MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

JOEY VILLASENOR TO FACE CYBORG SANTOS

Strikeforce vice president Mike Afromowitz on Tuesday confirmed to MMAWeekly.com that Joey Villasenor will face Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos at the Strikeforce and EliteXC co-promoted event on March 29 in San Jose, Calif.

Villasenor was originally expected to face Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Joe Riggs. Riggs, however, had to undergo a procedure recently to repair spinal damage sustained in his Feb. 23 Strikeforce bout against Cory Devela in Tacoma, Wash., leaving him unable to fight on March 29.

Starting off his career with an impressive 15-3 professional record, Villasenor has hit a roller coaster of sorts lately. He alternated wins and losses en route to a losing effort against Murilo “Ninja” Rua for the first ever EliteXC middleweight championship.

The Greg Jackson-trained fighter rebounded against Riki Fukuda last September, but has remained in limbo since, awaiting his next bout in hopes of working his way back into title contention.

Like most of his compatriots at the Chute Boxe camp in Brazil, Santos is an aggressive fighter with a penchant for striking. Like Villasenor, his recent career has had its share of ups and downs and he is coming off of back-to-back losses in his most recent outings.

Santos is also slated to fight on Wednesday night’s Sengoku fight card in Japan against Makoto Takimoto, an Olympic gold medalist in Judo. So Strikeforce officials will be hopeful that he makes it through that bout uninjured, lest they have to start hunting for another opponent for Villasenor.

The main event at the HP Pavilions on March 29 features Frank Shamrock defending his Strikeforce middleweight title against rising contender Cung Le. Jake Shields, the No. 7 ranked welterweight fighter in the world, is also on the card facing UFC veteran Drew Fickett for the first EliteXC welterweight championship.

 

[Shogun Locc]

WVR SENGOKU WEIGH-IN RESULTS

• Hidehiko Yoshida (108.7 kg / 239.6 lbs) vs. Josh Barnett (113.2 kg / 249.6 lbs)

• Takanori Gomi (69.7 kg / 153.7 lbs) vs. Duane Ludwig (69.4 kg / 153 lbs)

• Kazuo Misaki (82.2 kg / 181.2 lbs) vs. Siyar Bahadurzada (82.9 kg / 182.8 lbs)

• Kazuyuki Fujita (115.9 kg / 255.5 lbs) vs. Peter Graham (112.8 kg / 248.7 lbs)

• Makoto Takimoto (81.9 kg / 180.6 lbs) vs. Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos (82.9 kg / 182.8 lbs)

• Nick Thompson (75.7 kg / 166.9 lbs) vs. Fabricio Monteiro (75.4 kg / 166.2 lbs)

• Ryo Kawamura (92.7 kg / 204.4 lbs) vs. Antonio Braga Neto (92.7 kg / 204.4 lbs)

 

[Shogun Locc]

Anderson Silva talks to GRACIEMAG.com

This last Saturday, in Columbus, Ohio, after UFC 82, it was hard to find anyone who would disagree with the phrase uttered by Dana White before the event: “Anderson Silva is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.” With his conquest of the American critics, who are famous for placing greater value on local fighters, the Brazilian Anderson Silva once again showed how he is a well-rounded fighter, and proved he has what it takes to be the best in the world.

With that, a feat of these proportions only comes with a blend of talent, perseverance and pain, lengths that brought both Anderson Silva and Dan Henderson to tears after the historic battle (a fact not shown on the broadcast), one for the joy of winning the biggest fight of his career, the other for the sadness of defeat. After so much emotion, the “Spider” had a chat exclusively with GRACIEMAG.com special envoy Nalty Jr., as you may see below:

GRACIEMAG.com: What was it like getting to where you are today? And how does it feel to be seen as the best fighter in the world in your category?

Anderson Silva: Folks who know me and followed my career until now know how much I worked for this. Everyone who has crossed paths with me on this long road was important and determinant in my getting here. I’m very happy on this day and for this victory. I feel like I’ve been paid back now that I have been able to give the Brazilian people and all my fans around the world something to be happy about. I’m thankful to all who played a part in my work, and are now a part of my being champion and considered the best in the world. In my opinion, I’m far from being the best. You will be able to confirm this once I have stopped fighting, then I might be able to say I’m that good, but right now I can’t say I’m the best in the world.

GRACIEMAG.com: Anderson, then who is the best in the world in your category?

AS: I’m trying to find that out! (laughs)

GRACIEMAG.com: What was the fight like? Is this the most important win in your career?

AS: It all played out as I had hoped, I trained a lot for this fight. Mission accomplished. Now I’m already thinking of my next commitment in the UFC. I’ll be going right back to training for the next fight coming up. I just hope they release the name of my opponent, but I never stop training.

GRACIEMAG.com: At any point in the fight were you surprised by Henderson?

AS: No. Everything that came from Dan Henderson we were expecting. I trained a long time to overcome his technique. All my trainers are to be congratulated. The one to come out winning once again was the sport. Joe Silva and Dana White were really happy for having put together this fight.

GRACIEMAG.com: In round 1, when Dan Henderson was on top, how did you feel in the fight? Were you calm?

AS: Anyone who trains with Rogerio Minotouro, Rodrigo Minotauro, Amauri Bitetti, any of these fighters that made history in the world of BJJ and MMA, doesn’t need to worry when going to the ground with anyone. My Jiu-Jitsu is getting better with every day that goes by.

