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Feb 7, 2006
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UFC Close to Signing Jon Olav Einemo

SYDNEY -- A new (and old) heavyweight prospect is on the verge of signing with the UFC.

Former Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) champion Jon Olav Einemo (7-1) is in serious contract talks with the UFC and the organization is hopeful that they will be able to come to terms with the 35-year-old Norwegian very soon, UFC officials informed MMA Fighting on Friday.

Einemo made his MMA debut in 2000 and won his first five fights in a row in the first round. He lost his first fight to Fabricio Werdum at PRIDE 31 in 2006. After defeating James Thompson later that year, Einemo abruptly left MMA. However, he returned in June 2010 to defeat Kresimir Bogdanovic in Bosnia.

The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, who is a part of Team Golden Glory, is the only man to defeat multiple-time BJJ champion Roger Gracie in the ADCC tournament. He went on to finish first after beating Gracie in the semi-finals of the 88-98 kg weight division.

Below is recent footage of Einemo training with Sergei Kharitonov prior to the Russian's recent fight against Andrei Arlovski.
 
Feb 7, 2006
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Koch Nixed, UFC Live 3 Set with 11 Bouts

It appears Erik Koch (Pictured) will have to wait a bit longer to make his UFC debut.

On Thursday, Koch’s opponent, Greg Jackson product Cub Swanson, announced that an undisclosed injury would prevent him from competing at UFC Live 3 on March 3 at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky. With the promotion reportedly unable to find a short-notice replacement for Swanson, the entire bout has been scrapped, and the event’s bill is now complete with 11 fights.

The show will be headlined by a welterweight clash between Danish striker Martin Kampmann and the resurgent Diego Sanchez.

Koch has been beaten only once as a professional. The 22-year-old Roufusport product rebounded from a decision defeat to Chad Mendes to notch back-to-back victories to end 2010. After submitting Bendy Casimir with a triangle choke in June, “New Breed” spoiled Francisco Rivera’s WEC debut with a head kick and followed up with punches to seal the November TKO victory.

Swanson is a three-time WEC “Fight of the Night” winner and a six-year veteran of the sport. The 27-year-old has thrown both strikes and gutters as of late, alternating between wins and losses in his last four fights. Most recently, Swanson earned a hard-fought split decision win over Mackens Semerzier at WEC 52 in November, edging out the Team Menace representative after a three-round war.
 
Feb 7, 2006
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Alan Jouban vs. Jamie Yager set for Tachi Palace Fights 9 on May 6

After a stunning 15-second knockout in his professional debut over prospect Kyle Griffin, 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu disciple Alan Jouban (1-0) now meets "The Ultimate Fighter 11" cast member Jamie Yager (3-2) in a welterweight contest.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has learned from Tachi Palace Fights officials that Jouban and Yager have agreed to meet at Tachi Palace Fights 9.

Featuring a lightweight matchup between UFC veterans Fabricio Camoes and Efrain Escudero, Tachi Palace Fights 9 takes place May 6 at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, Calif.

The card was originally scheduled for May 5, but the promotion recently moved the card to following night.

After a successful amateur career that featured a 14-second knockout under the Tuff-N-Uff banner, Jouban made his professional debut at this past weekend's Tachi Palace Fights 8 event. Facing Xtreme Couture's Griffin, Jouban fired a perfectly timed knee into his opponent's jaw during a takedown attempt and earned the stoppage just 15 seconds into the opening frame.

Meanwhile, Yager makes his debut at 170 pounds.

"The Chosyn 1" was released from the UFC after suffering a second-round TKO loss to Rich Attonito at this past June's The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale event. Yager has since bounced back with a submission win over Marcus Gaines at a January event in California.

On paper, the matchup looks like a potential barnburner.

"I'm really pumped about this fight," Jouban told MMAjunkie.com. "I feel that we both have similar strengths, and we are both capable knockout finishers. Put two guys like that in a cage together, and no one should be sitting by the time the bell rings. It's going to be a real exciting and explosive fight!"

To watch Jouban's win over Griffin, check out Tachi Palace Fights' YouTube channel.
 
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NSAC budget cuts eliminate out-of-competition drug testing; Kizer seeks alternatives

A budget crunch has left the Nevada State Athletic Commission unable to employ one of the most significant deterrents to the use of performance enhancing drugs in professional competition.

Two years after the influential regulatory body announced it would conduct out-of-competition drug testing, legislators completely withdrew funding for the program.

The NSAC will soon decide whether to press legislators on a proposal to reinstate testing, possibly by diverting funds within the commission's budget.

"What we're trying to do is find alternative sources of revenue," NSAC Executive Director Keith Kizer told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

The NSAC began out-of-competition in the summer of 2008 after successfully petitioning the legislature to set aside money from the state's general fund. The commission received $18,000 for the 2008-2009 fiscal year (July 2008 to June 2009) and conducted between 40 and 50 tests, according to Kizer.

UFC 84 main-event fighters B.J. Penn and Sean Sherk, as well as co-main event fighters Lyoto Machida and Tito Ortiz, were among the first to be tested in the new program. Machida and Rashad Evans were the last MMA headliners to be tested out of competition at UFC 98. None of the out-of-competition tests came back positive for performance enhancers or drugs of abuse.

With state governments around the country tightening their belts amid a widening recession, the NSAC's budget for out-of-competition testing was reduced to $12,000 in fiscal year 2009-2010. Regulators then asked the commission to give back all of the money before the year's end, Kizer said.

