Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Five Ounces of Pain: Popular ex-Pride duo speaks out


By Sam Caplan

In an interview with Pride vice president Jerry Millen that was published last week, I asked Millen about the details surrounding the departure of the organization's former English-language announcing team, Mauro Ranallo and Bas Rutten.

Millen was candid in his answer, but critical of the duo's abilities.

"As the company grows I think you have to get better," said Millen. "With me making the decisions on the television broadcast side, I wanted professional broadcasters. We're an American broadcast; I wanted Americans on the broadcast and I wanted professionals. I wanted guys who knew how to do television and I wanted some professional guys."

I also asked Millen for his response to comments Rutten had made to me several weeks earlier in an interview, where he expressed dissatisfaction with the way he had been treated toward the latter part of his tenure with Pride.

Millen pulled no punches in his response.

"People watch the fights for the fighters," Millen began. "I don't know anybody that buys a pay-per-view for a commentator for Bas Rutten or for Mauro Ranallo. People buy the fights for the fighters, not the commentators, and I think the problem sometimes is egos get big and the commentators think they're stars and they're not. The fighters are the stars and when you think you're bigger than the fighters then I think there's a problem."

But Rutten and Ranallo have answered back in separate interviews with CBS SportsLine -- and they're none too pleased.

Ranallo especially took issue with my line of questioning in which I asked Millen why he and Rutten weren't retained, along with the answer that followed. Ranallo felt that the exchange left the impression that the company had made the decision to let him go, something which he claims couldn't have been further from the truth.

"No, in fact I don't," Ranallo answered when asked if he felt "not retained" was an apt description pertaining to his departure from Pride. "And I understand why you may have used that (term) but the right description and the only one that's absolutely 100 percent true is that Bas Rutten and Mauro Ranallo quit Pride to pursue other opportunities.

"He (Millen) made an asinine comment regarding him being the reason; the way he made the comments to you in his interview makes it seem like he replaced us, like he was the one who decided to get rid of us, he was the master of our domain. That could not be further from the truth."

Rutten not only concurs, but has already confronted Millen directly on the issue.

"After I read your interview I e-mailed Jerry Millen and I told Jerry Millen, 'Listen, you told a bunch of lies. You are going to go back and you're going to rectify, you're going to make sure you tell the truth,'" said Rutten.

Ranallo said his decision to leave Pride was not easy, as he had considered the promotion's English-language play-by-play announce position "an MMA dream job."

"When I was approached by Bas Rutten in 2003 to send a tape to Pride Fighting Championship to do the broadcast, I mean, I thought I had won the lottery. It was the dream job in the sport, I still think it is the dream job in the sport."

But what would make Ranallo walk away from a job he had once so coveted?

"Unfortunately the last year-and-a-half or so with Pride Fighting Championships, there were parties involved in the organization that frankly made it almost impossible for me to do the job I was hired to do," Ranallo revealed. "I was paid to be the Pride play-by-play announcer and when you have people internally trying to sabotage that, trying to make your job almost difficult, absolutely impossible to perform… frankly it had come to a head where it was no longer enjoyable to be doing that job."

Rutten supported Ranallo's claim.

(Continue Reading)

IFL owner comments on feedback on first show


By Five Ounces Of Pain

The IFL aired their first non-preview show on MyNetworkTV last night. There was some good, some bad, and a lot of ugly. The ugly revolved around a decision to build the crux of the show around Ryan Schultz being taken out on a stretcher. It was saved for last and promoted heavily through the entire two-hour telecast. During one of the promos they decided to add a fake 9-1-1 call as a voice over.

I'm not the only one who had issue with the direction of the show, as it got a lot of negative feedback on message forums. Co-owner and main promoter of the IFL, Greg Shamus, has heard the response and gave an exclusive comment to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer.

"We have seen the feedback from the fans and industry professionals and are addressing their concerns," said Shamus. "As you know, this is a work in progress that will evolve, but we felt that overall the show had a great production value and will expose the sport to a wide audience. We have already made some significant strides moving forward for our future episodes. We are going to present the incredible stories of our athletes each week and get to the fights...including many that have not aired anywhere."

They say the first step in solving a problem is acknowledging you have one in the first place.

(Source)

More on The Snowman's reign in the UK


By: Jon Shotter
Photos By: Giuseppe Vitolo

The Hackney Empire theatre in London’s East End is no stranger to hosting the leading lights of the stage and screen. Charlie Chaplin, WC Fields, Stan Laurel and Marie Lloyd have all performed there and although the venue is now more accustomed to hosting stand-up comedy and touring orchestras and operas, on Sunday March 11th, the Empire was once again host to the World’s leading exponents of their particular art.



The 10K Ground Clash is the sister event to the 10K Karate Clash, an established part of the Martial Arts Calendar. The Karate Clash was dreamt up by the promoter Joe Long in 2002, his intention, to host a karate competition that was accessible to the general public at large, combining top competitors with quality surroundings, and boxing style razzamatazz and coverage. Looking for an opportunity to diversify, in 2007, the promoters of the Seni Show; Fighters Inc; Masters of the Mat and 3on3, in association with European Fight Network (the promoters of the Urban Gorillaz Grappling Challenge and Gracie Invitational) decided to create a grappling tournament with the same goal. 32 top Grapplers, 1000 spectators, one night, one winner, with the biggest grappling prize outside of the ADCC World Championships… £10,000 Winner Takes All.

The 10K Challenge rules had a twist on more familiar rules such as those used by the CBJJ and ADCC. In order to promote maximum activity and submission attempts, positional points were only awarded for the first half of the 6 minute matches, with points for submissions attempts awarded for the duration of the match. In result, 16 of the 31 matches ended with a spectacular submission. Another innovation introduced by European Fight Network supremo Jude Samuels was the use of yellow and red cards for warning competitors of stalling and other rules infractions, rather than the more commonly used hand signals which can prove confusing to some spectators.

The list of competitors included World, Pan-American and European Champions in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Submission Wrestling, Mixed Martial Arts Champions and fighters amongst the cast of experienced British, Brazilian, American and European grapplers. The favourites coming into the tournament were Jeff ‘The Snowman’ Monson, the 2 time over 99kg ADCC Submission Wrestling World Champion and UFC veteran; Braulio ‘Carcara’ Estima, the 2 time BJJ World Champion and 6 time BJJ Pan-American Champion and Rafael Lovato Jr, one of the most decorated American BJJ Exponents and a Black Belt under the legendary Saulo Ribiero.

Accomplished competitors deserve accomplished officials and so Andy Roberts a BJJ purple belt with enormous competition experience both as a competitor and as a referee and Felipe Souza, a World Championship medallist and BJJ Black Belt instructor at Roger Gracie Academy in Ladbroke Grove were drafted in to oversee proceedings. The scoring and judging table was manned by Jon Shotter, partnered by William Koplitz, Luciano Cristovam and Vitor Estima

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The UFC on ESPN


By Sam Caplan

There’s a term within the sports broadcasting industry called “the ESPN treatment.” The term is a reference to the red carpet treatment the so-called “Worldwide Leader in Sports” devotes to sports conglomerates it has business dealings with.

For example, when the NBA’s television contract was up several years ago there was a push from within the league to sign a deal with ESPN. Believe it or not, the deal was not solely consummated because of money due to a prestige aspect that comes along with being affiliated with ESPN. The prestige element is something that can’t be translated into dollars and cents.

There’s also the belief that when a sports entity jumps into bed with ESPN that the network devotes more attention to it. As such, the ESPN treatment is a treatment that most major sports leagues covet, with some going so far as to offering “The Worldwide Leader in Sports” an ownership stake in their brand.

After all, ESPN can make or break a sport.

Don’t believe me?

Just look at what has happened to the NHL. Does it still even exist? Without formal ties to the network, ESPN devotes token coverage to hockey, at best. When the NHL does garner attention from ESPN, it feels like hockey is only being covered just so Barry Melrose can have a job.

In contrast to the NHL, look at how much more attention ESPN and ESPN.com are devoting to NASCAR these days now that the two juggernauts are doing business again. NASCAR isn’t growing as fast as it had been, and their television ratings were down last year, but watch what happens after NASCAR receives the “ESPN treatment.” Don’t be surprised when NASCAR’s ratings easily best last year’s effort.

In addition to NASCAR, the Arena Football League is another example of a sports entity that has recently signed on with ESPN.

The AFL is an interesting story into itself, having been covered in recent years by NBC in a cashless deal. ESPN will begin broadcasting the indoor football league within the next several weeks, and as a part of the deal, ESPN will take an ownership stake in the league. In return, the AFL will have its games televised in the prestigious Monday Night Football slot which in the past had been reserved for NFL games only. The legitimacy that comes with being affiliated not only with ESPN, but the MNF franchise, is the type of thing alluded to earlier that can’t be measured monetarily. As a part of the “ESPN treatment,” the AFL will have both pre-game and post-game shows broadcast on ESPN -- something NBC never bothered to do.

The AFL made a great deal for itself but there’s no bigger winner than NASCAR.

