MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

Benji Radach: Stomps and Soccer Kicks Should Be OK in MMA

The latest issue of ESPN the Magazine devotes its cover and nine inside pages to proposed rules changes in various sports. Ideas range from allowing NFL players to celebrate without penalty to eliminating fouling out in basketball.

And there's one blurb written by Strikeforce fighter Benji Radach, who has a proposal for a rules change in mixed martial arts.

Under the heading, Let MMA Fighters Knee, Kick or Stomp Downed Foes, Radach writes the following:

Nobody wants to seriously hurt an opponent, but I've seen way too many guys get into trouble on their feet and drop to the floor just to save their asses. The guys who can punch, kick, elbow and knee are toughest to fight. But when you go from having all those techniques available one second, then taken away if a guy drops down, a huge chunk of your offense is all of a sudden illegal. That's not fair.

I have mixed feelings about this. I tend to have a "the fewer the better" philosophy toward rules in MMA, and I think stomps and soccer kicks are exciting ways to finish fights. And I agree with Radach that some fighters (I'm thinking particularly of Thales Leites against Anderson Silva) flop onto their backs to avoid contact in a way they wouldn't be able to if stomps and soccer kicks were legal.

And yet I just think stomps and soccer kicks look so brutal that they're probably not good for MMA. The sport still has a long, long way to go before it has reached mainstream acceptance, and in order to gain that acceptance, some moves need to be outlawed. Stomps and soccer kicks are among those moves.

In Pride, where stomps and soccer kicks were legal, no fighter used them more effectively than Shogun Rua, who finished two fights with stomps and three fights with soccer kicks. And yet Shogun has come to America, where the rules don't allow stomps and soccer kicks, and managed to remain one of the best fighters in the world. If Shogun can do without stomps and soccer kicks, the rest of us can too.

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC Officially Announces St. Pierre-Hardy, Mir-Carwin for UFC 111

The UFC on Monday officially announced the top two fights for UFC 111, to be held at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

As first reported by FanHouse in Nov., in the main event, welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre will defend his belt against No. 1 contender Dan Hardy. And in the co-main event, Frank Mir will battle Shane Carwin for the interim UFC heavyweight championship.
St. Pierre (19-2) has been on the sidelines recovering from a groin injury since dismantling Thiago Alves at UFC 100 in July 2009. Meanwhile, Hardy (23-6) bolted to the top of the welterweight contenders list with seven straight wins, including four in the UFC, most recently defeating Mike Swick at UFC 105.

Mir and Carwin will face off for the interim belt in the wake of champion Brock Lesnar's illness. Lesnar has suffered from a serious intestinal issue, and while he is expected to be re-evaluated this week, his fighting future remains in doubt.

The unbeaten Carwin (11-0) had been scheduled to fight Lesnar for the championship before Lesnar was sidelined. Instead, he'll face Mir (13-4), who crushed Cheick Kongo in a first-round submission victory at last month's UFC 107.

The event will take place on March 27.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Jilted Matyushenko Hopes for March Bout

Former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Vladimir Matyushenko is continuing his training camp following the cancellation of his scheduled UFC 108 bout against Steve Cantwell last Saturday in Las Vegas.

Cantwell withdrew from the matchup last Wednesday. UFC President Dana White informed the media that the fighter was suffering from a serious medical condition and that his career was in jeopardy.

Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer told Sherdog.com that he found no problems with the partially completed medical paperwork Cantwell had submitted. In a statement released by Cantwell’s management team, Knock Out Representation, it cited an issue with the commission, but said the Cantwell’s team was confident that he would be able to continue his career.

The exact nature of Cantwell’s situation is still unknown. Like many, Matyushenko has also been left in the dark.

“I still don’t know very much about Steve,” Matyushenko said. “The UFC seems to be keeping very quiet about the whole thing so I’m going to respect his privacy. I wish the best for him.”

Instead of heading home last Wednesday, Matyushenko was asked by UFC officials to wait around for a potential last-minute opponent. Once that didn’t materialize, the 39-year-old became an emergency replacement for the night’s main event.

“It was basically a waiting game,” Matyushenko said. “The UFC asked me to stay on weight and be ready since they were actively trying to find an opponent. They couldn’t, so I was prepared in case something happened to Rashad [Evans] or Thiago [Silva]. There were so many fighters that suffered injuries before the show. Anything could have happened.

“The experience really wasn’t all that bad. Even though I didn’t end up with an opponent, I was able to spend my time in Vegas working out, training with some other camps and staying in shape. I still had a lot of fun.”

Matyushenko was paid his show money and is expecting to hear from UFC matchmaker Joe Silva concerning his next fight as soon as next week. His manager, Nima Safapour, expects his client to return to action in March, potentially as part of the UFC’s Versus debut on March 21 in Denver. In the meantime, “The Janitor” is content to patiently wait for his next opportunity to climb back up the light heavyweight ladder.

“I’m continuing to improve every day working with Jared Hamman, Antoni Hardonk and all of the other guys at VMAT,” Matyushenko said. “I’m hoping that I’ll be able to show my standup game in my next fight. We’ve definitely been working hard in that area.

“The light heavyweight division has a lot of good guys and great matchups. Rematches with Tito [Ortiz] and [Antonio Rogerio] Nogueira are probably at the top of my wish list, but I’ll fight anybody put in front of me.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

DALEY SAYS HAZELETT KO TAILOR MADE FOR HIM

On paper Paul Daley vs. Dustin Hazelett was supposed to be striker against grappler, but when the fight started the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace stood in front of his British counterpart ready to throw hands. That game plan didn't pay off.