In fiscal year 2010-2011, there is no money in the NSAC's budget for out-of-competition drug testing, though athletes are still tested either the day prior to an event or immediately following it, and sometimes both.

The enforcement gap has nevertheless prompted the commission to get creative in coming up with the money to reinstate the program. One solution expected to be addressed at a meeting early next month is to draw a portion of funds from the amateur combative sports program, which pays for some of the safety and administrative costs associated with amateur boxing, kickboxing and MMA. The program is funded by a "ticket fee" assessed by the NSAC at professional events that is separate from the commission's live gate fee, which takes a percentage of the money generated by ticket sales. The ticket fee amounts to .50 per ticket with live gates totaling less than $1 million, and $1 per ticket above that figure.

UFC 126, which took place Feb. 5 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center and generated a live gate of $3.6 million, put $9,649 in the amateur fund. The fund's reserves are currently in the "low six figures," said Kizer.

The executive director said out-of-competition drug tests typically cost $200 per test, and the NSAC doesn't need a significant amount to get out-of-competition back on line.

"Even if it's only six to nine thousand dollars per calendar year, we could still do a lot of testing," Kizer said. "Obviously, we don't want to short-change the amateurs. That's very important for these kids to have events to go to and training, and that's why the fund was set up in the first place."

Commissioners will decide during the March meeting whether to lobby legislators on changing the NSAC's funding statutes for the next state budget, which runs from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2013. Nevada legislators are working to close a $2.2 billion dollar shortfall in the state's general fund, which has prompted governor Pete Sandoval to recommend harsh cutbacks in education and government spending in his budget proposal.

The NSAC has flagged 32 MMA fighters for illicit drug use since it began in-competition testing in 2002. The total number of fighters using performance enhancers and drugs of abuse could be much higher, though.

One prominent UFC fighter isn't worried about the use of performance enhancers among his peers. His focus remains on being the best fighter he can be, regardless of what his opponents are doing outside the cage.

"I've been in combat sports my whole life, and there's always been guys that were doing [performance enhancing drugs], I heard," said Gray Maynard, who challenges UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar a third time at UFC 130, which takes place May 30 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. "But I've always known national Olympic champs that don't do them, as well as me, and we're at the top.

"So it's never been a worry or fear about anyone else because I can't control what they do. I can only control me."
 
Feb 7, 2006
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UFC 127: Brit Tom Blackledge Plans To Play Hometown Spoiler

Wolfslair standout Tom Blackledge is on the cusp of his UFC debut, fit, healthy and ready to go… unlike UFC 120 where an injury forced him out of a home-soil trial by fire against James McSweeney.

If the name remains unknown to Stateside fans, and even fans down under, the face will soon be familiar, as Blackledge was one of Team Rampage’s coaches during Season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter. But this is his chance to make a big impression and show the world what he’s got as a fighter.

“It’s very exciting and a huge honor to get the opportunity to be able to fight in Australia, even if the fans there won’t be too happy with me after the fight.”

The import fighter clashing with a hometown hero is a story that’s been played out many times on fight cards throughout the world, but in Blackledge’s case, it’s against Antony Perosh, the gutsy Aussie fighter who stepped into the breach against Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic last time the UFC went down under.

“He’s a tough guy with good cardio,” Blackledge said of Perosh.

“I think his biggest strength is in his grappling ability, and his weakness is in his striking, although, I haven’t felt the need to work on any specifics in preparation for this fight (just a complete MMA game).”

Blackledge is well-rounded and his record is punctuated by highlight-reel head kick KO’s and TKO’s, but he is also a consummate grappler having been a finalist in the Fila Submission Grappling series. So he doesn’t really care where the fight takes place.

“The quicker I can get it done the better. I want it be an exciting fight, but I think that I will finish it quickly. It’ll be entertaining for the fans while it happens though.

“Training has gone really well. The mood in camp is extremely good and everyone has been really happy. I have had my usual coaches Dave Jackson, Mario Sukata, Mark Kinney, and Barrie Edwards pushing me, but also all the other Wolfslair guys as well as Ricco Rodriguez, which was great.”

Coming into the fight with a 10-6 record, Blackledge feels that it is finally his time to shine. There are a lot of good fighters from the Wolfslair camp in the UFC, but with Rob Broughton at heavyweight and Michael Bisping at middleweight, he believes he is in the perfect place to build a name for himself in his own weight class.

“I think I have served my time. I’ve been around U.K. MMA from the start. Everything I have worked for has led me to here. There is nothing else that I ever wanted.

“The TUF experiences whet my appetite and because I have fought in Japan and Amsterdam, I felt some of that pressure that people always talk about. The pressure on fighters now is massive. It’s not an easy sport, but I always perform better when there is a bigger crowd. I have had to deal with nerves and fears before. There was a patch there in my career where it was a big problem for me, but that’s all gone now and I just want to show what I can do.”

At this weekend’s UFC 127 in Sydney, Australia, Tom Blackledge will get his wish. He will officially become a UFC fighter, achieving an ambition he has harbored since he started in the sport.
 
Feb 7, 2006
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Jake Rosholt fighting at Bellator 37

Ex UFC middleweight and four time All American at Oklahoma State Jake Rosholt (8-3) will return the cage on March 19th on the undercard of Bellator 37.

Rosholt will take on Kansas fighter John Bryant (4-3)
 
Feb 7, 2006
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BAMMA 5: Paul Daley Apologizes for Missing Weight, Promises To Redeem Himself on Saturday

As BAMMA 5 approaches tomorrow, the main event hit a bump in the road when main event fighter Paul Daley missed weight turning his 5 round title fight against Yuya Shirai into a 3 round non-title fight.

