MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

Jorge Santiago Expected to Sign with UFC or Strikeforce By Next Week

Former Sengoku middleweight champion Jorge Santiago has officially been released from his obligations with the Japanese promotion and is poised to sign with a major U.S. promotion by next week.

Sources have indicated that a pending deal could get done any day now.

Malki Kawa of Authentic Sports Management who represents Santiago told MMAWeekly.com on Friday that no deal has been signed at this time however.

While details about the deal couldn’t be disclosed, Santiago is expected to land with either the UFC or Strikeforce once the final pen hits paper.

Santiago has a history with both promotions during his career.

The Brazilian had a stint with the UFC in 2006 that saw him go 1-2 overall before he exited the organization. Santiago then went on to win a one night, 4-man tournament for Strikeforce in which he finished off Sean Salmon and Trevor Prangley.

Santiago never fought for either promotion again because he then took his talents to Japan, where he fought for Sengoku becoming their middleweight champion and went 7-1 overall.

Santiago has long talked about coming back and fighting in America, and it appears he is on the verge of doing just that.

While no further details could be given at the time of publication, Santiago is expected to sign with his new promotion within the next few days.

MMAWeekly.com will have more information on Santiago’s new deal and potential next fight when it becomes available.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Santiago Signs with UFC; Likely Returns May 28

Sengoku Raiden Championships middleweight titleholder Jorge Santiago will return to the UFC in 2011.

Santiago has signed a new contract with the promotion and is expected to make his return at UFC 130 on May 28 against a to-be-named opponent.

ESPN first reported Santiago's signing on Friday, and Sherdog.com confirmed Santiago's new deal with a source close to the negotiations. Details of the Brazilian’s contract are not known at this time.

A product of the vaunted American Top Team in Florida, Santiago began his professional career in 2002. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt made his UFC debut at Fight Night 5 in 2006, knocking out Justin Levens just over two minutes into their bout. Back-to-back defeats would follow for Santiago, however, and the 30-year-old was bounced from the promotion after suffering knockouts to Chris Leben and Alan Belcher, respectively.

Santiago rebounded in 2007, winning Strikeforce's four-man, single-night middleweight grand prix, knocking out Sean Salmon and Trevor Prangley in under three minutes combined.

The well-rounded middleweight then tried his luck abroad, signing with Japan's SRC and running off five straight victories. Three of those wins occurred in the promotion's middleweight grand prix, culminating with Santiago's victory over Kazuo Misaki in 2009 to earn him the championship belt.

Santiago recently negotiated his release from the Japanese promotion, stating his desire to fight once again for a major American promotion. The fighter will now vacate the SRC middleweight title.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Olympic Bronze Medalist Vila to Headline ‘New Generation 4’

Unbeaten world-ranked flyweight Alexis Vila will square off with King of the Cage veteran Lewis McKenzie in the Mixed Fighting Alliance “New Generation 4” main event on Saturday at the U.S. Century Bank Arena in Miami, Fla. The 125-pound scrap highlights a 10-fight lineup for the Florida-based MFA promotion.

Vila (Pictured) has made no bones about his desire to fight inside a major promotion. Perfect as a professional, the 39-year-old has secured seven of his eight career victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission. Vila, an American Top Team representative who has finished his last six foes, last appeared under the MFA banner in June, when he stopped Duke Roufus protégé Omar Choudhury on third-round punches at the La Covacha Restaurant and Nightclub in Miami, Fla. A bronze medalist in freestyle wrestling at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, he later defected from his native Cuba.

McKenzie finds himself on the rebound following a third-round TKO loss to Frank Baca at KOTC “Confrontation” in January. The Norman, Okla.-based flyweight has delivered eight of his 10 career wins by KO, TKO or submission. McKenzie has suffered consecutive defeats only once as a professional. “Hoodini” won his first seven fights, debuting in September 2008.

In the “New Generation 4” co-headliner notorious street-fighter Dhafir “Da Da 5000” Harris will lock horns with Tim Papp. Cut from the same cloth as Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson, the 6-foot-3, 265-pound Harris made his professional debut at Action Fight League’s “Rock-N-Rumble 2” in March, knocking out Cedric James in 2:34.

MFA “New Generation 4”
Saturday, Feb. 12
U.S. Century Bank Arena
Miami, Fla.