Daley unloaded a huge left hook that put Hazelett down and out for good in the first round, handing the confident Brit his second UFC win in as many fights. Happy with another knockout, even Daley was a little confused when trying to figure out what his opponent's plan was in the fight.

"I thought he would have wanted to come and clinch, try to take the fight to the ground, but I think again his coaches gave him some kind of idea to try and stand with me cause he didn't seem in too much of a rush to initiate the clinch," Daley told MMAWeekly.com after the win.

What happened instead of the clinch was a kickboxing match. Daley was the odds on favorite to win any striking exchange. The Rough House fighter admitted that it was like Christmas morning when he saw the gift that Hazelett gave to him in the form of an open shot, begging for a left hook.

"Once he stepped to me with his jab, it was an overhand right and a left hook. It was made for him basically," Daley said. "I could have done it with my eyes closed. I knew it was going to be there."

Quickly climbing the welterweight ladder, Daley is poised for a shot at one of the top few contenders in the division, but he's okay collecting a few more paychecks and a few more knockouts along the way if that's what the UFC wants him to do.

"I've been doing this for eight years, the UFC is just another name to what I do," Daley stated. "Beatdown Semtex, beatdown."

 

[Shogun Locc]

BROWN FOCUSED ON MORRISON, THEN TITLE SHOT

It didn't take long for the feeling of a loss to sink in before former WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown was making the call to get back in the cage. As a matter of fact, it was the very next day.

Brown, who lost his 145-pound title to Jose Aldo in November, was quick to pull the trigger and ask for another fight to get the bad taste out of his mouth.

"I had lost my fight and I called up Reed Harris the next day and said, 'Reed, you've got to get me on this card. I can't go out like that,’" Brown told MMAWeekly Radio recently. "I need to stay busy and I can't rest until I get that behind me. He did me a favor, pulled some strings, and pushed things around and him and (WEC matchmaker) Sean Shelby worked together and got me on the card."

Praising Aldo for his performance was the humility that Brown has always shown, but he was also critical of his own fight that night and vows to come back a changed fighter this Sunday night at WEC 46: Varner vs. Henderson in Sacramento, Calif.

"It wasn't me out there," Brown commented. "I wasn't aggressive. It's like I didn’t really want to fight that night. It was really strange; it totally wasn't like me. I just didn't have the tenacity, the aggressiveness that I normally have."

Stepping onto a card on short notice and finding a quality opponent is tough, but Shelby went out and got Anthony "Cheesesteak" Morrison to step in and face the former champion on Jan. 10. Brown knows his opponent’s reputation and was happy Morrison accepted the fight.

"He's coming off a huge win, knocked Alvin Robinson out. I mean, Alvin's a great fighter, and Robinson, all of his losses are to top notch guys; guys like (Kenny) Florian and guys like this. Knocked him out in 40 seconds; that's not easy to do," said Brown.

"Every fight is dangerous. I get nervous for every fight. I get scared and I don't want to lose any fights. For me there's no fight that's more important than others."

While his focus stays steady on Morrison, Brown would be kidding himself if he denied getting back the WEC gold is his No. 1 priority. First things first, Anthony Morrison is standing in his way, and then the title belt.

"If I don't beat Morrison, nothing else matters. If I don't beat Morrison, I don't get another shot at the belt," Brown stated.

"If I do win, I want to get back at the title. That's what I'm in the sport for. I want to get back on that road and get back there. If I win this, I'd like to get the winner of (the next featherweight title fight)."

 

[drunkaholic707]

John Salter tapped as late replacement, meets Gerald Harris at UFC Fight Night 20

With Mike Massenzio (11-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) forced off the card for unspecified reasons, UFC newcomer John Salter (4-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has taken his place and now meets middleweight Gerald Harris (13-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at Monday's UFC Fight Night 20 event.

Multiple sources close to the fight told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that bout agreements have been signed.

UFC Fight Night 20 takes place Jan. 11 at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va. The night's main card airs on Spike TV, though Harris vs. Salter is scheduled for the night's un-aired preliminary card.

Harris, a cast member on "The Ultimate Fighter 7" who was released after the show, recently fought his way back into the UFC and replaced injured Tim Credeur on the card. So, the Credeur vs. Massenzio fight is now a Harris vs. Salter bout.

After eventual show winner Amir Sadollah eliminated him on "TUF 7," Harris left the UFC and found plenty of success. The former IFL fighter currently owns a seven-fight win streak, which included a recent first-round knockout of former UFC fighter Nissen Osterneck in September for the Shark Fights middleweight title.

While UFC president Dana White was a guest on MMAjunkie.com Radio in November, Harris called into the show and told the UFC executive he was ready to make his octagon debut. After hearing about Harris' win streak and recent victory over Osterneck, White told him to call the offices so they could chat. Harris received a contract a few days later.

Salter makes his octagon debut with a 4-0 pro record, which followed a successful 7-0 run as an amateur. The former state high school wrestling champion and NAIA national champion (at Linwood University in Missouri) turned pro in 2007. After competing for a variety of events, including King of the Cage and Adrenaline MMA, Salter recently topped "The Ultimate Fighter 7" cast member Jeremiah Riggs via first-round TKO at an October event in Illinois.

 

[drunkaholic707]

Anthony Johnson vs. John Howard targeted for UFC Fight Night 21 main card

A long-awaited welterweight bout is expected to take place at UFC Fight Night 21 when Anthony Johnson (8-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) finally meets John Howard (13-4 MMA, 3-0 UFC).

Sources close to the Versus-televised event told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) the fight is expected to take place on the main card of the March 21 event, though bout agreements have not been signed.

Although not officially announced by the promotion, UFC Fight Night 21 is expected to take place in Denver.