The British heavy hitter was not happy with missing weight and issued the following statement following the BAMMA events on Friday. He also included a special message to Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz as well.

“I apologize to Shirai and the fans for missing weight,” Daley said. “Although the fight is 3 rounds now I only need 1 round to knock him out. The fans come to see me win the title but I promise them, title or not, I’ll win this fight and win it in style.

“Then I’m going after Diaz and I want to send him out the message that I mean business with my performance tomorrow night.”

The weight cutting bug also bit former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez, who failed to cut to the 215lb catchweight limit agreed to with his opponent James McSweeney.

Penalties will be held against Rodriguez’s purse for the infraction, but McSweeney holds no ill will towards his opponent, knowing he tried to make the weight cut.

“It doesn’t really irritate me,” McSweeney said. “If he didn’t even try to make weight that would be disrespectful, but you can see he’s really tried. I think he’s had a long time to make weight and he hasn’t done it.”

While England doesn’t technically have sanctioning, BAMMA follows the same rules and regulations that promotions like the UFC hold when they come to the U.K. thus the fight between Daley and Shirai being made a non-title affair due to the Brit missing weight.

BAMMA Director Ashley Bothwell still promises a great show, but also recognizes that to have a good promotion, rules have to be followed.

“BAMMA 5 is still going to be as explosive as anticipated, obviously Paul now has a lot to prove to the fans,” Bothwell said. “Even though our fights are in an unregulated country, we’ve made the decision that this will not be a title fight because we adhere to the unified rules of this great sport. Regardless of what’s happened today, tomorrow night we’ll still blow the roof off the MEN Arena.”

The event will take place in England, but fans from around the world can purchase the online pay-per-view by visiting BAMMA’s website as well.
 
Feb 7, 2006
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UFC 127 live and official weigh-in results

All 24 fighters from this weekend's "UFC 127: Penn vs. Fitch" event hit the scales today to make their bouts official, and MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) will bring you live results from the ceremony.

Today's festivities take place at Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia, and begin at 10 p.m. ET (2 p.m. Saturday AEST local time). The same venue hosts the following day's pay-per-view event.

In addition to live, text-only results of the weigh-ins, a live video stream of the proceedings will also be available on the MMAjunkie.com homepage.

UFC 127's weigh-in ceremonies take place Saturday afternoon in Australia but air Friday evening in the U.S.

Main-event competitors B.J. Penn and Jon Fitch will lead a troop of 24 fighters to the cage, and with the UFC's bringing fights to both ION Television and Facebook.com in addition to the evening's pay-per-view card, a total of 10 fights are guaranteed to air.

The full weigh-in results include:

MAIN CARD (pay-per-view)

* Jon Fitch (77.2 kg/169.8 lbs.) vs. B.J. Penn (76 kg/167.2 lbs.)
* Michael Bisping (84.2 kg/185.2 lbs.) vs. Jorge Rivera (84 kg/184.8 lbs.)
* Dennis Siver (71.2 kg/156.6 lbs.) vs. George Sotiropoulos (70.8 kg/155.8 lbs.)
* Chris Lytle (77.2 kg/169.8 lbs.) vs. Brian Ebersole (77.2 kg/169.8 lbs.)
* Chris Camozzi (84.2 kg/185.2 lbs.) vs. Kyle Noke (83.6 kg/183.9 lbs.)

PRELIMINARY CARD (ION Television)

* Spencer Fisher (70.2 kg/154.4 lbs.) vs. Ross Pearson (70.6 kg/155.3 lbs.)
* Alexander Gustafsson (93.2 kg/205 lbs.) vs. James Te Huna (93 kg/204.6 lbs.)
* Riki Fukuda (84 kg/184.8 lbs.) vs. Nick Ring (84 kg/184.8 lbs.)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)

* Tom Blackledge (93.2 kg/205.2 lbs.) vs. Anthony Perosh (93 kg/204.6 lbs.)
* Jason Reinhardt (66 kg/145.2 lbs.) vs. Tiequan Zhang (66.2 kg/145.6 lbs.)

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Mark Hunt (119.2 kg/262.2 lbs.) vs. Chris Tuchscherer (118.6 kg/260.9 lbs.)
* Maciej Jewtuszko (70.2 kg/154.4 lbs.) vs. Curt Warburton (70.8 kg/155.8 lbs.)
 
Feb 7, 2006
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Bellator Light Heavyweight Field Complete

Bellator's fourth-season light heavyweight tournament field is now full, as once-beaten International Fight League veteran Raphael Davis has officially joined the promotion's 205-pound draw.

Davis joins Daniel Gracie, Nik Fekete, Chris Davis, D.J. Linderman, Tim Carpenter, Richard Hale and Christian M'Pumbu in the competition. The winner of the tournament, which is expected to kick off March 26 at Bellator 38, will receive $100,000 in total pay and will be crowned the promotion's first-ever light heavyweight king.

Davis in undefeated in Bellator competition, winning twice for the promotion in 2010. First, the L.A. Boxing product submitted Demetrius Richards in just under three minutes at Bellator 22 before outpointing Tony Lopez four months later at Bellator 34. The light heavyweight holds seven of his 10 career victories by submission, and he has never before been finished in his four-year career as a pro.

“I've been waiting for so long for this Bellator light heavyweight tournament to finally happen,” said Davis in the official release. “I've been seeing all of these other champions get their belts put on them after their fights, and I want one of those belts for myself. That has always been my goal ever since I first started fighting. I just want to win a belt. I want to be a world champion. Now I'm just really excited to finally have that chance.”
 
