MMA News Thread
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Chuck Liddell - "I took my watch off and started dropping people"
UFC SUPERSTAR Chuck Liddell WAS involved in a street fight outside the Royal Albert Hall in London six years ago.
Fellow mixed martial artists Lee Murray and Tito Ortiz brawled outside the famous venue following UFC 38 in July 2002 in a story that has entered MMA folklore.
The incident was important enough for welterweight star Matt Hughes to include in his autobiography, as we exclusively revealed, though Liddell's involvement in the ensuing melee left many questioning the validity of the story.
But speaking exclusively to SunSport, Liddell confirmed he was involved in the ensuing street fight which took place after Murray and Ortiz had clashed.
Liddell said: “The funny thing is I never saw Lee Murray and Tito Ortiz fight.
“They were off to the right and I was looking to the left and a 140lb buddy of mine was getting punched by these heavy guys.
“Three guys were punching him in the back of the head so when I ran over and started throwing people off, someone hit me in the back of the head.
“So I turned around, I took my watch off and started walking towards a crowd of people and started throwing.
“What people have got to remember is that I was a street fighter when I was growing up so I’m used to street fighting.
“Anyone who was throwing punches at people I knew was fair game.
“So I just started dropping people - that’s my job. There was a bunch of people fighting.”
UFC SUPERSTAR Chuck Liddell WAS involved in a street fight outside the Royal Albert Hall in London six years ago.
Fellow mixed martial artists Lee Murray and Tito Ortiz brawled outside the famous venue following UFC 38 in July 2002 in a story that has entered MMA folklore.
The incident was important enough for welterweight star Matt Hughes to include in his autobiography, as we exclusively revealed, though Liddell's involvement in the ensuing melee left many questioning the validity of the story.
But speaking exclusively to SunSport, Liddell confirmed he was involved in the ensuing street fight which took place after Murray and Ortiz had clashed.
Liddell said: “The funny thing is I never saw Lee Murray and Tito Ortiz fight.
“They were off to the right and I was looking to the left and a 140lb buddy of mine was getting punched by these heavy guys.
“Three guys were punching him in the back of the head so when I ran over and started throwing people off, someone hit me in the back of the head.
“So I turned around, I took my watch off and started walking towards a crowd of people and started throwing.
“What people have got to remember is that I was a street fighter when I was growing up so I’m used to street fighting.
“Anyone who was throwing punches at people I knew was fair game.
“So I just started dropping people - that’s my job. There was a bunch of people fighting.”
But Liddell was quick to add his street fighting days are behind him. The light heavyweight superstar revealed: “I haven’t been in a street fight for a long time – I try to stay away from that.
“I try to just fight in the ring – so that was the last street fight I was involved in.”
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/ufc/article871589.ece
UFC SUPERSTAR Chuck Liddell WAS involved in a street fight outside the Royal Albert Hall in London six years ago.
Fellow mixed martial artists Lee Murray and Tito Ortiz brawled outside the famous venue following UFC 38 in July 2002 in a story that has entered MMA folklore.
The incident was important enough for welterweight star Matt Hughes to include in his autobiography, as we exclusively revealed, though Liddell's involvement in the ensuing melee left many questioning the validity of the story.
But speaking exclusively to SunSport, Liddell confirmed he was involved in the ensuing street fight which took place after Murray and Ortiz had clashed.
Liddell said: “The funny thing is I never saw Lee Murray and Tito Ortiz fight.
“They were off to the right and I was looking to the left and a 140lb buddy of mine was getting punched by these heavy guys.
“Three guys were punching him in the back of the head so when I ran over and started throwing people off, someone hit me in the back of the head.
“So I turned around, I took my watch off and started walking towards a crowd of people and started throwing.
“What people have got to remember is that I was a street fighter when I was growing up so I’m used to street fighting.
“Anyone who was throwing punches at people I knew was fair game.
“So I just started dropping people - that’s my job. There was a bunch of people fighting.”
UFC SUPERSTAR Chuck Liddell WAS involved in a street fight outside the Royal Albert Hall in London six years ago.
Fellow mixed martial artists Lee Murray and Tito Ortiz brawled outside the famous venue following UFC 38 in July 2002 in a story that has entered MMA folklore.
The incident was important enough for welterweight star Matt Hughes to include in his autobiography, as we exclusively revealed, though Liddell's involvement in the ensuing melee left many questioning the validity of the story.
But speaking exclusively to SunSport, Liddell confirmed he was involved in the ensuing street fight which took place after Murray and Ortiz had clashed.
Liddell said: “The funny thing is I never saw Lee Murray and Tito Ortiz fight.
“They were off to the right and I was looking to the left and a 140lb buddy of mine was getting punched by these heavy guys.
“Three guys were punching him in the back of the head so when I ran over and started throwing people off, someone hit me in the back of the head.
“So I turned around, I took my watch off and started walking towards a crowd of people and started throwing.
“What people have got to remember is that I was a street fighter when I was growing up so I’m used to street fighting.
“Anyone who was throwing punches at people I knew was fair game.
“So I just started dropping people - that’s my job. There was a bunch of people fighting.”
But Liddell was quick to add his street fighting days are behind him. The light heavyweight superstar revealed: “I haven’t been in a street fight for a long time – I try to stay away from that.
“I try to just fight in the ring – so that was the last street fight I was involved in.”
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/ufc/article871589.ece
MMAFightline Exclusive Interview: Fedor Emelianenko
Fedor Emelianenko is arguably the best MMA fighter on the planet regardless of weight. His only loss came as the result of a doctors stoppage due to a cut and was avenged in brutal fashion. He has defeated a virtual "who's who" of heavyweight fighters including current UFC interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, Mark Hunt, Kevin Randleman, Mark Colman, and Kazuyuki Fujita. He is currently signed to a non-exclusive fight contract with M-1 Global and is seeking a highly publicized fight with Randy Couture.
Emelianenko recently sat down with Fightline.com to discuss his current status, his future with M-1 and his thoughts on a variety of issues.
Fightline.com: You were in California with Randy Couture recently to film a commercial. Is this the first time you met with Randy in person and how did the two of you get along?
Fedor: We met each other for the second time actually. Our first encounter was back in 2003 at PRIDE when Mirko fought Noguiera for the interim title. We got acquainted. Randy was the UFC light heavyweight champion at the time. We talked a bit, so I have only positive impressions of the man.
Fightline.com: The two of you seem to share a mutual distaste for Dana White's business approach. What are your thoughts on how he runs the UFC and the way he chooses to structure contracts?
Fedor: I don't know what kind of policy Dana provides in the UFC and what contracts he offers to the other fighters. But I saw the contract they offered me and we knew we couldn't sign it. It was one-way negotiations. We tried to contact him to talk about things but he behaved in a very tactless manner. That's the point when the negotiations are over. Since then I read everywhere on internet or in magazines how he tries to insult me saying improper things about us.
Fightline.com: If you eventually do fight Couture. How do you believe the fight will go down?
Fedor: I never try to predict the course of the fight. There is a strategy for every fight but you can never say for sure whether the strategy will be realized or not. I prepare for the fight to go to the ground, standing, strike exchange or submissions. I do what I can and then we'll see.
Fightline.com: Many have been critical of your layoff from fighting a big name opponent. When will we see you fight against a big name heavyweight again and who are some possible opponents for you outside of Randy Couture.
Fedor: Choi is very popular in South Korea. I believe if he decides to switch to MMA on regular basis he'll fare very well. As for the future opponent, M-1 Global is looking for a serious adversary. My next fight is planned for this spring in the USA and I expect it to be a big name.
Fightline.com: Many MMA experts and fighters such as BJ Penn have called you the best MMA fighter in the world. Who are some fighters that you watch and admire?
Fedor: I don't admire any fighters but I hold a lot of fighters in great respect. It's a pleasure to have an opportunity to communicate with them. I'm open to everyone that's why everybody is open to me.
Fightline.com: Many Americans are unaware of your story; your background, influences, family life. Can you tell us a little more about your life from a personal perspective.
Fedor: Unfortunately, I got divorced with my first wife. Last December, my second wife gave birth to a daughter who we named Vasilisa. I'm extremely happy about it.
Fightline.com: You are considered by many to be the "Michael Jordan" of your sport which is a very lucrative position to be in from a financial standpoint as an athlete that does business in America. Are you aware of this and what are your plans to introduce yourself into the American sports psyche?
Fedor: To tell you the truth I haven't thought about it. Not everything is this world spins around money. The most important thing to me is that my relatives are all fine and healthy, the children are happy and don't undergo any hardships.
Fedor Emelianenko is arguably the best MMA fighter on the planet regardless of weight. His only loss came as the result of a doctors stoppage due to a cut and was avenged in brutal fashion. He has defeated a virtual "who's who" of heavyweight fighters including current UFC interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, Mark Hunt, Kevin Randleman, Mark Colman, and Kazuyuki Fujita. He is currently signed to a non-exclusive fight contract with M-1 Global and is seeking a highly publicized fight with Randy Couture.
Emelianenko recently sat down with Fightline.com to discuss his current status, his future with M-1 and his thoughts on a variety of issues.
Fightline.com: You were in California with Randy Couture recently to film a commercial. Is this the first time you met with Randy in person and how did the two of you get along?
Fedor: We met each other for the second time actually. Our first encounter was back in 2003 at PRIDE when Mirko fought Noguiera for the interim title. We got acquainted. Randy was the UFC light heavyweight champion at the time. We talked a bit, so I have only positive impressions of the man.
Fightline.com: The two of you seem to share a mutual distaste for Dana White's business approach. What are your thoughts on how he runs the UFC and the way he chooses to structure contracts?
Fedor: I don't know what kind of policy Dana provides in the UFC and what contracts he offers to the other fighters. But I saw the contract they offered me and we knew we couldn't sign it. It was one-way negotiations. We tried to contact him to talk about things but he behaved in a very tactless manner. That's the point when the negotiations are over. Since then I read everywhere on internet or in magazines how he tries to insult me saying improper things about us.
