The EvilMaster Report

EliteXC Interested In Josh Barnett! - 05 Nov 2007 07:03:18am

Posted: 05 Nov 2007 01:03 AM CST

By Brian Knapp

EliteXC Live Events President Gary Shaw has confirmed an interest in former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett, perhaps the most prized free agent left on the MMA market. Barnett (20-5), who turns 30 this week, last fought at PRIDE "Shockwave 2006" last December, as he dropped a unanimous decision to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

"We're very interested in Josh Barnett," Shaw said. "[He's a] great guy. We had him in Hawaii as our guest."

Barnett holds submission victories over Mark Hunt, Aleksander Emelianenko and former King of Pancrase Yuki Kondo, along with a TKO win against three-time UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture. Three of his five career defeats have come to Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, including a strike-induced submission in the finals of the PRIDE Open Weight Grand Prix in September 2006.

Evil Note: No friggin brainer! Bring on the Baby Faced Assassin! EliteXC HW Champion!

Cung Le vs Sam Morgan at STRIKEFORCE San Jose - 05 Nov 2007 07:00:35am

Posted: 05 Nov 2007 01:00 AM CST

November 4, 2007; San Jose, CA….Unbeaten world kickboxing champion and mixed martial artist Cung Le (20-0) will make his highly-anticipated return to the cage for a middleweight (185 lb. limit) showdown with The Ultimate Fighter Season 2 star Sam "The Squeeze" Morgan (19-8) during the Strikeforce "Four Men Enter, One Man Survives" mixed martial arts mega-card at San Jose's HP Pavilion on Friday, November 16th.

"I just can't wait to get back in the cage," said Le, who, in his last effort, was a winner over Tony "The Freak" Fryklund by way of TKO in a featured bout during "Shamrock vs. Baroni," the first-ever live SHOWTIME PPV mixed martial arts event, produced by Strikeforce on June 22nd. Le frustrated and hammered Fryklund with quick hands and a combination of reverse spinning back kicks and round kicks to the body before the referee ordered a stoppage 25 seconds into the third round.

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Akiyama's Victory Seals Spot In Dynamite 2007 - 05 Nov 2007 07:11:35am

Posted: 05 Nov 2007 01:11 AM CST

By Gino Mongelli

Following his successful showing at K-1 HERO'S "OLYMPIA HERO'S 2007" on Oct. 28, FEG has requested Yoshihiro Akiyama compete in its K-1 "Dynamite 2007" on Monday, Dec. 31 at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka. Longtime rival Makoto Takimoto (3-3) has been suggested as a likely opponent.

Takimoto was Akiyama's rival in the Judo world, as the two vied to represent Japan in major international competition. He won Olympic gold in Judo at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. His last MMA victory came over Zelg Galesic (7-3) in April, as he submitted the European with a Kimura at PRIDE 34 "Kamikaze."

Akiyama (10-1), meanwhile, stunned the MMA world with his first-round knockout victory over Denis Kang on Oct. 28 in Seoul, South Korea. A strong right uppercut spelled the end for Kang (27-9-1), whom many consider the top middleweight striker in K-1. Kang had not been knocked out in a fight in more than six years. The victory raised Akiyama's stock considerably.

FEG President Sadaharu Tanigawa's pre-fight comments regarding Akiyama were far from flattering. "He has no aura," he said. "I looked at his physique when he was weighing in, and I just have nothing to say." After Akiyama knocked out Kang, Tanigawa's tune changed, as he expressed satisfaction with his performance and offered him a match in the New Year's Eve show.

Jake Ellenberger knocks out Jose "Pele" Landi-Jons - 05 Nov 2007 07:59:31am

Posted: 05 Nov 2007 01:59 AM CST

PRINCE GEORGE, BC -- Jake Ellenberger scored the biggest win of his career Saturday night, knocking Jose "Pele" Landi-Jons unconscious in under ten seconds at Extreme Fighting Challenge 5: Revolution.

Ellenberger was able to avoid the former Chute Boxe fighter's most dangerous weapon -- a knee, which in 2001 knocked out Matt Hughes.