Feb 7, 2006
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Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal Announces He’s Fighting in Strikeforce June 18 in Dallas

Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal is ready to start the quest to get his crown back, and it begins on June 18 in Dallas.

The one time Strikeforce light heavyweight champion tweeted late Friday evening that he expects to be on the card rumored to go down at the American Airlines Center.

Lawal hasn’t fought since August 2010 when he lost his title to current champion Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante when he lost in the 3rd round of their championship bout.

For the past several months, Lawal has been sidelined with a knee injury that required surgery, but now he’s looking to get back into training and told MMAWeekly.com just a couple of weeks back that he was already targeting a June return.

“I’m healing great,” Lawal said. “(I’m) looking to fight in June.”

It looks like he’ll get his wish.

As far as opponents, no one has been rumored for the June card yet, except for Lawal, but a lot of time still has to pass between now and then, and any number of fighters could fill in the slot to face the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion.
 
Feb 7, 2006
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Kazuyuki Miyata signs a deal with nike

Miyata had a press release from his publicist at Fortuna PR with details about the Nike Deal

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FORTUNA PUBLIC RELATIONS

Japanese MMA sensation signs sponsorship deal with NIKE.

Fortuna PR are pleased to announce that former Olympian and current Japanese MMA star Kazuyuki Miyata has signed a groundbreaking mma sponsorship deal with Nike. As the world’s leading supplier of Athletic footwear and apparel, Miyata is proud to join an illustrious list of sponsored athletes that compiles a who’s who of sports leading figures. With Miyata closing in on the Dream Featherweight title the relationship appears to have arrived with perfect timing.

Japanese mma fighter, freestyle wrestler and former Olympian; Miyata represented Japan at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Now an accomplished MMA fighter Miyata is renowned for his amazing suplex attacks. He is currently on a 7 fight winning streak which puts him firmly in the Dream promotions title picture.

Miyata discusses the deal: "I'm stoked! Nike is a world renowned and widely respected sporting company. I'm very honoured Nike decided to contact me and asked me to represent the label. It's the history and what Nike represents, not only the sporting world, but also in the overall promotion and encouragement of health and fitness lifestyles for all people.

I have agreed to work alongside Nike to encourage a level of excellence in the sporting arena, as well as promote health and fitness lifestyle in general. As an example, Nike and I have decided to forward the brand to my children’s wrestling team. We have incentives and prizes presented to children who are advancing and achieving goals. Nike will be working together with me to ensure this programs success, and offer their full support.

In regards to myself and Nike, once again, I am truly honoured to be approached by such a large well established and well respected company as Nike.

Having Nike's interest and support inspires me to train to my best ability, and perform in the sporting arena at the highest level of excellence, There's nothing else to say now, except "Just Do it!" and I will"!
 
Feb 7, 2006
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Jimmowned: Jimmo Takes MFC Gold; Fickett Rolls Veach at MFC 28

ENOCH, Alberta -- Light heavyweight prospect Ryan Jimmo made it 14 wins in a row Friday night at the River Cree Resort & Casino, forcing the ringside physician to stop his bout with Dwayne Lewis in the third round, as the “Big Deal” took the vacant Maximum Fighting Championships 205-pound title in the headliner of MFC 28 “Supremacy.”

Jimmo, a former Canadian national heavyweight karate champion, showed off his point-fighting background early, switching stances and cracking Lewis with hard low kicks. The first five minutes was marked by Jimmo chopping into the legs of the Fort McMurray, Alberta, native and avoiding heavy blows.

"I had to respect Dwayne's power. He's more technically sound than I thought he was going to be and I knew I couldn't trade with him," Jimmo told Sherdog.com after the win. "Knockout punches can come out of nowhere though so I didn't want to play that game with him."

The 35-year-old Lewis, a full-time mine supervisor for Shell Canada, had more success in round two, but continued to absorb heavy low kicks, until his left thigh was purple and bleeding from the damage. Early in the third frame, Jimmo tripped Lewis to the mat and took full mount, crushing him with heavy rights. Lewis eventually escaped, but referee Brian Beauchamp immediately called for the ringside doctor to examine the grotesque, egg-sized hematoma that swallowed Lewis’ right eye. The end was a no-brainer, and Jimmo took the MFC light heavyweight title at 3:13 of the third fame.

Sherdog.com confirmed that Lewis suffered a broken orbital bone. It was unclear between the fighters, referee and ringside physician whether or not the injury came from a punch or a headbutt.

"I believe it was a punch that did the damage. I'll have to watch the tape to be sure, but I thought I got him with my right," added Jimmo. "When they stopped the fight I was elated. The belt feels nice and heavy.”

In the last four years, the 29-year-old Jimmo, who previously beat Lewis on points in April 2007, has only slipped up in a May 2008 exhibition bout against Antwain Britt in the elimination round of “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 8.

Next on tap for the “Big Deal” will be the Canadian wrestling nationals next month in Edmonton.

Fickett Taps Veach in 36 Ticks, but Whitson, Demarce Steal the Show

In his MFC debut, Drew Fickett disposed of UFC veteran Matt Veach in a under a minute.

Veach quickly took Fickett to the floor, but “Night Rider” went to rubber guard, pulling his shin over Veach's throat and transitioning to a fight-ending armbar in just 36 seconds.

"What can I say? I tapped him out in 36 seconds," said Fickett after the win. "I think he was maybe a little nervous. I just kept him close and he let me get my guard a little too high. My specialty isn't really an armbar."

