MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

Martin Kampmann and Ben Saunders agree to meet at UFC 111 in March

The UFC's return to New Jersey is quickly taking shape, and a welterweight matchup is the latest confirmed addition to the March 27 event, UFC 111.

Season strikers Martin Kampmann (16-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) and Ben Saunders (8-1-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) have verbally agreed to the matchup, and bout agreements are expected to be finalized shortly.

News of the fight was first reported by MMAWeekly.com, and MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has since confirmed the proposed matchup with sources close to the fight.

Featuring both a welterweight and interim heavyweight title fight, UFC 111 takes place at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The main card airs live on pay-per-view.

Kampmann looks to build on the momentum of a UFC 108 win over Jacob Volkmann earlier this month. Though best known for his striking, Kampmann earned the win by submission, the sixth such victory of his career.

The result was much-needed for Kampmann, who had lost an important matchup with Paul Daley this past September. The Danish striker currently stands at 3-1 in the UFC's 170-pound division, a mark he's built following a 4-1 run in the middleweight division.

Meanwhile, Saunders also bounced back from a recent loss with an impressive victory.

After dropping a June 2009 bout to Mike Swick, the American Top Team product responded back with a devastating knockout win over Marcus Davis at UFC 106 in November. The win was undoubtedly the highest-profile victory for "Killa B" to date. With additional wins overBrandon Wolff, Ryan Thomas and Daniel Barrera, Saunders has won four of his five career UFC outings.

The winner of the matchup of seasoned strikers will likely take a big step forward in the UFC's talent-rich welterweight division.

While UFC 111 is quickly filling with intriguing matchups, the bout between the two high-profile fighters with fan-friendly styles appears destined for the main card.

 

[Shogun Locc]

In tough climate, former WEC champ Urijah Faber's hard work pays off

Former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber (23-3 MMA, 8-2 WEC) may not have a black belt in jiu-jitsu, but that doesn't mean he can't school black belts.

Faber was supposed to have the striking advantage when he faced submission ace Raphael Assuncao (14-2 MMA, 2-1 WEC) at this past Sunday's WEC 46 event in Sacramento, Calif.

But after giving — and taking — some serious punches, Faber surprised his hometown crowd by choking the Brazilian out in the third round.

At the evening's post-event press conference, Faber said the result shouldn't have necessarily come as a surprise.

"If you go and watch the top competitions in submission grappling, you see the best guys in the world all the time catching each other in submissions," Faber said. "I'm also a very good submission guy. I've gone with black belts at all different levels, and I've put in my time."

Faber, a former six-time WEC featherweight champion, made a "proactive" recovery during a seven-month layoff due to a broken right hand and said he felt fine punching with Assuncao.

Still, Faber admitted that Assuncao's pressure surprised him during their 13-plus minutes together, putting him on the defense as he tried to get space to strike. With only three rounds to work, he knew he needed to make the most out of the standing exchanges.

"He was doing a good job of tying me up, so it took a little bit of time to be able to open up and start throwing down," Faber said. "I think we both were kind of working for an advantage in the clinch, so it tends to be a little bit slower. But it picked up."

When the action inevitably tumbled to the mat, Faber made the most of it by delivering punishment from top position and nearly locking in a guillotine choke in the second round.

"That kind of surprised me a little bit," Assuncao said afterward. "He has a great guillotine."

Equally surprising to the Brazilian was when Faber raised the bet and hopped on his back in the third round, which he hadn't prepared for. In a flash, the former champion had snaked his arm underneath Assuncao's head and started squeezing.

"We spent a little time training to defend [the guillotine]," Assuncao said. "I guess I'd like to have spent a little time on the rear-naked.

"I thought I would be able to get out of it by giving him my back and controlling him on the wrists and bumping him off of me."

Faber said that while a wrestling background gives him his base, he has six years worth of jiu-jitsu skills to compete with the best out there.

"I don't think he overlooked my jiu-jitsu," Faber said. "But when you're dealing with guys that really have dangerous weapons, there's the ability to get caught in there. I was able to capitalize."

WEC general manager Reed Harris said Faber's next charge will be current featherweight champion, Jose Aldo. Though there are still many moving parts to sort out, Harris said Sacramento's ARCO Arena – which turned out in force to support WEC 36 – could host the fight.

Faber was impressed with Sunday's crowd, expecially given the economic conditions in the state's capital.

"I think the economy is affecting people, and I was just stoked that so many people did come out and dug deep in their pockets and came to support me and the rest of the guys here," Faber said. "That crowd was loud.

"We're really making it a tradition here at the ARCO Arena with the WEC putting on great fights. I'm happy to lead that front."

As Faber looks forward to 2010, "The California Kid" said the challenges of 2009 never got him down.

"I'm pretty steady in my personality and mentality," Faber said. "I don't get down very much. It's just exciting for me every time I fight here. I really enjoy fighting, and I really enjoy fighting in front of the Sacramento crowd.