It's the first of two 2010 UFC events expected to air on Versus.

News of the Johnson vs. Howard first popped up when Howard posted a recent Facebook message. However, he didn't state at which event the fight would take place.

Johnson and Howard were originally slated to meet at The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale in June 2009. However, Howard's management team reportedly didn't want the young fighter facing such a tough test so early in his career. Johnson has publicly bashed Howard ever since because of that decision.

"[Howard] said it was his management's call that made him not accept the fight," Johnson told MMAjunkie.com back in April 2009. "But at the end of the day, it's really your call. You're the one fighting. You're the one that's got to go out there and do the damn thing, not your management."

Johnson will apparently get the matchup, though it may be a case of being careful what you wish for. Howard, a one-time IFL fighter who also competed for the New Jersey-based Ring of Combat promotion, owns a six-fight win streak, and he's a perfect 3-0 in the UFC. In addition to split-decision wins over Chris Wilson and Tamdan McCrory, Howard also recently scored a come-from-behind third-round knockout of Dennis Hallman at The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale.

Howard, who had lost the first two rounds of the December fight and seemed on his way to a unanimous-decision loss, scored the fight-ending left punch with just five seconds remaining in the final round.

Johnson, meanwhile, looks to rebound from his UFC 106 submission loss to Josh Koscheck. The defeat snapped the rising contender's three-fight win streak, which included knockout wins over Kevin Burns, Luigi Fioravanti and Yoshiyuki Yoshida. Despite being an accomplished collegiate wrestler, Johnson prefers the stand-up game and has posted six knockouts in his eight career wins.

 

[drunkaholic707]

Tom Lawlor using salon for UFC Fight Night 20 prep, eyes heavyweight move and dual career

UFC middleweight prospect Tom Lawlor (6-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) hasn't fought in nearly eight months, and truthfully, he hasn't needed to.

After cashing a $100,000 bonus check for earning the "Submission of the Night" at UFC 100, Lawlor is doing just fine. Just ask him.

"Things are going well," Lawlor recently told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "I've been able to buy my own island out in the Bahamas with the money the UFC gave me, so things are going well. I've been drinking daiquiris and pina coladas out on the island for a while."

Lawlor's 55-second win over C.B. Dollaway at UFC 100 was easily "The Filthy Mauler's" most impressive victory to date. The 27-year-old said the fight finished exactly as he assumed it would.

Sort of.

"I'm not going to lie," Lawlor said. "I remember a few nights before that fight, I had dreamt that the fight ended with a guillotine. It wasn't in that same instance, but I dreamed the fight was going to end like that – but it was me on the receiving end of the guillotine. So it actually worked out better than my dream."

Of course, Lawlor is probably most remembered from UFC 100 for his "Just Bleed" body paint at the event's weigh-ins and his "Who Let the Dogs Out?" entrance co-starring Seth Petruzelli. Lawlor said that's fine with him.

"I'm going to try and be an entertainer regardless of where I'm at on the card or what organization I'm fighting in," Lawlor said. "Obviously, the UFC is the biggest show in MMA, so of course I'd like to continue my career there, but it all boils down to my performance in the cage.

"I think I catch people off guard. It's more of like a sneak attack. My whole plan is to make the guy so unconcerned with my abilities as a fighter that he takes me really lightly, and then I sneak up on them and get them."

Lawlor's next "sneak attack" target is undefeated challenger Aaron Simpson (6-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC). The pair meet on the Spike TV-broadcast portion of "UFC Fight Night 20: Maynard vs. Diaz" on Jan. 11.

Lawlor seeks his third-straight UFC win, and he's taking the match very seriously.

Sort of.

"I've made a living in the past two years only fighting once a year," Lawlor said. "If I'm only going to fight once a year, I've got to take every fight serious.

"With this one being on Spike TV, I'm taking the fight a little less seriously as far as training for the fight goes because I want to make sure I look good. I've spent a lot of times in salons and at fashion shows. I'm taking it serious, but probably in a different way than most people think."

Simpson dominated Ed Herman for one round during their UFC 102 bout in August before a knee injury forced "Short Fuse" to call a halt to the fight. Simpson looked impressive before the freak stoppage, and Lawlor knows he'll have his hands full.

"I've watched [Simpson's] fights in between watching design shows on Home and Garden," Lawlor said. "He's real tough. He's real explosive. He's kind of unpredictable to a certain extent because his wrestling is so good, and that's his bread and butter, but at the same time, he's been knocking people out. You don't want to just try and work on avoiding his takedown skills because in the long-run, he can catch you with something standing up.

"I watched his fight with Ed Herman, and I saw some things that I think I can capitalize on. I saw a few instances where he would shoot in, and if I could strategically place a banana peel in his way as he's shooting in, maybe he'd go ahead and slip and I could get the top position and take over from there. I'm going to try and capitalize on things like that."

Simpson brings many of the same qualities to the cage that Dollaway did at UFC 100. But while one could make the case that preparing for a similar foe has made Lawlor's life easy, he believes it's Simpson – Dollaway's Arizona Combat Sports teammate – who is following the simpler route.

"I'm planning against guys from the same camp," Lawlor said. "They really don't have to prepare any differently. True, every guy has a different style, a different game when they go in there, but his coaches don't have to re-gameplan.

"I'm sure they don't have to study tape again. They've already been through it once, and last time there was four months in between when I found out about the fight and when the fight actually happened. They've had plenty of time to look at what little tape there is of me out there and come up with something."

A win for Lawlor over the always-tough Simpson would further prove the former cast member of "The Ultimate Fighter 8" is simply notable for his fights, he's also a legitimate middleweight contender.

