MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

GSP VS. SERRA PITS NO. 1 AGAINST NO. 2

1. Georges St. Pierre
Since joining the ranks of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Georges St. Pierre has done one thing and done it well… win. En route to amassing a 15-2 professional record, his only losses are to former welterweight champion Matt Hughes and current champion Matt Serra. His win list is arguably even more impressive. Considered the prototype for the modern day fighter, St. Pierre has defeated a who’s who of competition. His victories include B.J. Penn, Sean Sherk, Frank Trigg, Karo Parisyan, two over Matt Hughes, and more. He is currently the interim champion – a title he earned by defeating Hughes for the second time – and will try to cement his spot at the top of the division in an April 19 showdown with No. 2 ranked Matt Serra.

2. Matt Serra
Serra rocketed up the rankings when he knocked out St. Pierre last year in Houston to capture the UFC welterweight title. He has always had a strong background in jiu-jitsu – Serra is a black belt under Renzo Gracie – but proved against St. Pierre that he has improved his stand-up game. He has a 4-1 record in his last five performances, but has been inactive for nearly a year due to coaching on The Ultimate Fighter reality series and then suffering a back injury that kept him out of his planned defense against Hughes. A second victory over St. Pierre would quiet his detractors, while a loss would stir up more arguments as to whether or not he is deserving of sitting at or near the top of the division’s rankings.

3. Jon Fitch
Although Fitch has cast off the tags of being one of the most underrated fighters in the welterweight division – he is sitting at No. 3 in the rankings after all – he still has yet to be granted an opportunity to compete for every fighter’s ultimate goal… a championship. With a professional record of 17-2 and an undefeated streak of 8-0 in the Octagon, it is near impossible to argue that Fitch doesn’t deserve a title shot. His losses were early on in his career and he has gone on to defeat the likes of Diego Sanchez, Josh Burkman, Roan Carneiro, Luigi Fioravanti, Thiago Alves, and Brock Larson.

4. Matt Hughes
Though he has slipped from atop his perch as the longtime No. 1 fighter in the division, Matt Hughes’ career accomplishments cannot be denied. He has been one of the most dominant champions in the history of the UFC. Despite losing to St. Pierre and Penn, Hughes also claims victories over both, as well as Sherk, Trigg, Royce Gracie, Hayato “Mach” Sakurai, and many more than this space allows. He has accomplished a 41-6 professional record, including 15 of those wins in the Octagon, in a span that dates back to pre-Zuffa UFC days.

5. Josh Koscheck
Emerging from The Ultimate Fighter – he had just two bouts to his credit before the reality series – Koscheck is one of the most successful fighters to make his UFC debut via the television show. Primarily a wrestler when he showed up on Spike TV, the American Kickboxing Academy trained fighter is one of the most athletically gifted fighters in the division and has proven to be a quick study. He has steadily added a strong striking game and submission defense to his arsenal on his way to a 10-2 record, including wins over Sanchez, Dustin Hazelett, Jeff Joslin and Jonathan Goulet. His only losses have come to the No. 1 ranked St. Pierre and veteran fighter Drew Fickett.

6. Karo Parisyan
Parisyan, like Fitch, is a fighter that could argue for a shot at a championship amidst this crowded division. With an overall record of 18-4 and having won eight of his past 10 bouts, he is on a three-fight winning streak since dropping a decision to Sanchez that derailed him from his bullet train to the title. He had been on a five-fight streak prior to that loss. His only other losses were to Georges St. Pierre and twice to Sherk.

7. Jake Shields
Amassing a 20-4-1 record and a nine-fight winning streak has put Shields among the throng of welterweights fighting to be recognized as the best. He long relied on his strong wrestling base to ground out decisions over his opponents, but has finished all of his five most recent opponents in an attempt to display his improving skills. Shields holds wins over the likes of former UFC middleweight champion Dave Menne, Yushin Okami, and current World Extreme Cagefighting champion Carlos Condit.

8. Diego Sanchez
Despite being relatively unknown to fight fans nationally prior to winning the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter, Sanchez was already an accomplished fighter with a spotless 11-0 professional record and the King of the Cage championship. He went on to win six straight bouts in the UFC before suffering back-to-back losses to AKA teammates Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck. He has since rebounded at UFC 82 with a win over Octagon debutant David Bielkheden.

9. Carlos Condit
Riding a seven-fight winning streak and holding a 22-4 professional record, Condit emerged in the spotlight when he surprised many onlookers by defeating Renato Verissimo and Frank Trigg in a Rumble On The Rock 175-pound tournament before losing a close decision in the finals to Shields. He was in line for a title shot in Japan’s Pancrase organization before moving to the WEC and taking its welterweight championship in only his second bout for the organization. He has defended the belt twice and currently is awaiting his next bout.

10. Marcus Davis
Another fighter that has made his way to the spotlight via The Ultimate Fighter, Davis lost in the finale of season two, but has since racked up 11-straight victories. A former professional boxer, he has also added a strong submission game as witnessed by tapping out six of his11 most recent opponents with holds ranging from armbar to guillotine choke to Achilles lock.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Samuray analyzes his fight at UFC 84

Called to fight Thiago Silva at UFC 84, Antonio Mendes Samuray is training hard to continue his victory sequence from 2007 and getting the recognition at . “I’ll show my work, that people here at still don’t know. My work was all at Europe and people here still don’t know me. I’m very anxious”, said the athlete, that won his nine fights last year. “On the training I focus two parts, Muay Thai and the ground work. I try to focus always both. Vale-Tudo is a complete sport, we need always to be complete”, explained Samuray, which told how he wants to get out of the Ultimate’s octagon with the victory: “My goal is a knockout”.

 

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Tim Boetsch looking for the knockout

With just a little over a week left until his televised bout with Matt “The Hammer” Hamill (3-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) on the most stacked SPIKE TV UFC Fight Night card ever, Tim “The Barbarian” Boestch (7-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) says he’s got the answer for Hamill’s striking and is “looking for the knockout.”

The Maine native and former Lock Haven University wrestler shared his thoughts on Hamill with host Matt Peterson on a recent episode of the New England Fights! podcast.

“If he comes out pushing the pace like I think he’s going to, I could see this fight ending in the first round,” Boetsch said on the show, which can heard free of charge at New EnglandFights.com. “I hit pretty hard so it’s only going to take one shot to really change this fight. I don’t think it’s going to leave the first round.”

Boetsch started wrestling at a young age and attended high school in Camden Hills, Maine where he was a four-time State Champion and earned All-American honors his senior year by placing fourth at Nationals. Boestch went on to attend Lock Haven University, a Division 1 wrestling school, where he competed at heavyweight and sometimes gave up 60+ pounds to opponents. Boetsch states in the interview that he made the choice to go Division 1 because he wanted to test himself against the best.

At Lock Haven Boetsch roomed with current IFL fighter Mike Ciesnolevicz (13-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) who introduced Tim to the sport of mixed martial arts. Boestch won his first six fights before stepping up on a week’s notice to fight veteran Vladimir “The Janitor” Matyushenko (20-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) last August in the IFL. After three hard fought rounds Boetsch, who appeared to still be going strong at the end of the fight as “The Janitor” was fading, dropped a disappointing unanimous decision loss and vowed to change his game.

“Looking back on the Vladdy fight, if my striking had been better I would have easily won that fight,” Boetsch said. “It ticked me off that I didn’t bring the skill set to that fight when I could have been dominant, so I made it a point to really work on my striking.”