Alexis Vila vs. Lewis McKenzie
Dhafir “Da Da 5000” Harris vs. Tim Papp
Mike Rio vs. Sylvain Bynum
Denis Hernandez vs. Gabriel Verona
Patrick Williams vs. Justin Linn
Joey Rodriguez vs. John Cicio Jr.
Jose Caceres vs. Fred Lanna
Josh Mercado vs. Ryan Hayes
Mario Vargas vs. Felix Penarvel
Victor Delgado vs. Lasiel Marquez

 

[Shogun Locc]

Torres-Pickett Slated for UFC 130

Former World Extreme Cagefighting bantamweight champion Miguel Torres will return to the cage against hard-hitting Brit Brad Pickett at UFC 130 “Edgar vs. Maynard 3,” which takes place May 28 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Torres posted confirmation of the matchup late Friday night on Twitter.

“Got offered a fight with Brad Pickett for UFC 130,” Torres wrote. “My answer was f--k yes, thank you and you’re welcome.”

The onetime king of 135-pounders, Torres has gotten back on track after suffering consecutive defeats in the WEC. After winning 17 straight fights between 2004 and 2009 -- including three defenses of his WEC title -- Torres was knocked out by Brian Bowles at WEC 42. In his next fight, the Indiana native would taste defeat once again, as he was submitted by the powerful Joseph Benavidez at WEC 47.

Making a change in his training regimen, Torres began working alongside UFC welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre at Montreal’s Tristar Gym. Back-to-back victories followed for the former bantamweight titleholder, as he ran through Charlie Valencia at WEC 51 and outpointed Antonio Banuelos in his UFC debut at UFC 126.

Pickett is a veteran of the defunct Cage Rage promotion and has won 10 of his last 11 bouts. The Englishman makes his UFC debut against Torres after earning a 3-1 record inside the little blue cage of the WEC. After impressively submitting Kyle Dietz with a Peruvian necktie at WEC 45, Pickett earned a unanimous decision over Demetrious Johnson at WEC 48. Though the 32-year-old London native was outpointed by title contender Scott Jorgensen, he rebounded with a win over Ivan Menjivar at WEC 53 in December. “One Punch” has finished 75 percent of his career victims and has not been knocked out in five years.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Bellator Lightweight Tourney Begins March 12

All eight competitors in Bellator’s fourth-season lightweight bracket will see action on March 12, as the promotion will kick off its latest 155-pound tournament at Bellator Fighting Championships 36.

While the location and venue for the event are not yet known, two quarterfinals have been definitively scheduled for the date. Two-time tournament runner-up Toby Imada will take on Olympic judoka Ferrid Kheder, while collegiate wrestling convert Michael Chandler will go up against 19-year-old Marcin Held. MMAJunkie.com first reported news of the bouts, and Sherdog.com has confirmed their validity with sources close to the fighters.

The two additional quarterfinal matchups are not yet known, but some combination of the remaining four participants will clash on that night as well. Carey Vanier, Lloyd Woodard, Patricky Freire and former World Extreme Cagefighting lightweight champion Rob McCullough are all scheduled to compete.

One week earlier, Bellator will begin its fourth season by holding all four welterweight quarterfinals at Bellator Fighting Championships 35 on March 5 at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, Calif. Announcements regarding the dates and locations of future events, which will showcase Bellator’s featherweight and inaugural light heavyweight tournaments, are expected in the coming weeks.

As with all of Bellator’s tournaments, the winner of the lightweight draw will be awarded $100,000 in total pay and a shot at the division’s current champion, 155-pound titleholder Eddie Alvarez.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Meet young Justin Linn, the Jose Aldo of Mark Hominick's UFC 129 training camp

Shawn Tompkins says he has the guy to play Jose Aldo when featherweight contender Mark Hominick's UFC 129 training camp gets underway.

That's a bold statement coming from the veteran trainer, and many MMA observers may greet it with a raised eyebrow.

After all, who possibly could replicate the devastating leg kicks and dominant ground game of the UFC's featherweight champ? Someone you probably haven't heard of, the trainer recently told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

Someone he claims is just as quick, if not quicker, than Aldo.

The guy is 21-year-old Las Vegas resident Justin Linn (1-0), whom Tompkins has taken under his wing since moving full-time to Sin City more than three years ago.

"Justin Linn is the next generation of MMA," Tompkins told MMAjunkie.com.

Linn, who works alongside the trainer at TapouT Training Center, was 6-1 on the amateur circuit and has a pro record of 1-0. Tonight, he'll try to put another notch on his pro belt when he meets Patrick Williams (1-0) at Mixed Fighting Alliance's "New Generation IV" event in Miami.

After that, the prospect will get his first taste of a big-time training camp as he heads to London, Ontario, Canada, to help Hominick as he prepares to meet Aldo at the already-soldout UFC 129 event in Toronto.

Tompkins, who spoke to MMAjunkie.com while in Miami, wants to take Linn's career to the next level and believes the camp is another step toward that goal.

