first discussed the highlights show in August, as MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) detailed after his pre-UFC 102 Q&A session with fans. White said the series will use a familiar format.

"It'll kind of be like 'UFC Unleashed,'" said White, referring to Spike TV's UFC-themed highlights show. "All the great PRIDE fights that happened with all the stars who are UFC guys now will be on it."

However, non-UFC fighters, including Fedor Emelianenko, are also expected to be featured.

The UFC planned to operate PRIDE Fighting Championships as a separate entity after the purchase (similar to how the UFC and WEC operate independently now under the Zuffa LLC banner) but with the promise of "mega-fights" between each organization's stars. Fans were promised Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva, Rich Franklin vs. Dan Henderson, and Forrest Griffin vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. However, those fights only happened after PRIDE was shut down and most of the organization's fighters were folded into the UFC.

White has long blamed the organization's previous owners for duping the UFC about PRIDE's financial stability, TV relationships and overall health of the organization. Zuffa LLC never operated a show under the PRIDE banner, and the matter will soon head to court.

However, the UFC hasn't let the brand name die completely. PRIDE merchandise, including clothing and DVDs, is now available through the UFC, and the UFC has hosted PRIDE-themed autograph sessions at various times throughout the year.

The Japanese-based PRIDE organization was once one of the world's biggest MMA promotions after its launch in 1997. Among its 68 total events, two drew more than 67,000 spectators each.

 

[drunkaholic707]

Despite past troubles, UFC boss says Gilbert Yvel deserved UFC 108 opportunity

LAS VEGAS – Dutch striker Gilbert Yvel (36-13-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has taken the long road to the UFC, and "The Hurricane" has encountered more than his share of obstacles.

And as fans that have followed Yvel's career know, many of those obstacles have been of his own creation.

But despite Yvel's controversial history that includes biting an opponent in 1998, raking the eyes of Don Frye in 2001 and attacking a referee in 2004, UFC president Dana White recently said he had no hesitation in bringing the heavyweight to the UFC.

"It was me that made the decision to sign [Yvel]," White said. "I have a long relationship with John Lewis, who's been working with him, and John's been trying to get him on the UFC now for quite a while.

"It wasn't just, 'Hey, let's throw Gilbert Yvel back in there.' We talked to him, took some time, and he assured me that he's going to be an absolute professional."

Yvel's past conduct resulted in the Nevada State Athletic Commission denying him a license to fight in 2007. After Yvel competed in a pair of 2009 fights in the U.S. without incident, the NSAC agreed to issue the Dutchman a license this past October.

Yvel will use that license for the first time in a main-card bout with Junior Dos Santos (9-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) at Saturday's "UFC 108: Evans vs. Silva" event in Las Vegas.

The heavyweight contest will kick-off the evening's pay-per-view event, and White thinks fans should definitely tune in early.

"I'm excited about that fight," White said. "Everyone knows the roll that Junior's been on, and then Gilbert Yvel is an incredible striker. I think that's going to be a fun fight. I think there's going to be fireworks."

While Dos Santos is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt, "Cigano" is best known for the powerful striking he's exhibited in UFC wins over Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, Stefan Struve and Fabricio Werdum.

With 31 career wins by knockout or TKO in his 36 career victories, Yvel can undoubtedly throw powerful strikes of his own. But White said he doesn't believe Yvel will be uncomfortable should the action move to the floor.

"[Yvel] has been training," White said. "He's looked at as a striker, but he's actually been training for years now with John Lewis. He's been working hard on his jiu-jitsu, and he does have a ground game. People think he doesn't, but he definitely does."

While the 33-year-old Yvel is making his debut in the UFC nearly 13 years after his first pro fight, White believes the devastating striker could make an impact in the UFC.

And White also believes that everyone deserves an opportunity to prove that past transgressions don't necessarily mean future problems.

"Listen, you guys know how I am," White said. "We all make mistakes. We'll see if [Yvel] learned from them."