Sort of.

"Realistically, I see myself winning this fight, and then I want to fight at heavyweight after that," Lawlor said. "I'm not having that hard of a time cutting weight, but I hate not being able to eat whatever I want. I've won eating competitions around the state of Florida, and I want to keep that going. I want to be able to juggle two careers, and really, I don't think I can do that at 185 (pounds).

"Everybody has to have a life after fighting. You can't fight forever, but you sure as hell can eat forever."

 

[drunkaholic707]

Ricardo Almeida vs. Matt Brown slotted for UFC 111 in March

A welterweight bout between Ricardo Almeida (11-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) and Matt Brown (11-7 MMA, 4-1 UFC) reportedly will take place in March at UFC 111.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) first reported Almeida's likely UFC 111 participation last month, and ESPN's "MMA Live" program today reported the Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace has agreed to fight the well-rounded Brown.

UFC 111 takes place March 27 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., with a pay-per-view championship double-header.

Welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre meets Dan Hardy in the headliner, and Frank Mir and Shane Carwin clash in a five-rounder that's currently billed as an interim heavyweight title fight.

After suffering a disappointing split-decision loss to Patrick Cote in July 2008, Almeida, who's now in his second stint with the UFC, has since bounced back with back-to-back wins over Matt Horwich and Kendall Grove. The former middleweight now heads to the welterweight division with nine wins in his past 10 fights.

Brown, meanwhile, recently scored a TKO victory over "The Ultimate Fighter 9" winner James Wilks at UFC 105. The "TUF 7" cast member is now 4-1 in the UFC, and the lone loss came to undefeated Dong Hyun Kim via close split decision.

The latest UFC 111 card now includes:

* Champ Georges St-Pierre vs. Dan Hardy (for welterweight title)
* Shane Carwin vs. Frank Mir (possibly for interim heavyweight title)
* Thiago Alves vs. Jon Fitch*
* Ricardo Almeida vs. Matt Brown*

* - Not officially announced

 

[drunkaholic707]

Fight Path: Shark Fights' title hopeful Dustin Phillips has many chapters to life story

As if the conversation hadn't already covered enough topics and twists, the light bulb flickers for Dustin Phillips.

"Oh man, I almost forgot," the 145-pound fighter preparing for a title bout told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) while driving around Las Vegas. "I hold a world record."

Sure enough, it's true. In 1999, as recorded by the Guinness Book of World Records, Phillips sucked 91 percent of a 14-ounce bottle of ketchup through a straw in 33 seconds to a set the mark for fastest consumption of a ketchup bottle.

But that's just one aspect of Phillips' life that gives the Topeka, Kan. native one of the more interesting paths to mixed-martial-arts in the sport. He was a star high school wrestler before his football career included wearing jerseys from Haskell Indian Nations University and the Topeka Tigers/Knights/Kings, an oft-name-changing Indoor Football League team from his hometown.

Phillips advanced to the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team trials in powerlifting, but only after the brother of a club owner for whom he worked while going through a drug phase made him promise to clean up by paying for a semester during another try at college.

After it all, Phillips has become a competitive MMA fighter whose next chance is coming soon. On March 26, the 31-year-old Phillips (11-4) is scheduled to fight former UFC fighter Doug Evans (8-5) for the Shark Fights 145-pound belt.

Phillips hopes the fight can continue his streak of six wins in his past seven fights (he lost the first two to open his professional career) as he debates whether to accept several offers to move up to 155 pounds for more opportunities.

For now, Phillips continues his training in Vegas under Shawn Tompkins while admittedly snickering at some of the stops along the way to his MMA career.

"It's like my grandma tells me," Phillips said. "I've somehow managed to Forrest Gump my way through life."

Middle of the country

Phillips is almost sheepish when asked about his hometown.

"Everybody makes fun of me for it," he said.

But it was a comfortable, Catholic upbringing for Phillips in Topeka, where his father, like his grandfather, worked for Southwestern Bell, just one of the companies with major operations or hubs in the town that boasts a stop on several major interstates.

Phillips' father had been in the rodeo growing up, so the family also spent plenty of time on a farm about 45 minutes from its neighborhood home. With a high respect for wrestling in the state, Phillips entered the sport and chose to continue his career first at Missouri Valley College.

After burning out on wrestling, though, Phillips turned back to football. With Native American blood through his grandmother, he enrolled at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kan., but he found some cold shoulders because of his only partial Indian makeup.

He stuck with football for a season but again left school and returned home. In finding a home split with his divorced parents both remarried and now 11 total siblings in three families, Phillips admits he fell in with a crowd that led him to drug use and a stalled path.

A nightclub owner's brother one day recognized Phillips from his days with the Topeka indoor football league team and encouraged him to reenergize his collegiate career, as he hadn't accepted payment from the professional team to maintain his eligibility.

But, before going to Washburn University in Topeka, he had to get back in shape.

Take a breath. There's more.

A friend's father did major weight training and was a powerlifting referee throughout the country. After watching some of Phillips' natural power, he took Phillips to a competition with some seasoned lifters, and Phillips finished third. That began a five-year stint with the national team and culminated in a spot at the 2004 Olympic trials. At his peak, Phillips said, he could clean and jerk more than 400 pounds.

"But I got fat, like 230 pounds," he said. "That's all you do, work out and eat. But after the trials, I was at an age where I wasn't making gains in my lifts and I started to get injured a lot. I thought maybe I should try something else."

Yeah. This story was getting boring anyway.

And now, for my next commitment

The MMA portion of our program opens in 2004 in a Topeka gym, where Phillips was chatting with a local boxing promoter while watching a friend's sparring session.