NASCAR was already getting a lot of coverage but as we touched on earlier, it’s receiving more than ever. In addition to getting a daily show called NASCAR Now, we’re seeing extended NASCAR coverage on SportsCenter, ESPNews, ESPN Radio, and in ESPN the Magazine.

The next sport that could become recipient of the ESPN treatment could be mixed martial arts, and more specifically, the Ultimate Fighting Championships.

(Continue Reading)

Is UFC the next big thing in Pay-Per-View?


By Thomas Keister

It isn't very often you see mention of World Wrestling Entertainment or the Ultimate Fighting Championship in the business section of a newspaper. More often than not, when either company is named, there is a spot that usually proves the mainstreams media's overall ignorance of an established and successful entertainment product. A case in point was a recent British feature on the WWE making matches and other content downloadable for cell phones.

The only star on the WWE roster mentioned by name, other than a generic reference to the Divas, was "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan. No offense to the Hacksaw, but since when did you ever have mainstream heat? Certainly not in 1991, certainly not today. Maybe the British reporters could flip the channel and check out Monday Night Raw once in a while. I mean, how hard can it be? They only have like six-and-a-half channels or something.

While Spike TV has yet to grow a set and give TNA Impact a two-hour prime time slot, the UFC has been creeping up slowly on professional wrestling, not only in popularity, but profitability as well. Just the recent doses of mainstream exposure UFC has been getting has amped up its profile, with Tito Ortiz dating Jenna Jameson and Chuck Liddell appearing in the recently-released Frank Miller film, 300. Under president Dana White's leadership, the UFC has grown well beyond its reputation as a money-losing organized brawl.

The numbers aren't lying, and they are eye-opening as well. For 2006, not only did Ultimate Fighting Championship tie World Wrestling Entertainment with $200 million of pay-per-view revenue, they beat HBO Boxing, which brought in around $170 million with their PPV productions. Don King and the rest of boxing's ilk must be pissed.

What makes UFC's year that much more impressive is that the $200 million in revenue (companies typically take home about half of the total numbers)the PPVs brought in was on ten events. Take the PPV events WWE produces, with Raw, Smackdown, and ECW, and joint-brand efforts. Could you imagine the width of the smile on Vince McMahon's face if his pay-per-views were averaging out to $20 million a pop?

This is why the WWE needs to be mindful of the waves behind them, even if the sea ahead looks calm. While the creative content of WWE programming has been a little shaky at times over the last couple of months, solidifying storylines as WrestleMania 23 approaches will only keep the momentum, when the focus should be on putting more distance between themselves and the rest of the pack.

This means time to start taking care of things, such as building an honest-to-god tag team division in the company, across all three brands, and actually book it, rather than keeping a handful of token teams, only to rotate the straps out to main eventers the writers have in limbo for one reason or another. This is why Edge will end up with roughly the same number of WWE Tag Team titles as Jerry Lawler has USWA Heavyweight titles. And that is among other things, not the least of which is some of the absolutely heatless personas floundering on camera. Chris Masters, any one?

This is key to consider when you factor in the international market. While the WWE enjoys a hearty international fan base, this is where the UFC can pose the biggest challenge. Very simply put, the UFC is not in the international market yet. Won't be until next month, when they make their PPV debut in England. $200 million in PPV revenue without an international buy rate should make any one stop and reconsider things just a bit. World Wrestling Entertainment, for example, made $72 million of its $200 million from international PPV buys. Take that away, and they slide from first to third in the three man race I've described in this feature. Better yet, add 36% to UFC's PPV revenue next year, and see how the competition reacts.

How will the major televised wrestling promotions, who have to be thinking about this somehow and somewhere in their offices, adapt to try and shorten the wave the UFC has been riding into 2007?

Look for TNA to continue adding bigger stars here and there, Chris Jericho and Rob Van Dam seem to be the likeliest to wind up in Orlando next, while further expanding their PPV schedule away from home. A St. Louis area-native, I'm glad they picked the city to host a PPV. Now, if someone will just figure out where Louisville, Kentucky is on the map.

WWE is always harder to read. While the "Battle of the Billionaires" lost my interest shortly after takeoff, WrestleMania will be the massive profit we've come to expect every year, but other than that, there is still the brand extension, which I still can't figure out why is in place. How hard is it to simply re-combine Raw and Smackdown! back into a solo WWE brand, and move ECW to the former Smackdown! time slot. divide the roster evenly between the two separate but "different" brands, and then you could actually, efficiently, run a cross-brand rivalry?

As for the UFC, they have added a third weight class to the next season of their popular The Ultimate Fighter reality show/contract scouting, in addition to the aforementioned international debut in April. Right now, it almost seems like its the UFC's race to lose. It's hard not to see this not playing overseas, especially in markets like Japan, Germany, and the U.K. Right now, the only thing I could see derailing their climb would be some kind of scandal, like performance enhancers or something.

At any rate, it will be interesting to see what McMahon come up with to stay on top of the PPV mountain. If he can stay on top, that is...

(Source)

Sherdog Radio Network Debuts Live Wednesday



We know you're tired of the hype. And finally the Sherdog Radio Network will go live Wednesday at 3 p.m. EST/12 p.m. PST with "Beatdown" featuring TJ De Santis and Sherdog.com editor Josh Gross.

Two hours of live Internet radio discussing the latest in mixed martial arts and featuring some of the top names in the sport. Stay tuned for updates on how you can participate during the live broadcast.

It's live "Beatdown" on the Sherdog Radio Network!

30% off IFL Tickets For 3-17-07 L.A. Fights



Recieve a special 30% off discount* from Roy Englebrecht Promotions on a limited number of seats when the International Fight League brings its explosive mixed martial arts action to the LA Forum on Saturday, March 17th at 7:30PM

Forum
Don't miss the action as Ken Yasuda's Sabres battle legendary Marco "King of the Streets" Ruas and his Condors, and then Bas Rutten's Los Angeles Anacondas try to use their home team advantage against Frank Shamrock's Razorclaws.

Just go visit the LA Forum box office or go to Ticketmaster and use the code FORUM. Be part of the action as the IFL visits Los Angeles for the first of two events this season! For more information, or to purchase tickets go to the arena box office, call ticketmaster directly at 213-480-3232, or visit IFL website, home to the best in mixed martial arts!

As the first mixed martial arts league of its kind, the IFL is primed to change the face of the sport forever. Watch how it all happens. Don't miss the premiere of IFL Battleground on Monday, March 12th, at 8pm on your local MyNetworkTV station, when it brings viewers the powerful battles, intense rivalries and inspiring stories of the IFL's 2007 World Premiere Season. For more information on the show visit the MyNetworkTv website.

LA Forum Fightcard

Sabres vs. Condors
Savant Young vs. Adam Lynn
Antonio McKee vs. Rodrigo Ruas
Kazuhiro Hamanaka vs. Jeremy Williams
Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Justin Levens
Wayne Cole vs. Antoine Jaoude

Anacondas vs. Razorclaws
Chris Horodecki vs. Josh Odom
Jay Hieron vs. Ray Steinbeiss
Benji Radach vs. Brian Foster
Alex Schoenauer vs. Raphael Davis
Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Vince Lucero

(Source)

Lend me your ear. Fledgling UFC fighter Frankie Edgar never gives up


By: Neil Davidson

(CP) - Frankie (The Answer) Edgar has sacrificed a piece of his ear to his sport, so giving up wasn't an option in his UFC debut last month in Las Vegas.

As the clock wound down on their lightweight bout at UFC 67, Tyson Griffin had Edgar on the ground in a painful leg hold. Edgar, a 25-year-old mixed martial arts fighter from Toms River, N.J., calmly looked up at the clock on one of the big screens at the Mandalay Bay Event Center and figured he could endure the pain a little longer.

"There was like 45 seconds left when he first put it (the hold) on. At that point I just couldn't tap. There was no way," Edgar told The Canadian Press in an interview.

Edgar held out to win a unanimous decision in an action-packed fight, improving his record to 6-0.

While he felt the pain of the submission attempt the next day, at least Edgar escaped with all his body parts. That's not what happened last time out against Jim Miller.

A former collegiate wrestler, the five-foot-six Edgar has a cauliflower ear - which was pruned slightly during the November 2006 bout.

"A piece of it got kicked off," Edgar explained matter-of-factly.

No problem. "I got it glued shut," he added.

And so today, "it just looks like any other cauliflower ear."

In beating Griffin, Tyson was rewarded with the fight of the night bonus - not bad considering the card featured middleweight champion Anderson Silva, Croatian heavyweight sensation Mirko (Cro Cop) Filipovic and light-heavyweight Quinton (Rampage) Jackson.

"That fight was awesome. That was the fight of the night. Amazing fight," UFC president Dana White said of the Edgar-Griffin matchup. "Everybody knows how tough Tyson Griffin is."

Even more amazing is the fact that Edgar didn't take up mixed martial arts until after graduation in May 2005.

Edgar wrestled at Clarion University in Pennsylvania (alma mater to former Olympic wrestling champion and pro wrestler Kurt Angle) and looked to MMA after getting his BA in political science as a way to keep competing.

"Working out isn't a chore to me, it's just something I do. And MMA just allows me to do it at a greater level."

