MMA News Thread

[heyzel]

M-1 Global, Fedor Officially Part Ways

by Sherdog.com

Created last October largely to promote Russian heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures) to North American audiences, M-1 Global and "The Last Emperor" have mutually ended their contractual obligations, the promotion announced Friday.

"During the past six months the landscape of MMA, especially in the U.S., has dramatically changed," said M-1 Global President and CEO Monte Cox in a prepared statement. "The sport continues to gain mainstream acceptance and we believe we will be in a better position to capitalize on these new opportunities with this agreement."

The now-defunct M-1 Global is expected to unveil a new promotional name along with the date for its first event. Cox told Sherdog.com Monday he anticipated the revamped promotion would debut June 14 in Chicago, Ill.

"We appreciate the support that Monte and the M-1 Global team have given Fedor," said the Russian's manager Vadim Finkelchtein, who will continue to promote events under the 'M-1' banner throughout Europe and the top-ranked heavyweight's homeland. "We wish M-1 Global great success and hope to work with them sometime in the future

 

[heyzel]

Couture Litigation Grows More Complex

March 28, 2008
by Adam Swift

The legal war between Randy Couture (Pictures), Zuffa and HDNet Fights continues to heat up with the parties engaged in an increasingly complex set of litigation that includes two separate lawsuits, in Nevada and Texas respectively, and now an arbitration proceeding in Nevada.

On March 7, Zuffa filed for arbitration on Couture's promotional contract, pursuant to the terms of the agreement, in Nevada district court. The action marks the first time that Zuffa has formally made the promotional contract the issue of legal proceedings.

According to Zuffa, the proceeding will "necessarily require resolution of disputes between Zuffa and Couture over key terms of the promotional agreement," including those at issue in the HDNet Fights declaratory judgment action in Texas state court.

The action also continues in Texas. On March 13, Zuffa filed a notice of removal to federal district court in HDNet's declaratory judgment action brought against the company in Texas district court last month.

The stated ground for removal, and the basis for federal jurisdiction, is diversity of citizenship. Federal law provides jurisdiction to federal courts in matters in which the plaintiff and defendant are not residents or citizens of the same state. When diversity of citizenship exists in a suit filed in state court, the defendant may choose to remove the case to federal court.

However, it appears that diversity of citizenship has been destroyed by a clever legal move on the part of HDNet.

HDNet MMA 2008 is actually a Nevada LLC, formed on Dec. 28, rather than a Texas LLC, as previously assumed. The citizenship of an LLC is determined by the citizenship of its members, which in this case is HDNet Sports Inc., a Nevada corporation formed on Feb. 1.

Because HDNet MMA 2008, Zuffa and Randy Couture (Pictures) are all technically citizens of Nevada for federal jurisdictional purposes, diversity of citizenship would appear to be destroyed.

Zuffa alleges that these efforts represent an attempt by HDNet to "manipulate the court's jurisdiction."

"These actions were designed to deprive Zuffa of its statutory right to remove this action to [federal court] and prevent the parties to the contract at issue in the declaratory judgment action (Zuffa and Couture) from litigating their disputes in the contractually agreed upon Nevada forum," alleged Zuffa in court filings obtained by Sherdog.com.

"Because HDNet MMA 2008 was incorporated in Nevada for the improper purpose of circumventing diversity jurisdiction, this court should disregard the Nevada citizenship of HDNet MMA 2008 for purposes of determining the existence of diversity jurisdiction and retain jurisdiction over this action," argues Zuffa in its motion for removal.

In response, HDNet says Zuffa's "only argument for diversity jurisdiction is that the court should disregard the admitted diversity and examine the parties' motives, an argument which this court expressly rejected in [a 2004 case]."

HDNet goes on to say the "removal is nothing more than a bald-faced tactic to slow down this case in favor of a later-filed action or to ensure that HDNet's fight cannot happen."

On March 18, HDNet filed a motion to remand the case to Texas state court and asked for expedited proceedings, which the court granted. Zuffa has until March 28 to respond. HDNet may then submit a reply, if any, by April 1.

According to the filings obtained by Sherdog.com, HDNet hopes to promote Couture vs. Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures) in October of this year.

Meanwhile, on March 25 in the 8th Judicial District of Nevada, Couture's motion to dismiss was denied in Zuffa v. Couture -- the state court action concerning his employment contract.