Boetsch then received the call to once again step in as a last-minute replacement, this time against David Heath (7-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC) in the UFC. Boetsch picked Heath apart with strikes, including some devastating front kicks, before catching Heath in the clinch, delivering several unanswered knees, and violently tossing Heath on his head before the ref stepped in to give Boetsch the TKO victory at 4:52 of Round 1.

When “The Barbarian” meets Hamill on April 2nd he’ll be facing arguably the toughest wrestler of his career. Hamill, a three-time NCAA Wrestling Division III National Champion, is most recently coming off a controversial split decision loss to Michael Bisping (14-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) at UFC 75. However, Boetsch feels prepared.

“I train every fight to finish the fight and that’s exactly what I think is going to happen. I think my striking is slightly better than his and I know my wrestling is better than his, and I believe my jiu-jitsu is better than his,” Boetsch said. “If it goes the way I want it to we’re going to stand in there, our wrestling is going to cancel each other out, and we’re going to throw down. I just think I have the answer for what he brings to the table striking-wise. I’m looking for the knockout.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Sakuraba Out OF DREAM.2

Kazushi Sakuraba showed up in "Shukan Shonen Sunday 50th Anniversary, UT Festival" in UT STORE HARAJUKU. After the event, he was asked if he participate in the middleweight tournament. He had said the same thing what he said in front of the audience in DREAM on Mar 15. "I got a small scab on my leg which was till bleeding, so I won't fight in the tournament. I want to fight in April though". A person who is close to him told press that he will announce his intentions at the opening party of his MMA gym, Laughter7.

 

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Tatsuya Kawajiri Interview

- You had a tough fight yesterday. Are you injured?
I'm fine. I didn't even get any power punches.

- I heard you saw your opponent before the fight.
Yes. We accidentally saw each other at the hotel in that morning. I was waiting for an elevator to come. He was there when the elevator door opened. He gave me a gesture to come in. We actually saw after the fight, too.

- How did you react??
I return him a gesture saying "After you. I'm going to take a next
one." I didn't see any reason to squeeze in an elevator packed with my
opponent and his supporters, especially on the same day we were going to
fight. I saw him after the fight though.

- Did you see him after the fight again?
Yes, I met him at the parking. He is a very nice and friendly guy.
Although we couldn't make any verbal communication, I felt a good
vibration from him and took a picture together.

- What do you think about your fight?
He was a strong fighter and I'm glad to have this experience. My fight plan was that I threw punches, took him down when he was cautious of my punches, and submitted him on the ground. Though our fight went as I planned without getting his knee kicks, I couldn't finish him because his ground techniques were a lot better than I expected.

- After the event, Black Mamba said he wanted to exchange punches in the standing position though?
This is the 1st round of the tournament and have to consider about my next fight which is within 2 months. I paid attention not to be injured because I have broken my hand bone before.

- You got applause when you entered the stadium.
I know. That raised my motivation because I knew everybody expected me a lot and supported me. I wanted to do better to correspond with their expectations. I'm disappointed about my performance though.

- I believe many fans were surprised to see your hair style. Where does your hair style come from?
When I debut as a professional MMA fighter, I always had a weird hair style. I had a normal black hair at the time of fighting in PRIDE though. Now I changed my hairstyle to stand out. I tried to have a hair style which Vitor Belfort had before. I don't know this is popular or not though.

- How was other people's reaction?
Well, I suppose they lost their words. Nobody said anything at first. They said, "It's OK, I guess".

- I think it's cool! Anyway, any thought about this event?
The light weight consists of many good fighters like I said before. If
we work on our mission which is to have attractive fights, DREAM will be the better event than PRIDE and HERO'S.

- When do you start training for your next fight?
I take a break for a week and start.

- What kind of techniques do you want to develop?
I still have lots to learn as a MMA fighter and would like to develop the whole technique. What I felt yesterday is to control the pace of the fight. I always devoted all my energies to finish as quick as I could from the beginning to the end. Now I think I should adjust my pace to deal with my opponent effectively.



- You have fights constantly since NYE. Do you feel any differences in your training?
Yes. If I continue to win, I have fight in May and July. It's easy to set my schedule and my conditioning. Having an short term goal makes me motivated to train hard.


- Who do you think is the most dangerous fighter?
Everybody. I think all fighters have a chance to win this competition. I got to be ready to fight anybody.

- Eddie Alvarez got the spotlight in the after the fight interview.
I didn't watch his fight because it was before my fight. He is aggressive and know how to fight, and also has his own fighting style. I suppose a fighter who has his own style is tough and strong.

- Any message to your fans?
I want to survive and have a good result. Come and see my fight!

 

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Mitsuhiro Ishida Interview

- Congratulation! You move on to the 2nd Round. Were you injured?
Not really. I feel a little muscular pain and hurt my right wrist.

- What's wrong with your wrist?
I got some damage when I throw my punches.

- Any thought about your fight?
It was miserable.

- You ran toward the backstage after the fight and sat down as soon as you got to the waiting room.
I was very disappointed about my fight and couldn't resist standing in the ring. I'm ashamed of my performance.

- You couldn't do what you were supposed to do?
No. I should have more confidence. I was too scared of getting his arm
triangle to move like I wanted.

- Could you tell me your fight plan?
My fight plan was that I give damage to his legs by low kicks, take him down by tackling and finish by throwing punches from the mount position. However, his pressure and kicks were better than I expected.



- Was Bukyung Jung strong?
Yes. Especially, he was tough mentally. I could feel his strong fighting spirit, such as he won't be defeated by me. He will be a good MMA fighter when he has more experience.


- Do you have any light weight fighter you are interested in?
I saw the fight of Dida vs Alvarez. That fight was very exciting and I'm kinda interested in Alvarez. I think he has a good body balance and is an all round MMA fighter.

- What do you think about J.Z. Calvan?
It seemed he looked like very relaxed. I could see why he was 2 times HERO'S champion. His pounch was accurate and powerful. I saw his strength. I wanted to see him fighting longer.

- Who do you want to fight in the 2nd Round?
I want to fight a foreign fighter.

- When do you start your training?
I will start whenever I'm ready. I won't forget about last night until I retire. That was a good lesson for me because I could learn what to improve. I will develop and be ready for the 2nd round.

- How do you feel about fighting constantly?
I'm very glad that I can fight often. I can concentrate my training when I know my next fight and my opponent.

- Any message to your fans?
I'm very disappointed about last night and feel sorry to my fans. I trust myself and will have a good fight next time. Thanks for supporting me.

 

[Shogun Locc]

MMA Expo Hosted By Liddell In July

The news was posted this weekend that the next MMA Expos, named NAMMAE2 will be again in California and this time hosted by Chuck Liddell. This will be the second time a big name fighter will have their name attached to the expo that features booths of MMA gear and clothing, features fighter seminars, photo taking with the fighters, and a place where many deals for the next year in the sport are made.

Last year, Randy Couture was working with the event that featured fighters like Mark Coleman showing up for pictures and brands of clothing including Tito Ortiz's, Punishment Athletics.

More details of the event will obviously follow as they have a very hard working marketing team.

 

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SENGOKU announced fighters for May 18th

SENGOKU announced 4 fighters who fight in their next event on May 18 in Tokyo. At first, Kuniyasu called the name of Roger Gracie and said, he only fought once in MMA, although he is an ADCC World Champion and has experience defeating many strong grapplers. He hasn't seen Japan yet but will show us an exciting fight in May for sure. Next, he introduced 3 Japanese fighters, Satoru Kitaoka, Yuki Sasaki and Yoshihiro "Kiss" Nakao.


