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Pride Veteran Galesic Returns to Form with Clinical Knockout at OMMAC 9
Former Pride and Dream veteran Zelg Galesic (9-5) made his return to competition last night with one of the most precise performances in recent memory as he picked prospect Steven Chadwick (10-6-1) apart with a laser guided right hand.
Galesic had not fought since losing to Kazushi Sakuraba at Dream 12 back in 2009 but the Croatian sensation entered the cage with a demeanour that suggested he’d never been away.
It was Chadwick who closed the distance early but was taken down by Galesic and had to work to avoid sporadic ground and pound.
Once the fight resumed on the feet Zelg threw a beautiful straight right that landed square on the chin of Chadwick and deposited him on the canvas.
Galesic took a brief second to admire his handiwork and glance down at his fallen opponent before walking off with his hand raised, clearly pleased with his victory.
UFC referee Marc Goddard was on hand quickly to halt the proceedings but it was all academic as Galesic had sent a very clear statement of intent.
Also looking impressive on the card was UK prospect Rob Sinclair (9-2) as he took down and relentless punished a very game Martin Begley (14-12) forcing a first round stoppage with some brutal ground and pound. Begley never stopped working throughout but wilted under the pressure and in the end it was referee Leon Roberts who called a stop the proceedings in the first round.
Team Kaobon (home of UFC veterans Terry Etim, Paul Kelly and Paul Sass) had a very strong presence at the event and hulking middleweight Carl Noon (6-1-0) got the nod against a very determined Aurijius Kerpe (9-10) but he was unable to finish decisively.
Noon opened up a huge cut on top of his foe’s head with a nice looking elbow and worked some crushing ground and pound but seemed to tire towards the end of proceedings and was relieved to take home a well deserved decision win.
Elsewhere on the card there was the return of a TUF graduate in Aaron Wilkinson (6-4) who took apart Arunas Klimavicius (2-1-0) with a relentless performance in which he showcased some great wrestling.
Wilkinson threw three punches and shot for a double that he neatly completed before taking his foe’s back and locking in a tight rear naked choke with a little shy of three minutes on the clock.
Upset of the night went to Atherton Submission product Mike Wilkinson (4-0) as he came through some brutal clinch work to take home a great victory in the second against heavily favoured Uche Ihiekwe (3-0).
Ihiekwe sprawled well in the first round and landed some great knees but was unable to put his foe away. Wilkinson battled through the adversity and his relentless wrestling game came to the front in the end as he took his foe down and pounded his man out with the clock running out in the second round.
Former Pride and Dream veteran Zelg Galesic (9-5) made his return to competition last night with one of the most precise performances in recent memory as he picked prospect Steven Chadwick (10-6-1) apart with a laser guided right hand.
Galesic had not fought since losing to Kazushi Sakuraba at Dream 12 back in 2009 but the Croatian sensation entered the cage with a demeanour that suggested he’d never been away.
It was Chadwick who closed the distance early but was taken down by Galesic and had to work to avoid sporadic ground and pound.
Once the fight resumed on the feet Zelg threw a beautiful straight right that landed square on the chin of Chadwick and deposited him on the canvas.
Galesic took a brief second to admire his handiwork and glance down at his fallen opponent before walking off with his hand raised, clearly pleased with his victory.
UFC referee Marc Goddard was on hand quickly to halt the proceedings but it was all academic as Galesic had sent a very clear statement of intent.
Also looking impressive on the card was UK prospect Rob Sinclair (9-2) as he took down and relentless punished a very game Martin Begley (14-12) forcing a first round stoppage with some brutal ground and pound. Begley never stopped working throughout but wilted under the pressure and in the end it was referee Leon Roberts who called a stop the proceedings in the first round.
Team Kaobon (home of UFC veterans Terry Etim, Paul Kelly and Paul Sass) had a very strong presence at the event and hulking middleweight Carl Noon (6-1-0) got the nod against a very determined Aurijius Kerpe (9-10) but he was unable to finish decisively.
Noon opened up a huge cut on top of his foe’s head with a nice looking elbow and worked some crushing ground and pound but seemed to tire towards the end of proceedings and was relieved to take home a well deserved decision win.
Elsewhere on the card there was the return of a TUF graduate in Aaron Wilkinson (6-4) who took apart Arunas Klimavicius (2-1-0) with a relentless performance in which he showcased some great wrestling.
Wilkinson threw three punches and shot for a double that he neatly completed before taking his foe’s back and locking in a tight rear naked choke with a little shy of three minutes on the clock.
Upset of the night went to Atherton Submission product Mike Wilkinson (4-0) as he came through some brutal clinch work to take home a great victory in the second against heavily favoured Uche Ihiekwe (3-0).
Ihiekwe sprawled well in the first round and landed some great knees but was unable to put his foe away. Wilkinson battled through the adversity and his relentless wrestling game came to the front in the end as he took his foe down and pounded his man out with the clock running out in the second round.
First Time In History! RINGS Fighter In Pancrase
All the participants for the 17th Pancrase Neo-Blood Tournaments have been announced and there is an interesting name among the Flyweight tournament participants.
RINGS and Pancrase were like cats and dogs in the past but with this tournament it will be the first time a fighter attached to RINGS fights in Pancrase. Asuka Mikami, a The Outsider fighter (went as Riku Shibuya there) who went on to fight in Cage Force and Kickboxing promotion J-NETWORK, will participate in this years Flyweight Neo-Blood Tournament.