 

[drunkaholic707]

White says Evans win at UFC 108 "probably" means March date with "Rampage"

LAS VEGAS – While former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson's recent acting aspirations have put a potential matchup with rival Rashad Evans on hold, UFC president Dana White said that the grudge match could happen in early 2010.

In fact, if Evans can make it past fellow contender Thiago Silva at tonight's UFC 108 event in Las Vegas, the bout could take place in March.

"Rashad would have to win this fight to fight 'Rampage,'" White recently told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "And if he does win this fight, they will fight – probably in March."

White and Jackson waged a very public war of words in recent months after the former champ walked away from a chance to fight in front of his hometown crowd in Memphis, Tenn., at UFC 107. The two have since buried the hatchet, but White said there's still a bit of underlying tension.

"We're still pissed at each other," White said. "We are. When something this big happens, you don't just go, 'Ah, never mind. Forget it.' It doesn't work that way."

Strong-minded and often somewhat vindictive when entrenched in a disagreement, White said he won't hold Jackson back from opportunities when he does return to the octagon.

"We'll figure it out," White said. "You're not going to see 'Rampage' on the prelims and [expletive]. There will be none of that."

As for Evans, the recent "The Ultimate Fighter 10" coach has maintained his desire to meet Jackson. But "Suga" insists the potential matchup will not serve as a distraction.

"When I took the fight with Thiago, 'Rampage' wasn't even on the horizon," Evans said. "It was very uncertain whether he was going to come back or not. I took this fight just with the intentions of fighting Thiago.

"As far as Dana saying that, and it being possible for me to fight him if I win this fight, it doesn't change anything or add extra motivation. I'm going to go in there and fight this fight the way I was going to fight it before he said those words."

 

[drunkaholic707]

Dana White confirms former PRIDE champ Takanori Gomi now with UFC

The final lightweight champion of the now-defunct PRIDE organization is now UFC bound.

UFC president Dana White revealed on his newest vlog that Takanori Gomi (31-5) has agreed to a contract with the world's largest MMA promotion.

News of the signing first leaked out on Friday night in an AOL FanHouse report.

"Takanori Gomi – nobody knows yet, but we just signed him," White said in the vlog. "He fights with the UFC now.

"Just making [expletive] even more exciting."

Known as "The Fireball Kid," Gomi has long been considered among the world's best lightweights. A recent two-fight losing streak to Satoru Kitaoka and Sergey Golyaev left Gomi outside of most top-10 rankings, but the Japanese product has since bounced back with a pair of victories over Tony Hervey and Takashi Nakakura.

Terms of the contract were not revealed.

"He signed, and he's here," White said. "Get ready; Gomi's back."

Fighting professionally since 1998, Gomi may be perhaps best known in the U.S. for a 2007 submission loss to Nick Diaz. The gogoplata finish was later overturned to a no-contest result by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after Diaz tested positive for marijuana in a post-fight drug screen.

Gomi's career includes wins over notables Marcus Aurelio, Seung Hwang Bang, Ralph Gracie, Mitsuhiro Ishida, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Duane Ludwig, Jens Pulver and Hayato "Mach" Sakurai, among others.

White did not reveal when Gomi would debut for the organization

 

[B-Buzz]

War Gomi

 

[drunkaholic707]

UFC champ Georges St-Pierre says Olympics still possible, would vacate title to pursue

LAS VEGAS – UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre (19-2 MMA, 13-2 UFC) is slated to defend his title against British slugger Dan Hardy (23-6 MMA, 4-0 UFC) on March 27 at the as-yet-unannounced UFC 111 event in New Jersey.

And regardless of the result, St-Pierre today said it may be has last title fight for quite some time.

The Canadian recently revealed he's considering a run at the 2012 Olympic Games in freestyle wrestling, and today St-Pierre said that plan would include vacating the UFC's 170-pound title.