In the opening moments of the bout, Ellenberger dodged a flying knee and followed with a hook for the knockout win.

Ellenberger raised his record to 16-3 while "Pele" dropped to 23-13.

Source: www.mmafighting.com

Kid Yamamoto To Compete In Both K-1 & World Victory Road - 05 Nov 2007 07:19:07am

Posted: 05 Nov 2007 01:19 AM CST

By Gino Mongelli

Fight fans will soon see knockout artist Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto back in the ring, as he has reportedly abandoned his hopes of wrestling in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games to concentrate on his career in mixed martial arts. Yamamoto (16-1) will compete for both K-1 and the new World Victory Road organization.

Yamamoto made the formal announcement Oct. 31 that he would not participate in the All-Japan Wrestling Championships Dec. 21-23 but would instead focus on MMA.

Yamamoto made his return to MMA at K-1 HERO'S "Tournament Final" in September, as he defeated Bibiano Fernandes by unanimous decision following a nearly year-long absence from the sport. That same month, Kenichi Yumoto – the man who was to represent Japan in Yamamoto's 60-kilogram weight division at the 2008 Olympics – lost a qualifier match, which presented Yamamoto with another opportunity to qualify for the Beijing Games.

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Canadian MMA Regulation Becoming A Hot Topic - 04 Nov 2007 02:27:56pm

Posted: 04 Nov 2007 08:27 AM CST

By Marco Antico

Ken Hayashi, commissioner of the Ontario Athletic Commission in Canada, spoke to MMAWeekly recently about his views regarding the increasing number of mixed martial arts shows taking place on Ontario Indian Reservations.

"Those guys are taking a big chance with putting on these shows. If someone gets seriously hurt there will be serious liability issues for those connected with the event and it will set the sport back several years in Ontario. Especially if it's found that they've not done the due diligence that other professional athletic commissions are doing," he explained, as he referred mainly to medical testing such as CAT scans, EEGs, and full blood work (Hep B, Hep C and HIV), which most other provincial commissions require.

"I highly doubt whether these guys are even making much money from these shows. The whole thing kind of makes me scratch my head," continued Hayashi.

"Our lawyers have concluded that these events are clearly illegal under section 83 of Canada's Criminal Code, which does apply to these native reserves since it's a federal law. But it's not up to my office to lay charges. I have informed the local police to investigate the matter and it's up to them to decide what to do. In Quebec a while back, they charged fighters as they stepped off the reserve, so that's another option they have."

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Anderson Silva At The Top Of The Middle - 04 Nov 2007 01:25:21pm

Posted: 04 Nov 2007 07:25 AM CST

1. Anderson Silva
The Ultimate Fighting Championship Middleweight Champion, Silva has done nothing but win since debuting in the promotion midway through 2006, finishing all five of his fights decisively. He recently emphasized his dominance with a second dismantling of former champion Rich Franklin. Silva has gone 8-1 in his last nine fights, his lone loss during that span being a disqualification loss to Yushin Okami in a fight he was otherwise dominating.

2. Paulo Filho
Not many fighters remain undefeated in mixed martial arts, but somehow, Filho has managed to do that en route to a 15-0 record. He had a banner year in 2006 with wins over Murilo "Ninja" Rua, Ryo Chonan and Kazuo Misaki. Out of action for the early part of 2007, Filho debuted in August for World Extreme Cagefighting capturing its middleweight title with a TKO stoppage of Joe Doerksen.

3. Matt Lindland
Lindland amassed a 9-3 record in the UFC before disputes led to a parting of ways a little more than two years ago. He hasn't lost a middleweight bout since the separation, including quality wins over fighters like Jeremy Horn and Carlos Newton. He has had a difficult time finding bouts against other top middleweights on a consistent basis though, as most are tied up in various promotions, while Lindland remains independent.

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Inside MMA Report: Wanderlei, Barnett, Lindland - 04 Nov 2007 01:15:23pm

Posted: 04 Nov 2007 07:15 AM CST

By Chris Block

Interview with Wanderlei Silva:
Silva says he does not like Chuck Liddell. It's hard to understand what Wanderlei's saying so I can't decipher exactly why he feels this way? He's been waiting for this fight for five years. He wanted his first fight back in UFC to be in Vegas. Silva says he wants to put on a good show and that he doesn't want the fight to go to a decision and either him or Chuck is gonna end up getting knocked out.

