MMA News Thread

[heyzel]

Who's No. 2 at 205?

March 12, 2008
by Ben Zeidler ([email protected])

All too often, being No. 2 in the world just doesn't cut it. Go ahead and ask John Kerry or the New England Patriots, two recent examples that second place is really just the first loser.

In MMA, however, where the No. 1 light heavyweight spot has been defiantly claimed by a howling, chained figure called Rampage, second best will have to do.

MMA debates can rage on for decades -- just ask an old timer: Gracie or Sakuraba? -- and so it only makes sense that with a clear No. 1, the discussion of No. 2 begins. For the fighters, this isn't a discussion of second best (they all think they're the best) as much as it is a discussion of who's in line for the next title shot. With Quinton Jackson (Pictures) the undeniable top 205 pounder in the world, let's take a look at the potential candidates, in no particular order, for No. 2.

Forrest Griffin (Pictures)

Why he's not No. 1: He has a bad loss to another potential contender (Keith Jardine (Pictures)) and a valiant loss to the UFC's gatekeeper (Tito Ortiz (Pictures)). Griffin also lacks the résumé of other fighters like Chuck Liddell (Pictures) and Mauricio Rua (Pictures) who have beaten the best in the biz on multiple occasions.

Why he's No. 2: Where to start? Forrest's scintillating win over Mauricio Rua (Pictures) catapulted him into title contention, but he owned the fans' love way before that. It started with his groundbreaking fight with Stephan Bonnar (Pictures), during which ratings actually increased due to fans calling their friends and imploring them to tune in. The popularity continued with his fight against Tito, which even though he lost, ended up being a fight of the year candidate. The win over Rua, then ranked by many as the top 205 pounder in the world, just solidified what his fans already knew. The UFC also gave him a vote of confidence as the No. 2 with a title shot against Jackson.

Verdict: With a win over Quinton Jackson (Pictures), Griffin is No. 1, no questions asked. However, a loss probably pushes him toward the tail end of the top 10, where he resided prior to the Rua shocker. A discussion of Griffin as No. 2 isn't really worth the time.

Lyoto Machida (Pictures)

Why he's not No. 1: Other than Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (Pictures), Machida hasn't beaten any UFC stars during his time with the company. Before that big win at UFC 79, all of his victories came via unanimous decision, which just won't cut it when Joe Silva has a roster of 200-plus fighters to balance. Additionally, the majority of Machida's fights have not been featured on the televised card, meaning that the mainstream fan has little idea who or what Machida is.

Why he's No. 2: Before his 4-0 stint in the UFC, Lyoto beat both Rich Franklin (Pictures) and B.J. Penn (Pictures) -- fighters who would go on to be two of the most successful in the company during its expansion. Back to that Sokoudjou fight: The African judo champ came into the bout as one of the most celebrated free agent signings in years. He had steamrolled two Pride favorites, and those who knew little about Machida expected him to suffer the same fate against Sokoudjou. Instead, Machida's methodical style downright embarrassed the Team Quest prodigy. Need more evidence? Machida is undefeated in his career, which dates back nearly five years.

Verdict: Machida is very good (my current No. 2), but a fight against Ortiz might be more to embarrass Tito than to raise Machida. Don't get me wrong: Tito is a quality opponent, but he's not the caliber of fighter Jardine is taking on. Even with a good win over Tito, Machida could be lapped by a fighter with a more impressive win.

Keith Jardine (Pictures)

Why he's not No. 1: For a guy with an endless upside (an unorthodox style and a proclivity for finishing fights), Jardine's shortcomings can be summed in one, unfortunate fight: an astounding first-minute knockout loss at the hands of Houston Alexander (Pictures). It wouldn't have been so bad if Alexander didn't get knocked out a few events later. Rather than putting Jardine on the wrong end of a new star, he simply appeared to be the victim of a good, not great Alexander.

Why he's No. 2: He has wins over two of the other potential snake eyes, Chuck Liddell (Pictures) and Forrest Griffin (Pictures). The victories were different in style but similar in importance. Against Liddell, more recently, Jardine used his kicks to disrupt Liddell's plan and maintain distance. In the Griffin fight, Jardine was simply the hungrier fighter, connecting on devastating combinations early and often. An upcoming win against legend Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) at UFC 84 would all but cement Jardine in that second spot, even if Machida is able to outlast Tito Ortiz (Pictures).

Verdict: Keith Jardine (Pictures) can easily lay claim to the No. 2 spot by defeating Silva, which would represent a personal sweep of two of the most popular MMA fighters of all time.

Chuck Liddell (Pictures)

Why he's not No. 1: Despite being the most popular fighter in the history of the UFC, Liddell is an uncharacteristic 1-2 in his last three fights, including a loss to Jardine (a fight he "should have won"). He's looked a little blank too, missing that air of confidence he easily displayed during his incredible seven-fight win streak.

Why he's No. 2: He has two wins against Tito Ortiz (Pictures) and Randy Couture (Pictures) (each!). Not enough to convince you? Liddell looked like his old self as he pounded away at the favorite, Wanderlei Silva (Pictures), during their UFC 79 fight. Nearly knocking out Wandy on multiple occasions, Liddell showed no fear as he pecked away for 15 straight minutes.

Verdict: Even an impressive knockout over Rashad Evans (Pictures) in their June 7 bout won't be enough for Liddell to challenge Jardine at that second spot. Evans represents a top-10 opponent, but he's no Shogun. A win would be Liddell's second impressive victory in a row, but the sheer fact that he holds a loss to Jardine would probably hurt him enough in the voter's eyes to keep him at third.