"Right now I don't think my wrestling is good enough to be at an Olympic level," St-Pierre said at today's media gathering. "The takedowns that I use for mixed martial arts and the takedowns that are used in Olympic wrestling are totally different. The setup is different. It's a different sport.

"I'm a good wrestler, but to [compete in the Olympics], I would have to focus on wrestling and dedicate myself 100 percent for a period of time. I would not take my retirement now, but if I decide to do it, I would have to dedicate myself 100 percent I would say for a year-and-a-half or so."

It's a potentially life- and career-altering decision, and St-Pierre admits there is much to consider on both sides of the argument.

"There is a lot of positive and negative about it," St-Pierre said. "The negative is my income. I won't have as much income as I would if I keep my career. It would diminish dramatically. That's the first thing. The second thing is I would have to give up my title, of course. I would have to stay away from mixed martial arts for at least a year-and-a-half because I need to qualify.

"People don't realize that to go to the Olympic Games, just going there, is pretty hard. It's not an easy thing. You need to qualify yourself for your country, and even if you qualify yourself for your country, it doesn't mean you're going 100 percent. You need to qualify yourself for the Olympic Games, itself. It's something really, really hard. That's the negative thing."

But St-Pierre doesn't believe the potential of walking away from his title is all bad.

"The positive thing about it is I'm not a poor guy right now," St-Pierre said. "I've got good money, and I'm the kind of person that everything I do in life, it's an experience. I like challenges, and I would not like the fact that when I get older, around 60 years old, I think about it and tell myself, 'Oh, I had the opportunity to do it. Maybe I could have done it. I don't know; I didn't try.' This would make me sad.

"I don't know if I can do it. It's a challenge. But, it's always behind my head. My life is always about experience. I like to do new experiences. I like challenges. But it's something that I need to sit down and think a little bit more before I make my decision."

While St-Pierre is widely considered among the pound-for-pound best mixed martial artists in the world, his spot in the world of freestyle wrestling is far less secure. There is certainly no guarantee that St-Pierre would even qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games if he tried, but the 28-year-old said the thought of, "What if?" is a far worse option than the potential for failure.

"Even if I try it and don't make it, at least when I get older, I'm going to think about it, and I'm going to tell myself, 'You know what? I gave everything I had, but I didn't make it,'" St-Pierre said. "My mind would be clear. But if I don't try it, when I'm going to be 60 years old and thinking about it, I'll be like, 'Maybe I could have done it, but I'll never know because I never tried it.'

"I don't like things like that. It already happened before in another situation where I could have done stuff, but I didn't take the opportunity, and now days I always wonder if I could have made it. I don't want to be caught in that situation."

St-Pierre said he currently rates his chances of pursuing his Olympic dreams at "50-50." The process would not be a simple one, and "Rush" would have a multi-tiered qualification process to pass before he could book his travel plans to London, site of the 2012 Olympic Games.

But despite the certain drawbacks to his MMA career, St-Pierre says he sees potential benefits for the sports of MMA and wrestling.

"It could be good and bad," St-Pierre said. "It could be bad because I leave the sport for a year-and-a-half. But it could be good in another way to make [MMA] even more mainstream. If I do well, and I get into the Olympic level, it could be very good. It could be very good for the sport of wrestling, as well."

St-Pierre wasn't quite ready to commit to a full-fledged Olympic qualification effort, but he hardly attempted to discount the possibility.

"I have a decision to make, but I don't know if I'm ready to do it," St-Pierre said. "I just need to think about it right now.

"I'm going to have to make my decision pretty soon."

 

[drunkaholic707]

Shane Carwin vs. Frank Mir set for interim title; UFC 111 official for March

LAS VEGAS – UFC president Dana White recently said current heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar's status would be determined sometime this week, but the organization apparently won't waste time waiting to arrange the remaining contenders in the heavyweight division.

