MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

SUPERMAN' DENNIS HALLMAN STILL FLYING HIGH

After years of rollercoaster-like ups and downs, both in his record and weight, MMA veteran Dennis “Superman” Hallman appears to have finally found his niche.

A 20-second submission win at the recent ShoMMA: Strikeforce Challenger Series event over late replacement Justin Davis has given Hallman a five-fight winning streak and reason to believe he could once again be in a title hunt.

After cornering Victory Athletics teammate Brad Blackburn at the recent Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale, Hallman spoke to MMAWeekly.com about his win, his year away from fighting, and what’s next.

“My opponent got changed at the last minute, so I ended up facing a guy who was a 205-pound striker, and I knew he wouldn’t have a lot of ground and it would be stupid for me to stand with him,” said Hallman of his fight strategy.

“I shot in a quick double-leg, he made a mistake when he opened his guard, and so I took his back and choked him out. It was pretty textbook and simple – I actually lucked out.”

While Hallman chuckles about how fortunate he was in his last fight, it’s actually the serious business of working on his endurance that has helped him get on such a hot streak.

“I think the big change came in my cardio regiment,” he stated. “My body is really weird, like if I eat a certain thing, my blood sugar spikes and I get out of control. But if I eat correctly, and do the right combination of cardio, it seems that I’m able to compete a lot better.”

Hallman returned to action this past March after serving an illegal substance related suspension stemming from a November 2007 fight.

Having fought for over 10 years, he was asked if he entertained thoughts of possibly leaving the cage for other avenues during his 17-month layoff.

“I never really had a thought of stopping,” he responded. “I had a whole team of guys who were fighting the whole time, and my responsibility was to prepare them for their fights; just make sure they were ready to win, and at the same time keep myself in shape.

“Maybe if I was 39 or 40, I would have thought about that, but I have a lot of years ahead of me.”

Now riding an impressive winning streak, Hallman is looking to make the most of his comeback.

“I’d like to fight anywhere,” he stated. “I’d like to fight in Strikeforce, the UFC, or maybe even Japan.

“I wouldn’t want to lock myself down to anything in particular, but I see myself getting a couple more matches here (in Strikeforce) and climb up the ranks.”

Wherever he competes, Hallman’s main focus is adding a long-awaited title belt to his growing list of accomplishments.

“That’s the goal, for sure,” he said. “I just have to get the right fights at the right time, and hopefully I can get a few good wins under my belt and get another title shot.”

Dennis Hallman continues to do things his own way. Like him or not, it matters not to him, as his eye is on the prize and he doesn’t intend to go away any time soon.

“I want to thank Tapout, MMA Agents, Vicious Fight Gear and Hooligan Fight Gear,” he concluded. “To the fans, thanks for watching, and expect great things.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

CERRONE VS HENDERSON HEAD TO OHIO SEPT 2

With champion Jamie Varner sidelined for an undetermined amount of time, the WEC has opted to put No. 1 contender, Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone and Ben Henderson together for an interim lightweight title fight on Sept. 2 in Youngstown, Ohio.

The bout agreements have been issued and both fighters are expected to sign for the fight, which will mark the WEC's first appearance in the state of Ohio, and the first major MMA show to hit the city of Youngstown.

The show is expected to emanate from the Covelli Center in Youngstown, which plays home to Mahoney Valley Thunder, a semi-professional football team, and is the main arena in city for sporting and music events.

The fight between Cerrone and Henderson will serve as the main event for WEC 43 but at this time no other bouts have been determined for the September card.

Cerrone and Henderson enter this bout on strange terms, as the two fighters considered each other friends. Henderson has actually lobbied Cerrone to come to Arizona to train in the past.

Friendship will be put aside, however, as Cerrone takes his second shot at WEC gold after dropping a decision to Varner earlier this year. Henderson looks to make the biggest jump in his young career as he vies for the championship in his 11th professional fight.

The bout also marks the first time that the WEC has utilized an interim championship.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Wanderlei Silva: Fight with Vitor Belfort ‘is going to happen’

UFC President Dana White recently made news by announcing that he was working to re-sign former UFC champion Vitor Belfort and instantly speculation began to run rampant in regards to a possible first opponent for “The Phenom” if the signing comes to fruition.

One name that keeps popping up is no stranger to Belfort as Vitor’s lightning quick knockout victory over Wanderlei Silva at UFC Brazil back in 1998 is among the biggest wins of his career

According to Silva in a recent interview with Sensei Sport TV, Belfort was seriously stressing out before his first fight with “The Axe Murderer”. If that was the case it would definitely work in Wanderlei’s favor if Belfort came into the potential rematch much more relaxed.

“That sequence of punches, I don’t know whether that was technique or anxiety,” speculated Silva. “Many people told me he was dying of fear to face me so that must have been anxiety [that drove him].”

Both men formerly made their home at 205 pounds before recently making the mutual decision to drop down to middleweight so a potential bout between the two would likely come at 185 pounds. Although Silva knows nothing is set in stone at this time, if the call comes, he’ll be ready, as usual.