Fightline.com: If you eventually do fight Couture. How do you believe the fight will go down?
Fedor: I never try to predict the course of the fight. There is a strategy for every fight but you can never say for sure whether the strategy will be realized or not. I prepare for the fight to go to the ground, standing, strike exchange or submissions. I do what I can and then we'll see.
Fightline.com: Many have been critical of your layoff from fighting a big name opponent. When will we see you fight against a big name heavyweight again and who are some possible opponents for you outside of Randy Couture.
Fedor: Choi is very popular in South Korea. I believe if he decides to switch to MMA on regular basis he'll fare very well. As for the future opponent, M-1 Global is looking for a serious adversary. My next fight is planned for this spring in the USA and I expect it to be a big name.
Fightline.com: Many MMA experts and fighters such as BJ Penn have called you the best MMA fighter in the world. Who are some fighters that you watch and admire?
Fedor: I don't admire any fighters but I hold a lot of fighters in great respect. It's a pleasure to have an opportunity to communicate with them. I'm open to everyone that's why everybody is open to me.
Fightline.com: Many Americans are unaware of your story; your background, influences, family life. Can you tell us a little more about your life from a personal perspective.
Fedor: Unfortunately, I got divorced with my first wife. Last December, my second wife gave birth to a daughter who we named Vasilisa. I'm extremely happy about it.
Fightline.com: You are considered by many to be the "Michael Jordan" of your sport which is a very lucrative position to be in from a financial standpoint as an athlete that does business in America. Are you aware of this and what are your plans to introduce yourself into the American sports psyche?
Fedor: To tell you the truth I haven't thought about it. Not everything is this world spins around money. The most important thing to me is that my relatives are all fine and healthy, the children are happy and don't undergo any hardships.
Butterbean: "I would love to fight Kimbo Slice."
Eric Scott "Butterbean" Esch is a professional Super-Heavyweight boxer, kickboxer and mixed martial artist. Butterbean came to prominance in the early to mid 90's winning numberous "toughman" amature boxing competitions. He grew in stature mainly due to the unique nature of his own stature. He stands 5'11" tall and weighs 398 pounds. His professional fight record including boxing and MMA stands at an impressive 90-14-5. Esch began competing in MMA in 2003 and has a professional MMA record of 18-6. He recently sat down with Fight Talk to discuss his future plans and his desire to take on Kimbo Slice
Butterbean On Kimbo:
I would love to fight Kimbo Slice, a good friend of mine is training him. I would love to fight him, Kimbo came out and stood up with Tank Abbott and knocked him out, but he wouldn't do that with me. It would be a heck of a fight, but I would knock out Kimbo Slice before the fight got too far though.
Butterbean On Kimbo's power:
From what I seen against Tank Abbott he doesn't have the power to knock me out. MMA guys don't hit as hard as full fledged boxers do. Kimbo don't hit no where's near as hard I do.
Butterbean On Whether He'd Get The KO vs. Kimbo Or Not:
Without a doubt. His people need to say, “Butterbean, do you want to fight Kimbo?” and BAM it's done. I got a backyard, come on Kimbo it doesn't matter to me. Hey Kimbo Slice, I got a backyard. I even got a side yard that we can put people in to watch the fight. If you want to do it from the yard, we'll do it there. PPV from Bean's backyard. I'll go to his yard too, I don't care. Here's a headline, BEAN KNOCKS OUT KIMBO IN THE BACK YARD!
Eric Scott "Butterbean" Esch is a professional Super-Heavyweight boxer, kickboxer and mixed martial artist. Butterbean came to prominance in the early to mid 90's winning numberous "toughman" amature boxing competitions. He grew in stature mainly due to the unique nature of his own stature. He stands 5'11" tall and weighs 398 pounds. His professional fight record including boxing and MMA stands at an impressive 90-14-5. Esch began competing in MMA in 2003 and has a professional MMA record of 18-6. He recently sat down with Fight Talk to discuss his future plans and his desire to take on Kimbo Slice
Butterbean On Kimbo:
I would love to fight Kimbo Slice, a good friend of mine is training him. I would love to fight him, Kimbo came out and stood up with Tank Abbott and knocked him out, but he wouldn't do that with me. It would be a heck of a fight, but I would knock out Kimbo Slice before the fight got too far though.
Butterbean On Kimbo's power:
From what I seen against Tank Abbott he doesn't have the power to knock me out. MMA guys don't hit as hard as full fledged boxers do. Kimbo don't hit no where's near as hard I do.
Butterbean On Whether He'd Get The KO vs. Kimbo Or Not:
Without a doubt. His people need to say, “Butterbean, do you want to fight Kimbo?” and BAM it's done. I got a backyard, come on Kimbo it doesn't matter to me. Hey Kimbo Slice, I got a backyard. I even got a side yard that we can put people in to watch the fight. If you want to do it from the yard, we'll do it there. PPV from Bean's backyard. I'll go to his yard too, I don't care. Here's a headline, BEAN KNOCKS OUT KIMBO IN THE BACK YARD!
Maryland State Athletic Commission given approval to oversee MMA
We reported back on February 2nd that Dr. Kirill Reznik is working on getting Mixed Martial Arts sanctioned in the state of Maryland. Now it looks like he’s one step closer to getting the job done as was reported earlier today by the Baltimore Sun.
Mixed Martial Arts is currently sanctioned in 32 of the 50 states in American at this point in time. With the sport itself now becoming “mainstream”, it would only make sense that the sport be allowed within the states where fighters currently train.
Kirill Reznik isn’t the only person in Maryland trying to get the sport sanctioned though, trainers and managers are working hand in hand with the Democratic Delegate to help keep the fighters that they train fight closer to home.
The senate committee in Maryland announced today that they will approve the state’s athletic commission to oversee the sport. Granted this is only one step towards getting sanctioned, but it’s a big step forward.
We reported back on February 2nd that Dr. Kirill Reznik is working on getting Mixed Martial Arts sanctioned in the state of Maryland. Now it looks like he’s one step closer to getting the job done as was reported earlier today by the Baltimore Sun.
Mixed Martial Arts is currently sanctioned in 32 of the 50 states in American at this point in time. With the sport itself now becoming “mainstream”, it would only make sense that the sport be allowed within the states where fighters currently train.
Kirill Reznik isn’t the only person in Maryland trying to get the sport sanctioned though, trainers and managers are working hand in hand with the Democratic Delegate to help keep the fighters that they train fight closer to home.
The senate committee in Maryland announced today that they will approve the state’s athletic commission to oversee the sport. Granted this is only one step towards getting sanctioned, but it’s a big step forward.
Tito Ortiz may sign with EliteXC after UFC contract expires
Tito Ortiz recently made a post on the Underground Forums at MMA.tv about EliteXC’s deal with CBS that was announced late last week. Ortiz made a comment that everyone kind of expected because of his relationship with UFC President Dana White, “finally Dana is shown for who he really is!!” There is a lot of talk about Ortiz signing with EliteXC after his next fight with Lyoto Machida at UFC 84: Ill Will.
Speaking of the Machida fight, Ortiz did say that he was, “very good! in shape” for the fight.
With the CBS deal in place for ProElite and EliteXC, it would only make sense to sign a guy like Tito Ortiz who would be available to them because even though Ortiz isn’t a title contender in the UFC at this point, Ortiz is and always will be a draw in MMA.
Ortiz has done a great job over his career in marketing himself and making people buy Pay-Per-View events to watch him. With EliteXC, fans won’t have to buy anything to watch him fight because CBS is free and that’s what makes the deal with CBS so big.
With headlines like Kimbo Slice and Tito Ortiz under their banner and top ten guys like Jake Shields on their roster, EliteXC can seriously make a run at taking a large chunk of the UFC’s market-share of MMA viewership. SpikeTV isn’t even on many of Americans’ radars, whereas everybody gets CBS. The first EliteXC show will probably dwarf The Ultimate Fighter and Ultimate Fight Night ratings 2 to 1.
Tito Ortiz recently made a post on the Underground Forums at MMA.tv about EliteXC’s deal with CBS that was announced late last week. Ortiz made a comment that everyone kind of expected because of his relationship with UFC President Dana White, “finally Dana is shown for who he really is!!” There is a lot of talk about Ortiz signing with EliteXC after his next fight with Lyoto Machida at UFC 84: Ill Will.
Speaking of the Machida fight, Ortiz did say that he was, “very good! in shape” for the fight.
With the CBS deal in place for ProElite and EliteXC, it would only make sense to sign a guy like Tito Ortiz who would be available to them because even though Ortiz isn’t a title contender in the UFC at this point, Ortiz is and always will be a draw in MMA.
Ortiz has done a great job over his career in marketing himself and making people buy Pay-Per-View events to watch him. With EliteXC, fans won’t have to buy anything to watch him fight because CBS is free and that’s what makes the deal with CBS so big.
With headlines like Kimbo Slice and Tito Ortiz under their banner and top ten guys like Jake Shields on their roster, EliteXC can seriously make a run at taking a large chunk of the UFC’s market-share of MMA viewership. SpikeTV isn’t even on many of Americans’ radars, whereas everybody gets CBS. The first EliteXC show will probably dwarf The Ultimate Fighter and Ultimate Fight Night ratings 2 to 1.
DESPITE REPORT LUKE CUMMO WAS NOT SUSPENDED
Contrary to a report published on Monday, UFC 82 fighter Luke Cummo has not tested positive for elevated levels of caffeine or any other substance following his Ultimate Fighting Championship bout with Luigi Fioravanti in Columbus, Ohio.
In fact, according to Ohio Athletic Commission executive director Bernie Profato, Cummo was not even one of the fighters tested following his bout. He stated that Ohio took a little bit different tact with UFC 82 to crack down on performance enhancing drugs and instead of randomly testing fighters, the state chose to test all of the winners.
“Only the winners were tested and those test results will not be know for approximately 10 days to two weeks,” said Profato.
Cummo lost a three-round unanimous decision.