An order was also recently entered that softened the language of the preliminary injunction granted by the court last month. Couture is allowed to corner fighters, and fighters may wear Xtreme Couture gear

 

[heyzel]

you don't complain because I rarely do it while you do it many times. If you would take the time to read what has already been posted and posted new mma news you would not hear me say shit. Why is that so hard for you to get through your head? You see that I post new mma news alot yet you gotta post something thats already been posted.

stop whinning only women & kids do shit like you're doing, you act like breaking the news you just coping and pasting some one else shit like me

 

[heyzel]

Rampage: "some of the referees took payoffs in Pride

Quinton Jackson was a guest on the Opie and Anthony show today 3/26/2008

UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson was a guest on the Opie and Anthony show today. Quinton has been on the show before and has good chemistry with the boys.

I did my best to transcribe some of the interview. It’s paraphrased, but not exaggerated. Quinton discussed the following topics with the boys: “The Ultimate Fighter: 8” , Chuck Liddell, Wanderlei Silva, Brock Lesnar, Kimbo Slice, getting into fighting shape, and the shady operations of now defunct Pride organization.

Quinton mentioned he was out of shape, probably because he has been filming “The Ultimate Fighter 8” show . He mentioned that if he had to get into fighting shape, he could do it in 8 weeks flat while training around five and a half hours a day.

On being a fan friendly fighter:


After the fight where I knocked Chuck out, I got booed. I was devastated. I am a fan friendly fighter. I noticed after that fight [the Liddell fight] I wasn’t that fan friendly to American fans anymore. I’ve always been an international fighter because I fought in Japan and have been more friend family over there

Jim Norton brings up the topic of fighter styles, and how Rampage lost to Wanderlei Silva two times in Pride.
Rampage made some interesting comments about Pride. He starts of by stating that “he doesn’t know” how much he can say, but he makes suggestions about referees favoring fighters to induce desirable outcomes.


I think that if I fought Wanderlei Silva in the UFC I would have beat him. Wanderlei was the chuck Liddell of Pride. If you were beating Wanderlei on the ground, the referee’s would stand you right up. It happened to me. It happened to other fighters that fought him.

Interesting note. I’d like to go back to some of Wanderlei’s fights to watch for this.

Rampage goes on about potential shady goings on during his stint in Pride:


It’s tougher to fight in Pride . The UFC is ran by regular people… Pride wasn’t. I don’t know how much I can say. The UFC is real. The referee can kind of alter the fight in Pride.

He also mentions how the Japanese government, or “other” powerful organizations, might have favored certain fighters. The Yakuza? Who knows.

More on Wanderlei Silva:


Me and Silva don’t even talk to each other. Silva is the type of guy that thinks everyone should be afraid of him. The way I react around him is different. I am not afraid of Wanderlei Silva. They call him “The Axe Murder” because he destroys people in his fights. They threw him chumps and he murdered them. Look at his record of guys he fought. This guy is “The Chump Murderer”. I speak my mind around him and he looks at me all crazy like I shouldn’t be saying that. I think some of the referees took payoffs in Pride. In Japan, I promise you something was up.

On Kimbo Slice:


I heard Kimbo Slice is calling me out. Hold on dawg, you aren’t even in my weight class! You don’t even fight in my organization! Why don’t you call out the heavyweight champion?

On pro wrestlers and Brock Lesnar:


I think that it’s good that pro wrestlers can come over and do some real stuff. Brock Lesnar came and didn’t bring and WWE with him. He didn’t act a fool or nothing like that. He did a good job, he almost finished Mir.

Interesting side notes: – Says to look out for the “purple nurple” in his next fight, a title defense against Forrest Griffin – Was not the slightest bit phased by the infamous video “Two girls one cup” – Rampage thinks the video is fake.

http://mma.lohudblogs.com/2008/03/26/notes-from-quinton-rampage-jacksons-visit-to-o-and-a-today/

 

[heyzel]

Roy Jones Jr.-Anderson Silva Talks Begin

By Mark Vester

It seemed like a fantasy, but representatives for UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, and former four-division champion Roy Jones Jr., have confirmed to the Associated Press that talks are ongoing for a possible boxing match between the two fighters. The reports notes that negotiations are in the preliminary stages, but both fighters are pushing for the clash to happen.

Alan Hopper, the PR director for Don King, informed the AP that talks are ongoing and Jones is interested in making the fight. According to a report by NBCSports.com, the fight will be an official boxing match and not an exhibition. They would likely meet at a catchweight between 170 and 185-pounds.

The report said a few big hurdles exist. The UFC would have to sign off on the fight, Silva would have to obtain a boxing license from the athletic commission of the hosting state, and both fighters would have to agree on the revenue split. No date or venue has been mentioned. The fight is a lock to land on pay-per-view.