GRACIEMAG.com: Tell us about your fight with Okami, who from the looks of it is the greatest challenger to your belt.

AS: On the occasion that I fought with Okami the rules were not made clear. At the event I fought at, with your back to the ground, you could kick your opponent on all fours. So what happened was that the rules weren’t explained to me properly. It’s all a question of time, if he deserves to fight me. In all modesty, I would fight him without a problem. I’m in the UFC to fight the best.

GRACIEMAG.com: Would you move up in weight to fight, or dispute the title of the weight group above your weight group?

AS: One must look into what is best for the event. I’m an employee of the UFC and if they say I should move up a category to fight, I’ll do it no problem.

GRACIEMAG.com: What are your plans for the future?

AS: I’m going to watch the video of my fight with Dan Henderson and find out what I did wrong. That is my plan.

GRACIEMAG.com: And for your next fight, do you have any special adversary in mind?

AS: I don’t have any special adversary in mind. What is important now is that I get back to training as quickly as possible, and get ready for the next battle.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Tourism and train at Minotauro Team

Minotauro Team is now part of Rio de Janeiro ’s tourist route. André Luis Bottino, graduated at Tourism and Jiu-Jitsu and Judo athlete, is organizing first team’s Camp. Interviewed by TATAME.com, André told how would be Rodrigo Minotauro’s team’s project, that will accommodate foreign athletes for training and tourism. “Athletes will stay inside the training center with breakfast, lunch and dinner. The idea is to train twice a day, Muay Thai and Wrestling, while doing tourist routes, not only the ones we know, as Corcovado and Sugar Loaf, but running at Paineiras, climb Urca’s mount, do something for the athlete”, said.

Getting his two passions together, tourism and fights, André Luis says that the interest on the Camp is big. “There are people from and interested on coming here. At February, we’ll have little groups and we’ll do conventional with alternative tourism, a tourism for MMA and Jiu-Jitsu athletes. I believe that at March or April the gym will be crowded, we already has a lot of people interested”, said. The first Camp will begin today and the interested on participating at Minotauro Team’s program needs to send an e-mail to [email protected].

 

[Shogun Locc]

Dida wants revenge against Gesias at Dream's GP

After great fights at Hero’s at 2007, including a victory at lightweight GP’s semifinal over the Japanese star Caol Uno, the Brazilian André Dida has firmed his name on the international MMA circuit. Chosen to Dream’s 70kg category GP of the new Dream event, that’ll happen at March 15th at , the fighter of Universidade da Luta come as one of the favorites. In exclusive interview to TATAME’s site, Dida spoke about his expectations for the GP, who would he like to fightm analyzed Gesias Cavaltanti’s fight against Shinya Aoki, commented his training at UDL and his friend Mauricio Shogun’s fight, against Chuck Liddell at UFC. Check below the complete interview.

Who will you face the GP’s first lightweight stage?

I’m confirmed to fight, but I don’t have opponent defined yet. They’ll define it this week.

Who would you like to face?

I’d like to fight with the Norwich Joachim Hansen, a complete fighter with a good Jiu-Jitsu.

Do you wanna revenge against Gesias on the GP?

Actually, Gesias is on my plans, but it can be at GP or not, I wanna face him. I’m not demeriting anyone, but when I fought with him I was too tired after my fight with Caol Uno and I wanna face Gesias with 100%.

What do you expect for his fight against Aoki?

I want him to win. Actually, I want a fast victory, because Aoki only has one game, the ground work that actually is very good, but he only stays trying to take the fight to the ground. I prefer Gesias to win, because I wanna fight him on his best and not coming from a loss, I wanna fight him when he’s well.

How are your training at Universidade da Luta?

We’re training hard, training are great. On the morning I’m training hard the physical part with Alejo Morales and at the afternoon I do the Muay Thai with my brother, Mauricio Veio. We do the Jiu-Jitsu, and who are training me are the black belts Fernandinho and Marcelo.

How is Shoguns’ preparation to his fight against Liddell?

I think he is very focused. I know him since he was 15, 16 years old and never saw shogun so focused. He is so focused that he excites us. He’s running too much, he weights 100kg and runs with an 80kg’s velocity. If you ask who need to improve his game to the fight between him or Liddell, I believe it’s Liddell, because Shogun fought with harder opponents and has a more complete game that only needs few changes.

What’s your tip for the fight between BJ Penn and Sean Sherk for UFC belt?

I think BJ is more rough and has more heart, that thing of really wanting to win. I wanna him to win, because someone needs to beat BJ, and I believe it needs to be a Muay Thai fighter, to get him on the right moment because he’s too good.

 

[Shogun Locc]

MMAFightline Exclusive: Fedor Emelianenko Part II

In association with our Brazilian partners over at Planet Tateme and Rômulo Rougemont in particular, we bring you the second part of our exclusive interview with Fedor Emelianenko.
Planet Tatami: Do you believe that one of the most anticipated bouts of all time, namely the fight between you and Randy Couture, will finally take place in 2008?

Fedor: Randy is one of the best fighters and he proved it numerous times. I still hope this fight will take place in 2008. As far as I know Randy's got some troubles with the UFC. We couldn't come to an agreement with them regarding this fight and the contract. We were offered unacceptable conditions.