"He said, 'I know you wrestled. You should think about MMA. I'll throw (you) a fight on the show,'" Phillips said. "I said, 'Sure, why not?' He said, 'Great. It's in a month.' "

A month later, Phillips' MMA career began when he used old wrestling instincts to take down his opponent and end the fight quickly. He enjoyed the competition, and he reeled off seven more consecutive amateur victories before making the decision to turn pro.

Looking back, he might not have been ready.

"Nobody trained me, I didn't really know jiu jitsu, I didn't have a manager, and I just didn't have anyone to help me," Phillips said.

It was May 2006, and Phillips suffered the first of two consecutive losses that lasted less than two minutes to begin his pro career. Frustrated, he found a trainer to teach him jiu jitsu, and he improved immediately to win five straight.

In early 2008, Phillips began traveling to Las Vegas and hooked up with Tompkins and a more MMA knowledgeable crowd to help guide his career. Since a loss against WEC fighter Mike Budnik at a March 2008 Extreme Fighting League show broadcast on HDNet, Phillips has gone 6-1 in his past seven fights.

Phillips has ramped up his training and his skill, which has earned him the March title shot that could be the next line in the already busy tale of Phillips' life.

Through it all, Phillips has scrapped to use his work ethic to advance, and MMA has proven fertile ground for that attitude.

"I've always been the smaller, less talented guy, but my parents always taught me just to work harder," Phillips said. "That's how I handle things."

 

[drunkaholic707]

World Victory Road returns March 7 for latest Sengoku Raiden Championships event

The Japanese-based World Victory Road promotion plans to return with its Sengoku Raiden Championships event series with a March 7 show.

The promotion announced its 2010 broadcast plans, which calls for approximately seven shows, during a press conference earlier today.

WVR, launched in 2007, has hosted 13 total events, including a Dec. 31 "Dynamite!! 2009" show that was co-promoted by rival promotion DREAM. The promotion has a North American broadcast deal with MMA friendly HDNet.

The March 7 show, likely to be dubbed Sengoku Raiden Championships 12, takes place at the the 13,000-seat Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, which also recently hosted WVR's Nov. 7 event.

According to WVR executive Sumio Inamura, the promotion will host additional tournaments in 2010. Past tournaments produced champions such as featherweight Masanori Kanehara, middleweight Jorge Santiago, and lightweight Satoru Kitaoka, who later lost his title to Mizuto Hirota.

No event participants have been announced for the March 7 show, though details are likely to be released in the coming weeks.

 

[drunkaholic707]

UFC 108 drug test results come back clean

All 10 fighters who underwent drug testing before and after this past weekend's UFC 108 event tested clean for performance-enhancing drugs and recreational/drugs of abuse.

Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer today e-mailed the drug-testing results to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

UFC 108 took place Jan. 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Rashad Evans edges Thiago Silva via decision in the night's pay-per-view headliner.

Both Evans and Silva were tested prior to the show in December as part of the NSAC's year-round drug-testing option. Additionally, the NSAC on fight night tested Evans, Paul Daley, Sam Stout, Jim Miller, Junior Dos Santos, Martin Kampmann, Mark Munoz, Jake Ellenberger and Rafaello Oliveira. All tested negative.

All fighters were tested for drugs of abuse (such as marijuana and cocaine), as well as anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancers.

In addition to fight night, MMA fighters are subject to drug testing at any time – for just about any reason – throughout the year, regardless of whether or not the fighter is scheduled for an upcoming event. However, the testing is usually reserved for scheduled competitors.

 

[drunkaholic707]

Ever-patient title hopeful Jay Hieron content with Joe Riggs "Strikeforce: Miami" bout

It's not the fight he wanted – or was originally promised – but with would-be opponent Nick Diaz out of the picture, Jay Hieron said he's content to fight a big-name opponent such as Joe Riggs.

Company officials on Wednesday officially announced the fight as part of the Jan. 30 "Strikeforce: Miami" card at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla.

Although Hieron (18-4 MMA, 1-0 SF) signed with Strikeforce last year primarily for the Diaz title fight, he today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) "patience is a virtue" and that he now his hands full with Riggs (32-10 MMA, 3-2 SF).

Such patience was tested when Hieron went from a promised title fight with Diaz to the un-aired preliminary card of "Strikeforce: Miami."

Hieron, a former UFC and IFL fighter, used combat sports to turn around a once-troubled life. However, even there, he's experienced more than a few setbacks, including expulsion from his collegiate wrestling team, the financial collapse of two former MMA homes, a defeat to Georges St-Pierre on MMA's biggest stafe at a pivotal point of his career, and then the cancellation of an Aug. 15 title fight with Diaz when the fellow UFC vet skipped a mandatory pre-fight drug test.

For reasons still not entirely known, Hieron lost the title shot, and Diaz is now slated to fight promotional newcomer Marius Zaromskis in the main event of the Jan. 30 card.

"(I don't know) if any fighter's been through crazier stuff in his career; my name is definitely up there," Hieron said. "They should have had that at the (2009) World MMA Awards. – the Most Craziest Stuff You've Been Through in Your Fight Career (award)."

As for Diaz, Hieron believes his hands are tied when it comes to their fight.

"You can't make someone fight you that doesn't want to fight you, and that's the bottom line," Hieron said. "I'm not an [expletive] talker at all, but the kid's showing he doesn't want to fight me.

"I respect Diaz as a fighter 100 percent, and I'm at the point in my career where I want to fight guys like that. (But) it shows me that he doesn't fight me because of all this stuff. First, the drug test situation. OK, that's understandable. But then after that, we were supposed to be on the (Nov. 6) CBS card. That didn't happen. Then he's talking about going up in weight, so it's out of my control."