"It doesn't really matter what the circumstances are. I didn't really feel like I was out that long. I was out before the Jens Pulver fight six months. This was a seven-month layoff, and I was working out the whole time. I had a great time."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Spencer Fisher vs. Duane "Bang" Ludwig targeted for UFC Fight Night 21

A lightweight bout between veterans Spencer Fisher (23-5 MMA, 8-4 UFC) and Duane "Bang" Ludwig takes place in March at UFC Fight Night 21.

The bout was first reported by MMAWeekly.com, and a source close to one of the competitors has since told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) bout agreements are in the process of being finalized.

UFC Fight Night 21 takes place March 21 at the Odeum Colorado in Broomfield, Colo., and the night's main card airs on Versus.

It's the first of two 2010 UFC events expected to air on Versus as part of an expanded deal between the cable station and World Extreme Cagefighting, which is the UFC's sister promotion.

After a string of three consecutive wins (and four victories in a five-fight span), Fisher suffered a setback at October's UFC 104 event and suffered a second-round submission loss due to strikes to fellow contender Joe Stevenson. The longtime UFC fighter, who made his promotional debut more than four years ago, had topped Caol Uno and Jeremy Stephens via decision and Shannon Gugerty via submission during his recent streak. A victory over Stevenson could have finally earned him title-shot consideration.

Instead, he now looks to launch another win streak when he meets Ludwig, a Denver native who fights in front of his hometown crowd. It's also a pivotal fight for the 10-year veteran, who returned from a near-four-year absence from the UFC to replace Sean Sherk. There, Ludwig suffered a first-round submission loss to Jim Miller. It was the Strikeforce veteran's second loss in three fights and moves him to 6-6 since June 2006.

Ludwig could be dropped from the UFC again if he suffers another loss.

 

[Shogun Locc]

WEC exec says much of criticism unwarranted, promotion enjoying continued success

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – For World Extreme Cagefighting, the recipe for near-guaranteed success is simple: Bring Urijah Faber to ARCO Arena in Sacramento, Calif.

Sunday night's WEC 46 event was no exception to that rule, and while "The California Kid" wasn't in the main event, his hometown fans came in droves to support the card.

But what about the remaining events on the calendar? The WEC has taken some criticism in recent months for apparent lagging live gates and viewership numbers, but WEC vice president Peter Dropick recently told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that things have never been better.

"Our media is at an all-time high," Dropick said. "We've got a great television deal with a great sports network. Our exposure is at an all-time high. We're sold out in sponsorships with Pepsi, Anheuser-Busch, Harley Davidson and now MusclePharm, which is a top nutrition company out there. We've got arguably six of the top 10 featherweights in the world, eight of the top 10 bantamweights in the world, four of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

"I'm not sure where the criticism is coming from. We'll just keep doing what we do."

Digging deeper into the numbers

While it's difficult to find anyone willing to criticize the quality of the product the WEC puts on inside the cage, many MMA observers have openly questioned the promotion's business tactics and financial well-being.

Chief among the concerns were recent figures from the Nevada State Athletic Commission that the combined gates of "WEC 44: Brown vs. Aldo" and "WEC 45: Cerrone vs. Ratcliff" (the promotions final two events of 2009, which both took place at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas) was just $233,900, while the combined reported fighter salaries of the two dates (even without "Fight Night" bonuses) was $398,500.

On the surface, the numbers appear to indicate a significant loss. But as Dropick says, there is often more to a successful business deal than what lies on the surface.

"The negative comments, part of it is people don't know the business" Dropick said. "I've seen people talk about gates. Our deals are structured different ways depending on what venue we're in – if we're in a casino or if we're renting a venue.

"There's a thing called site fees where I don't control the tickets; the casino controls the tickets. So how the casino sells the tickets, comps the tickets, how they handle them, that's up to them. Yes, they're announced through the state athletic commission, but the revenue doesn't go to us. That's people that aren't educated in the process. I don't need to go out and explain it, though I basically just did. There's been growth."

The pros and cons of Versus

The WEC's broadcast deal with Versus has also been an easy target for critics. While the channel isn't one of the highest-profile networks on the cable tier, Dropick insists the deal – which now includes the UFC, as well – is the right one for the two Zuffa-owned promotions.

"Versus has been a great, great partner," Dropick said. "They keep growing in terms of their properties. They're up about 10 percent overall in their viewers from last year, and we're one of the cornerstone properties. We're actually, on a consistent basis, the highest rated live event on the network.

"It's a great TV deal. It's a real TV deal. They're true partners. It made sense for us. It's a positive to have them as a partner, and we're excited."

Adding to that excitement is the fact that Versus' parent company, Comcast, is finalizing a merger with NBC's parent company. The potential opportunities for the WEC in association with the new broadcast conglomerate have Dropick salivating.

"There's a lot going on in that Comcast world right now," Dropick said. "They've announced that they're merging with NBC. Obviously that deal is going to take some time to close. It has to go through the regulatory process, but it certainly opens up a lot of opportunities."

Of course, when it comes to any discussion of television, the inevitable course of the discussion will carry it to Versus' current absence from DirecTV.

Dropick remains positive that a new deal will be in place, and he also points out that the network's total viewership didn't immediately drop nearly as significantly as some reports would suggest.