All the participants for the 17th Pancrase Neo-Blood Tournaments have been announced and there is an interesting name among the Flyweight tournament participants.
RINGS and Pancrase were like cats and dogs in the past but with this tournament it will be the first time a fighter attached to RINGS fights in Pancrase. Asuka Mikami, a The Outsider fighter (went as Riku Shibuya there) who went on to fight in Cage Force and Kickboxing promotion J-NETWORK, will participate in this years Flyweight Neo-Blood Tournament.
Diego Sanchez: Heart Led to Win over Martin Kampmann at UFC on Versus
When both the winner and loser wind up at the hospital after their main event, it's pretty hard to argue against Fight of the Night.
Diego Sanchez and Martin Kampmann slugged their way to a bloody 29-28 unanimous decision for Sanchez to close out the UFC's debut in Kentucky, UFC on Versus 3, on Thursday. When the scores were read, many in the crowd appeared to be stunned at the decision. But perhaps no one was more surprised than Kampmann.
"Yes I did – I thought I won the fight," Kampmann told Joe Rogan after the fight. "I think I won all three rounds. If you take a look at his face ... I definitely feel I won the fight. I was throwing way more clean shots. Diego's a tough warrior, but I'm very disappointed."
Sanchez (23-4, 12-4 UFC) said the win, for him, was all about showing his perseverance.
"I showed I have a lot of heart and I'm going to give the fans what they want to see, and that's the bottom line," Sanchez said before a trip to the hospital. "I got the 'W' and that's what matters."
Sanchez appeared perhaps tentative in the first round, and his takedown attempts were continually stuffed by Kampmann (17-5, 8-4 UFC). In the second, Sanchez again looked for takedowns – and again was stopped by Kampmann each time.
But Sanchez, himself bloodied, opened up a cut near Kampmann's right eye midway through the second round – and from that point on, he appeared to have a burst of confidence and came forward quicker than he had showed the first half of the fight. It was perhaps that aggressiveness that the judges looked favorably on.
In the third round, after coming short on each takedown attempt to that point, Sanchez finally landed one. FightMetric.com's stats had Sanchez landing that lone takedown in 15 attempts. Though Kampmann wasn't on the ground long, Sanchez spent the last 90 seconds coming forward, throwing bombs, and that looked to clinch the round – and the fight – for the Season 1 middleweight "Ultimate Fighter" champion.
"I'm feeling the pure ecstasy of a war," Sanchez said. "A lot of UFC fighters dream about finishing a fight in the first round. But that was a war ... these are the ones you don't forget."
Sanchez and Kampmann won the UFC's Fight of the Night bonus award, which was bumped up from $40,000 to $60,000 by UFC president Dana White.
When both the winner and loser wind up at the hospital after their main event, it's pretty hard to argue against Fight of the Night.
Diego Sanchez and Martin Kampmann slugged their way to a bloody 29-28 unanimous decision for Sanchez to close out the UFC's debut in Kentucky, UFC on Versus 3, on Thursday. When the scores were read, many in the crowd appeared to be stunned at the decision. But perhaps no one was more surprised than Kampmann.
"Yes I did – I thought I won the fight," Kampmann told Joe Rogan after the fight. "I think I won all three rounds. If you take a look at his face ... I definitely feel I won the fight. I was throwing way more clean shots. Diego's a tough warrior, but I'm very disappointed."
Sanchez (23-4, 12-4 UFC) said the win, for him, was all about showing his perseverance.
"I showed I have a lot of heart and I'm going to give the fans what they want to see, and that's the bottom line," Sanchez said before a trip to the hospital. "I got the 'W' and that's what matters."
Sanchez appeared perhaps tentative in the first round, and his takedown attempts were continually stuffed by Kampmann (17-5, 8-4 UFC). In the second, Sanchez again looked for takedowns – and again was stopped by Kampmann each time.
But Sanchez, himself bloodied, opened up a cut near Kampmann's right eye midway through the second round – and from that point on, he appeared to have a burst of confidence and came forward quicker than he had showed the first half of the fight. It was perhaps that aggressiveness that the judges looked favorably on.
In the third round, after coming short on each takedown attempt to that point, Sanchez finally landed one. FightMetric.com's stats had Sanchez landing that lone takedown in 15 attempts. Though Kampmann wasn't on the ground long, Sanchez spent the last 90 seconds coming forward, throwing bombs, and that looked to clinch the round – and the fight – for the Season 1 middleweight "Ultimate Fighter" champion.
"I'm feeling the pure ecstasy of a war," Sanchez said. "A lot of UFC fighters dream about finishing a fight in the first round. But that was a war ... these are the ones you don't forget."
Sanchez and Kampmann won the UFC's Fight of the Night bonus award, which was bumped up from $40,000 to $60,000 by UFC president Dana White.
3 Titles Up for Grabs at April 30 Superior Challenge in Stockholm
Sweden’s Superior Challenge has upped its tagline from “Nordic’s biggest MMA event” to “Europe’s biggest MMA event,” as the promotion has unveiled plans for its seventh iteration, “Rise of the Champions,” to take place at Stockholm’s Hovet arena.
Babak Aghavali, Superior Challenge CEO, recently confirmed four matchups and plans for welterweight, lightweight, and middleweight title bouts for the April 30 event.