The UFC today announced and MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has since confirmed with UFC officials that former two-time champion Frank Mir (13-4 MMA, 11-4 UFC) and No. 1 contender Shane Carwin (11-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) will meet for the UFC's interim heavyweight title in the co-feature of the now-official UFC 111 event on March 27 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

The belt will be the first of two titles on the line at the event as current welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre and top contender Dan Hardy meet in the evening's main event.

While the Carwin vs. Mir matchup has been rumored in recent weeks, today's announcement was the first official word that the promotion has elected to institute an interim title in Lesnar's absence.

Earlier this week, White told a small group of reporters that he still has some concern that Lesnar may never again set foot in the octagon.

"We'll know this week," he said. "I think Brock's going to the doctor this week, and we'll know how this thing is going to go – whether it's over.

"It could be career-ending for him."

Tickets for UFC 111 are scheduled to go on sale to the general public on Saturday, Jan. 9, at Ticketmaster.com. The ticket-selling website has yet to add an official listing for the event despite the recent announcement by the UFC.

UFC Fight Club members will have the first shot at tickets on Thursday, Jan. 7, while UFC Newsletter subscribers will receive a password that will allow tickets to be purchased on Friday, Jan. 8.

Although the UFC was once a frequent guest in New Jersey and the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort in Atlantic City earlier this decade, only one event has been held in the Garden State in the past four years: UFC 78. The event, headlined by Rashad Evans vs. Michael Bisping and also held at the Prudential Center, drew 14,071 attendees for a solid $2.1 million gate.

 

[hitthegas]

just got around to watching 108. good card. stout fight was fight of the night imo. also these next couple months have some awesome cards coming up.

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC 108 FIGHTER SALARIES & BONUSES

MMAWeekly has obtained the fighter salary information from the Nevada State Athletic Commission for UFC 108 featuring a light heavyweight bout between former champion Rashad Evans and Brazilian Thiago Silva, which took place on Saturday, Jan. 2, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

The following figures are based on the fighter salary information that promoters are required by law to submit to the state athletic commissions, including the winners' bonuses.

Although mixed martial arts fighters do not have collective bargaining or a union, the fighters' salaries are still public record, just as with every other major sport in the United States. Any undisclosed bonuses that a promoter also pays its fighters, but does not disclose to the athletic commissions (specifically, pay-per-view bonuses, fight of the night bonuses, etc.), are not included in the figures below.

In the listings below, "Main Event Fighters" are defined as fighters who compete in the main event of a show. "Main Card Fighters" are defined as fighters whose fights appear on the main card, but not in the main event. "Preliminary Card Fighters" are defined as fighters whose matches take place before the main card goes on the air, regardless of whether or not those matches end up airing on the TV or Internet broadcast.


MAIN EVENT FIGHTERS

Rashad Evans $375,000 (includes $175,000 win bonus) def. Thiago Silva $55,000

Paul Daley $34,200 (includes $18,000 win bonus) def. Dustin Hazelett $19,800
*Daley was fined 10 percent of his purse for missing weight, which was given to Hazelett. The fine is reflected in the above numbers.


MAIN CARD FIGHTERS

Sam Stout $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus) def. Joe Lauzon: $12,000

Jim Miller $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus) def. Duane "Bang" Ludwig $12,000

Junior Dos Santos $60,000 (includes $30,000 win bonus) def. Gilbert Yvel $30,000


PRELIMINARY CARD FIGHTERS

Martin Kampmann $46,000 (includes $23,000 win bonus) def. Jacob Volkmann: $6,000

Cole Miller $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus) def. Dan Lauzon $15,000

Mark Munoz $32,000 (includes 16,000 win bonus) def. Ryan Jensen $6,000

Jake Ellenberger $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) def. Mike Pyle $17,000

Rafaello Oliveira $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) def. John Gunderson $5,000


UFC 108 DISCLOSED FIGHTER PAYROLL: $843,000


UFC 108 AWARDS & BONUSES
(Each fighter was awarded $50,000 per award, which is in addition to his disclosed salary.)