The likely venue would fall in Las Vegas. The executive director for the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Keith Kizer, told NBC Sports that the commission would have to gather a lot of information about Silva's capabilities as a boxer in order to grant a license for a dream bout with Jones.

"It's [Silva's] burden to prove," Kizer said. "He'd be taking on a future Hall of Famer in Roy Jones. There's no question he can get licensed to box, the question is the matchup. We'd have to look at his training, his background, his history and gather the facts before a decision."

Silva has a mixed-martial-arts record of 21–4 (which includes a 6–0 run in the UFC). Jones has a career record of 52-4 with 38 knockouts. He's a former middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight champion

 

[Shogun Locc]

stop whinning only women & kids do shit like you're doing, you act like breaking the news you just coping and pasting some one else shit like me

you can't deny that you almost always post shit that has already been posted in this thread and the whinning argurment is weak and old so stop bring that weak shit up. And at least I have the decency to delete what has already been posted in this thread unlike you. An if I remmember correctly I never ask you to help me post shit up in this thread. In fact I started this thread cuz the siccness MMA fans wanted me to.

 

[Shogun Locc]

FINAL BOUT ORDER FOR ELITE XC-STRIKEFORCE CARD

A very hectic week led to multiple card changes for the upcoming EliteXC and Strikeforce co-promoted event set to take place Saturday night in San Jose, Calif.

On Wednesday, MMAWeekly.com broke the news that Nick Diaz had been removed from his fight and Drew Fickett, who lost his opponent earlier in the week when Jake Shields had to drop out due to an injury, stepped in to face Jae Suk Lim.

In the main event, Frank Shamrock will defend his Strikeforce middleweight title against Cung Le. Gilbert Melendez, in another title bout, puts his lightweight belt on the line against Gabe Lemley.

The final card and bout order are as follows according to EliteXC:

Main Event:
-Frank Shamrock vs. Cung Le
-Drew Fickett vs. Jae Suk Lim
-Gilbert Melendez vs. Gabe Lemley
-Mike Kyle vs. Wayne Cole
-Joey Villasenor vs. Ryan Jensen
-Marlon Sims vs. Billy Evangelista – Swing Bout

Preliminary Bouts (Not Televised)
-Tiki Ghosn vs. Luke Stewart
-Darren Uyenoyama vs. Anthony Figueroa
-Jesse Jones vs. Jesse Gillespie

 

[Shogun Locc]

DIAZ CAMP PLANS LEGAL ACTION AGAINST CSAC

The Elite XC and Strikeforce co-promoted fight card set for this weekend underwent multiple changes this week. None garnered as much fallout as Nick Diaz being pulled from his bout with Jae Suk Lim due to his medicals not being turned in on time, according to California State Athletic Commission executive officer Armando Garcia in a statement to Sherdog.com on Thursday.

EliteXC live events president Gary Shaw claimed in a conversation with Garcia that Diaz was being pulled because of Diaz’s prescription for medicinal marijuana.

Cesar Gracie, Diaz’s lead trainer, spoke to MMAWeekly Radio on Thursday evening about the entire situation that led up to his fighter being pulled from his fight just 72 hours before it was scheduled to take place.

Gracie denied Garcia’s claim that Diaz did not turn in his medicals on time.

“That’s absolutely not true,” said Gracie about the timing of the medicals being received. “Because if he didn’t turn his medicals in, how did (Garcia) know Nick has a cannabis club card? He found out when the medicals were turned in. Nick doesn’t turn in medicals. He goes and gets them done and the lab was turning them in for him.

“There are fighters on this card that did not get their medicals in until today. They got them done last night and turned them in today, and they are fighting.”

According to his trainer, Diaz was extremely prepared for this fight and is obviously disappointed after the ruling was handed down on Wednesday.

“He had made weight, he was looking forward to putting up a really good fight,” stated Gracie. “For some reason, like I said, Armando’s (Garcia) finding every excuse in the book to not let this guy fight. It’s ridiculous.”

The entire situation may have to come to a head in a courtroom because at this late date there is no way Diaz can still compete on Saturday’s card and Gracie is adamant about their position in this battle.

“That’s exactly what we’re going to move forward with is legal action after this,” Gracie said. “We’re going to go ahead and get our lawyers and we’re going to sit down and go forward with the proceedings. This is just discrimination, you can’t do that.

“Armando Garcia is here to help fighters, not to hinder them. He’s here to make sure fighters are safe, make sure the rules are being followed, not to legislate from where he’s at, make laws, that’s not his thing. It’s to enforce the laws that are made and to make sure everything happens in a fair manner. And when the fighters do it fairly, it doesn’t matter what my opinion, or his opinion, or anyone else’s opinion is, California states that it’s legal to have a cannabis club card, so that’s just the way it is.”