The report in question appears to be a “spoof story” posted on the Fightlinker website, taking a satirical jab at Cummo’s oft discussed alternative approach to diet and health. It was however picked up and reported as news by at least one other website on Monday.
Regardless of the intention of the story, Profato took the report seriously, as it specifically quoted a fictitious Ohio Athletic Commission representative, fighter agent Ken Pavia, and UFC president Dana White.
He seemed most concerned that a false story such as this could hurt a fighter’s credibility and his future in the sport. Profato isn’t overlooking the seriousness of the matter, saying, “I’ll be contacting the state’s Attorney General office (on Tuesday) to see what options we have in this type of matter because this is absolutely not true.”
Contrary to a report published on Monday, UFC 82 fighter Luke Cummo has not tested positive for elevated levels of caffeine or any other substance following his Ultimate Fighting Championship bout with Luigi Fioravanti in Columbus, Ohio.
In fact, according to Ohio Athletic Commission executive director Bernie Profato, Cummo was not even one of the fighters tested following his bout. He stated that Ohio took a little bit different tact with UFC 82 to crack down on performance enhancing drugs and instead of randomly testing fighters, the state chose to test all of the winners.
“Only the winners were tested and those test results will not be know for approximately 10 days to two weeks,” said Profato.
Cummo lost a three-round unanimous decision.
The report in question appears to be a “spoof story” posted on the Fightlinker website, taking a satirical jab at Cummo’s oft discussed alternative approach to diet and health. It was however picked up and reported as news by at least one other website on Monday.
Regardless of the intention of the story, Profato took the report seriously, as it specifically quoted a fictitious Ohio Athletic Commission representative, fighter agent Ken Pavia, and UFC president Dana White.
He seemed most concerned that a false story such as this could hurt a fighter’s credibility and his future in the sport. Profato isn’t overlooking the seriousness of the matter, saying, “I’ll be contacting the state’s Attorney General office (on Tuesday) to see what options we have in this type of matter because this is absolutely not true.”
CALIFORNIA DRUG TESTING: POSITIVE MEANS POSITIVE
The California State Athletic Commission on Monday announced that several mixed martial arts fighters have been suspended for failing drug tests in the state.
Not only that, but the CSAC took extra steps on some of the recent tests to be even more sure of their validity. According to representative Bill Douglas, “When CSAC says you're positive then you are absolutely positive.”
Three of the announced suspensions center around an event that never occurred, the Valor Fighting event in San Diego (operating under the World Cagefighting Organization moniker) scheduled for Jan. 12, 2008.
“Even though the event was cancelled, these athletes are licensees of the state and can be disciplined for any violation of CSAC rules and regulations,” said Douglas. “All of these positive tests have violated Rule 303 - Administration or Use of Drugs.”
The CSAC released the following suspensions, including the test results:
Carlos Fuentes: Nandrolone measured at 4.4 ng/mL. Suspension in effect from Jan. 11 through March 30, 2008, plus an additional 286 days after he reapplies for licensure. Fine: $2,500.00
Kyacey Uscola: Nandrolone measured at 9.6 ng/mL. Suspension in effect from Jan. 11 through Jan. 10, 2009. Fine: $2,500.00
Gustavo Machado: Nandrolone measured at 20.8 ng/mL. Suspension in effect from Jan. 11 through Jan. 10, 2009. Fine: $2,500.00
The samples for all three of the named fighters were tested three times by Quest Diagnostics in Atlanta, Ga. Douglas also indicated that Uscola and Machado’s samples “were tested by Laboratoire de controle du dopage in Laval (Quebec), Canada, while Mr. Fuentes' samples were tested two times at the same facility.”
In all, Uscola and Machado’s samples were tested a total of four times and Fuentes’ a total of five. Douglas stated that, “Fuentes' sample was tested one additional time to guarantee that the lower level of nandrolone was consistent with an anabolic agent and not the result of a higher nandrolone level naturally produced in the human body. The final test absolutely confirmed that the 4.4 ng/mL level was consistent with an agent that was anabolic in origin.”
According to the World Anti-Doping Agency website, Laboratoire de controle du dopage is one of 33 certified WADA testing laboratories in the entire world. WADA certified labs test all athletes competing in the Olympics and their associated trials, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and the National Football League, among other organizations.
“Make no mistake about the fact that these samples were sent for additional testing to prove a point,” said Dougals. “With all of the testing that CSAC performs in conjunction with Quest Diagnostics, with all of the testing performed on both ‘A’ and ‘B’ samples before anything is divulged, with the absolute care and concern that fairness and justice rule the day before any penalty and fine is handed down, this proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that our anti-doping program is the very best in combative sports.”
Earlier in the day, Douglas announced that Fabio Costa, who last competed for Roy Englebrecht Promotions, had tested positive for Marijuana. His suspension runs from the conclusion of the bout on Feb. 20 through May 20, 2008 and he has been fined $500.
The California State Athletic Commission on Monday announced that several mixed martial arts fighters have been suspended for failing drug tests in the state.
Not only that, but the CSAC took extra steps on some of the recent tests to be even more sure of their validity. According to representative Bill Douglas, “When CSAC says you're positive then you are absolutely positive.”
Three of the announced suspensions center around an event that never occurred, the Valor Fighting event in San Diego (operating under the World Cagefighting Organization moniker) scheduled for Jan. 12, 2008.
“Even though the event was cancelled, these athletes are licensees of the state and can be disciplined for any violation of CSAC rules and regulations,” said Douglas. “All of these positive tests have violated Rule 303 - Administration or Use of Drugs.”
The CSAC released the following suspensions, including the test results:
Carlos Fuentes: Nandrolone measured at 4.4 ng/mL. Suspension in effect from Jan. 11 through March 30, 2008, plus an additional 286 days after he reapplies for licensure. Fine: $2,500.00
Kyacey Uscola: Nandrolone measured at 9.6 ng/mL. Suspension in effect from Jan. 11 through Jan. 10, 2009. Fine: $2,500.00
Gustavo Machado: Nandrolone measured at 20.8 ng/mL. Suspension in effect from Jan. 11 through Jan. 10, 2009. Fine: $2,500.00
The samples for all three of the named fighters were tested three times by Quest Diagnostics in Atlanta, Ga. Douglas also indicated that Uscola and Machado’s samples “were tested by Laboratoire de controle du dopage in Laval (Quebec), Canada, while Mr. Fuentes' samples were tested two times at the same facility.”
In all, Uscola and Machado’s samples were tested a total of four times and Fuentes’ a total of five. Douglas stated that, “Fuentes' sample was tested one additional time to guarantee that the lower level of nandrolone was consistent with an anabolic agent and not the result of a higher nandrolone level naturally produced in the human body. The final test absolutely confirmed that the 4.4 ng/mL level was consistent with an agent that was anabolic in origin.”
According to the World Anti-Doping Agency website, Laboratoire de controle du dopage is one of 33 certified WADA testing laboratories in the entire world. WADA certified labs test all athletes competing in the Olympics and their associated trials, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and the National Football League, among other organizations.
“Make no mistake about the fact that these samples were sent for additional testing to prove a point,” said Dougals. “With all of the testing that CSAC performs in conjunction with Quest Diagnostics, with all of the testing performed on both ‘A’ and ‘B’ samples before anything is divulged, with the absolute care and concern that fairness and justice rule the day before any penalty and fine is handed down, this proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that our anti-doping program is the very best in combative sports.”
Earlier in the day, Douglas announced that Fabio Costa, who last competed for Roy Englebrecht Promotions, had tested positive for Marijuana. His suspension runs from the conclusion of the bout on Feb. 20 through May 20, 2008 and he has been fined $500.
IFL SEASON OPENER SALARY & TICKET BREAKDOWN
The Nevada State Athletic Commission on Monday made available the fighter salary and ticket information for the International Fight League’s 2008 opener, which took place on Friday, Feb. 29 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
The total attendance at the IFL event was 4,280, with a paid attendance of 1,606 and complimentary tickets totaling 2,674. The total live gate was $102,120. The total disclosed fighter payroll was $165,500.
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 MMA 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 (specifically pay-per-view bonuses, fight of the night bonuses, etc.) are not included in the figures below.
CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHTERS
-Ryan Schultz: $26,000 (defeated John Gunderson; win bonus was $14,000)
-Roy Nelson: $24,000 (defeated Fabiano Scherner; win bonus was $10,000)
-Matt Horwich: $12,000 (lost to Ryan McGivern; win bonus would have been $14,000)
-Ryan McGivern: $10,000 (defeated Matt Horwich; win bonus was $4,000)
-John Gunderson: $9,500 (lost to Ryan Schultz; win bonus would have been $10,500)
-Fabiano Scherner: $7,500 (lost to Roy Nelson; win bonus would have been $7,500)
MAIN CARD FIGHTERS
-Alexandre Ferreira: $16,000 (defeated Lew Polley; win bonus was $8,000)
-Jake Ellenberger: $15,000 (defeated Pat Healy; win bonus was $7,500)
-Pat Healy: $7,500 (lost to Jake Ellenberger; win bonus would have been $6,500)
-Rafael Dias: $7,000 (defeated Santino De Franco; win bonus was $3,500)
-Josh Haynes: $6,000 (defeated Leopoldo Serao; win bonus was $3,000)
-Santino De Franco: $5,000 (lost to Rafael Dias; win bonus would have been $5,000)
-Lew Polley: $4,000 (lost to Alexandre Ferreira; win bonus would have been $4,000)
-Leopoldo Serao: $4,000 (lost to Josh Haynes; win bonus would have been $4,000)
PRELIMINARY FIGHTERS
-Ian Loveland: $7,000 (defeated Dennis Davis; win bonus was $3,500)
-Dennis Davis: $5,000 (lost to Ian Loveland; win bonus would have been $5,000)
DISCLOSED FIGHTER PAYROLL: $165,500
The Nevada State Athletic Commission on Monday made available the fighter salary and ticket information for the International Fight League’s 2008 opener, which took place on Friday, Feb. 29 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
The total attendance at the IFL event was 4,280, with a paid attendance of 1,606 and complimentary tickets totaling 2,674. The total live gate was $102,120. The total disclosed fighter payroll was $165,500.
