Holyfield Takes In MMA, Talks Lennox Lewis

By Joe Favorito

Atlanta, GA – Evander Holyfield had heard enough about the rise of mixed martial arts. He’d seen it on TV, and he’d heard people say that it would bury boxing.

So when the International Fight League came to Atlanta, a city Holyfield had called home since childhood, the four-time heavyweight boxing champion decided to go and see for himself what MMA was all about.

"It’s great," Holyfield said from his ringside seat. "I’ve seen it on TV before, but this is my first live show. It’s very exciting. They’re definitely giving the fans what they want."

Holyfield came to prominence during what could be called the last golden age for boxing’s heavyweight division, which at the time featured stars like Mike Tyson and Riddick Bowe.

Many have tied the decline in boxing’s popularity with the decline of talent in the heavyweight division and the surge of interest in MMA, with organizations such as Pride and the UFC attracting the younger fans.

The IFL is one of the newer MMA promotions, using a team concept to pit five-fighter squads – coached by big-name former fighters like Ken Shamrock and Renzo Gracie – against one another. They’ve also made several rule changes, such as removing elbow strikes to the face, in hopes of producing a more palatable version of the sport.

So far MMA has proved to be big business, but it remains to be seen whether that will result in a serious trouble for boxing. Holyfield said he sees too many differences between boxing and MMA to effectively compare them.

"Boxing’s more of a skill sport," Holyfield said. "These guys have to know three or four different things just to be in there. That’s too much stuff for me to think about, but I think this is going to be here for a long time."

Holyfield even commented on failed attempts in the past to organize a cross-sport match between he and former Pancrase champion and current IFL coach Bas Rutten.

"I said I’d do it. I told him, just don’t kick me," Holyfield joked. "I feel like there’s not a man in the world I can’t take as long as they don’t put their feet on me."

One man who Holyfield said he wouldn’t mind taking on for a third time is Lennox Lewis, who is said to be coming out of retirement soon.

"It’s possible," he said. "I’d love to."

Holyfield has been active as a boxer recently, with a match coming up in March. He said if all goes according to his plans, he will be heavyweight champion again before the end of the year.

Whether or not he’ll have to go through Lewis to become champ again remains to be seen. There was a time when Lewis was adamant that he would not come out of retirement, but maybe seeing how Holyfield has trudged on has changed his mind.

Asked if he would ever consider competing or coaching in mixed martial arts, Holyfield was content to remain as ambiguous as possible.

"I never say never," said the champ.

In fact, Holyfield might be a natural fit for an organization like the IFL, which is known for employing fighters in the twilight of their careers and giving them a new life either as fighters or coaches – sometimes both.

One benefit of MMA rules, Holyfield conceded, was the use of four-ounce gloves, which leave little room for an error against a big puncher.

"It’d be a lot easier to knock someone out, that’s for sure," he said.

So would he agree to take on a fellow boxer like Lewis wearing MMA’s four-ounce gloves?

To this Holyfield could only smile and shrug before saying simply, "I’d love to."

Say what you will, but that’s one way to fill the seats.

(Source)

FLOYDS JR. AND SR. READY TO JOIN FORCES AGAINST DE LA HOYA

In an unexpected turn of events, Floyd Mayweather Jr. appeared at the Las Vegas stop of the cross country publicity tour hyping his May 5th fight with Oscar De La Hoya, arm-in-arm with his estranged father, Floyd Mayweather Sr., announcing that the two may reunite.



“He may be in the corner, but not your corner,” Mayweather taunted De La Hoya, who, for his seven previous fights, had hired Mayweather Sr. as his own trainer, parting ways with the loquacious tutor after balking at the elder Mayweather’s demand of $2 Million to train De La Hoya against son Floyd Jr.

"I can say this, that he is still my father," Mayweather said. "If it comes down to us going to war, I'm going to ride with my father."

Mayweather Sr. trained his son throughout his pro career until the two had a major falling-out over Jr’s hiring of music mogul James Prince as manager.

Couture says friendship with Sylvia is "messing with" the champ going into UFC 68

By Steve Sievert

Advantage, Couture.

While Randy Couture's return to the UFC was as surprising as Britney Spears assaulting the paparazzi with an umbrella, "The Natural's" comeback destination was eye opening.

Conventional wisdom suggested Couture would head back to the octagon as a light heavyweight. Instead, a guy who lost his last two heavyweight bouts in lopsided fashion, was not only coming back in that division, but his first stop would be against champion Tim Sylvia at UFC 68 this Saturday.

Sylvia stopped short of calling the move insulting, but he didn't have to string together the words to send the message. On top of that, Couture believes "The Maine-iac" is struggling with having to face a guy who's counted as a close friend. That could give the hall-of-famer a mental edge heading into fight night.

The two trained together several years ago when Couture lived in Oregon. Sylvia crashed at Couture's house and the two forged a bond that was strengthened during the second season of The Ultimate Fighter, when they appeared as guest coaches.

"We developed a strong friendship and as most fighters do, we have camaraderie amongst each other. That is probably causing more problems for Tim than it is for me. I'm used to fighting and competing against my friends. Tim doesn't have that wrestling background where that happens on a regular basis; so I'm sure that friendship is messing with his head a little bit right now."

Couture believes the time he spent training and rolling with Sylvia will help him when the two tangle for real this Saturday.

"I can certainly see where the best chance is for taking him down. It's not the open shot that Ricco (Rodriguez) and Jeff Monson and several of the other guys have tried. You need to get to Tim's body and clinch with him, get inside, not stand out in range and try to take him down. I think my mobility and wrestling technique will allow me to take him down."

At 43, Couture is wisely not looking passed this fight, but many fans, who have questioned his comeback, are eager to know what's next. This much we know: Couture has a four-fight, 18-month deal that he could easily walk away from at any time.

There's also nothing written in stone that says Couture must swing and grapple as a heavyweight in the four-pack. He hasn't ruled out dropping down to light heavy, if his foray against Sylvia goes south.

Caught in the Crosshairs: All Eyes on Sylvia

By: Brady Crytzer

UFC world heavyweight champion Tim “The Maine-iac” Sylvia finds himself in a precarious situation, as of late. With the announcement of UFC Hall of Famer Randy “The Natural” Couture’s Octagon return, fans and fighters alike are anxious, for Couture has made a reputation of upset comebacks.

Couture is a proven true sportsman with an indomitable fighting spirit and has inspired many to follow in his footsteps. With a rap like that its hard not to like the guy . . . and even harder to root for his opponent.

Unfortunately for Sylvia, he finds himself in what many people call a “lose-lose” situation.

Still, he’s not worried about it.

“I take what’s given to me,” says Sylvia.

“It is an honor to be fighting Randy. I appreciate him stepping up and taking the fight. There have been a lot of guys that wont fight me. Brandon Vera said no, (Gabriel) Gonzaga turned the fight down. Randy stepped up.

“I hope to take those fans of his and make them fans of mine after this fight.”

Couture, who has amassed 14 wins in his MMA career, has fought at the heavyweight limit for most of his life. It was not until dropping down to the light heavyweight limit and upsetting Chuck Liddell that “The Natural’s” fame truly took off.

Can Randy make another surprise splash at his re-entry into the heavyweight division, like he did at 205? The 6’8 belt-holder doesn’t think so.


Photo By: Cozzone

“He doesn’t have an easy road ahead of him,” says Sylvia. “He is fighting the best heavyweight in the world. He is definitely in for a tough time.”

Since regaining his championship in April of 2006, “The Maine-iac” has successfully defeated some of the elite strikers and grapplers in the world ,earning unanimous decisions over Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski and Jeff “The Snowman” Monson. Despite his critics, Sylvia outgunned Arlovski on the feet and out-hustled Monson on the mat. Sylvia credits his wins to the sport which he currently rules.