“Sooner or later [the rematch] is going to happen,” said Silva. “I’m ready to face anyone, including him.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Wanderlei Silva: Fight with Vitor Belfort ‘is going to happen’

UFC President Dana White recently made news by announcing that he was working to re-sign former UFC champion Vitor Belfort and instantly speculation began to run rampant in regards to a possible first opponent for “The Phenom” if the signing comes to fruition.

One name that keeps popping up is no stranger to Belfort as Vitor’s lightning quick knockout victory over Wanderlei Silva at UFC Brazil back in 1998 is among the biggest wins of his career

According to Silva in a recent interview with Sensei Sport TV, Belfort was seriously stressing out before his first fight with “The Axe Murderer”. If that was the case it would definitely work in Wanderlei’s favor if Belfort came into the potential rematch much more relaxed.

“That sequence of punches, I don’t know whether that was technique or anxiety,” speculated Silva. “Many people told me he was dying of fear to face me so that must have been anxiety [that drove him].”

Both men formerly made their home at 205 pounds before recently making the mutual decision to drop down to middleweight so a potential bout between the two would likely come at 185 pounds. Although Silva knows nothing is set in stone at this time, if the call comes, he’ll be ready, as usual.

“Sooner or later [the rematch] is going to happen,” said Silva. “I’m ready to face anyone, including him.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Thiago cheering for Shogun against Lyoto

Ex-partner of Maurício "Shogun" at Chute Boxe academy, Thiago Silva, who now represents the American Top Team, is cheering for Shogun in his next challenge, which will be against Lyoto Machida for the UFC's belt. Knowing very well both fighters, having trained with Shogun and faced Lyoto, Thiago talked about the title fight. "I think they are both very good athletes, Shogun is very well physically and technically, but I already fought with Lyoto and know how it is", said Thiago, pointing the secrets of the Karate fighter.

"His (Lyoto’s) differential is psychological, the patience... He knows the time to go. The secret is there. If Shogun knows how to administrate the patience, he can get it, but Lyoto is in a great time", says Silva. After the fight against Lyoto, Thiago revealed that, with only a minute of fight, “was already pulling out the hairs". And he gives the tone for his friend: " Lyoto doesn’t change the strategy, is always the same, fighting in the opponent's mistake, then the patience is the key. If Shogun has patience, he may surprise", said the fighter, betting on Rua. "I put (my money) in Shogun… He’s my friend, I cheer a lot for him", finished.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Hironaka Bombs Nagata at Cage Force 11

TOKYO -- Kuniyoshi Hironaka pounded out Dream veteran Katsuhiko Nagata in the first round in the Cage Force 11 main event on Saturday at the Differ Ariake Arena.

After trading low kicks with each other in the opening moments, Hironaka (14-6) landed a hard one-two hook combination that had a stunned Nagata searching for the clinch. Hironaka then tripped the New Japan professional wrestler to the mat, where he dropped short elbows from above in half guard and opened a tiny cut over Nagata’s left eye. Nagata (4-6-1) eventually fought back to his feet, but after a failed single leg, he ate another big right-left hook combo from Hironaka that sent him sprawling into the fence. Hironaka lunged and got off four unanswered blows to the side of Nagata’s head, forcing referee Yoshinori Umeki to call a stop to the bout at 3:41 of the first period.

“If I get a chance to fight Cage Force’s lightweight champion, Mizuto Hirota, I’d [win and] defend the belt for 10 years and can die happy, I think,” Hironaka said. “I’d also like to go back to America again, to challenge myself. Since I was born a man, I want to challenge myself against the strongest.”

In the co-headliner, Keita Nakamura returned to welterweight to meet Tomoyoshi Iwamiya for what many saw as a tune-up. It did not go as smoothly as he hoped, however.

After a dominant first round in which he controlled Iwamiya (6-9) from back mount and threatening with chokes and punches, “K-Taro” became much more hesitant in the second and third periods. Iwamiya defended takedowns and took a number of potshots on the gunshy Nakamura, but it proved too little for two of the judges. Nakamura (16-4-2) slipped by on the scorecards of judges Minoru Toyonaga and Tomoki Matsumiya; judge Tenshin Matsumoto ruled the bout a draw.

Meanwhile, Daiju Takase edged out Shuji Morikawa by split decision in a bout that proved lackluster at best. Morikawa (2-3-1) had the power and speed to put big right hooks on a defensively challenged Takase, but after eating a few counter punches, the Team Cloud fighter grew hesitant. The opening allowed a gassing Takase (8-13-1) to rack up low kicks and sharp jabs to steal the decision.

“In the near future, I'd like to fight someone [whose success is owed to] 30 percent ability and 70 percent management,” Takase said. “Who? I think you all know. I won’t name names, but if you want to know, buy my [as yet unpublished] book.”

Other bouts ended in more decisive fashion.