Mauricio Rua (Pictures)

Why he's not No. 1: A HUGE loss to Forrest Griffin (Pictures). No knock on Griffin -- the loss itself isn't that troubling. The problem for Rua lies in what the loss meant. The UFC booked him in the fight as a tune-up before an obvious title shot against Rampage. With Henderson just having been defeated and Wanderlei not yet ready to fight, the UFC expected to pit Rua against its newly crowned king. Griffin disrupted all that, emphatically tacking a loss on Rua's record and throwing him off the title path. This week, Rua was also sidelined with his second serious knee injury in six months. How can a fighter claim to be in line for a title if he never fights?

Why he's No. 2: Just take a look at Rua's career before the Griffin loss. Rua holds wins against Jackson, Ricardo Arona (Pictures), Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (Pictures) and a host of others. With the exception of a freak elbow dislocation at Pride 31, Rua hadn't lost since September 2003. I dare you to find a more impressive résumé among the other contenders. Although his upcoming fight with Liddell has been temporarily cancelled, the UFC won't waste its opportunity to put Rua against a contender. And when the promotion does, Rua will have the option of continuing his slide down the power ladder or reclaiming his spot atop the leader board.

Verdict: Rua can do much to improve his failed UFC reputation with a win against a top opponent, but he'll have to wait to get his chance. By the time he puts the gloves on again, you can bet that one of the guys above will have made his definitive case in the title hunt.

 

[heyzel]

tito & jenna on the adam carolla show

http://adam.freefm.com/


The links are on the left side.

Decent Interview. One thing, he says he is fighting Machida still. Doesn't say he is injured or anything.

 

[heyzel]

Mark Hunt to Sign With DREAM

http://www.roguemag.com/index.php?op...=231&Itemid=86


Mark Hunt has had an interview with Rogue Magazine. In it he explains why he is taking the K-1 fight with Schilt and where his future is.

Seems the K-1 fight is a once of return to K-1, after that there will be MMA fights. Since K-1 and DREAM are closely related, DREAM will be his likely home. When asked about his first MMA fight, his answer was May 8. There is no DREAM event on that date... But there is one May 11. We have to wait and see what happens. Either way, Mark Hunt is on his way back to MMA!

 

[heyzel]

Matt Lindland Enters Oregon Political Race

Matt Lindlnd's resume is impressive: a 20-5 career MMA record, former UFC middleweight contender, International Fight League coach, Olympic silver medalist, two-time Pan-American champion.

However, the 37-year-old Northwest-based fighter could add an all-together-different gig to his list of accomplishments: Oregon state represenative.

Lindland has entered the Oregon political race, filing on Tuesday's deadline day, for a State House of Representatives seat, according to a report from the Associated Press.

The 11-year professional MMA fighter is running for the House seat vacated by retiring Rep. Patti Smith in District 52, which includes rural portions of Clackamas and Multnomah counties, and all of Hood River County in Oregon. Lindland is hoping to become the Republican nominee for the seat.

Lindland, who was born and still lives in Oregon, attended junior college in the state (and won a junior national championship) before finishing his collegiate wrestling career at the University of Nebraska.

Lindland is familiar with at least one part of the state's political process: he was a key player in the effort to legalize MMA in Oregon. After becoming the state's first licensed promoter, he introduced professional MMA (via his Sportfight organization) to the state in February of 2004.

According to the AP report, Lindland recently signed a fight deal with Affliction, the popular clothing line that's expected to launch its own fight organization in June. Lindland reportedly inked a three-fight deal with the company.

Lindland hasn't fought professionally since an April 2007 loss to heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko. It was just his second loss in his past 11 fights

 

[heyzel]

WEC's Marshall Training Intensely, Hoping for California Fight

by John Morgan [john-morgan] on Mar 12, 2008 at 9:41 am in - News -
As WEC light heavyweight champion Doug "The Rhino" Marshall (7-2) prepares for his March 26 title defense against undefeated U.S. Marine Brian "All American" Stann (5-0), he is pushing his training to newfound levels of intensity.

The 31-year-old title-holder discussed his fight preparations on Tuesday's edition of TAGG Radio (www.taggradio.com), a content-partner site of MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

"I train my ass off," Marshall said. "I'm actually headed to Fresno right now to Pacific Martial Arts to do my jiu-jitsu training. That will be for about two hours. Then right after that I go into Muay Thai and conditioning. And then I have a little layoff until 7:30 tonight, and then I'll train from 7:30 to 10:30 doing Muay Thai and conditioning again."

In total, Marshall's training routine totals more than six hours each day.

"It's not very fun; I'll tell you that right now," Marshall said. "I'm bitching and crying the whole way through it, but my coaches and guys get me through it."

Marshall, who has fought his entire career behind the gates of the WEC cage, forgoes most common cardio training techniques, relying instead on more MMA-specific drills to increase his stamina.

"I like to do a lot of free training in my jiu-jitsu, just going round after round after round getting my body used to that," Marshall said. "Then go rounds of takedowns. Then I've got the sprints, bag work, pad work, sparring -- just everything that's going to turn into actual fighting conditioning. I don't wake up at 5 in the morning and run seven miles or anything like that, but I definitely bust my ass."

The heavy-handed Marshall surprised many with a submission victory in his most recent fight -- with Ariel Gandulla (4-1) -- at December's WEC 31. Marshall will not change his usual strategy, however, when facing Stann.

"Well, I'm always looking for the knockout," Marshall said. "Any fighter is always looking for the best way to finish... I'm always training my ground, always training my stand-up, always trying to keep myself in good cardio condition. It just happened to work out that way (with Gandulla). I guess he thought I didn't know any ground, any submissions."

After the fight with Stann, California native Marshall hopes to schedule a bout on the rumored June 1 WEC card, believed to be held in Sacramento, Calif.

