MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

Massive Earthquake Puts Japanese MMA on Hold

Japan’s moment of crisis has predictably put prizefighting on the backburner.

Multiple major Japanese promotions were scheduled to hold events this weekend. Women’s promotion Jewels was scheduled to run Friday afternoon at Shinjuku Face in Tokyo, while leading Shooto promoter Sustain was to stage “Shootor’s Legacy 2” at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall on Saturday afternoon. Pancrase was set to continue its 2011 “Impressive Tour” at Azalea Taisho Hall in Osaka on Sunday. All three events have temporarily had the breaks put on them.

On Friday morning, following the 8.9 megathrust earthquake that struck Sendai, Jewels parent company Marvelous Japan issued a short statement and announced its event had been canceled. As of yet, there has been no word on rescheduling the Jewels “12th Ring” card, which was to be headlined by Bellator Fighting Championships veteran Jessica Aguilar battling 115-pound unbeaten Jewels champion Ayaka Hamasaki.

Shortly after the Jewels announcement, Sustain released an official statement announcing the postponement of its March 12 “Shootor’s Legacy 2” card.

Sustain cited the structural damage to Korakuen Hall -- dubbed Japan's “Mecca of prizefighting” -- as the main catalyst in the postponement. Shooto officials confirmed to Sherdog.com that Sustain was already looking to re-schedule the event rather than cancel it.

“Shootor’s Legacy 2” was originally intended to be headlined by a Shooto 115-pound world title fight between champion Rambaa Somdet and challenger Junji Ito. However, Somdet suffered a foot injury that postponed the bout until April 29. A flyweight contest between Yuki Shojo and Noboru Tahara was to take its place.

Sunday was set to be a busy day for Japanese MMA, with Pancrase’s Osaka card, Deep running a card in Tokyo’s Shibuya district and Nagoya-based promotion Heat running at Zepp Nagoya. Pancrase has postponed its Sunday effort indefinitely, while Deep and Heat have yet to offer comment. It is expected that they will offer official statements by Saturday morning.

The earthquake, already called the “Tohoku Region Pacific Ocean Earthquake” by the Japanese media, is believed to be the largest earthquake to hit Japan in recorded history and the fifth largest in the world since 1900. More than 200 have already been found dead, with another 400-plus reported as missing across six prefectures.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Days after manager's death, Patricky Freire enters Bellator 36 with heavy heart

Nearing one of the biggest fights of his professional career, Patricky Freire got some of the worst news possible.

Ivan Canello, who had been Freire's manager but also his very close friend, died suddenly earlier this week at age 32. It was a jarring emotional blow to the 25-year-old Freire.

"First of all, I was very sad," Freire wrote in an e-mail to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "Then I thought, I have to be strong. I have to train to win – because Ivan would be proud."

Freire will try to overcome the grief and rely on the training he has endured with his brother – Patricio, the other half of the "Pitbull Brothers" – when he fights in the U.S. for the first time on Saturday. Freire (7-1 MMA, 0-0 BFC) faces Rob McCullough (19-6 MMA, 0-0 BFC) in an opening round lightweight-tourney fight at Bellator Fighting Championships 36 in Shreveport, La.

The native Brazilian will try to continue a three-fight winning streak following his only loss, against Willamy Freire (now a UFC fighter) at a September 2007 Rinos Fighting Championships show. But he carries the heavy emotion of the week's loss, which had many wondering whether he would still fight in the event.

He said it was an easy decision, and that the experience will add to his years of training – his strength and stamina gained by swimming in the Atlantic Ocean as a child and the support he has from his brother.

His brother is part of the Bellator's season-four featherweight tournament, but Saturday night is Freire's chance to shine and try to improve on his 7-1 record.

"I really want all of the fans to be thrilled with my performance," Freire wrote. "My goal is to properly represent the 'Pitbull Brothers' to the world."

By the ocean

Freire was raised in Natal, in the northeastern part of Brazil.

"Natal is a really nice place right in front of Atlantic Ocean," Freire wrote. "Due to how close I was to the ocean, I liked to swim a lot, and (I) played in many other sports growing up. Swimming and staying very athletic as a child helped me to be the fighter I am now."

It was a beautiful location that provided the backdrop for MMA interest to bloom. It started as an impressive jiu-jitsu career, as Freire is a seven-time Brazilian Jiu Jitsu state champion and two-time BJJ regional champion. He also was a skilled kickboxer and boxer, which gave him a broad fighting background.

Freire said his MMA interest stretched back to the very first UFC show, and he quickly became a big Royce Gracie fan. Gracie, like Freire, was on the smaller side, and he was a jiu-jitsu practitioner by trade.

By 2001, Freire and his brother started their training, which makes them longtime confidantes in the sport.

"Me and my brother have been training together since the very beginning," Freire wrote. "We train together constantly because he is very strong everywhere and pushes me to become better and better."

Patricio started his MMA career earlier, debuting in March 2004 and winning his first 14 fights (including two Bellator victories), before losing to Joe Warren this past June in a Bellator event.

Patricky's started a bit later and hasn't stretched as long; he took his first professional fight in September 2005 and went more than two and a half years without fighting following his only loss.

He almost didn't come back.

Continuing to fight

Freire admits that his career nearly ended at 4-1 because of the difficulty in making money in the sport in Brazil.

After all, he has a family to support. He has a wife of five years, and he has a 3-year-old daughter. That made him consider finding other work.

But, his dream was to fight. After 31 months between events, Freire returned to score a victory at a Gouveia Fight Championship show in April 2010, and he continued to grow.