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 MMA 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 (specifically pay-per-view bonuses, fight of the night bonuses, etc.) are not included in the figures below.
CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHTERS
-Ryan Schultz: $26,000 (defeated John Gunderson; win bonus was $14,000)
-Roy Nelson: $24,000 (defeated Fabiano Scherner; win bonus was $10,000)
-Matt Horwich: $12,000 (lost to Ryan McGivern; win bonus would have been $14,000)
-Ryan McGivern: $10,000 (defeated Matt Horwich; win bonus was $4,000)
-John Gunderson: $9,500 (lost to Ryan Schultz; win bonus would have been $10,500)
-Fabiano Scherner: $7,500 (lost to Roy Nelson; win bonus would have been $7,500)
MAIN CARD FIGHTERS
-Alexandre Ferreira: $16,000 (defeated Lew Polley; win bonus was $8,000)
-Jake Ellenberger: $15,000 (defeated Pat Healy; win bonus was $7,500)
-Pat Healy: $7,500 (lost to Jake Ellenberger; win bonus would have been $6,500)
-Rafael Dias: $7,000 (defeated Santino De Franco; win bonus was $3,500)
-Josh Haynes: $6,000 (defeated Leopoldo Serao; win bonus was $3,000)
-Santino De Franco: $5,000 (lost to Rafael Dias; win bonus would have been $5,000)
-Lew Polley: $4,000 (lost to Alexandre Ferreira; win bonus would have been $4,000)
-Leopoldo Serao: $4,000 (lost to Josh Haynes; win bonus would have been $4,000)
PRELIMINARY FIGHTERS
-Ian Loveland: $7,000 (defeated Dennis Davis; win bonus was $3,500)
-Dennis Davis: $5,000 (lost to Ian Loveland; win bonus would have been $5,000)
DISCLOSED FIGHTER PAYROLL: $165,500
JAE SUK LIM WINS SPIRT MC, TRIP TO ICON SPORT
SEOUL, South Korea – Jae Suk Lim became a two-time Spirit MC middleweight champion Sunday night, regaining the belt he lost to American Top Team fighter Steve Bruno, with a win over promising, twenty-year-old prodigy Yoon Young Kim.
Bruno, who pounded out Lim in the third round of their meeting almost one year ago, has been unable to defend his title due to a torn pectoral muscle injured while training for UFC Fight Night 10, but that was ancient history in the minds of most in attendance at Jang Chung Gymnasium and watching on the Korean Cable Network XPORTS.
The match-up at hand paired the original Go Super Korean middleweight champion, who was coming off an EliteXC win in his cage debut, against a young, lanky, submission specialist who had assembled a five-fight win streak and earned a title shot, all prior to his two-year-hiatus for compulsory military service.
Round one of this contest saw Lim executing takedowns, one from a caught middle kick and another via body lock, but reluctant to strike from anything but a fully postured-up position. For his part, Kim threatened with kimura attempts while methodically bettering his position for an armbar or triangle choke. The referee was quick to stand the fighters on each occasion. Midway through the round, Lim, who is the better standing striker, opens a neat, four-stitch cut above Kim’s left eye, but even in the replays it is unclear if the cut was caused by a punch or a clash of heads in the clinch. Lim ends the round with a hard right, setting up a takedown that puts him in Kim’s guard, but is unable to capitalize with strikes before time expires.
Again in the second round, action is paused to attend to the cut above Kim’s eye, but it isn’t long before Lim reverses a takedown and takes the top position in half guard. In short order, Lim passes guard and beats away at the bloody Kim with rights and lefts until the referee is forced to call a halt to the contest.
In the post fight press conference, Jae Suk Lim was visibly pleased to announce that he will next see action on U.S. soil, this time in an ICON Sport promotion in Hawaii.
Win or lose, welterweight A Sol Kwon always puts on a good show, and despite a submission loss in his last K-1 Hero’s outing and two discouraging losses to current Spirit MC welterweight champ Kwang Hee Lee, his rightful place at a Spirit MC promotion is still among the headliners. In this match-up he was paired against Takaaki Aoki, a once up-and-coming DEEP fighter who has seen mixed results as of late.
From the start, it was obvious that Kwon wanted to work standing strikes, while Aoki was eager to take the fight to the ground. In the first round Kwon is the more effective puncher, visibly staggering Aoki twice with straight rights. Both fighters exchanged takedowns, as well as strikes from guard, but once again Kwon landed the harder shots. As is the case throughout the night, referee stand-ups are quick, and often inexplicable.
The second differed in that Aoki spent more time on his back, but little changed with regard to the punches that scored. Kwon missed one opportunity from side mount, and another by whiffing on a soccer kick, but was, again, in control for the majority of the round. The result was a unanimous decision for Kwon.
March 1 is Korean Independence day (from the Japanese), and in keeping with the Korea versus Japan motif, Spirit MC went straight to the WWE playbook by pairing Jae Young Kim, a Spirit MC veteran coming off three consecutive wins since suffering an armbar loss to Hector Lombard, with a hugely fat, bleach blond, tattoo covered Japanese guy named Soichi Nishida.
From Nishida’s 3-8-1 record there was never much doubt as to the outcome of this fight, but when Nishida made his ultra-bravado entrance waving a large Japanese flag, even the old women selling dried squid and cuttlefish in front of the stadium sensed there would be a real beating.
From the bell, Nishida threw all of two punches before being taken down and pounded by Kim. Kim quickly grew bored with pummeling the Japanese tattoo champion, however, and convinced that he had done enough to win the fight, stood and returned to his corner. The referee thought otherwise, and frantically urged Kim to resume mashing the still supine and largely immobile Nishida. Kim complied with the request until everyone in the stadium was convinced Nishida had received enough, including Nishida’s corner, which threw in the towel as the referee, simultaneously acting under his own initiative, put a stop to the slaughter. Total elapsed time: 22 seconds.
In a middleweight pairing that served to produce one of the more technical fights of the night, Jung Hwan Cha met Busan Team M.A.D. fighter Dong Hyun Kim (not the same fighter recently signed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. For future reference, the complete Spirit MC 15 fight card featured five Kims, including one Kim vs. Kim bout, and four Lees).
A play-by-play account of this fight could take pages, as both fighters displayed solid skills with their strikes, kicks, takedowns and submission attempts. The closest thing to a stoppage in the first round occurred when Jung briefly held a loose triangle choke.
In the second round, both fighters continued to impress the crowd with their pace and continuous work. Both landed standing strikes and took a turn defending from guard. This close contest was ruled a draw.
“Fight of the Night” honors have to go to Hans Olsen and Chang Seob Lee for their heavyweight slugfest. This was a pairing of two crowd favorites. Hans is American, which goes a long way with a very vocal minority in Jang Chung Gymnasium, and was making his comeback after more than a year’s absence, due in large part to the bureaucratic barriers foreign fighters who wish to earn paychecks face in Korea.
Lee, the most recently crowned Go Super Korean Season 3 heavyweight champion, was still riding the wave of his reality television success.
Olson weighed in at 237 pounds, a notable difference from the 286 pounds he fought at previously, and briefly sought to use the sizable height and reach advantages he’d maintained to pick Lee apart from the outside with jabs and leg kicks. But it was not to be, and as Olsen so eloquently put it, his “game plan went to crap.”
Olson did work a Thai clinch with some success, but telegraphed his combinations by straightening his stance before throwing, thus allowing Lee to do what he does best: land overhand rights in the transition zone. The first round was a close one and both fighters were forced to cover up and play defense at times.
The second stanza continued where the first left off: Olson working to land knees to the face and getting the better of most exchanges on the inside, with Lee tagging him hard from mid-distance. By the halfway point both fighters appeared ready to sustain action for the duration – though bloodied, swollen and visibly marked – but neither showed any inclination to take the fight to the ground. Olson scored with several lead rights, then Lee responded with short, heavy strikes over the top, dislodging Olson’s mouthpiece for a second time. The last ten seconds were a flurry from both sides. At the bell, both fighters were smiling, though Olson walked toward the wrong corner.
In the end, Olson was awarded the unanimous decision.
In other Go Super Korean alumni news, Sang Il An, who scored a stunning high kick knockout fifteen seconds into his last outing, finished Dong Woo Shin with an equally impressive one strike knockout, this time a right cross to the chin. An is a charismatic fighter, known to sing and dance to his opponents’ entrance songs, and it is likely that he will soon meet Dong Hyun Kim as Spirit MC goes searching for a middleweight challenger.
Final Results from Spirit MC 15
Jang Chung Gymnasium
Seoul, South Korea
-Jae Suk Lim def. Yoon Young Kim by TKO (Strikes) at 1:35, R2
-A Sol Kwan def. Takaaki Aoki by Unanimous Decision
-Jae Young Kim def. Soichi Nishida by TKO (Strikes) at 0:22, R1
-Jung Hwan Cha vs. Dong Hyun Kim, ruled a draw, (1-1)
-Hans Olson def. Chang Seob Lee by Unanimous Decision
-San Il An def. Dong U Shin by KO (Right Cross), at 3:09, R1
-Ye Won Nam def. Seung Hwan Kim by Submission (Triangle Choke), at 4:44, R1
-Dae Gun Kim def. Ok Myoung Kim by Submission (Heel Hook), at 1:47, R1
SEOUL, South Korea – Jae Suk Lim became a two-time Spirit MC middleweight champion Sunday night, regaining the belt he lost to American Top Team fighter Steve Bruno, with a win over promising, twenty-year-old prodigy Yoon Young Kim.
Bruno, who pounded out Lim in the third round of their meeting almost one year ago, has been unable to defend his title due to a torn pectoral muscle injured while training for UFC Fight Night 10, but that was ancient history in the minds of most in attendance at Jang Chung Gymnasium and watching on the Korean Cable Network XPORTS.
The match-up at hand paired the original Go Super Korean middleweight champion, who was coming off an EliteXC win in his cage debut, against a young, lanky, submission specialist who had assembled a five-fight win streak and earned a title shot, all prior to his two-year-hiatus for compulsory military service.