“That’s Team Miletich,” he says. “I train with some of the best guys out there everyday. I train my ass off. I am never the best guy in the room—there are guys that are great wrestlers and great grapplers working with me everyday. I am the best striker in the gym, so it is hard to find heavyweights to spar with.

“Nothing against him, but you can’t be a Tito Ortiz. He is the best guy in his gym all the time. You have to stay humble and my team keeps me humble.”

Since the explosion of the UFC into the mainstream, the sport has grown leaps and bounds. Not only has the UFC attracted a new, younger crop of athletes, it has also achieved the financial backing to acquire some of the biggest names in the MMA world. Fighters like Assuerio Silva, Heath “The Texas Crazy Horse” Herring, and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic all have made their Octagon debuts in the last year. All of these men hope for new found glory in the UFC, and they all have their eyes on Sylvia.

“I’m excited about the new heavyweights,” says Sylvia. “The UFC heavyweight division has always been criticized for being thin and they really thicken things up. Plus, the better the opponents, the better fights that I get. I have the title and I plan on keeping it for a long time.”

So far, Sylvia has not been exactly impressed:

“Heath Herring wasn’t impressive. He showed no jiu jitsu on the ground. His wrestling was supposed to be good and it wasn’t. His submissions were supposed to be good and they weren’t. He wasn’t impressive.”

Cro Cop?

“Cro Cop is a tough fighter but he fought a tomato can. He fought a guy that wasn’t there to fight and it still took him five minutes to get him out of there. I think he is small for a heavyweight and I see a lot of holes in his game.”

Now that nearly every male from the ages of 18 to 34 have become dedicated fans of the sport, the UFC itself has found new competition in the North American MMA market. With more and more hot talent on the rise, rival organizations are willing to offer contracts and incentives that could coax Brett Favre into leaving Green Bay. With so many eyes on Sylvia, the offers are always on the table.

“Oh yeah I get offers,” says Sylvia. “I get offers from different places all the time, but the UFC is good to me. We have had a great relationship and as long as we keep it I will always fight for them. We just signed a new four fight deal so things are looking good.”

(Source)

Michigan MMA and Toughman

Stacy Young
By Robert Rousseau

Back in 2003, a mother of four named Stacy Young was killed as her husband, Chuck Young, watched. In fact, there were plenty of people present to witness the event—1500, to be approximate— as the tragedy unfolded. These eyewitnesses were different than your standard variety.

You see, they had paid money to watch the event Stacy Young had decided to participate in. Taken further, Young died while competing in a Toughman contest in Florida against a woman with reportedly much more experience fighting than she.

In 1994, a man named Terry Vermaelen— then a Louisiana Locksmith with 56 amateur fights and three Louisiana Golden Gloves titles to his credit— stepped into a Toughman ring in Louisiana against Bobby Troy Depue. Vermaelen had reportedly come to realize that Toughman competitors tended to get away with things that amateur boxers couldn’t (such as holding the back of an opponent's head). Thus, he utilized this knowledge and overall boxing experience to make short work of DePue.

By the second round, the fight was over. Soon after, DePue collapsed and died.

The list of unfortunate tragedies seems long (at least eight, maybe more). Names like Michael Kuhn (Texas Toughman Contest) and Art Liggins (Idaho) are some of the other people that have met with terrible consequences for participating in Toughman events.

Now, unfortunately, MMA fans in the state of Michigan are worried that Art Dore’s shenanigans (the man who founded Toughman) are being lumped in with mixed martial arts in the state of Michigan. The state of Michigan has recently issued a Cease and Desist Order against Adorable Productions and current promoter Gregory Allen Ahrens (affiliated with Dore) to block future cage, ultimate fighting, and Toughman events.

Despite the fact that this Cease and Desist order names ultimate fighting—which is the component of it that has many in the MMA community up in arms—much of the worry may be unwarranted. After all, when G. Archie Millben, Enforcement Director for the Bureau of Commercial Services in Michigan’s Department of Labor and Economic Growth (DLEG), was asked whether this was really all about one particular situation and not amateur mixed martial arts as a whole, he responded by saying, “at this time, that’s true.” Further, he continued to shed light by voicing the following:

“The statute [being used] prohibits professional mixed martial arts; if they hold an amateur contest and don’t pay the individuals, we’re not interfering with that.”

Which, by the way, is exactly the reason why the Cease and Desist Order came down. “We got reports that there were a number of events where the contestants were being paid,” says Millben. “[Contestants] had a notice on their website that there was a 25 dollar per contestant charge and a 50 dollar payout. Once we saw that that was going on, then we issued a Cease and Desist Order.”

In short, it’s hard to argue against that. After all, if the contestants were paid, then that’s illegal in Michigan (professional MMA, not amateur, is illegal). Further, the fact that Art Dore and Toughman (a co-promoter with Ahrens in this particular venue) are calling their events MMA events is not something mixed martial arts wants to be associated with; hence, the order may be a good thing for MMA fans. Mixed martial artists are much more than guys with (sometimes) no training willing to throw punches at one another in a ring. In fact, they’re some of the best- conditioned athletes in the world.

That said, at least at present, MMA enthusiasts in this Big Ten state probably don’t need to be worried. Michigan’s DLEG does not appear to be after amateur mixed martial arts as a whole; rather, it’s trying to stop one organization from operating in a reportedly illegal fashion.

However, there also may be some good news for Michigan MMA fans, at least on the professional front (though holding your breath may not be warranted). According to Millben, recently there have been some lobbying efforts with the legislature in the hopes of making professional mixed martial arts legal in Michigan. Further, he notes that, “if [these lobbying efforts] were to be approved by the legislature and signed by the governor, then they’re looking at an effective date of June 2007.” Millben cautions, that although there is a significant amount of support for the initiative, the governor has yet to show any support for professional MMA in their state. Besides, the legislature hasn’t approved anything yet.

So they wait.

Still, Millben’s final words on the matter of professional MMA in Michigan would seem to make sense to a lot of fans.

“There’s a lot of (MMA) events happening out there; we’d just as soon regulate them than allow them to continue in the form in which they’re continuing. Our responsibility is to protect the public, and I don’t think you’re protecting the public if something is happening and you don’t make some effort to regulate it.”

Enough said.

(Source)

Q&A With Chuck Liddell

Light-heavyweight champion Chuck (The Iceman) Liddell is arguably the biggest name in UFC and considered one of the most vicious strikers in mixed martial arts. He sports a 20-3 MMA record, achieving twelve of those wins by knockout. He has avenged his losses to both Randy Couture and Jeremy Horn, but to redeem himself against Quinton (Rampage) Jackson.

His last fight against Tito Ortiz received more than one million domestic pay-per-view buys, making it the largest non-boxing buyrate in American history.

Liddell was in Toronto promoting an advanced screening of 300, which opens March 9 in theatres. SLAM! Sports' Neil Springer sat down with The Iceman for a one-on-one interview.

Has the UFC named your opponent yet?
No, they haven't.

Word is Rampage is next?
It said that somewhere on the Internet, but I don't know yet.

When are you fighting next?
There's talk of the end of May. Hopefully they'll find an opponent worth fighting.

Who would you like to fight before you retire?
There's quite a few guys; Quinton, obviously. If UFC's interested in me fighting as a heavyweight then there's a couple guys I'd like to fight there - Cro Cop, Fedor (Emelianenko) - those would be interesting fights. Those are fights where I might be the underdog again; it's been a long time.

Bas Rutten has said that Emelianenko is pound-for-pound the best fighter in MMA; some say he's unstoppable.
He's a tough guy, but I'd like a shot at him. I think I could hang in there.

You've been doing a lot of promotional work lately. How has that impacted your training?
For fights, I train for twelve weeks. I find time when I'm on the road, like last night, instead of watching "300" again, which I would have liked to; I went back to the hotel room to workout. I try to fit in five workouts a week. Right now I'm trying to get over this cold; it's kind of hampering me a bit.