The trainer said Linn is one of a few who have been able consistently to challenge Hominick in Las Vegas.

"I believe Justin is actually faster than Aldo, which is to our benefit," Tompkins said. "We want to train with faster guys. If you train with faster guys, you'll become faster."

Linn, meanwhile, is chomping at the bit to get up north. When he's not training, he works at a secondhand-clothing store in Las Vegas. Imitating a Brazilian terror sounds like paradise.

"It's a big opportunity for me," he said. "I want to be around the best."

Linn had no martial-arts background before he jumped headfirst into the sport at age 16 after watching Kendall Grove fight Ed Herman at The Ultimate Fighter 3 Finale. He was training at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas when he met Tompkins.

"In the past year and a half, I've taken a huge notice to him and saw him getting ahead of a lot of guys instead of just being the kid in the class," Tompkins said.

It's now Linn's dream to land on the UFC's flagship reality show.

"To do something like that would be amazing," he said.

Another win on the pro circuit can only help those goals. Tompkins, for one, sees big things in Linn's future.

"For being so young in mixed martial arts, he really has a good grasp of the sport in total," he said. "He's very well-rounded for a 21-year-old, and he's got his head on his shoulders.

"I wouldn't take the trip to Miami for his second professional fight unless I truly thought that he had a big future in the sport."

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC applies for June 4 event in Las Vegas, expected to serve as TUF 13 Finale

As expected, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is planning to conduct a June 4 event in Las Vegas.

The world's biggest mixed martial arts promotion has officially applied with the Nevada State Athletic Commission for permission to hold a card at the The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

While the promotion has yet to officially announce the event, the date is expected to host The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale and feature a lightweight main event between fan favorite Clay Guida and the WEC's final champion, Anthony Pettis, as well as the tournament final for "The Ultimate Fighter 13."

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) first reported the likely date and location in January.

The NSAC will vote on the application at its November meeting, which takes place Feb. 16 at the Grant Sawyer State Office Building in Las Vegas. The process is generally considered a mere formality for the UFC.

The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale marks the UFC's first event at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort since this past December's The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale. The venue has hosted 12 previous UFC events in total.

"The Ultimate Fighter 13," which began production in January in Las Vegas, is a welterweights-only season of the Spike TV-broadcast reality competition series. The first episode debuts March 30.

"The Ultimate Fighter" debuted in 2005 and is often cited as one of the primary reasons for MMA's and the UFC's move into the mainstream. The reality series has launched the careers of more than 100 UFC fighters and produced a handful of future champions.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Brian Stann likely to meet Jorge Santiago, not Wanderlei Silva, at UFC 130

After recent reports of a potential return to the UFC, Sengoku middleweight champion Jorge Santiago (23-8 MMA, 1-2 UFC) appears to have an opponent: Brian Stann (10-3 MMA, 4-2 UFC).

Sources close to the organization today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) the two middleweight are expected to fight at UFC 130.

Stann initially was slated to Wanderlei Silva (33-10-1 MMA 3-5 UFC) at the May 28 event, though Silva repeatedly has voiced a preference not to fight the fan favorite and military hero.

Currently, bout agreements have not been signed. Additionally, Santiago's agent, Malki Kawa of Authentic Sports Management, said he couldn't confirm the fight or even if the veteran officially has signed with the UFC. Stann's rep also declined to comment.

ESPN.com initially reported Santiago's return to the UFC on Friday, though an opponent wasn't known at the time.

If the Santiago vs. Stann fight is signed, Silva likely will be shifted to another matchup, possibly against Vitor Belfort, whom he recently has been feuding via a series of interviews in the Brazilian media. Belfort recently lost a title fight with middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 126.

U.S. fans likely best remember Santiago for a three-fight stint under the UFC banner in 2006. The Brazilian defeated Justin Levens but was then defeated by Chris Leben and Alan Belcher, which lead to his release.

Since that time, Santiago has racked up an impressive 11-1 record, which includes a 2007 single-night Strikeforce middleweight grand-prix championship via wins over Trevor Prangley and Sean Salmon. Santiago's current win streak also includes two memorable World Victory Road/Sengoku wins over Kazuo Misaki, as well as victories over MMA notables Siyar Bahadurzada, Logan Clark, Jeremy Horn, Mamed Khalidov, Kazuhiro Nakamura and Andrei Semenov, among others.

Stann, meanwhile, has won four of his past five fights, including a recent TKO victory over surging Leben. The former WEC light-heavyweight champ recently has stepped up his game under the tutelage of famed trainer Greg Jackson and his stable of fighters. His recent wins have come over the likes of light heavyweights Steve Cantwell and Rodney Wallace, and after a drop to middleweight, over Mike Massenzio. The lone defeat during his recent stretch came via decision to fast-rising Phil Davis.