Planet Tatami: There are some rumors on the internet about a fight between you and Josh Barnett. Is there some negotiation going on right now regarding this fight? What do you think about Josh?

Fedor: We are good friends with Josh. We always walk when not too far from each other. If we don't catch up then we exchange e-mails. This fight is planned but I don't know much more at the moment.

Planet Tatami: Did the fight against Hong Man Choi happen in the way
that you expected?

Fedor: I never expect fights to be easier or tougher. I always tune
up for the hardest and prolonged bouts. But then it goes the way it
goes. As for this fight I'm satisfied with the way it went and how I
performed.

Planet Tatami: What is the reason that you think that could explain
the poor results in the UFC for former PRIDE stars like Mirko Cro Cop
and Mauricio Shogun?

Fedor: Well, Mirko... something broke in him, he lost the motivation. He was the crowd's favorite while in Pride, everyone was there to help him if needed. As for Mauricio, he's not a consistant fighter, he show's incredible fights with a good technique and high
speed. But sometimes his fights are just too long and not very impressive. He's a very good well rounded fighter and I don't understand why he's so unstable.

Planet Tatami: What was your tougher fight: Cro Cop or Minotauro?

Fedor: These two bouts were rather tough. In both of these fights I
tried to apply all my skills and experience. I can't really say which
one was tougher though. They are two completely different fighters that's why it was just different and hard to compare.

Planet Tatami: Are there any fighters at Red Devil that you think are prepared to follow your footsteps into MMA? Does Kiril Sidelnikov continue to train with you?

Fedor: There are enough skilled, talented up-and-coming fighters but
they lack experience in performing on a major scene.
Planet Tatami: Do you know when your brother Aleksander will fight
again? Has he been training with you lately?

Fedor: Well, I don't know, these question will better be answered by
our manager Vadim Finkelstein. We haven't trained together recently. I
train in Stary Oskol while he prepares for his fights in Saint Petersburg.

Planet Tatami: Russia is the home of the legendary Aleksander Karelin and other great wrestlers. Why do you think that the best russian fighters in MMA come from Sambo and not from Wrestling? Are you a fan of Karelin?

Fedor: People come in MMA from diverse styles. The transition itself
is not organized in Russia. MMA is not that popluar here compared with
Brazil, USA or Japan. Russian fighters' mentality is not the right one,
not a fighter's mentality. Sambo is close to MMA, closer than greco-roman or free-style wrestling. I highly respect Karelin, he's a good fighter. But I don't make an idol of anyone.

Planet Tatami: What is the importance of Sambo in your life?

Fedor: Sambo is my sport and I proudly represent it abroad. Sambo is exciting and dynamic style. I still intend to represent Russia in this sport.

Planet Tatami: Fedor, most of the martial arts fans here in Brazil
and all over the world have you as an idol and support you in your
fights. It happens not only due to your great fight skills and
versatility but also due to your humility and character. Feel free to
send your message to all your fans.

Fedor: Thank you very much for your kind words. I'm very pleased I
got fans in Brazil who like my fights and technique. I've always dreamt of visiting Brazil one day, but it's been a dream which hasn't come true today. I hope to see you there soon.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Roger Gracie on the Cusp of Signing With World Victory Road

Despite not participating in the inaugural March 5th event coming up for World Victory Road, it appears that Roger Gracie will be signing a contract to appear in the second WVR event, scheduled for May or June of this year.

This contract will signal Gracie’s return to MMA after a layoff of over 1 year – he made his debut in December of 2006 in Vancouver, Canada for bodogFIGHT, easily defeating veteran MMA artist Ron Waterman by arm bar in Round 1. Since then, Gracie has continued his grappling dominance in 2007, winning the ADCC 2007 superfight against Jon Olav Einmo of Norway, and winning both his weight class and the open class in the Black Belt division of the BJJ World Championships.

Word is that Roger has been scrambling for the last week to get a visa for Japan in his adopted hometown of London, England so he can attend the March 5th event as a guest and observer, however the visa was not forthcoming at the last minute. Currently, Roger is planning a video tape greeting for the Japanese public, to be aired around the SENGOKU event on March 5th. Enthusiasm is said to be high around Roger, who is appears eager to return to MMA after his hiatus.

Gracie will enter the heavyweight division for World Victory Road (Sengoku), where the leading assets for the new Japanese group include Hidehiko Yoshida, Kaz Fujita and Josh Barnett. Though an opponent is yet to be formally named, it is expected Gracie will ease into competition after the long layoff. One person close to Gracie also pointed out ‘It is Roger’s second MMA fight after all, and he is taking it very seriously. With his family’s background and experience, he knows how rugged MMA is and he knows what it takes. Right now, Roger wants to gain experience and he is in no rush’.

So fans of WVR will potentially get a chance to see the newest phenom from the legendary Gracie family develop. At six foot five inches tall and 220 lbs, Gracie has the physical tools that previous generations of his family did not have, and he appears to be crossing over to MMA with a game plan. It will be interesting to see how the 5th generation of the fighting Gracie family develops.

For more details about Roger, and for information about his West London, England academy, visit Roger’s website at http://www.rogergracie.com/.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Ryo Kawamura's interview

Sengoku posted an interview of Ryo Kawamura who fights on Mar 05.


- What do you think about the new event, Sengoku?
I wonder why I got a chance to fight in this event, which has many great fighters.