Kuniyasu: Nakaoka is one of top light weight fighters in Japan. He defeated Fabricio "Pitbull" Monteiro who fought in our debut and he is ready to fight in the big event. I think he is very competitive to Gomi.

Kitaoka: I'm very honored to be here and get a chance to fight in Sengoku where many great fighters fight. I want to prove myself and develop myself.

Kuniyasu: Sasaki has experience fighting in PRIDE , the UFC, and had a great fight with Dean Lister before. I hope he proves himself in the 83 kg weight class.

Sasaki: I'm very excited about my next fight because I haven't fought for quite a while. I want to show the real MMA in GRABAKA style.

Kuniyasu: I want Nakata to make this event exciting, with Yoshida and Fujita as one of few Japanese heavyweight fighters. I hope he exhibits his skills which he developed while he was away from the ring.

Nakao: I want to fight handsome fighters like Fujita in Sengoku. I want to have a great fight in May and would like to ask Fujita to fight.

 

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The Pav Says... Phil Baroni's a True Entertainer

Has there ever been a boring Phil Baroni fight? Let's keep it real: fighters are entertainers. The "NYBA" entertains, plain and simple. He is one of the best interviews. His ring entrance is worth the price of admission. He truly believes -- sometimes until his very last breath -- that he is going to win every fight. His confidence is not manufactured.

In round three of that Kala Hose fight last week in ICON Sport, referee Chris West stopped the fight to restart it in the center of the ring. Baroni's left eye had swollen nearly shut. What you couldn't see on the televised version was Baroni actually covered his face with his glove to obstruct West's view to eliminate any chance of a stoppage. In the fourth round, West got a good look at Baroni's face and during a break in the action asked him if he wanted the fight stopped. Baroni's response was, "No DICK, why would you axe ME that?"

Baroni could have taken the easy way out in the first round with a jits sub attempt, but he wanted to make it dramatic; hence the head stomps and soccer kicks. When his gas tank went empty, he didn't offer up an arm or look for a way out as many would have. What the televised portion also did not show was a fan ran into our corner and tried to throw in the towel. Josh "The Punk" Thompson and I had to restrain him until security got him. I fully believed that despite the punishment he was taking, Baroni had that one big punch that, if landed, would have made a Rocky-like finish. I swear as the fight progressed, I was hearing that music from "Rocky I."

Baroni has become to MMA what Arturo Gatti became to boxing. While it is difficult to watch some of the punishment he takes, I know he is never out of a fight, and for his last two fights in particular, the crowd stood for every second of the battle and the noise level live was deafening. Watching his fights live and in person is truly an event.

It was a tribute to him that there were about 20 people waiting for him at the hospital besides the obvious: his family, and cornermen Punk, Trevor Prangley, and Mark Coleman. Even rival promoter Mike Miller from X1 waited for him just to show his respect and to see if he could be of help afterward. The phone calls of support didn't stop from Randy Couture to Dewey Cooper to Mike Pyle to Joe Silva. The rest of the trip was memorable. We hung out by the pool and beach while I worked the phones, had some "gangsta sushi" (Baroni's words), and contemplated the next move. Funny but three offers came in for the same or more money after the loss. Ultimately Baroni is now in what he calls conditioning shape and is going right back to the gym upon his return.

Shorts…

It has been nearly nine months since Brett Rogers knocked out Hawaiian golden gloves champ Dutche Pu, at an X1 event, a fight that is still not up on his record. Almost everywhere I went in Hawaii people asked me if he is for real. He is now 7-0 with 7 KOs and has only been to the second round once. He also has only been training two years. The only weakness I can see in his game is his victory dance, which if you saw it live, would make you cringe. It was kind of like the leprechaun in the Lucky Charms commercial. Otherwise Rogers is a very scary man, and Kimbo Slice better be very careful.
OK, I have never actually seen the Jedi mind trick work in an MMA fight, but Andre Arlovski pulled it off. Yes, Jake O'Brien won the first round of their UFC 82 fight earlier this month. Yes, O'Brien won the first four minutes of round two. Yes, he made a mistake and hipped up to defend the knees and got tripped and mounted. But while in mount, Arlovski proceeded to play patty cake and throw slaps that couldn't break a pane of glass for 30 or so seconds. He turned to the ref and lied said O'Brien was out. Now, I swear I saw him moved his hand in a half circle motion like Obi-Wan Kenobi did in "Star Wars." The referee jumped right in. I think I threw up in my mouth a little.
The power of the pen never ceases to amaze me. The three sites I constantly plug, myspace.com/kenpavia, www.MMAagents.com, and www.MMA-locker.com get twice the traffic after the articles go up on here on MMAjunkie.com. The MMAagents site was designed to bring my 50 guys a little closer to the fans and expose them to more fight and sponsor opportunities. The fighters have expressed an interest in reaching out even further, so look for a greatly expanded blog section complete with behind-the-scenes videos, fighter penned articles, sponsor highlights, and legal analysis that will be done in conjunction with MMAjunkie.com. Put your seatbelt on; it is coming soon.
Everyone clowned "Razor" Rob McCullough when he hired "a chick" to be his hands coach. He won four fights in a row and held the WEC title and they stopped clowning. Although Erin Toughill only holds focus mitts, she does it as well if not better then anyone in the hotbed of MMA, Orange County. She even throws the gear on and spars with Razor once in a while. I have seen him dislodge an ovary mid-round, but she gets right back up and keeps coming. And she is easy on the eyes (god, I hope she doesn't punch me in the face for saying that). She can't get girls to fight her, so she will be taking her game to a different arena. Look for Toughill to throw a beatdown in the upcoming season of "American Gladiators."
Just because nice guys don't get enough credit, I have to give a shout out to clients that I have who are just plain too nice to fit the preconception of fighters. The two that come immediately to mind kiss me as if I was a brother every time I see them. Heterosexuals Ivan Salaverry and Vince Lucero are both class acts and are guys that make you genuinely want to help them. I got to spend some time with Salaverry on my recent trup, and he is expecting his second child, building his dream home, and training for his fight. He owns a gym in Seattle, and if you are ever up in the area, stop in and check it out. He is very approachable. Lucero is a different story. He is in a bind. His last three fights that were booked were cancelled last minute. Here is a heavyweight with nearly 40 fights who likes to stand and bang and has never been knocked out. If you are looking for a heavyweight for a card, holler for Vince. You won't be disappointed.
By the way, honorable mention on the nice-guy thing goes to trainer Saul Soliz and his two pupils who I represent: Todd Moore and Carlo Prater. Soliz doesn't just make good fighters; he makes good people. He is a great mentor and is very demanding of the guys he works with. Fighters are often hard headed and have their own agenda, something that holds many of them back. Moore and Prater have followed Soliz, and he has led them well. Both present very well, are very grateful of all opportunities, and are overly mannered if there is such a thing. If you are looking for a place to move to and train, I recommend -- without reservation -- Saul's gym in Houston. Hell, he is good enough for Tito Ortiz to bring up to every one of his training camps, and he teaches every aspect of the game.
Frank Shamrock is a dick for blowing the whistle on his brother's alleged steroid use. It is one think to hype a fight; it is another to accuse someone of illegal acts without support. It is off the charts to screw your brother, blood or not. Quite frankly it is actionable, and I hope Ken sues him. I am not sure if Cung Le is the right guy, but someone will get him, and karma is a bitch. That is my two cents.