How often do you get challenged on the street?
I haven't been challenged in forever; it's been a very long time.

What was your reaction to the UFC 66 buyrate?
They had estimated those numbers beforehand so it wasn't really a shock. I was glad we got those numbers; it's great for the sport. It really shows how far we've come.

Do those numbers indicate the sport being popular or did people just want to see you and Tito Ortiz fight?
I think it was a combination, but it had a lot to do with (MMA) being a great sport.

How do you feel the fight with Ortiz went?
It went well; I wasn't really in danger at any time. I was able to hurt him early and then keep it going through the fight.

What do you think of the rumours circulating that UFC is interested in purchasing PRIDE?
I try to stay out of the business-side of the sport as much as possible.

Will you ever fight Wanderlei Silva?
I don't think that's going to happen now; not after he suffered two straight knockouts.

What about the new PRIDE middleweight champion, Dan Henderson?
Dan's a tough guy, but I consider him to be a smaller guy. He's really a 185-pounder.

So who is the toughest opponent you've ever faced.
I would say Randy (Couture).

Do you think he'll beat Tim Silvia this Saturday?
Well, it's an interesting match-up. Randy had a problem with heavy wrestlers when he was a heavyweight, but Silvia's a heavy striker, so it's not quite the same. We'll just have to see what happens.

(Source)

The Buzz gets ready for Bob Sapp

By David West

Robert “Buzz” Berry talks to FCF about his upcoming match with Bob Sapp. Berry is one of the top heavyweights in the , but at 250 pounds he’ll be outweighed by at least 100 pounds when he faces the giant American. The two came face-to-face at Cage Rage 20, when Sapp was called out by Dave Legeno, only for Berry to jump into the ring, grab the microphone and announce, “I’ll take the fight, Bob.” Now, his wish has been granted and he’ll tangle with Sapp on April 21st at Cage Rage: Judgement Day.



Why do you want to fight Sapp?
“It’ll be nice to fight Bob to get more recognition internationally and hopefully go to or Pride. It’s a big chance for me.”

He’s a mighty big guy. Are you bothered by the size difference?
“No, as much as he’s big, his jaw line is the same as mine. If he gets caught on the jaw, he’ll go out the same as anybody else. Yeah, he’s a big guy but he’s been beat by smaller guys, so there isn’t a problem there, I’m not bothered about that.”

What do you think Sapp’s strengths and weaknesses are as a fighter?
“His strengths are obviously his size and his power. His weakness is that he’ll gas really quick, so it’s a case of taking his shots and seeing what comes.”

This is the first time you’ve headlined Cage Rage. Do you feel any extra pressure being top of the bill?
“It’s all new, but it’s all good stuff. It’s nice to get recognised a little bit more. I don’t think there’s any extra pressure, it’s just nice to be able to fight someone like Bob Sapp. It’s once in a lifetime you get to fight someone like Bob, I may never get that chance again.”

You had a pretty easy time in your last fight against Mark Buchanan.
“Before the fight I heard that he was a half decent stand-up guy and that he was going to stand up with me, wait for me to tire, then take over. As soon as we went out and I went to chuck my big punch, he shot in and took me down. I thought, well, why didn’t he want to stand up with me? On the floor I have good jujitsu skills, so as soon as he went to get mount, I felt his weight go to the side so that’s when I reversed him and took mount on him. When I started punching him, he didn’t want to know, so that’s why he tapped out.”

Now that Tengiz Tedoradze is the British champion again, do you want another shot at him?
“I’ve been training with Tengiz, I go down and train with him every week. I think Rob Broughton was frightened of Tengiz. Broughton’s only twenty-four, I think he showed Tengiz too much respect. Instead of going in with his hands, he tried to cover up and that’s when Tengiz chucked his hands, got in, supplexed, and as soon as he supplexed him and Rob felt his strength, that shook him up even more. I’ve fought Tengiz twice and been beaten twice, although the first time I should have beaten him. He’s a good guy. After our first fight, he said ‘Buzz, can we train together?’ I said, ‘No, I want a rematch’. So we had the rematch and he beat me again. He said, ‘Now we train together, Buzz?’ I said, ‘Right, no bother’, so I went down to train with him. Paul Murphy, his manager, said, ‘You know Buzz, coming down here and training with us means you can’t fight for the belt’. I said, ‘You can keep your belt, because I want to go onto bigger and better things.’”

With the UFC coming to the , if they called would you go?
“I’ve signed a contract with Cage Rage for another three fights. It would be nice, but I’d have to stay with Cage Rage. Bob Sapp is more important. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to go and fight in the UFC, but the fight with Bob Sapp is just as big as a debut in the UFC.”

I know you’ve wanted a fight with James Thompson for a while. Is that on the horizon?
“Hopefully this year. Dave O’Donnell and Andy Geer were talking about a couple of guys they could line me up with. Obviously James is one of them and they were on about Butterbean, Kimo, so I keep my options open. I’ll have a go with anybody, but yes, I definitely want to fight James Thompson.”

What do you think about Randy Couture coming out of retirement?
“Randy Couture was always my favourite fighter. I admire Randy for what he’s done in his career and at his age as well. I think coming out of retirement, it might be on his mind to have one more fight and go out on a win, rather than going out getting beat. I wouldn’t want to go out on a loss; I’d want to go out on a win. It’s the same thing with Ian Freeman, when he got beat by Melvin Manhoef then came back and beat Mark Epstein for the British Light-Heavyweight title. Now Ian’s retired, he’s gone out a winner with the title.”

Any predictions for the Bob Sapp fight?
“I’m definitely the underdog, but bigger shocks have happened. I’m going out for the win. It’s David and Goliath, but if the right shot connects and if he tires, who knows?”

Cage Rage 21 - Update

By David West

The line-up for Cage Rage 21, to be held on April 21st at the Wembley Arena, is starting to take shape. With the UFC taking place up in Manchester on the same night, Cage Rage have brought out Bob Sapp to top the bill, facing British heavyweight Robert “Buzz” Berry. Sapp hasn’t fought since November 2005, so it will be interesting to see what shape he is in by fight night. At over 350 pounds, Sapp possesses enormous strength that more than compensates for his unpolished technique and in 11 MMA fights he has only been past the first round twice. Similarly, at 11-5-0, Berry has only been into the second round once and despite having a background in jujitsu has won most of his contests with his heavy hands. Expect this one to be short and sudden.



With Melvin Manhoef under contract to K-1 in , his World Light-Heavyweight title has fallen vacant. Fighting for the belt will be Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos, from , and James Zikic, of London Shootfighters. Santos is coming off his win over Yosuke Nishijima at Pride: Final Absolute Conflict and was 3-2 last year, bringing his total record to 15-9-0. An ultra-aggressive brawler, Santos always looks for the knockout, while his fellow contender James Zikic has been inactive since September 2004. With an MMA record of 14-4-2, Zikic has been a professional boxer and competed in kickboxing, so he should have no fear of standing and trading with Santos , but the long lay-off raises the possibility of ring rust dulling his edge.

Daijiro Matsui will meet Mark Weir in an appealing grappler versus striker match. Weir needs the win, losing all three of his fights last year, and he destroyed Matsui’s countrymen Kyosuke Sasaki and Akira Shoji in 2005, so that augurs well for the British fighter. However, Matsui has a great chin and will almost certainly look to get the fight to the floor to take Weir out of his element.

Unbeaten featherweight Alex Owen will put his perfect 19-0-0 record on the line against Brad “One Punch” Pickett. Primarily a submission stylist, Owen’s biggest win to date was his last fight against Cage Warriors champion Paul McVeigh at Ultimate Fighting Revolution in . Despite his perfect record, Owen has yet to claim a major British title, while Pickett is the former Cage Rage British champion and is tough as nails. Pickett likes to fight coming forwards, throwing leather and maintaining constant pressure and will have a good chance against Owen if he can outwork him and avoid his submissions.

