MMA News Thread

[heyzel]

MMAWEEKLY WORLD MMA RANKINGS UPDATED

HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION (over 205 pounds)

#1 Heavyweight Fighter in the World: Fedor Emelianenko

2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

3. Randy Couture

4. Josh Barnett

5. Tim Sylvia

6. Andrei Arlovski

7. Fabricio Werdum

8. Gabriel Gonzaga

9. Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic

10. Aleksander Emelianenko

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LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION (205-pound limit)

#1 Light Heavyweight Fighter in the World: Quinton Jackson

2. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua

3. Chuck Liddell

4. Lyoto Machida

5. Wanderlei Silva

6. Forrest Griffin

7. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou

8. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

9. Keith Jardine

10. Thiago Silva

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MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION (185-pound limit)

#1 Middleweight Fighter in the World: Anderson Silva

2. Paulo Filho

3. Rich Franklin

4. Robbie Lawler

5. Kazuo Misaki

6. Yushin Okami

7. Nathan Marquardt

8. Dan Henderson

9. Gegard Mousasi

10. Denis Kang

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WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION (170-pound limit)

#1 Welterweight Fighter in the World: Georges St. Pierre

2. Jon Fitch

3. Thiago Alves

4. Josh Koscheck

5. Matt Hughes

6. Matt Serra

7. Jake Shields

8. Diego Sanchez

9. Carlos Condit

10. Karo Parisyan

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LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION (160-pound limit)

#1 Lightweight Fighter in the World: B.J. Penn

2. Takanori Gomi

3. Shinya Aoki

4. Tatsuya Kawajiri

5. Gesias "JZ" Calvancante

6. Gilbert Melendez

7. Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro

8. Mitsuhiro Ishida

9. Joe Stevenson

10. Sean Sherk

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FEATHERWEIGHT DIVISION (145 pounds and under)

#1 Featherweight Fighter in the World: Urijah Faber

2. Akitoshi Tamura

3. Antonio Carvalho

4. Hideki Kadowaki

5. Hatsu Hioki

6. "Lion" Takeshi Inoue

7. Masakazu Imanari

8. Mike Brown

9. Jeff Curran

10. Rafael Assuncao

 

[heyzel]

Officials under scrutiny after controversies

By Dave Meltzer, Yahoo! Sports




The buzz coming out of Saturday’s UFC 85 card in London and Elite XC’s May 31 network prime-time debut on CBS was more about controversies over referee and doctor judgment calls than impressive performances by the winners.

Five matches between the two shows had post-match controversy.

UFC 85: Nathan Marquardt loses to Thales Leites after being docked two points for fouls: Marquardt lost a split decision to Leites after being called for two fouls by referee Herb Dean. The first, from an illegal knee when Leites was still grounded, was the right call, and the damage was such that Leites needed time to clear his head.

The second, early in round three, was when Dean ruled Marquardt was elbowing Leites behind the head. Dean stopped the action and called for another penalty point taken away from Marquardt, noting he had given Marquardt a warning as his reason for docking him the second point.


Marquardt protested, claiming the elbows were to the side of the head, making them perfectly legal. Television replays showed Marquardt to be correct. That point spelled the difference between Leites winning a split decision and what would have been a majority draw in a fight which Marquardt actually dominated although we had the same 28-27 score for Leites due to the docked points. Marquardt immediately asked for a rematch and UFC officials confirmed such a match was likely.

Compounding matters further, Marquardt used a piledriver-like move on Leites in the waning seconds of the fight, which wasn’t called. It is illegal to spike someone on the top of his head.

On a major television or pay-per-view production, where multiple camera angles are available, referees should be encouraged to use instant replay on a call that ends up deciding the outcome. In the case of Marquardt-Leites, instant replay would have enabled Dean to look at both the borderline elbow and whether the piledriver-like move dropped Leites on his head, which would be illegal; or on his shoulders, which is legal.

Ironically New Jersey, where last week’s controversy took place, added a rule last year allowing instant replays to be used in MMA and boxing. There is no sanctioning commission in the United Kingdom, thus no provision for instant replay.

Judgment calls and human error are inherent in the fight game, but for the fighters and the fans, it’s also essential all steps are taken to make the fewest mistakes possible.

Elite XC: Kimbo Slice defeated James Thompson; UFC 85: Fabricio Werdum defeated Brandon Vera, both on questionable stoppages: In this case, there were two referee stoppages on different continents, both involving the same referee, Dan Miragliotta.

In the case of Slice vs. Thompson, the main question was Miragliotta’s lack of a stoppage in the second round when Thompson was raining down unanswered blows on Slice, who was on his back doing nothing on offense.

“I asked Dan (after round two) why he didn’t stop it,” said Nick Lembo, the attorney for the New Jersey Athletic Control Board, which oversaw the event. “He told me the punches (Thompson was throwing) weren’t doing any damage. He said, ‘I asked Kimbo if he was hurt and he gave me a thumbs up. I didn’t see any damage being inflicted’”

This was magnified because the show was built around Slice, who was losing on the scorecards.

Then, in the third round, when Miragliotta stopped the fight after Slice landed a series of punches standing, announcer Gus Johnson screamed that the stoppage was premature, meaning the audience of 6.5 million fans immediately questioned it as well.

Werdum’s win over Vera was the opposite. Miragliotta stopped the fight as Werdum tagged Vera on the ground with unanswered blows.

“That ref sucks,” said Vera at the UFC post show press conference. “The referee was asking me, talking to me, saying something like, ‘Are you okay?’ He was talking to me. I remember he was talking to me and I was saying, ‘I’m okay. I’m okay. I’m okay.’ I said it three times.”

Vera was on the ground in a bad position with Werdum throwing more than 20 unanswered punches. Both in the ring and after the show, Vera said he was expecting to take a beating for the final 20 seconds of the first round because Werdum had such a strong mount. Under normal circumstances, the stoppage likely wouldn’t have been controversial had Vera not been so vehement about it, but having the same referee in two such matches magnified the result.

Elite XC: Robbie Lawler vs. Scott Smith, no-contest due to stoppage: This fight was stopped in the third round after Smith was accidentally poked in the eye. Smith protested that he didn’t get his full five minutes to recover, which is mandated in the unified MMA rules, before Dr. Sherry Wulkan recommended the match be stopped.

“That (5:00 time frame) rule has been misunderstood,” said Lembo.

“You’re not guaranteed five minutes. You can get up to five minutes based on ringside officials. You can’t say, ‘I’m fine, I want three-and-a-half more minutes.’”

Lembo said Smith repeatedly told Wulkan he couldn’t see out of the poked eye, and when she asked him if it was getting better, he said it wasn’t, and that’s when the call was made. Lembo noted he told Wulkan before checking Smith that it was a championship fight and nobody would want to see it end that way. Smith himself gave a funny reaction when asked on television about it, saying he wanted to continue, but actually said he expected he would have gotten knocked out if it did continue.

Elite XC promoter Gary Shaw confirmed Monday that he was planning on rematching Lawler and Smith, who were having the most exciting match on the show before the stoppage. If the next CBS show is in the fall, the fight would likely take place on the network. Shaw said the date of the next CBS card is expected to be finalized this week in a joint decision with CBS. Due to the success of the first show, CBS wants to have a return date in late July to capitalize on the momentum. Shaw feels Lawler and Smith wouldn’t be ready for a July date, nor would Slice.

Elite XC: Gina Carano defeated Kaitlin Young, stoppage:

This match was stopped in the second round due to a huge cut under Young’s left eye. Young claimed that the doctors cleared her to continue to fight, but ‘the guy in the white shirt’ (Lembo) with the commission overruled them. Young claimed because it was a woman’s fight on CBS, that they were quicker on the draw to stop it than if a man had been in a similar spot.