UFC 130 takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The pay-per-view main card features a third meeting between UFC lightweight champ Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Father's blessing helped lead Jason McLean to "Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva"

There was a time when Jason McLean's father had his doubts about mixed martial arts.

Mr. McLean was a supportive dad, and as his athletic son says, the old man would be there to support any competitive endeavor, even if it were Tiddlywinks.

But McLean, who fights in a featured preliminary-card bout at tonight's "Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva" event, recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio), his dad's blessing opened the door for what would become a life's passion and the opportunity of a lifetime.

McLean's introduction to MMA, though, wasn't unlike those of many of his fellow fights.

"I wrestled in college, which seems to be the mantra of about 50 or 75 percent of all fighters," said McLean (5-3 MMA, 0-0 SF), who meets lanky lightweight Kevin Roddy (9-11-1 MMA, 0-0 SF) in an HDNet-televised bout at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J. "But I remember watching it once with a friend of mine. My friend's dad was like, 'Would you every do something like that?' I had just graduated, and it was pretty unsanctioned.

"But my own dad made me promise I'd never do it just because it looked so barbaric. It didn't look right. And my dad had been behind me in every athletic event I've ever done. If I played Tiddlywinks on the side of the road, he'd be right there cheering me on."

But perhaps a bit tentatively, McLean took up the sport. He liked everything about it. Soon, he couldn't hide his enthusiasm from his dad.

"I did an amateur fight about four or five later, and I got my dad's blessing," he said. "He said, 'Go ahead and try it if you want.' I fell in love with it. It gives me an opportunity to stay athletic and do what I think I'm meant to do, which is be an athlete, work hard and do better for myself and represent my family and friends."

Representing those around him now is one of the fighter's biggest motivators. McLean said he grew up in "the sort of inner city" of Plainfield, N.J. But as his MMA career has taken off, he's gotten a little press, some community support, and brought a family feel to people in a sometimes unfriendly place.

Or as McLean simply puts it, "It's nice to bring a little good to the people around me."

Of course, McLean's past isn't all rosy. Growing up, he met his fair share of doubters, and those around him always tried to caution him about limitations.

But even as a youngster, he was determined to be the captain of his own ship. That philosophy has carried him well throughout life.

"I'm little older, I'm little wiser, and I have a kid to worry about," he said. "I don't really worry about those people, but if I need motivation, I jump back into those chapters.

"The reason I'm here is because of those people. All they did was encourage me to do more and do better. I learned at an early age that you have more enemies than friends. And the enemies don't even realize that if you're strong enough, they end up helping you out."

It's what pushes him during training at the AMA Fight Club. It's what makes intense workouts tolerable. And it's what carried him to a nationally televised spot on one of the year's biggest cards for one of the sport's most prominent organizations.

"I don't even believe it," he said. "I'll believe it the day after the fight. Or I'm sure it'll hit me ... when I walk out to the cage."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Francisco Rivera out at UFC on Versus 3, Takeya Mizugaki awaits new opponent

Former WEC bantamweight Francisco Rivera (5-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will have to wait a little longer to make his octagon debut.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has learned from sources close to the fighter that Rivera suffered an undisclosed injury in training and has been forced to withdraw from a UFC on Versus 3 contest with Takeya Mizugaki (13-5-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC).

UFC officials have yet to announce Rivera's withdrawal, but MMAjunkie.com has learned a search is currently underway for a replacement opponent.

Featuring a welterweight main event between perennial contenders Martin Kampmann vs. Diego Sanchez, UFC on Versus 3 takes place March 3 at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky., and the main card airs on Versus.

Rivera, who trains with UFC and WEC veteran Manny Gamburyan, opened his career with a 5-0 record (with three knockouts) on California's regional circuit. He then signed with the WEC but suffered a TKO loss to Erik Koch at WEC 52. The UFC on Versus 3 bout was to mark his first at 135 pounds after dropping from the featherweight division.

Mizugaki recently closed out his WEC career with a 2-3 record, which included a recent submission loss to Urijah Faber in the headliner of November's WEC 52 event. The former Japanese fight-circuit competitor opened his WEC career win a title loss to then-champ Miguel Torres but then won two of his next three, including decision wins over Jeff Curran and Rani Yahya.

 

[Shogun Locc]

First Chapter Of Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Kicks Off

Like a great novel unfolding, the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix that kicks off this weekend in New Jersey has several different chapters that fans will have to see through to the end to get to the final story.

