MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

SPIRIT MC CHAMP JAE SUK LIM READY FOR NICK DIAZ

When South Korean fighter Jae Suk Lim recaptured the Spirit MC middleweight title vacated by injured American Top Team fighter Steve Bruno, he also earned a match-up with Nick Diaz. The fight will take place on March 29 at the Elite XC and Strikeforce co-promoted event in San Jose, Calif. and be shown live on Showtime.

Lim will undoubtedly find his toughest competition to date in Diaz, but Spirit MC executive Beom Seok Kim is confident in his fighter’s ability to win.

“It’s only been two weeks since Jae Suk won the Spirit MC title, so he’s in the best shape of his life. American fight fans don’t know much about him, but here in Korea we’ve seen just how dangerous he really is. It doesn’t matter if Nick Diaz brings his A-game or not, Jae Suk Lim is going to beat him down and put him out of the cage forever.”

Strong words, but wondering which Nick Diaz will show up for the fight is a reasonable question. Following his amazing “Fight of the Year” win over Takanori Gomi (later rendered a No Contest due to failing his post-fight drug test due to elevated levels of THC), the heavily favored Diaz faltered at Elite XC “Uprising” and managed only a spilt decision win in his contest with Mike Aina.

It was at the Elite XC “Renegade” show in Corpus Christi where Diaz next saw action and, coincidentally, Lim made his American debut. K.J. Noons stopped Diaz in the first round via TKO. Lim sealed a submission win over Daniel Pineda with a rear naked choke, also in the first round.

From a style standpoint, Lim is the more disciplined fighter. In his last outing, against Yoon Young Kim, he worked to keep the fight standing and was reluctant to strike from his opponent’s guard unless postured-up. It was a methodical, business-like approach that earned him a second round TKO.

Diaz, by contrast, is as unpredictable as they come, and that’s what makes him so hazardous. It’s also what makes him so much fun to watch.

Don’t be too surprised if this fight ends via gogoplata.

 

[heyzel]

B.J. Penn: I'd Make Joe Lauzon Fight Me

MMAjunkie.com Staff [mmajunkie-staff] on Mar 13, 2008 at 10:05 am in - News -
If Joe Lauzon (16-3 MMA, 3-0 UFC) beats Kenny Florian in their UFC Fight Night 13 main event, and if B.J. Penn (12-4-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) successfully defends his title against Sean Sherk at UFC 83, a Lauzon-Penn title fight could be on the horizon -- according to Penn, anyway.

Although the two training partners would seem unlikely opponents, Penn says he would make Lauzon fight him so the youngster could "realize his dreams."

Our friend Tracy Lee from CombatLifestyle.com is in Hilo, Hawaii, this week with Lauzon and Penn (and WEC featherweight champ Urijah Faber), photographing their training and pre-fight preparations, and discussed the potential title fight with Penn.

In her latest blog, Lee wrote about yesterday's chat:

We started chatting about what he thought of Joe's upcoming fight; BJ feels that Joe has a very good chance of winning his fight against Kenny Florian for Ultimate Fight Night in Broomfield, CO. "If Joe does win, and I win the belt, there's a good chance that we may have to fight each other." I quickly responded, "But you guys wouldn't do that, would you?" BJ said, "He would have to fight me if he wants to be the champion. I want him to realize his dreams; I would make him fight me."

Lauzon and Penn first began working together on the fifth season of "The Ultimate Fighter." Eventual show runner-up Manny Gamburyan knocked Lauzon out of the competition in the semifinals, but he's since posted decisive submission victories over Brandon Melendez and Jason Reinhardt. Additionally, before appearing on the show, Lauzon scored an upset of former UFC champ Jens Pulver. A victory over Florian -- one of the lightweight division's top contenders -- could put the 23-year-old in the thick of the title picture.

 

[heyzel]

Hose Determined to Keep Icon Title in Hawaii

"This is Phil Baroni (Pictures)," the jovial brawler from Waianae answers the phone in his best Long Island accent by way of Hawaii.

Better known as "Kala Kolohe," Hose is your Hawaiian everyman. Well, almost.

The 25-year old from Oahu's west side juggles life as a married man with a 4-year-old daughter, holding down a job for Keeno Farms Construction and training to become a world champion mixed martial artist.

It's a rough schedule, but Hose is staying positive and focused.

"It's hard, but I try to make up all the time I can [at home]. Luckily for me, my wife is really supportive," he says.