In a span of three months, Freire won three fights, by far the most active streak of his professional career. His family remains a priority, but he balances fighting even in his time away from training.

"Outside of my time training, I spend most of my time at home with my family," Freire wrote. "I have a wife and a daughter, and they make me very happy. I also watch a lot of MMA on TV. This helps me stay focused for my fights."

Now comes his biggest opportunity – but with a somber tone. His training with Team Nogueira with fighters including Anderson Silva, the Nogueira brothers, Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante and Ronaldo Souza has been steady, but his personal life has endured a tumultuous week.

The major challenge is handling his emotions in a way he hasn't yet needed to in his career.

But he feels he is doing the right thing by fighting despite the tragedy.

"This is what he would have wanted," Freire wrote.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Bellator broadcaster Sean Wheelock sees similarities between MMA and soccer coverage

When it comes to mainstream coverage, broadcaster Sean Wheelock sees plenty of similarities between soccer and mixed martial arts.

Wheelock, who returns to the broadcast booth on Saturday for MTV2's airing of Bellator 36, has been a longtime commentator in both sports.

And when it comes to the mainstream media's sometimes-reluctant move to cover them, he thinks the reasons are more about the reporters' own limitations than any bias toward the sports.

"It's a lot of the same battles I had in soccer," Wheelock, who's also commentated for M-1 and Affliction Entertainment shows, today told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). "It's like, 'Why don't you cover this sport?' It's because they're not knowledge in this sport. 'Let's just do something we know. Let's ignore that.'

"Take boxing. I'd say anyone who's under 45 or 50 (years old), they probably prefer mixed martial arts. ... I don't want to call it laziness. Maybe it's just a reluctance to cover something new that's out of their comfort zone."

However, as with soccer fans, Wheelock credits MMA fans' unwavering devotion for the sport's slow but steady move into mainstream coverage. When demands for the coverage remain constant, he said, the old media guard takes notice. Primarily in North America, that also was the case with soccer.

"There are a few of us out there who love MMA and soccer," said Wheelock, who does commentating for Major League Soccer's Sporting Kansas City (previously the Kansas City Wizards). "What I will say is that for MMA and soccer, at least in the U.S. and Canada, there are hardcore fans ... like no other sport."

Thanks to their Bellator and M-1 experience, Wheelock and Jimmy Smith often are called one of the most underrated broadcasting teams in the sport, if not one of the best. While the duo doesn't have the name recognition of a Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg UFC team or a Mauro Ranallo and Stephen Quadros Strikeforce tandem, Wheelock thinks the work speaks itself.

In fact, he sees himself playing a very secondary role in Bellator's Saturday-night broadcasts.

"I know people don't tune it to watch me," he said. "Three people tune in to watch me: my wife, my 5-year-old daughter and my mom. ... You're there to watch the fights, and you're there to watch the fighters.

"My job is to enhance that experience. If I can improve your experience by five percent, I've done my job."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Two-time tourney finalist Toby Imada relying on experience for Bellator 36 fight

When Bellator Fighting Championships kicks off its second season-four show on MTV2 on Saturday, a familiar face will be part of the lightweight tournament's opening round.

Bellator 36 takes place at Shreveport Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, La., and two-time lightweight-tournament finalist Toby Imada (28-15 MMA, 4-2 BFC) returns for a third tourney run and hopes of an elusive championship.

Imada, a recent guest on MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio), spoke about competing in front of a larger audience and what he's learned from his past tourney fights.

"I'm looking forward to the whole MTV thing, curious to see how it all plays out," said Imada, who is 4-2 in the organization. "I understand there's going to be a lot more people to look at it and a bit more diverse crowd, age group and everything. So, it's like, 'Here's another chance. Maybe do a few more things, just look for that opportunity and get people to start talking again.'"

That opportunity comes against organizational newcomer and decorated judoka Ferrid Kheder (18-6 MMA, 0-0 BFC) in the co-main event. Imada said his past tournament experience has helped him create an efficient fighting style.

Five of Kheder's past six fights have ended via knockout or submission win, and the decorated judoka has yet to be finished in 24 professional fights. Imada fully expects a competitive matchup when he steps back into the Bellator cage.

"He's going to be a tough guy; no one's finished him," Imada said. "It will be a pretty good accomplishment to be able to be the guy that does."

Imada wants to get the finish, but due to the 12-week tournament, he can't be overly aggressive and risk an injury. So if he needs to rely on a decision, he'll take it.

But it's not his preference.

"The decision would make sense; however, I'm not really looking for any decisions after last year," he said. "I'm going to try to finish everybody."

The decision he speaks of is his split-decision loss to season-two champion Pat Curran this past June in the seaon-two tournament finale. While Imada has moved along in his career, he hasn't forgotten the loss.

"I don't think I'm quite over it yet," he said. "I can deal with it. I've moved on, but I'm not really letting it go. If the topic ever comes up, you're going to get a hiss out of me."

Although that loss doesn't sit well with him, his Bellator success speaks for itself. All of his Bellator victories have come via submission, and he owns one of the sport's most marvelous highlights: an inverted-triangle choke of Jorge Masvidal in the season-one tourney, which earned him "Submission of the Year" honors at the 2009 World MMA Awards.

Of course, the Bellator paycheck doesn't hurt.

"Well, the pay is exceptional," Imada said. "Not to toot my own horn, but everyone's like, 'You talk about promotions and everything being so good. When are you going to be in the other ones?' I'm like, 'Honestly man, I probably make more than just about almost anyone in any organization, so I'm happy where I'm at.'