Fickett was originally set to meet MFC lightweight champ Antonio McKee, who pulled out a week ago due to a knee injury. Following a dreadful 2-8 streak, the Tucson, Ariz., native has been reborn as a 155 pounder, winning five in a row, all by submission.

Lightweights Richie Whitson and Curtis Demarce took “Fight of the Night” honors with an entertaining slugfest that had the River Cree fans on their feet for the majority of the bout.

The first two rounds saw DeMarce landing more clean, hard blows in the first round while Whitson pulled ahead late in the second period, badly rocking the Brandon, Manitoba, native with a head kick. Whitson suffered a cut over his left eye in the first round from a clash of hands that poured blood over his face and chest throughout the fight. However, the third clearly belonged to the bloodied Whitson, as he took the fight to the ground and controlled the bout with his superior grappling, elbowing Demarce liberally throughout.

After three rounds, judge John Braak saw the fight 29-29 for DeMarce. However, Bill Warwick and Beauchamp liked the fight for “Hellboy,” giving Whitson the split-decision win, his fifth straight conquest in eight months.

St. Albert, Alberta, resident Sheldon Westcott sent his local fans into a frenzy in the opening round of his welterweight fight with Thomas Denny, dominating the long-time veteran in the opening frame with heavy punches and guillotine attempts. However, Westcott slowed as the fight progressed, and the pink-haired, well-traveled “Wildman” was able to take his back late in the second, and then stayed on it for the entire final stanza.

The highly contentious fight went to the cards, where judge Vern Gorman scored the bout 28-27 Denny. Beauchamp had it 29-28 Westcott and Judge Bill Warwick saw the bout 28-28 for a split draw. Warwick had the opening frame 10-8 for Westcott, while Gorman saw it likewise in addition to a 10-8 Denny third round. Sherdog.com saw the fight 28-28.

Former MFC light heavyweight Emanuel Newton, now working out of Kings MMA and Reign MMA in Southern California, was superb against UFC veteran Rodney Wallace.

Newton, who replaced Razak Al-Hassan on two weeks’ notice, defended all of Wallace’s submission attempts from guard, diving in and out with crushing right hands. In round two, Wallace attempted to scramble to his feet, and “The Hardcore Kid” jumped on him, cinching up a no-hooks rear-naked choke for the tap out at 4:34 of the period. Wallace has lost four of his last five after starting his career 9-0.

In his second fight back after a five-year hiatus, corporate lawyer and unbeaten lightweight Tyrone Glover moved to 6-0, taking a split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) over H.I.T. Squad’s Robert Washington. Glover nearly tapped Washington with a kneebar and a triangle choke in what was otherwise an uneventful fight with much circling on the feet.

In lightweight action, Dynamic MMA's Dan Ring used superior grappling skills to take Garret Nybakken's back and sink in the rear-naked choke, as the Vancouverite earned the tap at 2:21 of the second frame.

In the evening’s opener, former University of British Columbia third baseman Brendan Kornberger, also of Dynamic MMA in Richmond, British Columbia, took back control in all three rounds and dominated Edmontonian Paapa Inkumsah to a unanimous decision, 30-27 three times, in a 179-pound catchweight bout.
 
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UFC Veteran Marcus Davis Signs with Maximum Fighting Championships

Marcus Davis will search for redemption when he returns to action as a part of Maximum Fighting Championships in 2011.

The one time UFC welterweight and lightweight has signed a new deal with the MFC that will see him compete in Canada in the very near future.

MFC President Mark Pavelich made the announcement during the HDNet broadcast of MFC’s latest show on Friday night.

During his time with the UFC, Davis went 9-6 overall and at one time was close to title contention in the welterweight division.

Davis fell on harder times towards the end of his run with the UFC going 1-4 in his last 5 fights, but has vowed to work hard to get back to where he was just a few short years ago.

There’s been no word on Davis’ debut, but the MFC is currently scheduled to have a show in Ontario in April, and with Davis’ connection to the East Coast, it would make sense he end up on that card.
 
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Sato Retains P-Rim Title in Contentious Draw at Shooting Disco 14

TOKYO -- Shooto 168-pound Pacific Rim champion Yoichiro Sato retained his title Saturday night at Tokyo’s Shinjuku Face, battling Akihiro Murayama to a highly contentious split draw in the main event of Shooting Disco 14.

Murayama was surprisingly effective in the first round, jabbing and low-kicking with the champ. Late in the first frame, the Gutsman Shooto Dojo product tripped Sato to the mat, landing in the judo press, where he dropped several hammer fists. The second round saw the challenger maintain his momentum, getting the takedown to sit in Sato’s half guard and in side mount, where he rained big punches to the face.

“Murayama came to bang in our last fight, but this time was different. He was mindful of keeping his range,” Sato admitted after the bout. “Last time, he couldn't see my strikes, but this time he could and out-boxed me. He did his research on me well, and I thought that he managed to sway the judges. That worried me.”

In the final minute of round two, Murayama went for a sloppy armbar attempt, which Sato easily defended and used to reverse his way into mount, where he spent the remainder of the round chipping away. However, the challenger had a strong final round as well, putting his definitive stamp on the round after getting an early takedown to smash the champion with hard shots from above.

The bout seemed a lock for the challenger. However, while judge Toshiharu Suzuki voted 29-28 for Murayama, judge Kosuke Watanabe saw the bout 29-28 for Sato. The final judge, Tadashi Yokoyama, ruled the bout 29-29, resulting in a split draw. Sherdog.com saw the fight 29-28 for the challenger, Murayama.