Edgar had no jiu-jitsu or boxing experience. But he proved to be a quick study, winning his first five fights before entering the UFC.

"I have a lot more to learn. I've got a lot better but I still feel I have a lot more room to grow."

Edgar tried out for Season 5 of The Ultimate Fighter reality TV show, which airs next month. He survived the first few rounds of the auditions in Hollywood, Fla., and even met the show's producers, but failed to make the final grade.

A low-key type, Edgar perhaps did not offer the kind of flamboyance outside the ring that show producers seem to like.

"It's TV. Drama sells audiences, I guess," Edgar said. "Maybe, I'm not what they're looking for."

Edgar likes fighting. But he's still getting used to chatting about it with the media.

"I know it's part of it, so you've got to do it. But I'm not a guy who likes to really talk that much, to tell you the truth. But I understand it's something I have to do, something I have to work on actually."

While Edgar did not crack the cast of The Ultimate Fighter, he clearly made an impression. UFC matchmaker Joe Silva called his manager a couple of weeks later and offered the fight with Griffin, a hard-nosed fighter whose 8-0 record included a 2005 win over highly touted Urijah Faber.

Edgar only had four weeks to prepare, but wasn't about to say no.

"You can't pass up an opportunity like that."

Conditioning was not a problem. Edgar looks after himself. He coaches wrestling at his old high school as well as a local wrestling club in Jackson, N.J., and helps his teammates at the Rhino Fight Team at a gym in nearby Bricktown.

"It's not like I really have any down time," he said.

Edgar is back training - and working for his dad, a commercial plumbing contractor and "real flexible" boss. His goal is to train and fight full time, but he's not there yet.

Still, he has a three-fight deal with the UFC and expects to fight again in June.

Down the line, the UFC-owned World Extreme Cagefighting circuit could be a possible destination. Edgar walks around at the 155-pound lightweight limit and WEC offers a 145-pound featherweight division that could be an attractive alternative.

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Notes: The UFC should get an interesting measure of its popularity April 21 when it offers same-day coverage of UFC 71: Worlds Collide from Manchester, England, on Spike TV rather than its traditional pay-per-view option. The English card features Mirko (Cro Cop) Filipovic, former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski, Forrest Griffin and Edmonton's Victor Valimaki ... Justin McCully is filling in for the injured Frank Mir and will face Antoni Hardonk on the April 5 Ultimate Fight Night show on Spike TV ... UFC heavyweight fighter Gilbert Aldana is presumed to have drowned after a boating accident Sunday in Arizona. He was 29, according to the UFC website. Local reports say he had been water-skiing and apparently drowned trying to retrieve a shirt that had fallen out of the boat he was in. The Arizona Republic cited sources identifying Aldana as the victim although investigators said they would not confirm identity until a body was recovered. Aldana was known as El Peligroso - The Dangerous One. His MMA record was 6-2 with UFC losses to Cheick Kongo at UFC 61 and Paul Buentello at UFC 57.

(Source)

MNT Gains With IFL But Ratings Remain Small


By Jim Benson

MyNetworkTV’s move to turn around the ship with new regular-series programming started Monday night with the International Fight League’s IFL Battleground.

The two-hour mixed martial arts league show notched still small but stronger overall ratings than the telenovela-inspired dramas that previously aired six nights a week.

In its debut, the program following athletes, coaches and personalities—and aiming for the same younger male audience that watches wrestling on The CW—gained 250% in all key male demos (07. vs. 0.2) versus February. That represented a new MNT high for men 18-34, a 17% rise over the previous record of 0.6.

It also posted a half of a rating point and a 1 share gain in men 18-34 compared to MNT’s previous high in that demo.

Overall, IFL Battleground garnered a 0.8 national household rating and 1.12 million viewers (versus 695,000 in February and 820,000 season-to-date).

(Source)

More on the UFC 70 Tape Delay on Spike


By Ivan Trembow

As previously reported by MMAWeekly.com, UFC 70 will be airing on Spike TV in the United States instead of airing on pay-per-view or HBO. The news was officially confirmed in an announcement by Spike TV earlier today.

Instead of airing live as previously planned, the event will air in the United States on a tape delay and will begin airing on Saturday, April 21st at 9:00 PM (Eastern Time/Pacific Time).

The six-figure cost of broadcasting live in the United States from an event in Europe was ultimately deemed to not be worth the expense, particularly since the ratings are likely to be higher in primetime. Most UFC fans in the U.S. will not be aware that the event is taking place on Saturday afternoon.

The event could have aired live on Spike TV on Saturday afternoon and re-aired on Saturday evening in primetime (as is the case when HBO Boxing broadcasts an event from Europe), but instead it will air only in primetime.

UFC 70 on April 21st was Zuffa's target date for the company's first show on HBO, but several sticking points prevented the two sides from reaching an agreement in time for UFC 70 to air on HBO, as we have previously documented extensively on MMAWeekly.

Zuffa also could not air UFC 70 on pay-per-view due to the fact that all of the PPV advertising deadlines for an April 21st event have long since passed, and Zuffa was confident enough that an HBO deal would be reached by this point that it never booked a U.S. PPV date for UFC 70.

This sequence of events left Spike TV as the only logical option as the U.S. home for UFC 70. The show is scheduled to air in the U.S. from 9:00 PM to 12:00 AM, although it could also run over the three-hour time period if events warrant.

The top four fights on the card are Mirko Cro Cop vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (with the winner fighting Randy Couture this summer), Andrei Arlovski vs. Fabricio Werdum, Ryoto Machida vs. Forrest Griffin, Michael Bisping vs. Elvis Sinosic.

A Spike TV spokesperson has confirmed to MMAWeekly that all four of those bouts will be airing on the Spike TV broadcast of UFC 70, and there is a possibility that a fifth fight will air as well.

For extensive details on how the deal came about for UFC 70 to air on Spike TV, along with the inside story of the numerous factors that are holding up a UFC-HBO deal, check out our previous story on this matter (see "Related Articles" below).


Tapia family hit with new tragedy



Robert Gutierrez, 39, brother--in-law to Johnny Tapia, was killed before dawn Tuesday on his way back to Albuquerque from Farmington when the car he was in rolled off the highway. 23-year-old Ben Garcia was with him. State police say neither Gutierrez and Garcia had been wearing seat belts, and that alcohol may have been a factor. Investigators found empty bottles and partially consumed bottles at the scene. Gutierrez was Tapia's right hand man, and one of his cornermen at every fight. -- Chris Cozzone

Kenny Florian Ready for the Road Back to the Title



After winning three consecutive fights after his loss to Diego Sanchez at the Ultimate Fighter season one finale, Kenny Florian was given a chance to compete for reincarnation of the UFC Lightweight Championship. No more reality fighting veteran, Florian had reached official UFC title contender status. Florian went on to battle Sean Sherk and lost a unanimous decision in October of 2006. Not only did Florian gain the experience of fighting for a title, he went the full five rounds against Sherk. Now that Florian tasted a shot of the title, he wants back in. The road starts on Saturday April 5, 2007 when he takes on Japanese sensation Dokonjonosuke Mishima at UFC’s ninth installment of at Ultimate Fight Night. Here is what Florian told ADCC News before his comeback fight.

ADCC: How disappointed were you in your loss to Sean Sherk? Have you watched the tape of the fight and is there anything you think you could have done differently? KENNY: I was very disappointed. I knew I could have fought much, much better but I learned a lot from that 5-round championship fight. It comes down to who is better on that particular night. No doubt, Sherk was better that night. I knew that night was not going to be perfect for me but I never lost hope. I still believed I would find a way to win. The whole time I was on my feet I never thought once about wrestling. I just thought about taking his head off. I got caught up in trying to trade and hurt him instead of worrying about my stance and counter wrestling. My stance and wrestling was atrocious. My ground game was not where it should have been and Sherk played the right strategy that night. I was never hurt in that fight but I was controlled for the most part and I can only blame me.

ADCC: You went the full five rounds and it seems that your back is acting up again. How is the back and will you be 100 percent in your next fight? KENNY: My back has been injured since March of 2006, when I originally I had to drop out of the fight with Sam Stout at UFC 58. It has been a long painful road but I have nobody to blame but myself. I was not training the right way and my back injury was due to instabilities in my back and core. I was just training the wrong way and my back would be so bad that I would not be able to walk. So I had a lot of acting practice before fights pretending I was 100%. With the new addition of my strength and conditioning coach, Kevin Kearns I have never felt stronger and my back has never been better. I still have some work to do on my back but I have come a long way and I know I am much better and smarter fighter because of that injury. It has been frustrating because I have not had the opportunity to show everyone what I can really do in the ring due to this back injury. One thing I realized is there is no off time between fights. I am always training now and working on getting stronger and I have been able to train jiu-jitsu now without excruciating pain. After my initial back injury, training on the ground was just too painful for me. It was so bad where I couldn’t physically sit up or walk some days but mostly it was where wrestling and striking would be really painful. I did not train for two and half weeks right before my fight with Sherk because my back was injured. I did a little pad work when I got to Vegas and then fought on Saturday. Despite that, I still thought I was going to win. I don’t want to blame that loss on my back and don’t want to use that as an excuse. I did not do what I should have done technically and tactically to win that match that night, period!