Round one of this contest saw Lim executing takedowns, one from a caught middle kick and another via body lock, but reluctant to strike from anything but a fully postured-up position. For his part, Kim threatened with kimura attempts while methodically bettering his position for an armbar or triangle choke. The referee was quick to stand the fighters on each occasion. Midway through the round, Lim, who is the better standing striker, opens a neat, four-stitch cut above Kim’s left eye, but even in the replays it is unclear if the cut was caused by a punch or a clash of heads in the clinch. Lim ends the round with a hard right, setting up a takedown that puts him in Kim’s guard, but is unable to capitalize with strikes before time expires.
Again in the second round, action is paused to attend to the cut above Kim’s eye, but it isn’t long before Lim reverses a takedown and takes the top position in half guard. In short order, Lim passes guard and beats away at the bloody Kim with rights and lefts until the referee is forced to call a halt to the contest.
In the post fight press conference, Jae Suk Lim was visibly pleased to announce that he will next see action on U.S. soil, this time in an ICON Sport promotion in Hawaii.
Win or lose, welterweight A Sol Kwon always puts on a good show, and despite a submission loss in his last K-1 Hero’s outing and two discouraging losses to current Spirit MC welterweight champ Kwang Hee Lee, his rightful place at a Spirit MC promotion is still among the headliners. In this match-up he was paired against Takaaki Aoki, a once up-and-coming DEEP fighter who has seen mixed results as of late.
From the start, it was obvious that Kwon wanted to work standing strikes, while Aoki was eager to take the fight to the ground. In the first round Kwon is the more effective puncher, visibly staggering Aoki twice with straight rights. Both fighters exchanged takedowns, as well as strikes from guard, but once again Kwon landed the harder shots. As is the case throughout the night, referee stand-ups are quick, and often inexplicable.
The second differed in that Aoki spent more time on his back, but little changed with regard to the punches that scored. Kwon missed one opportunity from side mount, and another by whiffing on a soccer kick, but was, again, in control for the majority of the round. The result was a unanimous decision for Kwon.
March 1 is Korean Independence day (from the Japanese), and in keeping with the Korea versus Japan motif, Spirit MC went straight to the WWE playbook by pairing Jae Young Kim, a Spirit MC veteran coming off three consecutive wins since suffering an armbar loss to Hector Lombard, with a hugely fat, bleach blond, tattoo covered Japanese guy named Soichi Nishida.
From Nishida’s 3-8-1 record there was never much doubt as to the outcome of this fight, but when Nishida made his ultra-bravado entrance waving a large Japanese flag, even the old women selling dried squid and cuttlefish in front of the stadium sensed there would be a real beating.
From the bell, Nishida threw all of two punches before being taken down and pounded by Kim. Kim quickly grew bored with pummeling the Japanese tattoo champion, however, and convinced that he had done enough to win the fight, stood and returned to his corner. The referee thought otherwise, and frantically urged Kim to resume mashing the still supine and largely immobile Nishida. Kim complied with the request until everyone in the stadium was convinced Nishida had received enough, including Nishida’s corner, which threw in the towel as the referee, simultaneously acting under his own initiative, put a stop to the slaughter. Total elapsed time: 22 seconds.
In a middleweight pairing that served to produce one of the more technical fights of the night, Jung Hwan Cha met Busan Team M.A.D. fighter Dong Hyun Kim (not the same fighter recently signed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. For future reference, the complete Spirit MC 15 fight card featured five Kims, including one Kim vs. Kim bout, and four Lees).
A play-by-play account of this fight could take pages, as both fighters displayed solid skills with their strikes, kicks, takedowns and submission attempts. The closest thing to a stoppage in the first round occurred when Jung briefly held a loose triangle choke.
In the second round, both fighters continued to impress the crowd with their pace and continuous work. Both landed standing strikes and took a turn defending from guard. This close contest was ruled a draw.
“Fight of the Night” honors have to go to Hans Olsen and Chang Seob Lee for their heavyweight slugfest. This was a pairing of two crowd favorites. Hans is American, which goes a long way with a very vocal minority in Jang Chung Gymnasium, and was making his comeback after more than a year’s absence, due in large part to the bureaucratic barriers foreign fighters who wish to earn paychecks face in Korea.
Lee, the most recently crowned Go Super Korean Season 3 heavyweight champion, was still riding the wave of his reality television success.
Olson weighed in at 237 pounds, a notable difference from the 286 pounds he fought at previously, and briefly sought to use the sizable height and reach advantages he’d maintained to pick Lee apart from the outside with jabs and leg kicks. But it was not to be, and as Olsen so eloquently put it, his “game plan went to crap.”
Olson did work a Thai clinch with some success, but telegraphed his combinations by straightening his stance before throwing, thus allowing Lee to do what he does best: land overhand rights in the transition zone. The first round was a close one and both fighters were forced to cover up and play defense at times.
The second stanza continued where the first left off: Olson working to land knees to the face and getting the better of most exchanges on the inside, with Lee tagging him hard from mid-distance. By the halfway point both fighters appeared ready to sustain action for the duration – though bloodied, swollen and visibly marked – but neither showed any inclination to take the fight to the ground. Olson scored with several lead rights, then Lee responded with short, heavy strikes over the top, dislodging Olson’s mouthpiece for a second time. The last ten seconds were a flurry from both sides. At the bell, both fighters were smiling, though Olson walked toward the wrong corner.
In the end, Olson was awarded the unanimous decision.
In other Go Super Korean alumni news, Sang Il An, who scored a stunning high kick knockout fifteen seconds into his last outing, finished Dong Woo Shin with an equally impressive one strike knockout, this time a right cross to the chin. An is a charismatic fighter, known to sing and dance to his opponents’ entrance songs, and it is likely that he will soon meet Dong Hyun Kim as Spirit MC goes searching for a middleweight challenger.
Final Results from Spirit MC 15
Jang Chung Gymnasium
Seoul, South Korea
-Jae Suk Lim def. Yoon Young Kim by TKO (Strikes) at 1:35, R2
-A Sol Kwan def. Takaaki Aoki by Unanimous Decision
-Jae Young Kim def. Soichi Nishida by TKO (Strikes) at 0:22, R1
-Jung Hwan Cha vs. Dong Hyun Kim, ruled a draw, (1-1)
-Hans Olson def. Chang Seob Lee by Unanimous Decision
-San Il An def. Dong U Shin by KO (Right Cross), at 3:09, R1
-Ye Won Nam def. Seung Hwan Kim by Submission (Triangle Choke), at 4:44, R1
-Dae Gun Kim def. Ok Myoung Kim by Submission (Heel Hook), at 1:47, R1
IS YUSHIN OKAMI NEXT FOR ANDERSON SILVA?
As Anderson Silva submitted Dan Henderson on Saturday night in Columbus, Ohio at UFC 82, the questions started immediately about whom the No. 1 middleweight fighter in the world would face next after he cleaned out an entire division during his time with the promotion.
One name that has been brought up time and again is Yushin Okami, the last fighter credited as a loss on Silva’s record.
The fight between Okami and Silva took place as a part of the 175-pound tournament held by Rumble on the Rock in January 2006.
In the opening round match-up, Okami took Silva down immediately and started to work a ground attack, but just as he did, Silva threw a monstrous up-kick that floored Okami, ending his night.
The problem for Silva was that because Okami’s knees were on the mat, his strike was kicking a downed opponent, which is an illegal move.
Silva was disqualified and Okami continued on in the tournament.
To this day, Silva still does not sound happy when talking about that fight because he explains it was a rule that was not properly explained to him before the bout and that was the reason for the illegal kick.
“When I fought Okami the rules really weren’t explained to me properly in the event I was fighting in,” said Silva following his UFC 82 victory over Henderson. “You could kick a downed opponent to the face or to the head when your back’s on the ground. So the rules weren’t explained to me properly.”
While Silva is determined to fight whomever the Ultimate Fighting Championship places in front of him, he doesn’t discount the possibility of climbing back in with Okami.
“If that’s what the UFC thinks to have me face him, I would face him,” Silva stated.
UFC president Dana White was questioned after Okami’s fight about his impressive performance knocking out former UFC middleweight champion Evan Tanner.
“Yushin’s one of those guys, he’s got a style that he sits back and he waits a lot. He doesn’t have the most favorable style, but he wins fights,” White assessed. “I think as he gets more comfortable in the Octagon, he’ll start to get more aggressive.
“We used to see that with (Lyoto) Machida too. Machida was a lot more laid back; he’s getting more aggressive now as he gets more comfortable. I think he’s a talented guy, I think he just needs to let it go more.”
To Okami’s credit, he is currently 6-1 in the UFC with wins over Tanner, Alan Belcher, Kalib Starnes, and Mike Swick.
He commented after the fight about his role in the middleweight division title picture.
“If they feel I am ready for a title shot, I’d be honored,” said Okami. “If they want me to take on another tough opponent before getting a shot at the belt, then that’s what I’ll do.”
White did express that Okami is a relevant player when it comes to what’s next for Silva.
“I think he is,” he said about Okami’s presence as a contender to the middleweight belt.
One fighter who won’t be facing Silva for the title in the near future is World Extreme Cagefighting middleweight champion Paulo Filho, who the UFC champion trains with.
“It’s impossible,” Silva stated. “It’s something that’s not going to happen.”
White didn’t rule out the possibility though, despite Silva’s training status with Filho.
“I think that any fight is possible,” he said. “Nothing is impossible. That’s one of the crazy things about this sport. You don’t see it in boxing where guys train with each other. You might hear about a guy who was a sparring partner a few times for a guy that he fights later on. This business is so tight knit, so many different guys train with different guys, but when the stars line up and it’s right, I think anybody will fight anybody.”
For now, Silva will enjoy another impressive victory and let the organization figure out who’s next.
As Anderson Silva submitted Dan Henderson on Saturday night in Columbus, Ohio at UFC 82, the questions started immediately about whom the No. 1 middleweight fighter in the world would face next after he cleaned out an entire division during his time with the promotion.