The bout was not the first encounter between the two, as a June 2009 meeting saw the Gracie Barra Tokyo product hustle Murayama on the feet to take a unanimous decision at Shooting Disco 9.

“I need to defend this Pacific Rim belt again after tonight’s performance," said Sato. "Today was not an exciting fight, and I want to excite the fans next time.”

In the “Fight of the Night,” featherweight Naohiro Mizuno’s right jab paid dividends against the wily Yuta Nezu, as Mizuno took a majority decision after two rounds.

The southpaw Mizuno timed Nezu’s kicks and made sure that his right hand was ever in his opponent’s face, occasionally following up with stiff left straights that dizzied Nezu. Mizuno was less disciplined in the second, however, allowing Nezu to rack up hard, unchecked low kicks -- his best and only offense of the fight -- without returning fire. As such, Mizuno only just took the nod on two judges’ cards, 20-19 and 20-18 from Watanabe and Suzuki respectively. Judge Yokoyama saw the bout a 19-19 draw.

Shin Kochiwa put away Kazuya Satomoto early in the second frame of their lightweight contest with superior punching. After working Satomoto’s face over with hard right-hand counters that shut his left eye, a savage left hook-right cross combination put Satomoto on the retreat. Kochiwa followed with a brain-rattling right uppercut that put Satomoto on the mat for good 87 seconds into the period.

Daiki Takashima simply could not grapple like Kota Onojima could in their 132-pound matchup. For two rounds, Onojima dirty boxed and pounded Takashima from top position, taking three 20-18 scorecards.

Lightweights Koji Nishioka and Hideto Kondo fought a blood-and-guts two-rounder to a majority draw (20-19, 20-20, 20-20) with both men landing punches evenly for 10 minutes.

Paraestra Kasai’s Takayuki Hirose took a workmanlike decision (20-18, 20-18, 20-18) over featherweight veteran Komei Okada, using his dirty boxing and back control to secure the victory.

Rumina Sato pupil Akinobu Watanabe was disqualified just 52 seconds into his flyweight bout with Tatsuya Nakashima for an inadvertent kick to the groin that ended “Nakashi’s” night.

"Little" Ato Shines as 2011 Shooto Rookie Tournaments Continue

Saturday's most dramatic beating came from its smallest man, as Gutsman’s Takafumi "Little" Ato pelted Abe Ani Combat Club’s Takahito Tomozawa in a tooth-and-nail 115-pound rookie tournament quarterfinal.

Tomozawa tried with all his might to bring the fight to the canvas early, but Ato deftly defended with excellent posting skills and head control, marking and bloodying Tomozawa’s face in the process. Elsewhere, Ato hunted Tomozawa down with prejudice, landing sharp punches and kicks to the body while Tomozawa swung with abandon, missing by wide margins.

With both men tiring, the fight devolved into a bloody brawl in the second round. By the final 45 seconds, both strawweights were toe-to-toe, smashing one another with weary punches. Ato took scores of 20-17, 20-18 from 20-19 from Suzuki, Watanabe, and Watanabe respectively, and advances to the semifinals.

In the featherweight bracket, Paraestra Tokyo’s Minoru Takeuchi impressed against K’z Factory representative Hideto Okada en route to a majority decision win (20-18, 20-19, 19-19). The first round saw Takeuchi threaten with an extended anaconda choke and an omoplata, while the second saw him show off sharp counter punches and leg kicks. Takeuchi will meet the winner of the yet-unscheduled Kenta Sakuma-Kenji Yamamoto quarterfinal.

In a 154-pound rookie tourney bout, Yohei Ota and Yusuke Kasuya excited by trading top position and blistering ground-and-pound, until Kasuya took Ota’s back in a scramble and choked him out at 4:14 of the first. The Jin Akimoto student advances to face Yoshikazu Fujishi in the quarterfinals. Also in the lightweight bracket, Paraestra Matsudo’s Nobumitsu Taison narrowly edged Jin Suzuki (20-19, 20-19, 19-19) on the merit of stuffing takedowns and lobbing a handful of low kicks late in the second frame. Taison will face the winner of the forthcoming Bunpei Umezono-Katsuyoshi Beppu quarterfinal.

In 123-pound rookie action, Paraestra Hachioji’s Kotaro Hagiwara savaged Yuta Horikawa on the feet before finishing with a rear-naked choke at 3:46 of the first.

Hagiwara will now meet Burst’s Masahiro Yokoyama in the tournament quarterfinals.
 
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Melendez vs. Kawajiri title fight expected for April 9 Strikeforce event

Although the second part of the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix's opening round likely will be delayed until June, some other participants are being slotted for the organization's April show.

A lightweight title fight between champion Gilbert Melendez (18-2 MMA, 8-1 SF) and Tatsuya Kawajiri (27-6-2 MMA, 0-0 SF) is expected to be a featured bout at the April 9 event.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) confirmed the title fight with sources close to the event.

According to ESPN.com's Josh Gross, the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix likely will conclude on June 18 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, not on April 9 as first planned. No host city or venue have been finalized for the April show, though sources told MMAjunkie.com Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., is a leading candidate.

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker has declined to comment on the event particulars, most notably the status of the of the tournament and the Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum vs. Josh Barnett vs. Brett Rogers opening-round matchups.