Shahriar Abbasov looked to be on his way to a technical knockout or dominant decision victory, as he bullied Kozo Urita all over the cage, slamming him and locking him up in headlocks. In his retreat, however, Urita (7-11-1, 1 NC) survived long enough to land a glancing punch that opened a small cut over Abbasov’s left eye. Though doctors allowed the fight continue after their checkup, referee Toyonaga called an early stop at 1:11 in the second round when the Abbasov (0-1) bleeding could not be controlled.

In the “Fight of the Night,” Isao Terada surprised everyone by finishing Yuta Nezu quickly with a third-round rear-naked choke. Though expectations had the two heavy hitters banging away at each other, Terada showed composure from the opening period, as he controlled the cage and countered the wild-swinging Nezu (7-3-1) with precise jabs and beautiful hooks to the body. More of the same came in the second stanza, and Terada delivered two takedowns. In the third, Nezu -- now favoring his right arm -- shot for a single leg. Terada (6-7-4, 1 NC) quickly extracted himself, spun around and took the back mount, seamlessly sinking the choke. Nezu tapped quickly, ending the bout 13 seconds into round three.

Other Bouts
Yusaku Inoue def. Yusuke Horimoto -- TKO (Cut) 3:00 R2
Masato Kobayashi def. Nobuo Kawana -- Unanimous Decision
Masayoshi Ichikawa def. Tomoyuki Miyaji -- TKO (Punches) 0:14 R1
Yuta Nakamura def. Yusuke Sakashita -- TKO (Punches) 0:17 R1
Teruhiko Kubo def. Keitaro Maeda -- TKO (Punches) 3:04 R1

 

[Shogun Locc]

Kawajiri on Gomi: ‘He’s My Arch Rival’

Four years ago, Tatsuya Kawajiri succumbed to a rear-naked choke from Takanori Gomi at Pride “Bushido 9” at the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo. Now 31, the former Shooto champion has not forgotten the sting of defeat that night in September 2005, and if fate sees fit, he wants another crack at the one-time Pride Fighting Championships lightweight king.

Gomi (30-5, 1 NC) knocked out Takashi Nakakura at a Shooto event in May, as he snapped a two-fight losing streak. It seems his demise may have been greatly overexaggerated.

“He was very strong. There is no point in comparing his past and present since it may mean that he improved,” Kawajiri said. “Ultimately, if I have the chance and if that’s what the fans wish to see, I’d like to fight him again. He’s my arch rival.”

Kawajiri expected Gomi to rebound from losses to Sergey Golyaev and Satoru Kitaoka inside the Sengoku promotion.

“He was different from the Gomi that I fought,” he said. “I knew he was better.”

Kawajiri (24-5-2) also has designs on a rematch with Caol Uno, whom he battled to a draw at a Shooto event in March 2004. Uno, however, returned to the UFC earlier this month and lost a unanimous decision to Spencer Fisher in Germany.

“I’m not so concerned about the rematch not taking place,” Kawajiri said. “I hope he does well in the UFC. It takes a lot of courage to fight in the UFC today. If we keep on fighting, we might as well meet again in the ring. Only time will tell.”

In the meantime, as he prepares for a K-1 rules match with Masato Kobayashi on July 13 in Tokyo, Kawajiri plans to monitor the Dream featherweight grand prix and teammate Hiroyuki Takaya.

“I would like to see him win since I train with him,” Kawajiri said. “I also believe he has all the tools to win the tournament.”

He sees Hideo Tokoro -- a submission winner against Abel Cullum at Dream 9 -- as the darkhorse.

“The one fighter who you have to keep an eye on is Hideo Tokoro. He seems to have something outside of his abilities. To keep winning in a tournament like this, you need to bring in luck and catch the flow of the tournament for things to go your way. Coming up with a submission win the way he did after three straight defeats -- that’s amazing. He isn’t your ordinary fighter.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

SENGOKU And TBS?

A new article in Japan says that the contract of SENGOKUG! on TV Tokyo will end in September. It also says that TBS aren’t happy with DREAM’s ratings and that they now have an interest in SENGOKU, after their signing of Satoshi Ishii. It seems that the higher-up division of TBS are already making preparations for it.

The article goes on to say that FEG has presented a written proposal to SENGOKU. The proposal is about cooperation for survival. However, it seems that the SENGOKU side isn’t thinking about a collaboration with DREAM. This because WVR’s Kokuho has several suspicions against FEG representatives.

There’s probably a reason why this article was written, but don’t be surprised if everything isn’t true. The whole channel of TBS is doing bad right now. If possible, getting on TV Asahi or NTV is better. I don’t know if Fuji TV wants MMA right now since the whole PRIDE thing wasn’t that long ago.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Lashley Saps ‘The Beast’

Bobby Lashley fought with brains and brawn, and Bob Sapp could not keep up in the featured bout at Fight Force International “Ultimate Chaos.”

The unbeaten Lashley took down Sapp in the opening seconds and grinded away with ground-and-pound until the larger-than-life Pride Fighting Championships and K-1 veteran tapped out to strikes 3:17 into round one on Saturday at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Miss.

