January 2008 Archives

This is what Frank Mir can do to you

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Frank Mir won the UFC heavyweight title from Tim Sylvia when he caught the 6'8" monster in an arm bar from his back. With Sylvia refusing to tap, you could see a bone in the champ's forearm snap beneath the skin. The ref then stopped the bout and Mir was awarded the title.

On Saturday, we'll see if Mir can do the same to Brock Lesnar, or if Lesnar will prevail. Sylvia will go up against a fighter for the interim heavyweight title who is probably better than Mir in BJJ -- Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

Takanori Gomi signs with World Victory Road

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Knockout artist Takanori Gomi

From MMAJunkie.com:

Although the UFC was a suitor, former PRIDE lightweight champion Takanori Gomi (27-3) has instead signed with the Japanese-based World Victory Road and will debut for the organization on March 5.

The signing was announced today during a press conference in Tokyo, Japan.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Gomi became a free agent after Zuffa LLC (the UFC’s parent company) purchased — and disbanded — PRIDE nearly a year ago. The Japanese fighter hasn’t fought since a PRIDE 33 bout with Nick Diaz in February 2007. (Gomi was defeated with a second-round gogoplata, but the Nevada State Athletic Commissioned ruled the fight a no-contest when Diaz failed a drug test due to marijuana.)

The World Victory Road organization launched in 2007 soon after Zuffa purchased PRIDE. The organization will hold its first show, dubbed “Sengoku,” on March 5. Gomi will be a part of the event, which takes place at the Yoyogi First National Gymnasium in Japan.

Widely regarded as the top 155-lb. fighter in the world, Gomi is 13-1 (with the one no-contest) in his past 15 fights. One of his three career losses came to current UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn at an October 2003 Rumble on the Rock event.

Had the UFC signed Gomi, a highly marketable rematch with Penn would have been likely. In fact, speculation of Gomi’s possible signing with the UFC heated up after the he was spotted in attendance at last month’s UFC 79 event. However, UFC President Dana White quickly squelched the rumors when he said Gomi was simply there to watch the fights.

Last week fiveouncesofpain.com spoke to a source close to undefeated UFC lightweight Frankie Edgar who confirmed that the fighter was offered a bout with Gomi and accepted it. However, the fight was reportedly scratched when UFC officials were unsuccessful in signing Gomi to a contract.

UFC 81 Preview video

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All right, this Saturday is UFC 81, where we have two titanic heavyweight fights: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Tim Sylvia for the interim heavyweight title -- and the one everyone has been waiting for -- Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir. You know, I really don't know where to go with Lesnar and Mir. Lesnar has unbelievable strength, seems to have good cardio, looks like he can punch pretty hard, and of course, possesses great wrestling skills. Mir has the Octagon experience, pretty good stand-up and amazing jiu-jitsu. It's a toss-up, but either way, it's gonna end quick: Mir getting an arm bar on Lesnar, or Lesnar by ground-and-pound.


Here's Lesnar's only MMA fight, from K-1 Dynamite!!

Ultimate Fight Night 13

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UFC FIGHT NIGHT 13, happening on April 2 on SpikeTV is shaping up very nicely. Check out the crd so far, according to MMAWeekly.com:

Kenny Florian vs. Joe Lauzon-
Karo Parisyan (#6 Welterweight in the World)* vs. Thiago Alves-
Matt Hamill vs. Stephan Bonnar-
Spencer Fisher vs. Marcus Aurelio-
Din Thomas vs. Josh Neer-
Clay Guida vs. Samy Schiavo-
Houston Alexander vs. James Irvin-
Tommy Speer vs. Anthony Johnson-
Frankie Edgar vs. TBA

Main card airs live on Spike TV at 8:00 PM (ET/PT) on Wednesday, April 2 as a lead-in to the premiere of The Ultimate Fighter 7.

Fedor and Randy meet, but not in the cage/ring

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Fedor Emelianenko and Randy Couture met in Los Angeles earlier this week for an Affliction clothing line promotional ... thing. I guess it's gonna be a commercial, whatever. Just interesting to see these two guys in the same room. Just makes me wonder when we'll see them square off inside a cage in UFC or a ring in M-1. Don't hold your breath ...

Big fights not in the UFC

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Aleksander Emelianenko's sick back tattoo. The writing across the top means "God is with us."

From Bloodyelbow.com:
... And two fights announced yesterday serve as reminders that not all the biggest fights are happening in the UFC:

Aleksander Emelianenko vs Josh Barnett - According to the unsurpassed Bloody Elbow Meta-Rankings, Aleksander is the #11 most highly regarded heavyweight in the world and Josh Barnett is #8. This fight should set up Barnett to fight Fedor at some point in the future -- possibly not until 2009, after the big Fedor vs Randy Couture payday.