Josh Barnett Update:
Josh Barnett has a wrestling match for IGF in Tokyo on December 20th (that's my birthday, I'll be wrestling a bottle of vodka in Vegas. Throw another in there it'll be a three-way dance). Two days later he was a catch-wrestling match for Pancrase. No MMA in his future as of now.

Interview with Matt Lindland:
Lindland says he's not going to whine about his dismissal from the UFC after saying at the time of his release he had more wins than any other fighter currently fighting for the UFC and he was promised title shots on multiple occasions and he never got them. Lindland wants a rematch with Fedor. Suggests had he gotten on top of Fedor the fight would've been over. Lindland wants to fight Anderson Silva in the UFC saying his contract with BoDog is non-exclusive and he can fight anywhere he wants.

"If the UFC wanted to bring me in, fight Anderson, take him out, I'm available to do that." (I don't know if that's what Dana's thinking?) Lindland wants to prove his the best middleweight in the world. Always entertaining to watch his interviews because there's no question, he believes everything he's saying.

Sokoudjou explains he trained with Lindland when Matt was training for Fedor. He admits Lindland threw him all over the gym.

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Jon Murphy: Out Until 2008 - 04 Nov 2007 11:57:48am

Posted: 04 Nov 2007 05:57 AM CST

By Arias Garcia Jr.

When Combat in the Cage promoter Ed Hsu announced he would be assisting EliteXC President Gary Shaw with an upcoming ShoXC card in New Jersey, many people banked on the participation of young heavyweight Jon Murphy. It seemed logical because Murphy has fought for Hsu numerous times and was already showcased on the first ShoXC event with a knockout victory over Dave Huckaba in August. However, this Pennsylvania native will not compete in the next ShoXC card on December 7, from the Collins Arena in Lincroft, New Jersey.

"As far as the ShoXC card, they were having me headline it. Problem is with the shoulder, I'm not fighting. I'm done for this year as far as competition," Murphy told ADCC News.

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Battle brewing on cage fights - 04 Nov 2007 11:09:40am

Posted: 04 Nov 2007 05:09 AM CST

Mayor David Lansford

By Kevin Wilson

From all indications, city groups may have a fight about fights.

The Clovis Civic Center policy committee discussed allowing contact sports at the city-owned center in October's meeting, and more discussion is planned for Monday's meeting.

The contact sport in question is mixed martial arts, and Mark Anthony Baca of Clovis is trying to get fighting events at the Civic Center. Mixed martial arts, Baca said, is a combat sport where two fighters go at each other until one cannot reasonably defend himself or is placed in a submission hold.

Clovis Mayor David Lansford is one of the sport's critics, and he wanted it put on the policy committee's agenda so there could be a clear policy for or against it.

"I think mixed martial arts is an activity that is a destructive activity for participants and spectators alike," Lansford said. "I think as a society, we're becoming more violent. This activity certainly doesn't help to rectify that problem."

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Grand Prix Finals Determined - 04 Nov 2007 10:54:40am

Posted: 04 Nov 2007 04:54 AM CST

MATYUSHENKO WINS INAGURAL INTERNATIONAL FIGHT LEAGUE WORLD GRAND PRIX LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE; EIGHT OTHERS WIN SEMIFINAL BOUTS IN CHICAGO

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill, November 3,
2007 – Vladimir Matyushenko's light
heavyweight title victory over Alex
Schoenauer highlighted an exciting
night of action in the inaugural
International Fight League World
Grand Prix, held tonight in front of
4,107 at the Sears Centre in
suburban Chicago. Eight other
Championship semifinal bouts also
took place, including the
highly-anticipated lightweight rematch
won by Chris Horodecki (London,
Ontario) over Bart Palaszewski
(Wonder Lake, Ill.) in a narrow split
decision. The eight semifinal winners
will battle at the World Grand Prix
finals at Mohegan Sun Arena in
Uncasville, Conn., on Dec. 29.