In the first championship pairing, Swede Diego Gonzalez will challenge current welterweight title holder Daniel Acacio. Having compiled an eight-fight win streak before dropping a March 2010 decision to Akihiro Gono, Gonzalez will be return to the cage after a year layoff due to ACL surgery. Acacio captured the Superior Challenge belt in October with a controversial decision over Gonzalez training partner David Bielkheden, who will also feature on the card.
Reza Madadi, a promotional mainstay who has starred in five previous events, will seek to capture the promotion’s lightweight title against an opponent to-be-determined. Likewise, former UFC 185-pound title contender Thales Leites will vie for the vacant Superior Challenge middleweight belt against a yet-unnamed adversary.
Undefeated middleweight prospect Papy “Makambo” Abedi will also be on display. The 32-year-old judo black belt hopes to make the jump from Superior Challenge directly into the UFC, as Alexander Gustafsson did in 2009.
Junie Allen Browning will look to snap a three-fight losing streak in his return to Scandinavia, as the “Ultimate Fighter” Season 8 competitor takes on Stockholm’s own Navid Yousefi. Other notable fighters slated for the card include Swedes Assan “The Black Attack” Njie, Tor “The Hammer” Troeng, Magnus “Jycken” Cedenblad, and Sirwan Kakai.
Sweden’s Superior Challenge has upped its tagline from “Nordic’s biggest MMA event” to “Europe’s biggest MMA event,” as the promotion has unveiled plans for its seventh iteration, “Rise of the Champions,” to take place at Stockholm’s Hovet arena.
Babak Aghavali, Superior Challenge CEO, recently confirmed four matchups and plans for welterweight, lightweight, and middleweight title bouts for the April 30 event.
In the first championship pairing, Swede Diego Gonzalez will challenge current welterweight title holder Daniel Acacio. Having compiled an eight-fight win streak before dropping a March 2010 decision to Akihiro Gono, Gonzalez will be return to the cage after a year layoff due to ACL surgery. Acacio captured the Superior Challenge belt in October with a controversial decision over Gonzalez training partner David Bielkheden, who will also feature on the card.
Reza Madadi, a promotional mainstay who has starred in five previous events, will seek to capture the promotion’s lightweight title against an opponent to-be-determined. Likewise, former UFC 185-pound title contender Thales Leites will vie for the vacant Superior Challenge middleweight belt against a yet-unnamed adversary.
Undefeated middleweight prospect Papy “Makambo” Abedi will also be on display. The 32-year-old judo black belt hopes to make the jump from Superior Challenge directly into the UFC, as Alexander Gustafsson did in 2009.
Junie Allen Browning will look to snap a three-fight losing streak in his return to Scandinavia, as the “Ultimate Fighter” Season 8 competitor takes on Stockholm’s own Navid Yousefi. Other notable fighters slated for the card include Swedes Assan “The Black Attack” Njie, Tor “The Hammer” Troeng, Magnus “Jycken” Cedenblad, and Sirwan Kakai.
Aoki, Beerbohm Matched for April 9 Strikeforce Bout
The men with the fanciest pants in MMA are set to swap swatches on April 9, as Dream lightweight champion Shinya Aoki and once-beaten prospect Lyle Beerbohm have agreed to meet at Strikeforce “Diaz vs. Daley.”
The bout will be part of the Showtime-televised main card of the event, which takes place at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego.
Sherdog.com has confirmed with a source close to the fight that bout agreements are in place. News of the matchup was first reported by MMA-Japan.com on Monday.
Aoki will return to the American promotion’s cage for the first time since a lopsided, five-round decision loss to Strikeforce 155-pound champ Gilbert Melendez in April 2010. The 27-year-old “Tobikan Judan” has not lost an MMA bout since, defending his Dream strap with an impressive first-round submission of Tatsuya Kawajiri last July, and subsequently besting Brazilian vet Marcus Aurelio and Thai boxing convert Yokthai Sithoar.
Despite his MMA success, Aoki’s last trip inside the ring ended disastrously. In a mixed rules bout with cosplaying kickboxer Yuichiro “Jienotsu” Nagashima on New Year’s Eve, Aoki was knocked cold by a knee just four ticks into the MMA portion of the fight, after fleeing from Nagashima for the duration of the striking-only first stanza.
Beerbohm, 32, will look to rebound from the first loss of his career. The Spokane, Wash., native was nearly submitted and ultimately outpointed by tough veteran Pat Healy on Feb. 18 in the main event of Strikeforce Challengers 14.
Prior to the defeat, “Fancy Pants” had won 15 straight professional contests, 13 of those by way of stoppage. Wins over Duane Ludwig, Rafaello Oliveira and Vitor Ribeiro anchor Beerbohm’s resume.
The men with the fanciest pants in MMA are set to swap swatches on April 9, as Dream lightweight champion Shinya Aoki and once-beaten prospect Lyle Beerbohm have agreed to meet at Strikeforce “Diaz vs. Daley.”
The bout will be part of the Showtime-televised main card of the event, which takes place at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego.
Sherdog.com has confirmed with a source close to the fight that bout agreements are in place. News of the matchup was first reported by MMA-Japan.com on Monday.
Aoki will return to the American promotion’s cage for the first time since a lopsided, five-round decision loss to Strikeforce 155-pound champ Gilbert Melendez in April 2010. The 27-year-old “Tobikan Judan” has not lost an MMA bout since, defending his Dream strap with an impressive first-round submission of Tatsuya Kawajiri last July, and subsequently besting Brazilian vet Marcus Aurelio and Thai boxing convert Yokthai Sithoar.