Cage Rage promoter Dave O’Donnell has confirmed that Vitor Belfort will be fighting on April 21st, but his opponent had not been confirmed at the time of going to press.

Other matches on the card:
Roman Webber vs. Mark Epstein
Cyrille Diabate vs. Ryan Robinson
Paul Kelly vs. Paul Daley
Xavier Foupa-Pokam vs. Alex Reid
James Evans-Nicolle vs. Matt Ewin

(Source)

UFC 68 - Betting Odds Round Up

(Source)

Holyfield Eyes Another Undisputed Heavyweight Title

By Melissa Murphy

NEW YORK (AP) -- Evander Holyfield is trying to do more than become the first five-time heavyweight champion. At 44, he's trying to show he's still a force, less than three years after New York boxing officials revoked his license because of "diminished skills and poor performance."

"I want to be the two-time undisputed heavyweight champion," Holyfield said Tuesday at a news conference at a Manhattan barbecue restaurant.

Holyfield began his comeback last year with two wins, and will next fight New Yorker Vinny Maddalone on March 17 in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Holyfield (40-8-2, 26 KOs) looks at the non-title fight -- his third as a pro in Corpus Christi -- as part of his effort to unify the heavyweight titles and retire in 2008.

"I've been shooting for this goal ever since 1993," he said.

It's been nearly 17 years since he held the undisputed title when he defeated James "Buster" Douglas -- the holder of the IBF, WBC and WBA crowns -- in three rounds.

He's defeated 16 world champions, including bouts with Mike Tyson, George Foreman, Riddick Bowe and Larry Holmes. Perhaps his most famous bout was in 1997, when Tyson bit Holyfield's ear.



What is Holyfield's incentive, after earning four titles and up to $20 million a fight?

"Whether I'm going to fight for a $20 million fight or a $50 dollar fight or just the sparring section, I'm going to give quality," Holyfield said. "It's about the performance."

"My mother taught me you have to have a beginning and you have to have an end," he added. "She said, 'What is your end? I said 'My end is to be the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.' In 35 years of me boxing, I'm just trying to end like I'm supposed to."

A loss to Larry Donald in November 2004 prompted New York officials to shut him down. Holyfield received a medical suspension that stopped him from fighting anywhere in the country, but it was later changed to a New York State ban.

"Unfortunately, someone in New York, the commissioner, wrote a letter and suspended me," Holyfield said. "He said that my performance was so bad that he had to protect me from myself."

How does his family feel about his return to the ring?

"I can tell you what I think because I don't ask them that question," he said. "I would think that they know that there's nothing I'm going to do that I'm not going to prepare myself for."



Maddalone (27-3, 19 knockouts) is a 33-year-old brawler who has stopped 14 opponents within the first two rounds. He said he's not afraid to mix it up with Holyfield.

"He's been hit by great guys," Maddalone said. "The chin's there, but I'm just going to try to wear him down. He's slowed down, he's a little bit older. He's not the Holyfield he was 15 years ago."

Maddalone got the boxing bug at 18 when he entered a toughman competition while at Pfeiffer College in North Carolina.

"I fought three times in one night, I won all three fights," he said. "That was the taste right there."

Holyfield said he's recovered from shoulder problems that required surgery. In November, he won a 12-round unanimous decision over Fres Oquendo in San Antonio. He began his comeback three months earlier with a second-round knockout against overmatched insurance salesman Jeremy Bates in Dallas.

Last month, Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue appointed Holyfield to the state's commission on men's health.

"The message I'm trying to give out is ... you're only as good as your health," Holyfield said. "It doesn't make no difference how much money you have, if you aren't healthy, you're not going to enjoy it anyway."

PRIDE 33 Exclusive Action Pics, News & Tons More

By Luis Cruz

“The Second Coming” has come and gone but what an impact it made. Pride FC’s second show in the United States not only delivered beyond my expectations, but it delivered to a point I would’ve never thought possible when looking at it on paper. If you are a gambling type person, this was your event to gold. I normally place some bets on fights I feel are good risks, but unfortunately I didn’t make it back to place my bets on this event.

While I would’ve won two out of the three, the payout would’ve been significant on what I was planning on laying down. Of course I had no idea of Dan’s dirty little secrets for the night, so those two outcomes were not expected in my view. I’ll quickly recap the results and give my take on how things played out.

(Read More)

IT’S SHOWTIME

Drago

The popular Dutch fight promotion known as IT’S SHOWTIME has announced its card for the upcoming “Fights at the Border 5” event, which is to be held on March 24 in De Soeverein, Lommel in beautiful Belgium.

The event will feature both kickboxing and MMA superfights, including an MMA contest featuring top-ranked K-1 MAX competitor Drago. The card as it currently stands:

Kickboxing Bouts:
Marijn Geuens vs. Dave Delville
Karim El Baze vs. Filip Verlinden
Rob Janssen vs. Peter Lamote
Frederic Sinistra vs. Brecht Wallis
Nico Verresen vs. Olivier Rediger

MMA Bouts:
Wim De Putter vs. Virgil Dewindt
Murat Derecki vs. Salah Aït Nasseur
Drago vs. Tarik El Drissi

Mixed martial arts knocks out boxing

By Joe Maxse

Where has all the boxing gone?

What was once one of this country's mainstream sports is now most often buried in the back of sports pages. Just look at Cleveland. Three recent shows sum up the state of boxing in this town:

Promoters reduced a Dec. 9 professional card at Public Hall to all of three bouts, mismatches at that. The crowd of about 400 received refunds.

A week later, the national amateur championship qualifier at the Salvation Army Boxing Academy on Hough Avenue produced eight entries and three matches.

On Feb. 10, a women's title bout featuring Northfield's Vonda Ward headlined a pro show at Cleveland State's Wolstein Center. Four men's undercard matches ranged from less-than-mediocre to ridiculous.

A different scene will unfold Saturday at Nationwide Arena in Columbus.

The Las Vegas-based Ultimate Fighting Championships will showcase its brand of mixed martial arts matches in "UFC 68."

The event will take place in front of a sold-out crowd of 15,000 and produce a state-record gate approaching $2.7 million. The pay-per-view television buys will fetch millions more.

The monthly UFC mixed martial arts shows - featuring punching, kicking, martial arts and wrestling in a fenced-in octagon, with pounding rock music and video to boot - have become the rage, especially among males 18-35.

(Read More)

Fight fans in ticket rush for Workington War

By Helen Thompson

WAR in Workington III is set to take to the stage next month, with tickets in high demand for the ultimate fighting experience. And a British title fight could be on the cards to make this event the biggest yet to hit Cumbria. Organiser Mark Hodgson, of Hokushinko Martial Arts Centre is looking for a suitable title opponent to take on Whitehaven fighter Martin Thompson as the main event.

“I am hoping to get Martin a light heavyweight title fight and there is a lot of interest from people wanting to fight in the show,” said Hodgson.

Tickets, priced £20 before the event, or £25 on the night, are already on sale and going well, with nearly all the VIP tables sold out for the March 17 showdown at the Moorclose Sports Centre.

“I am trying to get a top European fighter over as well, the logistics are hard because of where we are but I have been in touch with coaches. “There will also be plenty of locals fighting, along with some from London.”

If anyone wants to buy tickets, they are available from Hokushinko Martial Arts Centre, or from the Sports Centre. The first two War in Workington events were sell-out successes and Hodgson is hoping to have a third on his hands. He had three fighters in action recently at Pegswood, near Newcastle. Craig Dolan won his bout with an arm lock and Andrew Reeves was unlucky not to take the decision in his fight.

Reeves went the full three rounds to go to a decision but the result went the way of the home fighter. Gary Plummer was also in action and was winning the contest at one point but he ran out of steam towards the end and was beaten.