The first hour of the card aired live on MyNetworkTV, marking the first time that a mixed martial arts event was broadcast live in prime-time on network television. The first two hours were also shown live on Fox Sports World Canada.

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Gonzaga pushes the envelope - 04 Nov 2007 10:43:42am

Posted: 04 Nov 2007 04:43 AM CST

By Dan Duggan

All it took for Gabriel Gonzaga to get over the disappointment he felt after his loss to Randy Couture at UFC 74 in late August was a walk to his mailbox the day after the fight. Gonzaga found an overflow of fan mail from admirers of his toughness and character.

"His mailbox was full of messages of people congratulating him for the awesome fight, saying he was a true warrior," said Marco Alvan, the Brazil native's head trainer and translator. "He got a lot of mail from people saying even though he lost that (fight), they became his No. 1 fan for the way he conducted himself, giving respect to Randy Couture."

Although Couture, 44, is one of the most accomplished fighters in UFC history, Gonzaga was favored in their heavyweight title bout. But the 28-year-old Ludlow resident never got the chance to reward the oddsmakers' faith, as an accidental headbutt early in the first round broke his nose. Blood pouring from his nose and pooling in his throat, it was difficult to breathe, let alone knock off a champion of Couture's status.

(Continue Reading)

Champions defend world titles in Tucson - 04 Nov 2007 10:06:22am

Posted: 04 Nov 2007 04:06 AM CST

By Chad Barcus

WBC world super featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez (48-3-1, 35 KOs) dissected Rocky Juarez (27-4, 19 KOs) over twelve rounds on Saturday night at the Desert Diamond Casino in Tucson, Arizona. Juarez was cut by a headbutt over the left eye early in round one, which proceeded to bleed for the entire contest. Marquez showed his class as he dominated the game Juarez with a brilliant boxing display. Scores were 118-110, 117-111, 120-108. After the fight Marquez commented that he wants Manny Pacquiao.

Earlier, IBF world featherweight champion Robert Guerrero (21-1-1, 14 KOs) scored a first round annihilation of Martin Honorio (24-4-1, 12 KOs). A straight left put Honorio on the deck after only 56 seconds.

Other Results: Super welterweight Gabriel Martinez (16-0-1) won a split decision over Juan Pablo Montes de Oca (9-13-2). Scores were 58-55, 59-54 Martinez, 58-55 De Oca. Middleweight Joshua Renteria (15-2, 9 KOs) scored a third round stoppage (1:07) against Abdias Castillo (10-22-1). Junior welter Jesus Selig (5-0-1, 3 KOs) outpointed Daniel Gonzalez (7-11-2) over four, and cruiserweight Carlos Duarte (8-0, 6 KOs) TKO'd Terrance Smith (4-5-1) at 1:00 of round four.

Source: www.fightnews.com

Canadian Chris Horodecki extends unbeaten record with win in IFL Grand Prix - 04 Nov 2007 09:54:34am

Posted: 04 Nov 2007 03:54 AM CST

By The Canadian Press

CHICAGO - Canadian Chris (The Polish Hammer) Horodecki extended his unbeaten record to 11-0 Saturday night, defeating rival lightweight Bart (Bartimus) Palaszewski by split decision at the International Fight League Grand Prix semifinals at the Sears Center.

The 20-year-old mixed martial arts fighter from London, Ont., advances to the Grand Prix final Dec. 29 in Uncasville, Conn., as the team-based IFL wraps up its 2007 season with an all-star tournament.

In other action, middleweight Brent Beauparlant of Maxville, Ont., suffered a TKO at the hands of Benji Radach at 2:26 of the first round. Radach, 5-0 in the IFL this year, raised his record to 16-3 while Beauparlant (3-4 in the IFL) slipped to 6-5.

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Calzaghe outpoints Kessler to unify WBC, WBA, WBO crowns - 04 Nov 2007 09:44:37am

Posted: 04 Nov 2007 03:44 AM CST

CARDIFF, Wales -- Undefeated Joe Calzaghe added Mikkel Kessler's WBA and WBC super-middleweight titles to his own WBO crown early Sunday, unanimously outpointing the previously undefeated Dane.