Lashley (4-0), who promised to fight Sapp standing in the pre-fight buildup, instead took the more intelligent route to victory.

“Going out there against somebody like Bob, you’ve got to be prepared,” Lashley said. “I just wanted to get him down. I had to go out there take him down, cover him up, keep him flat and pound on him. That was our gameplan. You’ve got to wear the big man down. We’ve got other matches where we can test our stand-up.”

Lashley’s blows from the top position, more of a nuisance to start, grew in intensity and reached their peak with winging punches to the side of Sapp’s head. The hulking 36-year-old, who outweighed the 255-pound Lashley by nearly 70 pounds, actually tapped out twice, seconds apart. The referee did not see the first submission but halted the action when Sapp (10-5-1) back-handed the mat and asked out of the fight for a second time.

Anchored at American Top Team, Lashley has finished three of his first four professional opponents. The former World Wrestling Entertainment superstar plans to fight twice more in 2009.

The co-main event lasted little more than two minutes, and it did not go well for UFC veteran Pedro Rizzo.

After an early takedown and some brief, ineffective ground-and-pound from Rizzo (16-9), Gilbert Yvel retruned to his feet and unleashed a hellacious flurry of ill-intentioned strikes, including a looping left hook and glancing head kick that wobbled his foe. The Brazilian fell into the meat grinder on the ground after a failed shot. Yvel (36-13-1, 1 NC) -- the controversial Dutch striker who has been disqualified three times in his career -- landed several crushing blows to Rizzo’s jaw, the last two of which came after he was clearly unconscious, the referee standing by idly. The match was over 2:10 after it began.

Having delivered 31 of his 36 victories by knockout or technical knockout, Yvel will face Paul Buentello at Affliction “Trilogy” on Aug. 1. A frightening physical specimen, he has posted eight wins in his last nine appearances.

In an impromptu featherweight scrap, Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Javier Vazquez made painfully quick work of Mark Kergosien -- a last-minute replacement for UFC veteran Din Thomas.

Kergosien pushed into the clinch and worked for a takedown in the opening seconds; it was a decision he would live to regret. Vazquez calmly drew him into a guillotine choke and locked it down in full guard. Kergosian (0-1) made a feeble attempt to free himself but wound up on the bottom, Vazquez’s grip tightening around his neck. The tapout followed 59 seconds into round one. Vazquez was visibly disappointed by Thomas’ inability to compete.

“I trained real hard for Din,” Vazquez said. “It’s unfortunate. It happened. Maybe we can make that fight happen down the road.”

A four-time U.S. Open Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion, Vazquez (13-2) -- who announced his retirement in 2007 after his second appearance for EliteXC -- put the 145-pound division on notice.

“I’m back,” he said. “This is my weight class. At 145, there are very few guys who can touch me at this weight.”

Meanwhile, one-time International Fight League cornerstone Chris Horodecki chipped away with persistence in his lightweight showdown with William Sriyapai.

Not known for his ground skills, Horodecki notched the first submission victory of his career, as he cinched a rear-naked choke for the tapout against the former muay Thai world champion. Horodecki took down Sriyapai inside the first minute, secured back control with hooks in and waited for an opportunity to present itself. After several minutes on the ground, Sriyapai exposed his neck, and Horodecki finished it. The end came 4:02 into round one.

Horodecki (13-1), who had not competed in more than a year, posted his second straight win since his brutal technical knockout loss to Ryan Schultz in December 2007.

Elsewhere, Affliction frontman Tom Atencio weathered a harrowing start to his first appearance in the cage in more than four years and stopped Randy Hedderick by second-round technical knockout.

Hedderick (1-1) rocked Atencio with a pair of first-round right hands, but his inability to finish wound up biting him in the rear. The 25-year-old Gulf Port, Miss., resident allowed Atencio to regain his faculties and push the fight into a second round.

Atencio, 42, rose to the occasion in the second period, as he scored early with a beautiful leg sweep takedown. He brought Hedderick to the ground again late in the round and blasted away with punches from the top. Bleeding heavily from his nose, Hedderick did not come out for round three.

“Anybody that steps into this ring, I’ve got a lot of respect for,” Atencio (2-0) said. “Win, lose or draw, at least he had the balls to get in here.”

Finally, King of the Cage veteran Waachiim Spiritwolf stunned Brett Cooper, as he dropped him with a ringing right hook in the first round and finished him with strikes on the ground 3:41 into their match. Cooper (9-5) rose immediately to his feet after absorbing the beating and staggered around the cage, seemingly unaware that he had been short-circuited by Spiritwolf’s punches. The defeat snapped his six-fight winning streak.

“I said, if he didn’t take me serious, it was going to be a real short night for Brett Cooper,” Spiritwolf (6-4) said. “That’s what happened.”