(Continue Reading)


Scott Norton talks WEC


By Keith Mills

Over the last year most of the up-and-comers thought of as ready to take the step into the limelight were bought up not only by UFC but also by WEC, BodogFIGHT, IFL, and even Elite XC. Now that the 2007 season is warming up a whole new crop of up-and-comers are establishing themselves including Scott Norton. Scott makes his WEC debut later this month at Welterweight against former WEC North American Middleweight Champion Alex Serdyukov who recently dropped down in weight. Currently undefeated in shows including Sport Fight Scott is known on the Pacific Northwest and is said to be one of the names to watch for but is a new name to the national-level MMA scene. Alex on the other hand is coming off a loss to John Alessio, a fight that set Alessio up to fight Condit on this upcoming show for the vacant Welterweight belt. Here we find out more as Scott prepares for his big break.

KM: How prepared do you feel for this upcoming WEC? SN: I feel good, ready to go. I actually wish it was a little sooner. I’m just waiting and looking forward to it.

KM: What do you know about Alex Serdyukov and how do you feel about fighting him? SN: I know he is a Muay Thai guy with a little submission background. I know he is a little tall so he will be a little harder to hit him. Other than that I feel pretty good about him.

KM: He used to be the WEC North American Champion but now fights at Welterweight. Does it mean anything he used to hold that title? SN: Not really. I don’t worry about what the person has done, I just focus on the fifteen minutes I have to fight. I respect what he has done but at the same time I’m more focused on the things I need to be doing out there. It doesn’t mean that much to me. I want to be able to fight the best people and he would be a good opponent.

KM: What do you think of fighting in the WEC itself? SN: My management has worked really hard over the last year to get me in there and I’m really excited about it. I’m really honored and looking forward to it.

KM: Your last fight was in April ’05. Why the time off and what have you been doing? SN: Just been training. I had a couple injuries and needed to get healthy. Made some transitions and needed to step back and decide if this was something I was really going to do. One of the things that definitely changed my mind was my management.

KM: Are you over the injuries? Are you 100%? SN: Right now yeah, absolutely. I’ve been training a couple times a day and actually teach during the day. Now we are going to start tapering off and get ready to roll.

KM: Where are you training or should I say teaching? SN: Actually I teach fifth grade.

KM: I thought you meant teach at a gym, didn’t realize you meant dayjob. SN: Yeah, I’m actually at recess right now.

KM: Must be difficult to do your dayjob with something like a black eye. NS: I think you are absolutely right. That is why I want to make sure I’m the one on top and keep those black eyes to a minimum. I haven’t had to come to work dealing with that before and want to keep it that way.

KM: Giving something back to the community, that is honorable. Are you still training with Maurice Smith? SN: Yeah. I still train one or two days a week over there with the Tiger Sharks (Smith’s IFL team). Primarily I train out of Demon Jiu-Jitsu which is run by Eric Dahlberg. . I fought out of AMC for a couple years but the ground game I didn’t feel I was getting the improvement I’d hoped for. Switching over I feel I grew by leaps and bounds. I think Eric is one of the unknown sources up here in Washington as far as that goes.

KM: I understand you have a strong wrestling background before jiu-jitsu. SN: I won three championships and was an All-American for the University of Oregon. I feel pretty good no matter where the fight goes.

KM: Have you trained anywhere besides Maurice Smith’s place for striking? SN: Yeah, Marine Sports United with Mark and Kim Messer. I’d say I picked up quite a bit of striking from there.

KM: Even in your amateur career I only see two decisions, the rest have been first round wins. SN: I haven’t been out of the first round since my second or third fight. I want to keep it that way. I’m looking forward to getting my conditioning tested. To be honest with you if there is one area that has always gotten me through wrestling and through this it is conditioning. Out of 111 matches I had in college I’d say 100 of them are due to conditioning. I start fast and challenge my guy to keep the same pace, try to take them to an uncomfortable place for as long as they can hold up. I don’t want to beat somebody necessarily by submission or knockout, I try to make them get worn out to the point they don’t want to be there.

KM: What can you say about who you are to make the fan care about your fight? SN: It is a chance to see somebody that is pretty talented that only Washington has been able to see. There are household names in every state. I think mine is probably one of them.

KM: Being the former WEC Champion Alex has been on WEC when it was on HDNet and on the last show, the first under Zuffa ownership. You on the other hand haven’t fought MMA at that level before. Any concerns of being overwhelmed or his cage experience? SN: I wrestled a lot in front of big crowds. In the Nationals in the semi-finals I had a kid from Iowa State in Iowa. You got 17,000 booing you it doesn’t get any worse than that. I’m one of those people that get lost in what they are doing and don’t even notice what is going on around me.

KM: Any sponsors to thank of anything else to get across to the fans? SN: I definitely want to thank my sponsors Full Contact Fighter, Lance Timberman Dental, and Loan Review.


Derrick talks about his wins and losses in 2006, and the Bodog Fight show experience.


By BloodyKnux

If there was a fight career that more resembled a roller coaster ride in 2006 than Derrick Noble’s, I can’t find it. On a four fight win streak Derrick defeated the very tough Yves Edwards protégé Carlo Prater (Thugjitsu 19-4-1) and earned himself a shot at the MFC title belt. Then Derrick made his debute at the UFC with a rematch against Thiago Alves. Noble had defeated a green Alves by choke in 2003. The rematch went very differently and Noble lost for the first time in over a year by knockout in the first round. Then he headed back to the MFC, where he faced the seemingly unstoppable Eddie Alvarez, for another tough loss also by KO. A lot of fighters would have hung it up, having made it to the big show, and a shot at a belt only to be twice disappointed.

Undeterred Noble bounced back. Derrick strung together three solid wins, and made his way onto the second season of the Bodog Fight TV show. Now he’s faced KOTC and IFL vet Jake Ellenberger(14-1) in St Petersburg, Russia for the March 13th episode of Bodog’s second season. The winner moves on to the Pay-per-View April 14th with the likes of Fedor Emilianenko and Matt Lindland. How did 2006 end for Derrick Noble? We’ll find out Tuesday as the 4th episode of Bodog Fight appears on ION at 11pm EST.

(Continue Reading)

Arona wants revenge Minotouro


Photo by Marcelo Alonso

In exclusive conversation with site TATAME, Ricardo Arona said that wants to revenge his team mate Rogério Minotouro, because of his defeat at last Pride Las Vegas for the athlete Thierry Sokoudjou. “I asked to face him. Minotouro is like my brother, I want to revenge him, I want to see how it will be against this guy”, said the BTT athlete, who also commented the bout of his mate Minotouro: “Minotouro was surprised. He didn’t have enough time to show his game. Sokoudjou was pretty clever and I think he already knew Minotouro’s blow”.

About the Wanderlei Silva’s defeat for Dan Henderson, Arona said that this is already the past. “I already won two times at my opinion. Now I will just fight him if he has this belt again or in some GP accidentally”, said Arona, who also said who he wants to face now: “I really want to face Dan Henderson and Shogun. But if I have the opportunity to dispute the belt of the category until 93kg, I would like to face Henderson , because I already defeated him. But I think Paulão is the man at the category until 83kg”, finished him.

(Source)

UFC 69 Aftermath


By Jason "The Athlete" MacDonald

Hey everyone, Jason here! Just wanted to take a second and thank you guys for all your support! I just seen the doctor again and got my stiches out and my eye is fine. He said that I have a bad bruise and some broken blood vessels right on my eye ball and that is what caused me to lose my vision in the eye and is causing the pain I am still feeling in my eye. Let me be clear to all the haters out there,I did not quit! The fight was stopped because I could not see out of my right eye and my left was swelling closed. You try fighting Rich with half an eye! My corner stopped the fight for my own saftey! I'm not saying I wasn't rocked at the end of the round but I did not even know the fight was stopped! Another week of rest and it will be fine to get back training.

As for the fight. I am very disappointed with the loss but Rich fought a smart fight and is super strong and hard to take down. I expected him to be much more aggressive like in his past fights but he came out fighting super safe and not opening up with kicks and combinations like he usually does. I ended up chasing him all over the octagon trying for the take down instead of letting him come to me and open up so I could get the take down.

The one thing I was happy with was that I went out there and went after him and did not back down. There were allot of people saying Rich would knock me out just like Quarry. Well he hit me with everything he had and I continued to go after him and did not run away. It was a good learning experience for me and a good gauage of where I stand and what I need to work on.

For all those people that think my stand up is bad, you try fighting two very good left handed strikers. They are very hard to fight and have knocked out most of their opponents. My boxing is really pretty good. I train with some great pro boxers and do well aganist right handers. When I first got down to Jackson's and sparred with the guys they all said man your standup is way way better than we thought. I feel I will still beat 95% of the guys in the division right now and can not wait to get in there with a right hander. I'm hungrier than I have been in awhile to get back on track and show everyone that I am still one of the best in the division.