In 2005 Hose made his pro debut for Icon -- called Superbrawl back then -- against IFL veteran Reese Andy (Pictures). Though he lost the fight by decision, it would be his first step toward future success.

"That was when I first dropped down to light heavyweight," Hose says with a chuckle. "My first two fights before that were at 240 [pounds]."

As he worked his way down from a hefty 240 to a lean and muscular 185, Hose amassed five straight knockout victories. Most recently he scored a vicious knockout of kickboxer Frederick Belleton live on Showtime, something the humble, young fighter never imagined would happen.

"When I first started MMA, to me it was kind of like a mistake," he recalls. "Me and my brother were training in my friend's yard, and that's how I met Auggie Padeken (Pictures). And he took me to jiu-jitsu classes, and we started a school, and then here I am now. I just wanted to stay active. I'm an athletic person, always playing sports. And after high school I couldn't play football, so I figured why not try fighting."

And try he did. Hose built on his boxing and taekwondo background from his youth, rounding out his overall game to include wrestling, jiu-jitsu and other components essential for mixed martial artists.

Recently, however, he added another weapon to his arsenal: coach Frank Shamrock (Pictures). "Kala Kolohe" caught Shamrock's attention when he knocked out Belleton on the ShoXC card, for which Frank was part of the broadcast team.

"We were talking," Hose explains, "and I cracked a joke at him like, ‘Oh, maybe I can come train with you someday.' And I guess he took it serious cause like a week later he called me up and asked if I was coming."

So Hose took him up on the offer and boarded a plane headed for San Jose, Calif., to train with the veteran fighter, who defeated Phil Baroni last June in Strikeforce.

"It was the best step I ever took in my MMA career," Hose says. "Frank taught me a lot of stuff. He told me how to tune up my training back at home to train smarter. … Frank and his boxing coach know Phil very well, and they've helped me with a game plan to beat him in the ring."

That confidence comes from good training and knowing that he has prepared himself well for the fight. He adds that with Shamrock's training, his conditioning has never been better.

"For this fight I've actually been trying to keep my weight up," says Hose, who's been dropping pounds since stepping up his cardio training. "The training was very rough -- lots of cardio and running. And I never thought I would, but I fell in love with swimming. [Shamrock] does a lot of swimming."

That's training he'll be grateful to have had when he steps into the ring March 15 with Baroni to fight for the recently vacated Icon middleweight title. Though this will be his first title fight, Hose is no stranger to training for a five-round bout. In fact, he's been preparing for a title shot since June last year, when he was supposed to challenge Robbie Lawler (Pictures) for the Icon belt. A string of injuries kept the fight from happening and eventually led to Lawler being stripped of the title last month.

"Waiting all that time was frustrating," Hose says. "When they stripped Lawler, I was kind of surprised but not surprised because he wasn't fulfilling what he owed to Icon."

Though he still wants a fight with Lawler, "Kala Kolohe" says he'd rather face him "belt for belt," meaning a unification of the Icon and the EliteXC middleweight titles.

But first Hose must capture the Icon title. If he does so, he would become the first Hawaiian to hold the belt since Falaniko Vitale (Pictures) relinquished it to Lawler in 2005.

"It would mean a lot to me," he says. "Being a local boy making a name for himself, I want to win the title and bring it back to Hawaii and keep it here."

The only man that stands in his way is Baroni, whose knockout-heavy résumé doesn't look too much different than Hose's early fight record. Surely they are two fighters cut from the same cloth.

"Hopefully we can go and let the hands fly," the Hawaiian says. "He said he gonna like swing, so we're going to find out if he really like swing or not. For me, it doesn't really matter. Either way I expect a barnburner."

And if it goes his way, "Kala Kolohe" Hose should have all the time he needs to work on that Long Island accent.

 

[heyzel]

Report: NBC and Strikeforce to partner up

That’s the word according to MMA Junkie:

NBC and Strikeforce will soon announce a deal that will give the quickly growing mixed-martial-arts organization a weekly presence on major network television.

Sources close to the deal tell MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that a formal announcement of the partnership is expected within the next week. However, Strikeforce executives didn’t return phone calls from MMAjunkie.com requesting comment.

As part of the NBC deal, fight footage from past Strikeforce events will likely be shown in “highlights” shows, not unlike the Pride Fighting Championships shows that currently air on Fox Sports Net. The first Strikeforce show is expected to air in mid-April.