"I did hear (the WEC) were going to move (the shows), you know, bounce it around a little bit," Marshall said. "They did that one in Albuquerque for Carlos Condit. They were going to do one in Sacramento for Urijah. It would be great to fight here in California. That's not that far away from my hometown. I'm right in the arm pit of California basically here in the Central Valley. So it would be about a four-hour drive for all of my people to come up there and see me fight. I think it would be great

 

[heyzel]

Carmelo Marrero to make his IFL debut on April

Former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight competitor Carmelo Marrero is scheduled to make his IFL debut on April 4 at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J., the promotion announced Wednesday afternoon.

Marrero, whose most notable win was an upset split-decision victory over Cheick Kongo at UFC 64, will represent American Top Team in a light heavyweight bout against Mike Ciesnolevicz of Miletich Fighting Systems.

Also added to the card are IFL veteran Brad Blackburn and newcomer Nate Lamotte.

Blackburn will take on Delson Heleno in a welterweight bout while Lamotte is set to square off against lightweight competitor Chris Horodecki.

 

[heyzel]

Former NCAA Champ Muhammad Lawal joins Team Quest

Former NCAA Division II amateur wrestling champion Muhammad Lawal will pursue a full-time career in mixed martial arts and has decided to officially join Team Quest in Temecula, California.

The news was revealed earlier this morning via the official MySpace account of Dan Henderson.

According to the bulletin, Lawal will also be represented by Henderson’s Quest Sports Management, Inc. The 27-year old has been training with Team Quest for the past six months after relocating from the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Lawal is expected to compete in MMA as a middleweight and will likely be a sought-after prospect based on his amateur wrestling credentials. However, his MMA debut will have to wait as Lawal intends to represent the United States at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Bejing in freestyle wrestling as a 84 kg. competitor.

Lawal was a first place finisher at the Pan American Games in 2007 and will be a strong contender to medal in Bejing. A gold medal victory could lead to mainstream attention for Lawal and garner him a lucrative offer from a major MMA promotion

 

[heyzel]

Josh Koscheck responds to Diego Sanchez; calls out Matt Hu

Following his recent win over Dustin Hazelett at UFC 82 in Columbus, Ohio, welterweight contender Josh Koscheck officially became a free agent. FiveOuncesOfPain.com (www.FiveOuncesOfPain.com) was recently granted an opportunity to speak with Koscheck but when asked about his current contract status he made it clear that he has every intention of working out a new contract with the UFC.

During the course of the interview, Koscheck also renewed his campaign for a match against former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes while also taking the opportunity to respond to recent comments made about him by Diego Sanchez.

The transcript of our conversation with Koscheck is now available below.

Sam Caplan: Going into the fight you had said you hadn’t seen much of Dustin Hazelett. He got off to a fast start against you at UFC 82. What were your impressions of him coming out of that fight?

Josh Koscheck: Like I said, coming into the fight I didn’t know too much about Dustin Hazelet. The funny thing was that I spoke with Bob Cook (one of Koscheck’s trainers at the American Kickboxing Academy) right after the weigh-ins and Bob Cook told me there were interviews of Dustin on the Internet where he said he doesn’t have any striking and basically his only chance (to win) was to submit me from his back and that was his game plan. So I was like, “S—, maybe I’m going to standup with this guy and take advantage of it. So basically he had some good striking and he tried to pull a fast one on me (laughs). He came out bombing and threw a beautiful head kick and caught me flush. It was an exciting fight, I thought.

Sam Caplan: That was a pretty strong finish to the fight. Did you think it might contend for the “Knockout of the Night” award?

Josh Koscheck: Yeah, I thought so but it’s what it is. It would have been nice to have an extra 60 K in my pocket but the UFC has always been good to me so I’m not going to complain.

Sam Caplan: Our Adam Morgan asked you about your impending free agency status in an interview with us last week and while saying you didn’t want to comment on it, you described the situation as “tough times.” Was that an indication that you aren’t happy with the progress thus far in contract talks?

Josh Koscheck: No, I don’t think I ever said that but it’s what it is. My management and the UFC will deal with that. My job is to train, fight, do interviews, and have a good time. I just prefer to let my management handle that and that’s what I pay them for.

Sam Caplan: How much contact do you have with your management in regard to negotiations? Do you call then once a week, once a day, multiple times a day? How close are you to the talks?

Josh Koscheck: My manager, Bob Cook, I’m on the phone with him every day. When I’m in training camp I actually live with him. And I have Dwayne Zinkin, who is the president. When I’m in Fresno he’s almost like my father. He’s a good guy. I’m at his house every night. My girlfriend and his girlfriend are sisters. So we have a very close relationship and Zinkin Entertainment is one of the best management companies out there. We have Forrest Griffin, Chuck Liddell, Mike Swick, (and) Jon Fitch. They have like 50 fighters on top of some WWE wrestlers.

Sam Caplan: Does the UFC hold a right of first refusal in which they could opt to match a contract you might sign with a competing promotion

Josh Koscheck: Honestly I really don’t care to talk about the contract because that’s my manager’s job. You’re wasting your breath and mine so that’s what his job is. If my manager says “Hey, that’s the best deal,” then that’s the best deal. I believe him.

Sam Caplan: I’ve had a chance to interview you a few times now, and you seem like a very likable guy. However, you generate a lot of heat from live crowds. When you do interviews to promote a fight, do you ever deliberately do things just to sell a fight?

Josh Koscheck: Of course. It’s my job! My job is to get as many people as I can to watch that. It’s like this; the more ratings go up, the more people buy when I fight and that means I’ve done my job. It’s business relationship. When I signed with the UFC, I looked at it as a business relationship. My job is to train and show up and put on the best performance that I can but to also get as many people as I can to watch.