"The last word I got is that [Versus and DirecTV officials] are talking, which is a positive thing," Dropick said. "They are talking, and they hope to have some answers shortly for us. It's certainly disappointing, but there was a time period there where the net loss was only 1 million homes. Versus went out, and they went to DISH Network, and they went to a lot of the top cable providers, and they put Versus on a free tier for a trial period. So the net loss was only 1 million homes.

"We're confident they're going to get [a deal] done. Unfortunately, there's not a lot I can do about it. We don't love it, but they're talking. Hopefully it kick-starts sooner rather than later."

Plans for 2010

Dropick said the current deal with Versus calls for seven WEC events on the network in 2010, though a pay-per-view event sometime this year appears a near certainty.

"Currently our deal (with Versus) is seven fights," Dropick said. "That doesn't mean we can't do more, but we're guaranteeing them seven fights, which is, we felt in our discussions with Versus, a good number. The UFC has two events on Versus, as well, so they're going to be carrying nine fight cards within our family.

"We plan on doing more events, though. We have plans for a pay-per-view, which would give us that eighth fight."

Dropick said the oft-criticized pay-per-view plans of the organization weren't a certainty, but he is "actively planning for it."

Both Dropick and WEC general manager Reed Harris have routinely stated that the quality of talent on such a card would be the best the WEC could offer, and that while the price point had not yet been finalized, "It would be less than the UFC," he said.

In the end, the WEC may be a victim of its association with the world's largest MMA promotion. The "home of the top lighter-weight fighters in the world" is in some ways being measured against a ruler it can never hope to match.

But with the promotion operating for less than a year under its current plan (the final welterweight bout for the WEC was conducted in March 2009), Dropick said the promotion is doing just fine. The exec insisted that discussions of failures, shortcomings and necessary mergers with the UFC were not only inaccurate, they were actually laughable.

"There were a couple fights where there was a slight downtick in ratings," Dropick said. "But overall, we've had growth over the year. I don't see how the heck it's dying.

"From top to bottom, if you're looking at fighters – the pool of fighters, the depth of fighters – the TV deal, the media coverage, the sponsorships, you go A-to-Z from our company as a whole, it's the second best promotion out there. The UFC's the best. People can say what they want to. It is what it is. We laugh at it."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Chase Gormley vs. Brendan Schaub in the works for UFC Fight Night 21 in March

A pair of heavyweights looking to rebound from the first losses of their career will meet in March.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has learned from sources close to the event that Chase Gormley (6-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) and Brendan Schaub (4-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) are likely to meet at UFC Fight Night 21 in March.

Both fighters have verbally agreed to the contest, and bout agreements are expected to be finalized soon.

Featuring a light heavyweight matchup between Jon Jones and Brandon Vera, UFC Fight Night 21 takes place on March 21 in Broomfield, Colo. The event marks the UFC's debut on the Versus cable network.

Gormley made his promotional debut at this past October's UFC 104 event, though he was submitted by Dutch prospect Stefan Struve. Gormley was fighting for the first time since a May 2008 unanimous-decision win over Eric Pele.

Undefeated in his first six professional bouts, Gormley has earned two wins by TKO and another two by submission.

Meanwhile, Schaub looks to bounce back from a disappointing loss to former IFL champion Roy Nelson in the finals of December's The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale.

After opening his career with four-straight TKO wins, Schaub fought his way into the "TUF 10" tournament final, but Nelson shocked the 26-year-old and former MMAjunkie.com blogger by delivering a first round knockout.

It's currently unknown if the bout will be featured on the event's already impressive main card.

With the likely addition, UFC Fight Night 21 now includes:

* Jon Jones vs. Brandon Vera
* John Howard vs. Anthony Johnson
* Clay Guida vs. Sean Sherk*
* Spencer Fisher vs. Duane "Bang" Ludwig*
* Eliot Marshall vs. Vladimir Matyushenko
* Chase Gormley vs. Brendan Schaub*

* - Not officially announced

 

[Shogun Locc]

Kendall Grove returns at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi, opponent named soon

Fresh off an impressive submission victory over Jake Rosholt at UFC 106, middleweight Kendall Grove (11-6, 6-3 UFC) returns to action at UFC 112 on April 10 in Abu Dhabi.

Grove made the announcement Monday on his official Twitter account but did not disclose his opponent for the event.

A source close to the event, though, told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) an official UFC announcement of Grove's opponent could come as early as today.

However, the UFC hasn't yet officially announced the UFC 112 event, which would be the UFC's first in the United Arab Emirates.

UFC 112 is expected to feature a headlining bout between longtime Gracie statesman and UFC newcomer Renzo Gracie and nine-time UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes.

Grove, who recently opened a fight school in his native Maui, Hawaii, got back on track with the triangle submission victory over Rosholt. The victory followed a decision loss to Ricardo Almeida at UFC 101.

Since winning the third season of "The Ultimate Fighter," Grove has seen ups and downs in his UFC career, but he began to refocus after moving from Las Vegas back to Hawaii. In addition to training at his facility, he frequently makes the short trek to Hilo to train with lightweight champion B.J. Penn’s team.