"I may not have all the fame, fans and hype, but I'm good, and the pay's hard to beat."

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC Exploring United Center in Chicago, But Nothing is Imminent

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has aggressively expanded its brand across the globe the past couple of years, but they try to return to key locations as frequently as possible.

One key city in the United States that has hosted a UFC in the past, but hasn’t received a return visit yet is Chicago.

The third largest city in the U.S., Chicago played host to UFC 90, where middleweight champion Anderson Silva fended off the challenge of Patrick Cote. That was at the Allstate Arena in October of 2008.

The UFC could be back in the Windy City before that drought hits four years. At least that’s the word according a Friday report by the Chicago Sun-Times.

UFC president Dana White recently told the paper that they were exploring dates for this summer, quite possibly at the United Center. The arena is the home of the NBA’s Chicago Bulls and the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, accommodating roughly 20,000 spectators depending on an event’s specific configuration.

MMAWeekly.com sources indicted that, while the United Center is “always on the radar,” finding a date that accommodates the UFC’s schedule in conjunction with the Bulls, Blackhawks, concerts, and other events at the arena is the greatest roadblock.

White said of a summer return to Chicago, “It’s tentative, but it’s lightly penciled in.” Our sources backed the tentative nature of a return this summer, saying that nothing is scheduled yet for Chicago.

 

[Shogun Locc]

MMA promoters look to "Dragon's Den" for funding


Dragons Den is the Canadian equivalent to ABC's Shark Tank where companies look for investors in their company. Armageddon FC, based out of Victoria BC, recently went on the show to try and get $55,000 for a %10 stake in the promotion so they can further expand their company.

They came with a ring girl and two unknown fighters that gave a quick sparring demonstration before they finally got down to the nitty gritty of the financial details.

"I like the business model," said Dragon Robert Herjavec, head of the Herjavec Group. "I'm struggling with how do I put a value on your business today. The business is really you guys putting on events. There's really no assets besides the cage and stuff." Herjavec eventually valued the pomontion between $250,000 and $400,000.

Herjavec offered AFC co-owners Jason Heit and Darren Owen $55,000 for 40 per cent of the business but Owen was unwilling to give that much of his company. Jim Treliving, chairman of Boston Pizza International and Global Entertainment Corporation, then offered $55,000 for 25 per cent, offering up his U.S. contacts for the business. And Herjavec revised his bid for an additional five per cent for $25,000 if they took Treliving's offer.

"Take the deal. It puts you on the map," said Herjavec and that was the deal Heit and Owen eventually agreed on giving up %30 of their company for an $80,000 investment.

An interesting way for a small regional promotion to gain not only the financial push from a large conglomerate but a good amount of exposure through a nationally broadcast show that is quite popular in Canada.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Royce Gracie returns to fight at UFC Rio?

Major responsible for the UFC success back in 1993, MMA legend Royce Gracie is one step closer to make his UFC return. The fighter, who told TATAME TV at UFC Rio press conference that he was “negotiating” with the event, appeared on UFC official website’s middleweight rooster.

Royce, 44, made his last UFC fight as a welterweight, suffering his only loss in the octagon in the hands of UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes, at UFC 60. And after that, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu wizard avenged his loss to Kazushi Sakuraba, by unanimous decision, a K-1 Dynamite, in 2007.

Will the Gracie make his UFC return at Rio de Janeiro?

 

[Shogun Locc]

Woirin talks “slightest detail” that helped Henderson beat Feijão

Daniel Woirin was, for a long time, the responsible for the Muay Thai trainings of Anderson Silva. Meanwhile, the coach also has sharpened the striking game of tough guys from Rio de Janeiro, like Rafael “Feijão” Cavalcante. On his way to America, Woirin has been invited to train Dan Henderson. But then there was no way he could predict that, months later, Henderson would earn a title shot against Rafael on Strikeforce.

With a win by knockout and a belt on his waist, Henderson partied on the United States, and the French talked to TATAME about how the “extra knowledge” affected the outcome of the fight, after the trainings with Rafael in Rio. “It helped a lot… On this level, a slightest detail can make the difference”, tells Woirin, revealing that he was surprised by Henderson’s reaction after being knocked down on the first round. “He felt (the power of Feijão’s hand), but he quickly recovered… It was impressive”, compliments, on the chat below, on which he betted that Henderson will remain on the top, even if he fights Fedor Emelianenko next.

What did you thought about the fight? Was it like you were expecting?

I thought the fight was good and tight, after all it takes two guys to put up a hell of a fight. Henderson is an excellent fighter and did everything right, he didn’t leave any space for Rafael, he worked well on the medium distance and controlled the clinch. The KO was a consequence.

Feijão knocked him down on the first round. Did Henderson felt the weight of his hand?

Yeah, he did, but he quickly recovered… It was impressive.

How was your work with Henderson? Did you prepare him for Feijao Muay Thai skills?

Actually, it was a teamwork, Gustavo Pugliese on boxing, Ricardo Feliciano on Jiu-Jitsu a Haths Sims’, and of course a good conditioning work, and we can’t forget to mention the sparrings, that helped him a lot for this bout. My Muay Thai preparation was more like a moving work, knowing e right distance, using the space wisely and knowing where he should be… And he did it pretty well.

You’ve trained Rafael in the past, when you lived in Brazil. Did it help you to prepare Henderson for him?

It helped a lot… On this level, a slightest detail can make the difference.