Ultimately the money comes back to me because the more people that watch and love me, hate me, and buy t-shirts from my website, the more people will support me. So it’s all about that but some things are true. You get pissed off fighters and you want to say things to get in there heads.

A lot of this is a business. You guys interview fighters and write stories and get people to go to your web page, that’s your business. My business is to get as many people as possible to watch my fight.

Sam Caplan: When people react negatively to something you say to help sell a fight do you feel that maybe they are taking things too seriously?

Josh Koscheck: People have opinions and it’s what it is. You can’t please everybody and make everyone love you. And you can’t make everybody happy. The way I look at is that as long as I’m doing my job and getting as many people as I can to watch the fight, then job well done. For me, I just focus on myself. I’m a very selfish person when it comes to me and I just try to do the things that make me happy and the things that I want to do.

Sam Caplan: It’s interesting that you mention being selfish because I know some fighters that watch every organization out there and try to keep tabs on as many fighters as possible. And then some fighters, for instance, a guy like Tito Ortiz, he’s just honest and says he’s only concerned about his career and that he’s so focused on advancing his career that he’s really not aware of what else is going on. Which category do you fall into?

Josh Koscheck: I fall into the Tito Ortiz category. To be honest with you, I try not to go to other fights unless I have a friend fighting. I don’t go to the UFC unless one of my friends are fighting. I’m worried about Josh Koscheck and that’s it. If I worry about what everybody else is doing then I’m going to lose sight of what’s important to me. And what’s important to me is getting in the gym every day and trying to become a better fighter. (My goal) is to become a more complete fighter and a more exciting fighter.

That’s my goal — to become a more exciting fighter so that I can get on that level of Chuck Liddell. He’s a superstar and hanging out with him I see the way the crowd and public responds to him. And that’s what I want. Not only is he an awesome person but he’s got a lot of money. He’s the number one guy in the sport and that’s the direction I want to go into.

Sam Caplan: And you mentioned that you try not to go to fights unless you or your friends are involved. Would it be safe to assume that you don’t follow competing promotions of the UFC’s?

Josh Koscheck: No, I don’t really care about the other promotions. I’m with the UFC and that’s the only one I really care about.

Sam Caplan: You’re a free agent but it sounds as though the UFC is the place where you want to be. With your win over Dustin Hazelett is there a specific direction within the UFC of where you want to go next?

Josh Koscheck: Yeah, definitely. I want to fight someone that’s on top that could possibly get me back into the title picture. Maybe a Matt Hughes? I think that would be a great fight for the fans and that would put me right back in line. That fight only makes sense. We’ve both lost to St. Pierre (so) why not give me that opportunity?

I don’t think it’s really fair that Matt Hughes wants to sit on the sideline and fight the loser of St. Pierre vs. Serra or just fight Matt Serra, it doesn’t make sense. What makes sense is a Josh Koscheck vs. Matt Hughes fight and then the winner of that gets right back in line.

Sam Caplan: There was a story in a recent print edition of the Wrestling Observer about Matt Hughes not wanting to be a gate-keeper, and thus not wanting to fight you at UFC 79. Do you feel in any way that Hughes might be concerned about you?

Josh Koscheck: In my opinion, yeah. Gate keeper? Obviously he doesn’t have much confidence in himself then. I think that fight makes sense right now. Maybe the UFC will step up and offer him the fight? I think it makes sense for the fans (and) I think it makes sense for the division. We’ve both lost to St. Pierre and what better way to get your career back on track than by beating me? It’s a good fight for him and it’s a good fight for me. The winner will be right back on track and one or two fights away from a title shot.

Sam Caplan: You’re a guy that has a tendency to draw some boos from the crowd but outside of the Midwest, Matt Hughes is definitely a guy who gets booed. How do you feel about Matt Hughes the person?

Josh Koscheck: I’ve hung out with Matt Hughes and we’re similar in a lot of ways. We both come from a wrestling background and we’re both kind of arrogant and cocky. I just think it would be a great fight.

I don’t think his game has evolved. He’s been in the sport for nine or ten years and I don’t think his game has evolved to where he’s become a complete fighter. I think he’s a one-dimensional fighter. If he can’t take you down, he’s going to have a hard time with you. I just think he’s definitely one of the best fighters ever in the UFC.

But the thing about being a gate keeper… It’s just like Randy Couture retiring and not giving (Antonio Rodrigo) Nogueira the opportunity to step in and fight. If he’s going to continue to fight, he’s got to fight somebody. So who is he going to fight? Georges St. Pierre again? I mean, honestly? He’s either got to step up and fight or retire; it’s one or the other.

Sam Caplan: So you think Matt Hughes’ standup game is a weakness?

Josh Koscheck: Oh yeah, definitely. I just don’t think his game has evolved. His standup hasn’t evolved to the level of where it needs to be. If he’s on his back I don’t think his back game in jiu-jitsu has evolved. He’s a good wrestler so he’s very good from the top but I just think his game hasn’t evolved to where it needs to be.

Sam Caplan: In a previous answer, you alluded to Randy Couture leaving the UFC while still heavyweight champion. Did you lose any respect for Couture based on his decision to leave the UFC while still the champ?

Josh Koscheck: I’ve always had respect for Randy Couture, especially how he came back at the age he did and beat Tim Sylvia. That was an amazing thing he did at his age. For me to clown on Randy Couture would be a mistake.

I think Randy Couture is a great champion. I think Randy Couture is a classy person. I think he’s well-respected in mixed martial arts and outside of mixed martial arts. Obviously Randy Couture had issues he needed to deal with and he probably based those decisions on him and his family.