“I really wish everyone was miked and everything that was said was picked up,” said Lembo. “Kaitlin came out and flat out lied.”

Young vehemently denied the charge on her personal Web site.

Lembo said that two doctors, Dr. Michael Kelly and Dr. Wulkan, both examined Young and both suggested stopping for different reasons.

Kelly was concerned about neurological damage, and Wulkan saw the huge swelling under Young’s eye and feared a possible orbital fracture.

 

[heyzel]

Matt Hughes by the numbers and the greatest UFC fighters ever

After his third loss in 4 fights the end is near for UFC legend Matt Hughes. Instead of riffing on how Hughes is washed up and how the game has passed him by I thought I would take some time to reflect on what he has accomplished in the UFC and share with you Matt Hughes by the numbers.

Hughes is unquestionably one of the greatest fighters to ever step into the octagon. He holds notable wins over BJ Penn, Georges St. Pierre, Frank Trigg (twice), Royce Gracie, Hayato Sakurai, Carlos Newton and Sean Sherk. He is the 9 time world champion and the most decorated welterweight in UFC history.

The numbers...

Most wins in UFC title bouts

Rank Fighter-W-L-D

1 Matt Hughes - 9-3-0
1 Randy Couture - 9-5-0
3 Tito Ortiz - 6-2-0
4 Frank Shamrock - 5-0-0
4 Pat Miletich - 5-1-0
4 Chuck Liddell - 5-2-0
4 Tim Sylvia - 5-3-0

Most consecutive UFC title defenses

Rank Fighter-Streak-Timeframe

1 Matt Hughes - 5 - 2002-2003
1 Tito Ortiz - 5 - 2000-2002
3 Frank Shamrock - 4 - 1998-1999
3 Pat Miletich - 4 - 1999-2000
3 Chuck Liddell - 4 - 2005-2006
6 Anderson Silva - 3 - 2007-2008 (active)

Most UFC title bouts

Rank Fighter-Title Bouts-Record (W-L-D)

1 Randy Couture - 14 - 9-5-0
2 Matt Hughes - 12 - 9-3-0
3 Tim Sylvia - 9 - 5-4-0
3 Tito Ortiz - 9 - 6-3-0
5 Chuck Liddell - 7 - 5-2-0

Most wins in UFC bouts

Rank Fighter - W-L-D

1 Chuck Liddell - 16-4-0
2 Matt Hughes - 15-5-0
3 Tito Ortiz - 14-6-1
4 Randy Couture - 13-5- 0
5 Royce Gracie - 11-2-0
5 Evan Tanner - 11-5-0

Most UFC bouts

Rank Fighter - Bouts - Record (W-L-D)

1 Tito Ortiz - 21 - 14-6-1
2 Chuck Liddell - 20 - 16-4-0
2 Matt Hughes - 20 - 15-5-0
4 Randy Couture - 18 - 13-5-0
4 Tank Abbott - 18 - 8-10-0

Most consecutive wins in UFC bouts

Rank Fighter - Streak -Timeframe

1 Royce Gracie - 8 - 1993-1994
1 Jon Fitch - 8 - 2005-2008 (active)
3 Chuck Liddell - 7 (x2) - 1999-2002, 2004-2006
3 Rich Franklin - 7 - 2003-2006
3 Randy Couture - 7 - 1997-2002
3 Pat Miletich - 7 - 1998-2000
7 Matt Hughes - 6 (x2) -2001-2003, 2004-2006

Hughes is a sure fire Hall of Famer, but after looking at what he has accomplished I want to know where you rank him in comparison to the other top fighters in UFC history. Here's my list of top 5 fighters in UFC history, what's yours?

Chron.com's top 5 Fighters in UFC History

1 Randy Couture
2 Royce Gracie
3 Mat Hughes
4 Chuck Liddell
5 Tito Ortiz

One more question...

After seeing Hughes get thrashed by GSP and Alves do you think he should fight again or call it a career? He wants to settle his grudge match with Matt Serra and Dana White said he'll give it to him, but come on, does he really need it? And if he does fight Serra does he have enough in the tank to secure 1 more victory

 

[heyzel]

Does Mixed Martial Arts Need Instant Replay

After suffering through some awfully dubious refereeing decisions the last few weeks, I began to ponder whether use of instant replay could be beneficial to the fighters, the sport and ultimately, the fight itself.

I realize there are a host of problems with having instant replay, so I want to propose the idea of perhaps using instant replay only to overturn, challenge or confirm those decisions by the referee not specifically related to the outcome. That is, if we begin to let fighters, coaches and managers challenge a fight every time it's stopped, our sport will devolve into a overly litigious mess.I realize there is some hypocrisy involved in suggesting instant replay could be used for challenging point deductions and not poor stoppages, but for purposes of pragmatism, it's worth defining some limits even if they are arbitrary.

The benefits of instant replay are widely documented and clear. Most notably, a poor decision by the referee to deduct points for fouls that were never committed or an actual error of the referee in, say, standing fighters up when they shouldn't be (that is, if the fighters are supposed to resume action on the ground and for no apparent reason the referee doesn't enforce it), instant replay could serve as a valuable tool in this regard. While video evidence itself is never fool proof, I do believe the replay of Marquardt's elbow to Leites' head clearly shows no foul was committed. And because the call was poor, it actually affected the outcome of the bout. It was not the sole determinant, but it was absolutely contributory.

The problems with using instant replay, of course, are numerous. One shudders to think of how many problems could arise if Pandora's Box were opened in MMA. For example, how would one actually go about challenging a call? In games where this is constant stop and start to the action such as football, use if instant replay makes a little more sense. You can question decisions or calls without actually ever interrupting active play. But MMA fighting is dramatically different. In our sport, continuity of action is highly coveted. Resting give opposition unfair advantages both to recover from physical exhaustion and inflicted damage. Worse, if a coach or corner were allowed to throw a flag (and how many flags can they throw a fight?), could do they do it at the most opportune time to save their fighter? In other words, they wouldn't really be challenging a call, just throwing a flag to affect an outcome when their fighter was in a bad spot or taking damage.

Then again, maybe there are ways to do it. Maybe if we limit the use of instant replay solely to point deduction clarification, a corner could challenge a ref's call directly after the referee makes such a call. The action is already stopped at that point, although even this is enough to stop a dishonest corner from affecting the length of the break. Maybe if the round comes to a close, a corner could have the option of challenging during the break. In this way, the break could be extended somewhat, but it wouldn't necessarily affect the fight in such a way to give a struggling opponent too much of an advantage due to the pseudo time out.

But then again maybe it would. I want to make it clear that I'm not necessarily favoring the use of instant replay. I find the idea compelling, but it's obviously a troublesome suggestion. Ultimately, I think MMA fans and fighters alike are going to have to condition themselves to swallow a higher portion of referee error when there is such an emphasis and premium on continuity. I don't know that we can have our cake of objective refereeing and eat it, too. So long as a fight necessitates as few breaks in the action as possible, error on the part of the referee will be far harder to check during the course of the bout. It's easy to suggest that this in and of itself is reason enough to stop any notion of instant replay marching forward, but what is Nate Marquardt going to do? There is no governing athletic body for him to address his grievances in the UK. Saying Dana White or internal UFC management will take care of it is essentially relying on the beneficient monarchy to do the right thing. In his case, instant replay could have prevented him from losing.

It's a complicated issue, but it's worth fleshing out. The bottom line is this: referees need to be as perfect as possible and when they're not, fighters should have recourse. How we actually deliver on that, though, makes defining parameters incredibly difficult.