Some rumors are pointing on a possible clash between Henderson and the winner or Gerard Mousasi vs Mike Kyle, or maybe against Fedor Emelianenko. If you could pick one, who would you chose?

On this kind of competition we can’t pick an opponent to fight, you have to fight the one on our way. Henderson well trained can give anyone a tough fight. He has heavy hands, but that’s not all. He’s a truth warrior. He has a different style, but also a pretty efficient one.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Former WEC Champ Brown Recovering from Hand Surgery, Fatigue

Mike Thomas Brown hasn't exactly been himself lately.

The once-dominant WEC featherweight champion has lost four of his last six following a 10-fight winning streak that lasted three years. Most recently, the 35-year-old was bested by Brazilian submission wizard Rani Yahya at UFC “Fight for the Troops 2.” During the first round of the featherweight contest, Brown snapped the medial collateral ligament in his right hand.

“It was like having a rubber finger,” Brown told Sherdog.com of the injury. “If you touched it, it would bend completely the wrong way. There was nothing holding it together anymore. It was almost like a broken finger, but worse.”

The injury required surgery to reattach the ligament. But that was the easy part, according to Brown. Tougher is the task of mentally coping with his recent skid.

“I don't care about [the injury]. The fights are the tough part. We didn't even do an MRI. I just wanted to get it done,” said Brown. “I’ve got time off, and I need to think about stuff anyway. So cast me up and let me think about life for a couple of months, you know?”

That cast was removed just days ago, and with another month of rehab, Brown should be back to full-strength. But the hand injury does not represent all that stands in the way of the Maine native returning to his peak form. He must also overcome a phantom hindrance that first appeared prior to his bout with Diego Nunes at UFC 125.

“I’ve always been a monster in training, and I’m always in shape. It was an eight week camp, and about three weeks before the Nunes fight something was going on with my body where I started getting tired really quickly,” explained Brown. “I talked to my coaches, and all signs pointed to over-training. So I started slowing down early, and it still kept happening. So I just kind of chilled for the last three weeks of the camp. Of course I still trained, but I tried to [conserve my energy] a little bit.

“I didn't know how I was going to be in the fight, but about four minutes in, my body shut down -- all lactic acid. I wasn't just tired. My body wouldn't function,” said Brown. “I wanted to throw up and die, and a minute-long rest wasn't going to help me. I needed a 30-minute nap, you know?”

That may sound like an exaggeration, but that's exactly what Brown did after the fight. He went backstage, lay down and slept for half an hour before returning to his hotel room. Though the fatigue was puzzling and the loss demoralizing, it would not take long for Brown to receive a shot at redemption.

“So, [after the Nunes fight], I’m bummed. I’m depressed. Then three or four days later, [UFC matchmaker] Sean Shelby calls me and asks me if I’m injured,” said Brown, who would accept a fight with Yahya on just three weeks' notice. “I’m mentally hurt, and I didn't know what caused it. Maybe it was just over-training. [So I told Shelby] I was in shape, because I wanted to erase the memory [of the Nunes loss].”

Instead, the same thing happened at Fight Night 23, and Brown was even more baffled by the fatigue than the first time. Going through only light training leading up to the Jan. 22 contest, the American Top Team standout asserts that he even held back during the first round of the fight.

“Going into the fight, I knew Rani was notorious for getting tired, and I’m not. So I’m not going to worry. I’m going to relax,” said Brown. “I was going almost half speed, and he got inside and started working. Then out of nowhere, the same deal. The bell rang, and I went back to my corner. I said, 'How the hell am I getting exhausted? My muscles are screaming for oxygen, and I’m not even trying.’”

According to the former champion, he is now consulting with several physicians in an effort to uncover what has been plaguing his performance. Though Brown did not disclose details regarding potential diagnoses, the fighter did divulge that his resting heart rate was discovered to be “a little too high.” One thing that Brown is convinced of is that the problem is likely physical and not mental.

“I thought that maybe I was anxious in my first time back in the UFC. Maybe it was somehow mental and anxiety-related. But then in the second fight, I had no nerves. I had just fought three weeks [prior]. I was so confident that there was no way that I could lose [that fight],” said Brown. “If only the Nunes fight had happened, then I would think maybe it was 50-50 between something physical and something mental. But it happened twice in a row, and they were totally different types of fights.”

As for his future in the cage, the one-time champion says he wants to take at least six months off to reevaluate and revamp his training before returning to competition. His recent setbacks have made an impression on the hard-punching wrestler. When asked about how it felt to go from perceived as nearly invincible to falling out of the top 10 rankings inside of 15 months, Brown spoke from his heart.

“Man, you don't know how f---ing much my heart is broken. My heart is busted up,” said Brown. “I'm doing everything different. For years, I was doing everything wrong, and it was working. In late 2007, I stopped my strength and conditioning [training] and just started sparring and grappling a lot. And then I went on a tear and didn't lose. Now, it's time to make some changes. I think I’m a better fighter as the bigger, stronger, throw-a-guy-around type of style, and I’m going to get back to that.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Chandler Sees Bellator Quarterfinal as ‘Coming Out Party’

What Michael Chandler (Pictured) lacks in terms of in-cage experience -- less than six rounds -- he seems to make up for with confidence.

The unbeaten prospect will lock horns with Polish prodigy Marcin Held in the Bellator Fighting Championships Season 4 lightweight tournament quarterfinals at Bellator 36 on Saturday at the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, La. Opportunity has knocked, and Chandler plans to answer -- boldly.

“This is my big coming out party,” he said. “I want to win this tournament more than anybody else, and I have the ability to win this tournament more than anybody else. People are going to see that on Saturday night.”

An Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts representative, Chandler wrestled collegiately at the University of Missouri, where he teamed with current Strikeforce welterweight contender Tyron Woodley and 2008 Olympian Ben Askren. The 24-year-old spent time at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif., before he put down roots at Xtreme Couture. A Missouri native, Chandler has opened his professional mixed martial arts career with five consecutive victories, all of them finishes. He has not competed since October, when he submitted Chris Page with a first-round guillotine choke at Bellator 32 in Kansas City, Mo. Chandler ended it in just 57 seconds.

Held could provide a much sterner test.

“I’m coming out in this fight with Held to send a direct message to anyone else I might be fighting in the future,” Chandler said. “I’m planning on going out there and putting on a completely dominant performance in front of hundreds of thousands of fans on [television]. People are going to know that I’m the real deal.”

Held, who turned 19 in January, has won-back-to-back fights. He last appeared under the Infinite Fighting Federation banner in October, when he submitted Bojan Kosednar with a second-round kneebar at the Centrum Arena in Dabrowa Gornicza, Poland. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt, Held has delivered eight of his 10 career victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission. He made his professional debut in 2008 at the age of 16, winning his first eight bouts.

Chandler aims to dictate where the fight takes place.

“If I decide to take the fight to the ground, that’s where I’m going to take it,” he said. “But at the same time, I will have the option to keep the fight standing, because I truly feel like I’m better than Marcin in all aspects of the sport.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC's Yuri Alcantra dropping to featherweight, training with Lyoto Machida

He got off to a great start, and now he's just waiting for the call.

Brazilian prospect Yuri Alcantra (25-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is dropping to the featherweight class in anticipation of his UFC debut, manager Wallid Ismail today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

Alcantra brought his current win streak to 11 when he notched a first-round knockout of Ricardo Lamas this past December at the WEC's final event, WEC 53.

Ismail said Alcantra had to pack on pounds to get to the 154.5-pound mark for the event's weigh-ins and usually walks around closer to the featherweight limit of 145 pounds.

That begs the question of whether Alcantra is better suited to the bantamweight class with fighters frequently cutting between 15-20 pounds to compete in the chosen division. But Ismail said his fighter will do just fine at his walk-around weight.

Alcantra also recently has stepped up his training by taking residence with former light-heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida in Belem, Brazil. Alcantra originally hails from Marajo, an island located at the mouth of the Amazon river in the Brazilian rainforest.

Until the age of 13, Alcantra lived on a farm without running water or electricity. He found jiu jitsu as a teenager and eventually joined up with the Pattaya Fight team. As a pro, he racked up two dozen victories on the Brazilian circuit and earned his WEC contract by winning the Jungle Fight lightweight title.

Ismail hopes to get Alcantra a fight as soon as April, though with the UFC's current schedule, it likely will come later in the spring or summer.

"He's a phenomenon," Ismail said. "He's going to go for the title. He respects everybody, but in his mind, he wants to go all the way."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Despite surprising matchup, UFC 128's Miller happy to stay busy while chasing title

With six-straight octagon victories, AMA Fight Club's Jim Miller (19-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) has earned himself an enviable position in the UFC's increasingly cloudy lightweight title picture.

But Miller's supporters must certainly have been a little confused when UFC brass paired the New Jersey native with WEC import Kamal Shalorus (7-0-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC), rather than a top contender, for a main-card matchup at next week's UFC 128 event.

Miller admits he was initially disappointed, as well. But after further consideration, Miller now believes the Iranian wrestler will provide a suitable next test on his path to the lightweight championship.

"I would have liked one of the guys who's cemented themselves as a top lightweight in the UFC," Miller told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). "But Kamal is undefeated and has some good wins and had some good fights in the WEC."

Some MMA pundits suggested Miller should have been paired up with Australian submission ace George Sotiropoulos. But after Sotiropoulos' recent upset loss at UFC 127 to German striker Dennis Siver, Miller realized he made the right decision by agreeing to fight Shalorus.

"[Sotiropoulos] had a fight, and now he lost," Miller said. "If I had waited until the other day, and then he loses, then what?"

It's a position Miller may soon find himself in again. A win over Shalorus would run Miller's record to 9-1, and his lone career losses have come to current UFC champion Frankie Edgar and top contender Gray Maynard. Those two fighters meet for a third time at May's UFC 130 event, and Miller admits he'd like the opportunity to avenge either of his career defeats.

But the WEC's final champion, Anthony Pettis, faces Clay Guida in June, and "Showtime" would likely get first crack at Edgar-Maynard winner should he prove victorious over "The Carpenter."

Miller said the decision to fight again or wait for a title shot would be a simple one. After all, fighting is what he does.

"I'm a fighter because I love to fight," Miller said. "If they offer something up, I'm going to do what I've done every other time and that's accept the fight. If the UFC wants me to fight somebody, I fight them.

"With a win here, and if Pettis wins, then it's going to be a long time before I would even get to fight for the title. If they decided they wanted me to sit out, or if I decided I want to sit out, it probably wouldn't be until the end of the year. That's not very fun. I don't really like a long layoff. Then I end up getting lazy for a little bit and then you have to bust your ass to get back in shape. That makes things difficult. I'd rather just stay in the gym."

Of course, Miller's 2011 plans are all contingent on a UFC 128 win. And while he's more than a two-to-one favorite according to most oddsmakers, Miller said he's not looking past an opponent with proven international wrestling credentials.