The report goes on to say that these shows will most likely take place after “Saturday Night Live” runs on NBC, so they will be in a very late spot, unlike the prime time spot that EliteXC will have on CBS. It should be interesting to see how the highlights show does and if it leads to any live shows on NBC in the future. If I’m Strikeforce, I’m making sure the first fight I show is Gilbert Melendez vs. Clay Guida for the Strikeforce lightweight title. That one is a barn burner and a fight that could turn a lot of people on to mixed martial arts.

The program will likely air on late Saturday nights (early Sunday mornings) either immediately after or soon after the hit NBC series, "Saturday Night Live."

Although unconfirmed, there's speculation that the deal could possibly lead to live or, at the very least, tape-delayed Strikeforce events airing on NBC. However, other than the weekly highlights show, few other details of the deal are known at the time.

The fact that NBC signed a deal to air MMA isn't surprising; however, the fact that it was Strikeforce -- not MMA's powerhouse, the UFC -- might raise some eyebrows. NBC's interest in MMA reportedly peaked during the recent writers strike, when networks were desperate for specialty programming. In fact, the Strikeforce deal may have first been reached back in January, when NBC was in talks with a host of organizations, including the IFL, M-1 Global and the UFC.

Sources close to the deal tell MMAjunkie.com that talks between the UFC and NBC never really got off the ground. According to those sources, the UFC wasn't interested in a late-night timeslot, and additionally, NBC executives "weren't too keen" on working with UFC president Dana White.

Strikeforce, though, apparently saw the value in getting its fledgling brand on network television in a weekly slot. However, the partnership may not be an exclusive deal, meaning other organizations could still negotiate with the network.

Prior to the EliteXC and Strikeforce deals, the UFC had been in talks with both HBO and CBS, but those deals fell apart when White reportedly wasn't willing to concede creative control. During a pre-UFC 82 press conference, White said he wasn't willing to make a "bad deal" when asked about the failed negotiations.

As for Strikeforce, the NBC deal could help the organization grow from a regional hit to a international powerhouse.

After more than a decade of success promoting kickboxing events, the San Jose-based organization launched its MMA division in 2006. Its debut show was the first-ever MMA event sanctioned by the state of California. More than 18,000 spectators packed the HP Pavilion to watch Frank Shamrock defeat Cesar Gracie in the night's main event. Since that debut show, the organization has hosted nine other events, including one in September at the legendary Playboy Mansion, which was streamed live by Yahoo! Sports.

Strikeforce has emerged as one of MMA's big players while focusing on the local market. California-based fighters such as Shamrock, Cung Le, Gilbert Melendez and Josh Thomson sell out local venues while drawing international interest. The organization only recently left the state of California when it hosted a Feb. 23 show in Tacoma, Wash.

Strikeforce's next show, co-promoted by EliteXC, takes place March 29 in San Jose and features a Strikeforce world middleweight title fight between champ Shamrock and challenger Le. Additionally, Drew Fickett takes on Jake Shields for the first-ever EliteXC welterweight title, and Strikeforce world lightweight title-holder Gilbert Melendez defends his belt against Gabe Lemley. The event airs on Showtime.

 

[heyzel]

Iceman aware of Sugar rush

The Iceman” Chuck Liddell admits Rashad Evans may hold the tools to score a major upset at “UFC 85”, but he wouldn’t put his money on it.

Don’t miss “The Iceman’s” exclusive appearance on Setanta Sports News on Wednesday. Log onto setantasports.com for a replay of the interview later in the day.

Liddell has been handed the challenge of Evans following a serious knee injury to initial opponent Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

Related Links
UFC
The Iceman believes fate has thrown him a tougher opponent in Evans, a man who will put everything on the line to defend his 12-fight unbeaten MMA record, but Liddell still ultimately predicts a knock-out at London’s o2 Arena.

“Rashad is a very different fighter from Shogun Rua but just as difficult. Evans may even be a harder fight because he doesn’t know what it is to be beaten,” Liddell was quoted as saying by The Daily Star.

“Actually I think he is faster and a better striker than Rua. I had serious doubts about Rua’s takedowns but Rashad’s are clearly dangerous.

“But I have traditionally done very well against wrestlers. I’ve knocked out Randy Couture twice, Tito Ortiz twice and all the others.

“I’ll be looking for a knockout in London against Rashad for sure.”

Liddell will then go gunning for the winner of Rampage Jackson and Forrest Griffin, which takes place in July, before he sets about breaking the myth that is Fedor Emelianenko.