(Source)

All Star Turn Out At PRIDE Event

There was an all-star turnout for the second go-round of the mixed martial arts Pride Fighting Championships sponsored by Caesars Palace at the Thomas & Mack Arena. Caesar's president Gary Selesner took Pride fight fans Harrison Ford, Nicholas Cage, Chuck Norris and former NFL star Herschel Walker as his ringside guests.



Dan "America's Best" Henderson KO'd Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva in the 3rd round of the fight to claim the Pride middleweight belt. Now Dan is the only American to hold a title in Pride and is the first ever in Pride history to hold two belts. He won the welterweight championship belt last October and he's now proven he can live up to his claim as the most feared fighter in the world!

(Source)

PRIDE: Day-After Press Conference

A post PRIDE.33 press conference was held at the Press Center inside Caesars Palace the day after the big event. Wanderlei Silva, Mauricio Shogun Rua, Sokoudjou, Dan Henderson, and Dream Stage Entertainment CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara made their appearance.

Looking back to Saturday's event, Silva admitted that he wasn't in the best condition. In fact, he had swollen tonsils and a fever one day prior to the main event. He also confessed that fighting under Nevada rules is a rather difficult adjustment for him. Despite his loss to Dan Henderson, Silva hopes to have a rematch to reclaim the belt.



Shogun expressed sadness and regret towards Silva's loss to Dan. Perhaps to avenge Silva's defeat, Shogun declared that he wishes to fight Dan Henderson at his next match.

Defeating Antonio Rogerio Nogueira by TKO in a mere 23 seconds of the first round, Sokoudjou "African Assassin" is the new star of the Middleweight class. Mr. Sakakibara announced that he will be fighting again at PRIDE.34 "Kamikaze" although his opponent has not yet been decided. Sokoudjou is willing to fight anyone except Dan Henderson. When told that Sokoudjou wishes to see PRIDE being held in Africa, Mr. Sakakibara replied, "If we're going to have it in Africa, I would like to hold the match in the savanna instead of on the ring, and see Sokoudjou fight a giraffe."

Dan Henderson was at a loss for words, but did mention that it was a moment when his power and strength paid off. When asked about the splint on his right hand, Dan stated that he thinks he hurt it in the first round, but would watch the video later on to speculate on it. He believes it is very likely that his right fist is fractured or broken, but will know in greater detail once it is examined by his physician. Dan couldn't have been in any better condition for Saturday's bout. He said that he felt calm and relaxed from the very beginning, and that he felt even more comfortable because Silva's punches did not hurt. Now that Dan has two titles to defend, he will be a very busy man. He plans to wait until his right hand recovers, and then figure out his schedule from there.

CHRIS LYTLE HIGHLIGHTS BUSY RADIO SHOW

Chris Lytle returns to the Octagon this Saturday night for the first time in nearly 4 months. He is coming off of a loss to Ultimate Fighter 4 winner Matt Serra. But he’s not just returning to try and get back on the winning track, he’s returning against one of the toughest match-ups of his career.

Lytle has been one step away from a UFC title shot several times in his career. Although his fight with Matt Hughes on Saturday night may not automatically vault him into the number 1 contender’s spot, it would go a long way towards rejuvenating his UFC career.

At Pride 33 in Las Vegas this past weekend, Mike Russow stepped up on short notice to face Russian heavyweight Sergei Kharitonov. Doing well early on, Russow got caught in an armbar that ended up finishing the fight. Neither he nor his corner seemed to agree with the end of the fight though.

Later that night, referee Mario Yamasaki told MMAWeekly’s Ken Pishna that Russow had complained in the fight that Kharitonov was holding his glove, which is illegal. Yamasaki said that he moved in to warn Kharitonov, who then extended the armbar and caused Russow to tap.

Tonight on MMAWeeklyRadio.com, LIVE at 6pm PT / 9pm ET, Chris Lytle joins Damon & Jeff to discuss the biggest fight of his career. Mike Russow’s corner man Dan Hughes talks about their dissatisfaction with the ending to the fight and longtime MMAWeekly Radio guest broadcaster Kit Cope also stop by.

If you’re not able to catch the show live, you can sign up for an MMAWeekly.com Premium Membership in just minutes for only $5 a month. The Premium Membership gives you complete access to the Radio Show Archives and the entire Video Library 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The Savage Truth: PRIDE 33 Thoughts and Shots

By Greg Savage

PRIDE FC's second foray into the American market seemed to go off without a hitch Saturday night at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. The fights were amazing. I got to see a gogoplata live and in person. There were a slew of big upsets and a number of Japan's biggest stars made their Vegas debuts.

Thoughts

If you would have told me before the show that Wanderlei Silva would get knocked out like he did, and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira would become the biggest upset victim in the history of MMA, I probably would have laughed and said, "Sure, anything can happen." But if I had been told Nick Diaz would be locking up a gogoplata on Gomi, I think I would have shaken my head and called the person an idiot.

Are you kidding me? Two gogos in high-profile fights in a matter of two months? What is going on here?

I can see Shinya Aoki pulling it off, even against a stud like Joachim Hansen. But for Diaz to tap Gomi, that was unfathomable — at least until it happened. Sherdog.com editor Josh Gross and I were sitting together and we just looked at each other in disbelief when Diaz slipped his leg in front of Gomi's face. Neither of us could believe what we were witnessing.

The fight was non-stop fireworks from the get go and Diaz' prediction that Gomi would have to "land a hot one" and "melt him" nearly came true when the PRIDE lightweight champ landed a big left hook in the first frame. After picking himself up off the canvas, the Stockton, Calif. native put a hurting on Gomi before submitting him. This was the fight of the night by far, one I won't soon forget.

Shots

I guess my biggest beef with last weekend's card had to be the handling of the Hayato Sakurai -Mac Danzig weight situation. According to Danzig and his manager Monte Cox the bout was supposed to be at 160 pounds. When the contract finally came a few days before the bout it stated 163 as the weight.

Danzig is a smaller lightweight and routinely fights at 155, while Sakurai and Gomi are the reason PRIDE set their lightweight division at 160. When Danzig's camp protested, they were told that the fight would have to be at a catch weight since the division limit is 155 in Nevada. When they asked why it wasn't going to be the same 160 that the Gomi-Diaz fight was taking place at, they were told to take it or leave it.

On the surface it looks as if both Gomi and Sakurai were being given the best opportunity to win. For Gomi, his opponent had been fighting at 170 and would need to cut an additional 10 pounds — something that didn't hamper Diaz after all. Sakurai came in at 164 and apparently had to cut pretty hard to get there. On the other hand, Danzig didn't cut at all and stepped on the scale at 160.

Now I am not sure it would have made any difference seeing how good Sakurai is, but it is a black eye for the promotion. First of all why are they waiting until the week of the fight to send out a contract? Secondly, what was the impetus for the choice of the weight if Sakurai could make the normal 160-pound limit? This is something that tears away at the legitimacy of the organization and it needs to be remedied.

As for the attendance figure of 13,180 I may have an idea how it was reached. Right before the show started, as journalists started to make the trek from the media room to their seats, ushers scanned the tickets we were given to designate our assigned seats. I guess it was a new twist on papering a crowd. My only question was were the security, concessions workers, PRIDE employees, ushers or fighters required to do the same? Because that is the only way they could have come up with such a big number.

Another problem I have with PRIDE as it has appeared in the United States is the constant one-upmanship it tries to play with the UFC. Now I know its just business but it seems juvenile at best and desperate at worst.

The king of this nonsense is Jerry Millen.

Jerry, please stop with the Dana-envy. It doesn't look good on you at all. You have some of the best fighters in the world and your production is top-notch, there is something to be said for letting your product do the talking every once in a while anyway.

The invariable self-aggrandizement reminds me of a guy who is always telling people how big his … err, how smart he is. And we all know what the truth usually holds when people try so hard to convince us of something. They are usually full of you know what.

(Read More)

Greenberg adds duties at Fox Sports

By: Paul J. Gough

NEW YORK -- Fox Sports said Tuesday that it has promoted FSN veteran George Greenberg to executive vp programming and production.