I can’t really comment much on Randy Couture in making the right decision or the wrong decision but I just think that if he’s going to come back and fight then he needs to step up and possibly fight for the UFC and give Nogueira a chance if he’s going to continue to fight. But if he’s not going to continue to fight then he stays retired and he made the right decision for him and his family. That’s the most important thing; Randy making the right decision for himself and his family.

Sam Caplan: I know you are probably tired of talking about Diego Sanchez at this point but he’s made some new comments about you in the recent week. In an interview with MMAWeekly.com, he said the following:

“One that would be big for my heart and soul would be Josh Koscheck. The number one question that everyone always asks me is, ‘When are you going to kick that Josh Koscheck’s ass?’ So hopefully, maybe in June or July, we can go ahead and set that fight up.”

Is that a rematch that has any appeal to you?

Josh Koscheck: Obviously it has an appeal to me because the guy just hasn’t learned his lesson yet. The heart of the matter is that the guy wins one fight after two losses and he thinks he can call me out. Personally, I had to wait two years and be miserable knowing that I lost to that guy. So I’m going to make him think about it.

I’m going to make him think about it but that fight is going to happen again but it’s going to happen on my terms because I won the last one. Diego, I think he needs to win a couple more fights and I think he needs to improve his game because his game isn’t good yet. He’s one dimensional. He has no standup. All he can do is take you down and try to pound on you.

For Diego, his time is coming. He just hasn’t matured yet and hasn’t grown up but his time is coming. It’s what it is. But I’m in his head and I’ve probably been in his head for the last year. It’s probably one of the reasons why he lost to Jon Fitch. Jon Fitch is a much better fighter than him anyway, so it doesn’t matter but in all the interviews all he said was that he couldn’t wait to beat Jon Fitch and then avenge his loss to me. Obviously I’m in his head and it’s a good time. It’s a good time to be Josh Koscheck and having a win over Diego Sanchez, that’s for sure.

But there’s also this thing of everybody making excuses, “Oh, he had a staph infection” and this and that. You know, people get injured all the time. I’ve had my knee shot up almost almost every fight. You know what I mean? That’s a part of the sport. Deal with it and stop making excuses. Everybody is out there making excuses, “Oh, he had this and was sick” or “He had a staph infection.” Well, guess what? People get injured every fight. You know this last fight I had the worst training camp of my life. I was sick and I had a hurt back the whole time. And guess what? I still went out and performed, didn’t I? Yeah, exactly. So stop making excuses Diego and you’ll get your chance. I’m not running from you, that’s a guarantee. And I’m going to make you eat those words of wanting to fight me.

Sam Caplan: I know you might be kind of biased, but in your mind is there anyone more deserving of a welterweight title shot than Jon Fitch?

Josh Koscheck: There’s nobody more deserving of a title shot in the welterweight division. I’ve said this in several interviews; when me and Mike Swick were on the reality show, we were out there in the public eye becoming famous almost over night because of the reality show on the UFC. Jon Fitch was at our level but didn’t have any PR and wasn’t making the money we were making at the time. The poor kid was in the gym just training his ass off and look where he’s at now?

He’s truly self-made. Jon Fitch is a self-made UFC fighter. He’s put his time in. He put his dues in while we were on tours and getting the PR and getting the big sponsorships but Jon Fitch was in the gym sacrificing. Now it’s paying off for him and I’m really happy for Jon Fitch. Not only is he a training partner but he’s a good friend. He’s just a genuine person that really care about mixed martial arts and becoming a champion.

Sam Caplan: I interviewed Fitch recently and asked him about some of the top prospects at AKA. He mentioned a heavyweight by the name of Cain Velasquez. Fitch was pretty high on him, in fact. What do you think of him?

Josh Koscheck: You guys are going to see Cain Velasquez in April. He’s going to be a phenomenal. I believe right now that he can compete for the UFC heavyweight title. I’m the type of guy that doesn’t give much credit to other fighters. Like I said, I’m selfish and only care about myself (laughs). But this kid is a good kid and I think he can bring back the heavyweight division in the UFC.

Sam Caplan: Last question and I wanted to ask you about MAR Clothing. Frank Trigg has claimed that he’s the only fighter to own his own clothing line. Do you own a piece of MAR or are you just endorsing their line?

Josh Koscheck: No, I actually own the line. That’s kind of funny Frank Trigg says that because Tito Ortiz owns his own line to. I own MAR Clothing. It’s something I started three years ago. We’re just trying to work with fighters and just grow an image and get that logo out there as much as we possibly can.

We’re looking to potentially give back and sponsor up and coming fighters and UFC fighters. I work with Chuck Liddell. He’s on there. Forrest Griffin, a little bit. Jon Fitch, Mike Swick, and the newcomer Cain Velasaquez. You can pick up his shirt actually and it’s pretty bad ass. I actually wear Cain’s shirt pretty much all the time. It’s a fun thing and it keeps me busy when I’m not training or fighting.

Sam Caplan: How important are sponsors? I asked Joe Stevenson if he’d be able to train full-time without his sponsors and he laughed and said no way. What situation would you be in right now without sponsors?

Josh Koscheck: Well, I probably wouldn’t drive the Hummer that I’m driving and I probably wouldn’t have the house that I have, that’s for sure. I do very, very well with sponsors and I’m very thankful that I have awesome managers to get the sponsorships going. So I really appreciate all of my sponsors. You can check them all out at Kos MMA. I’d especially like to thank Sprawl Fight Shorts, they’ve definitely been a big supporter of me.