 

[Shogun Locc]

JOE LAUZON'S UFC FIGHT NIGH JOURNAL PT. 2

As part of MMAWeekly.com’s lead-up coverage to the April 2 UFC Fighting in Broomfield, Colo., Joe Lauzon, who will be facing Kenny Florian in the main event, will be providing weekly journal entries leading up to the fight. This is the second entry as we Joe arrived early in Colorado to acclimate before the big showdown…



Well, last week I talked about how I was flying home to be there for my guys at Untamed. It ended up being a great move and I think it was a nice surprise. With the exception of Gorilla Bob, I don't think anyone had any idea I was coming home. We even had to guilt-trip my brother into showing up the day before the fight so I could see him as soon as I got home. He had no idea.



We ended up going 4-4 for the night. When you have eight guys fighting, half the guys winning isn't so bad. I think next time out we will do better, but all of our guys had great fights and, win or lose, should be proud of how they did. As I told my guys, you can't win them all.



In order to put it all into perspective, I found my very first amateur MMA fight from about six years ago and put it on my YouTube channel. I won't give away the end, so you can watch it, but it shows that no matter how bad you start out there is always an opportunity to do well down the line.



Dan and I flew to Denver on Sunday night and the flight was luckily pretty uneventful. There was a little bit of turbulence and the flight got in a little late because of snow, but overall it wasn't too bad. I think Dan watched Juno twice on the flight and was ready to kill himself by the time we landed. JetBlue is usually the way to fly, but the TV stations weren't working… pretty weak.



Noah picked us up at the airport and we drove to his house in Fort Collins. Along the way all he was talking about was how everything was open until 3 a.m., including all the sub shops and everything else. Apparently Noah didn't realize it was Sunday, and we deemed him to be a complete liar. Sadly, no subs for us at 1 a.m.. Noah's house is pretty nice and he has three dogs... Gia, Lilly and Princess. And yes, don’t worry, I gave him a hard time about the names of his dogs.



We went to bed and went training the next morning at Infinite Mixed Martial Arts in Loveland. This is the gym Noah trains at and we met a bunch of the guys that train there and Noah's trainer, Adam. They have been great to work with and more then accommodating.



We have been getting some great training in while out here and its definitely nice having Dan here to work with. The elevation is definitely different, which is what we expected. It's not a big difference and shouldn't be a problem, but I'm glad we got out here early.



Since I came here on Sunday night, I have done around 20 interviews and radio shows. Media for this fight has been ridiculous!



I will check back in next week, thanks for reading.



Send me some feedback on this article on my MySpace at http://myspace.com/lauzonrsd

 

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CRUNKILTON LOOKS TO REBOUND AT WEC

Heading into last year, Rich “Cleat” Crunkilton had been one of the sport’s true unsung standouts, despite having been nothing less than extremely effective every time out.

Thankfully with more promotions getting on television, he was able to make a case for himself in World Extreme Cagefighting, culminating with a lightweight title match against then titleholder Rob McCullough in September.

After suffering only the second loss in his career, against McCullough, Crunkilton will be returning to the WEC this Wednesday in Las Vegas as he takes on upstart Sergio Gomez in a 155-pound divisional showdown.

“Even regardless of that (loss), it’s always important to me to have a good showing,” said Crunkilton of his return to fighting after a six-month layoff. “Being my first fight back, yeah it’s important to have a good showing and get the win.”

When asked if he feels he has to re-establish himself as a contender after losing in a title match, Crunkilton replied, “I don’t really look at it that way.

“One might say that, but I don’t think so, I don’t think I have to re-establish myself. I’ve been fighting for a long time and I think I’ve already kind of earned my spot, and I’ll fight the newer guys to prove it.”

His first test back will be Gomez, a fighter also looking to rebound after losing his last against Marcus Hicks in May.

“I watched his last fight and it looks like he is a wrestler and that his weakest point may be his jiu-jitsu,” Crunkilton commented of Gomez. “I think I might be able to capitalize on him that way.

“I think (the ground game) is probably where I have the biggest advantage, as far as experience. But getting to the ground and anything happens in between there, I’m also prepared for. I’ll fight him on the feet if I have to.”

With the overall success he has had in the WEC, Crunkilton feels he could return to a title fight sooner than later, and as always, his goal is to challenge for Jamie Varner’s championship.

“I want to get back into title contention (by building) up some wins and fight for the title again in the WEC,” said Crunkilton.

“If Jamie’s still the champion, hopefully I’ll get a title shot with two or three wins. I definitely feel I have a stronger chance to get a title shot shortly.”

The road to a title however starts with the first step, and Crunkilton seeks to take that first step Wednesday night against Sergio Gomez.

“I want to thank all my training partners down here at The Armory in Daytona (Florida) for helping me get ready for this fight,” concluded Crunkilton. “I look forward to showing up and getting it on. I’m looking to be exciting when I go out there, every time.”

 

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WEC CHAMP MARSHALL IS CALM BEFORE THE STORM

In every sport, there are athletes that claim their allegiance to one organization or another, but in this day and age of free agency and free money, the likes of a John Elway, who spent his entire Hall of Fame career quarterbacking the Denver Broncos, are the exception, not the rule.

The same can be said for mixed martial arts as it grows out of its infancy. But again, there are exceptions to the rule. One such exception is World Extreme Cagefighting light heavyweight champion Doug “Rhino” Marshall.

He may not command the attention of a Chuck Liddell, Frank Shamrock or Tito Ortiz, but he has steadily built a respectable career… and he’s done it all within the confines of the WEC cage.

Dating back to WEC 8 in October of 2003 – well before the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s parent company, Zuffa, LLC, purchased the company – Marshall has been looking for the big KD.

He has amassed a 7-2 professional record fighting for co-general managers Reed Harris and Scott Adams, and win or lose, not once has he had a fight go the distance. Marshall doesn’t plan on ending that streak when he steps into the cage to defend his belt against U.S. Marine Corps officer Brian Stann on March 26.

“I haven’t had many fights that have gotten out of the first round and I don’t think Brian has had any fights that have gotten out of the first round,” Marshall told MMAWeekly.com. “We’re both intent to get in there and get after it, but at the same time, I realize this is a five five-minute round championship fight. I’m going to have the gas to go. It could get out of the first round.”

He’s not taking anything for granted though. In fact, despite being the champ, Marshall feels like the spotlight… his spotlight… is shining brighter on his challenger than it is on him.

“Brian’s got a lot of publicity and media following and stuff and I’m looking to take that away from him and put the spotlight back on me, back where the spotlight should be, on the champion,” he stated indignantly. “Everybody thinks he’s the one that’s going to beat the Rhino, I’m not thinking so. I just don’t think it’s his time. I think he’s had enough spotlight and I’m looking forward to taking that spotlight away.”

Much of the attention Stann has garnered is due to his military background and quickly building up an undefeated record in mixed martial arts. The fact is that his undefeated record consists of just five bouts, but Marshall doesn’t discount his opponent when queried about his worthiness of a title shot.

“It’s always up to the WEC, what they want to do. Me and Brian are actually both managed by the same person, Robert Roveta with Denaro Sports Marketing. Brian’s been wanting this fight and he’s definitely the No. 1 contender and that’s who they see fit to put in front of me and it definitely makes for a good fight.”