But before that, Fedor will most likely fight Semmy Schilt on the same M-1 card in Chicago.


Shinya Aoki vs Gesias "JZ" Calvancanti at an upcoming K-1 event. The Bloody Elbow Meta-Rankings have these two light-weights at #7 and #2 in the world, respectively. A B.J. Penn vs JZ Calvan fight would surely ring some cash registers somewhere...in that future world where Zuffa's pretentions of monopoly have met the fate that Aleksander's back tatoo promises us all.

Never Back Down out March 14

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I don't know why I'm making a big deal out of this, maybe it's because The Karate Kid was huge when I was growing up. maybe it's because this is the first "major" movie about MMA. OK, so the story is cheesy, but if they have proper MMA techniques in it, it won't be so bad. Looks like Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond, Gladiator, Amistad) may be the only saving grace in the movie - in fact, I think he's the only guy who's ever BEEN in a movie before this one. Anyway, if anybody sees it, let us all know how it is, will ya? Thanks.

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Sean Faris -- aka the loner who falls in love with the hot babe who's dating the school dick who beats up on the loner, who then finds a mentor who teaches him a deadly art that he then uses to kick the school dick's ass and win the heart of the hot babe -- hits the focus mitts with Djimon Hounsou.

Here's the trailer:

ShoXC this Friday in New Jersey

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This kind of flew under my radar, but it's happening on Friday. And, it features Philly-based fighter Eddie Alvarez. It's live on Showtime.

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Main Card Bouts:
-Paul Daley vs. Sam Morgan
-Eddie Alvarez vs. Ross Ebanez
-Julie Kedzie vs. Tonya Evinger
-Bobby McMaster vs. Bao Quach
-Kala Kolohe Hose vs. Fred Belleton

Preliminary Bouts:
-Wilson Reis vs. Zach Makovsky
-Sergio Vinagre vs. Brett Linebarger
-Matt Makowski vs. Joe Shilling
-James "Binky" Jones vs. Mark Getto
-Charlie Brenneman vs. Drew Puzon

Octane MMA to hold second set of try-outs

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Octane MMA, a Philadelphia-based Mixed Martial Arts organization - waiting to hit the ground running when the rules and regs are approved in the state - will be holding its second set of try-outs for its team. They will be held at the New Alhambra event center in Philly on Feb. 17. Registration will begin at noon, registration will be at 1 p.m., and the try-outs will begin betwen 1:15 and 1:30 p.m.

To find out more, go to Octane's Web site here.

New Start for the IFL

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The IFL's first show of the new year is called New Blood New Battles. The event is scheduled for Feb. 29 in New Orleans and features three title defenses.
Here's a news release from the Web site:

IFL Unveils New Logo, Branding for 2008 Season
1/21/2007

Change Reflects Shift To Focus On Camps, Commitment To Best Matchups

NEW YORK, January 21, 2008 – The International Fight League™ (OTC.BB: IFLI), a leader in the growing sport of mixed martial arts (MMA), today unveiled the new visual identity of its corporate brand.

The new logo is a reflection of the IFL’s exciting style of MMA action as the league enters its second full season of competition. The design incorporates the traditional gloved fist coming towards the viewer from between forward-slanted “IFL” initials in front of a silver oval plate, utilizing the league’s new color scheme of deep red, silver and black.

“The IFL has always showcased the top up-and-coming athletes, coached by the legends of MMA,” said Jay Larkin, IFL CEO and President. “Our new identity is part of the league’s renewed commitment to putting together the best matchups to a wide, burgeoning audience of fans worldwide.”

The revised IFL logo will appear in marketing materials and branding opportunities as well as on an array of merchandise available to fans attending events as well as through www.IFL.TV, the league’s official Website, which will be relaunched to reflect the new branding.

Larkin also announced that the IFL has also eliminated the league-created team logos and will instead use branding of the camps led by its coaches, such as Miletich Fighting Systems, Xtreme Couture, Team Quest and Renzo Gracie Academy.

To find out more, go to the IFL's Web site here.


BJ Penn wins lightweight title

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For those who didn't see it, BJ "The Prodigy" Penn defeated Joe "Daddy" Stevenson at the main event of UFC 80 - Rapid Fire on Saturday night. Penn opened up a gusher of a cut on Stevenson's head with an elbow from the mount in the first round, then finished him off with a rear naked choke in the second round.

The fight was pure emotion from start to finish. At Hooter's in York, the amount of blood Stevenson was losing caused some people to cringe. I think people were seriously concerned for his well-being.

For Penn, it was the realization of a dream for a second world title, amidst criticism that he couldn't get in shape or focus for big fights.