"He's a tough guy; he really is," Miller said. "He's got great wrestling. Someone who's wrestled that long, they're going to be strong. They have to be. To get as far in the wrestling world as he did, he's going to be tough to take down, tough to move around.

"I think he's a tough matchup for me. If you look on paper, the two guys that beat me were better wrestlers than me. I'm not looking past him, and I'm definitely not taking him lightly."

That said, Miller believes his own well-rounded approach to the sport will prove superior in the cage.

"I think I have an advantage in striking, and I feel I have an advantage on the mat," Miller said. "Like every other fight I'm in, I'm trying to implement my gameplan and try to push the pace and make him get sloppy, make him make mistake and then capitalize on it."

And if he delivers on that plan, Miller will have precious few obstacles between himself and his ultimate goal.

"The key word is win the world title, not just fight for it," Miller said. "If I'm putting in the work to get up there, I'm going to win it.

"I have a profound amount of respect for both Frankie and Gray. I would definitely bust my ass for a chance to avenge one of those losses."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Strikeforce Challengers 15 adds Terry-Heun, Douglas-Phillips to main card

A pair of bouts has been added to next month's Strikeforce Challengers 15 event and completes the night's Showtime-televised main card.

Officials today announced the additions: lightweights James Terry (9-2 MMA, 4-1 SF) vs. Conor Heun (8-4 MMA, 1-2 SF) and welterweights Damian Douglas (3-1 MMA, 0-0 SF) vs. Wayne Phillips (5-3 MMA, 2-0 SF).

Strikeforce Challengers 15 takes place April 1 at Stockton Arena in Stockton, Calif., with a Justin Wilcox (10-3 MMA, 4-1 SF) vs. Rodrigo Damm (9-4 MMA, 0-1 SF) lightweight headliner.

The event marks Strikeforce's first-ever fight card in Stockton, the hometown of the promotion's current welterweight champion, Nick Diaz.

Terry quietly makes his sixth straight Strikeforce appearance and looks for his fifth win in the organization. Past victories have come over Zak Buzia (twice), David Marshall and Lucas Gomez, all of which came in "Arena Series" events. His lone loss in the promotion came to standout Tarec Saffiedine in early 2010.

Heun, a former IFL and EliteXC fighter, looks to snap a two-fight losing streak. The losses, both of which came under the Strikeforce banner, were delivered via decision by notables Jorge Gurgel (unanimous) and K.J. Noons (split). In fact, all of Heun's career losses have come via decision, three via split decision (including early-career losses to Brett Cooper and L.C. Davis).

"I'm looking forward to a good, hard fight against Conor, who has solid experience against top guys," Terry stated. "This is a big step up, but these are the kinds of fights I want. I appreciate the opportunity I am getting. I'll be ready."

Douglas, the identical twin of fellow Strikeforce fighter David Douglas (who takes on Caros Fodor in a previously announced Strikeforce Challengers 15 main-card bout), fights for the first time since his submission victory over Joe Schilling at a 2008 EliteXC event. Like his previous two wins, it came via first round stoppage.

Phillips recently snapped a three-fight skid with a submission upset of highly touted Eric Lawson (Strikeforce Challengers 6) and a split-decision victory over Fernando Bettega (at December's "Strikeforce: Babalu vs. Henderson II" event).

 

[Shogun Locc]

Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Anthony Perosh targeted for UFC 131 in Vancouver

A light-heavyweight matchup between Krzysztof Soszynski (25-11-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC) and Anthony Perosh (11-6 MMA, 1-3 UFC) is targeted for UFC 131.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today learned of the impending fight from sources close to the event, who said verbal agreements are in place with paperwork on the way.

Although not officially announced, UFC 131 is expected to take place June 11 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. A heavyweight title eliminator between "The Ultimate Fighter 13" coaches Brock Lesnar and Junior Dos Santos headlines the night's pay-per-view main card.

It's not clear if Soszynski vs. Perosh will be part of the main card or possibly broadcast or streamed as part of a preliminary-card special.

Soszynski is back at it after undergoing surgery for meniscus tears in both knees, as well as a deviated septum. He most recently appeared this past November at UFC 122, where he bested Goran Reljic by unanimous decision. The win put him back on the right foot after Stephan Bonnar stopped him by second-round TKO at UFC 116 (though he and Bonnar were awarded an extra $75,000 each for "Fight of the Night" honors). That fight was a rematch from a meeting at UFC 110 that ended when doctors ruled Bonnar unable to continue in the third round due to a nasty cut.

Soszynski since has campaigned for a rubber match with the runner-up of "The Ultimate Fighter 1," but it looks like that Bonnar trilogy fight will have to wait for now.

Perosh recently dropped to light heavyweight and picked up his first UFC win in four octagon appearances when he submitted Wolfslair fighter Tom Blackledge in front of a hometown crowd at UFC 127. The win was under considerably better circumstances than his previous appearance, a short-notice fight at UFC 110 against heavyweight Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic that was stopped after the second round when doctors ruled him unable to continue.

The Sydney native's first two UFC fights didn't go so well, either. He was stopped by Jeff Monson at UFC 61 and bested on points by Christian Wellisch at UFC 66.

Perosh is undoubtedly looking to build on his recent momentum with a win over "The Polish Experiment."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Tatsuya Kawajiri Twitter
CRUSHER_MMA

Thank you worry. It is safe for me and my family and friends. However this earthquake is stronger then Melendez.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Kheder Allegedly Bolts from Bellator Weigh-Ins; Shockley In

Bellator fans, Ferrid Kheder has left the building.