Melendez, who recently signed a new multi-year deal with Strikeforce, looks for his fifth straight win under the promotional banner. After losing his title to Josh Thomson in 2008, he defeated Rodrigo Damm for an interim title, defended the belt with a victory over Mitsuhiro Ishida, unified the championships with a lopsided decision victory over Thomson, and then defended his belt this past April with a decision win over Shinya Aoki on CBS.

Kawajiri, a former Shooto champion and longtime PRIDE fighter, would make his Strikeforce debut if the title fight is signed. Long ranked among the world's top lightweight fighters, Kawajiri has won four of his past five fights. He recently rebounded from a DREAM.15 loss to champ Aoki with a decision victory over Thomson at DREAM "Dynamite!! 2010."
 
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Lentz vs. Lowe official for prelims, UFC Fight Night 24 finalized with 12 bouts

A lightweight bout between Nik Lentz (20-3-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) and Waylon Lowe (10-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) is the final addition to next month's UFC Fight Night 24 event.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) recently passed along news of the bout, and UFC executives since have made it official.

The preliminary-card lineup is the 12th addition to the March 26 card.

UFC Fight Night 24 takes place at KeyArena in Seattle and airs live on Spike TV. A light-heavyweight tilt between Phil Davis and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira headlines the card.

Lentz most recently took on Tyson Griffin this past November at UFC 123 and earned an upset split-decision win. It was Lentz's fourth victory inside the octagon. Still, the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy product has received stern criticism for a perceived "lay-and-pray" approach to fighting. Prior to the Griffin victory, Lentz met Andre Winner at UFC 118 and took the British fighter down at will in a one-sided (and less-than-explosive) win.

Lowe, meanwhile, earned a second consecutive win this past month with a decision victory over Willamy Freire at UFC Fight Night 23. Much like Lentz, he dominated the fight on the mat, and despite running low on gas in later rounds, he managed to minimize Freire's striking. Prior to the January fight, Lowe earned a split-decision win over Steve Lopez at UFC 119, which reversed a body-shot KO loss he suffered against Melvin Guillard in his octagon debut this past May at UFC 114.

The latest UFC Fight Night 24 card now includes:

MAIN CARD

* Phil Davis vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
* Dan Hardy vs. Anthony Johnson
* Duane "Bang" Ludwig vs. Amir Sadollah
* Leonard Garcia vs. Nam Phan

PRELIMINARY CARD (un-aired)

* Alex Caceres vs. Mackens Semerzier
* Jon Madsen vs. Mike Russow
* John Hathaway vs. Kris McCray
* Michael McDonald vs. Nick Pace
* Sean McCorkle vs. Christian Morecraft
* Mario Miranda vs. Aaron Simpson
* Dennis Hallman vs. T.J. Waldburger
* Nik Lentz vs. Waylon Lowe
 
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Paul Daley Out To Prove He Belongs in the Big Show, Despite Past Mistakes

Famed British Prime Minister Winston Churchill once said ‘All men make mistakes, but only wise men learn from their mistakes.’

British fighter Paul Daley is ready to become a wise man.

It’s a harsh lesson that Paul Daley had to learn after the incident at UFC 113 last year, in which he suckerpunched Josh Koscheck after their fight and was subsequently bounced from the promotion.

Since that time, Daley has gone on to sign with Strikeforce and this week fights for the BAMMA welterweight title in his home country of England. Still, Daley feels the brunt of that mistake to this day, but he’s hoping to move past it with more electrifying performances and with the knowledge that he learned something from his wrong doing.

He also admits that it’s hard to keep the fan base growing when every time his name comes up, that incident gets mentioned as well.

“It’s hard to keep fans in this sport especially when you’ve got a guy like Dana White hating on you, and turning fans against you,” Daley admitted when speaking to MMAWeekly Radio. “I’ve returned to the big show over at Strikeforce in the U.S., just prove to people I belong, regardless of what I’ve done in the past.

“Whatever you want to say, I’m a talented fighter, and I’m a guy that stays every time, win lose, or draw; I’m going to come out there and I’m going to try to take somebody’s head off.”

That mentality earned Daley a win in Stirkeforce after he blasted Scott Smith, defeating him by vicious knockout at their fight late last year. As opposed to sitting and waiting for a shot at welterweight champion Nick Diaz, Daley opted to take a fight back at home in England against DEEP champion Yuya Shirai.

While most people would assume that Daley is looking past Shirai as just as warm-up to get to Diaz, Daley would most definitely tell you different.

“This fight’s very serious to me,” he commented. “He’s a sambo champion, he’s a judo champion, and if you look at his fights, he’s pretty comfortable standing on his feet and trading kicks and punches. I know lots about him. He doesn’t seem like he comes into the fights in good shape, and I think the guys he’s fought haven’t been in great shape, which is why he has so many decision wins and losses. I think the fights tend to be a bit sloppy in the end.”

Daley is also happy to prove the theory about his wrestling wrong as well. He’s been criticized for being a one-dimensional fighter in the past, but Daley continues to work at that part of his game and he welcomes Shirai to test it. He’s sure his potential next opponent, Nick Diaz, will do the same thing, too.

“I think both of them will try to work towards my weaknesses and try to wrestle me, and get me to the mat. When they can’t do that, it’s going to be a nice night for me,” Daley said. “I’m just a bit pissed off BAMMA doesn’t have knockout of the night bonuses, or Strikeforce don’t really have the bonuses that the UFC had, but it’s still all good.”

And if Shirai or Diaz try to sharpen their boxing skills and stand up with him?

“I don’t care if you’re boxing with Andre Ward or whoever Diaz is boxing with. I don’t care if Shirai is boxing with the Japanese national champion; it’s not me,” Daley stated.