After the fight, Penn said, "Sherk, you're dead," referring to Sean Sherk, who was the last man to hold the title before being stripped for testing positive for steroids. Sherk then entered the cage, and BJ then shakes his hand (wtf???) Makes me wonder if Penn was fed that line just to fuel this "feud" the two have going. The other thing is, I'm sure UFC brass made sure Sherk was going to be there so he could hear what Penn was going to say. "You're gonna be there, right Sean, right?"

Finally, Stevenson was obviously overcome with emotion at the end of the fight as he wept. And really, there's nothing wrong with that. He had probably dreamed of becoming a world champion since he got into the sport many years ago. He may have thought of his kids, and how he "failed them" by losing. He didn't by the way - they should be very proud of their dad. With a huge gash on his head, he came out swinging for the start of the second round. The man is a warrior.

Get Ready for Ultimate Fight Night 12

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Whoa - Unless Josh Burkman is standing in a hole, I didn't realize there was such a height difference between him (left) and Mike "Quick" Swick. That translates into a reach advantage and we know Swick likes to throw heavy, fast hands. Well, we'll see what happens when Ultimate Fight Night takes place tomorrow - Wednesday - on Spike at 9 p.m.

Here's what will probably be on TV:
Main Card Bouts
Josh Burkman vs. Mike Swick
Patrick Cote vs. Drew McFedries
Nate Diaz vs. Alvin Robinson
Thiago Tavares vs. Michihiro Omigawa

Here's what we probably won't see:
Undercard
Gray Maynard vs. Dennis Siver
Cole Miller vs. Jeremy Stephens
Joe Veres vs. Corey Hill
Alberto Crane vs. Kurt Pellegrino
Matt Wiman vs. Justin Buchholz

To see some preview videos, click here.

UFC Fight Night, April 2 on Spike

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Official poster for Shamock vs. Le

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And on FiveOuncesofPain.com, there's this posted today from an interview with the always-entertaining Frank Shamrock:

Former UFC light heavyweight champion and current Strikeforce middleweight champion Frank Shamrock announced in a new interview with MMAWeekly.com that he will be fighting his older, adoptive brother Ken Shamrock during the first quarter of 2009.

“Oh yeah. Unless I die, it’s going to happen,” Frank Shamrock is quoted as saying in the interview.

The bout is expected to be made available through pay-per-view.

Shamrock, a middleweight, also revealed that the fight against his brother will be contested at light heavyweight (186-205 pounds). Ken Shamrock has competed primarily as a heavyweight but his most recent bouts have been at light heavyweight.

“I do know the weight will be at 205,” the younger Shamrock told MMAWeekly.com. “That’s what Ken wanted. The where doesn’t matter. The when will be the first quarter of 2009. The how will be right hand, left hook, right hand, and then that will be it.”

Babes, beer and brawls

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Gratuitous Hooter's girl pic.

UFC 80 - Rapid Fire, which features Joe "Daddy" Stevenson and BJ "The Prodigy" Penn fighting for the UFC lightweight title, is being held in England. That means start time "across the pond" as they say, will be pretty early over here - 3 p.m. to be exact.

That's OK, because Hooter's in York has got it covered, said Jason, one of the managers there. They'll have the live simulcast at 3 p.m. on Saturday, and then for all you late Saturday workin' stiffs like myself, they'll have it again at 10 p.m.

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Lee Murray: From Contender, to Just Con

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I don't condone bein' a thug - hate it, in fact - but as a police reporter when I'm not doing MMA Explosion, I find the life and times of Lee Murray somehow intriguing, yet at the same time, pathetic. I mean, here's a classic case of the guy who was poised for greatness and threw it all away. Let me put it this way - we can all learn what NOT to do by looking at Lee Murray.

You may not know who Lee Murray is/was, but for a little while, he was a very promising middleweight from England. Nicknamed "Lightning" for his fast, yet also powerful punching, Murray carved his way through the competition in England, knocking out Jose "Pele" Landi-Jons and taking Landi-Jons' Chute Boxe teammate (and current UFC Middlewieght Champ) Anderson Silva the distance, losing by decision.

In July 2002, the night of UFC 38 in England, Murray, whose full name is Lee Lamrani Ibrahim Murray, allegedly knocked out Tito Ortiz in a street fight.

In the excerpt to follow, former UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes talks about the fight in his upcoming biography, "Made In America." Hughes talked with former coach Pat Miletich, who was there for the fight.:

"Are you serious?" I asked Pat.

"Hold on, it gets even better. The entire alley erupted into a huge brawl. I was just standing there, and there were bodies flying all over the place."

"I was confused how it all happened, because it happened so fast. I was standing there with my mouth open like 'what the hell is going on?'"

"I looked over and Chuck Liddell was with his back against the wall, knocking people out that were trying to go after him."