This fight was just a small step backwards after two big ones forward. Just like when GSP lost to Hugh the first time and than got a few more fights under his belt and came back to win the belt. I will do the same! Like George said, he was a bit intimadated because it was Matt accross the ring. For the first time ever I kind of felt that way looking accross at Rich but after being in there I should not have felt like that. This loss will make me a much better fighter and I will get right back on track next fight. Once again thanks to everyone out there who is supporting me and cheering for me and I will be back very soon!!

Jason

Jean-Claude van Damme coming to visit Mirko Cro Cop


By Al Bundy

Famous Belgian actor Jean-Claude van Damme recently found out that Mirko Filipovic was inspired as a teenager by his movies. After watching "Blood Sport", Mirko started training martial arts. So Van Damme decided to give him a phone call.

When Crocop received phone call from Van Damme, he thought someone is making fun of him. They spoke for almost an hour, and after Crocop was convinced that it is actually Van Damme, he called Van Damme to visit him in his house in Zagreb. Van Damme was very pleased and he accepted the offer.

Van Damme is shooting a movie in Bulgaria at the moment, and he will come to Zagreb on 21st or 22nd of March. He will stay in Mirko's house for 7 days, and during that time he will train in his gym and visit Mirko's house in village Privlaka, where Mirko lived as a boy.

Van Damme says that he watches MMA, but he heard about Mirko from his father, who watched one of Pride shows, and before Mirko's fight there was a short movie about Mirko. After watching it, Van Damme's father told him: "there is one great fighter who wears checkered shorts and as a teenager had your poster in his room". Van Damme says that he felt satisfaction in fact that one Pride champion found inspiration in his movies for all that Spartan work. So he decided to call Mirko.

Van Damme says that he wants to make a movie about mixed martial arts, and that Crocop would have a role in this movie. Besides Crocop, Van Damme wants Jerome Le Banner, Fedor Emelianenko and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in that movie. Van Damme says that this movie would be for mixed martial arts what "Raging Bull" (with Robert De Niro) was for boxing.

In rest of the interview, Van Damme says that he trains more now, cause he doesn't want to embarass himself in front of Crocop. He is also joking that he plans to stay for 7 days at Crocop's home, but there is possibility that it will last shorter, if he doesn't meet Crocop's expectations

They ask him about Sylvester Stallone, and he compares their relationship to Crocop and Fedor. He says they are rivals, so they can't be friends. But he also says that he hopes Crocop and Fedor will become friends, if they agree to shoot a movie together
(from vecernji.hr - translation by djoni - www.nokaut.com/forum)

Barrera-Marquez LA Presser!


By David Finger

For a fight that some experts have already billed as "the biggest fight ever for Mexico," there was no question that both Juan Manuel Marquez (46-3-1, 35 KO's) and Marco Antonio Barrera (63-4, 42 KO's) were living up to the billing of "Fearless" as both fighters held a press conference in Los Angeles yesterday before heading out to Nevada. Both Marquez and Barrera appeared to be the picture of confidence as they joked with the press and promised victory. But both fighters also were keenly aware of what this fight meant to their respective legacies and both promised not only a victory, but a war.



"I am very excited, this is a fight that I was supposed to have a long time ago," commented Marquez through a translator, "It's happening now, they gave me the opportunity and I want to take advantage of that."



For a fighter whose been fighting since 1993, Saturday is a rare opportunity for Marquez to not just establish himself as a superstar in the sport (many argue that he already established himself as a star when he held Manny Pacquiao to a draw back in 2004) but to quite possibly establish himself as the premiere Mexican fighter in the world.

"I'm in pretty good shape…I am just ready to make history this Saturday night."

But getting through Barrera has never proven to be an easy task, especially when he is defending his mythical title as Mexico's "great champion."

"To me it is an honor to give the public a fight of this nature," commented Barrera, "It is very important to me for fans to remember me as a fighter who was fighting the top fighters and giving them the top fights. I don't want to be remembered as a fighter who fought fighters of poor quality."



Barrera and Marquez both are seasoned veterans with a history of fighting against the odds. Both know what it's like to loose a questionable decision and both know what it feels like to be on the wrong side of boxing politics. It is that shared history that has made this fight so unlikely and so intriguing today.

"I really don't' want to think about the past," admitted Marquez, "Now it is a great opportunity and I want to take advantage of it." But almost apologetically Marquez then added "I do think about 2005 though. It was an experience…that was a fight that surprised me that the sport of boxing and the business of boxing that one promoter with the blink of an eye can take your belts without a fight. But there is a saying in Mexico, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and I am feeling stronger now, physically, mentally, emotionally."



Even Barrera, the fighter who has seen it all in his career, admitted that this was a fight that he did not anticipate ever happening. Admittedly the name Manny Pacquiao has been on his mind ever since getting stopped by the Filipino superstar back in 2003; and although the fight never seemed to be close to happening, many insiders were excited that 2007 would see the eagerly anticipated rematch finally happen. But when politics axed the rematch, Barrera found himself in with a more than adequate replacement in Marquez. "He's a very good fighter of top level," commented Barrera, "But it was never mentioned to me before, the fight was never offered to me before, most likely because we both did fight under the Forum. We started putting attention to Juan Manuel when the fight was signed."

With Marquez's draw with Pacquiao in mind, Barrera felt that this could be the fight that not only positions him for the rematch, but also could erase the stigma of the Pacquiao loss. That fact, coupled with Marquez's heart, has Barrera even admitting that, as a fighter, he is a fan of Marquez. "I loved that fight (between Marquez and Pacquiao), I was cheering that fight. It showed us what a Mexican fighter is made to do. To go down but also to get right back up and keep fighting."



Marquez credited his promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, for giving his this golden opportunity, and again promised to capitalize on it. "I told Oscar before I signed with him and he promised me great fights, he promised me a fight with Barrera. He said he wanted to do the impossible to make it happen, and he delivered pretty fast. He's a great promoter; I wish all the promoters were like that. He promised me great fights and he delivered."

In the end, however, Marquez understood that, despite all his accomplishments in the ring, that he would be the challenger on Saturday night. "There are no easy fights at all. You got to take every fight seriously, I think Barrera is not thinking about losing, but me either, I am very happy and I'd like to that Barrera for taking the fight and making it happen."


IFL L.A. Preview Part One


By Ben Fowlkes

In less than a week the International Fight League will make its Southern California debut at the Forum, as four top teams clash for IFL supremacy. As we get closer to fight time, we’ll be taking a look at each match-up in detail, leading up to a live web play-by-play direct from ringside on fight night.

Saturday’s event promises to be an exciting one, as the unbeaten So. Cal. Condors take on the reformed Sabres, who have bounced back from a winless 2006 to go 1-0 so far this season.

Whoever wins this team contest will enter their final match of the year on a 2-0 streak with an excellent chance of making the playoffs. The loser will have to claw their way back to the top, and hope it’s not too little too late.

155 lbs: Savant Young (Sabres) vs. Adam Lynn (Condors)

Savant Young brings a formidable combination of striking prowess and powerful wrestling skills, and he used both to dominate Ed West in his last outing. At 5’6” his height is his greatest disadvantage, but that didn’t stop him from getting inside against the much taller West.

Adam Lynn is a gritty fighter who wins fights mainly by sheer persistence and aggressiveness. He was the victim of an early stoppage against Adam Lynn in his IFL debut, and is looking to rebound here and show the fans what he can do.

If Young can force Lynn to play his game, as he did with West, he can control the action comfortably. But if Lynn manages to force a quick pace, anything could happen.

170 lbs.: Antonio McKee (Sabres) vs. Rodrigo Ruas (Condors)

Antonio McKee is a veteran fighter with the reputation of being a little overly cautious in some of his bouts. He can frustrate more aggressive fighters by staying just out of range until he’s ready to secure a takedown and work his very methodical ground game, as he did against Gabe Rivas in Houston.

Rodrigo Ruas, nephew of Condors coach Marco Ruas, is making his IFL debut after an eye injury kept him off the roster in January. Not much is known about the young Ruas, but word is he throws some heavy leather and has no quit at all in him, which shouldn’t surprise anyone who has seen his uncle in action.

Ruas needs to avoid getting too aggressive, and should try to back McKee down before unleashing his attack. McKee will likely look for the takedown early and often to avoid engaging Ruas in a stand-up war.

185 lbs: Kaz Hamanaka (Sabres) vs. Jeremy Williams (Condors)

Hamanaka was the only Sabres fighter to survive coach Ken Yasuda’s roster purge after last season’s poor performance, so Yasuda must have seen something worth cultivating in the Japanese middleweight. He’s fought on some big stages in Japan, and in some big weight classes, which means he’ll probably have a strength advantage at 185 pounds.

Williams returned to professional fighting after a nearly five-year layoff, and promptly choked out the Tiger Sharks Bristol Marunde in a dominating first-round win. Williams’ jiu-jitsu is slick, to say the least, but we have yet to see if he’s lost any speed in his stand-up game.

If Hamanaka tries to out-muscle Williams, he may bull himself right into a submission. His best bet is to force Williams to go on the attack, but don’t look for “The Spider” to make any stupid mistakes.