- What do you expect from Sengoku?
I expect Sengoku will be exciting events for fans by growing up with us. As the result of having fan events, MMA will develop. We have missions and responsibilities for the success of MMA.

- Any impression of your opponents?
Brazil, soccer... This is my 4th time fighting a brazilian fighter.

- Do you have a game plan?
I want to have an unforgettable fight and other great fights. I don't want to lose.

- Do you have anybody you want to fight?
Sylvester Stallone!?!?!?

- What is your goal in the MMA?
I want to entertain my fans by having great fights every time.

- Do you have any message to your fans?
I suppose many people come to see Yoshida, Gomi and other big names. This is a good opportunity to appeal myself to their fans. I want to have a fight which impresses their fans. Thank you for supporting me.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Kazuyuki Miyata Interview

Kazuyuki Miyata had an interview with DREAM. He fights Luis Buscape who is the MFC middleweight champion in Dream on Mar 15.


- New MMA event, DREAM, starts on Mar 15. What do you think?
I think MMA fans can see many exciting fights and they must be excited. We will have hard time though.

- I heard you trained with former PRIDE fighters. What do you do if you fight against them? How to prepare for your fight?
I didn't have to worry about that because I don't fight any PRIDE fighters in 1st round light weight GP. I train with many different fighters by visiting their gyms and I will change my training location for sure if I fight them.

- What do you think about HERO'S being taken over by DREAM?
I always said HERO'S is the MMA event of K-1, because many people didn't understand what HERO'S was by its name. I'm sad because HERO'S finally recognized by many people these days. Although, it is a great for us and MMA that 2 events worked together and created one big event.

- What difference do you think HERO'S and PRIDE have?
I think almost the same. People consider PRIDE fighters are stronger than others. I think that's not right because both events have champions in other events.

- Do you feel any hard feeling to PRIDE fighters?
I was defeated by Joachim Hansen and would like to defeat a PRIDE fighter next time. I would like to raise my motivation by putting myself as the opposition of PRIDE.

- Do you have any particular PRIDE fighter you would like to fight?
Well, I guess Japanese fighters?

- Do you mean Aoki, Ishida and Kawajiri?
It's hard for me to pick one of them because I train with everybody. They are all strong in the ground position and good at taking down.

- What do you think about your opponent?
He is an all-rounded fighter and especially his Jiu-jitsu is great.

- What do you have to be careful?
I don't see any problem if we just wrestle. Our fight is MMA and I have to watch his tackles.

- You said you couldn't prove yourself really capable in the press conference on Feb 26.
I couldn't display my ability in HERO'S but I hope I can prove myself in DREAM. I think I will get a confidence if I can win in this tournament.

- Do you feel a sense of crisis because you didn't do well in HERO'S?
Yes. This is my last chance. I'm going to do my best every fight and want to go on to the final.

- Are you thinking to be a 1st DREAM lightweight champion?
I try not to think about it. I focus on my upcoming fight.

- Any message to your fans?
I couldn't show my ability in my past and this is my last fight if I lose. I will show all I have and do my best.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Gomi is ready for his fight

Takanori Gomi Updated his blog.


I'm not going to dye my hair this time. Today, I attend a rule meeting and have the weigh-in.

Thanks to support from many people, I can come back to the ring. I'll make efforts to have good fights every time and enjoy in the ring.

I'm very honored to be able to fight in front of my fans. I will do my best and enjoy watching my fight!

 

[B-Buzz]

fucking Shogun. Who the hell is Chuck gonna fight now?

 

[Robby2Slobby]

Two knee injuries that quickly? Dude could be done.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Swoosh ... Hello Mainstream

If there were any lingering doubts as to whether mixed martial arts had hit mainstream America, that issue has been decided in the past seven days.

Quinton Jackson (Pictures) will join LeBron James and other star athletes this weekend in Los Angeles to film a Nike commercial dubbed "Human Chain," Sherdog.com has learned.

The spot, featuring a premise of "overachieving with victory, getting knocked down and getting back up," said Jackson's trainer Juanito Ibarra, will be the second Nike ad to showcase a mixed martial artist. Randy Couture (Pictures) became the first in a 1996 spot called "Scars" that featured close-ups of his famously cauliflowered ears.

"We have been working on it for quite a while, and things are just coming around now," said Ibarra, who credited Jackson's charisma for the fighter's increasing notoriety.

"I'm sure the UFC brand helps, being the UFC champion," the trainer said about his charge. "But when people meet 'Rampage,' they really get it."

News of "Human Chain" piggybacks the historic announcements of CBS agreeing to air mixed martial arts produced by EliteXC in primetime and Bud Light becoming the first blue-chip company to align itself with the sport when it signed a three-year sponsorship deal with the UFC.

The gregarious Jackson, however, took the Nike assignment with a "grain of salt," said Ibarra.

"He doesn't look at it like a Nike commercial."

The rest of the world will.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Zuffa, Couture Have Different Takes on Preliminary Injunction

Judge Jennifer Togliatti handed down the first ruling last Thursday in the contentious Zuffa v. Randy Couture (Pictures) proceeding, issuing a preliminary injunction barring Couture's participation in the IFL's event the following day. However, the impact of the ruling is open to interpretation and neither party has been shy about offering its own version.

Zuffa characterized the ruling on UFC.com as "a preliminary injunction preventing Randy Couture (Pictures) and those acting in concert with him from violating Couture's contractual commitment not to promote competing mixed martial arts events."