It would definitely be hard without the sponsors. Especially because I was in the Ultimate Fighter contract and everyone knows how those contracts work. It was great at the time and I had an awesome time doing it, but for me, without sponsors it definitely would have been hard


fiveouncesofpain

 

[heyzel]

Report: Anheuser-Busch Top Sports Marketer in 2007

MMAjunkie.com Staff [mmajunkie-staff] on Mar 12, 2008 at 1:13 pm in - News -
Just days after ProElite, Inc. announced a groundbreaking deal between EliteXC and CBS two weeks ago, Dana White countered with an announcement that the UFC had signed a deal with blue-chip sponsor Anheuser-Busch.

In the days after the announcement, White continually stated that the distiller was the largest marketer in all of sports. However, in the official press release touting the deal, UFC executives wouldn't go that far and instead said Anheuser-Busch was "one of the top marketers in all of sports."

As it turns out, White was correct all along.

According to Tuesday's edition of the SportsBusiness Journal (using data from Nielsen Monitor-Plus), Anheuser-Busch reclaimed the top spot as the world's largest sports marketer last year, having spent $218.2 million in 2007. That's $45 million more than Chevrolet, the second-largest sports marketer, according to the report.

In a pre-UFC 82 press conference, White announced that the deal would call for Bud Light to become the official beer of the UFC and WEC. Additional details of the deal can be found in the MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) archives. The sponsorship begins at UFC 84 in May, but financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

However, while Anheuser-Busch is now the world's largest sports marketer, that wasn't the case in 2006. Chevrolet actually edged out Anheuser-Busch in total spending -- $271 million to $252.5 million -- that year. However, Chevrolet dropped its spending in 2007 by 36.1 percent to just $172.3 million. Anheuser-Busch dropped its spending by just 13.6 percent to $218.2 million to reclaim the top spot.

Anheuser-Busch has actually been the largest sports marketer every year -- except 2006 -- since Nielsen Monitor-Plus began tracking the data in 1994. Chevrolet took the top spot in 2006 because of drastically increased spending on the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup.

The top 10 sports marketers in 2007 (and the amount of spending) include:

Anheuser-Busch, $218.2 million
Chevrolet, $173.2 million
AT&T Mobile, $172 million
Ford, $139.5 million
Verizon, $139.2 million
Spring-Nextel, $137.5 million
Toyota, $134.8 million
Nissan, $99.8 million
Coors, $89.5 million
DirecTV, $85.4 million

 

[Shogun Locc]

Assuério signs with HCF and trains with Samuray

With Pancrase’s heavyweight belt, Assuério Silva restarted his history at MMA after a bad time at UFC. With a signed contract with HCF, Assuério told TATAME in an exclusive interview about the event, his trains with Antonio Samuray, new Brazilian reinforcement at UFC, and promised a strong back to MMA. “Those people that believe that Assuério Silva is over are wrong… The opponents should get ready, I’m coming with everything”.

 

[Shogun Locc]

OH MAN THEM GUYS WERE THROWING BLOWS. IVE PROBABLY WATCHED THAT FIGHT 40 TIMES. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF CHUCK AS A FIGHTER AND HIS FUTURE IN MMA?

I think chuck is a good fighter but he does have holes in his game. I do think he needs to be humbled agian because he has become to cocky. As for his future he ain't getting any younger and I see him fighting for the next 2 or three years only.

 

[Shogun Locc]

EliteXC's Gary Shaw Responds UFC President To Dana White

Rick Walters from WrestlingOnTap.com sent along the following:

Gary Shaw Responds To Dana White

WrestlingOnTap.com had an opportunity to have a quick chat with EliteXC's Gary Shaw fresh of his return trip from England about the comments recently made by Dana White. Here's what Gary had to say:

"First of all Dana should be ashamed of using that type of language. There is no reason for it. Dana thinks that he invented the sport of mma. He is very lucky that he had rich friends in the Fertitta's to fund the sport, the Fertitta's are great I would never say otherwise about them. And even more lucky that SPIKETV bailed him out of a $35 million deficit. It's no wonder that fighters, like Tito Ortiz and others are fed up with him. Dana doesn't care about the fighters and treating them well. He doesn't care about growing the sport, he only cares about the UFC. We're (EliteXC) are trying to grow the sport and treat our fighters well."

"Dana is the type of guy that if he owned a gas station, he wouldn't want any other gas stations in America, that's just the type of guy he is. That's the type of ego he has."

"As far as Dana saying that I was never a fan of mixed martial arts, ask him to produce articles or tape on me saying the things he said I said. It can't happen. I was watching mma with my son back when Dana was selling used cars or whatever he was doing before the UFC. I never belittle any sport or organization, that's not my style."

When asked about Fedor Emelianenko:

"We would love to have Fedor with our organization. But Fedor and his people need to be realistic about what they are asking for. He hasn't had a top fight in awhile. He needs to get back to fighting top competition. In the United States out of sight is out of mind."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Dana White: "I'm trying to fix my problem with Andrei&q

Dana White recently caught up with NBC Sports to discuss his apparent rift with heavyweight superstar Andrei Arlovski. He had the following to say about the situation:
Andrei Arlovski is a guy that I have a ton of respect for. He's been with us his entire career. One of the things I say about this too, we've been building this buisness and this thing grows so fast...the UFC is a speeding train and we're not driving it. We're on the tracks trying to get the (explitive) out of the way. That's how fast this thing is growing. And through this I've made some mistakes, you know. I've made a lot of mistakes and I'm gonna make a lot more, but one of them is, Andrei feels that I haven't treated him right.

You know, he hasn't felt the love. Which sucks because that's my job and I didn't do it right, and I'm trying to fix it. I'm trying to fix my problem with Andrei. We're not throwing Andrei on the undercard because we think he could leave. If that was the case believe me, I'd have Tito fighting at (explitive) 1:00 in the afternoon...the prelims don't start until 5:15.