In Abu Dhabi, Grove looks to make it his third string of back-to-back octagon victories.

 

[Shogun Locc]

HENDERSON HOLDS NO ILL WILL FOR VARNER'S COMMENTS

Emotions always run high in any big fight, but maybe never more so than when competing for a championship. That was definitely the case after Ben Henderson defeated Jamie Varner for the WEC lightweight title, winning by guillotine choke in the third round of their fight on Sunday night.

Following the loss, Varner let loose a tirade that had the Sacramento, Calif., crowd loudly booing him for his post fight comments.

"I came to fight, Ben came to grapple," Varner said.

Never one to get caught up in the moment, Henderson talked about his opponent's comments at the post fight press conference, and downplayed any hostility towards Varner for his harsh words.

"I didn’t hear them, but I won't take offense to them," Henderson said. "Fighting's a tough sport, people get emotional, win or lose. I sound like an idiot after the ‘W.’ I keep going on and on, and I just have so much love and happiness inside of me, I keep talking forever.

"Fighters, we get emotional. We're very emotional people, so it's cool."

When pressed for comment about his reaction in the cage, Varner took a slight step back and complemented Henderson for his strategy in the fight, which eventually got him the win and the unified WEC title.

"I definitely, I came to fight, and it just seemed like Ben was doing a little bit more running, a little bit more countering," Varner commented. "That was a game plan. We all have our strategies, and his was good."

Henderson says the strategy played out just like his coaches had mapped it out for him, and ultimately he has the title around his waist and that's all that matters.

"We knew he was going to come out gang busters and just go for broke in the beginning," Henderson said. "He was pretty anxious to get in there and lay his hands on me, so we just wanted to get him a little bit frustrated in the first couple rounds, get his timing, and then gradually pick it up, pick it up, pick up the pace. Sort of went according to plan."

Now 4-0 in the WEC, Henderson will wait to hear if his next fight will indeed be an expected rematch against Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone or another opponent instead.

 

[Shogun Locc]

ESCUDERO'S ARM NOT BROKEN IN LOSS TO DUNHAM

“The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir” winner Efrain Escudero suffered his first loss, to Evan Dunham via armbar at UFC Fight Night 20 in Fairfax, Va., on Monday night, but did not suffer any broken bones in the submission loss.

Escudero posted on his official Twitter account that he got an x-ray on Tuesday and did not have a broken arm. He only suffered tendon damage.

Escudero got off to a quick start against Dunham, knocking the 28-year-old Oregon native down with a right hand in the first round, but found himself the victim of a submission transition in the final round that had even the seasoned fan cringing.

Dunham took Escudero’s back and quickly moved to a triangle choke, and when Escudero defended, locked down an arm and started cranking. Escudero did not tap out for several seconds and it looked as if the arm was broken.

Escudero immediately left the Octagon after the bout lending to speculation that the arm was severely damaged.

Escudero would like a rematch with the undefeated Dunham, posting, “expect and Evan vs. Efrain 2.” Taking his first loss in stride, he stated, “I'm not puttin my head down at all. I'm gonna come back stronger quote my words!”

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC 110: Wanderlei Silva training for Michael Bisping at Affliction (Video)

 

[Shogun Locc]

Anthony Johnson vs. John Howard set for UFC Fight Night 21 on VERSUS

A welterweight showdown between Anthony Johnson and John Howard is official for “UFC on Versus: Vera vs. Jones“.

UFC Fight Night 21 will be the first live UFC event to air on the VERSUS network, and is set for March 21 from the Odeum Arena in Broomfield, Colorado.

Johnson will be looking to bounce back from his second round submission defeat at the hands of Josh Koscheck following a three fight win streak in the Octagon, while Howard has gone undefeated since his arrival in the UFC with wins over the likes of Chris Wilson, Tamdan McCrory and most recently, Dennis Hallman.

Other bouts that have been made official for the card include the headlining match-up between Jon Jones and Brandon Vera at light heavyweight, along with Eliot Marshall vs. Vladimir Matyushenko, also at 205 pounds.

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC confirms selling of minority percentage to Flash Entertainment

Five days ago FiveOuncesofPain.com first reported that the UFC had sold a percentage of the company to an Abu Dhabi based investor, and the promotion has since confirmed that it has in fact sold 10% of Zuffa, LLC, along with the UFC to the United Arab Emirates based company, Flash Entertainment.

Below is the full release from the UFC:

Las Vegas, NV (USA) — UFC today announced that the organization Flash Entertainment, a leading live events company based in the United Arab Emirates, has acquired a ten percent stake in Zuffa, LLC, d/b/a Ultimate Fighting Championship.

UFC owners Lorenzo J. Fertitta, Frank Fertitta III and Dana White stated that they are pleased to have this partnership in place and are honored to be associated with Flash. The Fertitta brothers and White agree that this investment brings exceptional strategic value, expertise and global opportunities to the UFC brand.