"Then I looked over and there's Tito directly past me, taking his coat off, going after Lee Murray, and Lee Murray's backing up the alley taking his jacket off."

"Both their jackets come off, and Tito throws a left hook at Lee Murray and misses, and right as he missed, Lee Murray counters with, like, a five-punch combo, landed right on the chin, and knocked Tito out. OUT."

"Tito fell face-first down to the ground, and then Lee Murray stomped him on the face a couple of times with his boots."

"Then Tony Fryklund and I grabbed Lee and pushed Lee and said 'Get out of here!' And Lee said 'I'm sorry, I'll see you later,' and took off. And Tony Fryklund helped Tito to his feet"

OK, maybe knocking out Tito wasn't such a bad idea after all. It probably got Murray his one fight in the UFC, a submission victory over Jorge Rivera at UFC 46 - Supernatural.

However, Murray's street fighting got him in deep again, this time stabbed in a brawl outside the Funky Buddha club in London during a glamour model party on Sept. 28, 2005. Murray suffered a punctured lung and a severed artery. The doctor who performed the life saving surgery on Murray said he was resuscitated four times during the operation.

OK, so that's pretty stupid, you nearly lose your life in a street fight.

But, if you go to the next page, you'll see what Murray did to put his life into a real tailspin.


Frank vs. Cung - on for March 29

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On Saturday, I posted a quote from Cung Le about a fight in March between himself and Frank Shamrock. We now have further proof on Sherdog.com:

Frank Shamrock will face Cung Le at a March 29 EliteXC-Strikeforce co-promoted event at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., the promotions announced Tuesday.

"This is a fight that has been building for years," said the 35-year-old Shamrock, who choked out Phil Baroni last June. "This is where we both grew up, where we both found our paths in life as martial artists and champions of combat. It was inevitable that we would one day face each other here. I'm excited it's finally happening."

Cung Le, also 35, is 5-0 in mixed martial arts after transitioning to the sport in 2006 following an undefeated career in san shou.

"People have been wondering when I'd take the next step in the cage and fight an established superstar and world champion," said Le, whose most recent win was a stoppage of Sam Morgan in November. "Well, here it is. The fans are in for a great fight."

The five-round contest will headline a Showtime telecast that begins live at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Preliminary bouts begin at 5 p.m. PT.

Legalize It

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If you haven't done so already, head over to the online petition to legalize MMA in Pennsylvania and sign your name, maybe leave a comment too. Not sure how long the petition has been up, but they now have 1,246 signatures. Most of the comments are that MMA is a safer, more popular sport than boxing, would bring a great deal of money into the state, and that fighters are getting fed up with having to travel to other states for fights. All valid points.
Click here to go to the site.

Not like we didn't see this one coming ...

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On Sherdog.com, I found this today - hopefully, it can all be worked out and we can have Randy vs. Fedor - either in UFC or M-1 - I really don't care where. Everybody stands to make millions upon millions, so just give us the fight.

by Josh Gross (joshg@sherdog.com)

Having failed to work out their differences, Zuffa, LLC, and Randy Couture appear to be headed to a Las Vegas courtroom.

A suit filed in Clark County District Court Monday on behalf of Zuffa, which owns and operates the Ultimate Fighting Championship, alleges Couture made comments regarding the UFC that caused the business irreparable damage, and it says the current UFC heavyweight champion is in breach of the contract he signed upon his return from retirement in December 2006, Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Tuesday.

Couture announced his resignation from the UFC -- as an active fighter and champion, as well as an ambassador for the company and on-air personality -- in October, citing the desire to fight Russian Fedor Emelianenko, who is not contracted to the UFC, and a history of "swimming against the current with the management of the UFC" as reasons for his decision.

Seeking damages -- both compensatory and punitive -- in excess of $10,000, the suit against Couture also seeks an injunction against "The Natural" that would prevent him from working with any organization deemed to be competing against the UFC. The suit alleges conspiracy against several unnamed parties that aimed to work against the UFC.

A group of fighters from Xtreme Couture are scheduled to fight a squad led by Mario Sperry in an International Fight League matchup Feb. 29 in Las Vegas.

CPMA blog now online

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Mark Jovich, head instructor at Central Pennsylvania Martial Arts Academy, has started a blog to keep everyone updated with news, videos and other things related to the academy. In addition to teaching traditional Okinawan karate, Mark also has put together a tough MMA team that had an amazing run in 2007 at several amateur events in New York, and as they gain more experience, will no doubt do even better.
Here's the link to check out the blog.

More Upcoming Events - Frank and Tank

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Frank Shamrock

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Cung Le

Yesterday I posted news on the Frank Shamrock vs. Ken Shamrock Blood Brothers PPV. Now we have news that before that fight, Frank will fight Cung Le under the Strikeforce banner.