Even though he has had to deal with many pressures in his military career, Marshall knows that Stann still hasn’t been tested by the pressures that come with being in a main event, title bout.

“I would think that they will affect him. I’m not going to lie; they still affect me,” said Marshall frankly. “It’s getting in there on a big card on a big stage, being the main event and having to perform. I’m getting a little more used to it, but I still get those butterflies and I’ve learned to work past it.

“I have butterflies all the way walking down the ramp and then as soon as I step in the cage, it’s like a moment of clarity or maybe a calm before the storm. There’s nothing else to think about.”

But maybe more than the pressures of the “big fight,” Marshall has his own form of stress that he feels he can apply that Stann hasn’t faced before.

“I don’t think in the fights that Brian has had, he has had to persevere through any kind of serious damage or even an onslaught like I’m planning to put on him. I think that will definitely tell me right away where he’s at,” he said.

“I know he’s going to be mentally strong, physically strong, but when you start cooking it up real good and you know this guy’s not breaking or he’s just in good shape or he’s got a lot of power, it could wear on your mind real fast.”

Marshall is definitely passionate about fighting. “It’s always a matter of pride whether you’re the champion or not. I don’t care if I’m fighting for one dollar or a million dollars. I’m in there looking to finish the fight, in there looking to win.” But fighting Stann isn’t personal.

“It’s pretty much just about business. This is my job; this is his job. He’s hungry, an up and coming fighter. I’m the champ, everybody’s gunning for me.”

By the same token, Marshall doesn’t plan to hold anything back, that’s not his style, not what got him to the light heavyweight championship in the first place. “Some guys go out and they fight not to lose, I’m definitely not one of those fighters.”

He’s also definitely not a fighter planning to let his title go easily. “We’re going to go out there and let it all hang out. I’m not looking at giving up my big gold belt, my strap, anytime soon.”

 

[heyzel]

Shamrock: Invincible, Invisible

March 24, 2008
by Jake Rossen ([email protected])

Want a career in MMA? Go punch Tito Ortiz (Pictures) in the face.

Just ask Forrest Griffin (Pictures), who saw his stock rise considerably after a valiant near-win against the former UFC light heavyweight champion; or Chuck Liddell (Pictures), who colluded with Ortiz to set pay-per-view records for MMA attractions; or Lee Murray (Pictures), a British thug who got slotted in main events for dropping Ortiz in a raucous London brawl, Lenny McLean-style.

Even swinging and missing, as in the case of Ken Shamrock (Pictures), can lead to considerable viewership. Fans never seem to tire of Ortiz's considerable forehead being assaulted.

And so it stands to reason that Frank Shamrock (Pictures)'s bizarrely fascinating win over Ortiz in 1999 -- at once boring and not boring, like a Fellini movie -- should've been the beginning of a legendary career.

Instead, it was more or less the end of it.

Shamrock, dissatisfied with meager pay and uninspired by remaining contenders, chose to semi-retire to a life of acting and teaching, taking only the sporadic, pointless bout. Fights against Elvis Sinosic (Pictures) and Bryan Pardoe (Pictures) seemed more for his amusement than the audience's. Fighting a 0-0 Cesar Gracie (Pictures) had him flirting with outright irrelevance.

It took a victory over Phil Baroni (Pictures) in 2007 -- flashy, exciting and violent -- for observers to realize that Shamrock's constant boasts might not have been empty self-flagellation. He had always claimed to be a digital fighter in an analog sport. People chuckled.

Looking at a lifeless Baroni in the ring, splayed out as if he had just eaten the business end of a semi-truck, it didn't seem so funny anymore.

Is Shamrock as good as he thinks he is?

With a rotting ACL and 15 years' of abuse logged in the Lion's Den and the Pancrase circuit, it's probably unadvisable to gamble his body won't simply decide to retire in mid-fight. Despite a vaunted cardio regimen, he hasn't seen a championship round in nearly 10 years. His wrestling, which he admits is rarely used to avoid being taken down, is too lax for today's scoring criteria.

And yet Shamrock continues to stir interest, in large part because his bravado has yet to be contested. He is the only fighter on record who predicted a finish in mid-fight -- miming the "nappy time" sign against Baroni -- and then more or less delivered on the promise.

Shamrock's primary weapon is his intellect. He's a strategist worthy of Patton, and his ability to make adjustments is second to none. It's the same brain that told him not to become a cripple for free sandwiches in the late 1990s and the same brain that frustrates viewers looking for him to demolish a who's who of the sport's top middleweights.

Saturday brings a fight with Cung Le (Pictures), a dynamic standup artist with a perfect 5-0 record in MMA and the odd anecdote about clocking Shamrock in practice years ago. It's a fight that is guaranteed to be explosive -- and guaranteed to leave questions about Shamrock lingering.

Whether he has interest in answering them is another matter.

It's unlikely Shamrock, the Strikeforce middleweight champion, would have interest in following a promotional hierarchy. Yet a fight against a ranked competitor, someone like EliteXC champion Robbie Lawler (Pictures), could intrigue Shamrock.

There's still depressing talk about a fight with adoptive brother Ken, which isn't nearly as interesting as Frank believes it to be. At 45 and with a half-dozen losses in recent memory, a commission would have to be feeling particularly sadistic to approve the elder Shamrock's participation in another pounding.

Then there's Ortiz, who seems likely to become a free agent when he fulfills the final fight on his UFC contract. When Frank defeated Ortiz in the fall of '99, no one much cared: The sport was struggling politically, and it was a minor miracle to be hosted in an arena without livestock. Today, a rematch would likely be seen in millions of homes on CBS, achieving a goal of network exposure that Shamrock recited to journalists in 2005.

The fight with the elder Shamrock, worthless; a fight with Ortiz, interesting; with Lawler, worthwhile.

All of them are seat-warmers for what would be a monumentally entertaining and important bout with Anderson Silva, the sport's current king. Unfortunately, Shamrock's differences with the UFC brass would likely act as an insurmountable hurdle. That leaves other fights that appeal to a general audience -- but hold little in the way of establishing him as a viable threat in his division -- as expected options.

What to do, then, with a paradoxical career like Shamrock's?

He's too good to be toiling against aging non-threats and undeveloped newcomers, yet apparently unwilling to risk his legacy against a tested contender. He plans to fight for "10 more years," but he made similar claims of ambition before the Ortiz bout. His attention drifts from ventures like Shootbox and the IFL to self-marketing and the occasional prizefight.

But he seems to be enjoying himself, laughing loudly and satisfied with his status as a freelance mercenary.

In a sport where fighters are all too often abused physically and financially before being discarded, maybe that's as good a victory as any.