205 lbs.: Vladimir Matyushenko (Sabres) vs. Justin Levens (Condors)

Vladdy Matyushenko is the light heavyweight addition that has the rest of the league talking. A national wrestling champion and former UFC heavyweight, he brings a relentless ground attack and a ton of experience. He dispatched the Scorpions Duane Compton in under two minutes, and it wasn’t even as close as the time suggests. Many are expecting him to dominate the 205-pound class in the IFL, and for good reason.

Levens watched Matyushenko on TV as a teenager, and now has the daunting task of facing him the ring. The game plan for Levens has always been to charge in throwing big bombs, but he says he learned from his decision loss to Reese Andy that blind aggression is a liability against a strong wrestler.

Look for Levens to try and maintain some distance, forcing Matyushenko to stand with him. Matyushenko should look to get the fight on the mat soon, otherwise he risks getting caught with one of Levens’ big right hands.

265 lbs.: Wayne Cole (Sabres) vs. Antoine Jaoude (Condors)

Cole is the Sabres newest member, and he looks to be an improvement over John Marsh. Cole was an All-American wrestler at Oklahoma in the early nineties, but says he’d rather stand and strike, putting his powerful punches to work for him. He plans to use his wrestling background mostly for takedown defense, and he’ll probably need it in this one.

Jaoude represented Brazil as a Freestyle wrestler in the Athens Olympic Games, and he medaled in the Pan Am Games only recently. In his IFL debut he showed a formidable ground-and-pound, but got caught with a number of stiff shots on the feet, and looked gassed in the later rounds.

Jaoude needs to get Cole on his back, and fast. If he absorbs too much punishment coming in it will only build Cole’s confidence, and we haven’t seen much of a submissions game from Jaoude just yet. He needs to grind out a victory, which won’t happen if he can’t control the former-Sooner stand-out.

That’s all for this team match-up. Check back later in the week for a preview of the Anacondas versus the Razorclaws.


UFC 70 GOES SPIKE TV PRIMETIME


By Loretta Hunt

While time zones have proved a prominent problem for the Ultimate Fighting Championship in recent weeks as it prepares for UFC 70 “Nations Collide,” live from the Manchester Evening News Arena in England; the Las Vegas-based organization has figured out a way to get a handful of that night’s fights back to its stateside consumer.

Rather than place the night’s nine scheduled bouts in a tape delayed pay-per-view format in the U.S., four to five bouts from UFC 70 will be telecast on April 21 beginning at 9 PM ET/PT on Spike TV, including the featured main event between Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and Gabriel Gonzaga which will determine the next contender for UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture’s crown.

The seven-hour delayed telecast will also feature the heavyweight bout between Andrei Arlovski and recent PRIDE acquisition Fabricio Werdum, as well as the local-inspired bout between “The Ultimate Fighter” season three victor and Clithoroe native Michael Bisping, who takes on Australia’s Elvis Sinosic.


Clementi vs Jucão at UFC Fight Night 9



“The Hawaiian fell of the board, now the target is Rich Clementi”

“Hot off the presses, first hand,” bellows the voice of Roan "Jucão" Carneiro from the other end of the line, in Rio de Janeiro. "My opponent has changed for my debut in the UFC, on the 5th of April. It will be Rich Clementi. The Hawaiian injured himself, seems to have fallen off his board," jokes the Brazilian Top Team fighter.



Despite the sudden substitution of Anthony Torres (5w, 0l) for the more experienced Rich Clementi (24w, 11l and 1d), Jucão bets on the change being for the better. “The guy is a more recognized name. I’m gonna go after him with all I’ve got, since I want to make an impression in my first fight in the octagon. His nickname is ‘No Love’, mine is ‘Make Love’", the 77kg fighter antagonizes.

The substitution did not provoke drastic changes in the Brazilian’s training: “The Hawaiian is good on the ground, Clementi is more of a standup guy. I will trade standing a little, of course, but I will not break from my Jiu-Jitsu. I am going to watch the American's fights over the coming days, but I know he is moving up in weight, and he has fought well-known competition, among them Caol Uno, Marcus Aurélio… I am training hard, yesterday I sparred at Nobre Art gym with instructor Cláudio Coelho, who is helping me a lot. And, like some athletes, I still train some with Master Paulo Nikolai,” the ADCC 2005 qualifying champion tells GRACIEMAG.com, with no illusions about the invites to the submission grappling tournament this year.

“I am very focused on the UFC and I think, honestly, they will not invite me. If they call me up I’ll go. After Ultimate Fight Night 9 I will go to Europe to spend some time with my students. Either way, the BTT will always be well-represented in the ADCC: Toquinho, for example, in the 87kg division, is a monster. You ain’t seen nothing yet, he will give you all a lot to talk about, take it from me,” he closes.

Check out the UFC calendar for the first semester:
April 5 – UFC – Fight Night 9 – Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
April 7 – UFC 69 – Shootout – Toyota Center, Houston, Texas, USA
April 21 – UFC 70 – MEN Arena, Manchester, England
June 23 – UFC – TUF 5 Final – Location not yet defined

(Source)

Spike TV - Press Release - UFC 70



Star-Studded Card Features Heavyweight Contenders Mirko Cro Cop and Andrei Arlovski and Light Heavyweights Forrest Griffin and Michael Bisping Fights to Air on Spike TV Saturday, April 21 at 9:00 PM from Manchester, England

NEW YORK, March 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Mirko Cro Cop (22-4-2) came to the UFC with heavyweight title ambitions, and the Croatian native will try and continue his ascension to the top of the division as he squares off against Gabriel Gonzaga (7-1-0) at UFC 70: NATIONS COLLIDE. This star-studded, pay-per-view-quality fight card will telecast on Spike TV on Saturday, April 21 at 9:00 PM, ET/PT from the MEN Arena in Manchester, England.

Former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski, The Ultimate Fighter(R) 1 light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin, and The Ultimate Fighter 3 light heavyweight champion and British native Michael Bisping will also appear on the fight card.

"Manchester is the home of sporting legends, so what better place to launch the UFC in the UK," said Dana White, UFC President. "The city always appreciates a great sporting event and we know that is exactly what UFC 70 will give them."

"We're excited to be able to bring the UFC's first foray into Europe to our viewers in the United States in this extraordinary event," said Spike TV General manager Kevin Kay.

Fresh off his dominant win against Eddie Sanchez in his UFC debut on February 3 at UFC 66, Cro Cop will try and utilize his heralded striking ability to neutralize the jiu-jitsu advances of his opponent, rising heavyweight Gonzaga. A black belt under Wander Braga, Gonzaga has won his first three UFC fights in convincing fashion. The fight will determine number one title contender status in the UFC heavyweight division, with the winner receiving a shot at the title against newly crowned heavyweight champion Randy "The Natural" Couture.

Also on the card, is former heavyweight champion "The Pit Bull" Arlovski (12-5-0) as he looks to pick up his second consecutive victory and get back into the heavyweight title picture against Fabricio Werdum (9-2-1). A jiu jitsu expert training out of Brazil, Werdum is making his UFC debut.

The card will also feature light heavyweight Griffin (13-4-0) as he attempts to bounce back from his defeat at the hands of Keith Jardine at UFC 66, by going head-to-head with undefeated Ryoto "Lyoto" Machida (9-0-0). Machida is coming off a victory against Sam Hoger at UFC 67 and his matchup with Griffin is a meeting of strikers that will certainly lead to fireworks inside the Octagon(TM).

The event will also mark the homecoming for Britain's own "The Count" Bisping (12-0-0). A Liverpool native, Bisping, fresh off an impressive victory against Eric Schaefer at UFC 66, puts his undefeated record on the line against the Australian born Elvis "The King of Rock n Rumble" Sinosic (8- 9-2).

Spike TV is available in 91 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. MTV Networks, a division of Viacom International Inc.

About The Ultimate Fighting Championship

The Ultimate Fighting Championship(R) brand is the world's leading professional mixed martial arts organization and offers the premier series of MMA sports events. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., the UFC(R) organization produces approximately twelve to fourteen live pay-per-view events annually that are distributed through cable and satellite providers. In addition to its U.S. distribution, UFC fight programs are distributed throughout the world including broadcast on WOWOW, Inc. in Japan, Globosat in Brazil and Bravo in the United Kingdom. For more information, or current UFC fight news, visit http://www.ufc.com.

Ultimate Fighting Championship(R), Ultimate Fighting(R), UFC(R), The Ultimate Fighter(R), Submission(R), As Real As It Gets(R), Zuffa(TM), The Octagon(TM) and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks, trademarks, trade dress or service marks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other marks referenced herein may be the property of Zuffa, LLC or other respective owners.

Mir Out, McCully in to face Hardonk at UFN on April 5th


By Thomas Gerbasi

With former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir forced to withdraw from April 5th’s UFC Fight Night at The Palms Hotel and Casino’s brand new arena, The Pearl, due to injury, California heavyweight Justin McCully has gotten the call to face hard-hitting Antoni Hardonk.

“He’s a monster, well-rounded and very skilled,” said McCully of Hardonk (5-2), a protégé of legendary kickboxer Ernesto Hoost who won his first UFC match last November by knocking out Sherman Pendergarst in the first round.