Fedor is widely reknowned as the top heavyweight in MMA, boasting a record of 28 wins and only one loss from 30 fights, but the Russian has never fought in The UFC – and Liddell clearly does not rate him.

“Fedor’s someone I want to fight because he’s someone I match up well with,” The Iceman told The Sun.

“He’s a ground and pound guy that doesn’t have a great shot. He doesn’t have a great game plan.

“I think I could take him. I think I match up well with him.

“As far as I know he’s never knocked anyone out from his feet and I think he’d have a hard time taking me down

 

[Shogun Locc]

Video: JZ, Cro Cop Pre-Fight Comments
link: http://www.sherdog.com/videos/videos.asp?v_id=1485
Gesias Calvancante (Pictures) and Mirko Filipovic (Pictures) met with the press Thursday in Toyko, where they discussed their bouts this weekend at Dream.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Pickett Primed for FX3 Fight

As his nickname may suggest, Brad "One Punch" Pickett is a solid punch merchant regarded by many observers as one of the most feared strikers in the featherweight division.

The East London banger intends to prove this point beyond any doubt Saturday in the FX3 promotion against talented French grappling ace Frederic Fernandez (Pictures).

After suffering a pair of disappointing losses in 2007, Pickett bounced back last August by smashing his way though Vaughn Harvey. Looking back on the vicious encounter, Pickett's determination to make up for his losses was all too clear.

"It was very important to me to get back on the winning track," he said. "I didn't care how it came; I just wanted to make sure I won the fight."

Remembered as one of the most entertaining bouts in Cage Rage Contenders history, both Harvey and Pickett landed an array of damaging shots. Pickett then turned up the pressure in the third round and hammered his opponent on the floor to pick up a much-needed win.

Most featherweights would kill for the kind of punching power the cockney fighter wields, but it comes at a price, as Pickett discovered after the fight.

"Sometimes I was hitting him to the body, but he was covering up quite well, so other times I was catching his elbow," Pickett said. "My hands were completely bruised, even straight after the fight."

Victory was sweet for the London fighter after the tough losses he had suffered earlier in the year. The first defeat was a close decision to slick grappler Alex Owen (Pictures) at Cage Rage 21 and the second was an armbar submission to Hideo Tokoro (Pictures) in K-1.

Never content to leave the outcome in the hands of the judges, Pickett is still perturbed by his disappointing loss to Owen.

"Even to this day I think I won that fight," he said. "I thought I won the first two rounds even though they were close, and he won the third round, obviously.

"I was trying to prove a point," Pickett continued. "I was trying to fight him at his own game and prove a point to people who always say I've got a crap ground game and say, ‘Look, I can fight on the ground.' If I did ever fight him again -- which I'd like to -- it would be a completely different fight."

Criticism of his grappling ability led Pickett to travel to Florida to sharpen up his ground game with the American Top Team. However, he quite clearly knows where his strengths lie.

"I'm no scrub on the ground," he said, "but at the end of the day, I still want to be a standup fighter with ground-and-pound."

Unfortunately for Pickett, training at ATT had a pitfall in store for him. He broke his arm late in the year while defending a high kick, and the injury forced him out of his anticipated clash with Trojan representative Ronnie Mann (Pictures) -- a fight that he appears keen for in the coming year.

After spending eight weeks in plaster, though, Pickett has more immediate thoughts on his mind, like the aggressive Frenchman he fights Saturday in the Reading-based FX3 event.

The Londoner considers himself the favorite over Frederic Fernandez (Pictures), but in a buzzing featherweight division he is taking no chances.

"I believe I will be going into this fight as the favorite," Pickett said, "but I ain't gonna take him lightly. I'm going to go in there and impose my will. I know he and his brother Emmanuel are both very good on the ground, so I've got to be careful with submissions and stuff like that, but I'm quite comfortable with him.

"I'm in good shape with my cardio, so I'm going to push the pace, bring the heat basically and see if he can handle it. I'll be coming forward all the time. I plan to stand up and bang, stay off my back, put him on his back and ground-and-pound him."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Baroni Says He'll Hurt Hose
videolink: http://www.sherdog.com/videos/videos.asp?v_id=1484
HONOLULU, March 12 -- True to form, Phil Baroni (Pictures) was not shy at a news conference Wednesday when it came to sharing his predictions on his upcoming Icon Sport middleweight title fight against Ross "Kala Kolohe" Hose (Pictures).