While Strikeforce officials talked to Hieron about a potential Zaromskis fight (apparently before he was booked to fight Diaz), Hieron ultimately passed on the bout because he worried the opponent has little name recognition in the U.S. Instead, he preferred a bout with Riggs, who's built up his name as a tough-as-nails fighter in organizations such as the UFC and Strikeforce.

Hieron said he has a tough test in Riggs, and he thinks the winner surely will fight the Diaz vs. Zaromskis winner. Although, as he said, "stranger things have happened."

For now, Hieron, ever the optimist, is looking on the bright side.

"Life just got better when I got my fight (with Riggs)," he said. "It's cool, bro. Patience is a virtue. I'm just patiently waiting for my time to come. I'm just knocking at that door.

"Sometimes I think I'm going to get there faster than other times, but I've just got to remember (to) stay patient. It'll come because I do all the work. Every day I'm in there."

 

[drunkaholic707]

WEC likely to visit Canada in summer, "still exploring options" for trip to Mexico

World Extreme Cagefighting is primed for global expansion in 2010, but the promotion will likely head north of the border prior to heading south.

WEC vice president Peter Dropick today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that the organization is currently targeting a summer visit to Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

"It looks like we'll be going to Canada – most likely Calgary – in the summer," Dropick said. "It's not 100 percent confirmed, but that looks like a really strong possibility."

With the UFC already planning a pair of Canadian-based events in 2010 in Montreal and Vancouver, Dropick said Calgary is a natural fit for the WEC.

"The UFC is probably going to go to Montreal and Vancouver this year, and Ontario is still waiting to be sanctioned, so it looks like we're going to Calgary," Dropick said. "It's a great sports town. They're rabid.

"They have the Calgary Flames. They have an indoor lacrosse team. They have the Calgary Stampede. They really get behind anything that goes there. That's a real possibility in the summer."

Dropick didn't offer specifics on dates or venues for the potential Calgary date other than to state that negotiations were at an advanced stage.

"I've got dates held in Canada," Dropick said. "I've got a venue in Calgary."

Meanwhile, Dropick said a long-rumored visit to Mexico is still in the works, though the organization is admittedly encountering a few delays in the process.

"With Mexico, we're still exploring our options," Dropick said. "It's a tough market.

"I've met with a lot of potential partners down there. I've toured venues. I've talked to sponsors. It takes a lot of time to properly plan it. We do want to go there. We're sincere about going there. It just takes time."

Dropick said he's spoken with officials from a variety of other organizations that have held events in Mexico, and they also expressed the importance of patience.

"I've talked to a lot of the other professional leagues that have done special events there – NFL, NBA, X Games," Dropick said. "A couple of them told me it took two years of planning. Doing business there is different than doing business here in the U.S.

"We do want a strong promotional partner there. We don't have an office there. We don't have people on the ground there year-round. But we're certainly in the market. We're doing meetings, media tours, but we do need the right partner. It's just finding that person and timing it."

The WEC hosts "WEC 46: Varner vs. Henderson" on Sunday in Sacramento, Calif. The promotion has also officially announced a trip to Columbus, Ohio, on March 6 for "WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz."

 

[YOUNGNUTT]

Exclusive: Bobby Lashley vs. Shane Del Rosario scrapped from “Strikeforce: Miami”

While TNA wrestling star/mixed martial artist, Bobby Lashley, is still looking likely to make his Strikeforce promotional debut on the “Strikeforce: Miami” card slated for January 30, undefeated Muay Thai wrecking machine Shane Del Rosario will not be the hulking heavyweight’s first opponent.

Previous rumors of the possibility of the two fast rising prospects facing off during the card that will take place from Sunrise, Florida were widespread in recent weeks after a big “TBA” was listed as Lashley’s opponent for the upcoming event, but FiveOuncesofPain.com has recently been able to confirm through Del Rosario himself that the bout between the two will in fact, not be happening.

Not on January 30 at least.

However, according to Del Rosario the rumors were much more than pure gossip as the bout was absolutely on the table. As a matter of fact, not only was the match-up on the table, it was actually agreed to by both sides at one point according to Shane.

“They asked me if I wanted to do it and I said, ‘Yeah, let’s do it for sure’,” explained Del Rosario. “Then they’re like, “Alright, well we’ll get back to you”, and they got back to me and it was a no.

“But it did seem like it was going to happen at first so I was really excited. But I kind of had it in the back of my mind that it wasn’t really a good decision for his camp. They said that he already said yes and they said , “Well it’s up to you”, so we were like, ‘Alright, let’s do this!’. I don’t know if they didn’t really expect for us to say that, but you know, whatever.

“He’s a very athletic guy, so I’m sure if he’s doing well we might meet again some other time.”

With that out of the way, Shane is currently free to set his sights on a return to Strikeforce in March, as the California based knockout specialist went on to further confirm to 5 Oz. that fellow slugger Lavar Johnson is being looked at as a possible opponent for his March return.

Del Rosario currently sports an unblemished record of 9-0 with not a single one of his nine victories making it to the judges scorecards. With 7 knockouts and 2 submissions, Shane left a huge exclamation mark in his Strikeforce debut against Brandon Cash “Money”, as the former US WBC Muay Thai champion managed to gather his senses after being leveled at the hands of Money to hit the massive brawler in a grizzly omoplata Five Ounces deemed to be the third nastiest submission of 2009.

Lashley is still expected to compete at “Strikeforce: Miami”, but no opponent has been named for him at this time.

LASHLEY IS A PUSSY!!!