The 31-year old McCully (7-3-2) is no slouch himself, as he is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt and a member of the famed Team Punishment who is 2-0 with two submission wins since returning to MMA in 2006 after a three-year layoff. April 5th will mark his UFC debut.

“It’s a great honor to be selected to show my skills on the greatest MMA platform in existence,” said McCully.

UFC Fight Night, which is headlined by a lightweight showdown between Joe Stevenson and Melvin Guillard, will air on Spike TV beginning at 8pm ET / PT.

To purchase tickets, click HERE


Josh aims for the stars


By Nick Mashiter

A TALENTED martial artist is not resting on his achievements, even after winning six medals already this year. Josh Veitch will now be trying to gain his black belt in April before competing in an U13 tournament at the Tae Kwon Do World Championships in August.

Veitch, 11, from Primrose Close in Calne, said: "It is still good competition and it is getting harder but hopefully I am going to get my black belt and then move up to another level.

"I am top of my category at the moment so when I move up it will be to a harder one."

The John Bentley School pupil has already won two gold medals in the Southern Championships in February, a gold and bronze in the Northern in March and two silvers in the Mixed Martial Arts Super League, where he ended up fighting kick boxers.

"It is the hardest tournament I have done this year because there was a lot more contact as I fought kick boxers," said the black striped belt.

Mum Karen is now looking for new sponsors after previously being helped out by the Calne Lions and CMA Buildbase.

"They were a fantastic help because it is such an expensive sport but the money doesn't last forever and we are looking for a permanent sponsor," she said.

(Source)
Evil Note: You go Josh! :)

A word from GSP on the Serra fight.

De La Hoya talks Mayweather Jr.


By Elias Cepeda

On May 5th, Oscar De La Hoya will take on Floyd Mayweather Jr. in what is likely to be the biggest fight of the year, and one of the biggest in boxing history, both financially and in terms of the significance of the match-up itself. Last month during a stop on their 11-city publicity tour, both fighters were in Chicago, IL and discussed the fight with reporters individually before the big press conference and pep rally that followed in the UIC Pavilion.

De La Hoya, characteristically quiet and confident, acknowledged the challenges that the younger undefeated Mayweather Jr. will pose. But he also felt that what he will bring to the table will be enough to do the job against the four-division champion.

Conditioning is one such element. Though at 34 years of age, De La Hoya is in the 14th year of his career and four years the senior of Mayweather Jr., Oscar, who is now under the direction of trainer Freddie Roach, insists neither age, nor the speed and conditioning that sometimes fade along with a fighter’s age, will be an issue for him May 5th.

“I feel great, I feel energetic” said Oscar.

De La Hoya has acknowledged that the speed and energy that long-time trainee of Roach, Manny Pacquiao, always brings to his fights was a factor in Oscar himself choosing Roach as his new coach after De La Hoya’s coach of recent years and his upcoming opponent’s father, Floyd Mayweather Sr. and he parted ways. And heading into heavy training with Roach, De La Hoya was confident in the coach’s ability to prepare him for the speedy and younger Floyd Jr.

“We are going to be in the best physical condition possible, he (Floyd Jr.) won’t be able to breathe” promised Oscar.

After fighting antagonists Fernando Vargas and Ricardo Mayorga, who went out of their way during the pre-fight promotion to insult De La Hoya, challenging everything from his manhood to the authenticity of his being “Mexican”, Oscar has become well-acquainted with disrespectful opponents. And though Mayweather Jr. has taken it to another level, Oscar said he respects Floyd Jr. as a fighter and that the mental warfare will only work in his favor.

(Continue Reading)

Sylvester Stallone charged with Import of performance Hormone



A court in Australian court has charged actor Sylvester Stallone with the import of a banned growth hormone. The restricted performance hormone requires a special license in order to import it.

After going through customs last month in Australia to help promote his successful movie, "Rocky Balboa," Stallone was allegedly found to have 48 vials of the restricted hormone in the country. Police later raided his hotel room where the actor was staying.

If convicted Stallone could face a fine of up to A$110,000 (£44,714) and up to five years in jail.

Stallone did not show up in court to hear the charge levied against him. It has been reported that Stallone is in Thailand filming the fourth Rambo film.

Published reports in the media indicate that case will be adjourned until April 24th, when it is expected that Stallone's plea will be entered into the court.

(Source)

Dwight Qawi: "Evander was juiced!"


By Rob Scott

I’ve always been a person who would listen. I’ve sat and talked to a spectrum of boxing people from promoters, to managers, to broadcasters, etc. But of them all, the angle of the fighter, past and present, always seem to make me scratch my head with interest.

I’ve heard war stories that have taken place in the ring as well out; that, along with the varied stories of just what lured fighters into the ring and ultimately into our psyche, adds to a fighter’s intrigue.

Former WBC light heavyweight and WBA cruiser weight champion Dwight Muhammad Qawi is one that has often made me scratch my head with interest, because he has been one who will tell it likes he sees it. When I spoke to The Camden Buzzsaw recently, Qawi spoke from the heart and pulled no punches.

Rob Scott: I’m one who has always felt that with boxing, whether past or present, stories are abundant. Your story is one that definitely has its place when talking about the tales of fighters. Tell us about Dwight Qawi from the start, when you were Dwight Braxton.

Dwight Qawi: I started late; 25 years old, back then that was considered old. The reason I started late was because of my brushes with the legal system and that sought of thing, and at twenty-five years old, you can’t live at home with your mother. There was a sense of urgency. I was working and surviving, but had ambition.

RS: What made you turn to the sport of boxing?

DQ: Street fighting. A guy saw my work and took me to the gym and introduced me, and I had a fight in one month with no amateur career.

RS: I know it’s a clichéd question, but what was your crowning moment in the sport?

DQ: I guess it would be that first title was my most crowning achievement, because I was the underdog. I came out of nowhere, you know? I was fast, but some thought that I was a flash in the pan, but I had confident. I was confident, but you still had to get past other guys – and I did. That was a heck of a thing; everything else was like; I’m here, now I can do this.

RS: Not everybody will feel that feeling of winning that championship. Tell us, and those who will eventually win the title, what it felt like when the announcer said, ‘New World Champion’?

DQ: Oh man, it was a sense of exhilaration, like a high. It took me a couple of weeks to come back down to the ground. It was a feeling of walking around like you’re floating; it really is, especially when the odds are against you. Its like a Cinderella story when you’re not supposed to be there. They told me “You’re too short to be a light heavyweight and you’re too old,” and all of that. I went against the odds, because every time I went into the ring, I was just an opponent. I just kept winning and I believed in me. You can read the reviews and listen to everybody else, you feel like you’re going against something.

RS: So there was never a moment before winning the title that you may have felt that you might not do it?

DQ: No, I was psyched. That was always a thing about me; I guess that it was a cockiness that I had, but it was cockiness in a good way. I just refused and always thought I could do it. I always liked going against the odds.

RS: The last time we spoke you said that you haven’t watched the sport all that much, has that changed since then?

DQ: No, I haven’t watched it that much because it’s confusing with all the stuff going on. I liked it when it was just simple, and I have a lot of resentments also. I look at the sport and the people involved and they don’t have a true love for the sport. I think in boxing, like you, I can tell and believe that the love and concern is there. I believe you have an interest in so many ways, but every body seems to come in like leaches with the fighters; I hate that. The fighters just don’t get what they deserve, you know? People are still asking today, why don’t they have a pension for the fighters? Everybody looks at the fighters like a piece of meat. Me knowing that, it is engrained in me. Sure I may look at one or two fighters and fights, but overall, my view is everybody looks at the fighter as a piece of meat.

RS: So that’s why you hardly watch the fight game at all?

DQ: I just think that there are these guys who act as big time commissioners, and man they are pretenders. You have those who come in to train and act like they’re training, and I feel, but I can be wrong, but they don’t have the true interest of the fighters. No one is doing anything to change things. And again, it’s just my opinion, but when I see these guys parade around, I get ulcers in my stomach.

RS: What was the last fight that you’ve been to?

DQ: I have gone to the small arenas. Grass roots places like the Blue Horizon in Philly and places like that, but the big fights, I haven’t been to in like four years.

RS: You use to tell me that you wanted to become a trainer or manager and help fighters, has that changed?

DQ: No, I would love to train or manage to do right by the fighter, but I’m tied up with some bureaucratic BS with where I work at now, and I’m fighting in another arena. But it’s just about to be resolved. As soon as that happen, I can adjust my schedule and comeback and be an asset in whatever role I play in it.

RS: In our talks, I wanted to pick your brain and ask, since you fought both, who would have won between a young Holyfield and a slick Michael Spinks?

DQ: Who won between Spinks and Tyson? They say that styles make fights, but Spinks couldn’t deal with Holyfield. He would have been blown out before four rounds, for real; unless he wanted to have mercy on him or that kind of thing.

With Spinks, he got lucky a lot of times. With Holmes he got fortunate. With me he got fortunate because my nose was broke and I couldn’t fight my fight. I shouldn’t have taken the fight. I should have gotten my nose corrected and healed, but that something that happened. It was fortunate for him; I mean he ran and jabbed and that kind of thing, but he wouldn’t have been able to run from Holyfield or even hurt Holyfield enough to keep him off of him. Holyfield would have gotten to him, especially using the juice.