 

[heyzel]

Thiago Alves on feud with Matt Hughes, missing weight, title shot

by Alton Dunham on Jun 11, 2008 at 9:58 am ET
Defeating longtime UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes (42-7 MMA, 15-5 UFC) is an impressive notch on any fighter's belt, but for Thiago Alves (20-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC), this past Saturday's UFC 85 main event knockout victory was especially sweet for more reasons than one.

"When my boss called me and said, 'You are going to fight Matt Hughes,' I was like '[expletive] yeah, I am going to fight him!'" Alves said.

The "Pitbull," whose performance garnered Knockout of the Night honors, was a guest on Monday's edition of TAGG Radio (www.taggradio.com), the official radio partner of MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com ). He discussed why he felt the fight with Hughes was three years in the making, the reason he failed to make weight for the bout, and why he had no doubts about his future as a contender in the UFC's welterweight division.

Alves' excitement over meeting Hughes in the octagon stemmed from an incident that happened a few days after UFC Fight Night 2 in 2005. Alves lost to Hughes' then-teammate Spencer Fisher via triangle choke at the event.

"A friend of mine was opening a school in Orlando, and Matt Hughes was giving a seminar," Alves said. "I went to visit, and you know how [Hughes] is. When I got there, he was like, 'Yo Pitbull, too bad you got here a little late. I was about to show how to defend the triangle.'"

The American Top Team fighter felt that the comments were out of line, considering Hughes was the current welterweight champion and Alves was just beginning his UFC career.

"I looked at him and was like,'Really, champion? Not right now, but maybe one day you can show me,'" Alves said. "After that day, I hated that guy to death."

However, the Coconut Creek, Fla. resident almost didn't get his chance at redemption when he missed the 171-pound weight limit by three pounds due to an ankle injury that hindered his weight cut.

"(Ten days before the fight) I was sparring, and the floor was really slippery, and I rolled my ankle back," Alves said. "My doctor thought I wasn't going to be able to fight."

Alves revisited the physician the Tuesday before the event, and he found out that the ankle was not broken, but it was severely strained. While the diagnosis allowed him to fight, being unable to put weight on the foot made the cut near-impossible.

"I wasn't able to do anything for three days," Alves said. "I am a really heavy guy. I walk around at 195-200 (pounds), so if I don't keep my diet and work out really hard ... even the last week before the fight, I (have to) train really hard to (try) to keep my weight low."

Alves even elected to take a cortisone shot, hoping it would allow him to do more cardio, but looking back he feels that may have hindered him even more.

"With the cortisone shot, it holds more water in my body," Alves said. "My body wasn't sweating. It's the worst feeling. I would stay 15 minutes, 20 minutes in the sauna, and my body just wouldn't sweat anymore. I even passed out twice in the sauna. ... My coach had to carry me out."

Finally, Alves informed his manager and UFC executives that he wouldn't be able to make weight. His opponent, Hughes, agreed to a catch weight so that the main event of an already-injury-riddled card would not be canceled.

"Matt Hughes was a gentleman," Hughes said. "We explained the whole situation with my ankle, and he was like, 'Don't worry about it. Let's fight.'"

The ankle injury didn't seem to hamper Alves' performance as he landed a flying knee to the body and followed up with several clean punches, forcing a stoppage just 62 seconds into the second round.

Alves admitted he went into the fight looking to land a big knee that would finish his opponent.

"The knee definitely was a part of the game (plan)," Alves said. "It was just timing the knee. I didn't think I was going to (have to) switch knees. ... I jumped in on the right, but he turned his head away, and so I just switched the knee."

After the loss, Hughes approached his opponent in the post-fight press conference and addressed the incident in Orlando.

"He approached me and said, 'I don't remember that thing that happened in Orlando, but if it happened, I apologize,'" Alves said. "I told him, 'Champion, don't worry about it. It was a long time ago.'"

Now that Hughes is in his rear-view mirror as he continues his ascent in the division, Alves has his sights set on the winner of the Georges St. Pierre vs. Jon Fitch fight in August and the UFC welterweight title.

"My goal is to be world champion," Alves said. "I know I am going to be the next world champion. I have no doubt about it. Just give me a title shot, and I will prove it."

With just one fight left on his contract, and St. Pierre vs. Fitch still two months away, Alves may have to choose whether to take another fight or stay inactive.

"I don't mind waiting until the end of the year if I get a title shot," Alves said. "But, if by October I don't have anything solid, anything signed for a title shot, I definitely want to fight again by October."

Regardless of whom he fights next, Alves has a bold statement for his fans.

"Whoever it is, I am going to knock him out."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Visa Issues Stall Cacareco's Dream Debut

After running roughshod over his recent opposition, Alexandre "Cacareco" Ferreira will have to wait a bit longer to show his skills on the big stage.

"Cacareco" has been forced out of his scheduled bout against Russian Alavutdin Gadzhiyev (Pictures) on Dream's June 15 card at the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan, due to visa issues, as first reported by intheguard.tv.

Brazilian MMA elder statesman Mario Sperry (Pictures), who serves as Ferreira's manager, confirmed Cacareco's cancellation to Sherdog.com on Monday.

At 29 years old, Ferreira is a 10-year MMA veteran, but has finally lived up to his potential as of late. One of the world's best light heavyweight grapplers, Ferreira is riding a five-fight winning streak, including highlight reel submissions over Branden Lee Hinkle (Pictures) in 37 seconds via heelhook, Fabio Maldonado (Pictures) in 27 seconds via kneebar, and Lew Polley (Pictures) in 20 seconds via guillotine choke at an IFL event last February.

Dream parent company Fighting and Entertainment Group have yet to announce Ferreira's withdrawal from the bout with Gadzhiyev. An announcement regarding his cancellation and replacement should be made later this week.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Manning Up

There is only one defeat on Ronnie Mann (Pictures)'s record.

The Team Trojan standout, 14-1-1, suffered his first loss last July when he challenged Robbie Olivier (Pictures) for the Cage Rage British featherweight title. Renewed by the humbling experience, the young, well-rounded fighter has since bounced back with three quick victories.

Now he finds himself right back in the mix of the United Kingdom's top contenders.

One of his recent wins was an impressive unanimous decision over tough Frenchman Frederic Fernandez (Pictures). Mann was dominant throughout the three rounds of action, showing a new facet to his game by repeatedly shooting on his cornered opponent and scoring with a series of lightening-fast double-leg takedowns.

Even after such a dominant win, the ever-improving featherweight was eager to pick holes in his own performance.

"I was probably a little too wary of what he could do," Mann said. "I should have been a little more aggressive perhaps and not so careful, but you have to play it like you see it at the time. I believe this fight showed a different side to my style of fighting -- i.e. my wrestling, ground-and-pound game."

From top position Mann controlled the tricky Fernandez on the floor and soon opened a nasty gash over his left eye with a series of hard right hands. With such a convincing win against a capable European opponent under his belt, Mann once again appears on the cusp of challenging for the Cage Rage British featherweight title.

Looking back on his first meeting with British champion Robbie Olivier (Pictures), Mann appeared determined to learn from the first and only defeat of his 19-fight career.

"I learnt a great deal," he said. "One of the main things was to make sure I am properly prepared for a fight, not just physically but mentally as well. Even though I was physically fit for the fight, I was unsettled by the big occasion -- cameras in my face, that sort of thing. As a consequence I fought the wrong game and lost fair and square. I have done quite a few things to deal with that aspect of my game and feel that a rematch would be a different story."

Trojan head coach Charlie Joseph, the architect of Mann's unique skill set, agreed fervently with his star pupil's assessment.