Regardless of the legalized marijuana issue, Gracie also says that Diaz had every intention of being tested and coming back clean.

“He never took a urine test. We wanted him to take a urine test,” he said. “We offered for him to take a urine test to show that he was going to be negative. He was not smoking, so he would be negative for this fight … they never gave him that opportunity.”

For now, Gracie will focus on Gilbert Melendez, who will be defending his Strikeforce lightweight championship on Saturday night against Gabe Lemley.

Attempts to reach Garcia for comment went unreturned at the time of publication.

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC 83 FIGHT CARD FINALIZED

The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Thursday announced the full eleven-bout line-up for its April 19 Canadian debut.

The main event at the Bell Centre in Montreal is a lightweight title bout between current champion Matt Serra and interim champion Georges St. Pierre.

Serra won the title in April of last year in Houston at UFC 69 when he defeated St. Pierre by TKO in the first round. He has since been on the shelf due to participating as a coach on season six of The Ultimate Fighter and then suffering a back injury in training for a planned bout with Matt Hughes.

During that same time, St. Pierre has been on a hot streak, defeating Josh Koscheck and Matt Hughes in back-to-back performances.

Tickets for UFC 83 reportedly sold out in record time. According to UFC president Dana White, “Most of the tickets for UFC 83 were sold in the first 24 hours of our UFC Fight Club presale, and the rest were gone within one minute of the public on-sale.”

Although UFC 83 is the promotion’s first foray into Canada, White says it won’t be the last. “I’m excited to say that this event is a sellout, and the fastest one in UFC history, so it’s safe to say we definitely will be back in Canada after this inaugural event.”

Main Card Bouts:
-Matt Serra vs. Georges St. Pierre
-Rich Franklin vs. Travis Lutter
-Nate Quarry vs. Kalib Starnes
-Michael Bisping vs. Charles McCarthy
-Mac Danzig vs. Mark Bocek

Preliminary Bouts:
-Jason MacDonald vs. Joe Doerksen
-Alan Belcher vs. Jason Day
-Ed Herman vs. Demian Maia
-Sam Stout vs. Rich Clementi
-Cain Velasquez vs. Brad Morris
-Kuniyoshi Hironaka vs. Jonathan Goulet

 

[Shogun Locc]

Gesias wants new fight with Aoki

Frustrated with the no contect at his fight against Shinya Aoki, the two times Hero’s GP champion Gesias Cavalcante wants a new fight to continue on the Dream’s GP, that will have the second stage at April 29th at Japan. “The promoters didn’t say anything, but they may set a new fight so that we could continue on the GP”, told Gesias, that can face his friend Luis Buscapé (BTT) during the GP. “Buscapé is my friend. We asked the promoters to stay on different sides of the GP because we won’t accept a match between us, only at the final. In case that both get to the final, we’ll fight, but before that we don’t wanna this match ‘cause our friendship”, said Gesias.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Krazy! More Lightweights To SENGOKU

Two fights have been announced for SENGOKU II on May 18th. Undefeated and very entertaining Korean Kwang Hee Lee will take on Pride veteran Eiji Mitsuoka, who defeated Joachim Hansen in his last fight. In the other announced fight Satoru Kitaoka will make his SENGOKU debut against Hero’s veteran Ian Schaffa.

SENGOKU II
Date: May 18th, 2008
Place: Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo, Japan

Fights:
Satoru Kitaoka vs. Ian Schaffa
Eiji Mitsuoka vs. Kwang Hee Lee

Participants:
Roger Gracie
Yoshihiro Nakao
Yuki Sasaki

Possible Participants:
Kevin Randleman
Jorge Santiago
Jeff Monson

 

[Shogun Locc]

Preparing for the superfights at M-1 Challenge
videolink: http://www.m1mixfight.com/multimedia/video/category/massmedia/2008/3/ntv_suzhet/
Alexander Emelianenko and Roman Zentsov prepare for M-1 Challenge superfights. Video report shown on NTV channel

 

[Shogun Locc]

SHOWTIME WEBSITE TO TAKE VIEWERS INSIDE THE CAGE

SHO.com EXCLUSIVE:

SHOWTIME WEBSITE TO TAKE VIEWERS INSIDE THE CAGE

FOR FRANK SHAMROCK vs. CUNG LE

SHOWTIME Cage Cam To Air Simultaneously

With Live SHOWTIME Telecast of Shamrock - Le Championship Match;

Saturday, March 29, 2008

During this Saturday’s EliteXC telecast on SHOWTIME (live at 9 p.m. ET/PT), the premium network’s website, SHO.com, will give fight fans the unique opportunity to view the main event match from INSIDE THE CAGE.