This was posted on bloodyelbow.com on Friday:

Question: So you think that you and Frank are fighting at the Strikeforce event in March? Because there have been a lots of rumors that Frank is fighting Ken Shamrock on March 31st.

Cung: Yes, as far as I know we will be fighting March 29th. The fight with his brother is slated for next year. Why would they have that fight on a Monday night? I think that our fight will be bigger anyway because it's not like Ken has had a lot of success lately with his two losses to Tito Ortiz. Fans will watch that fight because of the drama between the two but I believe that our fight will be better.

Here's another upcoming event:
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Potent - Out Now on DVD

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Potent The Movie, an MMA documentary, is now out on DVD. It features some of the sport's most successful and charismatic fighters, including Bas Rutten, Dan Henderson, Frank Shamrock and Josh Barnett.

From the clips I've seen, the movie looks pretty good - a fair, honest look at MMA. Hell, anything with Bas Rutten (former King of Pancrase and UFC Heavyweight Champion) is worth it. The guy's funny and overflowing with knowledge. His hand speed is still amazing, as he's throwing punches in the clips.

To buy the movie, which they're selling for $29.95, or to see some other clips, click here.

Blood Brothers, Blood Feud?

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The brothers Shamrock: the eye-poke vs. the claw???

Don't know if you guys have caught wind of this ... but Frank and Ken Shamrock have agreed to fight each other. Kind of just hangs there doesn't it?

Let's see, where to start? Ken Shamrock is an MMA legend, a pioneer. The man was a devastating submission master. But he is way past his prime. The UFC dropped him, even though he had one fight left on his contract. I don't know if there's been an official reason given, but I could speculate the UFC was concerend for his health after the last beating he took at the hands of Tito Ortiz.

Ken's adopted younger brother, Frank, is also a legendary fighter, and I would have to say the more well-rounded of the two. He's done great things to further the sport, and he's been on the outs with the UFC for years. He now fights for the Strikeforce promotion.

That's some background. Apparently there's been bad blood between these two brothers for a while now ... and I guess this is the way they're going to settle it. Still, it seems a little ... weird, brothers fighting.

On the other hand, it happens all the time in real life, so if they happen to be skilled MMA fighters, why not make some dough off it, right?

The pay-per-view is being promoted by Frank Shamrock's MMA Entertainment company, and I think if they can partner with other organizations like EliteXC, Strikeforce, and maybe even K-1, they can get a really decent undercard that would make the PPV worthwhile.

There's a site set up for the fight that can accessed here. A counter on the site said it's happening in 348 days, so maybe this a bit premature. Well, I'll keep you updated.

Try it, you'll like it

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Just found this Web site, MMAGifs. For those of you who don't know what they are - like me until a couple months ago - gifs are these little pieces of video, usually only a few seconds long and usually in slo-mo that really give you another view of a fight.

Click here to go to it.

Take, for example, Lyoto Machida vs. Sokoudjou at UFC 79. Machida sees a right high kick coming from Soko, fires off a strike before the kick is barely thrown, then sweeps to knock Soko off his feet. Amazing.

Other UFC 79 gifs include Liddell's spinning backfist on Silva and Rich Clementi crotch-chopping Melvin Guillard after subbing him.

Upcoming UFC Fights

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I think I need another belt: Will Hendo be the man to take Silva's UFC middleweight title?

Here’s a list of recently-added UFC fights, some of which might still be rumor at this point:

-- UFC 81, Feb.2: Jeremy Horn vs. Nate Marquardt.

-- UFC 82, March 1: Dan Henderson vs. Anderson Silva; Jon Fitch vs. Akihiro Gono.

-- Ultimate Fight Night 13, on April 2: Stephan Bonnar vs. Matt Hamill.

-- UFC 83, April 19: Matt Serra vs. Georges St. Pierre; Sean Sherk vs. winner of BJ Penn vs. Joe Stevenson fight from UFC 80; Mauricio Rua vs. ?; James Irvin vs. Houston Alexander.

Fedor to fight next on U.S. soil?

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Fedor arm-barring Hong Man Choi at the Yarennoka! NYE show in Japan.

Here's what I took to be the most interesting answer out of an interview on M-1 Global's Web site with Vadim Finkelstein, Fedor Emelianenko's manager:

Who will be Fedor’s next opponent and when the fight will take place?

Vadim: Now I can only confirm that Fedor’s next fight is scheduled to take place in the USA. More detailes in a couple of weeks.