"He has grown in confidence, and I think a rematch would pan out differently," Joseph said. "He has also developed skill wise, and I think he would bring more to the table."

Joseph is considered one of the United Kingdom's finest trainers. He has enjoyed an influx of new faces at his Cheltenham gym over recent years while the reputation of the Trojan camp has spread. Even as the training group expands, the former Foreign Legionnaire still has time to focus on the development of his star student.

"There are some people who are really slow learners, and it can be frustrating having to go over things again and again," he said. "But when you have a fighter who picks things up instantly, a fighter who can use those skills in the mix, it's great.

"He can go all the way," Joseph said of Mann. "He has all the tools, and we have the contacts to get him there. I think his development thus far has been at the correct pace, and he is now ready to take the next step up. I am certain that his time is drawing near and that he will soon be making waves on the international stage. If anyone deserves success, it's him."

However, for the moment Mann has dedicated himself to churning through the current crop of featherweights on the U.K. scene.

"I would like to fight Brad Pickett (Pictures), as this is a fight people have been asking for for some time," Mann said. "I think he is a much-improved fighter and I reckon it would be an entertaining fight."

No stranger to exciting battles, the young warrior looked back at one of the most talked-about fights on U.K. soil: his encounter with Pancrase London fighter Ashleigh Grimshaw (Pictures) at the inaugural Cage Rage Contenders show in May 2006. Mann considers the bout to have been his toughest, especially after suffering an agonizing low blow early.

"The damage was caused by the edge of the groin guard squashing one of my ... well, you can probably guess. It was agony, and I couldn't get going after that," Mann explained. "Ashleigh being the fighter he is, strong and determined, pushed the pace and so it was a real challenge to get through it."

The now-defunct open guard rule allowed the fighters to stomp on each other enthusiastically during the three-round war, which ended as a draw despite the Trojan fighter feeling that he got the better of the opening two rounds.

"I did nearly finish the fight twice," Mann pointed out. "In the first round with a knockdown and second with a triangle choke, but Ashleigh is really tough and he came back strong in the third -- tough fight."

Following in the footsteps of teammates James Thompson (Pictures) and Zelg Galesic (Pictures), Mann also made his way to Japan recently, though only to corner the talented Croatian middleweight for his bout in the Dream middleweight tournament.

"Zelg is a great guy, and so it was a fun experience," Mann said. "I got to meet some interesting people and look at how things are done on the big international shows. It helps prepare you for such an event, so it was worthwhile on many levels."

Galesic brushed aside the challenge of tough Russian Thai boxer Magomed Sultanakhmedov (Pictures) in the first round of the tournament, submitting him with an armbar in 1:40. Sherdog.com asked Mann how he felt his teammate would fare in the tournament, which resumes Sunday and includes the likes of Kazushi Sakuraba (Pictures), Jason Miller and grappling legend Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza.

"I suppose it depends on matching," Mann replied. "But Zelg has a good chance. Besides him, I think &#8216;Jacare' may be the surprise of the batch."

As for James Thompson (Pictures), Mann is less supportive. In need of a wider variety of heavyweight training partners, the Pride veteran traveled across the pond and has now settled down in Las Vegas.

Thompson's understandable yet wholly unexpected move has clearly left a bitter taste in the mouth of his former teammate.

"I don't want to slag James off, as with me he has always been OK, but he did handle things badly," Mann said. "No one in the team knew what he was up to until we read it on the Internet. He should have been more up front but chose to do things in an underhanded manner. I can only say that my respect for him isn't quite what it was."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Melvin Manhoef and the Return of the Old School

Fight fans who have been following the sport for more than a decade must feel as if they are stuck in a time warp back to 1998.

More than any other time in recent memory, the last couple of months have been an absolute throwback as far as classic style-versus-style matchmaking is concerned.

Traditional striker-versus-grappler bouts like Robert Berry (Pictures) against Ken Shamrock (Pictures), Michael Bisping (Pictures) against Charles McCarthy (Pictures) and most recently Maurice Smith (Pictures) against Hidehiko Yoshida (Pictures) have been popping up all around the world. Another example of this development is set for Sunday when Melvin Manhoef (Pictures) takes on Kazushi Sakuraba (Pictures) in the main event of Dream 4.

On one hand you have a Dutch kickboxer in Manhoef, a 5-foot-8 power plug who has racked up 95 percent of his wins by knockout and is without a doubt the most feared striker this side of Anderson Silva. On the other hand you have Japanese legend Kazushi Sakuraba (Pictures), the "Gracie Hunter," who has taken 71 percent of his victories by submission and has made a career out of beating bigger and badder opposition.

"This is definitely the biggest and most important fight of my career," Manhoef told Sherdog.com. "It is really a dream come true for me to be in the same category as Sakuraba. I used to look up to him, and now I have the chance to fight him."

Manhoef was not among the original participants in the Dream middleweight grand prix. He moved into the tournament with his destruction of Korean judoka Dae Won Kim (Pictures) in an alternate match on May 11. The 32-year-old Dutchman, known as "Black Storm" in Japan, reached the finals of the Hero's 183-pound tournament in 2006 but was beaten by Yoshihiro Akiyama (Pictures) via armbar.

Manhoef's questionable ground game is also a main theme for his fight against Sakuraba, who has choked out Quinton Jackson (Pictures) and armbarred Kevin Randleman (Pictures) -- two fighters similar to Manhoef in size. Despite a recent training camp at grappling stronghold American Top Team and diligent work with Remco Pardoel, Holland's top BJJ coach, the question remains whether Manhoef can avoid being submitted.

"I will try to prevent going to the ground," Manhoef says. "But I'm not like Jackson and Randleman. We may have the same build, but we have totally different fighting styles. Those fighters didn't mind going to the ground, while I will try to keep the fight standing. Of course Sakuraba is very experienced on the ground, but at the same time, I'm very dangerous standing up."

This sentiment is shared by Dream event producer and matchmaker Keiichi Sasahara, who gives a unique insight into the Japanese thought behind booking fights.

"Fighters with an aggressive striking game are a good matchup for Sakuraba," Sasahara explains. "Musashi, Benkei and Manhoef belong to this type of fighters. Especially Melvin, as he has a very high ratio of finishing fights with knockouts or technical KO's. Melvin rushes in with punches and finishes Sakuraba with the knockout or Sakuraba survives the onslaught from Melvin's hands and finishes him with [a submission] -- this is the main point of this fight."

Sasahara, who was the public relations representative for Pride's former parent company Dream Stage Entertainment, also has an interesting view of the Dutch knockout machine.

"Melvin knows what is expected of him and how the fans see him," Sasahara says. "Even though fighters know what is expected of them most of the time, sometimes they find it difficult to stick with their roles while pushing for the win. In a good sense, Melvin is a peculiar fighter who will rather lose his fight because of being overly aggressive than play a conservative game to win."

Victory over Sakuraba, a fighter revered by the Japanese hardcore fans like no other from the land of the rising sun, would not only see Manhoef advance to the semifinals of the middleweight grand prix but also would make him a household name in Japan once and for all. The man from Amsterdam is well aware of the magnitude of the bout.

"Beating a living legend like Sakuraba would of course mean a great deal to me," he says. "He has fought so many great fighters already that it is truly an honor to fight him. To win would mean that my ground skills have improved. It would put the crown on all my hard work."

The only question remaining is the physical condition of the "Marvelous" one. Prior to his recent fight against Kim, Manhoef had to have a clot of blood removed from behind his lung. The injury stemmed from the incredible amount of punishment he took at the hands of Remy Bonjasky in their fight two weeks earlier. After being in the hospital for a week, Manhoef was hardly able to train for the fight against Kim, which explains his so-so performance.