“Over the past few years, we have built a relationship with all levels of the Flash organization. They share our vision, passion, and enthusiasm for the UFC,” said Lorenzo J. Fertitta, UFC Chairman and CEO. “We are confident that this partnership will accelerate the worldwide growth of the UFC.”

Ossama Khoreibi, Chairman of Flash Entertainment, commented, “Since our very first meeting, we were impressed by Lorenzo, Frank and Dana’s commitment to growing UFC as a global sport.” He continued, “Flash is equally committed to building Abu Dhabi’s profile as an international entertainment destination, and this partnership provides further proof of our company’s bold ambitions. We look forward to an exciting future ahead, working closely with our UFC partners to activate this sport in the UAE, the region and across the world.”

The Raine Group acted as financial advisor to Flash Entertainment. Goldman Sachs served as UFC’s financial advisor.

Flash Entertainment – www.thinkflash.ae
Formed in Abu Dhabi in August 2008, Flash Entertainment is the region’s leading events consultancy, with a proven track record in delivering world-class events from movie premieres and classical shows to international tennis tournaments and megastar music concerts. Flash is made up of a team of industry professionals, offering comprehensive event management solutions from concept design and strategic planning, through to implementation, management and evaluation.

Flash Entertainment is playing a major role in the Emirate’s evolution as a leading entertainment & leisure destination having delivered some of the most high profile events in the region including George Michael & Alicia Keys, Shakira, Coldplay, Andrea Bocelli, The Killers, Rihanna and the Yasalam series of concerts featuring Beyonce, Jamiroquai, Timbaland, Kings of Leon and Aerosmith. In January 2009, Flash launched the Capitala World Tennis Championship which saw six of the world’s top male players compete in Abu Dhabi’s first international tennis tournament. The event has gone on to win numerous awards and widespread critical acclaim and in January 2010 saw the second year of the competition.

Flash is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Government of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Strikeforce: Andre Galvão anxious to debut

Without fighting since Dream GP’s finals, André Galvão is anxious to make his Strikeforce debut. While a visit to the training center of X-Gym, the black belt gave an exclusive interview and talked about the opportunity on United States. “I must fight on January 30, but I’m waiting. They’re holding me for a long time... A revolution is happening and you’ll see the difference”, guarantees, making clear the interest on participate of Worlds Jiu-Jitsu this year, in case he doesn’t have any MMA fight scheduled on the same time. Check below the exclusive chat with Galvão.

You were going to fight in December, then it was changed to January... When will you debut on Strikeforce?
I might fight on January 30, but I’m still waiting. It’s pretty close and I depend on their answer. They’re holding me for a while, I’m ready to fight for a long time, I thought I was going to fight in December, in November, and they postponed, and now they’re saying about the 30th.

Did they already say something about opponent?
They didn’t say anything about the opponent yet, but I’m ready to anyone, to debut well, to show my game, my evolution on the training from our training to search the Jiu-Jitsu, the submission, the technical knock out.

What’s disturbing you about taking this long to choose the opponent?
The psychological is what disturb the most, sometimes you lost your focus. You’re ready to fight and they tell you that you won’t fight on this event, but on the next one. It happened three times with me. It’s disturbing me on my diet too, my physical, my training… We train power, explosion, speed, according to the time we have to the fight. You have to be very clever, as the physical preparer Rogério Camões (physical coach) says, you have to be clever on a training like that. But, thanks God, I always trained a lot on Jiu-Jitsu, all the time, and I think it’s not disturbing me.

Do you see the fighters on your category? Who do you must face?
There are a lot of athletes, you know, and there are a lot of though guys. My category will have the fight for the belt now on the 30th with Nick Dias against Marius Zaromskis, that guy who won the Dream, they’re tough athletes, and there are a lot of other athletes. There’s a lot of people on 170 pounds category.

Do you want to fight for the belt as soon as possible?
I’m not hurried, I’ll do my job, I’ll be focus on each fight to do a good work and the belt is a consequence, to be a champion is a consequence from your work, dedication. So, it’s to think fight after fight. If it’s God’s willing I’ll win that before the end of my contract.

Will we see you on the World’s Jiu-Jitsu or is your career totally on MMA?
I want very much to fight Jiu-Jitsu yet, I love Jiu-Jitsu and I don’t fight MMA for a long time, I think my last fight was in July, almost seven months without fighting so I want to fight. I’m a Jiu-Jitsu athlete who fights MMA, every month I was fighting a couple of championships, competition is inside me, it’s a part, but I can’t say if I will be fighting or not, but I believe that, if it’s God’s willing, no, because it’ll mean that my career is more focused on MMA, and that’s what I want now.

In which category?
Light heavyweight.

And what’s the expectation to 2010?
I have a fourteen months contract and inside that I have to make five fights and I want to end that, and, if it’s God’s willing, finishing that, to go to a step higher, the UFC. Is everything in God’s hands, everything is going well to me, I have nothing to complain, but I have a good structure on trainings, Anderson is helping me, Minotauro supports me, all my training partners, trainers, Distak, Rogerião, Juan, everyone is helping me and that’s good, an evolution is happening and I think you’ll note the difference. And in 2010 is to make fight after fight, seriously, because in Japan I’ve lost the focus and I intend not to make those mistakes again neither the mistake that I had on my last fight to have a shining 2010.