According to a source close to the promotion, Kheder checked in at the Bellator 36 weigh-ins on Friday and then left while the undercard competitors were hitting the scales. Sherdog.com confirmed news of alleged Kheder's departure after MMA Junkie initially reported on the matter.

When it came time for the lightweight tournament competitor to stand and deliver, he was allegedly nowhere to be found. The official announcement during the live stream of the weigh-in was that the fighter was talking with commission officials and would step on the scale after the stream went off the air.

That plan apparently went out the window, as one member of the Bellator staff actually chased after Kheder when it was realized that he had exited the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium. Calls from the promotion to the lightweight's phone allegedly went unanswered.

An Olympian in judo at the 2000 Beijing games, Kheder has found himself mired in controversy in the last several months. Prior to today's alleged incident, Kheder was the source of much criticism following a contentious decision victory over UFC veteran Hermes Franca in December. After Kheder was declared the victor in a bout that most felt he lost, the decision was eventually changed to a no-contest.

Stepping up to replace Kheder in the tournament will be undefeated Hoosier Josh Shockley. Originally scheduled to face Kelvin Hackney, Shockley now receives a significant bump in competition, as the lightweight will square off with two-time tournament finalist Toby Imada in Saturday night's quarterfinals.

The rest of the lightweight tournament competitors weighed in without issue on Friday. The winner of the eight-man tournament will receive $100,000 in total pay and a shot at Eddie Alvarez's lightweight title.

Bellator 36 will air on MTV2 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Bellator 36
Saturday, March 12
Shreveport Municipal Auditorium
Shreveport, La.

“Razor” Rob McCullough (155.8) vs. Patricky “Pitbull” Freire (155.2)
Josh Shockley (XXX) vs. Toby Imada (155.8)
Carey Vanier (155.2) vs. Lloyd Woodard (155.4)
Marcin Held (155.2) vs. Michael Chandler (156)
Chad Leonhardt (185.6) vs. Kelly Leo (185.2)
Matt Hunt (150.2) vs. Kevin Aguilar (145)
Javon Duhon (149.4) vs. Booker Arthur (144.6)

Undercard fighters Hackney, Duhon and Hunt missed weight. The bouts will continue as catchweight contests.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Manager optimistic on Royce Gracie's UFC return, negotiations ongoing

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has given fans a voice in deciding who fights at "UFC: Rio," and the promotion has offered 33 Brazilians to choose from.

No. 34 could be a lock.

Three-time UFC tournament champion and UFC Hall of Famer Royce Gracie (14-3-3 MMA, 11-1-2 UFC) is in continuing negotiations with the promotion to appear in a retirement fight at the Brazilian event, which is expected to take place Aug. 27 at HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro.

Mike Kogan, the U.S. representative for the Japan-based Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG) and Gracie's longtime manager, today informed MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) of the news.

Although negotiations are far from over, Kogan said he and Gracie are talking directly with UFC president Dana White and UFC executive Lorenzo Fertitta about the prospect of bringing the 44-year-old MMA legend back into the octagon one last name against a specific – but undisclosed – opponent.

"I think we're going to make a deal," Kogan said. "We have plenty of time, so there's really no problems. It's just a matter of getting it nailed down."

The manager said his client has talked of a retirement fight for the past year and felt "UFC: Rio" was a natural fit. He said the potential fight could take place at welterweight, middleweight, or a catchweight between the two divisions.

"I think it will create a lot of interest and a lot of [expletive]-talking," Kogan said of the proposed fight. "But that happens with everything Royce has done."

White did not immediately respond when contacted by MMAjunkie.com for comment.

Gracie hasn't fought professionally since June 2007 when he fought fellow legend Kazushi Sakuraba at K-1 Dynamite!! USA in a rematch of an epic, no time-limits bout in the finals of the 2000 PRIDE grand prix. He won by unanimous decision, but the result was later marred by a positive test for steroids and subsequent suspension and fine.

That performance came one year after he returned to the UFC for the first time in 11 years to fight then-welterweight champion Matt Hughes in a non-title fight at UFC 60. Hughes dominated Gracie en route to a first-round TKO victory.

Subsequent talk from Gracie of a return to fighting has often been met by a tepid response from fans and observers who think the sport has passed him by since he dominated in the early days of the sport.

But Kogan believes those doubters are part of what will propel a successful return to the cage, whether Gracie wins or loses.

"Bottom line is this: Gracie came back and fought in the United States at UFC 60 for the first time since 1995, and he drew 650,000 pay-per-view [buys] – at the time the highest number," he said. "That's all I care about. You have your keyboard warriors; you have your white belts and blue belts who know everything that nobody else knows. They want to talk [expletive].

"It's part of being a star. We accept that, and we're very happy with it. There's no bad fan. Any fan is a good fan, so long as you can draw emotion out of them. And as long as they buy a ticket or buy a pay-per-view, I don't care what their intentions are, as far as the outcome of the fight is concerned."

That may or may not be a sentiment shared by the UFC. Kogan said Gracie will attend the UFC Expo during the weekend of UFC 129 in Toronto, and talks may or may not resume at that point.

"As of right now, we don't have a deal in place," he said. "The UFC might yank this fight altogether and be like, 'On second thought, we don't want to do it.' This is not a done deal. We're interested in fighting; we have talked about it a lot. Most of the basic terms are agreed upon. But we haven't signed."

Brazilian MMA fans can visit UFC.com's Portuguese-language website to vote on 12 fighters they think should compete at "UFC: Rio."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Shu Hirata and Bryan Hamper Join Suckerpunch Entertainment to Form New Management Supergroup

The age of the super camp in MMA has already happened.