The news release went on to state that the judge specifically "agreed that it appeared Couture had violated his non-compete agreement with Zuffa by promoting the International Fight League's (IFL) upcoming event to be staged Friday, February 29, 2008."

Couture had a decidedly different take on the significance of the ruling. A statement released by Xtreme Couture on its Web site emphasized the ruling's narrow nature, applicable only to the Feb. 29 event, and the fact that the remedy was merely an expression of what Couture had already advised the court he was planning to do.

"We don't believe that anyone with full knowledge of the facts could consider this a victory," the release stated. "In fact, it is a non-event."

Judge Togliatti might have been persuaded to issue the injunction rather than just a stipulation -- despite the fact that the Feb. 29 event had largely become a non-issue by the court's own admission -- by an argument raised by Zuffa attorney Donald Campbell.

Campbell argued to the court that Couture was attempting a bait and switch, pulling the name "Xtreme Couture" from the Feb. 29 show only to attach it to the IFL's April 4 event in East Rutherford, N.J. Campbell offered as evidence the fact that the IFL's Web site is currently promoting Jay Hieron (Pictures) as an Xtreme Couture fighter for that event. The IFL first touted the presence of Hieron on its April 4 card in a press release on Feb. 13.

When pressed by Couture's counsel J. Stephen Peek as to why the injunction was being issued despite Xtreme Couture's voluntary withdrawal from the event, Judge Togliatti responded that she was afraid Couture or the IFL might change course and that, barring an injunction, she was concerned with the court's enforcement powers against non-parties after the hearing.

The parties will be back in court this Thursday for a hearing on preliminary discovery issues. Among the items on the agenda is a schedule for limited discovery. At the previous hearing, the judge suggested granting each side the right to take some limited discovery over the next three weeks. The subject of discovery would be confined to the non-compete clause at this time, specifically as it pertains to the IFL.

Zuffa is expected to ask for the right to depose Couture, and Couture will likely ask for the right to depose Dana White.

In its news release, Zuffa stated that its counsel is looking forward to deposing Couture about his "chronic and brazen violations of his contractual obligations to Zuffa."

Xtreme Couture's release also went on to explain the circumstances that lead to the gym asking that the IFL remove its name from the event in favor of Team Tompkins.

According to Xtreme Couture, a list of seven fighters was submitted to the IFL on Jan. 8. The IFL then informed them that while one of the fighters would be booked in a preliminary bout, none of the other fighters were suitable opponents for Mario Sperry (Pictures)'s team. As a result, Xtreme Couture said it decided to ask that its name be pulled from the event.

A league representative who asked not to be named said the IFL was concerned with the relative inexperience of the fighters submitted by Xtreme Couture.

On Thursday, Joe Favorito, the senior vice president of communications for the IFL released a statement saying, "Given the ongoing litigation between Extreme Couture and the UFC, we were asked by Extreme Couture Wednesday to not use the Extreme Couture camp name in our event this Friday. Out of respect for Randy and his team in this difficult situation, the camp will take the name Team Tompkins ... Shawn Tompkins (Pictures) is coaching this Friday as already announced ... for this Friday's event. The IFL is not in any way involved in this litigation, we are doing this out of professional courtesy for Randy and his group."

The three-man Team Tompkins ultimately included only one member of Xtreme Couture, Josh Haynes (Pictures). Xtreme Couture characterized the other two fighters on the team as members of American Top Team while the IFL maintained that they trained with Shawn Tompkins (Pictures).

Favorito told Sherdog.com that the IFL did not wish to comment further on litigation it is not a party to.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Evan Tanner on Fighting Career: "I'm Not Done"

Evan Tanner suffered a second-round knockout loss to Yushin Okami at this past weekend's UFC 82 event, failing in his comeback attempt after a two-year layoff from the sport.


While it was a loss in one sense, it was unimaginable and life-affirming success in another. He lost the little fight, but Tanner feels he won the big one.

The 37-year-old today posted a blog entry on his official website, and in it, Tanner opened up about years of addiction and his decision to make a life-saving change. Undeterred by a loss to Okami and fueled by his sobriety, Tanner has confirmed that his fighting career is very much alive and that he remains committed to reclaiming the middleweight title.

Before this past weekend's return to the organization, Tanner signed a four-fight deal with the UFC. However, despite being essentially broke, he forewent corporate sponsorships and instead relied almost solely on the fans. He developed a system in which average Joes could sponsor him, getting gear, autographs and other items in return. He dubbed it "Team Tanner" and emblazoned the logo across his fight-night T-shirt.

Having the fans play such a big part in the fight made the loss that much tougher.

"I am extremely disappointed in the defeat, embarrassed beyond belief," he today wrote on evantanner.net. "I feel so bad to have disappointed so many people. I feel I embarrassed my coach, my school, the Team Tanner members, and everyone who believed in me and stood by me. I am deeply hurt that I couldn't do better for them."

However, that challenge was nothing compared to the one he waged just months earlier. He had spent countless years battling alcohol addiction but set a date and quit cold turkey to train for a return at UFC 82.

"It is said that alcohol is one of the worst addictions, and the withdrawals can be more intense than any other," Tanner wrote. "It is said that it is so intense that many die during the detox period. I had moments when I first quit that my chest and arm would start cramping and my heart would pound strangely. I had made the decision to stop drinking (and) was going to stand by it. I thought that if I died while trying, then so be it, but I was done drinking."