 

[heyzel]

Jenna rips Dana White

Dana White - Pre Pubesent Schoolyard Bully
By Jenna Jameson

"Dana White’s insistance of my lack of brain power smacks of 18th century
beliefs that women (all women) are inferior to the male species.
Ignoring a persons achievements or simply their IQ due to the fact they
have a vagina instead of a penis, explains Danas simplicity. He has a a
track record in every conversation, if he needs to describe someone who
he feels threatened by, or weakened by... he lashes out in the manner of
a 12 year old, by accusing the other of unintelligence. I for one, would
enjoy seeing data that backs up his hasty words. In my experience anyone
that reverts to this type of defense is simply insecure about
themselves, and tend to try to shift the glaring light of truth away
from his profane grammatically incorrect rantings. The most interesting
story here, is the silence by the UFC. How do they sit back, silent, and
allow their "figure head" to endanger the worth of their empire?
Business must be tended to with a level head, or it usually self
implodes. We all are starting to witness the Dana White propaganda
wheels being set in motion with every new self agrandizing Dana
interview. When are the Fertitas going to step to the plate and put a sock in Dana’s hate spewing mouth? It seems to be depreciating their
companies worth with every syllable. It is plainly obvious that it isn’t
just a coincidence that so many champions have chosen to test the waters
beyond the UFC trainwreck. Their defection to greener pastures is no
longer just a money issue, but more of a continued lack of disrespect on
Dana’s part. It troubles me that this could be the downfall of such a
ground breaking monumental company, all due to one mans over abundance
of testosterone. In closing, maybe the UFC should mandate steroid
testing to company presidents, then maybe the company could continue its
massive dominance... with a soft hand."

 

[heyzel]

Report: YAMMA Headliner Patrick Smith Arrested

by Dann Stupp [mmajunkie] on Mar 24, 2008 at 10:34 am in - News -
Don Frye (19-6-1), a headliner for the April 11 debut YAMMA Pit Fighting show, has pulled out of his main-event bout with Oleg Taktarov (15-5-2) and has been replaced by former UFC fighter Patrick Smith (14-13), the organization announced late last week.

However, just hours after the announcement, KXII TV 12 in Sherman, Texas, reported that Smith had been arrested after a high-speed police chase. Smith was clocked at speeds of up 130 mph while fleeing on his sports motorcyle, police said. He's been charged with felony attempting to elude, possession of a prescription drug without a valid prescription, and reckless driving.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has left a message with YAMMA's public-relations office for an update on Smith's status with the event.

The Smith-Oleg fight is currently slated to headline YAMMA's pay-per-view event, which takes place at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, N.J.

Frye had to pull out of the event due to a shoulder injury. MMAjunkie.com first learned of the injury earlier this month, but Frye said he would try to fight through the pain. Unfortunately, he was eventually forced to undergo surgery to repair the shoulder.

Frye will attend the event and provide commentary during the broadcast. Officials expect him to return to the organization.

"We look forward to Don competing in YAMMA Pit Fighting in the future," said Bob Meyrowitz of Rope Partners, the event's promotional company,

In addition to the possible Smith vs. Oleg headline bout, the event features a "Masters Superfight" between Eric "Butterbean" Esch (10-5-1) and Gary "Big Daddy" Goodridge (23-15-1), as well as an eight-man heavyweight tournament featuring fighters such as Travis Wiuff, Sherman Pendergarst and Kevin Jordan.

Smith, who competed in the first two UFC events, has competed professionally in kickboxing and MMA for more than two decades. He last competed at an October 2007 Oklahoma KO show and posted a second-round TKO victory. The 43-year-old has won five of his past six fights.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Jake Shields on EliteXC Title Shot -- An MMAjunkie.com Interview

The title fight is one of three that will take place at Saturday's Strikeforce/EliteXC show at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. The main card airs on Showtime.

Shields owns one of the most impressive resumes in all of MMA. The No. 1 contender for the EliteXC welterweight belt holds victories over Hayato "Mach" Sakurai, former UFC middleweight champion Dave Menne, WEC champion Carlos Condit, UFC middleweight contender Yushin Okami, SHOOTO world champion Akira Kikuchi, and UFC & PRIDE veterans "Charuto" Verissimo and Mike Pyle, to name a few.

MMAjunkie.com (www.MMAjunkie.com) recently spoke to Jake Shields (20-4-1) one week before his fight with Fickett (32-5).

Shields talked about the title fight, the possibility of moving up a weight class, his desire to fight on the May 31 EliteXC-CBS card, and where he thinks he ranks worldwide in the 170-lb. division.

MMAjunkie.com: Do you consider your upcoming EliteXC title fight with Drew Fickett the biggest fight of your career?

Jake Shields: I've been in a lot of tough fights. In terms of exposure, yes. There will be lots of eyes on this fight.

MMAjunkie.com: What are your thoughts on your opponent Drew Fickett?

Jake Shields. I have a lot of respect for him. He's a tough fighter. He's (32–5), and the fights he has lost are to very good fighters.

MMAjunkie.com: Do you have a gameplan for the fight? I know you train with Nick Diaz, who holds a victory over Fickett. Has that been helpful?

Jake Shields: As far as a gameplan from training with Nick, not really. When Nick fought Drew, the fight didn't last long. But it is helpful training with Nick. He is very good on the ground, and so is my opponent. I've watched some of Drew Fickett's fights on tape, and I can plan for a few things, but generally I just go out and fight.

MMAjunkie.com: Earlier in your career, if there was one criticism of your game, it was that you didn't finish fights. Over your past five fights, you have finished them all, including four in the first round. Did something change in your training, or did you just make a conscious effort to finish these fights?

Jake Shields: They were tough fights, but yes, it's has been a conscious decision on my part to turn up the aggression and finish these fights as quickly as possible.

MMAjunkie.com: You have said many times that you would like to fight the best. Outside of the UFC, whom would you like to fight?

Jake Shields: There are some really good fighters in Japan that a lot of people man not have heard of. I also wouldn't have a problem with moving up a weight class and fighting Frank Shamrock or Robbie Lawler.

MMAjunkie.com: A few months back there was talk of you possibly fighting Frank Trigg. Would that fight still interest you?

Jake Shields: Absolutely. But I guess when that fight was talked about, it wasn't a fight Frank Trigg was interested in taking.

MMAjunkie.com: EliteXC will hold their first card on CBS on May 31. Is that a card you would like to be a part of?

Jake Shields: If I make it though my fight on the 29th and I come out pretty injury free, sure. If Gary Shaw asks me to do it and finds someone for me to fight, I'm all for it.

MMAjunkie.com: If you could chose one dream opponent for yourself, who would it be?

Jake Shields: Georges St. Pierre. He is considered to be the best in my weight class, and I'd like to test my skills against him.

MMAjunkie.com: You are ranked in the top 10 in your weight class by most outlets. Where would you rank yourself?

Jake Shields: In the top five easily. It's hard to say from there. There are some really tough fighters in the top five, but I think I could beat them.

MMAjunkie.com: Who are you picking in the Frank Shamrock vs. Cung Le fight?

Jake Shields: Oh, that's tough. I can't make a pick. But Cung Le is my friend, so I will root for him to beat Frank and shut him up.

MMAjunkie.com: How to you imagine your fight on the 29th with Drew Fickett playing out?

Jake Shields: I don't know. I'm just going to fight. If we stand, I can beat him. If it goes to the ground, I can pass his guard and pound him out or submit him.

MMAjunkie.com: Any shout-outs for your supporters or sponsors?

Jake Shields: I'd like to thank Affliction, RockStar Energy Drink, Stagr, Alpha Dog and Fairtex.

MMAjunkie.com: And if people want to get in touch with you?

Jake Shields: They can visit my website JakeShields.com, or they can contact me though MySpace (www.myspace.com/jakeshieldsajj).

 

[Shogun Locc]

Report: Silva-Jones in Ongoing Negotiations for Boxing Match

Representatives of UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. have confirmed that they are actively engaging in talks for a future boxing match.

The news comes from our friend Mike Chiappetta at NBCSports.com.

Although the potential fight has been rumored since UFC 82 earlier this month, the report says that negotiations are now in the preliminary stage and that both Silva and Jones are pushing for it.