The Showtime Cage Cam will stream the main event (simultaneously with the telecast) from inside the cage when Shamrock and Le square off in what is expected to be an explosive championship fight. Visit http://www.SHO.com at the start of the main event (approximately 10:15 p.m. ET) to get up close and personal with two of the best fighters on the planet.

Following the event, video from the Showtime Cage Cam will be available on demand for fans visiting SHO.com.

For more exclusive video including Goldberg Toe-To-Toe with Shamrock and Le as well as on EliteXC fighters, go to http://www.SHO.com/sports. SHOWTIME Shorts

 

[Shogun Locc]

Preview: Matyushenko vs. Patterson

Like any good title fight, it’s a study in contrasts. In one corner you have Vladimir Matyushenko, the champion. He’s quiet and humble, always uncomfortable in the limelight. Watching him fight sometimes feels like watching a man trudging through his shift at a factory: the end isn’t in question, and it’s just a methodical march to the finish.

Then there’s Jamal Patterson, who will challenge for Matyushenko’s light heavyweight title on April 4. Patterson, a former college football player at Colgate University, is everything Matyushenko isn’t. He’s young, good-looking, and not at all shy about telling you how skilled he is.

But while Patterson may represent the promise of the athletically-gifted prodigy in MMA, Matyushenko’s more workmanlike approach has resulted in more than just high hopes and great potential – it’s earned him an impressive 20-3 record and the IFL light heavyweight title.

Patterson enters this bout with a 4-1 record, compiled over the last two years. The Renzo Gracie fighter has submitted all but one of his opponents in the first round. His lone loss came against Reese Andy after Patterson dominated the first round only to run out of gas in the second.

That, combined with the fact that Patterson hasn’t been in the ring since September, when he choked out Chris Baten, gives one cause to wonder whether conditioning will be a factor in this fight.

While Patterson has never won a fight that lasted longer than one round in his pro career, Matyushenko has proved more than once that he can go the distance. He may not have Patterson’s flash inside the ring, but one thing he doesn’t do often is make mistakes.

Matyushenko’s 20-3 record is impressive enough on its own, but it becomes even more so when you examine where the three losses came from.

Two were decisions – one against Vernon White and the other against Tito Ortiz – while the third was a KO at the hands of former UFC heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski, a fight outside of Matyushenko’s natural 205-pound weight class.

This means that against other light heavyweights, Matyushenko has never been finished in a pro fight. He's never really even come close to being submitted, which is Patterson's preferred way to end a fight.

If Patterson hopes to take the title away from him next Friday night, he’ll either need to change that pattern or prove he can outlast “The Janitor” over the long haul.

As fighters like Tim Boetsch and Alex Schoenauer can tell you, Matyushenko is a tough guy to control for that long, particularly in a five-round championship bout. If Patterson is going to do it, he’d better bring his legs with him on Friday night.

Matyushenko is sure to be his toughest test yet, and before it’s over we’ll learn whether “The Suit’s” considerable natural ability is enough to make him a champion.

 

[Shogun Locc]

EXCLUSIVE ChokeHimOut Interview: Mark Miller

Recently chokehimout.com caught up with IFL welterweight fighter Mark Miller who took some time out of his busy schedule to talk with us. Mark is scheduled to fight Jay Hieron for the Welterweight Championship Belt on April 4th at IFL's New Blood New Battles. Here's what Mark had to say...

C.H.O: You joined the Marines at 19 years old. How did this help you in MMA?

MM: I started training toward the end of my enlistment in the Marine Corps, but I had always been into sports and lifting weights. I was always disciplined in as far as working out whether it being football, track or just lifting weights on my own. I have always had a good hard work ethic when it comes to training. The Marine Corps more or less helped me discover MMA and that?s why I started training it. As far as the work ethic, it's something I have always had.

C.H.O: What sports did you mainly focus on in high school?

MM: Mostly football. I did some boxing in high school also but it wasn't competitive, it was more just a workout type of thing, just something to do. I was big into lifting weights and power lifting when I was younger. I did track and field but I didn't really focus too much on that, I did it mostly to get out of gym class in high school.

C.H.O: Your upcoming opponent Jay Hieron is a very experienced wrestler. Did you have any wrestling experience at all in high school?