Greenberg's role will be similar to what he has done at FSN, but now he will oversee the Fox Sports brand by working with talent, reviewing broadcasts and controlling quality. He will report to Fox Sports Television Group chairman and CEO David Hill and Fox Sports president Ed Goren.

Greenberg will remain at FSN as well in the job he's held since May 2003, continuing to report to Fox National Cable Sports Networks president Bob Thompson.

At FSN, he oversees "The Best Damn Sports Show Period," "FSN Pro Football Review," "Totally Football," "CMI: Chris Myers Interviews," "Final Score" and such other network properties as boxing, mixed martial arts and the International Fight League.

Before becoming executive vp at FSN, Greenberg served as executive producer of "Best Damn" since its July 2001 premiere. He was executive vp marketing at Fox Broadcasting Co. from February 1997 to December 2000 and senior vp/creative director at Fox Sports beginning in May 1994, leading the team that built the network's graphic look.

Before Fox, Greenberg worked for 10 years at ABC Sports, where he was a producer/director and director of advertising/promotion.

(Source)

England expects, UFC vows to deliver

By Ant Evans

If you’re a fight fan who lives in the UK - or even if you reside in the UK, period - and haven’t spent the last week in bed with the flu, you’ll know that the UFC is back in town.

Big time.

On radio, television, newspapers, magazines, websites, billboards and even taxi cabs, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has been everywhere you go in England, spreading the world that UFC 70 will emanate from the MEN Arena in Manchester in the north of England.

It has taken five long years for the UFC to return to Great Britain, but with the London office now operational, half a dozen UK-based cards are planned between now and Christmas.

For UFC President Dana White, the official UFC 70 announcement at the Lowry Hotel in Manchester last Friday was the culmination of a lot of hard work and more than a little patience.

“I can’t tell you how thrilled and excited I am to have the UFC back in the UK,” the UFC President told the assembled British media. “It’s taken a long time for us to get back here but I promise the UK fans that now we are back, we are going to do this right.”

Wearing a t-shirt with the Union Flag emblazed on the chest, White vowed: “Starting April 21, the UK fans will get to see everything that the fans back home in the United States see. Every champion, every title, every top star will be fighting over here at some point - the UK will be getting shows every bit as big and exciting as the American fans get.

“We‘ve been away for five years but we are looking to hit the ground running now.”

Aptly named ‘Nations Collide’, UFC 70 will showcase the some of the best MMA talent from around the globe in the Octagon.

The main event sees Croatian striking sensation Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic taking on Gabriel Gonzaga, who is undefeated in his three previous UFC appearances.

It is a high-stakes match-up, as White explained: “Providing he wins this fight, Cro Cop will go on to fight the winner of (this Saturday’s) UFC heavyweight title fight between Tim Sylvia and Randy Couture.

“But Gonzaga has a shot of pulling off the upset. He‘s got some great striking ability himself and it would be very interesting to see if he decides to try and take Cro Cop down. This is a great opportunity for Gonzaga too.”

Any one of three other announced fights could be considered the chief support bout, but local interest will be firmly focused on the triumphant return of Michael Bisping in what will be the British striker’s first fight on British soil since 2005.

‘The Count’ takes on veteran Elvis Sinosic at 205lbs (or 14stone 9lbs)

“Sinosic is a harder fight than his record suggests,” Bisping said. “But no way have I worked my arse off in America for 18 months just to come back over here and get my arse kicked in front of my own people when all this attention is on me.

“Elvis will be leaving the building very early on, believe me.”

Another TUF alumni who will be making his way to the MEN on April 21 is season one 205lbs winner Forrest Griffin.

The Athens, Georgia native looked to be the light heavyweight title challenger in-waiting, and was perhaps the first in line for the winner of the December 30 Chuck Liddell v Tito Ortiz II super fight before he was shockingly stopped via strikes by Keith Jardine in the first round.

Now on the comeback trail, instead of what some promoters would euphemistically dub a ‘rehabilitation fight’, Griffin returns at UFC 70 to face dangerous counter-striking specialist Lyoto Machida.

“Maybe I’ve got something to prove after my last fight,” Griffin said. “But I just go in there and fight my ass off and just see what happens. This is a hard fight, but, whatever, I’m looking forward to competing in England because the weather is beautiful, the food is just awesome and the girls are gorgeous. Well, actually, the girls are gorgeous but I made the rest up.”

Also confirmed for Nations Collide is former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski, who will be looking to get KO number two since losing the final two fights in his trilogy vs Tim Sylvia. The Pit Bull will front up against BJJ fighter Fabricio Werdum in another fight where it is difficult to be certain of a winner.

Not surprisingly, tickets are going fast.

UFC UK Division President Marshall Zelaznik said: “Ticket sales have been even better than a lot of our biggest US based cards. The pre-sales numbers were as high as they’ve ever been for any show in the US.”

And Zelaznik was keen to point out that, unlike UFC 38, this will not be a one-off trip to the UK for the UFC.

“I didn’t move my family over here for one show,” he said. “When we came here in 2002 we knew we’d planted a seed in the UK and even though we had to go back to the US to get things in order there, the UFC never gave up on the UK fans and the UK market. It took us a while to get back here, but now we’re really back in a major way.

“From the buzz we’ve created already - two months out - I think we could be looking at one of the most anticipated events in the history of our company.”

Zelaznik added: “The fans that are lucky enough to get a ticket will see a great show. When we were doing a production survey at the MEN, the (MEN) staff said they’d never seen a promoter with such a concern for the ticket buying fan, but that’s the way the UFC does things. There are no bad seats at a UFC event - and there will be no bad seats at UFC 70.”

MMA LEGALIZED IN PENNSYLVANIA

By Mitch Gobetz

Pennsylvania has become the latest state to remove the ban of mixed martial arts. There was a meeting held yesterday with the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission to remove the ban, and apparently, they will begin to write the regulations.

After an online petition was submitted to the athletic commission, they decided to have a meeting about the enabling of mixed martial arts. The petition contained more than 950 electronic signatures.

Executive director Gregory Sirb confirmed the news to MMAWeekly about the athletic commission approving what they called “MMA-style events”. With Pennsylvania approving MMA, they will likely follow the unified rules in use by most athletic commissions in the United States.

Philadelphia is likely to be the largest target market in Pennsylvania for MMA due to its size, as is Pittsburgh.

With the UFC expanding to new markets, this could open up another venue for them to look at for a future event. The Wachovia Center in Philadelphia would likely be the first place that most promoters would target since it holds more than 12,000 people.

Lisa Ward climbs closer to Smackgirl title shot

By Ray Hui

Lisa Ward is an up and coming fighter who made her presence known the last quarter of 06' when she debuted for the Japan-based "Smackgirl" promotion. She submitted Miku Matsumoto via arm bar in September and followed that by submitting Misaki Takimoto two months later.

She is off to an even better start in 07' with a win against 12-time Smackgirl veteran Masako Yoshida at "Fatal Femmes Fighting" in Los Angeles. Ward spoke with MMAFighting.com about her victory over Yoshida and when she sees herself fulfilling one of her MMA goals: getting a Smackgirl title shot.

Q: How does it feel to be the Fatal Femmes Fighting flyweight champ?
A: Awesome. I have been working so hard these last two years and winning that belt was great. Plus it’s a really nice belt. It’s pretty!

Q: What does it mean to you to be able to compete in the main event of the first women's cage fighting event in America?
A: Really good. We got a lot of media attention for this show. Eddy Millis and his partners did a great job with the show. I just hope I can continue to be the top girl for the flyweight division for a long time.

Q: This time around, you fought a Japanese fighter in America. How did it feel to turn the tables around?
A: A little different. I felt a little extra pressure just because we are in my country. Traveling to Tokyo I felt like the underdog, and I like that feeling. I give much respect to Masako Yoshida. She has a lot of heart.