Tanner wrote about just how bad the addiction had gotten. He drank every hour he was awake. He quit eating and became malnourished. His teeth began to loosen, and his body began to bloat and swell from the damage.

He had grown accustomed to the failure and self-loathing. So, facing the disappointment of a loss to Tanner in front of millions of people on Saturday, he knew things were about to get really difficult.

"I had just stepped out of the Octagon where I had stood face to face with one of the top fighters in the world, but it was there, in the dressing room behind the scenes after the fight that night, that I waged my greatest battle," Tanner wrote. "It would have been so easy to have picked up the bottle again in that moment, to have made the decision to go back to it.

"That moment, in the silence of the dressing room, faced with crushing disappointment, numbing embarrassment, and that heavy sadness, I faced the old demons. I felt so low, as if everything had been lost. I wanted to drink. I faced those old demons again, and I beat them down. I won the battle, and I won the war."

Having gone through all that, climbing back into the cage doesn't sound like much of a challenge after all.

"I'm solid," Tanner wrote. "I'm back into full-time training this week. The fight was a setback, but I'm not done. There's still a belt to win."

For the full blog entry, check out evantanner.net.

 

[Shogun Locc]

‘Buzz' Determined to Saw Through Shamrock

As the iron-willed, yet fading UFC legend Ken Shamrock (Pictures) prepares to make his long-awaited debut Saturday in the United Kingdom at Cage Rage 25, menacing Sunderland fighter Robert "Buzz" Berry (Pictures) can't wait for the opportunity to make his mark on "The World's Most Dangerous Man."

"I keep pinching myself to make sure it's real," Berry said. "It's out of this world to get matched up with Ken. Watching him fight in this country is a big thing anyway, but being able to fight him myself is really fantastic, really huge."

After more than a year out of competition and four straight stoppage defeats since Shamrock's last victory in 2004, many observers have labeled him a former star whose career is in terminal decline. Those same critics have also suggested that the tattooed Sunderland knockout artist is a handpicked opponent -- someone to give Shamrock his best possible chance of securing a win and maintaining his position as a major draw in the sport.

After a moment's examination, this appears to be quite a strange accusation. Frankly, if you're looking to boost up a fighter by feeding him a "gimme" opponent, you could do a great deal better than to pick someone of Berry's incredible strength and punching power.

The British fighter represents a higher hurdle than most at such a late stage in Shamrock's career. Though on the losing end of things in his last outing, "Buzz" thoroughly dominated South African man-mountain Neil Grove (Pictures) in the opening round before being forced to withdraw from the fight in need of urgent medical treatment.

"Before the fight, I was starting to get a head cold," Berry explained. "Obviously, I still wanted to fight, but after the first round I couldn't fight on. I got took into the hospital, and they said the head cold had attacked my heart. What they said in the hospital was, if I had continued into the second round, it could have killed us."

Berry was released from the hospital the following day and has since been through rigorous medical tests to ensure that the effects of the illness were purely short term.

"I've got the all-clear from the cardiologist," Berry said. "I've been for some more tests on my heart, and they've put it down to the head cold, which did attack my heart."

With these sincere health concerns out of the way, Berry is clearly looking forward to the fight.

"Ken still is a good fighter, and with his experience, he'll never lose that," he said. "But obviously, he's getting older now and it happens to every fighter. As they get older, they lose that spark; they lose the fire in their belly. All the younger fighters are still up-and-coming, and they still want to do it. The older guys, they've had their day. They've had their fire in the belly. Now that flame's going out a bit."

"I think Ken's got his skills in every department," Berry continued. "He's finished a lot of fights with chokes, leglocks, heel hooks, kneebars -- but it depends where the fight goes. I think he'll be looking for a submission."

In preparation for a full-on attack from Shamrock's extensive submission arsenal, Berry has been training with one of Britain's most underrated trainers, Ian Freeman (Pictures). A fighter also under contract with Cage Rage, Freeman shot to worldwide fame by savaging current UFC contender Frank Mir (Pictures) at the first UFC show in the United Kingdom back in 2002.

On that memorable night, Freeman punched his way out of numerous leglock attempts from the crafty American. Then he raised the roof of the Royal Albert Hall by battering the somewhat overconfident Mir into a bloody mess.

In a few short weeks, will Freeman have been able to pass on the value of this experience to his muscle-bound protégé? Or will Shamrock's undeniable skills and tenacity be too much for Berry?

One thing is for sure: If the fight hits the ground, Berry will need every trick he has learned from his mentor. However, as "Buzz" points out, the aging legend has every reason to be concerned should the fight remain upright.

"Obviously, I could knock Ken out. … I think I'll be stronger than Ken," Berry said. "In the heavyweights, you get caught with one on the chin, it's gonna cause damage. I think my strengths in this fight are my [physical] strength and my power.

"My training has gone really well. I've dropped nearly a stone [14 pounds] in weight, so hopefully everything will go to plan. When I train in the gym, it hasn't hit my strength too much. I'm still very powerful when I'm lifting heavy weights, still got my strength."

In the run up to the biggest fight of his back-and-forth career, Berry does not seem to be in awe of his big-name opponent. Instead he sees the fight as a potential steppingstone to the big time.