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC Fight Night Payouts: Leben Earns $60,000

UFC veteran Chris Leben was the biggest bread-earner at Monday’s UFC Fight Night 20 at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va., despite his assignment to the event’s undercard. “The Ultimate Fighter” alumnus banked $60,000 for his unanimous decision win against Jay Silva, a fight that didn’t make the live broadcast on Spike TV.

Thanks to the UFC’s popular performance bonuses, a few other fighters’ pockets weren’t left much lighter than Leben’s.

Evan Dunham scored $48,000 for his third-round submission over TUF 8 winner Efrain Escudero (who made $15,000), which included a $30,000 bonus for the finish. Aaron Simpson ($52,000) and Tom Lawlor ($40,000) shared in “Fight of the Night” honors for a spirited back-and-forth tilt that saw Simpson’s comeback in the later rounds. They were both rewarded with $30,000 pay boosts as well.

In the main event, Xtreme Couture product Gray Maynard took home $40,000 for his split decision nod over Nate Diaz, who earned $48,000. Though Maynard avenged a mid 2007 loss to Diaz that took place on “The Ultimate Fighter 5,” the accomplished 30-year-old wrestler did little to bolster claim to a shot at champion B.J. Penn’s lightweight title.

UFC Fight Night 20 Payouts

Gray Maynard -- $40,000 (including $20,000 win bonus) def. Nate Diaz -- $48,000

Evan Dunham -- $48,000 (including $9,000 win bonus, $30,000 submission bonus) def. Efrain Escudero -- $15,000

Aaron Simpson -- $52,000 (including $11,000 win bonus, $30,000 FOTN bonus) def. Tom Lawlor -- $40,000 (including $30,000 FOTN bonus)

Amir Sadollah -- $30,000 (including $15,000 win bonus) def. Brad Blackburn -- $13,000

Chris Leben -- $60,000 (including $30,000 win bonus) def. Jay Silva -- $6,000

Rick Story -- $10,000 (including $5,000 win bonus) def. Jesse Lennox -- $7,000

Nik Lentz -- $7,000 (no win bonus awarded for draw) vs. Thiago Tavares -- $15,000

Rafael dos Anjos -- $16,000 (including $8,000 win bonus) def. Kyle Bradley -- $8,000

Gerald Harris -- $42,000 (including $6,000 win bonus, $30,000 knockout bonus) def. John Salter -- $6,000

Nick Catone -- $14,000 (including $7,000 win bonus) def. Jesse Forbes -- $6,000

 

[Shogun Locc]

Trainer: St. Pierre Not Sleeping on Hardy

When you’re as good as Georges St. Pierre, largely seen as the world’s best welterweight and a regular pound-for-pound candidate, finding worthy challengers who also intrigue the fans can be quite a task. Dan Hardy will be the next man to meet the French-Canadian champion at UFC 111 on March 27 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. St. Pierre's trainer, Greg Jackson, isn't sleeping on Hardy's chances.

“I do believe it because he has a lot of skills,” Jackson told the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Savage Dog Show” on Wednesday. “He's got really good power. The problem with guys like Dan Hardy is that he's young, he's hungry, he's got very good skills and if he catches you the wrong way, you zig when you should have zagged and that might be it.”

Jackson was also quick to remind everyone of the last time St. Pierre was in a bout with a fighter he was “supposed” to beat.

“Remember that Matt Serra was never considered a real threat to Georges,” said Jackson. “Everyone was laughing it off, then all of a sudden Georges was in a lot of trouble. So if you go into any fight thinking this guy is going to be easy, this guy is going to be a walkover, this isn't a legitimate threat, it puts you in a place mentally where you aren't going to train as hard, you're not going to be as hungry and Hardy is a legitimate serious threat and needs to be treated as such.”

The bout will mark the first time Hardy has fought in the U.S., though Jackson isn’t convinced that will be an issue for the Brit.

“I'm not sure (it will be a factor) because Hardy trains so much in the United States anyway,” Jackson said. “It’s not like America is any kind of new culture shock for him, I don't think. He's a really tough guy. I think he's mentally tough guy, physically tough. So I don't think there will be a huge disadvantage. I'm certainly not counting on that.”

Jackson is set to meet with St. Pierre next week to start game-planning for the March bout. Jackson said he wasn’t sure if St. Pierre will travel to New Mexico for his camp or stay in Canada.

“That's the nice thing about having everyone in Denver, in Montreal, in New York, we have so many people constantly moving around that we'll always have good training partners for you no matter where you are,” said Jackson. “If you don't feel like traveling to that camp, we'll come to you.”

And while fans might be looking past the Hardy bout, they continue to clamor for St. Pierre to face middleweight king Anderson Silva. Nothing's impossible, according to Jackson.

“I'm not actually sure what the plans are there,” Jackson said. “I don't see it out of the realm of possibility, that's for sure. It's definitely something that's possible. We'd have to put on weight I'll tell you that because Anderson walks around quite a bit heavier than Georges, so we'd have to put on some real good weight and have a real good game plan. So it would take time if we want to do it.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Penn-Edgar Next for Lightweight Division

Frankie Edgar will be the next in line for B.J. Penn, UFC President Dana White told MMAFighting.com on Tuesday.

Edgar and Gray Maynard had been earmarked as frontrunners for the division’s next championship bout after Penn dismantled Diego Sanchez over five rounds at UFC 107 on Dec. 12 in Memphis, Tenn. Maynard fought Nate Diaz to a split decision at UFC Fight Night 20 on Monday in Fairfax, Va., but his performance wasn’t hailed as a contender-advancing effort, clearing the way for Edgar.