Despite his MMA success, Aoki’s last trip inside the ring ended disastrously. In a mixed rules bout with cosplaying kickboxer Yuichiro “Jienotsu” Nagashima on New Year’s Eve, Aoki was knocked cold by a knee just four ticks into the MMA portion of the fight, after fleeing from Nagashima for the duration of the striking-only first stanza.
Beerbohm, 32, will look to rebound from the first loss of his career. The Spokane, Wash., native was nearly submitted and ultimately outpointed by tough veteran Pat Healy on Feb. 18 in the main event of Strikeforce Challengers 14.
Prior to the defeat, “Fancy Pants” had won 15 straight professional contests, 13 of those by way of stoppage. Wins over Duane Ludwig, Rafaello Oliveira and Vitor Ribeiro anchor Beerbohm’s resume.
MMA overtime? UFC lightweight champ Frankie Edgar says bring it on
The first two months of 2011 delivered two high-profile draws – UFC 125's Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard II and UFC 127's B.J. Penn vs. Jon Fitch – both of which ushered in a slew of controversy and left their respective divisions in flux.
As a rule, draws generally frustrate fans, almost certainly frustrate fighters and generally cause more confusion than resolution.
But can the sport's governing bodies find some way to improve the current system? At least one UFC champion thinks so.
In this past week's new edition of HDNet's "Inside MMA," MMA legend and show host Bas Rutten addressed a viewer's email that suggested an overtime round be instituted to resolve draws in high-profile bouts such as title contests and No. 1 contender affairs.
Rutten, a former UFC heavyweight champion and King of Pancrase, thinks the idea is a winner. After all, it's already used in other combat sports, and the UFC even has a "sudden victory" round in place for its Spike TV-broadcast reality series.
"They do it at K-1 in Japan, and I love that idea," Rutten said. "Actually, 'The Ultimate Fighter' does it, too. You fight to a draw, boom, the last [round], whoever wins that wins."
Edgar, who survived a first-round beatdown against Maynard to battle make to a split draw at UFC 125, was a guest on the new edition of "Inside MMA" and also supported the idea. The UFC lightweight champion now rematches his nemesis at May's UFC 130 event, but Edgar said he would have preferred to put the situation behind him in January.
"I think another five-minute round would be perfect," Edgar said. "You go into a fight, you prepare, and you want a decisive outcome. To have to wait another three months and possibly another fight is kind of annoying. I would say another round would be great. You get to figure out who's the winner right then and there.
"Two guys fighting for a title, they're trained, prepared. Why not just get it over with right then and there?"
Bellator Fighting Championships lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez was also a guest on the show, and he suggested an overtime round would also serve as a positive. Alvarez cited the Penn vs. Fitch contest as the perfect example of a contest that would benefit from a little additional time.
"If you added that fourth round after the draw was called, who do you think would have come out on top?" Alvarez asked. "Fitch would have come out on top."
In their UFC 127 meeting, Fitch was stymied early in the fight, but as the contest wore on, he took control of the momentum and delivered an astonishing 149 strikes in the final round, accruing to a FightMetric report.
With the bout clearly swinging in Fitch's direction, Alvarez believes an overtime would have delivered a decisive result.
"It's really hard to be able to say draw or not draw," Alvarez said. "The decision was a good decision, but at the end of the day, if the fight continued, who would have won?"
The first two months of 2011 delivered two high-profile draws – UFC 125's Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard II and UFC 127's B.J. Penn vs. Jon Fitch – both of which ushered in a slew of controversy and left their respective divisions in flux.
As a rule, draws generally frustrate fans, almost certainly frustrate fighters and generally cause more confusion than resolution.
But can the sport's governing bodies find some way to improve the current system? At least one UFC champion thinks so.
In this past week's new edition of HDNet's "Inside MMA," MMA legend and show host Bas Rutten addressed a viewer's email that suggested an overtime round be instituted to resolve draws in high-profile bouts such as title contests and No. 1 contender affairs.
Rutten, a former UFC heavyweight champion and King of Pancrase, thinks the idea is a winner. After all, it's already used in other combat sports, and the UFC even has a "sudden victory" round in place for its Spike TV-broadcast reality series.
"They do it at K-1 in Japan, and I love that idea," Rutten said. "Actually, 'The Ultimate Fighter' does it, too. You fight to a draw, boom, the last [round], whoever wins that wins."
Edgar, who survived a first-round beatdown against Maynard to battle make to a split draw at UFC 125, was a guest on the new edition of "Inside MMA" and also supported the idea. The UFC lightweight champion now rematches his nemesis at May's UFC 130 event, but Edgar said he would have preferred to put the situation behind him in January.
"I think another five-minute round would be perfect," Edgar said. "You go into a fight, you prepare, and you want a decisive outcome. To have to wait another three months and possibly another fight is kind of annoying. I would say another round would be great. You get to figure out who's the winner right then and there.
"Two guys fighting for a title, they're trained, prepared. Why not just get it over with right then and there?"
Bellator Fighting Championships lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez was also a guest on the show, and he suggested an overtime round would also serve as a positive. Alvarez cited the Penn vs. Fitch contest as the perfect example of a contest that would benefit from a little additional time.
"If you added that fourth round after the draw was called, who do you think would have come out on top?" Alvarez asked. "Fitch would have come out on top."
In their UFC 127 meeting, Fitch was stymied early in the fight, but as the contest wore on, he took control of the momentum and delivered an astonishing 149 strikes in the final round, accruing to a FightMetric report.