NBCSports.com, which first reported the possible boxing match during an interview with Silva prior to UFC 82, has also learned that the fight will be an official boxing match -- not an exhibition -- and that it would likely take place at a catchweight between 170 and 185 lbs.

There would be a few hurdles, of course. The UFC would have to sign off on the fight, and Silva would have to get a license from the hosting state's athletic commission. Silva and Jones would also have to agree on a split of the revenue.

However, NBCSports.com quoted Alan Hopper, director of public relations for Don King Productions, as saying the talks are ongoing and that Jones is interested in the fight.

No date or possible venue for the event has been decided. However, it would almost assuredly air on pay-per-view.

Silva, a 32-year-old who joined the UFC in late 2006, is a career 21-4 (including 6-0 in the UFC). After defeating Rich Franklin for the title at UFC 64, he's made three successful title defenses (and also has a win over Travis Lutter in a non-title fight). Silva, widely regarded as one of the sport's top strikers, has a seven-fight win streak with all seven victories coming via stoppage. He's 1-1 as a professional boxer, according to BoxRec.com.

Jones, 39, owns a career boxing mark of 52-4 with 38 knockouts, though his past five wins have come via decision. He won titles in the middleweight, super middleweight and light heavyweight classes before defeating John Ruiz for the WBA heavyweight championship in 2003. He was named the Boxing Writers Association of America's "Fighter of the Decade" for the 1990s, and he held the WBC, WBA, IBF, IBO, NBA, WBF, and IBA light heavyweight championships at the same time.

UFC president Dana White, who would need to approve the fight, has yet to comment on the matter.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Gilbert Melendez talks Strikeforce title defense

Strikeforce champion and Pride vet Gilbert Melendez is finishing preparations for his next title defense as part of the upcoming EliteXC/Strikeforce co-promotion to be aired live on Showtime March 29th where he will face Gabe Lemley. In his last tile defense in front of an invite-only crowd at the Playboy Mansion Gil won a unanimous decision over Tetsuji Kato despite a broken hand. In his last fight which took place on New Years Eve at the Yarennoka event Gil lost his first fight ever to Mitsuhiro Ishida also by unanimous decision. In the archives are multiple updates with Gil reaching back to his time as WEC champion, #1 ranked Shooto competitor, and Abu Dhabi Worlds ’05 competitor. He trains with Cesar Gracie black belts Jake Shields and Nick Diaz, both of whom are also on this card.


KM: With the late change in opponents what does this fight mean to you?


GM: The fight is very important to me, to get back on track and win. My opponent is Gabe Lemley. I don’t know much about him which is always a little rough. I know he has had some success. I don’t think he has fought the level of opponents I have but MMA is a crazy sport and on any given day anyone can have a great day. I just got to make sure he doesn’t take advantage of this great opportunity. Too bad for him I’m really refocused right now and really serious. I’m in this game not to be one of the best but to be the best. I just remembered that recently.


KM: Is this still going to be a title fight?

GM: Definitely, whether someone thinks he deserves it or not. I’m the champ and want to defend my title. All my fights with Strikeforce now I plan on defending my belt. If I lost my last fight against Kato it wouldn’t make sense for me to be the champ. Might as well make these five-rounders anyway. I like the deep water.


KM: Have you seen any of his recent fights?

GM: I looked a little bit of this and that on YouTube and he dominated but not against A-level competition, I don’t know if even high B. I haven’t got a chance to see much and there is a lot of mystery. It is just a good opportunity for him. Someone needed to step up and not many people would step up to fight me. I have to give him respect in that aspect. I think it takes balls to jump in there with me and I know he is ready.


KM: He hasn’t gone to a decision in three years and that was three rounds. In his last eight fights only two have made it out of the first round. It seems he will be explosive but there is a question if he is prepared to go five rounds. How do you train differently for these five-round fights as opposed to for instance your Yarennoka fight on New Years Eve which was one ten-minute round and one five?


GM: You just start stepping it up. It is hard to sprint for ten minutes so it is a hard jog. It is hard to keep that exact explosiveness and now it is easier to keep my intensity up with five-minute bursts and one minute of rest. My training is tougher. Twenty-five minutes is tougher than a ten and a five for me. Basically you have to step it up and put yourself through it. Instead of running three hard miles I run four hard miles. Instead of sparring three MMA rounds with tough guys I’m sparring five MMA rounds. Sometimes four because it is hard to go five all the time. I’m definitely ready for five rounds.


KM: You are.

GM: Right. I don’t know either. You have to give him credit for that. Right now I’m ready to fight anyone. I feel really good right now. Whoever it is I’m ready to fight.


KM: Most fighters say they learn more from their losses than from their wins. You suffered your first loss on New Years Eve in Yarennoka. What happened and what was that like?


GM: It was rough for me. I don’t like losing. I imagined my first loss being more dramatic, toe-to-toe action with me going down to some punches or me fighting my heart out. I did and he did as well. He fought a very smart gameplan but I felt the fight was unresolved in my opinion. I give him credit and he had a good strategy. It was the first time I fought a fighter that…I don’t want to insult the guy but most guys came and battled me like a toe-to-toe war. It was the first time I had a guy just kind of run. It was a really smart gameplan. He fought to win and he got his win. It made me realize you can’t be so aggressive, I have to be smarter. I’m on top of my game and needed some motivation and that fight motivated me. It made me realize I’m here to be the best, not be one of the best. Ishida did a great job and I hope to get a crack at him again.


KM: You heard about the change in opponents for this upcoming fight about a week ago?


GM: Yeah. They have been trying to throw names at me here and there. I kind of stayed out of it and let my manager Chris Sanford help me out. Finally they resolved it, maybe three-and-a-half weeks out.


KM: It was briefly reported on other websites you were going to face Chute Boxe’s jiu-jitsu coach. Was there any point in time you changed your training or strategy to accommodate that possibility and then had to change it back again?


GM: Definitely. It all started with (Jorge) Masvidal, like I was going to practice my hands and work on my takedowns and ground-and-pound. All of a sudden I hear this Chute Boxe guy and I was like “is there something I don’t know about?” It was a name that was mentioned and then that was out there. Sometimes the media announces your fight before you even know it so I’m like “what is going on?” Scott Coker (Strikeforce President) is a cool guy and said he never confirmed that. It was definitely an option but this is the guy they came up with. Yeah, it is difficult changing your gameplan. Not so much in the gym as mentally preparing. I like to visualize the guy, like how I’d like to beat him up or overcoming an obstacle they have. At the worst like Masvidal puts me to the mat and I have to get up and recover or the Chute Boxe guy has me in a triangle and how to overcome it. That is how I do it to myself. Mentally it is hard switching gears but I was just really happy when I got an opponent, someone that is confirmed. Thank God I’m fighting. I just want to fulfill my contract and fight here in the States.


KM: This is in San Jose, basically thought of as driving distance of San Francisco. You are a star in Japan and high in the rankings but haven’t fought in front of “your crowd” in almost two years. What does fighting in front of basically your hometown crowd mean to you now?


GM: It means a lot to me. I’ve been places where I have been booed or not cheered. In Japan they didn’t cheer too much or said nothing, there has been complete silence. One of my best fights was against Clay Guida. I felt really pumped and motivated. When I got in the cage they booed Clay Guida and when they said “Gilbert Melendez” that was the first time I heard the roars and cheers. It was weird and it pumped me full of life and motivation. I can’t wait to fight and have the fans on my side. It is such a plus. All my guys are going to come and watch me, like seventy people from Santa Anna, my Southern California hometown, coming up like friends and family and then plenty from San Francisco and the whole Bay Area. It is great. I’m ready to make a mark in the States now.