MM: No I didn't wrestle at all during high school. Looking back I wish I would have but at the time I really didn't want to. Yeah I'm aware that he has a strong wrestling background, but once you're in the MMA game you kind of have to a little bit of everything so I am prepared for that.

C.H.O: What made you want to train in jiu jitsu?

MM: When I first started training I started a little bit in everything and I kind of geared more toward the feet because for some reason it was more natural to me. I also knew that you can't be a one dimensional fighter so you definitely have to practice all the ground game that you can. I started training with some great grapplers here at MidWest.

C.H.O: What are doing right now to prepare for your upcoming fight with Jay Hieron?

MM: I'm really not doing anything different. I try not to look at it as a huge fight, I take every fight the same. I'm going to go out there if it's a title fight or if it's a fight out in the ally and I'm going to fight as hard as I can no matter what. I try not to put to much pressure on myself thinking about it to much. I think it tends to psych people out. It plays with your nerves when they get in the ring and think 'My god this is a huge title'. I just train hard every day and I'm well prepared so there's no second guessing.

C.H.O: What part of your game are you working on the most right now?

MM: I pretty much have an equal balance between wrestling, stand up and jiu jitsu. I try not to neglect any of them. As far as this fight, I think I have been focusing a little more of my jiu jitsu off my back just because I am usually a top game guy but I know that Jay has a strong wrestling background so I can expect him to look for a takedown. In a perfect world I can avoid every takedown but you know it's not a perfect world and takedowns happen and hopefully I'll be ready for it. I've been working a lot of stuff off my back so I'm ready.

C.H.O: First round. Is it going to be bang time or are you going to be looking to defend the takedown and use more of a jiu jitsu game?

MM: I guess that's up to him. If he wants to stand and bang let's do it, I welcome it definitely. I will definitely be trying to throw some leather no matter what. If he looks for the takedown I will have to be more tentative on my feet to be ready to defend the takedown. But if he comes at me swinging then I think it would be a fun fight for the fans.

C.H.O: Do you have any problems making weight?

MM: I don't usually walk to heavy, I'm usually around 183 to 185, that's about as big as I get. I'm just naturally about that size. I'm kind of a smaller guy for welter weight but I'm not into the cutting thirty pounds to fight and be bigger than the guy I'm fighting. I think I would rather focus on being better than the other guy than being bigger.

C.H.O: How many hours a day are you training for this fight?

MM: I usually train about 4-5 hours a day. You have to give your body a rest. Some of these guys say they train 4 times a day. Unless they have something in their medicine cabinet that I don't, there's no way that the human body can take that much day in and day out. You can't treat your body like a machine, you have to listen to it and give it rest. You take care of your body, your body takes care of you. I try and train hard and rest enough to where the next session I can train just as hard as the first one.

C.H.O: Now you just had a daughter. How old is she.

MM: She will be two weeks tomorrow.

C.H.O: How is having a new child playing into your training for this fight?

MM: I keep them separate. When I'm in the gym I'm a fighter, once I step out of the gym I'm a dad. I'm not putting any added pressure on me like 'Now I have to fight for a family'. Like I said before, I am fighting 100% no matter what. It really hasn't been that much of a distraction. I mean I am a happier guy now so maybe it's less stress on me (laughs).

C.H.O: What's in the future for you?

MM: Hopefully I will be wearing the belt if all goes well next Friday. I will keep fighting as long as my body lets me. I want to continue fighting and once I'm out of the fight game I would like to continue to train or maybe get into a management game. Probably more along the lines of coaching, I'm not much of a business guy.

C.H.O: Anything you want to say to the Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan right now?

MM: I just want to say keep up the good work and we all appreciate what your doing. Stay safe and keep up the good work.

 

[DVS ONE]

thanx Shogunn and heyzel,UFC 83 undercards are looking just as good as the Mains,I also thought Mike Kyle was suspended??

 

[Shogun Locc]

Vera's Management Dispute Provides Rare Glimpse Into UFC Negotiations

Brandon Vera's dispute with his former manager, Mark Dion, was recently settled in an arbitration hearing before the California State Athletic Commission. The commission ruled in Dion's favor and the entire affair is documented on Dion's website, CityBoxing.com. The myriad of documents made available by Dion provide a rare public glimpse into the UFC's negotiation tactics.

The entire affair was detailed by the Canadian Press. The highlights:

Vera's second three-fight UFC deal (renegotiated prior to the expiration of his original contract) started at $16,000/$16,000 (win bonus), $20,000/$20,000, and $24,000/$24,000. The deal also included a $100,000 signing bonus.