With the bout clearly swinging in Fitch's direction, Alvarez believes an overtime would have delivered a decisive result.
"It's really hard to be able to say draw or not draw," Alvarez said. "The decision was a good decision, but at the end of the day, if the fight continued, who would have won?"
"Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson" salaries: Henderson ($250K), Kennedy ($50K) top list
In addition to a shiny new belt, Dan Henderson took home a pretty nice chunk of change for his knockout of Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante.
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today requested and received the list of paydays from the Ohio State Athletic Commission for "Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson," which took place this past Saturday at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The event's main card aired live on Showtime.
The total disclosed payroll for the event was $439,500.
Henderson capped an exciting evening of fights when he defeated Cavalcante by third-round TKO to win the Strikeforce light heavyweight championship.
OSAC Executive Director Bernie Profato told MMAjunkie.com that final numbers for the event's attendance and live gate should be available in the next few days. He added that all competitors have passed initial tests for drugs of abuse, and the results of tests for performance-enhancing drugs are forthcoming.
The full list of salaries includes:
Champ Dan Henderson: $250,000 (no win bonus)
def. Rafael Cavalcante $28,000
Champ Marloes Coenen: $10,000 (no win bonus)
def. Liz Carmouche: $5,000
Tim Kennedy: $50,000 (no win bonus)
def. Melvin Manhoef: $10,000
Jorge Masvidal: $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus)
def. Billy Evangelista: $20,000
Roger Bowling: $7,000 (includes $3,500 win bonus)
def. Josh Thornburg: $2,000
Jorge Gurgel: $8,000 ($4,000 win bonus)
def. Billy Vaughn: $1,500
Jason Freeman: $3,000 ($1,500 win bonus)
def. Jason Riley: $1,500
Brian Rogers: $3,000 ($1,500 win bonus)
def. Ian Rammel: $1,500
Mitch Whitesel: $3,000 ($1,500 win bonus)
def. Marc Cofer: $1,500
John Kuhner: $3,000 ($1,500 win bonus)
def. J.P. Feity: $1,500
Now, the usual disclaimer: The figures do not include deductions for items such as insurance, licenses and taxes. Additionally, the figures do not include money paid by sponsors, which can oftentimes be a substantial portion of a fighter's income.
In other words, these are simply base salaries reported to the commission and do not represent the total amounts earned by each fighter.
In addition to a shiny new belt, Dan Henderson took home a pretty nice chunk of change for his knockout of Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante.
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today requested and received the list of paydays from the Ohio State Athletic Commission for "Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson," which took place this past Saturday at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The event's main card aired live on Showtime.
The total disclosed payroll for the event was $439,500.
Henderson capped an exciting evening of fights when he defeated Cavalcante by third-round TKO to win the Strikeforce light heavyweight championship.
OSAC Executive Director Bernie Profato told MMAjunkie.com that final numbers for the event's attendance and live gate should be available in the next few days. He added that all competitors have passed initial tests for drugs of abuse, and the results of tests for performance-enhancing drugs are forthcoming.
The full list of salaries includes:
Champ Dan Henderson: $250,000 (no win bonus)
def. Rafael Cavalcante $28,000
Champ Marloes Coenen: $10,000 (no win bonus)
def. Liz Carmouche: $5,000
Tim Kennedy: $50,000 (no win bonus)
def. Melvin Manhoef: $10,000
Jorge Masvidal: $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus)
def. Billy Evangelista: $20,000
Roger Bowling: $7,000 (includes $3,500 win bonus)
def. Josh Thornburg: $2,000
Jorge Gurgel: $8,000 ($4,000 win bonus)
def. Billy Vaughn: $1,500
Jason Freeman: $3,000 ($1,500 win bonus)
def. Jason Riley: $1,500
Brian Rogers: $3,000 ($1,500 win bonus)
def. Ian Rammel: $1,500
Mitch Whitesel: $3,000 ($1,500 win bonus)
def. Marc Cofer: $1,500
John Kuhner: $3,000 ($1,500 win bonus)
def. J.P. Feity: $1,500
Now, the usual disclaimer: The figures do not include deductions for items such as insurance, licenses and taxes. Additionally, the figures do not include money paid by sponsors, which can oftentimes be a substantial portion of a fighter's income.
In other words, these are simply base salaries reported to the commission and do not represent the total amounts earned by each fighter.
Strikeforce Feijao vs. Hendo Medical Suspensions
Strikeforce made its Columbus, Ohio debut on Saturday night at Nationwide Arena with Feijao vs. Henderson. Former Pride champion Dan Henderson walked out of the main event with a new belt wrapped firmly around his waist, defeating Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante with a third-round knockout.
Feijao was one of several fighters that received medical suspensions following the fights. The Ohio Athletic Commission on Monday informed MMAWeekly.com of the full list of suspensions.
Feijao received a standard 60-day suspension for losing by way of knockout.
Jorge Masvidal, Billy Evangelista, Jason Riley, and Ian Rammel all received indefinite suspensions. Masvidal must gain a medical release for his hand before he can fight again. Evangelista and Riley must both get ophthalmological clearance. Rammel must get a medical release, and also received a 30-day suspension for his TKO loss.
JP Felty received a 60-day suspension for his knockout loss. Billy Vaughn was suspended for 30 days following his rear naked choke loss to Jorge Gurgel. And Mitch Whitesel received a 90-day suspension that the OAC declared a mandatory rest period for accumulative bouts.