"I'm gonna knock this kid out," the confident New Yorker said. "It's a big shot for him, and he's gonna take a big shot Saturday night on his chin. I'm gonna put him to sleep.

"I see [the fight] going quick," Baroni continued. "I see [Hose] getting hurt. I see him realizing who he's in the ring with, you know. There's no running, there's no hiding in the Icon ring, buddy. We're gonna see what you're made of, and you're gonna see that you don't belong in the ring with me. [Icon] is putting you in over your head, throwing you to the wolves, so to speak. And I'm gonna be real hungry that night and I'm gonna eat this kid up."

Hose, on the other hand, was much more reserved in his comments. He spent most of the news conference smiling and nodding at Baroni's banter.

"My take on Phil is, to me, he's a cool guy, but to me that was a publicity act," Hose told Sherdog.com after the conference. "Phil is Phil. He's the type of guy who I guess uses that type of stuff to promote fights, but it doesn't bother me."

Twelve other bouts are also scheduled for the Icon Sport show Saturday at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, including a light heavyweight encounter between pro boxer turned mixed martial artist Jeremy Williams and Hawaiian fighter Auggie Padeken (Pictures). A 145-pound state title bout will feature Sadhu Bott and Bronson Pieper.

Full card:
185: Phil Baroni (Pictures) vs. Kala Kolohe Hose (Pictures)
205: Auggie Padekan vs. Jeremy Williams
145: Sadhu Bott vs. Bronson Pieper
135: Russell Doane vs. Tyson Nam (Pictures)
170: Wayne Perrin, III vs. Koa Ramos (Pictures)
170: Brennan Kamaka (Pictures) vs. Ross Ebanez (Pictures)
160: Eddie Rincon vs. P.J. Dean
145: Matt Comeau vs. Elias Delos Reyes (Pictures)
150: Alan Lima vs. David Padilla (Pictures)
135: Zack Rapal vs. Dwayne Haney
145: Colin McKenzie vs. Ricky Wallace
137.5: Nui Wheeler (Pictures) vs. Jay Bolos
175: Wade Ke vs. Marshall Ige

 

[Shogun Locc]

MMAFightline.com Exclusive: UFC Negotiating With Fedor For A One Fight Deal

Sources close to negotiations between the UFC and Fedor's management have informed MMAFightline.com that the two sides are currently discussing a possible one fight deal that would bring Fedor to the cage, presumably to face Randy Couture.
It is unknown whether Couture would end his lawsuit and come back to the UFC to face Fedor if the UFC were able to offer such a fight, but Couture has stated on numerous occasions that this is the only fight that makes sense at this stage of his career.

It should be noted that nothing is eminent at this point and negotiations are in the general discussion phase. If made, however, the deal would be unprecedented. The UFC is notorious for locking up fighters in long term deals and not allowing them to leave as champions. We'll have more on this story as it develops.

 

[Shogun Locc]

“Iron Ring” premieres on BET next week

Not a lot was known about BET’s venture into the MMA world, but we have found out that the name of the show will be called “Iron Ring” and will feature managers likes Floyd Mayweather, Rick Ross, TI, Ludacris and many more hip-hop artists.
According to SOHH.com, the show will have 13 episodes in its series and will chronicle the fighters from the beginning to the end which will be a live on-air championship match.

“Iron Ring” will debut on Tuesday, March 18th at 11PM ET on BET. According to the report, there will be $100,000 in prize money giving out during the show.

 

[Shogun Locc]

CAGE RAGE CONFIRMS FIRST DRUG TEST SUSPENSION

Cage Rage on Thursday announced the first casualty of its internal drug testing policy. John Phillips, who won his bout over London favorite Jake Bostwick at Cage Rage 25 on March 8, failed his drug test.

Cage Rage first began instituting its own drug testing policy with its Dec. 1, 2007, event in London.

There were several suggestions that a protest might be lodged against Phillips for apparently striking Bostwick in the trachea during the fight forcing a stoppage. It could be argued that there should have been a time-out due to an unintentional illegal blow (similar to a low-blow to the groin), but the protest never materialized. Bostwick himself may have looked to push for a rematch against Phillips on those grounds, but in this case it is a moot point.

In this instance, with Phillips’ drug test results coming back positive, the fight has been ruled a no-contest and he faces a 120-day suspension that will prohibit him from “competing in any U.K. Mixed Martial Arts Event.”