Two fights into that deal, following Vera's knockout of Frank Mir at UFC 65 in November 2006, the UFC approached Dion to negotiate a long term deal. The UFC flew Dion to Las Vegas to meet with Dana White. White gave Dion two offers on a post-it note:
A three fight deal at $90,000/$90,000, $100,000/$100,000, and $115,000/$115,000 with an automatic upgrade to $150,000/$150,000, $170,000/$170,000, $185,000/$185,000 provided Vera became Heavyweight Champion, or
A four year deal worth $7 million. Dion testified that White made a verbal offer of a $100,000 bonus if Vera won the title.

Dion told the CSAC that the post-it note was standard operating practice:

"UFC doesn't send no letters, period. They've tried to avoid all that stuff... This is all I got from Dana White. This is all I could show to Mr. Vera. There was no e-mails. Dana White likes to keep - keep himself covered on all aspects."

Dion made an admittedly outrageous counter offer three days later in an effort to move negotiations. The two options presented were:
A one-year three-fight contract at $150,000/$150,000, $175,000/$175,000, and $200,000/$200,000 with a $1.5 million signing bonus, or
A guaranteed three-year ten-fight contract worth a total of $9 million ($3 million per year) plus a $1.5 million signing bonus. Vera would also receive a $1 million bonus if undefeated at the end of each year.

In response, Joe Silva, VP of Talent Relations, offered a three fight deal at $50,000/$50,000, $60,000/$60,000, and $70,000/$70,000, escalating to $90,000/$90,000, $100,000/$100,000, and $110,000/$110,000 if Vera became champion along with a $100,000 signing bonus.

Dion rejected the offer in an email to White at 4:46 PM on December 26. At 7:16 PM the UFC replies, saying it is exercising its right to extend the contract by three months per Vera's refusal to fight in June due to injury.

Dion informs the company that Vera was never injured and was ready to fight as soon as possible. He hires a lawyer in January to contest the company's three month contract extension.

In March Vera tells the UFC not to deal with Dion anymore.

Vera's attempted to void his management contract with Dion goes to arbitration in September, claiming he was never informed of the $100,000 signing bonus offer.

In October, after an 11-month layoff, Vera returns to the UFC in a loss to Tim Sylvia with a reported purse of $100,000.

The CSAC ruled in Dion's favor earlier this month, finding no illegal conduct,but severed the management contract (which ran through 2010) due to deterioration of their relationship.

Dion received one-third of the Sylvia fight purse as well as $100,000 in consideration of future fight purses.

Garcia said: "It seems to the arbitrator that the ambiguity of the Post-it note, which appears to be the root of the current dispute, could have been avoided if the UFC had put their offer in the form of a proposed contract and sent it to (the) manager."
Vera subsequently re-signed with the UFC and will face Fabricio Werdum at UFC 85.

 

[Shogun Locc]

thanx Shogunn and heyzel,UFC 83 undercards are looking just as good as the Mains,I also thought Mike Kyle was suspended??

his suspension has been up so elite snaged him up.

 

[Shogun Locc]

New Opponent No Problem for Fickett

Tough breaks are nothing new to Drew Fickett (Pictures).

From EliteXC title shot to No. 1 contender eliminator, the news most likely didn't even elicit a shrug from the UFC veteran. Fickett is not about championship belts or media exposure. He simply fights to test himself against the best.

In fact, Fickett was already armed with a proverb for his current situation.

"Karate up!" was the rally cry for the heavy underdog when he thought he was going up against perennial 170-pound powerhouse Jake Shields (Pictures). The slogan was borrowed and modified from the ultimate underdogs, the 2004 Boston Red Sox World Series champions, whose mantra was "cowboy up."

When you're a cowboy and you get knocked off your horse, you "cowboy up." When you're a 28-year-old fighter from Tucson, Ariz., and your fight nearly gets scrapped, you "karate up."

Fickett is no longer the underdog against his new opponent, South Korean fighter Jae Suk Lim (Pictures), but the mantra still applies. It's time to suck it up because Lim is too good of a fighter to take lightly.

Lim is currently the reigning Spirit MC middleweight champion, having earned the title on March 3 in Seoul, South Korea. Though not discussed in any top-10 lists at 170 pounds, he posts a 9-3 professional record and defeated Daniel Pinedo (Pictures) in his EliteXC debut.

Currently the top welterweight outside the Zuffa umbrella of fight orgs was Fickett's former opponent, Jake Shields (Pictures). After Shields withdrew due to a severe back injury, Fickett's game plan and training strategy was left on the cutting room floor.