Strikeforce made its Columbus, Ohio debut on Saturday night at Nationwide Arena with Feijao vs. Henderson. Former Pride champion Dan Henderson walked out of the main event with a new belt wrapped firmly around his waist, defeating Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante with a third-round knockout.
Feijao was one of several fighters that received medical suspensions following the fights. The Ohio Athletic Commission on Monday informed MMAWeekly.com of the full list of suspensions.
Feijao received a standard 60-day suspension for losing by way of knockout.
Jorge Masvidal, Billy Evangelista, Jason Riley, and Ian Rammel all received indefinite suspensions. Masvidal must gain a medical release for his hand before he can fight again. Evangelista and Riley must both get ophthalmological clearance. Rammel must get a medical release, and also received a 30-day suspension for his TKO loss.
JP Felty received a 60-day suspension for his knockout loss. Billy Vaughn was suspended for 30 days following his rear naked choke loss to Jorge Gurgel. And Mitch Whitesel received a 90-day suspension that the OAC declared a mandatory rest period for accumulative bouts.
Fighting, Coaching and Getting That One UFC Win: The Tale of Alberto Crane
Aleberto Crane never thought he would compete in the fight game. As a youth, he dabbled in kickboxing and boxing, but did not take the combat sports seriously, choosing soccer as his competitive outlet during his high school years in the early to mid 90s.
Perhaps it was the lack of a mentor, as he so openly described it, that caused his direction towards fighting to be skewed – or to put it more accurately, delayed.
When he was 18 years old and working in a restaurant, Crane was convinced by some friends of his to try a unique form of martial art named Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He agreed to try the combat style, which at the time was unfamiliar to him.
The result: his arm nearly getting hyper-extended from approximately 10 armbar submissions. To the typical person, this may propel them away from training in jiu-jitsu any further, but not Alberto. The experience began a new path in life for the Southern California resident. A path that took him to becoming an instructor, then earned him a black belt in 2001 under Vinicius “Draculino” Magalhaes and Carlos Gracie Jr.
From there, Crane’s jiu-jitsu grew to become world-class. So legit was his grappling, he literally walked into tournaments on a whim, winning them in what seems like easy fashion. He did so in Denver just a few years ago.
“There was a tournament, so I just jumped in and there was some tough guys,” Crane told MMAWeekly.com. “It was like a pankration, submission grappling tournament. And so I just did it. There were like three matches.
“I did win easily there… I pulled it off.”
In addition to walking through grappling tournaments, Crane has competed in mixed martial arts, sporting a 13-5 record over nine years. Two of his fights included bouts in the UFC in late 2007 and early 2008. Unfortunately, the results of those fights were not in his favor, losing to both Roger Huerta and Kurt Pellegrino.
To most fighters, getting to the UFC includes a drive to consistently be part of the organization and to one day compete for a title. For Crane, the drive is there, but for a different reason. With two losses in the world’s premier MMA promotion, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu master talks of one day returning to the organization and getting that one win he sought when he first competed in the UFC.
It is not a revenge thing against Pellegrino or Huerta. As a matter of fact, returning to the UFC is not the top priority. He admits coaching others is his passion, but a UFC “W” is something he would like to add to his resume.
“I still want to get a win in the UFC,” he said while reflecting on his time with the Las Vegas-based company. “It’s not in front of these other things like me coaching, for example.”
Being a motivator for others is a reward he holds in high regard.
“It’s rewarding… (to see) your students do well,” he said. “Not even doing stuff like fighting in the cage or winning medals, but improving lives through the training.”
Being a coach and a competitive fighter has its advantages, though. By both training his students to compete professionally, then competing in professional bouts himself, Crane leads by example. He tirelessly trains students to fight at Gracie Barra gyms in Encino, Pasadena, and, most recently, Burbank, Calif. Many of his pupils are competing on a King of the Cage card on March 27 in Tarzana, Calif., and Crane will be there, but for more than cornering and moral support. The black belt will make his return to fighting on the very same card.
In competing at King of the Cage, Crane will look to exemplify the phrase ‘practice what you preach.’ If he can reel off a victory on March 27, and then collect another win or two, Crane can potentially get the opportunity to finally score that one win in the UFC. The path to that destiny begins with this next fight.
Aleberto Crane never thought he would compete in the fight game. As a youth, he dabbled in kickboxing and boxing, but did not take the combat sports seriously, choosing soccer as his competitive outlet during his high school years in the early to mid 90s.
Perhaps it was the lack of a mentor, as he so openly described it, that caused his direction towards fighting to be skewed – or to put it more accurately, delayed.
When he was 18 years old and working in a restaurant, Crane was convinced by some friends of his to try a unique form of martial art named Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He agreed to try the combat style, which at the time was unfamiliar to him.
The result: his arm nearly getting hyper-extended from approximately 10 armbar submissions. To the typical person, this may propel them away from training in jiu-jitsu any further, but not Alberto. The experience began a new path in life for the Southern California resident. A path that took him to becoming an instructor, then earned him a black belt in 2001 under Vinicius “Draculino” Magalhaes and Carlos Gracie Jr.
From there, Crane’s jiu-jitsu grew to become world-class. So legit was his grappling, he literally walked into tournaments on a whim, winning them in what seems like easy fashion. He did so in Denver just a few years ago.
“There was a tournament, so I just jumped in and there was some tough guys,” Crane told MMAWeekly.com. “It was like a pankration, submission grappling tournament. And so I just did it. There were like three matches.
“I did win easily there… I pulled it off.”