KM: I understand Yarennoka was a mix of ex-Pride guys and K-1 Hero’s staff. How did they treat you compared to Pride?


GM: They treated me good. I wish I got out there a day or two earlier. They got me out there maybe two days later than Pride did but it was still good. I think Pride was a little better but it was still fine. It was a good show and I think they did a great job and treated me with respect. Everything was good; it is just hard looking at it positive when you lose. Overall there are no excuses; they treated me better than I’ve been treated in plenty of US shows.


KM: You talked in a previous update about despite internet rumors not being in the Dream tournament. Just out of curiosity what do you think of that first round the way it unfolded?


GM: I think it is a great lineup of fighters. I didn’t get a chance to see anything but I would rush to the computer to see the results. JZ and Aoki I was looking forward to and thought JZ was going to pull it off but when I heard about (no contest) I was like “oh, man, that sucks”. I’m happy Kawajiri won and Ishida won. Eddie Alvarez is bad! The first time I saw him was when Jake fought in Bodog in Costa Rica and was like “this guy is badass”. I’m going to watch out for him. You wish you could be a part of something like that but it can be taking on too many projects at one time I’m learning from experience. I think I made my mark out in Japan already and I hope Eddie Alvarez does well out there. I hope they all do well, just want to see some good fights, and wish everyone the best but I’m just ready to be in the States now and do my thing here. I’m not saying I don’t want to go back to Japan; I want to do my thing here.


KM: Are you saying you are beyond that?

GM: I wish I could be a part of that if I had no obligations right now or if it was the only thing on the table I would be a little more interested but right now I have some obligations to fulfill and that is what I want to think about right now. I’m committed to Strikeforce right now, want to do my goods out there, and see where I am at.


KM: Also on this card your teammate Jake Shields is fighting for the EliteXC belt and Nick Diaz is on the card. Is that a distraction or a reinforcement or what?


GM: It is awesome. I know we are going to feed off each other’s energy. We are going to be pumped up. Not to mention Nathan (Diaz) is going to be fighting on April 2nd against (Kurt) Pellegrino (Ultimate Fight Night) which is an awesome fight. All four of us have been training together. It is an awesome time for us all. Other than not being able to corner each other it is better we all fight at the same time because we get to push each other in the gym. I’m so lucky Jake is fighting because he is an animal when it comes to training. I just wake up and ask “what are we doing”. He is really self-disciplined more than anyone I know. He asks my opinion sometimes and I’m like “whatever you say, coach”. It sucks he can’t be in my corner and it sucks I can’t be in his. I don’t know how it is going to go but if I fight first I’m going to hustle up and do what I got to do to be in Jake’s corner. I know he would do the same for me and for Nick.


KM: What do you think of Jake’s fight against Fickett?

GM: We sat down and watched Fickett fight. We have done our homework. I really didn’t know much about Fickett other than Nick beat him pretty bad. I didn’t know what to really think of him and then I saw his fight against Karo and Pellegrino and others. He is a guy who really likes to fight. Some guys that are better fighters fight Jake and they give up. I think Fickett may be not as good as some of the competition but has a lot of heart and wants to keep pushing and fighting. I respect that. He is a guy who manages to survive and overcome obstacles. He is a tough fighter. There are some things I don’t know how they would play out, like can he stop Jake’s mount or Jake taking his back or stop Jake’s takedowns. It depends how long it is going to go. I think he is a tough guy but Jake is going to be able to surprise him. Not just on the ground but maybe on the feet. Jake is so on fire right now. If he wins this title I see him as top three or top two in the world, honestly. If everything goes according to plan he should take care of him.


KM: I think it is funny we both know more about Jake’s fight than about your own opponent.


GM: Right! I finally saw some YouTube stuff and was like “one-and-a-half minutes? What is this crap? How am I going to learn anything?”


KM: To the hardcore fans your big breaks were in Japan but to the casual US fan this is your big break. How do you feel about being on Showtime?


GM: I’m pumped about being a part of it. I want people to see it. I think a lot of hardcore fans know who I am but for people who know the sport Showtime is good. Maybe they won’t watch Spike TV or order a UFC but for a lot of people who were never interested in the UFC but heard about cage fighting Showtime is really great exposure. I think it is going to be good, not just for the fans but for a person cruising by Showtime and I hope if they see me I might make them a fan of the sport. If they say “boxing is better” or “Mayweather can beat them up” maybe they will see my fight and be like “this is cool shit” or “this guy might be able to beat up Mayweather”. I want people to switch channels and see that and make new fans out of them. I hope I do with this.


KM: Anything else to get across to the fans?

GM: I just want to tell all my fans in the States I’m here and ready to fight. All my fans in Santa Anna and the Bay Area and the US and even worldwide I’m excited to fight again and thanks for your love and support. I fight for myself but I also fight for you guys.


KM: Sponsors to thank?

GM: Xtreme Couture, Fairtex, Combative Fight Apparel, Serious Pimp, and Stagg Radio.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Saku’s New Dojo’

Kazushi Sakura, after twelve years of a glorious career, finally made his own dojo in Tokyo. Its called "Laughter 7" and the gym will be officially open to the public as of April 1st. Former national wrestling champion at 97 kg division, Kazuhiro Hamanaka, along with Cage Force veteran Wataru Takahashi, and DEEP Future King tournament champ (82 kg & Under) are the coaching staff gathered at the new home base of Japan's MMA star who once took the world by storm as "The Gracie Hunter".


At the dojo opening ceremony held on March 24th, Sakuraba talked about his dojo in public, "For anyone, laughing would make everything more happy. Even during gruesome training, laughter can push it through. That is the meaning. (Of the dojo name) And 7 is, you know, lucky seven." At Laughter 7 the majority of classes offered to the public are mainly MMA classes. Sakuraba is thinking about raising the next star and at the same time hoping to raise the bar of Japanese MMA. Sakuraba also talked about his vision, "Instead of fighting with just physical strength, I want to raise a fighter who is clever by sly. That type of a fighter, with a well-balanced sense, could double or triple his ability. I want to raise fighters like that."

LAUGHTER 7

tel: 81-3-6807-1771

http://www.saku39.com/

6-3-8 Minami Oi, Shinagawa-ku

Gardenia Omori 2nd Floor

Tokyo Japan 140-0013

 

[Shogun Locc]

Strikeforce Maintains Misaki Is Signed

Strikeforce has refuted a Sherdog.com report that Kazuo Misaki (Pictures) is not signed with the promotion, maintaining that the former Pride Grand Prix champion has indeed put his signature on a deal for two fights.

Sherdog.com reported yesterday that despite published reports Misaki had inked a deal with the San Jose, Calif.-based promotion, a source close to the Japanese middleweight revealed that as of Friday, Misaki had not yet officially signed the contract, nor had he seen it.

Strikeforce vice president Mike Afromowitz told Sherdog.com Sunday evening that the promotion had in its possession a signed contract with Misaki to be his exclusive North American promoter for two fights. Misaki will be allowed to fight for Japanese promotions.

"Misaki's signature is on the contract that was faxed to our office two weeks ago," Afromowitz said.

Misaki last saw action at World Victory Road's debut Sengoku card earlier this month, defeating Siyar Bahadurzada (Pictures).