"My rib is fine, and I have recovered well," Manhoef says. "I can't say anything about my shape yet because I'm still in preparation. But I'm training hard and I'll do everything to enter the ring in the best condition possible."

Will Manhoef succumb to Sakuraba on the ground, just like he did against Akiyama and Dong Sik Yoon (Pictures) in the years before? Or has he learned enough takedown and submission defense to keep the fight standing and dismantle the "Gracie Hunter" on the feet like Igor Vovchanchyn (Pictures) and Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) did before him?

We will find out Sunday.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Maeda Speaks of Loss to Torres

He may not have walked out with the title, but Yoshiro Maeda (Pictures)'s effort against WEC bantamweight kingpin Miguel Torres (Pictures) on June 1 may have improved his stock.

In a fight that many fans have tabbed as frontrunner for fight of the year, Torres and Maeda fought at a torrid pace in every position, producing the sort of action suitable of a world-class bantamweight bout. After three breakneck rounds, Maeda was halted on the advice of the cageside physician due to a brutally swollen right eye. However, in defeat, Maeda may have done more for his career than in any of his previous 29 bouts.

The 26-year-old Maeda, who still reigns as the featherweight King of Pancrase, burst onto the Japanese MMA scene in 2003 and quickly emerged as one of the circuit's best young prospects. A dynamic talent and an explosive finisher, he went undefeated through his first 14 pro bouts and brought considerable hype into his Pride Bushido debut in May 2005. However, after a brutal knockout at the hands of the ever-dubious Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett, questions began to surface about the actual upside of the Osaka native.

A loss to Masakazu Imanari (Pictures) in a bout he was otherwise winning and a shocking upset loss to Daiki "DJ.taiki" Hata seemed to help the idea that Maeda was a flaky fighter, but, when he ran head first into a guillotine choke against Joe Pearson (Pictures) in his second Bushido go-around in November 2006, Maeda was branded a big-fight choke artist.

In his bout against Torres, an emerging star who seems poised to rule over the bantamweights with impunity, Maeda showed both the guts and skill that were conspicuously absent in his past losses. Maeda fought tooth-and-nail with the king of the bantams and with a world of unfamiliar eyes on him, impressed North American fans by showing the skill and guts that had earned him the hype as one of the next great Japanese talents to begin with.

"Until now, it's been my most tiring match yet," Maeda told Sherdog.com, after arriving home in Osaka. "Once I returned backstage, I was tired to the point that I couldn't move. It's regrettable that I lost the bout, but as I'd taken a fair amount of damage, I'm thinking that I'll recover for a bit."

Following the bout, Maeda was handed a 180-day suspension by the California State Athletic Commission due to a right orbital bone injury. However, CSAC assistant executive officer Bill Douglas confirmed to Sherdog.com that Maeda can be approved to compete before the six months is up as long as an ophthalmologist provides clearance to the CSAC.

"He was strong, and his grappling and striking were superb," Maeda said of Torres. "I felt that he was very hungry and that he believed that he couldn't be beaten. I felt the strength of his refusal to hold back. He was, to me, like a champion should have been, I think. I really respect him."

So, what's next for the star Pancrasist, who has emerged as a bona fide contender at 135 pounds?

"Of course, I'd like another go at the belt if the WEC gives me the chance. This time, I went out, fought, and now I want to measure the feedback and see what the small difference between us was," said Maeda. "Of course, there's a definite difference between a winner and a loser, but I want to find out what that difference is in my own particular way, think about it, then conquer it by putting on a stronger, better performance for the American fans."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Retirement bug bites several stars

Japanese MMA has already seen a handful of high profile retirements in 2008, and the list just got quite a bit longer. Former Shooto world champions Akira Kikuchi (Pictures) and Akitoshi Hokazono (Pictures) hung up their gloves to pursue their private interests and, last month, tough veteran Miki Shida (Pictures) decided to call it a career also. The retirements have continued to roll in, as UFC veteran Keita "K-Taro" Nakamura, flyweight firebrand Setsu Iguchi (Pictures) and female star Hisae Watanabe (Pictures) have all bowed out.

Nakamura revealed his retirement plans in an interview with Japanese combat sports periodical Gong Kakutougi last month. Nakamura cited his confidence issues following his three losses in the UFC as playing a key role in his decide to end his career in prizefighting.

Nakamura, who just turned 24 years old last month, was tabbed as one of Japan's better prospects to head stateside. Undefeated through his first 15 bouts, the former Shooto rookie champion debuted in the UFC in December 2006, where he lost a controversial split decision to Brock Larson (Pictures). After dropping a decision the following April to Drew Fickett (Pictures), Nakamura looked for a cut to lightweight to get his career on track. However, in his 155-pound debut at UFC 81 in February, "K-Taro" dropped another disputed decision to Robert Emerson (Pictures).

While not stated explicitly, one factor which may have played a considerable role in Nakamura's decision to stop fighting was the status of an eye injury he sustained in his bout with Emerson. During the bout, an attempted high kick sent one of Emerson's toes in Nakamura's left eye. Following the bout, Nakamura suffered vision issues, as well as myodesopsia, or "floaters," in which individuals see shadowy threads or spots in their vision.

"K-Taro" won't entirely remove himself from training, however. The Wajyutsu product stated that he would continue to train in submission grappling, and planned to study to become a police officer.

The brash and outspoken Iguchi announced his retirement following his May 28 Shoot Boxing bout against Akito Sakimura. After dropping a hard-fought majority decision loss, Iguchi uncharacteristically took off his gloves and embraced Sakimura. The usually caustic Iguchi was even more shocking when he took the microphone and addressed the crowd at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, without his usual combative tone of voice.

Iguchi explained to the Korakuen crowd that he'd fallen in love with MMA and kickboxing, but that he felt it was time to hang up his gloves and give proper attention to his wife and child. For perhaps the first time in his career, Iguchi bowed to the crowd who sent him off with a warm round of applause.

The 34-year-old Iguchi burst onto the MMA scene with seven straight victories in GCM-promoted events. He notched the biggest victory of his career in September 2004 when he took an upset majority decision over former Shooto world title challenger Yasuhiro Urushitani (Pictures). Following the victory, fans hoped for Iguchi to make the transition to pro Shooto for a clash with then-Shooto world champion Mamoru Yamaguchi (Pictures).

While the thuggish Iguchi did make the jump to pro Shooto, expected success didn't follow. Iguchi posted only a 1-2-1 mark in pro Shooto and when he finally met nemesis Mamoru Yamaguchi (Pictures) in May 2006, he was dominated by Shooto's afroed ace and stopped by a vicious cut in the first round.

Hisae Watanabe (Pictures)'s motives for retirement weren't quite so clear, although the female star said that she's looking forward to a long break away from training and fighting due to exhaustion. However, also playing a likely role in her retirement is that Watanabe recently married comic book artist SP Nakatema, who is known for his MMA-related manga.

Watanabe, 27, first ventured into the world of MMA in April 2002 and quickly became a fixture in Smackgirl. After refining her game, the converted kickboxer went on to become one of female MMA's biggest stars, winning a nationally televised one-night, eight-woman MMA tournament on the Tokyo Broadcasting System in May 2004.