One name that has been brought up time and again is Yushin Okami, the last fighter credited as a loss on Silva’s record.
The fight between Okami and Silva took place as a part of the 175-pound tournament held by Rumble on the Rock in January 2006.
In the opening round match-up, Okami took Silva down immediately and started to work a ground attack, but just as he did, Silva threw a monstrous up-kick that floored Okami, ending his night.
The problem for Silva was that because Okami’s knees were on the mat, his strike was kicking a downed opponent, which is an illegal move.
Silva was disqualified and Okami continued on in the tournament.
To this day, Silva still does not sound happy when talking about that fight because he explains it was a rule that was not properly explained to him before the bout and that was the reason for the illegal kick.
“When I fought Okami the rules really weren’t explained to me properly in the event I was fighting in,” said Silva following his UFC 82 victory over Henderson. “You could kick a downed opponent to the face or to the head when your back’s on the ground. So the rules weren’t explained to me properly.”
While Silva is determined to fight whomever the Ultimate Fighting Championship places in front of him, he doesn’t discount the possibility of climbing back in with Okami.
“If that’s what the UFC thinks to have me face him, I would face him,” Silva stated.
UFC president Dana White was questioned after Okami’s fight about his impressive performance knocking out former UFC middleweight champion Evan Tanner.
“Yushin’s one of those guys, he’s got a style that he sits back and he waits a lot. He doesn’t have the most favorable style, but he wins fights,” White assessed. “I think as he gets more comfortable in the Octagon, he’ll start to get more aggressive.
“We used to see that with (Lyoto) Machida too. Machida was a lot more laid back; he’s getting more aggressive now as he gets more comfortable. I think he’s a talented guy, I think he just needs to let it go more.”
To Okami’s credit, he is currently 6-1 in the UFC with wins over Tanner, Alan Belcher, Kalib Starnes, and Mike Swick.
He commented after the fight about his role in the middleweight division title picture.
“If they feel I am ready for a title shot, I’d be honored,” said Okami. “If they want me to take on another tough opponent before getting a shot at the belt, then that’s what I’ll do.”
White did express that Okami is a relevant player when it comes to what’s next for Silva.
“I think he is,” he said about Okami’s presence as a contender to the middleweight belt.
One fighter who won’t be facing Silva for the title in the near future is World Extreme Cagefighting middleweight champion Paulo Filho, who the UFC champion trains with.
“It’s impossible,” Silva stated. “It’s something that’s not going to happen.”
White didn’t rule out the possibility though, despite Silva’s training status with Filho.
“I think that any fight is possible,” he said. “Nothing is impossible. That’s one of the crazy things about this sport. You don’t see it in boxing where guys train with each other. You might hear about a guy who was a sparring partner a few times for a guy that he fights later on. This business is so tight knit, so many different guys train with different guys, but when the stars line up and it’s right, I think anybody will fight anybody.”
For now, Silva will enjoy another impressive victory and let the organization figure out who’s next.
Quinton Jacksn vs Forrest Griffen set for ufc 86 on july 5
Just two weeks after "The Ultimate Fighter 7" season finale takes place, UFC light heavyweight Quinton Jackson (28-6 MMA, 3-0 UFC) and Forrest Griffin (15-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC) -- the show's two coaches -- will headline a UFC 86 event in Las Vegas.
The report comes from Dave Meltzer's print edition of the Wrestling Observer.
As of today, though, the date hasn't officially been approved by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. However, an NSAC representative today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that it's not uncommon for the UFC to announce a date that hasn't been scheduled with the commission -- especially when it's four months away.
Back in December UFC president Dana White announced that Jackson and Griffin would serve as coaches on "TUF 7," which is currently filming in Las Vegas, and would then headline a major UFC event.
Jackson, who debuted in the UFC with a win over Marvin Eastman in February 2007, defeated Chuck Liddell three months later to win the light heavyweight championship. His first title defense was a successful one as he defeated Dan Henderson via unanimous decision at September's UFC 75 event.
Griffin, the light heavyweight winner of "The Ultimate Fighter 1," secured his title shot with an upset victory over Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in September. The submission victory pushed his UFC record to 6-2, which has included victories over Stephan Bonnar (twice), Bill Mahood, Elvis Sinosic and Hector Ramirez.
Just two weeks after "The Ultimate Fighter 7" season finale takes place, UFC light heavyweight Quinton Jackson (28-6 MMA, 3-0 UFC) and Forrest Griffin (15-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC) -- the show's two coaches -- will headline a UFC 86 event in Las Vegas.
The report comes from Dave Meltzer's print edition of the Wrestling Observer.
As of today, though, the date hasn't officially been approved by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. However, an NSAC representative today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that it's not uncommon for the UFC to announce a date that hasn't been scheduled with the commission -- especially when it's four months away.
Back in December UFC president Dana White announced that Jackson and Griffin would serve as coaches on "TUF 7," which is currently filming in Las Vegas, and would then headline a major UFC event.
Jackson, who debuted in the UFC with a win over Marvin Eastman in February 2007, defeated Chuck Liddell three months later to win the light heavyweight championship. His first title defense was a successful one as he defeated Dan Henderson via unanimous decision at September's UFC 75 event.
Griffin, the light heavyweight winner of "The Ultimate Fighter 1," secured his title shot with an upset victory over Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in September. The submission victory pushed his UFC record to 6-2, which has included victories over Stephan Bonnar (twice), Bill Mahood, Elvis Sinosic and Hector Ramirez.
World Victory Road Debuts Wednesday in Japan
Dann Stupp [mmajunkie] on Mar 04, 2008 at 12:12 pm in - News -
The upstart World Victory Road organization will hold its first-ever show, dubbed "Sengoku," tomorrow at the Yoyogi National Stadium Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan.
The event features former PRIDE champ Takanori Gomi (27-3) vs. UFC veteran Duane "Bang" Ludwig (16-7). Additionally, top-10 lightweight Kazuo Misaki (18-8-2) takes on Siyar Bahadurzada (13-1-1), and in the night's main event, former UFC heavyweight champ Josh Barnett (20-5) takes on Olympic gold medalist judoka Hidehiko Yoshida (7-5-1).
The event won't be broadcast in the U.S.
The WVR splashed onto the scene earlier this year by announcing that Gomi, the PRIDE 2005 Lightweight Grand Prix Final winner and reigning PRIDE lightweight champ, had signed with the organization. Many fight promotions, including the UFC, were interested in the 29-year-old's services.
The WVR organization allows stomps to the head of a downed opponent, but elbows to the head and soccer kicks are banned.
The full card (in descending order) includes:
Josh Barnett (20-5) vs. Hidehiko Yoshida (7-5-1)
Tanakori Gomi (27-3) vs. Duane Ludwig (16-7)
Siyar Bahadurzada (13-1-1) vs. Kazuo Misaki (18-8-2)
Kazuyuki Fujita (14-6) vs. Peter Graham (0-0)
Evangelista Santos (15-11) vs. Makoto Takimoto (4-3)
Ryo Kawamura (7-2-2) vs. Antonio Braga Neto (4-0)
Fabricio Monteiro (16-6) vs. Nick Thompson (34-9-1)
Dann Stupp [mmajunkie] on Mar 04, 2008 at 12:12 pm in - News -
The upstart World Victory Road organization will hold its first-ever show, dubbed "Sengoku," tomorrow at the Yoyogi National Stadium Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan.
The event features former PRIDE champ Takanori Gomi (27-3) vs. UFC veteran Duane "Bang" Ludwig (16-7). Additionally, top-10 lightweight Kazuo Misaki (18-8-2) takes on Siyar Bahadurzada (13-1-1), and in the night's main event, former UFC heavyweight champ Josh Barnett (20-5) takes on Olympic gold medalist judoka Hidehiko Yoshida (7-5-1).
The event won't be broadcast in the U.S.
The WVR splashed onto the scene earlier this year by announcing that Gomi, the PRIDE 2005 Lightweight Grand Prix Final winner and reigning PRIDE lightweight champ, had signed with the organization. Many fight promotions, including the UFC, were interested in the 29-year-old's services.
The WVR organization allows stomps to the head of a downed opponent, but elbows to the head and soccer kicks are banned.
The full card (in descending order) includes:
Josh Barnett (20-5) vs. Hidehiko Yoshida (7-5-1)
Tanakori Gomi (27-3) vs. Duane Ludwig (16-7)
Siyar Bahadurzada (13-1-1) vs. Kazuo Misaki (18-8-2)
Kazuyuki Fujita (14-6) vs. Peter Graham (0-0)
Evangelista Santos (15-11) vs. Makoto Takimoto (4-3)
Ryo Kawamura (7-2-2) vs. Antonio Braga Neto (4-0)
Fabricio Monteiro (16-6) vs. Nick Thompson (34-9-1)
Jon Fitch: Georges St. Pierre is 'afraid to get knocked out'
link http://mmamania.com/2008/03/03/jon-f...ked-out-video/
I think GSP vs Hughes 2 was pure strategy and nothing better and embarrassing than
outwrestling the wrestler.
Fitch didn't fight Hughes, Rigs, Penn, Sherk and many others. He's just pumping the fight
link http://mmamania.com/2008/03/03/jon-f...ked-out-video/
I think GSP vs Hughes 2 was pure strategy and nothing better and embarrassing than
outwrestling the wrestler.
Fitch didn't fight Hughes, Rigs, Penn, Sherk and many others. He's just pumping the fight
Report: First-ever UFC event in Minnesota slated for August 9
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will hold its first-ever event, possibly dubbed UFC 87, in Minnesota at the Target Center on August 9, 2008, according to TwinCities.com.
We were of course tipped of to the possibility when former heavyweight champion, Mark Coleman, announced during the UFC 82: “Pride of a Champion” pay-per-view (PPV) telecast that he would return to the Octagon to fight Brock Lesnar.
Lesnar is a former University of Minnesota NCAA Division I wrestling champion and WWE professional wrestling superstar. He currently resides with his wife, Sable, in the “North Star State.”