 

[Shogun Locc]

“Anderson is extremely better than Belfort”

Beginning of year is not resting time to Rafael “Feijão”. On the break of the trainings on X-Gym, Cavalcante gave an exclusive interview TATAME TV looking to his bigger goal: to win on Strikeforce. “There’s so many people in this weight, each time I check on the website there’s someone new, so I have to train and keep training, and that’s what I’m doing”, Feijão said, revealing his wish to face Dan Henderson and Gegard Mousasi his year. Check below the exclusive chat, when Feijão talked about the year of the gym and the expectation to the next fight of Rodrigo “Minotauro” and Anderson Silva on UFC, criticizing the fact that Vitor Belfort accepted to face his ex training partner, and risked his guess to the fight: “Anderson is so much better than Vitor... He will knock out”.

Are you preparing, is there any fight scheduled?
Probably in the end of February we’ll be fighting again, it seems that Anderson will fight in April too, so everyone is training together. Paulo Thiago is training with us, (André) Galvão...

And who will you face?
I have no idea, there’s so many people on this category. Everytime I look there on the card there’s one more, so my part is to train and keep trained, and that’s what I’m doing.

How was the end of the year? Junior “Cigano” dos Santos won again... Did you train with him?
I trained. We represent Team Nogueira, everyone here, me, Anderson, everyone here who’s from the team and is here training. It’s Team Nogueira on the heads. I’ve trained with Rogério, with Cigano and I think that we‘ve closed with golden key, our team had only victories. Rogério showed what he came for, he showed that he’s one the best boxers on MMA, why everyone thinks that and now why everyone knows that. Cigano has a house on his hands, he hits and the guy falls down, I finished the year with a victory, Anderson... Everyone were perfect. We have to thank God and our families everyday, because they support us to be where we are.

Now that Minotauro will face Cain Velasquez, what do you think about this fight, what he needs to focus on that combat?
Rodrigo is back to his old shape. I’ve been training with him to another fight since Couture’s fight. When you’re winning, everyone supports you, but when you lose, everyone say bad things. I think Minotauro is an example to everyone. To be good on the good is easy, the man to take a knock down, to come back and to this stuff that he does, that’s hard, so I think this fight with Cain Velasquez is though, he’s a very tough guy, he’s young, but I think that with Minotauro’s experience, his technique... I think he’s much better standing up and on the ground. On the ground, Couture is pretty good, he fought with Jacaré. Our champion, that’s starting now, the difference is minimal.

Is almost decided that Anderson will face Vitor. You trained with Vitor, but you’re Anderson’s friend and train with him for a long time. How do you think this fight’s gonna be? Do you think it’s gonna be Anderson’s biggest challenge or Anderson will beat Vitor easily?
Fights are never easy. It’s going to be a tough fight, Vitor is a tough fighter, he’s a great fighter, experient, good on boxing, on the ground, a complete guy. And about trainings, I believe in choose only one side, you can’t play on both sides, I don’t accept that, my team and I, we don’t believe on training globalization and we’re very closed. So, never in my life I’ll fight against a partner, a friend from my gym, I don’t like that. About the fight now, I think Anderson extremely better than Vitor, standing up and on the ground, and Anderson will win this fight without any doubts. The way he’s training, the will that he’s coming, he’ll knock out.

Do you think that Vitor made a bad choice accepting this fight, even being a professional?
I think that he was wrong on considering the fight. Its the same as if a guy offered me to fight with Rogério (Nogueira) or Minotauro. I think that fame goes away someday, but who’s centered only one thing will last: family and your truly friends. Fame, everyone hugging you, pictures, magazines, it goes away... nothing will go when you die. In my opinion, just to consider this fight, I don’t admit this kind of attitude.

And on 2010, do you want to try the Strikeforce’s belt?
A lot, I want it a lot.

Is that your goal?
That’s my goal, my aim this year is that. A lot of people will think “how arrogant” but we live of dreams, and that’s mine, to get there and have the belt, I want this belt to me, to my family, I’ve trained hard for it, I train Jiu-Jitsu since I was ten. I was graduated in Veterinary and I drop it to follow my dream, that’s my dream and if it’s God’s willing I’ll win the belt. There are only tough guys, better than me on some stuff, but I’ll push hard to bring this belt to Brazil.

It would be a dream to face Dan Henderson then Mousasi for the belt?
A lot, I’d like it a lot.

 

[Shogun Locc]

“Anderson is extremely better than Belfort”

Beginning of year is not resting time to Rafael “Feijão”. On the break of the trainings on X-Gym, Cavalcante gave an exclusive interview TATAME TV looking to his bigger goal: to win on Strikeforce. “There’s so many people in this weight, each time I check on the website there’s someone new, so I have to train and keep training, and that’s what I’m doing”, Feijão said, revealing his wish to face Dan Henderson and Gegard Mousasi his year. Check below the exclusive chat, when Feijão talked about the year of the gym and the expectation to the next fight of Rodrigo “Minotauro” and Anderson Silva on UFC, criticizing the fact that Vitor Belfort accepted to face his ex training partner, and risked his guess to the fight: “Anderson is so much better than Vitor... He will knock out”.