Other Bouts
Colin McKee def. Lance Thompson -- Submission (Strikes) 4:16 R1
Brandon Harder def. John Harris -- Submission (Arm-Triangle) 4:31 R2
James Orso def. Danny Abbadi -- Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Drew Wallace def. Eric Graham -- TKO (Strikes) 4:02 R2
Rocky Overstreet def. Greg Maher -- Submission (Kimura) 2:08 R1
Jonathan Mackles def. Shilo Pisarich -- Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) 2:29 R2

 

[Shogun Locc]

Yvel Reflects on Brutal Knockout
videolink: http://www.sherdog.com/videos/recent/Yvel-Reflects-on-Brutal-Knockout-2016
Gilbert Yvel discussed his devastating knockout of Pedro Rizzo with Sherdog.com’s TJ De Santis.

 

[Shogun Locc]

MILLS, WATSON WIN AT FIRST BAMMA EVENT

The newly formed BAMMA held the first of a planned series of three events on Saturday night in England. The events are telecast on the Bravo network and look to crown British champions in a multi-event tournament format.

MIDDLEWEIGHT TOURNAMENT:

Tom Watson came back from dropping the first two rounds of his encounter with John Maguire to pick up a TKO victory, having smashed his opponent’s forearm just before the start of the third stanza. Initial low-point trading between the two opened up a takedown from Maguire and he proceeded to work his takedowns with ease, but was unable to apply much damage from top position. Having sensed that Maguire was faltering, Watson ramped up the aggression level and landed a big knee and kick on the fractured limb to force a halt to the bout.

The encounter between John Phillips and Denniston Sutherland was also subject to an injury stoppage, as the former came crashing down to the canvas dislocating his shoulder and aggravating a previous injury in the process. Up until that moment, things were shaping up to being a serious grappling match with both continuously reversing position on each other. Sutherland, like Watson, sensed victory and hammered home without hesitation at the first sight of an opening.

WELTERWEIGHT TOURNAMENT:

Nathan Champ had to try and chase down a very fluid and technical Eugene Fadiora throughout their encounter in the hope of landing a big haymaker. It wasn’t to be, as the young fighter worked his jab hard to keep a game Champ at bay before letting rip with some awesome head kicks. Fadiora looked completely fresh and unscathed at the end of their 15-minute encounter, while Champ looked to have had an argument with a baseball bat and lost.

Edgelson Lua came out of his encounter with eventual winner Che Mills with his head held high having left everything he had in the cage. Mills is no slouch and to go the distance of someone his caliber, let alone force his gas tank into depletion, is a serious achievement. Still, Mills picked up the unanimous decision victory on account of his heavy hands and superior positioning.

LIGHTWEIGHT TOURNAMENT:

For all in attendance expecting a grappling master class from Tim Radcliffe and Abdul Mohammed, they were to be denied, but not disappointed, as the young Nova Forca standout picked his opponent apart with strikes, capitalizing on a reach disadvantage and avoiding the big overhand right Mohammed was keen on throwing. Mohammed is a scary good wrestler, but for him to be unable to work his game shows how much his opponent had been working on footwork and cage craft – a very impressive win for Radcliffe en route to a place in the finals.

Zach Jones and Francis Heagney wasted little time in clinching up against the cage. A few short knees later and Heagney was working his way into striking position on the ground. With Jones concentrating on locking down his opponent, all it took has a big overhand to get through his defense and ring bells. Sensing this opening, Heagney took his time to concentrate on pinpoint power shots; four found their mark and the referee stepped in halt the action.

In undercard action, Dan Mohavedi succumbed to a side choke at the hands of Adam Stanton, Ben Craggy picked up the decision over Kes Kpokpogri, and Radek Piechnik applied a classic ground and pound attack from mount to halt Spencer Morris.

BAMMA Full Results
-Tom Watson def. John Maguire via TKO at 2:47, R3
-Denniston Sutherland def. John Phillips via TKO (Strikes) at 3:22, R1
-Che Mills def. Edgelson Lua via Unanimous Decision, R3
-Eugene Fadiora def. Nathan Champ via Unanimous Decision, R3
-Tim Radcliffe def. Abdul Mohammed via Unanimous Decision, R3
-Francis Heagney def. Zack Jones via TKO (Strikes) at 3:08, R1
-Adam Stanton def. Dan Mohavedoi via Submission (Side Choke) at 1:08, R1
-Ben Craggy def. Kes Kpokpogri via Unanimous Decision, R3
-Radek Piechnik def. Spencer Morris via TKO (Strikes) at 1:57, R1

 

[Shogun Locc]

Report: Roger Gracie to make Strikeforce debut at "Carano vs. Cyborg" on Aug. 15

Undefeated heavyweight prospect and multiple-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Roger Gracie (2-0) will soon make his Strikeforce debut according to a report from GracieMag.com.

The report states that Gracie will fight for the first time on American soil at the Aug. 15 "Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg" event at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

Initial attempts by MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) to reach Strikeforce officials for comment were unsuccessful.

GracieMag.com's report stated that an opponent for Gracie has not yet been determined, and it is unknown if the bout would take place on the evening's Showtime-televised main card or the unaired preliminary portion of the event.