"To even just fight Ken Shamrock, to have him on my CV is a great honor," he said. "To beat Ken Shamrock is even bigger still. It's getting shown in America live. Hopefully I'll get recognized over there, and bigger things will come of it."

After much talk in the past of a clash between Berry and increasingly refined brawler Kimbo Slice, it appears that this potential barnstormer of a matchup is the next thing on the Sunderland fighter's mind following Saturday's main event.

"Kimbo Slice is getting a lot of recognition," Berry said. "Good luck to the guy. They are putting Ken Shamrock down to fight him. Let's see what happens. If I beat Ken -- or, shall I say, when I beat Ken Shamrock -- it could be me that's fighting Kimbo."

 

[Shogun Locc]

LINDLAND DISCUSSES EXODUS FROM BODOG FIGHT

When Matt Lindland signed with Bodog Fight, he inked a three-fight, one-year deal. That deal expired with two of the three fights remaining.

He spoke with MMAWeekly.com recently about his tenure with BodogFight and his frustrations with the Calvin Ayre-owned promotion's business practices.

Lindland last competed in April of 2007 against Fedor Emelianenko in BodogFight: Clash of Nations in St. Petersburg, Russia. He has spent the last ten months expecting two more bouts and two more paydays. Neither came to fruition.

"I lived up to my end of the bargain," said the Greco-Roman wrestling Olympic silver-medalist. "I haven't fought since April, anticipating two more fights with Bodog.

"I was exclusive with them for that period of time. That's why I hadn't done any negotiations outside of that contract. I was upholding my end of the bargain and dealing with them with integrity and honesty. I was being forthright, but they weren't doing such. It was very difficult."

Explaining his contract situation with Bodog Fight, Lindland said, "My contract was with Sixth Row Productions. Bodog and Sixth Row intermingled funds. I mean, I could go after Bodog Fight, but they have no assets. They set up these shell companies and they're not paying their fighters. They don't honor their contracts. It was very disappointing."

Living up to his end of the contract, Lindland appeared frustrated with the situation. Realizing he wasn’t likely to get the fights promised him, he at least tried to come to some sort of settlement with Bodog Fight.

"Here I am asking them just to at least buy me out of this contract and they didn't offer me a single dollar. They owed me a lot of money. They owed me two more times in the ring too.” He continued, “I said, 'I don't want to just take your money, but if you're not going to put me in the ring could you guys pay me something for sitting out for twelve months?' That's ridiculous.”

Unfortunately, Lindland knows all too well that this sort of corporate behavior isn’t an anomaly.

"I run into that in this industry an awful lot … I used to be in the car business and there were a bunch of scumbags in that industry. I'm sure every industry has just these lying scumbags, but it seems like there's a lot in this business."

Regardless of what stipulations and fine print athletes have written into their contracts, Lindland doesn't believe a fighter can fully protect themselves against promoters.

"I don't think you can protect yourself entirely no matter what," said the Oregonian. "Dealing with the new company I'm signing with, we put in some upfront money and hopefully some guarantees, but I guess you can't (protect yourself). That's corporate America. You can't stop a company from going bankrupt and not having the funds, so it's just hard."

Lindland recently signed a three-fight, one-year contract with a start up promotion rumored to be a partnership between popular clothing company Affliction and Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Productions. The as yet unnamed promotion is expected to debut in June in Las Vegas.

 

[Shogun Locc]

ALLAN GOES WANTS DOUG MARSHALL'S WEC TITLE

At the end of the International Fight League season last year, the promotion had many decisions to make in regards to the future. Teams, coaches and fighters alike were either removed to trim down the company’s roster, or some left of their own accord to go elsewhere.

Among those who decided to leave voluntarily was one of the promotion’s standout successes over the last couple seasons, former Seattle Tigersharks light-heavyweight Allan Goes.

Once thought to be out of the sport after turns in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Pride, Goes returned better than ever in the IFL, winning three of four fights for the promotion, showcasing strong striking skills to complement his already formidable Brazilian Jiu-jitsu skills.

“Right now I’m just focused on the gym,” he said of his activities since parting ways with the IFL late last year. “I just opened a nice facility for jiu-jitsu and MMA in Orange County. It’s not specifically for fighting, it’s for everything, MMA, kickboxing, cardio kickboxing, boxing – everything.

“The gym is going very well right now and we have a lot of new kids coming up, and I’ve just been focusing on training them and myself for next time (I fight), and focusing on the gym since the IFL season is over. I’m pretty much free right now and ready to begin (fighting this) year.”

Goes explained his departure from the IFL as amicable, due to the fact that he simply wanted to expand his career and focus on his gym.

“I had a great year in the IFL and they treated me really well, like family, but after this (past season) I went on my own and looked to do different things other than the team concept,” he stated.

“With the team (Seattle Tigersharks) I had obligations to stay in Washington to train and stuff, and for me it’s very hard when I have a gym down here in Orange County, Calif. So that is why I (had to) step out and do my own thing now.”

With his new gym up and running, Goes now looks forward to returning to the ring and continuing the success he’s had over the past two years.

“I’m looking forward to fighting, definitely,” he exclaimed. “I defeated pretty much everybody (in the IFL), and nobody saw Allan Goes knocking people out (before).

“I was right there proving my skills. I got a lot better in my stand-up, knocking people out, and putting my combinations together.”

Now that he’s ready to return to fighting, Goes has set his focus on winning an individual championship, and has one titleholder affixed firmly in his sights.