In addition to walking through grappling tournaments, Crane has competed in mixed martial arts, sporting a 13-5 record over nine years. Two of his fights included bouts in the UFC in late 2007 and early 2008. Unfortunately, the results of those fights were not in his favor, losing to both Roger Huerta and Kurt Pellegrino.
To most fighters, getting to the UFC includes a drive to consistently be part of the organization and to one day compete for a title. For Crane, the drive is there, but for a different reason. With two losses in the world’s premier MMA promotion, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu master talks of one day returning to the organization and getting that one win he sought when he first competed in the UFC.
It is not a revenge thing against Pellegrino or Huerta. As a matter of fact, returning to the UFC is not the top priority. He admits coaching others is his passion, but a UFC “W” is something he would like to add to his resume.
“I still want to get a win in the UFC,” he said while reflecting on his time with the Las Vegas-based company. “It’s not in front of these other things like me coaching, for example.”
Being a motivator for others is a reward he holds in high regard.
“It’s rewarding… (to see) your students do well,” he said. “Not even doing stuff like fighting in the cage or winning medals, but improving lives through the training.”
Being a coach and a competitive fighter has its advantages, though. By both training his students to compete professionally, then competing in professional bouts himself, Crane leads by example. He tirelessly trains students to fight at Gracie Barra gyms in Encino, Pasadena, and, most recently, Burbank, Calif. Many of his pupils are competing on a King of the Cage card on March 27 in Tarzana, Calif., and Crane will be there, but for more than cornering and moral support. The black belt will make his return to fighting on the very same card.
In competing at King of the Cage, Crane will look to exemplify the phrase ‘practice what you preach.’ If he can reel off a victory on March 27, and then collect another win or two, Crane can potentially get the opportunity to finally score that one win in the UFC. The path to that destiny begins with this next fight.
Ricardo Arona wants a chance to fight at UFC Rio
Without fighting since 2009, when he beat Marvin Eastman upo n Bitetti Combat 4, Ricardo Arona can’t wait to return to the rings. The tough guy suffered a knee injury on his last fight and he’s almost 100% recovered. Training in Itacoatiara with Paulo Filho among other athletes, Arona guarantees that in two months top he’ll be ready to fight and dreams with a vacancy on UFC Rio, which happens on August 27th, in Rio de Janeiro.
“I don’t have a contract signed with nobody, but I want to be ok to sign a contract, preferably an international one, but Brazil has been evolving a lot, so maybe I’ll fight in Brazil again. My goal is to dispute an international championship, except if it’s on UFC Rio, because it’s an international championship, but it’ll be in Brazil. If I have the chance to fight on UFC in August, it’ll be the ideal. I’ve been training thinking about it, I want to be 100% to return on this UFC in Brazil, I think it’d be perfect to return on UFC Rio and I’ve been training hard for it”, commented Arona.
How is your knee recovery and how is your preparation?
It’s ok. I’m not giving 100% on my trainings yet, but I’m training it all: Muay Thai, Boxing, Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling, conditioning trainings… My knee is almost 100% healed, I’m almost ready to fight. I’m training hard, working on my conditioning, I’m preparing to return this year. I’m preparing, confident, training hard, doing some physiotherapy and preparing myself to return in 2010.
Is there a crew helping you out in Niteroi?
Yeah, there’re some friends here, I’m training with them. Paulo comes to train with me all the time, we’re a team with few people, but good ones. We’re training hard, and we’re moving forwards, improving. I’m evolving on my recovery, training with my friends and doing well.
Paulo is about to participate of a fighting marathon: three fights in three months. How is he preparing himself for this marathon?
I’ve talked about it with Paulo and I think it’s too much for him to do in such a short period of time, but he says it’s important for him to earn more experience and be active. The ideal would be for him to sign with an international event, but meanwhile, he’ll fight a lot to remain active, conditioned. He’s thrilled for these fights and you can hope he’ll dig it.
Ximu is a guy you know well, and he’ll be the last opponent of Paulo on this marathon he’s about to begin. How do you see this confrontation?
I think this fight will be interesting because they both are experienced, Ximu has fought athletes of great level, just like Paulo, and it will be a great fight. I cheer for them both to do a good fight, to put on a good show. Paula is optimist for this fight, he’s training a lot and he’s doing well, so you can hope for a great fight.
Do you consider fighting in smaller events or do you want to return to the big events, even if you hasn’t fought for a while?
I don’t have a contract signed with nobody, but I want to be ok to sign a contract, preferably an international one, but Brazil has been evolving a lot, so maybe I’ll fight in Brazil again. My goal is to dispute an international event, except if it’s on UFC Rio, because it’s an international event, but it’ll be in Brazil. If I have the chance to fight on UFC in August, it’ll be the ideal.
People like you a lot in Rio de Janeiro... It’d be a great chance for you to fight on UFC Rio, right?
I’ve been training thinking about it, I want to be 100% to return on this UFC in Brazil, I think it’d be perfect to return on UFC Rio and I’ve been training hard for it.
You’ve always fought in rings, but your game style matches the grids, using your takedowns… How do you see this change?
I think so too. The grid for me is a new thing, but I felt pretty comfortable taking the guys down and working my elbows out. It matched my game style, it’d be great to fight under these conditions, so I hope to fight on UFC.
After that meeting you had with Dana White, have you talked to the guys from UFC?