The Grand Prix amasses quite possibly the greatest assemblage of heavyweight talent in one pool in the sport’s history. Along with that list also comes several major plot lines that will carry from the first round fights all the way through to the final bout to crown the champion.

Two of the biggest story lines will unfold during the first two fights of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix. The one-time seemingly unbeatable Fedor Emelianenko returns to action for the first time in over six months trying to return to the form that saw him go undefeated for over nine years.

“I am very happy to be fighting again and looking forward to a good fight. Losing a fight didn’t change anything for me. I have worked very hard,” Emelianenko assured everyone curious about his return to action.

Also on the comeback trail is former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski, who has a chance to make an impact in the tournament and revive his career after losing his last three bouts in a row.

“These three last guys who kicked my (butt) have motivated me. I’m determined. This tournament is a great opportunity,” Arlovski said during Wednesday’s press conference.

To kick start his career, Arlovski will take on Russian fighter Sergei Kharitonov, who just a few short years ago was thought of as one of the fastest rising heavyweights in the sport. Fast forward to 2011, Kharitonov has almost become a ghost in the MMA landscape, but he has plans to make everyone remember who he is starting Saturday night.

He knows, however, that he has a tough task in Arlovski and he’s not taking him lightly.

“I don’t think I’m getting Arlovski at a good time because of his losses,” Kharitonov stated. “(His opponents) were some of the best fighters in the world. It’s probably worse for me because he is hungry to win.”

Another story of redemption in the tournament comes by way of former Chicago area fighter Brett Rogers, who went undefeated through the first 10 fights of his career before dropping two out of his last three bouts. Rogers knows that with three victories in a row in this tournament, he can erase the losses from his mind, and likely become one of the top heavyweights in the sport.

“I’m definitely looking forward to getting back on track and am very happy to be in this tournament. It will show where I am as a fighter,” Rogers said.

“This tournament will prove that Strikeforce heavyweights can get in and bang with anybody in the world and that the Strikeforce organization has the best heavyweights in the world. There’s always a question as to who is best, but there will be no question once this is over. There are no easy fights, there are no gimme wins. Whoever wins this tournament will have had to fight to win it, and I like that.”

Rogers’ first-round opponent will also be looking for a certain level of redemption when he returns to action. Josh Barnett hasn’t tasted defeat in the ring or cage in over three years, but that doesn’t mean he’s not entering the tournament with a certain amount of luggage attached to him.

Just before his scheduled fight against Fedor Emelianenko for the Affliction promotion, Barnett tested positive for a banned substance and was denied a license for the fight. Barnett still hasn’t fought in the United States since that fight fell apart, but as he enters the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, he’s ready to put all that behind him and get back to the business of fighting.

“I’m very excited and glad to be part of it and hope to use it as a steppingstone to re-establish my career and to re-establish myself as the No. 1 fighter,” Barnett said on Wednesday.

“I haven’t lost in years and don’t plan to now.’’

If those are the stories of redemption, look no further than the first round match-up between Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum for two fighters looking to establish their dominance in the division.

Overeem storms into the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix after stomping Brett Rogers in his only title defense last year, but while also becoming the newest K-1 Grand Prix champion to close out 2010. Add to that a first round drubbing of former UFC heavyweight prospect Todd Duffee on New Year’s Eve, and Overeem is poised to make a run at becoming the sport’s prominent big man.

He’s coming into his fight with Fabricio Werdum on a revenge trip as well. Werdum beat Overeem in 2006 while fighting for the Pride organization in Japan.

“This is going to be the biggest tournament in the world. Fedor is a favorite and a legend, but we’ll see who the last man standing is,” Overeem stated.

His opponent, Werdum, is also the man that dethroned Fedor last year, but has been out of action since that time dealing with an elbow injury. While people definitely haven’t forgotten his last win, there are still doubters that wonder if he could do it again, or if the win was just a fluke.

Werdum is happy to prove them all wrong, and it starts with beating Alistair Overeem a second time.

“The best heavyweights in the world are in Strikeforce and it’s great they are doing a tournament to settle who the No. 1 heavyweight in the world is,” commented Werdum.

“I’m looking forward to fighting Overeem again. He won three belts last year. I may not be the favorite, but I feel I should be one of the favorites to win it.’’

When it’s all over and the book is written on the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, it will unfold over the better part of 2011, it will involve some of the greatest fighters this sport has known, and it will be a story worth telling over and over again.

The Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix kicks off Saturday night in New Jersey.