From Jackson’s MMA to American Kickboxing Academy to Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and others, the best fighters in the world generally flock to some of the biggest camps to get prepare for fights.

It appears that the management side of MMA is starting to lean in that direction as well. Three notable managers have teamed up to try and provide a competitive edge in representation in the expanding sport of mixed martial arts.

Suckerpunch Entertainment, formed originally by Brian Butler, has expanded to add two more high profile managers in the MMA industry to form a sort of super agency, combining rosters as well, all under one banner.

In addition to Butler, Suckerpunch Entertainment now includes international MMA manager Shu Hirata and Bryan Hamper and their clients under one roof.

Butler believes this is just the next natural step in the evolution of the sport, and for the fighters to have more choices in representation.

“The sport’s growing drastically and we felt it was important to have management grow alongside the sport,” Butler said. “We see a lot of fighters not having confidence in their management. A lot of management companies are doing the best they can, but a lot of people are in the fighters’ ears, so I figured the best way to kind of give that confidence back to the fighters is to keep our reputation solid, but get together with people that I believe are good people in the industry and put us all under one roof.

“Bryan Hamper and Shu (Hirata) are two people in the industry I’ve become friends with and I’ve heard nothing but good things about them. I’ve seen nothing but good things about them.”

In MMA’s infancy, many fighters had managers that also doubled as their trainers, but as sponsorship has grown along with the sport, the atmosphere in the management world has changed as well.

Gone are the days where fighters are only represented by one or two clothing companies. The MMA world has gone global with expansion into new areas, while companies supporting the sport have grown as well.

The UFC added on major sponsors like Bud Light and Harley Davidson, while major brands like Gatorade, Under Armour, Alienware Computers, and Microsoft have featured MMA fighters along with their labels.

Hirata, who has been a mainstay in the international MMA scene representing fighters like Takeya Mizugaki, Dave Herman, and Roger Gracie, sees this as something that simply had to happen.

“The reason I decided to do this is because the sport has evolved so much, and I think management also needs to step up,” Hirata explained. “Actually better more professional sports management in MMA. Making it less about sponsorship and more about creating a life after fighting for the fighters as well. It’s beneficial for us to join because we’ll have a good roster between the three of us, and be able to form a better corporation.”

The roster of fighters under the new company obviously multiplies greatly, with all three of the leaders in the new management group taking an equal share in leading the team forward.

Hamper, who currently works with fighters like Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and Leonard Garcia, has worked in the MMA industry for years, and agrees with his new company mates in saying that forming a team like this was something not only good for their fighters, but necessary in the long run.

“The climate in the MMA industry, it just really supports this kind of move,” Hamper stated. “It will give us a greater roster, it will give us more leverage in the market place, so we’re going to be to do a lot more by sharing and leveraging each other’s resources.”

With other major sports like football and baseball having strong unions to represent their athletes, in MMA the fighters rely almost solely on their managers to negotiate deals with promotions and sponsors. In the MMA world, the manager really does become the backbone for an athlete’s career for the now and for the later.

Butler feels that putting together a team like this will help them expand as well as represent their fighters in an ethical way.

“We’re going to bring solid ethics to a business that quite honestly there’s a lot of shady practices going on, and I don’t think you’ll ever hear a bad word about Suckerpunch. I’ve never heard anything bad about Bryan or Shu, so I’m excited to see how far we can take this,” Butler said.

The fighters under the new company have already embraced the idea of more people helping to build and expand the brand and also combine resources to make sure all of them are getting the best deals possible.

UFC lightweight Bart Palaszewski has worked with Suckerpunch for years, but the new direction the company is taking has him excited for the future.

“I am so fortunate to be one of the original fighters signed with Suckerpunch. The sport needed an honest management company that goes above and beyond for the fighter,” said Palaszewski.

Former UFC and WEC fighter Jeff Curran echoed those sentiments as well as UFC heavyweight Pat Barry.

“Pairing with two of the other forces in the management world of MMA, I think the sky is the limit for all of us,” Curran said. “It should really let all fighters know they have the best in the business taking care of them.”

“All the training and performing aren’t enough. Suckerpunch is the gun to our bullet,” Barry commented. “It allows us to be seen, to be known, to let the world know who we are and what we are! We can be great but if Suckerpunch don’t shoot us where we need to be, we wouldn’t get there.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Mark Munoz Draws Demian Maia at UFC 131 in Vancouver

No rest for the weary when it comes to UFC matchmaking.

Fresh off the heels of his first round knockout of C.B. Dollaway, Mark Munoz has already been lined up for his next fight as he faces Demian Maia in a middleweight bout at UFC 131 in Vancouver.

Sources close to the bout confirmed the booking with MMAWeekly.com on Friday. MMAMania.com first reported the bout.

Munoz (10-2) has won his last two bouts in a row and is 5-1 overall since dropping down to 185lbs. The former NCAA champion also took time to open his own gym, the Reign Training Center, and has found a new comfort level in the middleweight division.

After facing two equally strong wrestlers in his last two fights, now Munoz gets a grappler to the highest pedigree in the sport.

Demian Maia (14-2) is known throughout the world as one of the most dangerous jiu-jitsu artists in the sport. Maia is also on a two fight win streak picking up victories over Kendall Grove and Mario Miranda.

The middleweight clash will likely make the televised broadcast for the UFC 131 show going down in Vancouver, headlined by Brock Lesnar facing Junior Dos Santos in the main event.

 

[Shogun Locc]