Gracie made his professional MMA debut in 2006 with a first-round submission win over Ron Waterman under the BodogFIGHT banner. The 27-year-old then earned his second win with another first-round submission effort, this time over Yuki Kondo at World Victory Road's Sengoku Second Battle in May 2008.

With the addition to the Aug. 15 event, "Carano vs. Cyborg" now includes:

* Gina Carano vs. Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos (for Strikeforce women's 145-pound title)
* Champ Josh Thomson vs. Gilbert Melendez (for Strikeforce world lightweight title)
* Champ Alistair Overeem vs. TBA (for Strikeforce world heavyweight title)
* Roger Gracie vs. TBA
* Billy Evangelista vs. TBA
* Poppies Martinez vs. TBA
* Erin Toughill vs. TBA

 

[Shogun Locc]

Wagnney Fabiano likely to return at as-yet-unannounced WEC 43 event in September

Former IFL champion and current top-ranked WEC featherweight Wagnney Fabiano (12-1 MMA, 2-0 WEC) has been targeted for a September return to action.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has learned from sources close to the organization that Fabiano is likely to appear at the as-yet-unannounced WEC 43 event.

Fabiano's opponent has not yet been determined.

Fabiano, along with Nove Uniao teammate Jose Aldo, is considered to be one of the WEC's top contenders for current champ Mike Brown's featherweight title. After a 6-0 run in the now-defunct IFl, Fabiano has added two wins over Fredson Paixao and Akitoshi Tamura in the WEC.

Fabiano's lone career loss came in a 2006 split-decision loss to current WEC bantamweight Jeff Curran.

While there has been some discussion regarding a potential drop to 135-pounds for either Fabiano or Aldo, WEC general manager and co-founder Reed Harris recently told MMAjunkie.com nothing had yet been determined about the teammates' future.

"The last I heard is that they don't really want to fight each other," Harris said. "But I haven't heard anything past that as far as who would do what."

The September bout will be Fabiano's first since his April win over Paixao.

The only other rumored participants for the WEC 43 card at this time are lightweights Donald Cerrone and Ben Henderson, who will meet in a bout that may determine the WEC's interim lightweight title-holder.

 

[Shogun Locc]

With UFC 100 nearing, Georges St. Pierre prepared for biggest test of already stellar career

When UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre (18-2 MMA, 12-2 UFC) speaks, people listen.

The humble, well-spoken French-Canadian doesn't waste many words and doesn't often issue unwarranted superlatives.

And as St. Pierre continues preparations for his potentially epic showdown with No. 1 contender Thiago Alves (16-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) at UFC 100 on July 11 in Las Vegas, the man who has already defeated B.J. Penn (twice), Matt Hughes (twice), Sean Sherk, Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, Matt Serra and others, is calling "Pitbull" the biggest challenge of his career.

"Well, I truly believe, first of all, that if you would put Thiago Alves and B.J. Penn in a fight, I would bet all my money on Thiago Alves, no doubt about it," St. Pierre said in a recent media call promoting the event. "This fight, for a lot of people, seems less dangerous for me because Thiago Alves is a gentleman, he's not somebody that needs to trash talk to promote himself.

"He's a very respectful guy. That's what makes him even more dangerous."

Alves has taken a completely different approach to his fight with St. Pierre than Penn did for a January contest with the welterweight champion. With a seven-fight win streak of his own – a streak that also includes several impressive names – Alves prefers to let his devastating strikes do the talking.

"Thiago's got devastating leg kicks, but that's not the only thing that he's got," St. Pierre said. "He's got great knees, a great left hook.

"I've been studying a lot of things that he does and I know he's going to be a better fighter than I saw in his previous fight because he's a young guy and he always comes back – he's always a better version of what he was the last time before."

The last time for Alves was an impressive display of striking against Koscheck. Snapping leg kicks punished Koscheck for 15 full minutes in a bout that a lesser man than the American Kickboxing Academy fighter would have quit long before the final bell.

Alves will also rival St. Pierre in sheer size, as the two men are perhaps the biggest currently fighting in the welterweight division. But St. Pierre believes the Brazilian's mass will not provide the difference in the contest.

"I don't think it will make a big difference because I always train with bigger guys," St. Pierre said. "I train with smaller and also bigger guys, so I'm used to every kind of size. And I truly believe in this sport skill and technique always beats strength and size.

"The guy who will win the fight is the better fighter, not the bigger guy. It will be the guy who will fight the best that will win the fight."

St. Pierre has been the better man in 11 of his past 12 contests, but many MMA observers agree with the champ in assessing Alves as his biggest test to date. St. Pierre admits there's pressure as a star of the UFC to maintain his belt, but "Rush" also finds those emotions can provide extra motivation.

"The pressure is always there for me," St. Pierre said. "I'm always very nervous, and I think it's that nervousness that keeps me sharp and is going to make me perform better the night of the fight. I think it's a good thing.

"The only thing is with the experience that I'm getting, and I'm getting more and more experience, I learn how to deal with [the pressure]. But the nervousness is always there and I think it will always be a part of it."