Want more? Ok, how 'bout this recent interview with Randy Couture from mmafightline.com:

Couture On Whether Or Not Fighting Fedor Is The Only Fight He Wants:
At this stage of things, yes that is the only fight I want. I think that if that fight doesn’t happen then you will see me retire. I have been competing not to win titles, but purely for the love of competition and fighting guys that I thought were interesting to fight. Out of all the guys out there right now Fedor is the guy I want to fight. Win or lose I’ll probably retire after that fight and focus on all of that other stuff. At 44 right now, I’ll be 45 when that fight happens, that will be the best fight in my opinion to go out on either way.

Couture On His Recent Reluctance To Speak About The Situation Between He And The UFC:
I didn’t really want to do any interviews that would inflame the situation or prevent me from settling with the UFC in a positive way. But the ground work has kind of been laid and now the situation is I’m not really going to settle with the UFC so it doesn’t matter. People are getting the word now though, but it’s all good.

MMA in PA ... with a heavy dose of patience

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Just had a conversation with Greg Sirb, executive director of the Pennsylvania Athletic Commission. The word is the rules and regulations MIGHT be approved by mid-summer, Sirb said.

That is if no politicians or other lawyer-types have any major problems with the rules and regs, he said.

"This isn't everybody's cup of tea," Sirb said. "If somebody does (have serious questions about the rules and regs) it delays the process, no question."

So right now, the rules and regs are crawling their way through the regulatory process. And that's OK with Sirb, because he wants to get it right the first time, he said.

"The regulatory process in Pennsylvania is not an easy one to go through," he said. "We're really not going tohurry this ... Be patient, i want a nice, tight regulatory packgae ... We want to make sure we're doing the right thing."

One thing to be happy about - except for Sirb's overflowing email boxis that fighters and promoters have not let up in contacting the state, demanding legalization of the sport.

"There's no question that they're chomping at the bit to have events in Pennsylvania," he said.

UFC 81 site online too

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Here's the trailer for Frank Mir vs. Brock Lesnar:

To go to the entire site - they also preview Tim Sylvia vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and other fights - click here.

Mir vs. Lesnar is going to be an interesting two minutes, because both guys are going to gas after that. No, seriously, we've got jiu-jitsu wizard Mir going against an extremely strong wrestler (albeit lacking a lot of pro MMA experience) in Lesnar. It's a set up for a classic war. Either Mir gonna break Lesnar's arm, or Lesnar is going to ground and pound the crap out of Mir.

UFC 80 - Rapid Fire preview

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Take a look - Stevenson might just be the guy to give BJ Penn a tough challenge. Also previewed is heavyweight match-up Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Fabricio Werdum. The event is scheduled for Jan. 19.

To go to the UFC - Rapid Fire Web site, click here.

MMA Misinformation

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I was just was made aware of this story, posted today on The Providence (RI) Journal's Web site. Read it, then read the email I sent the reporter (for what it's worth).

Inmates disciplined for “ultimate fighting“

By Tom Mooney, Journal Staff Writer
The walking wounded gave the scheme away: state prison inmates with welts on their heads and bruised knuckles.

The one correctional officer assigned to watch the 140 inmates of the E dorm in minimum security at the Adult Correctional Institutions got suspicious and called in prison investigators.

At first, the inmates told the investigators they were gathering in a particular dorm room as part of a chess tournament, said prison spokeswoman Tracey Poole.

But the inmates were actually participating in an “ultimate fighting“ contest — the popular and often-characterized as brutal street-fighting sport where participants pummel each other with fists and kicking with few holds barred.

The inmates even had a championship belt — similar to a wrestling championing belt — that they had cut out of a magazine and bestowed on the best fighter, Poole said.

The scheme was finally uncovered last month after investigators learned that several inmates had been injured and others were gambling on the matches and using them as forms of intimidation.

On Dec. 9, prison officials punished 10 inmates who had participated in the fighting by transferring them into either medium or maximum security, Poole said. They also received 10 days of segregation.

The fighting, however, persisted, Poole said, and another 10 inmates were transferred out of minimum security on Dec. 19 and each received 30 days of segregation.

The fighting, which at times included multiple inmates at a time, carried on in the evening and at night, Poole said. Prison officials are investigating whether any staff condoned the behavior.

Asked how an organized fight contest could go on inside the prison, Poole said the dorm area — home to 140 inmates — is watched by only one correctional officer.

“It’s very possible that something like this could happen without the staff being fully aware because it took place in a room,“ Poole said.

The inmates could have easily posted a sentry at the door, she said, so when the correctional officer approached, they stopped the fighting.

Poole noted that minimum security is for inmates who present the least security risk and therefore fewer correctional officers work in the facility.

“This is the first time we have been aware of any ultimate fighting going on.“

Poole confirmed that the winner of the contest was Christopher Suarez, 22, of Woonsocket. He is serving a 16-month sentence for felony assault.