Are you preparing, is there any fight scheduled?
Probably in the end of February we’ll be fighting again, it seems that Anderson will fight in April too, so everyone is training together. Paulo Thiago is training with us, (André) Galvão...

And who will you face?
I have no idea, there’s so many people on this category. Everytime I look there on the card there’s one more, so my part is to train and keep trained, and that’s what I’m doing.

How was the end of the year? Junior “Cigano” dos Santos won again... Did you train with him?
I trained. We represent Team Nogueira, everyone here, me, Anderson, everyone here who’s from the team and is here training. It’s Team Nogueira on the heads. I’ve trained with Rogério, with Cigano and I think that we‘ve closed with golden key, our team had only victories. Rogério showed what he came for, he showed that he’s one the best boxers on MMA, why everyone thinks that and now why everyone knows that. Cigano has a house on his hands, he hits and the guy falls down, I finished the year with a victory, Anderson... Everyone were perfect. We have to thank God and our families everyday, because they support us to be where we are.

Now that Minotauro will face Cain Velasquez, what do you think about this fight, what he needs to focus on that combat?
Rodrigo is back to his old shape. I’ve been training with him to another fight since Couture’s fight. When you’re winning, everyone supports you, but when you lose, everyone say bad things. I think Minotauro is an example to everyone. To be good on the good is easy, the man to take a knock down, to come back and to this stuff that he does, that’s hard, so I think this fight with Cain Velasquez is though, he’s a very tough guy, he’s young, but I think that with Minotauro’s experience, his technique... I think he’s much better standing up and on the ground. On the ground, Couture is pretty good, he fought with Jacaré. Our champion, that’s starting now, the difference is minimal.

Is almost decided that Anderson will face Vitor. You trained with Vitor, but you’re Anderson’s friend and train with him for a long time. How do you think this fight’s gonna be? Do you think it’s gonna be Anderson’s biggest challenge or Anderson will beat Vitor easily?
Fights are never easy. It’s going to be a tough fight, Vitor is a tough fighter, he’s a great fighter, experient, good on boxing, on the ground, a complete guy. And about trainings, I believe in choose only one side, you can’t play on both sides, I don’t accept that, my team and I, we don’t believe on training globalization and we’re very closed. So, never in my life I’ll fight against a partner, a friend from my gym, I don’t like that. About the fight now, I think Anderson extremely better than Vitor, standing up and on the ground, and Anderson will win this fight without any doubts. The way he’s training, the will that he’s coming, he’ll knock out.

Do you think that Vitor made a bad choice accepting this fight, even being a professional?
I think that he was wrong on considering the fight. Its the same as if a guy offered me to fight with Rogério (Nogueira) or Minotauro. I think that fame goes away someday, but who’s centered only one thing will last: family and your truly friends. Fame, everyone hugging you, pictures, magazines, it goes away... nothing will go when you die. In my opinion, just to consider this fight, I don’t admit this kind of attitude.

And on 2010, do you want to try the Strikeforce’s belt?
A lot, I want it a lot.

Is that your goal?
That’s my goal, my aim this year is that. A lot of people will think “how arrogant” but we live of dreams, and that’s mine, to get there and have the belt, I want this belt to me, to my family, I’ve trained hard for it, I train Jiu-Jitsu since I was ten. I was graduated in Veterinary and I drop it to follow my dream, that’s my dream and if it’s God’s willing I’ll win the belt. There are only tough guys, better than me on some stuff, but I’ll push hard to bring this belt to Brazil.

It would be a dream to face Dan Henderson then Mousasi for the belt?
A lot, I’d like it a lot.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Anderson Silva back to training

 

[Shogun Locc]

Gonzaga-Dos Santos Added to UFC Versus Debut

A heavyweight bout between Gabriel Gonzaga and Junior dos Santos has been added to the UFC’s debut event on Versus on March 21 at the Odeum Colorado in Broomfield, Colo., the promotion announced on Wednesday.

The bout had been scheduled to take place at UFC 108 on Jan. 2 in Las Vegas until Gonzaga withdrew last December from a staph infection.

Instead, Dos Santos took out veteran striker Gilbert Yvel in one round at UFC 108, cementing his role as a rising threat in the division. The 25-year-old fighter has four straight wins in the Octagon, including his third-round dismantling of Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic at UFC 103 last September.

Gonzaga stopped Chris Tuchscherer with first-round strikes at UFC 102 last August in Portland, Ore. The 30-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt has won three of his last four bouts, including victories against Justin McCully and Josh Hendricks.

Also on the card, Brandon Vera and Jon Jones will vie for their places in the light heavyweight division’s pecking order, while John Howard and Anthony Johnson will clash in a welterweight bout.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Undefeated Patricio "Pitbull" Freire joins Bellator's season-two 145-pound tourney

Brazilian Patricio "Pitbull" Freire (also known simply as Patricio Pitbull) is the latest addition to Bellator Fighting Championship's season-two featherweight tournament.