No. What Dana White’s told me was: “it’d be perfect if you fought once before coming. We have a vacancy for you here on UFC, but you should fight first to earn rhythm”. I told him it was ok, and that I’d like to return to UFC, and now that UFC is here in Brazil, it’ll be great to gather the two things: fighting in Brazil on UFC Rio. If I have the chance to do it, it’d be great to fight on UFC in August.
When will you be 100% ready to return to the rings?
If things don’t change, in two months I’ll be 100%. If God helps me… I can’t wait to be fighting again.
You’ve fought Shogun and ended up being beat on Pride’s GP. How do you see his bout with Jon Jones?
I believe on Shogun’s experience. Jon Jones might be winning, he’s much skilled, he’s a newcomer, so he’ll learn from his experiences… I think Shogun has to use it on his favor over Jon Jones. I believe it’s important that Shogun set a game plan based on his experience because Jon Jones has a great number of coups launched over his opponents while standing, on the floor, anywhere. I think Shogun has to use his head and, if he does that, I believe he can win this fight.
Without fighting since 2009, when he beat Marvin Eastman upo n Bitetti Combat 4, Ricardo Arona can’t wait to return to the rings. The tough guy suffered a knee injury on his last fight and he’s almost 100% recovered. Training in Itacoatiara with Paulo Filho among other athletes, Arona guarantees that in two months top he’ll be ready to fight and dreams with a vacancy on UFC Rio, which happens on August 27th, in Rio de Janeiro.
“I don’t have a contract signed with nobody, but I want to be ok to sign a contract, preferably an international one, but Brazil has been evolving a lot, so maybe I’ll fight in Brazil again. My goal is to dispute an international championship, except if it’s on UFC Rio, because it’s an international championship, but it’ll be in Brazil. If I have the chance to fight on UFC in August, it’ll be the ideal. I’ve been training thinking about it, I want to be 100% to return on this UFC in Brazil, I think it’d be perfect to return on UFC Rio and I’ve been training hard for it”, commented Arona.
How is your knee recovery and how is your preparation?
It’s ok. I’m not giving 100% on my trainings yet, but I’m training it all: Muay Thai, Boxing, Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling, conditioning trainings… My knee is almost 100% healed, I’m almost ready to fight. I’m training hard, working on my conditioning, I’m preparing to return this year. I’m preparing, confident, training hard, doing some physiotherapy and preparing myself to return in 2010.
Is there a crew helping you out in Niteroi?
Yeah, there’re some friends here, I’m training with them. Paulo comes to train with me all the time, we’re a team with few people, but good ones. We’re training hard, and we’re moving forwards, improving. I’m evolving on my recovery, training with my friends and doing well.
Paulo is about to participate of a fighting marathon: three fights in three months. How is he preparing himself for this marathon?
I’ve talked about it with Paulo and I think it’s too much for him to do in such a short period of time, but he says it’s important for him to earn more experience and be active. The ideal would be for him to sign with an international event, but meanwhile, he’ll fight a lot to remain active, conditioned. He’s thrilled for these fights and you can hope he’ll dig it.
Ximu is a guy you know well, and he’ll be the last opponent of Paulo on this marathon he’s about to begin. How do you see this confrontation?
I think this fight will be interesting because they both are experienced, Ximu has fought athletes of great level, just like Paulo, and it will be a great fight. I cheer for them both to do a good fight, to put on a good show. Paula is optimist for this fight, he’s training a lot and he’s doing well, so you can hope for a great fight.
Do you consider fighting in smaller events or do you want to return to the big events, even if you hasn’t fought for a while?
I don’t have a contract signed with nobody, but I want to be ok to sign a contract, preferably an international one, but Brazil has been evolving a lot, so maybe I’ll fight in Brazil again. My goal is to dispute an international event, except if it’s on UFC Rio, because it’s an international event, but it’ll be in Brazil. If I have the chance to fight on UFC in August, it’ll be the ideal.
People like you a lot in Rio de Janeiro... It’d be a great chance for you to fight on UFC Rio, right?
I’ve been training thinking about it, I want to be 100% to return on this UFC in Brazil, I think it’d be perfect to return on UFC Rio and I’ve been training hard for it.
You’ve always fought in rings, but your game style matches the grids, using your takedowns… How do you see this change?
I think so too. The grid for me is a new thing, but I felt pretty comfortable taking the guys down and working my elbows out. It matched my game style, it’d be great to fight under these conditions, so I hope to fight on UFC.
After that meeting you had with Dana White, have you talked to the guys from UFC?
No. What Dana White’s told me was: “it’d be perfect if you fought once before coming. We have a vacancy for you here on UFC, but you should fight first to earn rhythm”. I told him it was ok, and that I’d like to return to UFC, and now that UFC is here in Brazil, it’ll be great to gather the two things: fighting in Brazil on UFC Rio. If I have the chance to do it, it’d be great to fight on UFC in August.
When will you be 100% ready to return to the rings?
If things don’t change, in two months I’ll be 100%. If God helps me… I can’t wait to be fighting again.
You’ve fought Shogun and ended up being beat on Pride’s GP. How do you see his bout with Jon Jones?
I believe on Shogun’s experience. Jon Jones might be winning, he’s much skilled, he’s a newcomer, so he’ll learn from his experiences… I think Shogun has to use it on his favor over Jon Jones. I believe it’s important that Shogun set a game plan based on his experience because Jon Jones has a great number of coups launched over his opponents while standing, on the floor, anywhere. I think Shogun has to use his head and, if he does that, I believe he can win this fight.