Fight of the Night:
-Sam Stout and Joe Lauzon

Knockout of the Night:
-Paul Daley

Submission of the Night:
-Cole Miller

 

[Shogun Locc]

NO FLORIAN FIGHT YET, GOMI GUNNING FOR PENN

UFC president Dana White, at Saturday night’s UFC 108 post-fight press conference, reaffirmed his company’s signing of highly touted Japanese lightweight Takanori Gomi. Contrary to speculation earlier in the day, he also stated that they don’t yet have the former No. 1 lightweight’s first fight in the Octagon mapped out.

ESPN’s MMA Live, of which top UFC lightweight Kenny Florian is a co-host, Tweeted on Saturday that “It looks like Gomi will fight Ken-Flo in his UFC debut!”

Never one to shy away from a challenging opponent, sources close to Florian’s camp, however, told MMAWeekly.com that while Florian would welcome a fight with Gomi, it has yet to be offered.

“I don’t think we’ve really thought about who Gomi will fight yet,” said White. “We just signed him. Obviously in that weight division, there’s a lot of great guys who we can line him up with.”

Gomi agrees. Recent training at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif., the home of fighters such as Mike Swick, Cain Velasquez, Jon Fitch, and Josh Koscheck, has sparked the “Fireball Kid’s” competitive spirits. He’s not shy about saying he’s gunning for the top of the mountain... UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn.

“Starting with B.J. Penn, I feel that all the fighters are at a high level,” said Gomi.

“There's a lot to be learned from BJ's fighting spirit,” he added. “Obviously my only goal is to get to his level, and this will be a great challenge to me as a fighter, to see if I can remain as a top level fighter. And of course it would mean a lot of become the champion, but I'm not looking that far ahead. For me, right now, the goal is to become THE UFC fighter and to fight in front of the fans here.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

LESNAR WILL LEARN HIS FATE LATER THIS WEEK

UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar’s health has been shrouded in mystery ever since he had to withdraw from a title defense against Shane Carwin, initially scheduled for UFC 106 in Los Angeles.

His trainer, Greg Nelson, in early December confirmed to MMAWeekly.com that the champion’s malady was diagnosed as diverticulitis (an infection in the digestive tract). Yet, his return to fighting, or even training, hasn’t been so easy to pinpoint.

“We’re not really pushing it right now. We’re just letting things take their course so he can be 100-percent healthy when he starts to train,” said Nelson. “But right now, he’s just taking the time to properly heal.”

The situation will hopefully gain some clarity later this week when Lesnar goes back to the doctor to find out if he is getting better, or if he will need to have major surgery that could end his career.

“This week Brock Lesnar is going back to the doctor, getting fully checked out by one of the best doctors and hospitals in the world,” relayed UFC president Dana White on Saturday night.

“If the doctors say things are going well and things are going in the right direction then maybe we’re a few months away from him coming back. If it’s not going in the right direction, he’ll either be done and have to retire or he’ll be out for a couple years. So, hopefully we get good news.”

The UFC has already taken the first steps in moving the division forward, regardless of Lesnar’s prognosis. The promotion on Saturday announced UFC 111 for March 27 in Newark, N.J. The event features a headline bout between UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and challenger Dan Hardy, but also a heavyweight interim title bout between former champion Frank Mir and No. 1 contender Shane Carwin.

Lesnar has quickly become one of the leading pay-per-view draws for the UFC, but that’s the furthest thing from White’s mind when it comes to his heavyweight champion.

“The thing that I’m concerned about most is Brock Lesnar, that he’s okay. I’m not looking at Brock Lesnar and saying, ‘oh Brock,’ now he’s gone and we’re gonna lose all these pay-per-view buys,” White declared.

“What I’m thinking about is I hope Brock’s gonna be okay. If he has to have this major surgery, you’re talking about changing the quality of this guy’s life forever. Pay-per-view buys? I could give a (expletive) about that. I hope the guy is healthy.”