The charismatic KO queen went on to rematch rival Satoko Shinashi (Pictures) to crown Deep's inaugural 106-pound female champion in August 2006, in what was then considered the biggest match in female MMA history. Watanabe dominated from start to finish, and knocked Shinashi out in positively brutal fashion to become Deep's 106-pound queen. However, an upset loss to South Korean muay Thai champ Seo Hee Ham (Pictures) in February 2007 would tarnish Watanabe before she eventually dropped her title to current 106-pound champion Miku Matsumoto (Pictures) last August.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Takaya to face Swanson, Miura to meet Condit

The "Streetfight Bancho" will make his return to the cage in August, but finding his first stateside win might not be so easy. Hiroyuki Takaya (Pictures) will take on up-and-coming 145-pounder Cub Swanson (Pictures) at the next WEC offering in Las Vegas on August 3. A source close to Takaya confirmed the bout to Sherdog.com.

Takaya, who turns 31 years old on Tuesday, was an acclaimed signing for Zuffa and WEC late last year, as it was thought that the hard-hitting featherweight standout could provide an interesting challenge to divisional champ and blooming star Urijah Faber (Pictures). However, Takaya was upset by scrappy Leonard Garcia (Pictures), who knocked the former Shooto rookie champion out in only 91 seconds at WEC 32 in February.

Swanson, an upstart 24-year-old, suffered the second loss of his career last December when he took a step up in competition to take on Jens Pulver (Pictures) at WEC 31, which marked the former UFC lightweight champion's return to the featherweight division. Since being tapped by "Lil Evil" in only 35 seconds, Swanson has gotten back into the win column, submitting Donnie Walker at an International Fighting & Boxing League event this past February.

Takaya will join fellow countryman Hiromitsu Miura (Pictures), who has already been announced as part of the championship tripleheader for the card, taking on WEC welterweight kingpin Carlos Condit (Pictures).

Miura, a native of Fukuoka, has spent over a year training in Jupiter, Fla. alongside Kurt Pellegrino (Pictures) and the Armory team. The move has paid off for Miura. Previously an undistinguished journeyman in Japan, Muira is coming off two very impressive victories in WEC over Fernando Gonzalez (Pictures) and most recently, Blas Avena (Pictures) at WEC 33 last March.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Saeki teams up with M-1

Maybe the busiest man in all of Japanese MMA, Deep boss Shigeru Saeki has unveiled yet another project.

Saeki has announced that alongside M-1 Mixfight, the promotion headed by Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures) and Red Devil Sport Club handlers Vadim Finkelchtein and Apy Echteld, he will co-promote the M-1 Challenge series events in Japan. The first of these events will take place on July 17 at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. Saeki will also now act as the superintendent of Japan's M-1 Challenge team.

The M-1 Challenge series began earlier this year, pitting teams of five fighters from various international countries against one another. Japan's M-1 Challenge team, which was put together by former Pride vice president Sotaro Shinoda, were successful in their opening action this past February in St. Petersburg, Russia, where they took a victory over the Russian Legion Team 3-2. While heavyweight vet Katsuhisa Fujii (Pictures) and light heavyweight karateka Yuji Sakuragi (Pictures) were defeated, chronically underrated lightweight Daisuke Nakamura (Pictures), welterweight brawler Ken Hamamura (Pictures) and Tsuyoshi Kohsaka (Pictures) middleweight product Yuta Watanabe (Pictures) all walked away with impressive victories to give Japan the edge.

The Japanese team's next action will take place on the aforementioned July 17 card at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo against a quintet from the Netherlands. Also a French contingent will meet the United States team.

Dream event producer Keiichi Sasahara has also pledged his support to the M-1 Challenge program, saying that he hoped to cooperate with the organization in the future. Sasahara's promise could pay interesting dividends, as M-1 boss Vadim Finkelchtein has said that he would love to hold the finals of the M-1 Challenge series on New Year's Eve in Japan, especially if the Japanese team should be one of the two final squads.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Tokyo gym founder killed

Condolences are in order for the friends, family and pupils of Ryusuke Moriyama, the founder of the Wajyutsu Keisyukai Tokyo gym, who was killed in an unlikely auto accident late last week.

According to Japanese news reports, Moriyama met with an acquaintance in an apartment parking garage on Friday evening around 8 p.m. in order to sell a car. Also in the garage, a local office worker had parked a truck on the sloped car park entrance without putting on the emergency break. The truck then rolled backward and struck Moriyama in the stomach.

Early in the hospital on Saturday morning, Moriyama passed away. He was 46.

Although Moriyama did not create the Wajyutsu Keisyukai network, he did found its biggest and most prestigious gym: Wajyutsu Keisyukai Tokyo, where he served as the gym's chief technical instructor. Responsible for the likes of Caol Uno (Pictures), Yushin Okami (Pictures), Hideki Kadowaki (Pictures) and Takayo Hashi (Pictures) among others, Moriyama was trained as a judoka under the legendary Masahiko Kimura, famous for his battles with Helio Gracie in the 1950s.

Perhaps the result of Moriyama's days spent under Kimura, one of the distinguishing features of Wajyutsu Keiyukai Tokyo is its strict and extensive physical conditioning regime, which has earned the gym the nickname "Jigoku no Hokyo" or, roughly translated, "Conditioning Hell."

Moriyama's funeral was held in Uki, Kumamoto on Tuesday, June 10.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Noons: Coincidence and Choice

Ask K.J. Noons. There is no such thing as a coincidence.

Washing cars before becoming a professional fighter. Moving from Texas to San Diego because it was the closest thing on the mainland to his hometown of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Those were major steps for Karl James Noons (Pictures) on a career he had yet to embark on but had long sweated over. They all led him in the direction of his future throne in mixed martial arts.

In 2005, Noons was hitting pads with Brandon Vera (Pictures) and the fight team at City Boxing. Strictly a striker, he was helping his teammates prepare for the week leading up to the Pride tryouts in Los Angeles. His sparring partners suggested he tag along and demonstrate his skills to what was then Japan's MMA powerhouse. He declined until he was coerced, reluctantly accepting with ulterior motives.

"I didn't really want to go," reveals Noons. "But I just went to go and go party it up in L.A."

Bustling nightlife aside, City Boxing was there for business. A casual attitude for Noons, however, persisted.

"I just entered for fun while I was up there with them," he says. "I actually ended up getting best striker, signed with Pride, so all of a sudden I'm in MMA."

Hungover from the sudden change of course, Noons was sent to Seattle to work with ground wizard Matt Hume (Pictures). The AMC Pankration founder had an empty canvas to wipe with Noons' sweat. A lifelong striker, Noons had dabbled on the ground in his San Diego gym, but this was the first time he rolled on the mats.

Three knockouts later and Noons had made an impact in Hawaii's MMA scene under his contract with Dream Stage Entertainment affiliate Super Brawl. The wins got him a call from Pride's infamous lightweight class. Noons stepped back from MMA and turned to professional boxing, however, instead of competing overseas.

"My third fight I was fighting a guy with over 30 fights," says Noons of his decision to leave MMA.

He didn't leave due to the severe step up in competition, though. He wanted to fight -- just a different kind of fight.

Then came Gary Shaw. The boxing and MMA promoter offered Noons a contract in both combat sports.

Returning to MMA on EliteXC's inaugural show against Charles Bennett (Pictures) in 2007, Noons sported a technical advantage and had power to match "Krazy Horse." It was a coming-out party for the San Diegan that was crashed by Bennett's right hand that crumbled him to the floor.

Noons' career later took a sharp swerve in the right direction.

He knocked out James Edson Berto (Pictures) with a perfectly timed knee, and another knee opened the first of many cuts on Nick Diaz (Pictures) in a win that made Noons the EliteXC lightweight champion. His MMA career may have started on a coincidence, but the knees (alongside his hands) that secured him a title prove there is no such thing for Noons.

"I felt very confident going into that [Diaz] fight. Training for that fight showed me I know how to train even harder and better," says Noons, who has developed a reputation for training too hard despite fears of overtraining.