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC 129 Sold Out, Shatters Records With 55,000 Tickets

The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday announced that tickets for UFC 129: St-Pierre vs. Shields at Rogers Centre in Toronto on April 30 sold out minutes after being made available to the public. Rogers Centre was originally configured for 42,000 seats, but due to overwhelming demand, UFC and Rogers Centre officials reconfigured the venue to accommodate 55,000.

UFC 129 will be the first major mixed martial arts event to ever be held in Ontario, marking the promotion’s debut in Canada’s largest city.

The event doubles the largest attendance record in UFC and North American mixed martial arts history. UFC 124: St-Pierre vs. Koscheck 2, held at the Bell Centre in Montreal on Dec. 11, 2010, previously held the attendance record with 23,152 fans.

UFC officials also announced that the gate revenue for UFC 129 will also double the promotion’s previous record. The previous gate record for a UFC event was $5.4 million, which was set on Saturday, Dec. 30, 2006 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas for UFC 66: Liddell vs. Ortiz. UFC officials did not yet release the total gate revenue for UFC 129.

With two UFC records already shattered, officials announced UFC 129 as the largest single-day event gate in the history of Rogers Centre, which has played home to some of the world’s top entertainment and sporting events.

“UFC continues to set new milestones,” UFC president Dana White said. “We’ve sold 55,000 tickets in our first stadium event in Toronto and we continue to take the UFC to the next level.”

“Based on the lightning quick sell-out, there is no doubt that UFC’s fan base is extremely passionate”, said Silvio D’Addario, VP Events, Rogers Centre. “We’ve worked closely with UFC to configure our venue to provide the best fan experience possible and we look forward to hosting this historic event.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Exclusive: Vitor Belfort welcomes rematch against Wanderlei Silva

It looks like that Vitor Belfort wants Wanderlei Silva’s “number one ticket”.

Few hours after “The Axe Murderer” calling out Vitor Belfort in exclusive interview with TATAME, we spoke with “The Phenom”, who accepted the challenge and left the decision about the highly expected rematch in Dana White’s hands.

“Let's do it, brother. I accept it”, Vitor said, praising the fighter he defeated by TKO in UFC Brazil, in 1998. “He’s a great athlete, a great champion, and it would be a pleasure to fight him. It’d be a highly anticipated fight, very important for the sport.

“Whatever Dana (White) says I’ll do, I never chose opponents and I won’t do it now. But he made the challenge and I’m accepting it. I just don’t wanna wait for the UFC Rio to come back, I wanna fight first”, he added.

Will Brian Stann wait, and the UFC set the rematch between former UFC and Pride champions? It’s up to you now, Dana White.

 

[B-Buzz]

Middleeasy's Sunday (Night) Rumor Mill

- Development for EA Sports MMA 2 is well underway.
- M-1 Global asked for the assistance of the New Jersey Hell's Angels to escort them out of the IZOD Center in New Jersey. Apparently it was an issue of 'protection'.
- Now that M-1 Global's main attraction has lost two fights in a row, don't be surprised if a lot of unsavory information is disclosed about the organization in the coming weeks.
- A very large MMA news site has moved its servers to Sweden in order to circumnavigate copyright infringement laws.
- During Strikeforce Fedor vs. Silva, I heard from a few sources (and fighters) that Strikeforce Japan is essentially a lock and Gilbert Melendez vs. Kawajiri and Aoki vs. Thomson is being targeted for the event.
- The documentary, The Reem, is continuing. Shooting began at the Superbowl and so far it looks like it's going to be beyond amazing.
- Some of you are under the impression that Lee Murray will be locked away in prison for a very long time, however you may be surprised as to what's going on. Murray has incredibly influential friends and the guy is utilizing all his resources to get out of prison as quickly as possible, perhaps even by the end of 2011.
- Someone out there is apparently vandalizing Takanori Gomi's gym and has been doing so for weeks now.

 

[SLRider510]

- Someone out there is apparently vandalizing Takanori Gomi's gym and has been doing so for weeks now.

poor gomi... lol

 

[Shogun Locc]

Assemblyman Still Hopeful for MMA in New York

Madison Square Garden will have to wait, at least for now.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo did not include mixed martial arts in the budget he presented to state legislators on Feb. 1. However, State Assemblyman Dean Murray, who spoke in favor of sanctioning the sport when the UFC held a press conference at the historic arena on Jan. 13, said its exclusion may not be as great an obstacle as it would seem.

“Would we have preferred it being in there? Sure. What happens is this is the initial salvo by the governor, putting out his expectations,” said Murray. “And we go back, we hold the budget hearings and that’s when we end up having revenue enhancers. That’s when it gets introduced and negotiated into what could be the final budget. I’m still thinking this might be worked into the final budget that we end up passing.”