Here’s the actual snip:
“It’s official: Minnesota Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts Commission executive director Scott LeDoux on Monday was notified that Ultimate Fighting Championship plans to hold a card Aug. 9 at Target Center that could feature ex-Gopher Brock Lesnar and fellow Minnesotans Sean Sherk and Brock Larson.”
The additions of Sherk and Larson at this point are unconfirmed.
Sherk has an upcoming bout with BJ Penn at UFC 84: “Ill Will” on May 24 and Larson is currently on the World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) roster. Time will tell, but it’s certainly normal for the UFC to stockpile local talent on each of its fight cards if possible.
Therefore, don’t be surprised if UFC lightweight Roger Huerta also gets in on the action.
The Target Center — home of the Minnesota Timberwolves NBA franchise — seats about 18,500 fans.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will hold its first-ever event, possibly dubbed UFC 87, in Minnesota at the Target Center on August 9, 2008, according to TwinCities.com.
We were of course tipped of to the possibility when former heavyweight champion, Mark Coleman, announced during the UFC 82: “Pride of a Champion” pay-per-view (PPV) telecast that he would return to the Octagon to fight Brock Lesnar.
Lesnar is a former University of Minnesota NCAA Division I wrestling champion and WWE professional wrestling superstar. He currently resides with his wife, Sable, in the “North Star State.”
Here’s the actual snip:
“It’s official: Minnesota Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts Commission executive director Scott LeDoux on Monday was notified that Ultimate Fighting Championship plans to hold a card Aug. 9 at Target Center that could feature ex-Gopher Brock Lesnar and fellow Minnesotans Sean Sherk and Brock Larson.”
The additions of Sherk and Larson at this point are unconfirmed.
Sherk has an upcoming bout with BJ Penn at UFC 84: “Ill Will” on May 24 and Larson is currently on the World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) roster. Time will tell, but it’s certainly normal for the UFC to stockpile local talent on each of its fight cards if possible.
Therefore, don’t be surprised if UFC lightweight Roger Huerta also gets in on the action.
The Target Center — home of the Minnesota Timberwolves NBA franchise — seats about 18,500 fans.
A BASN interview with Bas Rutten
IOWA CITY, Ia. -- Just recently, Bas Rutten, Vice President of IFL and trainer of Mixed Martial Artist star Kimbo Slice, gave me some interesting tidbits about the Mixed Martial Arts.
He was a MMA star in the 90’s and began his career as a star in Japanese Pancrase system, the precursor to the present Mixed Martial Arts. Rutten explained the present popularity of the Mixed Martial Art by noting the sport goal is “to find out who is the baddest man in the universe.”
Many of the Pancrase stars became instant stars in the original UFC as Rutten noted, “I learned how to combine the Mixed Martial Artist in Pancrase.”
Mixed Martial Arts have split in many forms and leagues. We have International Fight League, Pride, Showtime XC and of course the UFC among the various MMA organization.
After the Showtime introduction of Kimbo Slice, XC promoter Gary Shaw issued a challenge to the UFC that his fighters are ready to challenge for UFC for who are the best Martial Artist.
When asked about it, Rutten stated, “Each organization should develop their own stars and if the public want unified championship; it will happen.” Rutten's point was that there is no need for unification but instead allow each organization to put their own stamp on the sport.
The advantage that the Mixed Martial Arts have over boxing is that there are varieties of martial arts throughout the world. MMA have emphasized the synergy of various fighting styles into one and this does lend itself to different organizations with different emphasis.
MMA is in its infancy when it comes to the sport and as the sport matures and evolve; eventually recognized champ of each division will happen. Boxing, on the other hand, is a singular sport and the various boxing organization only stands to confuse the issue on who is the champion and who is not.
The other aspect of the Mixed Martial Arts is the development of personalities and stars that drives the sport. Kimbo Slice is one example. He became a star as a result of his many fights on YouTube.com.
Going into Mixed Martial Arts and under the tutelage of Bas Rutten, Slice quickly picked up the needed skills to succeed. Still early in his career, Slice became the headliner of a recent Showtime show.
Rutten sees each organization adding to the popularity of the sport and even on local levels, local organization are developing new stars. In Iowa, Mainstream Martial Arts have built their own organization as inexperienced martial arts learn their craft before moving up the MMA hierarchy.
It would seem counter intuitive to have different organizations splitting up the sport but the MMA have so far broken all the rules. As I have noted before, each organization have set up their own business model and keep experimenting.
Rutten's involvement in the IFL is instructive. The IFL has changed their own strategy as they moved from a team concept to a group concept. The group concept is similar to the team concept but the IFL have also added individual competition to boast star power to its league.
About the group concept, Rutten noted, “Each of the fighters trained together and often give each other pointers or secrets. This has produced better fighters as these fighters want to see their partners become better since their groups win; they win.”
Rutten added that he would like to see groups outside the IFL to challenge the IFL group to add more excitement. The Mixed Martial Arts are allowing different business models to flourish and eventually one will predominate as the sport continues its growth.
IOWA CITY, Ia. -- Just recently, Bas Rutten, Vice President of IFL and trainer of Mixed Martial Artist star Kimbo Slice, gave me some interesting tidbits about the Mixed Martial Arts.
He was a MMA star in the 90’s and began his career as a star in Japanese Pancrase system, the precursor to the present Mixed Martial Arts. Rutten explained the present popularity of the Mixed Martial Art by noting the sport goal is “to find out who is the baddest man in the universe.”
Many of the Pancrase stars became instant stars in the original UFC as Rutten noted, “I learned how to combine the Mixed Martial Artist in Pancrase.”
Mixed Martial Arts have split in many forms and leagues. We have International Fight League, Pride, Showtime XC and of course the UFC among the various MMA organization.
After the Showtime introduction of Kimbo Slice, XC promoter Gary Shaw issued a challenge to the UFC that his fighters are ready to challenge for UFC for who are the best Martial Artist.
When asked about it, Rutten stated, “Each organization should develop their own stars and if the public want unified championship; it will happen.” Rutten's point was that there is no need for unification but instead allow each organization to put their own stamp on the sport.
The advantage that the Mixed Martial Arts have over boxing is that there are varieties of martial arts throughout the world. MMA have emphasized the synergy of various fighting styles into one and this does lend itself to different organizations with different emphasis.
MMA is in its infancy when it comes to the sport and as the sport matures and evolve; eventually recognized champ of each division will happen. Boxing, on the other hand, is a singular sport and the various boxing organization only stands to confuse the issue on who is the champion and who is not.
The other aspect of the Mixed Martial Arts is the development of personalities and stars that drives the sport. Kimbo Slice is one example. He became a star as a result of his many fights on YouTube.com.
Going into Mixed Martial Arts and under the tutelage of Bas Rutten, Slice quickly picked up the needed skills to succeed. Still early in his career, Slice became the headliner of a recent Showtime show.
Rutten sees each organization adding to the popularity of the sport and even on local levels, local organization are developing new stars. In Iowa, Mainstream Martial Arts have built their own organization as inexperienced martial arts learn their craft before moving up the MMA hierarchy.
It would seem counter intuitive to have different organizations splitting up the sport but the MMA have so far broken all the rules. As I have noted before, each organization have set up their own business model and keep experimenting.
Rutten's involvement in the IFL is instructive. The IFL has changed their own strategy as they moved from a team concept to a group concept. The group concept is similar to the team concept but the IFL have also added individual competition to boast star power to its league.
About the group concept, Rutten noted, “Each of the fighters trained together and often give each other pointers or secrets. This has produced better fighters as these fighters want to see their partners become better since their groups win; they win.”
Rutten added that he would like to see groups outside the IFL to challenge the IFL group to add more excitement. The Mixed Martial Arts are allowing different business models to flourish and eventually one will predominate as the sport continues its growth.
Shogun Reinjures knee scratched from ufc 85 fight with Liddell
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (16-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has re-injured his knee and has been scratched from a UFC 85 main event with Chuck Liddell (21-5 MMA, 16-4 UFC).
The news comes from Thomas Gerbasi of UFC.com.
According to the report, Rua ruptured the ACL in his left knee, which is the same injury that forced a surgery after a UFC 76 loss to Forrest Griffin.
UFC 75 takes place June 7 at the O2 Arena in London. The UFC will announce a replacement for Rua "shortly."
The 26-year-old made his octagon debut at UFC 76 and suffered an upset submission loss (via rear-naked choke) to Griffin. Prior to the bout, the Brazilian PRIDE veteran had won 12 of 13 fights. He recently underwent knee surgery but had returned to training earlier this year.
Rua will again go under the knife. There's no timetable for his return to the UFC.
Liddell, who won the UFC's light-heavyweight title at UFC 52, made four successful title defenses before a loss to Quinton Jackson this past May. He then dropped a split decision to Jardine in September for the first back-to-back losses of his career. However, he rebounded for a unanimous-decision victory over Wanderlei Silva in the co-main event of UFC 79 back in December.
He'll look to build upon that win at the 02 Arena, the same 16,000-capacity venue that hosted September's UFC 75 event.
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (16-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has re-injured his knee and has been scratched from a UFC 85 main event with Chuck Liddell (21-5 MMA, 16-4 UFC).
The news comes from Thomas Gerbasi of UFC.com.
According to the report, Rua ruptured the ACL in his left knee, which is the same injury that forced a surgery after a UFC 76 loss to Forrest Griffin.
UFC 75 takes place June 7 at the O2 Arena in London. The UFC will announce a replacement for Rua "shortly."
The 26-year-old made his octagon debut at UFC 76 and suffered an upset submission loss (via rear-naked choke) to Griffin. Prior to the bout, the Brazilian PRIDE veteran had won 12 of 13 fights. He recently underwent knee surgery but had returned to training earlier this year.
Rua will again go under the knife. There's no timetable for his return to the UFC.