It will be interesting to see if this prevents him from competing in any kickboxing events or any mixed martial arts events run by another promoter, as there is currently no governing body for the sport in the U.K. to enforce the penalty handed down by Cage Rage.

The full acid test on the U.K. working together for the benefit of the sport and supporting Cage Rage’s plans for a controlled drug-free environment will be known if and when another promotion outside of the Cage Rage network tries to book Phillips for a show.

The full statement as published on the Cage Rage website is as follows:

“The question has often been raised as to the validity of drug testing, and whether efforts behind the ongoing attempts to regulate and monitor the use of banned substances really work, unfortunately we regret to advise and confirm the following. John Phillips, from Team Trojan tested positive for one of the drugs on the current banned list. Although the drug is not recognized as a performance enhancing drug, it is nevertheless on the list and the following action has been taken: John Phillips fight purse has been withheld, the result of the bout with Jake Bostwick has been declared a non-contest and a ban will be in place, prohibiting him from competing in any U.K. MMA event for a period of 120 days.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Inside Xtreme Couture with Shawn Tompkins

videolink: http://www.rawvegas.tv/

 

[Shogun Locc]

Michael Bisping doesn’t deserve fight with Anderson Silva … yet

Quoteworthy:

“It’s flattering to hear some of the fans on Mixed Martial Arts forums think I might be able to beat Anderson Silva…it’s nice to hear comments like that. But right now, if I’m being brutally honest, I don’t think I deserve to be spoken about in those terms. As I’ve said before, I’ve got to establish myself at middleweight. I’m coming off a reasonably successful career at light heavyweight so I suppose that brings some momentum with it but I think middleweight suits me better. I’m performing so much better in the gym. I’m faster, I’m stronger and I feel great. Everyone around me has commented on it – I thought I might have lost a bit of strength moving down but that isn’t the case. My boxing coach tells me I’m hitting a lot harder and my combinations are a lot faster and I’m eager to see what I can do at this weight. I think I can go a long way, but let’s see.”

Note that this is the same publication that recently attributed comments to “The Count” that “insisted” he could defeat UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva. These latest remarks appear to make much more sense … especially since Bisping is untested at 185 pounds. He makes his middleweight debut against Charles McCarthy at UFC 83: “Serra vs. St. Pierre 2″ at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, on April 19.

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC 84: Shane Carwin vs. Christian Wellisch

Shane Carwin (8-0) will make his Octagon debut against Christian Wellisch (8-3) at UFC 84: “Ill Will” at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 24, according to multiple reports.

Carwin — a Western State College NCAA Division II national wrestling champion and two-time football All-American — is a top heavyweight prospect who has gone undefeated in smaller promotions with the guidance of veterans such as Ron Waterman and Nate Marquardt.

He’s an extremely athletic fighter who has drawn comparisons to Brock Lesnar. Carwin, however, has more mixed martial arts experience. In fact, he has finished all of his opponents in the first round with a mix of knockouts and submissions.

If he can replicate those results inside the Octagon … watch out. Carwin appears to have some serious potential to make waves in a division that sorely needs it.

Wellisch is a law school student who has won two of his three fights with the UFC. He most recently submitted Scott Junk with a heel hook at UFC 76: “Knockout” back in September 2007. He also earned a unanimous decision over Anthony Perosh at UFC 66: “Liddell vs. Ortiz II” back in December 2006.

 

[Shogun Locc]

JZ Aoki MEET IN JAPAN

SAITAMA, Japan, March 13 -- Fight Entertainment Group along with former Pride staff kicked off the official activities for the inaugural Dream event to be held Saturday at Saitama Arena.

After the rules meeting, it was officially announced that the match between Shinya Aoki (Pictures) and Gesias "JZ" Calvancante would be the main event.

"I feel very honored to fight Gesias Calvancante (Pictures), but also I can feel the pressure now to be the main event," Aoki said. "My thoughts about Calvancante and me fighting are not so simple, but I can see the fight becoming a match of skills between Calvancante's striking against my submissions. Anyways, I will use all my available techniques and win this match."

As Aoki was in the closing moments of the interview, the candid Calvancante entered the room along with his American Top Team entourage to wait for his turn with the media. With just a few steps separating both fighters, Calvancante approached Aoki in a respectful manner and greeted the Japanese fighter. Seconds later, after shaking hands and offering courteous smiles, both fighters took the time to pose together for photographs.