RS: Can I quote you on that?

DQ: You mean about Holyfield and the juice?

RS: Yes.

DQ: Yes, and it’s not just Holyfield and boxing, but sports period. The steroids things seem to be becoming acceptable. The public is different, and the fans are different. I look at the UFC, and I’m not overly knocking it, but it’s just like street fighting, you know? It’s like going out in an alley; you might as well go out and pick up a brick or a bat. Using steroids seems like it is being accepted in a lot of sports like it’s fair play, and it’s not.

RS: There were more whispers that Evander and Tyson used it, but there wasn’t anything loud said.

DQ: Yeah, but I’m talking about all sports now. Athleticism is not what it used to be where you dig down and have it come from your gut. You know, by working hard and using all of your natural ability, and you don’t use no enhancers and get an edge from nothing artificial. If you turn a blind eye to that, the integrity of the sport is lost. But I do still love boxing and that is why I want to come back and be and asset.

RS: But when will that be?

DQ: It should be soon. In like a year, all the bureaucratic stuff that I’m going through will be resolved. I would love to do it, because I love the sport and I have the know-how. Boxing is about skills. I remember doing a commercial with Archie Moore and he said that he was looking in a window and saw the silhouette of two guys sparring and fell in love with the moves. That is how you would look at it, if you truly understand it as the sweet science, but it’s lost. Now days, fighters try to pound each other out and there is no finesse, and that is what is lost. I would like to go back and help fighters and be instrumental in their development.

RS: Another fighter that I wanted to know what you thought of is Roy Jones Jr. at light heavyweight in your era or even before you; what would he have done?

DQ: They wouldn’t have ever let him get away with some of the stuff he did. With Tarver he was exposed. As far as his ability, he was naturally fast. He could do things that you couldn’t teach people, but like the old guy who fought Ray Robinson, you know the one who moved up from welterweights and put Robinson in a street fight? Carmen?

RS: Carmen Basilio?

DQ: Yes, Basilio. He put him in a street fight and kind of negated some of Robinson’s speed. There are other ways of dealing with speed and people just didn’t do it with him (Jones) and he got away with it. But when guys like him lose that natural quickness and reflexes he became suspect, I personally think.

Whereas an example, you had guys in my day like Yaqui Lopez, Jerry Celestine and other guys that weren’t champs who would have given him (Jones) and most of these guys fits. You know it’s about finesse; you know there are nights when you think a guy is going to win and he don’t. Take ‘Buster’ Douglas; on paper he should have lost, but he got up off the canvas and won.

RS: The night that Evander first beat Tyson, did you think he would do that?

DQ: No. What had happened was Tyson had nobody in his camp. Now I’m not saying that they didn’t know nothing, but he really needed more expertise at that level. What Tyson needed when I was out with him one time, was what my trainer used to say to me, which was “stop practicing your mistakes.” He’d see me do something and he’d correct it. What would happen is the other guy’s corner would pick those mistakes up. I remember when Saad tried to do that, but by the time I fought him, I corrected my mistakes. He tried to bend down and hit me with the left uppercut and then come over with the right hand. From me always bending over it was a good plan, but I had already made the adjustments. Your corner should be very key for things like that, but one thing that I saw Tyson do when I was with him, was he always jumped in the air when swinging. He was always leaving the floor, and you should never leave the floor when throwing a punch. He was leaping with his punches and if you watch the fight with Evander, Evander just took a half of a step back, and when Tyson was in the air he couldn’t adjust. Evander countered and hurt him. The old Tyson would have beat Evander, because he used to keep his feet planted with that old peek-a-boo style like Floyd Patterson, but he didn’t use it with Evander. He actually should have blown Evander out.

RS: Who was your toughest opponent?

DQ: I would definitely have to say the first Saad fight – that was a heck of a fight. He was tough…he was tough. Even though I was older with Evander and had to chase him, but if you watch the fight, he was dead in that fight. Ask the people at your website to watch the fight in the fourth and fifth rounds, and they’ll tell you how dead he was. Watch it, because it was going as I planned, but I thought I would get him around the ninth. It was my pressure that I was putting on. It was going as I planned but after the fourth or fifth round, they gave him something to drink. Watch it…watch it. Then he comes back and looks better in the last half of the fight than anyone looks in the first two or three rounds…that’s crazy – that’s crazy. That was worst than a stick-up, I mean let’s be fair. I have resentment for it today because I know in my heart of hearts that he cheated and a lot of people are cheating today. That’s what I say about sports; you put your heart in it and you think everything is fair, and then it’s not.

RS: What do you think can be done?

DQ: A lot can be done; I mean they don’t even test like they should; they turn a blind eye. And a lot of guys walk around with their suits and getting a hundred thousand dollars a year and act like they are squeaky clean are full of BS. They’re on the take too. I can remember when Larry Hazzard was the referee for my fight with Michael Spinks, and he would never let me fight inside. I would get close, and every time I got in, he would say, “break”, and wouldn’t let us fight on the inside. I really believe that Butch Lewis greased his palms, because they picked the right referee. Also back then, you use to have to ask for the test if you suspected something. The only thing is they used to say that it was too expensive. But anyway, you can hear my resentment.

RS: I think you just may be an asset to the sport, but I have to tell you about this quote from a guy I heard on TV. He was talking about how his resentment before for someone, and went on to say, “Hating and resenting someone is the same as you taking poison and then expecting the person you hate to die.”

DQ: I have resentment and hate what is being done, but I don’t hate anybody. I don’t have an unhealthy type of anger where it consumes me. I’m not even boxing anymore and I have moved on. I just hate that no one is doing anything about it. Hey, anger is a real emotion, but resentment really means to relive anger. I can resent something, but not where I wear it around my neck. Resentment is a real human emotion that you can use as a motivation. A lot of people confuse things when they say, “Don’t let it get to you”, and it don’t get to me…or in a way that it is harmful. Hey, I can have displeasure, but I don’t walk around dwelling on it.

RS: I understand, but I’m just saying just that, not to let it consume you. I know you look; who do you look at out there?

DQ: Hey, I wish them all the best, but I definitely like Mayweather because he is a throwback, as far as I’m concerned. Hey, he comes from fighting family, and he’s got skills.

RS: Did you check out their press tour?

DQ: I heard about it.

RS: Yes he is really trying to get under his (De La Hoya) skin.

DQ: He’s trying to make him (De La Hoya) lose his composure.

RS: Some are saying that he is acting thuggish, but as I wrote in an article a while back, people want him and say Judah, to be and act like people that they are not. I say, let Mayweather be the first Floyd Mayweather Jr., instead of the second Ray Leonard. Let Zab Judah be the first Judah, not the second Joe Louis, as far as manners.

DQ: Hey, it’s nothing wrong with selling wolf ticket before a fight. That’s a part of the hype. I used to tell Mike (Tyson), “Stop reading your reviews.” Especially with all the press that is around him and the charges that he had; whether trumped up or not, it can be a lot of pressure. You got be mentally tough. It all can be distracting, because you’re human. Anyway, I want to be an asset and help where I can…hopefully soon.

RS: Thanks Dwight, I appreciate talking to you again, as always. I also hope you do make that return.

DQ: Thank you.

I’d like to thank Dwight Qawi again for opening up to our readers and myself, as he was shooting it straight from the heart.

(Source)

Nine Who Need to Hang Up the Gloves


By Jake Rossen

Mustering up all his congested wisdom, geriatric prize fighter Larry Holmes once stated, "The thought of being broke scares me." The sentiment could help explain why Holmes stepped into the ring right into his mid-50s, and why having the spotlight shine on someone else seemed anathema to him.

Fighters know fighting. So few fighters know anything but fighting that even a lopsided career is better than none at all. And like boxing, MMA has seen its share of ill-qualified contenders continue to step in the ring, even when declining skills, advanced age, or lack of common sense should be enough to dissuade them.

These are nine athletes who no longer seem prepared to match the price of admission. Astute readers may note the lack of Kazushi Sakuraba (Pictures); because I've railed against his morbid participation for years, suffice it to say that any further mention would be redundant. Call him the tenth, absentee entry.

In random order:

"Tank" Abbott

Hard to believe, but the ample-bellied Abbott was once as foreboding a figure as any you'd find in a sport full of very stern-looking individuals. His eyes are positively reptilian in their apathy for other living things.

And though they say power is the last thing to go, Abbott's physical deterioration since a return bid in 2003 has forced a 1-5 record. Get him on the floor and he's absolutely helpless — vs. Kimo, Frank Mir (Pictures); stand with him and you're likely to plow right through his molasses-glazed striking — vs. Correira, Buentello. A penchant for nightlife has rendered his athleticism, once effective even in spite of its bulbous overcoat, stagnant.

Were it not for Wesley Correira (Pictures) willingly standing still and allowing himself to be clocked, Abbott's last victory would have been nearly a decade old. "Tank" is undoubtedly not the sort of someone you'd shove in a bar, but the sport's current criteria is — thankfully — a bit more strict than that.

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