Shields was a dominant wrestler with a good top game, which gives way to Lim, who is known more for his striking prowess.

The Lim contest is the first of a three-fight deal with EliteXC for Fickett that comes on the heels of his move to the Armory in Jupiter, Fla., where he spent the majority of this training camp. Fickett had kindled a relationship with Armory fighter Kurt Pellegrino (Pictures) after the two fought at UFC 61 in July 2006.

"Kurt's been a good friend of mine for a while now after we fought," Fickett said. "I went out there to help him train for Alberto [Crane]. So now I came out to train for my fight. I really like their conditioning coach, and they have a lot of good wrestlers. I really like the atmosphere out there, and it's laid back.

"I'm more of a coach at Southwest MMA. Sometimes it's hard for me to get pushed because you have to coach the fighters and get a workout in for yourself."

Still a fundamental part of Southwest MMA in Tempe, Ariz., Fickett's balancing act of teaching and training has him hoping to reap the rewards of the extra work inside the cage. He's riding a three-fight winning streak and is not shy in declaring that fighting a top-10 opponent gives him a renewed sense of vigor in his fight preparation.

"I think this is the first time I've really been motivated for a fight in the last few years," Fickett said.

Squaring off with an unknown opponent is something Fickett knows all to well. In a story that sounds more folktale than fact, in June 2005 Fickett was called upon to fight in a show he was merely attending as a fan. Coming off a loss in his UFC debut to Nick Diaz (Pictures) four months earlier didn't factor into his decision to step up. As the legend goes, Fickett allegedly ate a few hot dogs, jumped rope for 20 minutes and then pounded out a TKO victory.

In sports terminology he is the definition of a "gamer." Earning a 32-5 record over a 10-year span finally earned him the elusive title opportunity, but what's championship glory worth to a no-nonsense veteran?

"I just wanted to fight more," he said. "I'm not a political fighter. I don't care about titles. I don't care about being famous or anything. I love to fight. I love to fight game guys who are really good. I don't like messing with all the politics involved."

Get a win in San Jose and a title shot in beautiful Honolulu awaits. Slip up and the two fights remaining on his non-exclusive deal may take on a much lower profile.

Anytime promoters select an opponent to put in front of Fickett, one thing is for sure: It's difficult to defeat a fighter who has everything to lose but believes he has absolutely nothing to lose.

 

[Shogun Locc]

"TUF7" Fighter Paul Bradley Signs with EliteXC

Paul Bradley (6-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC), a decorated collegiate wrestler who was picked to compete on the upcoming seventh season of "The Ultimate Fighter," has split ways with the UFC and has signed a deal with EliteXC.

A source close to the show tells MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that the split wasn't amicable.

Bradley's new deal with EliteXC was first reported by fiveouncesofpain.com. Bradley's manager, Mike Camp, confirmed the signing with us, but he declined to comment on the details surrounding the fighter's curious split from the UFC.

The UFC usually locks up "The Ultimate Fighter" competitors -- both the winners and the losers -- with contracts. At the very least, the fighters are usually forced to remain inactive during the time in between the show's taping and its debut on Spike TV.

However, since his time in Las Vegas to tape the show, Bradley has fought outside the UFC (a first-round TKO win at a March 15 "Destiny Fights" event) and signed a deal with EliteXC. Yet, "The Ultimate Fighter 7" doesn't debut for another week.

Unlike past seasons of the show, the upcoming season of "The Ultimate Fighter" features 32 fighters -- not 16 -- and all competitors must first win a fight to earn a spot on the cast.

(To avoid any potential spoilers, we will not reveal whether or not Bradley won any "TUF" fights. However, a source close to the show tells us that Bradley's departure had nothing to do with losing a fight.)

Terms of Bradley's new contract with EliteXC were not disclosed, and he hasn't yet been scheduled for his debut with the organization.

Bradley, 24, is a former high school state wrestling champion (and two-time state runner-up) who earned a scholarship to the University of Iowa, a collegiate-wrestling powerhouse. There, the two-time All-American (at 184 lbs.) finished second at the 2004 Big Team Championships and fourth in 2005. He posted a career mark of 77-37.

Bradley, who began competing professionally in MMA in October 2006, spent some time training with Pat Miletich's team in Iowa. He is now a part of C-4 MMA (formerly Damage Incorporated), a Midwest-based team. Like most C-4 fighters, Bradley launched his MMA career with the Indianapolis-based Legends of Fighting organization, one of the country's top regional promotions, where he was the organization's amateur middleweight champion before turning pro.

Of his six professional victories, three have come via knockout, two via submission, and one via decision.