Later Calvancante said the knee injury that sidelined him last December -- when he was originally scheduled to fight Aoki at the Yarennoka show -- is 100 percent. Anticipating that the Japanese ace grappler is most dangerous when using the rubber guard, JZ said he had trained with jiu-jitsu specialist Eddie Bravo, who helped Aoki in the past tune up his dangerous guard.

Perhaps due to jet lag or his indifference for anything related to the media, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic seemed less than happy when discussing his match against Japanese judoka Tatsuya Mizuno (Pictures).

The Croatian heavyweight said he had traveled to Japan without seeing any footage of his opponent. However, he added that his team had since acquired some video of Mizuno and he wasn't concerned about the short time to study his opponent and formulate a plan.

Ikuhisa Minowa (Pictures) still doesn't have an opponent, but that will more than likely change tomorrow at the official news conference and weigh-in.

Bout order:
Ikuhisa Minowa (Pictures) vs. TBA
Hayato Sakurai (Pictures) vs. Hidetaka Monma (Pictures)
Kotetsu Boku (Pictures) vs. Joachim Hansen (Pictures)
Kazuyuki Miyata (Pictures) vs. Luiz Buscape
Katsuhiko Nagata (Pictures) vs. Artur Oumakhanov (Pictures)
Mitsuhiro Ishida (Pictures) vs. Jung Bu-Kyung
Mirko Filipovic (Pictures) vs. Tatsuya Mizuno (Pictures)
Andre Amade (Pictures) vs. Eddie Alvarez (Pictures)
Tatsuya Kawajiri (Pictures) vs. Kultar Gill (Pictures)
Shinya Aoki (Pictures) vs. Gesias Calvancante (Pictures)

 

[naner12]

LOL @ Tatsuya Mizuno, the guy that got absouletly smoked by LHW Thiago Silva, fighting Cro Cop.

 

[heyzel]

Oleg Taktarov: "the Best Thing About Fedor Is He Trains Like A Madman

http://www.fighthype.com/pages/content2201.html?PHPSESSID=ec4ad5c68cfdca18b2dd43891db8c884


I'm really hoping to bring the excitement back and kind of refresh people's memory of where we came from. We used to all have some type of martial arts style and we were way more exciting," stated legendary mixed martial artist and UFC champion Oleg Taktarov as he talked about the differences between today's fighters and those from his era. You don't want to miss this exclusive as Taktarov speaks in-depth about his return to MMA and his upcoming clash with Don Frye during the April debut of YAMMA Pit Fighting. Plus, Taktarov shares his thoughts on Kimbo Slice, Brock Lesnar, Dan Severn, Mike Tyson and much more, including accusations that Ken Shamrock used steroids. Check it out!

 

[heyzel]

Paulo Fihlo out of WEC fight....

Thursday, March 13, 2008
by Martins Denis ([email protected])

Paulo Filho (Pictures) will not defend his WEC middleweight crown against Chael Sonnen (Pictures) on March 26, his manager, Jorge Guimaraes, told Sherdog.com.

"We tried our best with Filho, but it didn't work and he'll not fight in the WEC," Guimaraes said. "He tried with all his effort to accomplish the title defense, but he realized he couldn't do it due to chemical dependence and depression. He knew this kind of stuff does not have a link with the sport, and I'm happy he had a conscience and looked for help."

Filho had disappeared for two days, causing immense concern for his teammates and Guimaraes. He ended up checking himself into a rehabilitation clinic in Niteroi, Brazil.

Guimaraes couldn't say for certain how long Filho will stay under treatment, but he suggested the fighter will stay at the clinic until he is 100 percent. Filho is feeling better, Guimares said, after 48 hours of treatment. Guimaraes declined comment on the root of his chemical dependence.

"The WEC staff was superb with us," the manager added. "They understood the situation, and Filho will return and defend his belt in June. Filho also realized who his real friends are, and he took this lesson seriously. He'll come back victorious from this tough moment and he will be supported, as mentioned, by his real friends."

 

[heyzel]

Bocek on UFC® 83: “There’s no way I’m gonna lose in Canada

By Thomas Gerbasi

With over 15 years of study in the bank, it’s safe to say that lightweight prospect Mark Bocek loves the art


of jiu-jitsu. And perhaps the only thing he may love more than jiu-jitsu is winning. That could be a good thing, but when Bocek was 18 years old, it became a bad thing.