According to Journal records, he was one of four men who beat up a young man and his girlfriend in Woonsocket in January 2007.

My email to Tom: Hey Tom -- Just a few corrections on your story on the inmates doing "ultimate fighting" at the ACI. First, the correct term for the sport is "Mixed Martial Arts." "Ultimate Fighting" is part of the brand name "Ultimate Fighting Championships," one of the numeorus MMA organizations around the world. Probably "ultimate fighting" should not have been used at all in the story, since you said sometimes the fights involved multiple opponents, and obviously they were not given permission by the state of RI to do what they were doing. See, when you call it "ultimate fighting" it gives the sport a bad name. Supporters have worked tirelessly over the years to get the sport sanctioned by state athletic commissions - fights that are held outside of those channels are shut down. So during sanctioned fights, you have referees, doctors, judges, state officials, etc. It's actually safer than boxing, largely due to no standing eight count. The athletes who compete don't have just one discipline to learn, but several, including jiu-jitsu, wrestling (free style and Greco-Roman), kickboxing and karate. Most pros practice for years before even stepping into a ring or a cage. ... I hope I'm not coming down too hard on you, but I'm just trying to do my part to educate people about MMA, just in case you have to do another story on it in the future. If I can help out any further, let me know.

Thanks, Ted Czech, reporter, The York Daily Record/Sunday News.

Pimp My Next Fight

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Pimp My Triangle, the York-based MMA clothing started by Jerod Phillips, is looking for fighters to connect with and as he puts it, "make it to one of your fights." Not bad - what fighter couldn't use a bigger cheering section?

To send an email to Jerod, click here.

To check out Pimp My Triangle hoodies and shirts, click here.

Light Heavyweight Rankings

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Quinton "Rampage" Jackson - top o' the LHW food chain.

Just found out about this site called Fightmatrix that has fighter rankings. I'm posting the uber-popular light heavyweight division:

For more rankings, click here.

For an explanation of how they rank fighters, click here.


Rank Fighter Points
1 Quinton Jackson
Last Fight: 9/8/2007 [UFC] 408

2 Chuck Liddell
Last Fight: 12/29/2007 [UFC] 246

3 Ryoto Machida
Last Fight: 12/29/2007 [UFC] 240

4 Keith Jardine
Last Fight: 9/22/2007 [UFC] 232

5 Dan Henderson
Last Fight: 9/8/2007 [UFC] 205

6 Forrest Griffin
Last Fight: 9/22/2007 [UFC] 198

7 Mauricio Rua
Last Fight: 9/22/2007 [UFC] 170

8 Sokoudjou
Last Fight: 12/29/2007 [UFC] 162

9 Ricardo Arona
Last Fight: 4/8/2007 [PRIDE] 153

10 Wanderlei Silva
Last Fight: 12/29/2007 [UFC] 132

Eight Things To Expect in 2008

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Georges St. Pierre - the next UFC mega-star? We might find out in 2008.

Ryan Hockensmith has a few things worth thinking about in this column from ESPN.com:

Consider where MMA was a year ago. Who had the better fighters, UFC or PRIDE? Could anybody beat Chuck Liddell? Would somebody stand up and challenge Tim Sylvia? One year later, those questions have been answered. PRIDE guys struggled. Yes, Liddell could be beaten — more than once, actually. And Sylvia, well, we all remember Randy Couture’s stunning comeback to reclaim a UFC belt. So 2007 answered plenty. But 2008 presents a new wave of questions. Here are eight things to expect in ’08.

1. Randy’s re-return Sure, Couture seems done with the UFC, and probably is a huge legal upset away from his much-desired bout with Fedor Emelianenko. But look for Couture to fight in the Octagon this year. For one, Couture just sat down with Dana White a few weeks ago to air his grievances. Not much progress was made. But his chief beef all along has been money, and this feud could turn out to be a gigantic money-generator. Say Antonio Nogueira beats Tim Sylvia and Brock Lesnar mauls Frank Mir in upcoming fights. Then Lesnar beats Nogueira, or the other way around. Can’t you see White in the Octagon, mic in hand, announcing Lesnar’s first title defense will come against … drumroll please … Couture? “I hope that’s the case,“ White says. “For me, the door is definitely not closed.“

2. A year of mega-fights M-1 has the people in place and the resources to follow through on finding a big fight for heavyweight hotshot Fedor Emelianenko. But the UFC already has a few mega fights lined up. Dan Henderson and Anderson Silva will go at it in March. Quinton Jackson and Forrest Griffin will fight at the end of this year’s “Ultimate Fighter“ show. It’s conceivable that we get a big heavyweight matchup, and White says Georges St. Pierre vs. Matt Serra (in Canada, by the way) will get the green light. While some fans may complain about some of the other fights they’ll have to pay for (and rightly so — BJ Penn vs. Joe Stevenson?), the year should be balanced out with plenty of huge matchups.