 

[Shogun Locc]

3/29 ClubDEEP and DEEP Megaton GP

On March 29 DEEP will hold 2 events in Shinjuku Face. First out is ClubDEEP. This is mainly a grappling event, but there are a few MMA fights on the card. The main event is most likely Ryan Bow versus Naoki Matsushita, just this fight should justify the enterance fee. Ryan Bow is always exciting to watch and I think he should win this.

CLUB DEEP Doors Open 13：30　Start 14：00
Han Su Fan (?) Vs.. 6-5-2 LUIZ
Ryan Bow 16-8-1 Vs. 9-9-8 Naoki Matsushita

Grappling Rule:
Seiichi Ikemoto Vs. Kosuke Umeda
Atsuhiro Tsuboi Vs. Tomoya Miyashita（POWER OF DREAM）
Hirotaka Miyakawa VS Ippo Watanuki
Yuki Inoue VS Yoshitomo Watanabe
Jin Kitasaki Vs Kanetaro
Kosei Kubota Vs. Taruhika Kubo
Tetsuya Yoshioka Vs. Kenji Shiota
Participating
Guy Delameau (?)ガイ・デルモ
Sadao Kondo

In the evening, they will hold the Megaton tournament. DEEP has been promoting the heck out of this one. I am sure it will be entertaining, though I suspect the skills on display will be more strength related than technique. These are big guys!

 

[Shogun Locc]

Cageforce 6

Finally, Cage Force has published their fights for the bantamweight tournament. There was also a surprise main event on this card. As we know, Artur Oumakhanov will compete in the DREAM tournament this year. Because of that, he has returned his Cage Force belt. There will be a fight for the vacant title on April 5.

The card looks awesome and I think this will be a very good event.

Main event: Cage Force Lightweight Title Fight
Tomonari Kanomata 11-2-3 vs. 8-2-0 Mizuto Hirota

Featherweight tournament fights:
Yuji Hoshino 13-7-7 vs. 10-3-0 Antonio Carvalho
Adrian Pang 13-5-1 vs. 9-5-0 Armando Sanchez

Bantamweight tournament fights:
Ryota 2-0-0 vs. 8-6-0 Taiyo Nakahara
Daichi Fujiwara 6-1-1 vs. Katsuya Toida
Masahiro Oishi 17-9-7 vs. 12-4-0 Paul McVeigh

Non-tournament fights:
Bantamweight: Naoya Uematsu 14-7-2 vs. 6-1-0 James Doolan
Lightweight: Wataru Miki 12-7-2 vs. 9-2-1 Yoshihiro Koyama

Preliminary fights:
Featherweight: Tomoyuki Miyaji 2-0-0 vs. Nobutaka Hiyoshi
Lightweight: Junichi Ota vs. Naoto Miyazaki

***UPDATE***
Takeya Mizugaki 8-2-2 vs. 2-1-1 Robson Moura - Mizugaki got injured during training, but will be fit in June. Moura excepted to fight in June, but for an increased fee. This was unacceptable to GCM, so we will see if this fight will happen.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza not in UFC anytime soon

In Kevin Iole’s mailbag column for Yahoo! Sports this week, he addresses the question of whether or not we’ll be seeing Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza in the UFC anytime soon and got an answer straight from Dana White:

“We talked to his people and they asked for crazy money. They were out of their minds, so we forgot about him.” He’s definitely not going to be in “The Ultimate Fighter 7”.

Too bad. “Jacare” is a real middleweight talent that could certainly add some depth to their division right now.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Fantasy Booking EliteXC's first show on CBS

Bouts for EliteXC’s first-ever telecast on CBS have yet to be formally announced yet speculation about which fighters will be involved with the card is starting to heat up. In light of the growing curiosity of the much-anticipated show, I decided to do some fantasy booking for the show in regard to what I think is the best strategic approach to take. I want to preface that the matches I will propose in this article are simply my personal ideas and are based on no inside information (unless expressly stated).

I want to start off but stating that I think EliteXC should wait to hold the show until June. As of now, late-April and early-May have been discussed by the media as the potential time-frame for the first show but I subscribe to the theory that you only get one chance to make a first impression. A lot is riding on the first show and the more time that’s devoted to planning, the better. The additional time available to market the fights and the more time allotted to fighters to train for specific opponents could make a noticeable difference when it comes to the end product.

The June date is also essential if published reports that the promotion is looking to hold the show in New Jersey are true. Right now the Jersey MMA market is being flooded with shows. Regional promotions such as Ring of Combat and BattleCage Xtreme are holding cards in Atlantic City during the months of March and April while national promotions such as Bob Meyrowitz’s YAMMA Pit Fighting and the IFL are scheduled to hold shows in the state in April.

Adding to the complexity of the situation is that the Prudential Center in Newark is under consideration for the first show, according to this week’s print edition of the Wrestling Observer. The Prudential Center is a large arena and it might not be the best time to sell tickets to a New Jersey/Philadelphia/New York fanbase that might be lacking funds following an active two months of shows.

 

[Shogun Locc]

"Big Country" Garners Attention With Big Right Hand

IFL heavyweight champion Roy Nelson may have originally been known for his grappling prowess, but he’s given opponents a new weapon to worry about in his last few fights, and the lesson hasn’t been lost on ringside observers.

Nelson’s last three fights have all ended thanks his powerful right hand, which he’s shown the ability to do damage with while standing toe-to-toe or hovering over downed opponents.

Just recently Nelson went on HDNet’s “Inside MMA” with Bas Rutten and Kenny Rice to discuss his title defense and string of knockout victories, the latest of which came against Fabiano Scherner in Las Vegas just two weeks ago.

Nelson noted that the win was a near carbon copy of his last few performances, where he finished opponents by knocking them out with a big right hand.