Bellator officials today announced the undefeated fighter, who owns a career 12-0 mark, will be part of the eight-man field.

Bellator's season-two tournaments, which determine challengers for the season-one winners and current champs, kick off in April and air live on FOX Sports Net affiliates and in highlights packages on NBC and Telemundo.

Although largely unknown to casual MMA fans, Freire, a former member of the once-famed Chute Boxe team, has garnered plenty of buzz within the industry since his pro debut in 2004. Ten of his 12 career wins have come via stoppage, six in the first round.

Freire, as well as recent Bellator acquisitions Georgi Karakhanyan (12-1-1) and William Romero (5-0), look for a chance to fight current featherweight champ Joe Soto.

"In Bellator's first season, Joe Soto came from nowhere to win our featherweight tournament and a six-figure check in just 90 days," Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney stated. "I believe Patricio Pitbull has the chance to do the same thing in season two. While he may be undiscovered by most U.S. fans, I can tell you that he is the real deal. I encourage you to go to YouTube and check him out for yourself."

Freire makes his U.S. debut in the tournament, which awards each winner nearly $200,000 in pay over a 12-week period.

"I have been waiting for the opportunity to make my international debut for a long time," the Portuguese-speaking Freire stated through a translator. "Bellator has some outstanding featherweight fighters – particularly Joe Soto – and I am excited to have my chance to show America and the world what I can do in the cage."

Bellator officials are expected to announce additional tournament participants over the next few weeks.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Vitor Belfort's manager confirms UFC 112 Abu Dhabi title fight with Anderson Silva

Following months of speculation on the fate of a postponed bout between middleweight champion Anderson Silva (25-4, 10-0 UFC) and challenger Vitor Belfort (19-8 MMA, 8-4 UFC), the pieces are finally in place for an April fight.

Fabiano Farah, Belfort's manager, confirmed with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) on Wednesday that Belfort meets Silva at UFC 112 on April 10 in Abu Dhabi. UFC president Dana White recently said he hoped the fight would take place on the overseas card.

The middleweight bout originally was scheduled to take place at UFC 108 on Jan. 2 but was shelved when Silva suffered complications from elbow surgery and was unable to train properly for the fight.

Silva recently began hard training again and is "very fired up" to face Belfort, according to manager Ed Soares, who declined to confirm the bout.

Belfort and Silva were on-again, off-again training partners in the original incarnation of fight team Black House formed in Brazil in 2006.

A Tuesday report from Dubai-based newspaper The National said the pair had separately called the renowned grappling dojo Abu Dhabi Combat Club to inquire about training at the facility a full two weeks before the April event.

The club's jiu-jitsu instructor, Carlos Santos, said the conditions would not be the same as a usual UFC event.

"I told them both they should come early because it will be an outdoor event, not indoors like they are used to, and that many factors and conditions will be different for them," he said.

However, White on Wednesday told MMAFighting.com that the UFC's new strategic partners, UAE-based Flash Entertainment, were planning to build a stadium for UFC 112.

Silva most recently appeared in August at UFC 101, where he dominated former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin in a violent rebound from two lackluster title defenses over Patrick Cote and Thales Leites. Silva now owns a UFC-record 10-fight win streak and has posted stoppages in 12 of his past 13 wins.

Belfort, a former UFC light heavyweight champion, knocked out Rich Franklin in a 195-pound catchweight bout at UFC 103, his first octagon appearance since UFC 51. He has now won five consecutive fights, which included a couple wins in the now-defunct Affliction Entertainment and the U.K.-based Cage Rage promotions.

The latest rumored (and already intriguing) UFC 112 fight card now includes:

* Champ Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort (for middleweight title)*
* Champ B.J. Penn vs. Frankie Edgar (for lightweight title)*
* Matt Hughes vs. Renzo Gracie*
* Kendall Grove vs. TBA*

* - Not officially announced

 

[Shogun Locc]

Melvin Manhoef training at American Top Team for Robbie Lawler

FiveOuncesofPain.com has recently learned from sources close to the fighter that Melvin Manhoef is currently “training like a maniac” for his upcoming middleweight showdown with fellow heavy handed slugger Robbie Lawler, and furthermore has made the trip out to the American Top Team in Coconut Creek for the match-up.

This isn’t the first time Manhoef has made the journey to the Florida based gym to sharpen his skills, as the feared Dutch knockout specialist admitted his intentions of returning to the gym in a 2009 conversation with 5 Oz.

“I will definitely go back to ATT to train,” said Manhoef. “The guys there help me to improve my ground skills and have become good friends of mine.”

Manhoef and Lawler are set to punch one another in the face on January 30 during “Strikeforce: Miami“, which is set to take place on January 30 from the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida while airing on Showtime in the United States, and the Super Channel in Canada.

Check out a pic of Manhoef training with ATT boxing coach Howard Davis Jr. courtesy of American Top Team’s Twitter account below:

 

[Shogun Locc]

“Wanderlei will always be the champion”