The 35-year-old Welshman improved to 44-0, closing with three standout rounds at the Millennium Stadium to unify the three titles in front of 35,000 of his fans.

Kessler dropped to 39-1.

After both fighters traded big shots and combinations in all 12 rounds, the three judges gave the decision to Calzaghe. Raul Caiz scored it 117-111, fellow American John Stewart had it 116-112 and Massimo Barrovecchio of Italy scored it 116-112.

On the undercard, Enzo Maccarinelli stopped New Zealand-based challenger Mohammed Azzaoui less than a minute into the fourth round to retain the WBO cruiserweight title. The Welshman improved to 28-1, and Azzaoui dropped to 22-1-2.

Joe Doerksen vs Ed Herman at UFC 78 - 04 Nov 2007 09:11:04am

Posted: 04 Nov 2007 03:11 AM CST

By Thomas Gerbasi

David Terrell was forced to withdraw from his UFC 78 bout against Ed Herman due to an ankle injury, veteran middleweight contender Joe Doerksen has decided to step up to face the Ultimate Fighter 3 finalist on November 17th at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Doerksen (39-10), a native of New Bothwell, Manitoba, Canada, will be returning to the UFC for the first time since his March 2006 bout against Nate Marquardt at UFC 58. Since his last Octagon appearance, the 30-year old has won seven of eight bouts (all wins coming via submission or TKO), with his only defeat coming at the hands of current WEC middleweight champion Paulo Filho. In 'Short Fuse' Herman (15-4), Doerksen will be facing a hard-charging up and comer who is currently riding a two fight UFC winning streak.

Tickets for UFC 78, which is headlined by the light heavyweight showdown between unbeatens Rashad Evans and Michael Bisping, as well as a 205-pound matchup between Houston Alexander and Thiago Silva, are on sale now.

Sean Salmon Discusses Superman, Mayhem - 04 Nov 2007 08:55:37am

Posted: 04 Nov 2007 02:55 AM CST

By Sean Salmon

Wow, have I ever signed myself up for a very hectic month and a half.

It is now official that I will be fighting Dennis "Superman" Hallman in the "alternate bout" for the Strikeforce four-man middleweight tournament. In case you haven't been paying attention, that means I am fighting Hallman (37-12-2) on Nov. 16 for Strikeforce (www.strikeforceusa.net) and Jason "Mayhem" Miller (19-5) on Dec. 15 for HDNet Fights (www.hdnetfights.com). This is an ideal situation for me. I started fighting because I loved the challenge and the competition, and this is by far the biggest test of my young career.

I have known of Hallman since I started fighting. Mainly, (like everyone else) because he has two wins over Matt Hughes. I have come to learn that he is as tough as they come and a magician on the ground. What a test. Do I keep myself safe and keep it standing — or really test myself by scoring a takedown? You gotta love fighting!

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IFL World Grand Prix - Quick Results - 04 Nov 2007 05:52:06am

Posted: 04 Nov 2007 12:52 AM CDT

IFL World Grand PRIX - Quick Results
Benji Radach vs. Brent Beauparlant: Benji Radach via KO 2:26 R1
Chris Horodecki vs. Bart Palaszewski: Chris Horodecki via Split Decision (29-28x2,28-29)
Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Alex Schoenauer: Matyushenko via Unanimous Decision (29-28x2,29-27)
Jay Hieron vs. Donnie Liles: Jay Hieron via Unanimous Decision (30-27x2,30-28)
Wagnney Fabiano vs. John Gunderson: Wagnney Fabiano via tapout (Guillotine) 1:53 R2
Delson Heleno vs. Gideon Ray: Delson Heleno via submission (Armbar) 1:57 R1
Antoine Jaoude vs. Shane Ott: Antoine Jaoude via submission (triangle) 3:29 R1
Bryan Vetell vs. Roy Nelson: Roy Nelson via TKO 1:01 R3
Matt Horwich vs. Brian Foster: Matt Howich via submission (Armbar)3:59 R1

Note: Event Attendance Announced at 4,107