Defending his belt for the first time against Yves Edwards (Pictures) this Saturday, confidence is why Noons feels "even more prepared for this fight."

The more experienced Edwards, a UFC and Pride veteran, is a favorite against the champion. Noons is accustomed to these circumstances. The added dynamics of defending his title for the first time and fighting in front of his hometown crowd does not change the fight.

"I really don't feel too much pressure," Noons says. "I feel back at home [in Hawaii]. Once again I'm fighting a guy with over 50 fights. He's the guy that's supposed to win."

Noons promises he is a complete mixed martial artist; he no longer resents the ground game. He says he's comfortable on the mat, where he expects the "Thugjitsu" practitioner to take the fight. And standing? That's where Noons' swagger comes from, if he has any.

His boxing coach, Vernon Lee, believes Noons' has "enormous power."

"If you get hit with those four-ounce gloves, you're going down," asserts the City Boxing trainer.

Lee has studied the rangy Edwards: "Yeah, no, I don't think he has what it takes."

EliteXC matchmaker and Vice President Jared Shaw offers a more subjective critique.

"[Yves] refound himself ever since he's come to EliteXC, and he's switched back to American Top Team," Shaw says. "He's 3-0 and looked fantastic."

Coming off the heels of six million-plus viewers on CBS, EliteXC expects new fans to tune into Showtime on Saturday and provide a bigger stage for Noons versus Edwards.

"It's really intriguing to see how good K.J. Noons really is. Some people like to think he's a guy who got knocked out. Other people like to believe he's a guy who is now a crowned champion," says Shaw, who sees a star in Noons because "he's good looking, he's charismatic, he's got a fan friendly style of fighting."

Win or lose, Noons is going to dedicate himself to boxing and attempt to nail down a championship in that sport also. The EliteXC lightweight title is only half of the equation for the ambitious fighter, who will fight Nick Diaz again should both win Saturday.

Shaw is fine with Noons' double-pronged adventure, as long as he is ready to defend his title three to four times a year.

"It's up to K.J., withstanding he can handle the regiment of a boxing schedule and a mixed martial arts schedule," Shaw says.

Noons points to the seven-month layoff between capturing EliteXC gold and defending it as ample time to prepare for a boxing bout. Regardless, MMA or boxing, Noons knows what lies ahead.

"It's a long road," he says. "It's a lot of hard work."

Starting martial arts when kids still disclose their age by holding up their fingers, Noons developed a strong standup game in Hawaii's native martial art -- kempo karate. He eventually moved on to training with B.J. Penn (Pictures)'s coach Rudy Valentino, as well as collecting muay Thai and professional boxing experience. The array of striking skills developed over the 25-year-old's life has translated well to MMA.

Now "King Karl" thinks having a title is "pretty cool." There is more to be done, though, and more fights to win, whatever the combat sport of choice.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Video: GSP Talks Alves-Hughes, Prep for Fitch
videolink: http://www.sherdog.com/videos/videos.asp?v_id=1634
The best never rest, they say. UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre (Pictures) seems to be living up to this mantra. Less than two months following his second-round destruction of Matt Serra (Pictures) at UFC 83 in his hometown Quebec province, the 170-pound kingpin is already back to work, tuning his ground game in the famed gyms of Brazil.

In a Sherdog.com video exclusive, St. Pierre discusses his upcoming title defense against American Kickboxing Academy standout Jon Fitch (Pictures) at UFC 87 in August as he takes a moment to bask in the beauty of Brazil's world-famous beaches. The 27-year-old phenomenon also shares his thoughts on Thiago Alves (Pictures)' key victory over Matt Hughes (Pictures) at UFC 85 in London last Saturday.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Affliction adds Belfort vs. Martin, Ambrose vs. Pyle to "Banned" card

An intriguing, star-studded July 19 "Affliction: Banned" card just got a little deeper.

The clothing company turned MMA promoter has added added a preliminary-card bout between Vitor Belfort (16-8) and Terry Martin (16-4). Additionally, J.J. Ambrose (9-1) and Mike Pyle (16-5-1), who were originally scheduled to face Patrick Speight and Brett Cooper (respectively), will now fight each other.

The "Banned" event takes place July 19 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Longtime PRIDE heavyweight champ Fedor Emelianenko meets former UFC title-holder Tim Sylvia in the night's main event.

Belfort, a former UFC light heavyweight champion and the current Cage Rage light heavyweight title-holder, had suffered three consecutive losses in 2005, which resulted in a departure from the UFC. Since then, though, he's 4-2 and will now go for his third consecutive victory. However, he hasn't fought since a September's Cage Rage 23 event, where he defeated James Zikic.

Martin, who was recently competing in the UFC, suffered losses to Chris Leben and Marvin Eastman, which snapped a four-fight win streak. Martin recently made his pro boxing debut (with a first-round knockout) and is also scheduled to meet Daiju Takase this weekend for the debut Adrenaline MMA show.

The main card for "Affliction: Banned" airs live on pay per view, and a few fights will air on FSN as a lead-in to the event. The full fight card now includes:

MAIN CARD (PAY PER VIEW)

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Tim Sylvia
Andrei Arlovski vs. Ben Rothwell
Josh Barnett vs. Pedro Rizzo
Matt Lindland vs. Fabio Nascimento
Renato "Babalu" Sobral vs. Mike Whitehead
PRELIMINARY CARD (FSN)

Paul Buentello vs. Aleksander Emelianenko
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Vernon White
PRELIMINARY CARD (MAY NOT BE BROADCAST)

Vitor Belfort vs. Terry Martin
Ray Lazama vs. Justin Levens
J.J. Ambrose vs. Mike Pyle
Mark Hominick vs. Savant Young

 

[Shogun Locc]

NICK DIAZ HAS SURGERY TO ALLEVIATE CUTTING

Nick Diaz has a history of being cut in fights and after losing to K.J. Noons for the EliteXC lightweight championship due to them, Diaz decided enough was enough and underwent plastic surgery to alleviate scar tissue and hopefully prevent the California fighter from suffering future lacerations.

Diaz' trainer, Cesar Gracie, discussed the procedure and it's success to the media via conference call on Monday. "Over his career he's built up a lot of scar tissue, so it keeps cutting over and over on his ocular bone," explained Gracie.

"We had a plastic surgeon look at it. He said that Nick's ocular bones are extremely sharp, and he's always going to cut and keep building up scar tissue. So, fortunately, the plastic surgeon was able to remedy that by filing it down and making it smooth like someone that doesn't cut."

The outpatient surgery that took "a few hours" was a complete success by all accounts. "Before, Nick was constantly getting cut, even when he was rolling. I mean, it was weird," said Gracie. "But it's been a complete success and we're really pleased with it. It's going to really add to the longevity of his career."

"He was getting cut off silly stuff. So we're just thrilled that we can put that behind him," added Gracie. "Now when he loses, it can be because he got stopped, he got knocked out or something. Look at the Gomi fight, his face was a bloody mess, and he still came back and won because fortunately that doctor didn't stop the fight. He let it go."

Diaz has competed once since the plastic surgery, winning in impressive fashion over Katsuya Inoue in the DREAM promotion.

"Nick came out like the Nick Diaz of old that we're accustomed to seeing back in the day, really aggressive. Doing what he does," stated Gracie. "He looked really good."

"Nick is a really tough guy. I think, without getting cut up, you're going to see Nick is really hard to stop... We're excited that now he's going to have to be submitted or knocked out to lose the fight."

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC Leaving Less Money On The Table

A few weeks back we took UFC brass to task for their ignoring possible additional revenue by not being more aggressive in their merchandising. They look to be addressing these areas in a big way, announcing a slew of deals via the UFC website.