A date and venue for Penn’s fourth title defense hasn’t been announced, though the 31-year-old Hawaiian said he’d likely be fighting at a proposed event on April 12 in Abu Dhabi for the promotion’s first show in the Middle East.

Penn, Sherdog.com’s No. 1 ranked lightweight, has delivered top caliber performances in his last five victories. Penn has lost only once in the last two and a half years, when he moved up a weight division to challenge UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre for his crown. With St. Pierre inflicting consistent damage on Penn, the Hilo native’s corner stopped the bout between the fourth and fifth rounds.

The swift and agile Edgar has gotten “Fight of the Night” nods in two of his last three bouts. The 27-year-old Toms River, N.J. native cut his teeth on the East Coast’s local circuit in popular promotions Ring of Combat and Reality Fighting before he debuted against the previously undefeated Tyson Griffin at UFC 67 in February 2007. Not expected to keep up with the intense Griffin, Edgar impressed with his frenetic pace en route a unanimous decision victory. Edgar’s last victory came to unranked Matt Veach at “The Ultimate Fighter 10” Finale on Dec. 5 in Las Vegas.

Edgar’s only career defeat came to Maynard at UFC Fight Night 13 in April 2008.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Nate Diaz clarifies weight-cutting remarks, sees future at lightweight and welterweight

Nate Diaz (11-5 MMA, 6-3 UFC) is not leaving the lightweight division permanently — he just wants a break.

Diaz, who came up short Monday night in a headlining fight with Gray Maynard (9-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 20, slammed his performance and said he wants to explore his options a weight class up.

"It's just a possibility," Diaz today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "I'm not going to permanently go, but I could probably jump around. If I want to make (155 pounds) all year long and be starving and miserable for that long, I'd probably want to get paid more. Until I start getting paid more, maybe I should ease up a weight class."

While Diaz admits the difficulty of competing at 155 pounds, the fiery Stockton, Calif., native said he cut less than 10 pounds in the final weeks before the Monday fight. Nevertheless, Diaz said he felt drained after three rounds.

"I didn't cut too much weight," Diaz said. "I went about it just like normal. I just didn't go strong like I'd been training. I [expletive] on my performance yesterday.

"I can get bigger easier or I can get smaller easier, but I've been dieting for the last six years, and I'm getting [expletive] fed up with it, going in there not having enough energy. I'm running off no fuel, going off of vegetables and fruits. It's hit or miss."

Diaz, 24, has fought as a lightweight since his professional debut at age 19 and has hinted at a potential move up in weight since this past September.

On his way back to trainer/manager Cesar Gracie's gym Tuesday, Diaz said it would only take him a week to tip the scales at 190 pounds.

However, Mmaking the move will not based on gaining size with age, as it was in the case of his brother, Nick Diaz, who ruled out future fights below welterweight because he was naturally getting heavier.

"I'm the same size, man," Nate Diaz said. "But say I make 170 (pounds) for a year. I'll probably shrink. I'll probably walk around at 175. When you make the (155) weight class, your body's starving for food six, seven, eight months out of the year, so any time you get to gorge on some food, you do, and you gain 30 pounds. When you're not doing that all the time, food's not as fun any more, and you don't get so big. You walk around at a lighter weight."

Options, he said, were just better for his body, not to mention his wallet.

Diaz said he welcomes a meeting with nemesis Tyson Griffin, or even a rematch with Maynard, but had no concrete plans for either. For now, he'll be waiting for the UFC's call.

"I'll still stay at lightweight," Diaz said. "I'm not going to not be a lightweight. I can be both.

"I don't know why people have one weight class, anyway. I don't know why there are not a lot more weight classes in the first place. There should be (a weight class) every five or eight pounds, at least. Boxing's got a weight class for every five pounds."

As for his performance on Monday night, Diaz said the trash talk that colored the fight was no different than any other fight — even as Maynard taunted him in return.

"I wasn't angry at him," Diaz said. "I was just fighting, doing it.

"I could have been more explosive if I felt better. But I think that was probably his best day, and that was pretty much the worst I could have felt."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Herschel Walker makes rounds with "Fox & Friends," "The Howard Stern Show"

Some hardcore mixed martial arts fans have wondered aloud why Strikeforce, as a rapidly growing promotion, is willing to offer a platform to former NFL great Herschel Walker (0-0 MMA, 0-0 SF) for his professional fight debut.

The answer is simple: exposure.

Today came notice that Strikeforce will now look to capitalize on Walker's fame, and the soon-to-debut heavyweight will hawk the Strikeforce brand to a pair of very mainstream outlets.

Strikeforce today officially announced that Walker will be featured on Wednesday editions of Fox News Channel's "Fox & Friends" and Sirius XM's "The Howard Stern Show."

Walker will look to hype his Jan. 30 bout with Greg Nagy (1-1 MMA, 0-0 SF) at "Strikeforce: Miami" in a main-card contest that will be broadcast on Showtime.

Walker is scheduled to appear on "Fox & Friends" at 6:30 a.m. ET/PT Wednesday morning.

The former pro footballer will then be a guest on "The Howard Stern Show" at 7:30 a.m. (4:30 a.m. PT).

Walker was a guest of "ESPN First Take" this past September to discuss his signing with Strikeforce, but he infamously neglected to mention his new employer during the interview – though he did challenge UFC president Dana White to a fight.

Walker makes his professional debut at 47 years old. The former Heisman Trophy winner and two-time Pro Bowl running back has spent some time at California's American Kickboxing Academy in preparation for the contest.

Walker is a longtime practitioner of traditional martial arts. The Georgia native is a sixth-degree black belt in tae kwon do who has also trained in Muay Thai and Kenpo karate.