“I was looking at Doug (Marshall) because he holds the title in (World Extreme Cagefighting),” he said. “I think he’s a great athlete, has great potential, is a very good champion, but I don’t see him facing somebody of my caliber yet.

“If he faces someone with my caliber, I guarantee he’s gonna have a lot of trouble. Like I said, he’s a great champion, but I don’t see him facing some veteran, like me, that can really put him to a challenge. I know I can put him through a challenge and do well.”

Should Marshall not get past Brian Stann in their scheduled title fight in the WEC on March 26, Goes says he’s open to fighting anywhere, as long as he gets an opportunity to win a belt.

“Right now I’m open, I don’t have a contract with any organization,” commented Goes. “I have all the titles of jiu-jitsu, and right now I want to have a title of mixed martial arts.

“I believe that I’m a man that did a lot for the sport, and right now my goal is to win a title. WEC, Strikeforce, HDNet, anywhere, I want to fight for a title.”

After proving he has more than enough gas left in his tank with his success in the IFL, Goes is eager to begin the next chapter in his career, a chapter he hopes will culminate with a gold belt around his waist.

“Definitely keep your eyes open for me this year,” he said in closing. “Last year I had knockouts, it was a lot of fun, but I’m going to start taking guys to the ground and I promise a lot of choke outs. Don’t miss it, it’s going to be fun this year, and I can’t wait to see who is next.”

“I want to thank my sponsors RVCA, Rooca and Hurly. I would also like to thank our soldiers, not just in Iraq, but all over the world. I would like everyone to visit my website www.AllanGoes.tv for all the information on my new gym.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

DIEGO SANCHEZ RETURNS, LOOKING FOR REVENGE

After starting off his professional career with 17 straight victories, Diego Sanchez last year found himself in the midst of something he had never experienced before… losing. Not only did he experience his first loss – to Josh Koscheck at UFC 69 in Houston – but also his second, to Jon Fitch.



It has been said that the true test of a champion is how he reacts to failure. Though not yet crowned a champion, Sanchez has taken that saying to heart and put himself back on the path towards the title. He finished Ultimate Fighting Championship newcomer David Bielkheden in less that five minutes at UFC 82 this past weekend in Columbus, Ohio.



“I had to analyze it a little bit,” he told MMAWeekly.com following the fight, explaining his reaction to back-to-back losses. “In the end, my confidence was good and I knew no matter what this guy had done in his preparation for me, he didn’t train harder than me.



“I did everything I could possibly do to let myself know in my mind, in my heart that I worked harder than him. This is just a stepping-stone in my destiny.”



While many fighters would want to “prove” themselves coming off of multiple losses, Sanchez took the tact of the professional. He did what it took to put himself in a position to win, not to end up on a highlight reel.



“There was no reason for me to play around with this guy, who was a kickboxer his whole life,” he commented on his strategy to take the fight to the ground where he could work position and determine the proper approach.



Of course, that’s not to say that Sanchez was looking to play it safe to eke out a win. He went into the fight with Bielkheden expecting to punctuate it with a finish of some sort.



“I went into the fight with the mentality that I was going to finish the fight either by knockout or submission,” he said. Adding, “With the UFC handing out those big bonuses, it really is good motivation to finish the fight.”



Returning to such resounding success, MMAWeekly asked Sanchez if he had any plans in mind for what’s next, now that he is back on track.



“One that would be big for my heart and soul would be Josh Koscheck,” he proclaimed without hesitation. “The number one question that everyone always asks me is, ‘When are you going to kick that Josh Koscheck’s ass?’ So hopefully, maybe in June or July, we can go ahead and set that fight up.”

 

[heyzel]

World Victory Road "Sengoku" Results

by MMAjunkie.com Staff [mmajunkie-staff] on Mar 05, 2008 at 10:08 am in - News -
"Sengoku," the first-ever show held under the World Victory Road banner, was held today at the Yoyogi National Stadium Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan.

Notables Josh Barnett, Takanori Gomi and Kazuo Misaki were all in action.

WVR launched earlier this year and made an immediate splash by announcing that then-top free agent Gomi had signed a lucrative long-term deal with the Japanese-based organization. Today he took on veteran and former UFC fighter Duane "Bang" Ludwig.

Gomi was victorious in his WVR debut, scoring an early TKO victory by opening a cut on Ludwig's nose. Favorites Josh Barnett (third-round submission) and Kazuo Misaki (second-round submission) also posted victories.

Additionally, there's some good news for Strikeforce and EliteXC. Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos, who yesterday was confirmed as a late replacement for Joe Rigg to fight Joey Villasenor on March 29, inflicted little damage in his first-round submission of Makoto Takimoto.

The full results included:

Josh Barnett def. Hidehiko Yoshida via submission (heel hook) -- Round 3, 3:23
Takanori Gomi def. Duane Ludwig via TKO (cut) -- Round 1, 2:28
Kazuo Misaki def. Siyar Bahadurzada via submission (guillotine choke) -- Round 2, 2:02
Kazuyuki Fujita def. Peter Graham via submission (north-south choke) -- Round 1, 1:32
Evangelista Santos def. Makoto Takimoto via submission (heel hook) -- Round 1, 4:51
Ryo Kawamura def. Antonio Braga Neto via unanimous decision
Nick Thompson def. Fabricio Monteiro via unanimous decision