Q: Grappling is definitely one of your biggest strengths. In fact, you've finished more than half your fights with submissions. Did you find it difficult to do so in California with the 2-minute rounds?
A: Well the two minute rounds just makes it a different fight. This fight I wanted to work on Ground and Pound because there was only two minutes. So that worked out fine, but defiantly grappling is my strength. Fortunately these last two fights I have had, I have been able to open up a new game with letting my hands go a little (in Japan) and at the FFF show I was able to have some great takedowns and then follow up with some elbows. That was a first for me, so it was pretty fun. Of course finishing her would have been nice but I’m glad how it turned out. Unfortunately I got sick a couple days before the show with a bad chest cold, so I was a bit winded feeling.

Q: Did your experience with Smackgirl rules help you adjust to the 2-minute rounds?
A: Honestly I didn’t even think about that!

Q: It appears that Smackgirl is looking to start following regular MMA rules. Do you know if they will end up doing that?
A: I don’t know if they are going to change their rules. I don’t think they should have to change their rules because they are there own organization and not everyone has the same rules. Of course I wouldn’t mind if they changed, but I am OK with how things are.

Q: You've said that your goal is to hold a SMACKGIRL title. How close are you to a title shot?
A: I’m getting dodged from Shinashi and her manager. I feel like I have proved myself in earning a title shot. I even asked for one last time we were there and I was told Shinashi does not want to fight me. Hopefully I can get my title shot by the end of the year. That’s my goal.

Q: What are your thoughts on Satoko Shinashi?
A: I think she is not a TRUE champion and she should have her belt taken from her.

Q: Yuka Tsuji?
A: Don’t really know much about her except that she’s pretty tough.

Q: Megumi Fujii?
A: Just a bad ass!

Q: Any final words to all the readers of MMAFighting.com?
A: Thank you to all my sponsors and their continual support in myself and Eddy. Also I want to thank Eddy Ellis for being my love and support and helping become a better person every day. My parents have always supported me even though they didn't agree with all this at first. Thank my little brother (William Ward SWCC) who's in the Navy down in San Diego and my cousin Jeremy Vanzile who just got out of the Marines. All the military men and women I have much admiration and respect for what you do for our country everyday. Without your dedication to this country I wouldn't be able to do what I love to do. Thank you! Oh, and Matt Ferris is a kickass training partner by the way.

(Source)

THE YOUNG GUNS MEET AGAIN

By Stash Capar

On March 4,, Europe will watch with curiosity as two of its young rising K-1 stars meet again. Russian Ruslan Karaev and Dutch-Moroccan Badr Hari will compete in a long anticipated rematch at K-1 World GP 2007 in Yokohama, Japan.



The last time these two met, Karaev was awarded a controversial win which was heavily disputed by both fans and Hari’s corner. With this rematch just around the corner, both fighters have been given an opportunity to prove that they are indeed the future of the Japanese kickboxing organization.

Wand, Henderson, Minotouro, Diaz suspended...Now What?

By Graciemag

Following Pride events may be affected

As it is closely eyeing the American MMA market, Pride must more and more adapt to the conditions imposed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. This means the Japanese promoters cannot ignore the decisions taken by the commissioners, even regarding events held in Japan.

With that in consideration, Nobuyuki Sakakibara and his crew are looking at a major headache for the assembling of the lineup of the next event scheduled April 4th. This is because the NSAC suspended some of their greatest stars until April 11. Wanderlei, Rogério Minotouro and Dan Henderson (with a hand injury) are those suspended, the same story with Takanori Gomi. Nick Diaz suffered a facial injury and must be on vacation till May.

Sakakibara has not yet spoken about the suspensions.

(Source)

The Iceman ready to get back to training, looks forward to Sylvia-Couture

By Neil Davidson

TORONTO (CP) - Tampa, New York, Boston, Toronto, Chicago, Dallas, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Columbus, Los Angeles and New York again.

All within two weeks. UFC light-heavyweight champion Chuck (The Iceman) Liddell is on the move. "Too much travelling. I can't wait to get back to training. Just training and staying home," Liddell, nursing a cold and regretting not staying in the night before, said in an interview Tuesday morning in the offices of The Fight Network.

The 37-year-old mixed martial arts star from San Luis Obispo, Calif., has been on a PR blitz of late, travelling to promote "300," a stylish made-in-Montreal film about the battle of Thermopylae where 300 Spartan soldiers took on a massive Persian army. Liddell's not in the film but producers clearly thought it wouldn't hurt to have a bad-ass fighter promote the movie. Liddell has been visiting cities for screenings ahead of the March 9 release for "300."

Travel aside, Liddell has started training again after his Dec. 30 win over Tito Ortiz at UFC 66. The Iceman has now won seven fights in a row and has not lost since June 6, 2003, when Randy Couture defeated him at UFC 43: Meltdown. Liddell has since avenged that loss - twice.

Liddell injured the medial collateral ligament in his knee in training for the recent Ortiz fight but says it's on the mend.

"It's good. Actually it's actually pretty healthy," he said. "I went home, worked out three or four times . . . No problems. So I was happy with that. That was the first time I'd really tested it wrestling."

Liddell tested out the knee at a recent workout session filmed by Sports Illustrated for a future edition of the magazine.

Surgery on the MCL can be hit or miss, according to Liddell. "I might as well not do it," he added.

Liddell plans to get back into training mode for real starting March 10. He's not sure who he will face next, but expects two or three bouts in 2007 with the first coming at the end of May. If that doesn't come off, July is the next likely window.

Liddell (20-3) sees a likely fight calendar of May, August-September and November-December.

"I'd rather keep busy than not," he said.

It's easier that way, he says.

"I have a tendency when I'm not training to cause damage to my own self," he said dryly.

Quinton (Rampage) Jackson is one likely opponent, but probably not until the fall. Liddell says Jackson turned an earlier fight down, saying he wanted another bout to prepare.

Jackson was recently lured back to the UFC. He's a natural for Liddell, considering Rampage represents his last loss - and the only one he has yet to avenge.

Liddell isn't sure who's up next.

"I really don't know. I don't know who they can find. I'll fight Cro Cop if they want me too, but I don't think they want me to do that yet either."

Cro Cop is Croatian heavyweight Mirko Filipovic, another marquee import to the UFC from Pride Fighting Championships in Japan.

Filipovic is slated to fight Gabriel Gonzaga in April at UFC 70 in Manchester, England, with the winner taking on the winner of Saturday's Tim Sylvia-Randy Couture heavyweight title fight at UFC 68 in Columbus, Ohio.

"I always want to fight the toughest guys," Liddell explained. "I want to make a point, to prove I can beat everybody."

That means tough matchups.

"By tough I mean fun," Liddell said. "Those are fights where I will be tested."

The Iceman thinks Pride star Wanderlei Silva may be yesterday's news after his KO at the hands of Dan Henderson on the weekend.

"It's hard to fight a guy who got knocked out twice - and knocked out by a 185-pounder (Henderson)."

Liddell could find an opponent elsewhere on the rival Pride circuit. Mauricio (Shogun) Rua is one option although UFC president Dana White thinks the Brazilian is not enough of a marquee name.

That's not the case with Pride heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko. The hard-punching Russian has just one loss in 26 outings and that came in December 2000 via a stoppage due to a cut.

"It's a dangerous fight for me, but I think I have the stuff to beat him, the right style to beat him," Liddell said of the Russian.

Liddell says he will know when to quit fighting - his body will tell him. And if it doesn't, trainer John Hackleman will.

"Once I get that feeling, then I'm done," Liddell said.

The Iceman will be on hand Saturday when Couture tackles heavyweight champion Sylvia.

Couture is coming out of retirement for the Sylvia fight after a year away from the game. He faces a big awkward opponent in the six-foot-eight, 265-pound Sylvia.