“At one point, after a few years of competing, I almost quit doing jiu-jitsu just because I was so afraid of losing in training,” said Bocek, whose competitive drive had gotten so intense that he had to win every time, even when trying to learn in the gym. “I had the wrong outlook on that and I was so nervous about that that training wasn’t fun to me anymore, so I almost quit.”

It was a gut-wrenching situation for the Toronto native, who, like many, began studying martial arts at a young age. And while he was content in his karate classes, a chance viewing of UFC 2 back in 1994 changed everything.

“It was like it was for most people,” said Bocek of his introduction to jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts. “I was doing karate when I was a little kid, I saw UFC 2 and I saw Royce (Gracie) beat a bunch of karate guys and kung fu guys and I was just hooked ever since. And once I started learning it, it was this new profound experience. It was something you could feel was working, unlike karate, where there was no real fighting or sparring unless you went into Kyokushin. It was so real and so easy, and then once I started understanding and learning it, that’s when I really got hooked and I just did whatever I could to get as good as I could in it.”

He got good, fast. But five years into his training he had reached a crossroads. He knew he couldn’t continue on the way he was going, but at the same time he didn’t want to put aside the art he loved. So he made his choice.

“I got my head back together, I put the ego away, realized that I had to train with good training partners to learn and to improve, and it hasn’t been a problem since,” said Bocek, a Black Belt who went on to compile a laundry list of grappling accolades that includes a World Cup championship, three Pan Am medals, a North American Abu Dhabi trials title, two Grapplers Quest US National Championships, and five Canadian grappling championships. He even moved out to California for a year to train with the Gracies, including the legendary Rickson, who Bocek calls “a master of jiu-jitsu. His perception of jiu-jitsu is a lot deeper than most.”

And though people might say that the going through the rigors of training day in and day out may cause a young man to miss out on some of the things others might experience, Bocek disagrees.

“A lot of people might call them sacrifices, but this is what I like to do,” he said, and for Bocek, who now makes his home in Woodbridge, Ontario, the next step in his competitive life was to tackle the world of mixed martial arts. He made his pro debut in 2004, stopping Mark Colangelo at the end of the first round, but it wasn’t until 2006 that he started putting all his efforts into his fight game.

Bocek would win his next three fights, all by submission, but after some positive moments early in his UFC debut against New Jersey’s Frankie Edgar last July, he would eventually get stopped with five seconds left in the first round.

In December though, Bocek bounced back, decisioning Doug Evans at UFC 79 to get that first Octagon win under his belt.

“I just felt physically a lot more ready for that fight,” said Bocek of the Evans bout. “It felt good that all the hard work paid off, but I knew it was just a matter of time until it would happen.”

On April 19th, the 26-year old Bocek will go for win number two in the UFC when he takes on The Ultimate Fighter season
six winner, Mac Danzig.

“I see it as a really good fight,” said Bocek, “and on paper I think it’s a good style matchup for me. I don’t think he’s fought anyone like me before. This fight’s gonna give me a lot of exposure, and more importantly, get me where I need to be – higher up in the rankings.”

To help him get there, Bocek has been spending his time back in California; not with the Gracies, but with Dan Henderson and Team Quest, a relationship that goes back to 2004.

“I met Dan at a seminar in ’04 in Canada and he was looking for some guys to roll with at the seminar and people were telling him that ‘this guy Mark would probably be a good guy to roll with, he’s a jiu-jitsu black belt,’” he recalled. “We rolled for a bit and then we were talking and he told me that if I ever wanted to come down to train for a fight that I should, and I took him up on it, and I’ve trained there for three fights so far.”

After training with some of the game’s best, Bocek can see the difference in his own fight game.

“I need to be around a lot of professional fighters and a lot of experts in every art, and they’ve got some really good wrestlers there and some really good grapplers and a whole team of guys that fight and that’s what I need to be around,” he said.

With all his I’s dotted and T’s crossed, now all Bocek has to do is deal with the nerves of fighting in front of 23,000 of his home country fans at the Bell Centre on April 19th. Oops, wrong guy.

“I’ve been competing since I was 12,” he said. “That’s what I do, that’s all I know. It (fighting in front of a huge hometown crowd) gets your blood flowing but it doesn’t really bother me. I’m used to competing a lot, and there’s no way I’m gonna lose in Canada.”

 

[heyzel]

Bj Penn and Urijah Faber Training in Hawaii for Sherk and Pulver Pics

Tracy Lee has a blog up with pics. Talks about Penn's diet and training for Sherk:


http://www.combatlifestyle.com/words/gdetail.php?id=42