Liddell, who won the UFC's light-heavyweight title at UFC 52, made four successful title defenses before a loss to Quinton Jackson this past May. He then dropped a split decision to Jardine in September for the first back-to-back losses of his career. However, he rebounded for a unanimous-decision victory over Wanderlei Silva in the co-main event of UFC 79 back in December.
He'll look to build upon that win at the 02 Arena, the same 16,000-capacity venue that hosted September's UFC 75 event.
Herring ready for new beginning
Just minutes after staking claim to a split-decision victory over Cheick Kongo at this past weekend's UFC 82 event, Heath Herring (28-13 MMA, 2-2 UFC) officially turned 30 years old, ushering in a new era of his life.
He's a new man opening a new chapter of his career, but it has nothing to do with some arbitrary number that represents his age.
Herring, a former PRIDE fighter and one of the sport's most experienced veterans, had always been a solid heavyweight -- a fighter who's faced the sport's biggest stars. He lost more often than not against top talent, but he served an important role. He was the gatekeeper, and he was the ultimate test for the up-and-coming heavyweights. He separated prospects from suspects.
However, "The Texas Crazy Horse" was apparently unhappy with that role. Back in July, he suffered a unanimous-decision loss to former PRIDE heavyweight champ Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. The loss was forgivable; after all, he had lost to "Minotauro" twice before. However, the manner in which he lost wasn't.
Herring admits his conditioning wasn't where it should have been. He floored Nogueira early in the fight, but rather than pounce on his dazed opponent, he held back. Nogueira would regain his composure and wear down Herring over the next two rounds for the come-from-behind unanimous-decision victory.
Herring stepped away from competition for eights months and made some changes.
"I just got a whole new team put together, and I got my head out of me rear," Herring said after UFC 82. "I decided I was going to start taking this sport seriously and actually train."
That included working on all aspects of his game, making his conditioning a top priority, and also improving his mental health. During a pre-UFC 82 press conference, Herring was grinning from ear to ear during the entire 90-minute ordeal. He was jovial, boisterous and -- well -- happy.
"That's a guy who's got life figured out," one writer told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
The good vibes continued during his fight with the once-surging Kongo. Never mind that Herring spent his entire pre-fight preparations focused on a potential stand-up war -- only to spend the bulk of the 15-minute fight on the mat.
"I had no idea that big Frenchman knew how to shoot," Herring joked after the fight.
It was a joking matter only because Herring was ready for anything. In the best shape of his life, he was able to adapt easily to the situation. He took over the ground war, blasting Kongo with dozens of knees to his ribs and shoulder.
"I've dropped about 15 pounds for this fight, and I think it made all the difference in the world," he said. "It didn't matter where we went. I was comfortable. I felt good."
Herring says he's now only a good ground and wrestling coach away from the complete overhaul of his former self. And given the question marks surrounding the UFC's heavyweight division, the transformation couldn't have come at a better time.
Just minutes after staking claim to a split-decision victory over Cheick Kongo at this past weekend's UFC 82 event, Heath Herring (28-13 MMA, 2-2 UFC) officially turned 30 years old, ushering in a new era of his life.
He's a new man opening a new chapter of his career, but it has nothing to do with some arbitrary number that represents his age.
Herring, a former PRIDE fighter and one of the sport's most experienced veterans, had always been a solid heavyweight -- a fighter who's faced the sport's biggest stars. He lost more often than not against top talent, but he served an important role. He was the gatekeeper, and he was the ultimate test for the up-and-coming heavyweights. He separated prospects from suspects.
However, "The Texas Crazy Horse" was apparently unhappy with that role. Back in July, he suffered a unanimous-decision loss to former PRIDE heavyweight champ Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. The loss was forgivable; after all, he had lost to "Minotauro" twice before. However, the manner in which he lost wasn't.
Herring admits his conditioning wasn't where it should have been. He floored Nogueira early in the fight, but rather than pounce on his dazed opponent, he held back. Nogueira would regain his composure and wear down Herring over the next two rounds for the come-from-behind unanimous-decision victory.
Herring stepped away from competition for eights months and made some changes.
"I just got a whole new team put together, and I got my head out of me rear," Herring said after UFC 82. "I decided I was going to start taking this sport seriously and actually train."
That included working on all aspects of his game, making his conditioning a top priority, and also improving his mental health. During a pre-UFC 82 press conference, Herring was grinning from ear to ear during the entire 90-minute ordeal. He was jovial, boisterous and -- well -- happy.
"That's a guy who's got life figured out," one writer told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
The good vibes continued during his fight with the once-surging Kongo. Never mind that Herring spent his entire pre-fight preparations focused on a potential stand-up war -- only to spend the bulk of the 15-minute fight on the mat.
"I had no idea that big Frenchman knew how to shoot," Herring joked after the fight.
It was a joking matter only because Herring was ready for anything. In the best shape of his life, he was able to adapt easily to the situation. He took over the ground war, blasting Kongo with dozens of knees to his ribs and shoulder.
"I've dropped about 15 pounds for this fight, and I think it made all the difference in the world," he said. "It didn't matter where we went. I was comfortable. I felt good."
Herring says he's now only a good ground and wrestling coach away from the complete overhaul of his former self. And given the question marks surrounding the UFC's heavyweight division, the transformation couldn't have come at a better time.
UFC 85: Martin Kampmann vs. Jorge Rivera
Martin Kampmann (15-2) will make his return to the Octagon for the first time in more than one year when he takes on Jorge Rivera (15-6) at UFC 85 in a middleweight scrap at the O2 Arena in London, England, on June 7, according to Greg Savage of the Savage Dog Show on Sherdog.com.
The “Hitman” has been out of action lately, recovering from multiple knee surgeries to a repair an injury that he sustained training for a showdown with former middleweight champion, Rich Franklin, at UFC 72: “Victory” in June 2007.
He had to pull out of the bout, which “Ace” eventually wound up winning against replacement Yushin Okami via unanimous decision. The win earned Franklin a fight with UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva — a bout he went on to lose via technical knockout in round two.
There’s no telling if Kampmann would have earned the same opportunity with a win over Franklin. However, with impressive wins over fighters such as Drew McFedries, Thales Leites and Crafton Wallace inside the Octagon, his stock was certainly on the rise prior to the setback.
He’ll look to regain that form when he takes on “El Conquistador.”
Rivera — a UFC veteran who was also a former contestant on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 4 — is coming off a big knockout win over Kendall Grove at UFC 80: “Rapid Fire” earlier this year. He’s also got a technical knockout win over Edwin DeWees and a knockout loss to Terry Martin since his return to the organization.
It’s safe to say that Rivera is consistently inconsistent — he has been unable to string together consecutive wins in eight attempts with the UFC. And if you’re looking for a trend, he’s scheduled (on paper) to lose this next one against Kampmann.
UFC 85 features the light heavyweight showdown between Chuck Liddell and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua as the main event. In addition, heavyweights Brandon Vera and Fabricio Werdum, as well as welterweights Mike Swick and Marcus Davis, are expected to battle it out on European soil.
Martin Kampmann (15-2) will make his return to the Octagon for the first time in more than one year when he takes on Jorge Rivera (15-6) at UFC 85 in a middleweight scrap at the O2 Arena in London, England, on June 7, according to Greg Savage of the Savage Dog Show on Sherdog.com.
The “Hitman” has been out of action lately, recovering from multiple knee surgeries to a repair an injury that he sustained training for a showdown with former middleweight champion, Rich Franklin, at UFC 72: “Victory” in June 2007.
He had to pull out of the bout, which “Ace” eventually wound up winning against replacement Yushin Okami via unanimous decision. The win earned Franklin a fight with UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva — a bout he went on to lose via technical knockout in round two.
There’s no telling if Kampmann would have earned the same opportunity with a win over Franklin. However, with impressive wins over fighters such as Drew McFedries, Thales Leites and Crafton Wallace inside the Octagon, his stock was certainly on the rise prior to the setback.
He’ll look to regain that form when he takes on “El Conquistador.”
Rivera — a UFC veteran who was also a former contestant on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 4 — is coming off a big knockout win over Kendall Grove at UFC 80: “Rapid Fire” earlier this year. He’s also got a technical knockout win over Edwin DeWees and a knockout loss to Terry Martin since his return to the organization.
It’s safe to say that Rivera is consistently inconsistent — he has been unable to string together consecutive wins in eight attempts with the UFC. And if you’re looking for a trend, he’s scheduled (on paper) to lose this next one against Kampmann.
UFC 85 features the light heavyweight showdown between Chuck Liddell and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua as the main event. In addition, heavyweights Brandon Vera and Fabricio Werdum, as well as welterweights Mike Swick and Marcus Davis, are expected to battle it out on European soil.
UFC Quick Quote: Chris Wilson wants back in the Octagon
“Despite not getting the outcome I was hoping for, I feel I opened a lot of eyes, both the fighters and the fans know exactly how serious I was when speaking before the fight. I’m not just another guy…. I’m pretty sure I’ll be back considering how this fight got set up and how it went down despite the loss…. I feel like I showed I should be fighting top guys. It would be a shame for the UFC to put me at the bottom of the division, but I’ll take what I can get.”
– Chris Wilson — who stepped up on short notice to take on top welterweight contender Jon Fitch at UFC 82: “Pride of a Champion” on March 1 — tells SutureMagazine.com that he feels his debut performance earned him another shot inside the Octagon. “The Professor” lost a hard fought unanimous decision, but he looked solid in doing so.
“Despite not getting the outcome I was hoping for, I feel I opened a lot of eyes, both the fighters and the fans know exactly how serious I was when speaking before the fight. I’m not just another guy…. I’m pretty sure I’ll be back considering how this fight got set up and how it went down despite the loss…. I feel like I showed I should be fighting top guys. It would be a shame for the UFC to put me at the bottom of the division, but I’ll take what I can get.”
– Chris Wilson — who stepped up on short notice to take on top welterweight contender Jon Fitch at UFC 82: “Pride of a Champion” on March 1 — tells SutureMagazine.com that he feels his debut performance earned him another shot inside the Octagon. “The Professor” lost a hard fought unanimous decision, but he looked solid in doing so.