"It should be interesting," Liddell said. "Randy moved down (to light-heavyweight) because he has a problem with big guys, but they were big wrestlers. And Tim Sylvia's a striker. So I don't know.

"I think I'm leaning towards Sylvia, but . . .I think (Randy) thinks he's got a shot, he's got something that he can do."

Liddell knows all about big men. He trains with a sparring partner who's 6-10.

"If I haven't sparred with him in two, three weeks, anytime I come back to spar with him, it takes me at least two rounds to get used to that extra reach. You think you're out of a round, then all of a sudden 'ouch."'

Liddell is not fazed by the fact that Couture is 43.

"We'll see. If it goes to the later rounds, we'll see who's in better shape. Tim Sylvia's a lot of weight to be carrying around, moving around for Randy for five rounds."

(Source)

Henderson: MMA's best-kept secret?

By: Mike Sloan

Naturally, the hardcore MMA junkies know everything there possibly is to know about Dan Henderson. When it comes to MMA in America, especially when speaking of Generation TUF, almost nobody knows Hendo. Many might think he is Rickey Henderson's brother or a cast member on the long-cancelled farce of a TV show Harry and the Hendersons.

But after Saturday one thing's for sure: Henderson is a much more popular fighter than he's ever been.

Even though a sizeable chunk of the American fight audience has only seen a couple PRIDE events — if any — most knew about Wanderlei Silva. He was supposed to come into the UFC and either obliterate Liddell or at least wage an unforgettable war with "The Ice Man." And just as MMA is exploding beyond expectations, Silva returned to U.S. soil for some action, only to be beaten severely and knocked cold.

In the span of about 13 minutes, the epic showdown between Liddell and Silva changed from "has-to-happen" to "what's-the-point?" And the man to blame for that is not named Sakakibara or White: it's Henderson.

There haven't been too many train depots throughout the world that shipped out official Hendo bandwagons over the years, but after his thrilling upset on Saturday, one can rest assured that new Henderson fans will be pouring out of the woodworks. Not that there is anything wrong with that because Henderson, for the most part, has played second fiddle to former Team Quest teammate Couture for years (at least in America). Henderson has always been, in my opinion, the best fighter out of TQ and hopefully now he'll get what's basically owed to him: more fame and much, much more money.

Pushing to the top...One last step

By: Mike Chiappetta

Jason MacDonald and Rich Franklin need one win for a title shot

The UFC, like its home base of Las Vegas, has grown to be a place where fortunes can change almost instantly.

For evidence, look no further than Jason "The Athlete" MacDonald, a talented Canadian mixed martial artist who has parlayed a pair of upset wins to a spot in one of the marquee matchups of Saturday's UFC 68 event in Columbus, Ohio.



MacDonald, who is 18-7 in his career, will be fighting former middleweight champ Rich Franklin. And fresh off wins over Ultimate Fighter alumni Ed Herman and Chris Leben, one more win—an even more improbable one—will put him in line for a middleweight title shot.

Though MacDonald has been a pro fighter since 1999 and was known by many in the MMA community prior, he was virtually unknown by UFC fans when he made his debut against Herman in October 2006.

That event featured the last fight of the trilogy between Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock, and the card, which was broadcast on Spike TV, drew 5.7 million fans at its high-water mark, the biggest audience of any UFC fight card ever. MacDonald's opponent, Herman, had gained a following from his time on TUF. When MacDonald caught Herman in a triangle choke and submitted his opponent, he became at the age of 31, a rising star.

A little over two months later, he was back and featured again on a huge card. This time, it was Ortiz's second attempt to unseat Chuck Liddell as the light-heavyweight champ. This time, the Dec. 30 card was on pay-per-view, and again it broke records, drawing over 1 million pay-per-view buys, more than any boxing or MMA event in 2006. And again, MacDonald shined in front of the massive audience, this time submitting Herman's Team Quest teammate Chris Leben.

Now comes his biggest test, the 20-2 Franklin, the former UFC middleweight champ who is coming off his first loss in nearly three years and is hungry to return to his winning ways. And guess what? The crowd again will be huge, with over 18,600 fans making up the largest attendance for a UFC event ever. Think MacDonald will be in his element?

"I'd like to think I've already proved myself to not be a pushover for anybody," MacDonald said. "I don't think the UFC, Dana and the guys see me as stepping stone for Rich. I've proved myself against Ed and Chris that I'm not going to lay over for anyone regardless of what people think. I don't see this fight as a stepping stone for Rich. I see it as a great matchup of two aggressive fighters with two completely different motives. I'm trying to further my career in the UFC, and Rich is trying to get back on track, so I think you're going to see an exciting fight for the fans."

Judging from Franklin's comments, he certainly has won the respect of the ex-champ and is a legitimate contender.

"I know that going into this fight, he's proven himself a tough competitor," Franklin said. "I'm looking myself personally to have a tough fight. This is not going to be one of those fights where it's an easy first-round knockout. He doesn't have the name 'Athlete' for no reason at all. He's in great condition every time he fights, and I’m looking for a high-paced fight."

Franklin will be attempting not only to beat MacDonald, but to put his name right back at the top of the list of contenders to the middleweight championship. He admits that doubts seeped into his mind following his methodical TKO loss to Anderson Silva at UFC 64 in October, but believes those struggles to be part of the thought process of any fighter.

"I think every fighter kind of goes through [doubts] after you lose a fight," Franklin said. "You sit around for a couple days and try to figure out what you did wrong, where you made the error. Were you overtraining? Were you undertraining? You start questioning a lot of different stuff. And yeah, I went through that for several days, until in my case I came to no conclusion and decided you have to get back on the horse and do what you do."



To his advantage, his comeback fight in Columbus will be a virtual home appearance for Franklin, who lives about 100 miles away in Cincinnati. His undefeated streak had pre-dated his time in UFC and had run through his thrashing of Ken Shamrock in a star-making performance and his June 2005 title win over Evan Tanner. He had in many ways taken the same UFC route that MacDonald is attempting to take on Saturday, beating big names and taking a shorter route to the top.

That's not to say MacDonald hasn't worked hard to get here. In fact, he was once considered as a potential cast member of the first season of TUF. If he had been chosen, he might have been a star long before now. His tenacity in pursuing his dream, Dana White said, is what makes him a dangerous fighter.

"I've fought long and hard to finally get to the UFC, and for Dana and the guys to give me a shot," he said. "I'm not going to lay down for anybody. I'm going to go out there and fight my ass off and put on the best performances I can, and do everything in my power to stay in the UFC, continue to put on good fights and have the fans excited to watch me. That's one thing you can guarantee when Jason MacDonald comes to the ring is I'm coming to fight. I made too many sacrifices to get to where I am today, and I'm not going to let it pass me by."

Franklin primarily favors finishing fights with his hands, preferring to outbox his opponent, but has strong submission skills as well. MacDonald, meanwhile, has finished most of his fights on the ground, and describes himself as an opportunistic fighter, able to capitalize on his opponent's mistakes.

"To make my appearance at a UFC and have some success, considering where I am today, in a fantastic spot in a main card fight against Rich Franklin and be in line for a title shot, I'm certainly living my dream," McDonald said. "Part of the motivation for me to go out there on March 3 to fight my ass off and put on the fight of the night, so I can live that dream and go after the middleweight title."

Waiting in the wings is champion Anderson Silva, who last month beat Travis Lutter by submission in his first championship defense. White said the winner of the Franklin-MacDonald match will be in line for a title opportunity, adding an extra layer of intrigue to the fight.

"Rich Franklin is coming back after a devastating loss to Anderson Silva and taking on a guy who's on a roll right now," White said. "Rich isn't coming back to an easy fight. This kid [MacDonald] beat Chris Leben, pulled off a big win over TUF star Ed Herman. This is the fight to see if Rich's head is back and if he's the old Rich who held the title, or if the kid is going to keep right on rolling."

(Source)