With each win that St. Pierre collects, his legend and popularity grow, and the discussions of him as one of the all-time greats increases. And while some say the only real test for the 28-year-old lies in a 185-pound fight with the equally dominant Anderson Silva, St. Pierre believes Alves will provide all the challenge he needs.

"I'm always open to challenges, but right now I have the biggest challenge of my career ahead of me," St. Pierre said. "It's Thiago Alves, so I'm not thinking about anything else. I made that mistake once in a fight before in my career, and it ended up being a loss on me. I learned a lot from that mistake, and I have never wanted to make that same mistake again.

"All of my focus is on Thiago Alves, and it would be foolish for me to think that it would be an easy fight and that I will go through him easy. It's going to be very hard, and I'm preparing myself for the worst."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Jorge Rivera signs new four-fight deal with UFC

Eight-year veteran Jorge Rivera (16-7 MMA, 5-5 UFC) recently signed a new four-fight contract with the UFC, according to a new report from the Boston Herald.

Rivera's April split-decision win over Nissen Osterneck, his 10th for the UFC, completed his prior contract.

The 37-year-old has been rehabbing an injured left shoulder since the April win.

Rivera has had mixed results in recent trips to the octagon, earning wins over Osterneck, Kendall Grove and Edwin Dewees over the past three years while mixing in losses to Martin Kampmann and Terry Martin.

Following his bout with Osterneck, Rivera told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio) that he was contemplating retirement.

"I think this might be my last year," said. "I just want to buckle down, push real hard for this one year, and see what I can do."

Wear and tear on his aging body, as well as a desire to spend more time with his family following the tragic 2008 passing of his daughter, led Rivera to his opinion that his immediate professional future will be addressed on a "fight to fight" basis.

The UFC's end-of-year schedule is filling quickly, but the Boston Herald reports Rivera hopes to return by early fall.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Featherweights Rafael Dias and Diego Nunes meet on preliminary card of WEC 42 in August

The WEC 42 card is nearing completion as featherweights Rafael Dias (12-5-1 MMA, 1-1 WEC) and Diego Nunes (12-0 MMA, 1-0 WEC) have agreed to meet on the preliminary card of the event.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today learned from sources close to the event that both competitors have signed bout agreements for the contest.

Headlined by a bantamweight title fight between current champ Miguel Torres and challenger Brian Bowles, WEC 42 takes place Aug. 9 at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

An American Top Team product, Dias last fought in an April unanimous-decision win over Mike Budnik. The win was Dias' first in the WEC after suffering a second-round TKO loss to Danny Castillo in his November 2008 debut for the organization.

Dias is a also a veteran of now-defunct organizations BodogFIGHT and the IFL. The 29-year-old has seven submission wins in his 12 career victories.

Undefeated Nunes will be looking to follow up on his WEC win over Cole Province at WEC 37 in December 2008. Nunes has been scheduled to meet Cub Swanson at WEC 40 in April, but a last-second hand injury forced "The Gun" off the card.

The December bout was the first time Nunes has fought into the third round. The 26-year-old owns submission wins and five victories by knockout or TKO in his previous 11 bouts.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Kenny Florian: Diego Sanchez should be careful what he wishes for

“That’s a [rematch] I’ve wanted for a long time now. (Sanchez) should definitely be careful what he wishes for. If he thinks the same thing is going to happen, or I’m the same fighter at the same experience level, he’s going to be in for a surprise. I think he’s going to be saying, ’Yes, yes, yes’ on the way into the ring and, ’No, no, no’ on the way out of the ring if he faces me. It’s a completely different time and I’m a completely different fighter. I definitely don’t think he’s evolved as much as I have, that’s for sure. He’s fought at 155 twice already and he has yet to finish any opponent. He’s seen what I’ve done in the weight class and the fighters that I’ve fought and I think he realizes that, although he won the show, I’ve done bigger things in my weight division than he did at 170.”

Number one lightweight contender Kenny Florian responds to statements made by Diego Sanchez following his split decision win over Clay Guida at the June 20 TUF 9 Finale. “Nightmare” thinks it is he, not the man he ‘walked through’ more than four years ago, who is next in line for the 155-pound strap. Aside from the loss to Sanchez in his UFC debut, Florian dropped a blood-soaked unanimous decision to Sean Sherk for the then vacant division title at UFC 64: “Unstoppable” back in October 2006. He has not tasted defeat since, winning six straight against many of the best the class had to offer and going 9-1 overall during that span. If he manages to get past BJ Penn at UFC 101 on August 8 in Philadelphia, we could see them finally determine which TUF-guy has evolved the most. Thoughts?

 

[Shogun Locc]

Gilbert Yvel vs Paul Buentello Affliction fight now likely for Aug. 1

With a scary-looking win last night, Gilbert Yvel is now set to take on Paul Buentello at Affliction: “Trilogy,” which is scheduled for the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Aug. 1, 2009.