3. A boxer will cross over, but it won’t be Floyd Mayweather Is it possible we’ll see James Toney, in an MMA cage in the near future? Mayweather is a smart businessman, and he’s surrounded by even more smart businessmen. They have to realize that even a novice mixed martial artist would humiliate him in a MMA bout. Now James Toney well, he’s a different story. Expect somebody else (does Ray Mercer really count?) to try it and get choked out the same way Mercer did.

4. Here come the lightweights The 2007 year was not a great one for UFC’s 155-pounders and many of the division’s top stars still aren’t in the organization. But 2008 could change all of that. Things get going with the Stevenson-Penn fight. But with Kenny Florian, Roger Huerta, Manny Gamburyan, Frank Edgar, Clay Guida and Mac Danzig all in the UFC — and with Sean Sherk back in the mix soon as well — ’08 may very well end up being an explosive year for the lightweights.

Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Masakatsu Funaki on NYE

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Here's their fight in its entirety from K-1 Premium Dynamite!! on New Year's Eve in Japan:

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Hong Man Choi at Yarennoka!

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Gotta say, Choi may not have the skills that Fedor does, but man, did he dwarf him and overpower him when Fedor shot in. The fight may not have lasted long, but Fedor did not have as easy a time as poeple thought he would.

Bottom line, it porved that M-1 is not just a name, but a (hopefully) viable company that can put on a show in Japan. Here's to more shows in Japan - and elsewhere - from M-1 in the future.

Babes, beer and brawls

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Had a great time at Hooter's on Saturday night to watch UFC 79 - Nemesis. The place was packed an hour before the PPV's start, some of it because of Penn State's bowl game and the Patriots going for their 16th and record-setting win, I guess.

But, by 9:30, 9:45 p.m., a large contingent of the crowd was clamoring for the UFC to be put on the TVs. The chicks in the orange and white obliged.

Gotta say this - MMA fans are frickin' loud. I caught myself yelling "Knees! Knees! Knees!" one time during a fight as the fighters went from the ground back to standing.

Although I didn't put it up here, I picked St. Pierre over Hughes, Machida over Sokoudjou and Clementi over Guillard. I was rooting for Wanderlei Silva, but you can't win 'em all. Hey, the Axe Murderer put up a hell of a fight, and didn't get knocked out or submitted. If he is in fact at the twilight of his career, as some suggest, I still say he's got a few more fights left in him.

Also, does anybody know what Liddell said to Silva at their weigh-in that made Silva move toward him? Silva was pissed!

In Her Spare Time ...

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... ProElite fighter Gina Carano dons a corset and lop-sided hairdo to moonlight as "Crush," part of the new breed of American Gladiators who debut this Sunday on NBC at 9 p.m.

Although Mike O'Hearn (a pro bodybuilder and judo champ) who plays "Titan," has always maintained he's 100 percent drug free, some of the other guys and girls look a little steroid-riddled. Check out the Web site here.

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Gina in fight mode.

Everybody's New Year's Wish: Randy vs. Fedor

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Former PRIDE heavyweight champ Fedor Emelianenko after his fight with Hong Man Choi at the Yarennoka! show in Japan on New Year's Eve. Could somebody get Van Damme out of there???


From MMA Junkie:

Randy Couture wants the fight. Fedor Emeliananeko wants it too. And according to the top-ranked Russian fighter, he fully expects the heavyweight battle to happen sometime soon.

While being interviewed for Monday’s “Yarennoka!” event in Japan, Emeliananeko was asked about the likelihood of him facing Couture in the next year. Couture, the UFC’s heavyweight champion, resigned from the organization in October but has recently stated that he wants to fight Emeliananeko. The 44-year-old UFC hall-of-famer says it’s the one final thing he wants to accomplish before he retires.

Emelianenko loves the idea.

“I respect him very much, and it’s going to be a great honor to fight with him,” Emelianenko said in the interview. “I would also like to wait for that opportunity.“

So Emelianenko, who recently signed a non-exclusive deal with the restructured M-1 Global organization, expects it to happen?

“Yes, I think so,” he said. “The fight will take place.“

Ted's Take: We'll see. I don't think the UFC is going to let a draw like Randy go quietly. If I remember right, Randy said he plans to wait until his contract ends (later this year), but I see the UFC warming up their lawyers for a court battle, saying Couture should fight his last two fights. Who really knows what the contract stipulates?

Say Randy wins in court - I wonder if the UFC will cave and set up the fight, regardless of how "crazy" Dana White thinks "the Russians" are at negotiations. It's either that, or be left out in the cold for arguably the biggest fight in MMA history so far.





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