According to Murray, the final budget is supposed to pass April 1. If that deadline is not met, it should be “within the next few months.”

Cuomo announced an initial plan that included almost 10,000 layoffs and cutting billions from education and Medicaid programs to help close a $10 billion deficit. Financial analysis has predicted that the UFC alone could generate a potential $23 million per year in revenue for the state, a number that might not have been significant enough to make it a priority for the new budget. When factoring in local shows, Murray said, that number increases.

“I’ve heard estimates as high as $50 million in economic impact on the state, plus somewhere in the ballpark of 200 jobs being created,” he said. “It would be bringing a new industry to the state.”

Cuomo failed to even mention the bill to legalize MMA during his presentation, which was surprising to some since Zuffa LLC, the UFC’s parent company, reportedly made financial contributions of around $74,000 to Cuomo’s campaign. If MMA does not make it into the budget’s final version, the bill must make it through the State Senate and Assembly to be passed in 2011.

“I have a sense and a feel in talking to some of the other folks around the Assembly and some of the people in the Senate that, one way or another, this is the year,” Murray said. “It can still come within this legislative session. The main sponsor of the bill is Steve Englebright, and he’s the chairman of the Tourism and Sports Development Committee, and I’m the ranking member on the [committee]. We’ve got the two top guys in that committee, which is where it has to start to go through anyway; we’ll definitely push it through there and send it on.”

Murray also downplayed the significance of Cuomo’s proposal to eliminate the salary for the Chair of the State Athletic Commission.

“If we were to turn it around and we were to say, ‘We’re gonna legalize MMA,’ it’s a little tough to eliminate that salary,” he said. “I’m not taking much out of that.”

Murray offered one piece of evidence that could be a positive omen for MMA’s future in the Empire State.

“I had [former UFC and Strikeforce champion Frank] Shamrock in with me in Albany, so we took him down to the floor and introduced him,” he said. “There were a lot of assembly people coming over trying to get his autograph. There were a lot of people that weren’t there and were upset when they heard that they missed him.”

 

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Featherweights Grispi, Roop to Meet at ‘TUF 13’ Finale

Josh Grispi and George Roop are likely to square off in a featherweight contest on June 4 as part of “The Ultimate Fighter 13” Finale.

Both men have accepted the proposed matchup and bout agreements are expected to be finalized shortly, Sherdog.com has confirmed with a source close to the bout. News of the fight was first reported by the Boston Herald’s Inside the Octagon blog.

Set to take place at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, “The Ultimate Fighter 13” Finale will also host the final of the reality show’s upcoming welterweight tournament, as well as an important lightweight showdown between World Extreme Cagefighting champion Anthony Pettis and surging veteran Clay Guida. Neither the event nor the matchups have been made official by the promotion.

Grispi, 22, was viewed as the UFC’s top 145-pound contender just a few short months ago. However, after a title bout with featherweight king Jose Aldo at UFC 125 was scratched due to an Aldo vertebrae injury, “The Fluke” instead met Dustin Poirier at the Jan. 1 event. The lesser-known Poirier upset the apple cart with a lopsided unanimous decision win, snapping the Massachusetts native’s 10-fight win streak. During his WEC stint, Grispi notched wins over Jens Pulver, Micah Miller, L.C. Davis and current No. 1 contender Mark Hominick.

Roop will also seek to bounce back from a loss. After raising his stock considerably with a vicious head kick knockout of “Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung in September, the rangy Arizonan was dealt a first-round TKO loss by onetime training partner Hominick at UFC “Fight for the Troops 2” on Jan. 22. A cast member on the eighth season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Roop now holds an overall UFC mark of 1-3, having lost to George Sotiropoulos and Shane Nelson and defeated David Kaplan in his previous run as a lightweight.

 

[Shogun Locc]

13 Fighters Test Clean at UFC 126

Tests for steroids and drugs of abuse on middleweight champion Anderson Silva (Pictured) and challenger Vitor Belfort came back clean following UFC 126 on Feb. 5 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, according to the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Silva knocked out Belfort with a front kick and follow-up punches to retain his middleweight crown in spectacular fashion. The 35-year-old Brazilian has rattled off 14 consecutive victories, a record 13 of them inside the Octagon. The defeat snapped a string of five straight wins for Belfort, who had not been knocked out in more than six years.

The eleven other fighters who were tested by the NSAC also passed UFC 126 drug screening: Forrest Griffin, Rich Franklin, Jon Jones, Jake Ellenberger, Miguel Torres, Donald Cerrone, Chad Mendes, Paul Taylor, Demetrious Johnson, Mike Pierce and Kyle Kingsbury.