....fans of the Ultimate Fighting Championship will soon be able to collect Jakks Pacific UFC figures, use UFC-branded Bic lighters and Silver Buffalo watches, shop with a UFC credit card, and pick up UFC apparel at JC Penney stores.
The UFC has lost revenue by dragging their feet in this area but better late than never as they say. Similar deals to these should have and could have been struck over a year to eighteen months ago, based on the UFC's popularity. This should be the first of many announcements in this respect as Zuffa should look to stay aggressive in this area.

 

[heyzel]

Vera wants UFC rematch, Werdum says no

Filipino American mixed martial artist Brandon "The Truth" Vera immediately called for a rematch after losing in a first-round battle against Fabricio Werdum of Brazil in their Ultimate Fighting Championship match at London's O2 Arena over the weekend.

"[I'm willing to wait] eight weeks, 10 weeks," Vera said, referring to the regular training period a UFC fighter undergoes before slugging it out in "The Octagon."

Werdum, however, declined Vera's challenge, saying he wants to fight for the UFC championship belt next. The Brazilian said that if and when he snares the crown, he would consider a rematch with Vera following Saturday's "UFC 85: Bedlam."

On Saturday night, Werdum won via a fight stoppage 4:40 into the first round after referee Dan Migliatti stepped in.

Vera complained, saying that the fight was stopped prematurely.

“Lahat ng tama niya dito… dito sa braso. Binilang ko three or four… I was OK,” the MMA fighter, who has a Filipino father and an Italian mother, said.

Vera admitted he should have finished off Werdum sooner. He believes he could have won had the fight gone on longer.

“Kaya ko. Napatulog ko nga siya sa left… nakakainis,” he said.

UFC president Dana White, meanwhile, said that stopping a fight is the discretion of the referee.

Despite Vera's loss, White said he that there is good news for Philippine UFC fans. He said that he plans to stage a UFC card in the Philippines next year.

"Yes, definitely [we're] coming to the Philippines," he said. Dyan Castillejo, ABS-CBN News

 

[Shogun Locc]

MURILO BUSTAMANTE ON BTT, GODZ OF WAR & MORE

It&#8217;s been an eventful period of time in the life of Brazilian Top Team co-founder and current captain Murilo Bustamante.

After years of stability both with BTT and within his own fighting career in terms of foundations, change has swept through both aspects of his life, leaving with it an uncharted road ahead.

For starters, the team he helped build from the ground up suddenly found itself losing members. Team staples such as Antonio Rogerio and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Paulo Filho, and fellow co-founder and captain Mario Sperry have all departed to find their own avenues.

Then, the promotion that Bustamante called home for three years, Pride, was purchased and all but shut down by his former employers, the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Within a span of just over a year, both his team and his fighting home had gone through major alterations, yet Bustamante remained, vowing to forge ahead and continue his career and the tradition he helped found so many years ago.

Alongside fellow team standout Ricardo Arona and coach Luis Duarte, he leads the young and hungry next generation of BTT into the future. At the same time, he looks to resurrect his career with a return to the United States for the first time in six years as he participates in the Godz of War show on June 21 in Charlotte, N.C.

During final preparations for his first fighting trip to the U.S. since UFC 37 in May of 2002, Bustamante corresponded with MMAWeekly.com via email about the current status of BTT, his fighting career, and what lays ahead for one of Brazil&#8217;s premier MMA ambassadors.

MMAWeekly: First off Murilo, it&#8217;s been a time of change for the Brazilian Top Team. Can you give us your thoughts on the personnel changes that have happened over the last year?

Murilo Bustamante: I think changes happen in any kind of business. We built one of the biggest MMA teams in the world, with a lot of good fighters. After such a long time some of the fighters had opted to follow their own way, but the team keeps working and making good fighters. Rousimar Palhares (for instance) is here to prove that. He is being made inside the BTT and will be one of the best in his division soon.

MMAWeekly: With the changes that have happened, you unquestionably are the seasoned fighting leader of the BTT now. What is it like to have the whole team look to you as the man who sets the standards as the leader?

Murilo Bustamante: It is much better than before, because before we had three leaders with different thoughts. Even if we were always trying to make the best for the team, it was harder to make it with three leaders than with one strong leadership. Even with the BTT having two leaders now, I and Luis Duarte, it is much easier than before because our thoughts are closest. I have been teaching the last 21 years, and it is natural for me to be a leader. You just need to have in your mind that you must be an example for everything. You must have the best behavior and try to do everything right. If you can do this, then your words will have power.

MMAWeekly: What do you hope to do with the new BTT in the coming years with the young talent that populates the team&#8217;s roster?

Murilo Bustamante: I have had a lot of fun helping the development of younger fighters. I can see them not only becoming better fighters, but better people. It gives me a lot of pleasure just to be able to help the young guys with their own skills, using all my experience to show them the best way to follow. My goal right now is to work with the new fighters, trying to make their careers grow.

MMAWeekly: Along with yourself, Ricardo Arona is among the most well known of BTT fighters. He has not fought in over a year. Can you give us an update on him and what may his future hold?

Murilo Bustamante: Arona lives in a city far from where the BTT is established. He keeps his own training in his city, Niter&#243;i, and when he is going to fight he comes and spends at least one month training at BTT Rio (de Janeiro). The last time we spoke he hasn&#8217;t signed anything. I think he is a great fighter and is just taking his time. Only he will be the one to know when it is the best time for him to come back to the ring.

MMAWeekly: Let&#8217;s talk about your career, Murilo. Your last fight was in December at Yarennoka in Japan, a controversial split-decision loss to Makoto Takimoto. When you look back at the fight, what do you think about it and what could have been done differently?

Murilo Bustamante: I think I did everything well since the beginning of the fight, I just was unlucky I took the punch that knocked me down in the second round. I fought trying to win by ippon (points/decision), submission, or knockout, and it made me risk a little bit more and I paid the price. I was fighting well and winning the fight a little bit easy until I got punched in the second round, but even after that I finished the fight from the mount position punishing him. So, I think the judges could (have given me) the victory in this fight, but it was close. He is a good fighter, but I am sure if I fought him again, I could beat him.

MMAWeekly: You are currently scheduled to fight on the Godz of War show on June 21. What are your thoughts on returning to fight in the United States for the first time in six years?

Murilo Bustamante: I am pretty excited with that. I was wanting to come back to fight in the States. I missed the American fans. When I was fighting (in the U.S.) before they were always really nice to me, and when I show up in any kind of event in the States the fans always give me good treatment. I am working hard to make a good fight for them.

MMAWeekly: You are slated to face former UFC fighter Josh Haynes. Do you know anything about him or have a general strategy to defeat him?

Murilo Bustamante: I know he has been fighting (recently) and is coming off a win in the IFL. He is training in Las Vegas (at Xtreme Couture), and I think he is a good fighter. Like always I am training hard on everything &#8211; jiu-jitsu, boxing, wrestling, Muay Thai &#8211; just so I&#8217;m comfortable during the fight. My strategy will be to fight hard and (capitalize on) the chances that I will have during the fight. I will try to use my best skills and make a good fight for the fans.

MMAWeekly: With six months left in year, what goals do you have for the rest of 2008?

Murilo Bustamante: My goal will be to work hard for my team, helping my fighters get good fights and make my team bigger. Besides that, I want to keep fighting the most that I can.

MMAWeekly: Thank you so much for your time, Murilo. Is there anything you want to say in conclusion?

Murilo Bustamante: I just want to say thanks to MMAWeekly for this opportunity, and thanks to all the BTT fans that keep supporting our team.