Lesnar is a polarizing figure. He’s one of those guys that you either love or hate, there’s not a lot of in between. And he’s tended to be more on the receiving end of boos than cheers.

But according to White, that’s part of what makes him so great. One way or another, he gets people excited. That’s something people would miss if he can’t continue his career.

"It's funny because all the people that were booing and hating him, they're all sitting back now and thinking about what life would be without Brock Lesnar. He's exciting. He makes it fun. He's a nut and you don't know what he's going to do. He's like our Mike Tyson."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Fight Path: The Karate Kid and Dan Hardy were on Jim Wallhead's road to Bellator

I wondered at first if Jim Wallhead was serious.

It's tough when you're not talking face-to-face, and we certainly were not. We were on a conference call between my house in Ohio and Wallhead's home in Loughborough, England.

Did he just say Karate Kid?

"I saw it on the tele," Wallhead told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "Yeah, the Karate Kid, with Daniel Larusso and Mr. Miyagi and all of it."

It was, indeed, the 1984 movie that inspired Wallhead to take up karate. After making his demands, the then-7-year-old Wallhead convinced his mother to help him find a place to train in this magical martial arts form.

Mrs. Wallhead, though, accidentally took her son to a judo place, and so began the career that would lead Wallhead to the nickname "Judo Jim" and gain him a spot in the upcoming eight-man welterweight tournament in the anticipated second season of Bellator Fighting Championships.

There's more to Wallhead's story than just a desire to be Ralph Macchio, of course. He became an international judo competitor who spent nine years dedicated to the art before he fell in with a crowd that took him, as he put it, "off the rails."

Wallhead took his first fight with about five minutes' notice and no MMA training. He met his future training partners in a bathroom after he suffered his second loss as a passionate, swinging and undisciplined mess.

After it all, the 25-year-old Wallhead has compiled an 18-5 record that has made him one of the most notable British fighters as he enters a possibly career-changing opportunity.

"I'm smiling now just thinking about it," Wallhead said of the Bellator spot. "I just have to take it with both hands and go for it."

The Judo Kid, instead

One imagines Wallhead staring at his television while captivated by the Larusso's story. But, after he ended up in the judo school, he wasn't sure if he should stay. There was just too little contact.

"Then my dad says, 'I used to work with that guy,' and pointed at one of the guys there," Wallhead said. "His name was Rocky, and he had a tough look, a military hairstyle. He looked like the Cobra Kai coach."

So, Wallhead stayed, and Rocky became his first instructor. As the son of parents who had been married "with 17 pounds between them" (for you American readers, that's about $27) but built a comfortable life for their family, Wallhead had a family athletic background that included a county table tennis champion father and a county long jump champion mother.

In judo, he excelled. In two months, he won two local tournaments as peers recognized his bright future.

"Up until I was 14 or 15, I was always at competitions," he said. "I trained in France on an exchange program, and when I was 15, I qualified for the European Youth Olympics."

The competition, held in a large stadium, was a significant accomplishment for Wallhead, who placed seventh. But, he jokes that he continues to protest whether his first-round opponent was the same age.

"He was a Russian with a gold tooth and more hair on his chest than I have now," he said.

Continuing judo until he was 17, Wallhead then got off track. He starting hanging out, he said, with a wrong crowd and got away from the training he had known. He no longer had the discipline and regularity of training.

But, before long, he found a new kind of training, though he didn't plan on it.

An important bathroom meeting

Wallhead was casually attending an event involving several fights about four years ago when an old judo friend approached him.

"He had another guy with him," Wallhead said. "He says to him, 'This guy used to be really good at judo.' The other guy says, 'Do you want to fight? We have a show going on tonight.'"

Wallhead basically shrugged his shoulders and climbed on in. That was his first fight, several years out of judo training and without any MMA-specific knowledge. His plan, basically, was just to go nuts.