“I’m giving you advice Diaz and Shirai that would make for a sweet and short fight for me.”

Daley’s main contract currently resides with Strikeforce, but the British slugger does have a two-fight deal with BAMMA and promises his fans at home that if he gets past Shirai, he will come back to fulfill his contract.

Following this fight, should he win, Daley’s attention will turn to a huge opportunity to take on Nick Diaz.

“Not looking past Shirai, but I’d like to get the title before summer with Diaz, and then look towards a summer defense against whoever it’s going to be,” he said.

MMAWeekly.com sources indicate that if he gets past Shirai, Daley will likely get that shot on April 9.

The first step of that plan takes place Saturday night in England when Daley takes on Yuya Shirai at BAMMA 5.
 
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Rafael Sapo wants a spot at UFC Rio card

Right after UFC announced its return to Brazil, many Brazilian fighters expressed their desire to participate on this historical show, scheduled for August 27th, at HSBC Arena, in Rio de Janeiro.

Current living in New York, the Brazilian Rafael Sapo wants a spot on this great card, which has no names confirmed yet. “Maybe I’ll get a chance to fight on UFC Rio… It’s not likely, but it can happen, right? The line is big (laughs)”, joked the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, that for now is only worried about his injured knee, that forced him to cancel his fight with Alessio Sakara, on UFC on Versus 3.

“I was training hard, then the two guys training beside me fell and my knee twisted. I’ve injured my knee, but I’m already better… I’m taking it easy for now”, tells Sapo, explaining that a training partner warned him minutes about the accident.

“Big Dog (Ricardo Almeida) never warns me of anything, but on that day he told me to take care because Rashad (Evans) wouldn’t be fighting for the belt (against Mauricio Rua) because someone fell on his knee… And it happened to me”, said, regretting the fact he “lost” the chance to fight on the main card of UFC.

“UFC has given me a great opportunity, but it’s all part of the sport. Now I have to get my knee healed and return better”, said, back to the light trainings. “They’ve told me I’d be back within a month, and I’m already feeling better. I’m doing physiotherapy sessions, training Boxing and Jiu-Jitsu, but not hard”.
 
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Ronaldo Jacaré talks next challenges, Feijão vs Henderson and ADCC 2011

Strikeforce middleweight champion, Ronaldo Jacare defended his belt title for the first time with a finishing the tough Robbie Lawler with a rear naked choke. The tough guy can’t wait to return to the cage and is thinking about fighting Braulio Estima at ADCC, in September. On an exclusive interview given to TATAME, the Brazilian talked about the expectations for his next belt defense, commented the fight with Braulio and betted that Dan Henderson won’t last five rounds with Rafael Feijao, who, in Ronaldo’s opinion, should be called “The Shark”. Check below the exclusive chat with the champion.

You’ll be on a super fight at ADCC against Braulio Estima, who you’ve beaten at World of 2005. How are your expectations for this bout?

I’m hoping to do a good fight with Braulio, even because he’s on an excellent phase, he’s improved a lot both physically and technically, and I want to fight him. I’ve fought him before but it won’t hurt to do it again.


Are you doing a specific training for this fight? Your MMA trainings disturb you from preparing yourself?

No. Of course it disturbs me from focusing, I can’t deny it. I want to fight really badly, but I have to check my calendar. My priority now is MMA, but that’s a good opportunity for Braulio to try to beat me at least once (laughs).


What can we hope of your return to Submission disputes?

The same you’ve always expected: a good fight. You can hope I give my best. He’s better now, both physically and technically, so it’ll be a better fight… This combat promise to be good. And always like that. I’ve stopped fighting in 2005, but I didn’t forget my Jiu-Jitsu, it’s on my blood.

You train along with Rafael Feijao… How is he doing on this preparation for fighting Dan Henderson on this belt defense?

Feijao is great physically, just like all fighters of X-Gym. We’re focusing on our conditioning and our technique. Feijao is much focused, in a good shape and state of mind. I’m sure he’ll do a great fight and I truly believe he’ll beat Dan Henderson up. You’ll see who Feijao really is.

Do you think this fight will last five rounds or be finished before that?

I think Rafael will finish this fight first.


Do you bet on a KO or on a submission?

Well, I don’t know… The guys didn’t have the opportunity to see Feijao fighting on the ground yet. He’s great there, he’s tough for anyone. I bet on him, but honestly I don’t know. Dan Henderson is a tough guy, he’ll try to take Rafael down and we’ll be able to see Feijao playing on the floor. Feijao is excellent standing up and on the floor. He has a really heavy hand… I also call Feijao by Shark, because once he smells blood, he goes for it and finished the fight. The guy got a little dizzy, he goes there and finish the fight, he won’t let the guy go until he define his offense. He should be called the Shark (laughs).


Do you have a fight schedules? How are your expectations for defending your belt again?

I’m waiting Strikeforce to define an opponent for me. I’m anxious to know who my opponent will be, I’d like to fight as soon as I can. Unfortunately, there’s nothing defined, but I’m sure they’ll tell me that soon. I can’t wait to return to the cage.

On your first belt defense you were knocked down on the first round and returned hungry on the second round. Ronaldo will be hungry like that this year?

You surely can hope for that. And I’ll be even hungrier because every day that goes by I’m better physically. My willingness is increasing, and I have a greater incentive now that my son’s born. I used to fight because I loved it, I thanked God and fought for me, because I love doing it, but now I fight for my family, so that motivates me even more.