Griffin defeated Franklin by unanimous decision in the co-headliner between former UFC champions. An Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts representative, Griffin had not competed in more than a year. The 31-year-old had been sidelined with a shoulder injury.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Davis, Linderman Tapped for Bellator 205-Pound Tourney

Alabama-based prospect Chris “The Professional” Davis (Pictured) and Sportfight heavyweight champion D.J. Linderman are set to take part in Bellator Fighting Championships’ inaugural 205-pound tournament, Sherdog.com has learned from sources close to the fighters.

Sources also informed Sherdog.com that the promotion will stage its light heavyweight quarterfinals on March 26 at Bellator 38. The location of the event, which airs live on MTV2, has not yet been announced.

While Bellator has made official all competitors in its 145-, 155- and 170-pound tournaments, little remains known about the 205-pound bracket, which will crown the company’s first-ever light heavyweight champion. The only confirmed participant is 38-year-old Daniel Gracie, who signed a multi-fight deal with Bellator in December and will reportedly face Tim Carpenter in the opening round. The once-beaten Raphael Davis is also expected to be part of the eight-man field.

A former member of the U.S. Marine Corps, Davis has compiled a record of 10-2 on the Southeast circuit. The well-rounded 28-year-old holds five wins by knockout and five by submission and has not seen the judges’ scorecards in any of his 12 fights, leaving the first round only twice. Both of Davis’ losses have come at the hands of UFC veterans, as he was submitted by both Jeremy Horn and Vinny Magalhaes in 2009.

Davis, who fights out of Headhunters MMA in Tuscaloosa, Ala., has gone 3-0 with a trio of KOs since being defeated by Magalhaes. In his most recent outing, Davis handed the previously unbeaten Francisco “Kiko” France his first loss, battering the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt for a second-round stoppage in April.

Linderman signed with Bellator in August as a heavyweight but has yet to compete for the promotion. The Oregon native holds a professional mark of 8-1 since turning pro in June 2008, with five of those victories coming by way of stoppage.

Competing mainly in the Pacific Northwest, Linderman has recorded wins against the likes of Bellator vet Mike Hayes and American Top Team fighter Mario Rinaldi. The 26-year-old’s only defeat came in a May 2009 decision loss to Devin Cole, whom Linderman had submitted four months prior. “Da Protégé” last competed in July, when he captured the Sportfight heavyweight belt with a five-round decision win against Daniel Stewart.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Rebney: Bellator can adjust Saturday start times if UFC events conflict

For those worried about Bellator Fighting Championships' move to Saturday-night timeslots and possible programming conflicts with the UFC, don't worry.

Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio) the company's new three-year and 78-event deal with MTV2 gives him flexibility.

That means Bellator can adjust its event start times so that its events actually serve as leads-ins for its competitors' shows.

Bellator shows will air on its new cable partner, which is available in approximately 100 million homes, in 9-11 p.m. ET timeslots. But, for example, when the organization shares a March 19 date with UFC 128, they can bump that start time.

"That's part of the magic we have here," Rebney said. "When I was sitting down with the MTV folks, they said, 'Look, if there's a big UFC event, if there's a pay-per-view event, we'll kick our show an hour or two earlier so that it can be an MMA night for fans.' They can go from MTV2 to Spike TV or go from MTV2 to pay-per-view.

"You can make a night of it. Get some beers, grab a pizza, hang out with your buddies, and watch MMA for five hours instead of two and a half or three. It's continuity and ultimately trying to serve the fan base I'm a member of and you're a member of."

And there are sure to be some conflicts. Beginning March 5, the Chicago-based promotion hosts weekly shows over a three-month period. That fourth season is followed by another 12-week fifth season in September. But unlike past seasons, the organization will host offseason events in June, July and August so there's not the usual long layoff.

The MTV2 deal calls for 25 events this year, 26 next year, and 27 in 2013.

For Rebney, the event frequency and TV exposure is key to growing the company, which previously aired on ESPN Deportes and then FOX Sports Net (with mixed results). With live events, a set (but flexible) timeslot and some long-term broadcasting stability, Rebney believes Bellator is growing both its company and its roster.

"We've got event frequency, and when you've got event frequency – when you've got 25 nationally televised prime-time events in a year – you can grow your own talent," he said. "You can take guys like Rick Hawn, Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire and Brent Weedman, and you can get them busy three, four or five times per year."

"It gave us the ability to set out exactly what we set out to do, which is grow our own talent, which was develop true Bellator superstars, which was to take guys like a Joe Warren out of Japan, bring him over here, expose him like crazy and ultimately see [his] ranking go from (No.) 13 down to 9 to 2."