“Lately I’ve just been watching people’s eyes roll into the back of their head,” Nelson told “Inside MMA” host Rutten. “I hit him the second time and then the third time I kind of held my punch…I’m just such a nice guy.”

The victory over Scherner marks “Big Country’s” first defense of his IFL belt, but it’s his fourth straight victory since losing a controversial decision to Ben Rothwell last spring. Three of those four victories have come via knockout thanks to the big right hand.

Nelson also warned viewers of “Inside MMA” not to underestimate his cardio.

Just because his physique may not be as chiseled as that of some others, he assured everyone that he could go more than five rounds if he had to.

“It’s a gas tank,” he said, rubbing his bulging stomach for effect.

Whatever it is that’s making “Big Country” such a danger in the ring – whether it’s the confluence of his grappling ability and punching power, or even his non-threatening body type – you can bet that future opponents have taken notice.

After seeing what’s happened to their forebears, anyone who underestimates the power in Nelson’s right hand now deserves what’s coming to them.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Ellenberger Climbing The Welterweight Ladder

Watching Jake Ellenberger, it’s hard to believe that he’s flown under the radar as long as he has.

The Team Quest welterweight has a 17-3 record, with recent wins over the likes of Brazilian legend Jose “Pele” Landis-Jons and MFS fighter Ben Uker.

His latest victory over the Lion’s Den’s Pat Healy, however, proved that not only can Ellenberger scrap, he has the heart and the mental toughness to be a real threat in the welterweight division.

What was perhaps most telling about Ellenberger’s win over Healy was that he defeated a fighter so similar to himself. Both men come from a strong wrestling background and often rely on their takedown ability to turn the tide in a fight. Both have developed reputations as gutsy sluggers in the standup game.

They even both have a twin brother who they’ve been battling against in backyards and basements all their lives.

But what we saw when Ellenberger and Healy faced off in the ring was that the Team Quest fighter did everything just a little bit better than the Lion’s Den’s Healy. He looked sharper on the feet and more dominant on the mat.

The few times when it looked as if Healy had a shot at turning things around, a picture perfect takedown from Ellenberger would end any hopes of a rally.

After that performance, the decision was hardly in doubt. Ellenberger walked away with a unanimous decision victory, but not without first sending a message that he had every intention of climbing up the welterweight ranks.

This latter portion was not lost on Team Quest coach and trainer Matt Lindland, who said publicly at the post-fight press conference that he felt Ellenberger was deserving of a title shot against 170-pound belt-holder Jay Hieron.

Though the two fought before – at the IFL Finals in 2006 – and Hieron took a decision victory, much has changed since then. Both men have rounded out their overall games and a second meeting could be a very different affair.

First, however, Hieron defends his belt against knockout artist Mark Miller on April 4 in New Jersey. The man who emerges with the belt after that contest could very well be looking at a future showdown with Ellenberger.

After looking at some of his past performances and his stellar record, it would be hard to say he isn’t deserving.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Academy-Award Nominee Hounsou Ups His Support For MMA

It was only a matter of time before mixed martial arts found its way into the movies. As much as Hollywood loves fast-paced action and sports sagas, it’s amazing it took this long for an MMA-themed film to hit the box offices.

This Friday “Never Back Down”, starring Academy Award nominee Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond, Gladiator) becomes the first MMA movie to hit American theatres, with several more, including David Mamet’s “Redbelt” following close behind.

But for Hounsou, the role as MMA guru in “Never Back Down” was a chance to reconnect with his own roots as a martial artist, as well as an opportunity to learn from legends of the sport like Bas Rutten.

In preparation for the film, Hounsou – along with co-stars Cam Gigandet and Sean Farris – spent months in grueling MMA training in order to make their performances as realistic as possible. Even for Hounsou, who had several years of kung fu and boxing training under his belt, the experience was both taxing and “eye-opening”.

“I had been a casual fan of MMA before I got started in the movie, but once we began and I really became involved in the project, I fully understood what the discipline of the sport, and the chess game you have to play with an opponent, was all about,” said Hounsou.

“The respect I had for all those involved rose considerably, and has really made me both a fan and an advocate of the sport for life. It was a story worth telling and I am very excited to be able to have helped tell it.”

The experience led not only to Hounsou becoming acquainted with the sport itself, but also with many of the top professionals. The training he did with them taught him the value of the sport even outside of the professional sphere that most people see on television.

“The great thing about MMA is that it teaches you so many things that apply to the betterment of society, from the discipline of training, both mentally and physically, to strength and flexibility and self defense,” he said.

“Those elements on the training side, along with the amazing physical shape that the professional athletes in the UFC or IFL [are in], that is what makes this the sport of the future for people of all backgrounds and cultures.”

Bas Rutten was more than willing to take some time and train with the film’s stars recently, and he came away surprised at the amount of work the actors had put into their training, as well as with the results onscreen.

“I have seen the segments of MMA in the film, and I have now worked out with Cam, Sean, and especially Djimon, and I can say that they put the time and the effort in to make the scenes very real,” said Rutten. “It will bring a bigger audience to the sport, and all these guys are good athletes who took the time to learn about the sport and give it the respect it deserves. I hope it’s a big hit and I’m looking forward to working out with Dijimon and the others in L.A. all the time.”

Hounsou has said he plans to take Rutten up on the offer, and become the newest in growing list of celebrities like Kevin James and Guy Ritchie to get involved in the sport.

“The stigmas that were attached to the sport in the early days of the UFC are now gone, and all the positive messages that the sport can provide, especially on the grassroots level, are very important for adults…and especially parents…to use,” he added.

“This is not the blood sport that people think it is. It is about athleticism, technique, mental discipline -- all the things that young people and adults need to be successful -- and I will be sure to help spread the word.”