"I was just swinging like a guy on the street," he said.

Enjoying the action in the cage, Wallhead continued to take fights. After his first four, he was 2-2, but he had never sparred, never really trained and was mostly going on instinct.

In the bathroom after his second loss, wondering what direction this fighting could possibly take him, Wallhead bumped into another fighter named Dan Hardy, a popular British fighter who is now the next to challenge for Georges St-Pierre's welterweight title.

"He said, 'You're a nutcase, but you have a lot of aggression; you just don't know how to fight,'" Wallhead said.

Wallhead accepted an invitation to train at Hardy's gym, and his career advanced. In his past 19 fights, he is 16-3 with a six-fight winning streak. He has gained enough notoriety that he was followed for a week in July 2008 by a camera crew from a prominent English television station for a documentary.

The show, not yet broadcast, was meant to focus on men with unique jobs or circumstances and how that affected their home lives. Wallhead was the example of a testosterone-driven fighter, and the crew followed him training.

He responded with possibly his best fight, a unanimous decision victory against Fabricio Nascimento at a Cage Warriors Fighting Championships event. Most recently, Wallhead topped Che Mills at a Knuckle Up MMA show in Wales to continue his significant experience.

Now, Wallhead will enter a Bellator tournament with growing buzz because of its deep field, which includes the likes of Dan Hornbuckle (19-2), Jacob McClintock (6-0), Ben Askren (3-0) and Steve Carl (10-1). Wallhead hopes to make a more permanent impression on fans throughout the world.

"There are some wicked fighters in this tournament," he said. "It should be a great experience."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Roop vs. Wineland official; "WEC 46: Varner vs. Henderson" complete with 10 bouts

With just one week until World Extreme Cagefighting returns to the Versus airwaves, the recently shuffled lineup is finally complete.

After a pair of late injuries left bantamweights George Roop (10-5 MMA, 0-0 WEC) and Eddie Wineland (15-6-1 MMA, 2-2 WEC) without opponents, the promotion has paired the two against each other to complete the evening's 10-fight card.

Featuring a lightweight title unification match between current champs Jamie Varner and Benson Henderson, "WEC 46: Varner vs. Henderson" takes place Jan. 10 at ARCO Arena in Sacramento, Calif. The main card airs live on Versus.

Roop is perhaps best known for his stint on "The Ultimate Fighter 8." The Arizona native beat Rolando Delgado and John Polakowski en route to a semifinal berth in the tournament, but eventual finalist Phillipe Nover defeated Roop via submission.

Roop fought most of the season with an an injured and badly swollen hand, and the show of heart earned him a spot on the season's finale. Roop dropped a split decision to Shane Nelson at the finale, the first of two losses in the UFC split by a win over David Kaplan.

The January fight will be Roop's first in the WEC, and his first since dropping down two divisions from his previous lightweight slot.

Meanwhile, Wineland hopes to move himself back up the WEC's bantamweight ladder after an impressive unanimous-decision win over Manny Tapia at WEC 43 in October.

Wineland defeated Antonio Banuelos in May 2006 to become the WEC's first-ever bantamweight champion, though he would lose the belt in his first defense, a March 2007 loss to Chase Beebe.

After opening his career just 3-4-1. Wineland has since earned victories in 12 of his past 14 contests.

The final WEC 46 card includes:

MAIN CARD

* Champ Jamie Varner vs. interim champ Benson Henderson (to unify lightweight title)
* Raphael Assuncao vs. Urijah Faber
* Dave Jansen vs. Kamal Shalorus
* Mike Brown vs. Anthony Morrison
* Mackens Semerzier vs. Deividas Taurosevicius

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Akitoshi Tamura vs. Charlie Valencia
* Bryan Caraway vs. Mark Hominick
* Wagnney Fabiano vs. Clint Godfrey
* George Roop vs. Eddie Wineland
* Will Campuzano vs. Coty Wheeler