“The Hurricane” just got done storming Pedro Rizzo at “Ultimate Chaos” from the Gulf Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Miss., stopping the Brazilian in the first round with a series of strikes that were downright criminal (albeit legal inside a cage). He announced after the knockout that the victory earned him another shot under the Affliction banner.

The Dutch Muay Thai specialist was roughed up by former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett in his first attempt with the promotion at “Day of Reckoning” on Jan. 24. Prior to the beating he took against “The Babyface Assassin,” Yvel was enjoying a seven-fight win streak, dating back to mid 2006.

He’ll look to again get back to winning consecutive fights in little less than six weeks, but it won’t be easy against “The Headhunter.”

Buentello — who was originally booked to battle Tim Sylvia before he sustained a nine-second knockout loss to aging professional boxer Ray Mercer earlier this month — was last seen using Kiril Sidelnikov’s face as a human punching bag for almost three full rounds at Affliction 2: “Day of Reckoning” earlier this year.

The American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) product went on to eventually score a late third round technical knockout over the Russian Sambo specialist, who later tested positive for having banned substances in his system after the match.

This will be Buentello’s third appearance under the Affliction banner — he outpointed last minute replacement Gary Goodridge on the judges scorecards to earn a unanimous decision victory in the promotion’s inaugural show in 2008.

Over his past 13 fights Buentello has only dropped two contests — one was for a shot at Andrei Arlovski’s UFC heavyweight title back at UFC 55 and the other was at the hands of Alistair Overeem last November on a Strikeforce card.

Affliction 3: “Trilogy” will feature a main event between WAMMA Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko and top-ranked division player, Josh Barnett. Former Dream middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi is also expected to make his fighting debut on American shores against Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Renato “Babalu” Sobral.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Tito Ortiz close to signing four-fight deal with Strikeforce, possible first bout with Babalu in October

It’s been over a year since we last saw “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz (15-6-1) compete in an MMA fight. After losing to Lyoto Machida at UFC 84 in May of 2008, Ortiz decided to part ways with the UFC and hasn’t seen any action since.

According to Ortiz, he’s about to become the latest member of the Strikeforce family.

The former UFC light heavyweight champion was a guest of honor at last night’s UCFC “Clementi vs. Jensen” show in Pittsburgh at the Mellon Arena. In between fights, Ortiz entered the ring and announced to the crowd that he was extremely close to signing a four-fight deal with the Strikeforce promotion. Not only that, but he also mentioned that he could face Renato “Babalu” Sobral at a Strikeforce event in October.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of all was when Ortiz announced to the crowd that if he does sign the four-fight deal with Strikeforce that he would like his fourth fight to be a catchweight bout against the #1 heavyweight in the world, Fedor Emelianenko.

At one time, Ortiz was considered one of the best fighters in the world. Upon making his MMA debut at UFC 13 back in 1997, Ortiz compiled a 5-2 record with the company before defeating Wanderlei Silva for the UFC light heavyweight title.

Ortiz went on to hold the belt for three years before losing to Randy Couture at UFC 44. Since then Ortiz has had a very rocky relationship with the UFC and it’s owner, Dana White.

After losing to Machida last year, Ortiz decided it was time to move on with his career. Since then he has appeared as a “special guest” for multiple MMA promotions such as EliteXC, Strikeforce, and Affliction. He has also mentioned a number of “rumored” deals with other MMA promotions in the past, but nothing has yet to come to fruition. Perhaps this time we will finally see the return of one of MMA’s true “bad boys”.

 

[Shogun Locc]

ATENCIO TALKS FIGHT, WHITE, GOMI, AND LINDLAND

MMAWeekly.com on Sunday caught up with Affliction promoter and sometime fighter Tom Atencio as he recovered from his fight with Randy Hedderick at "Ultimate Chaos" on Saturday in Biloxi, Miss. Atencio on Monday heads to Germany for Bread and Butter, a fashion trade show, before heading back to California to begin work on the company's August event, Affliction "Trilogy."

MMAWeekly: Congratulations on your fight. You got caught with a pretty big shot and went down in the first. Was it one of those shots where you wake up on the canvas?

Atencio: Dude, I don’t remember (expletive). All I remember was being on my back and him above me and me kicking away, and just scrambling to get my wits, just get back in the game.

MMAWeekly: Were you back mentally in the second?

Atencio: Oh yeah, second round, I felt fine. Actually, when we got back up again and started brawling, I was fine. It was just a flash knockout. I didn’t even know until I watched the video last night. I saw myself wobble and go down. I literally just remember being on my back.

MMAWeekly: Do you remember the rest of the fight?

Atencio: Yeah, I totally do.

MMAWeekly: How do you feel about the fight overall and the experience? Is it true that this is it for you, or are you waiting longer to get some perspective?

Atencio: I’m gonna figure out where to go from here. I love this sport, but I hate this feeling. I feel like a Mack Truck hit me. My whole body hurts. It’s hard to walk or do anything. But I just love it. Yeah, it was everything I’ve always known. It was a war. And there’s nothing better than knowing he was beating my ass and I came back from a virtual loss. I don’t know; it’s weird that I love it.

MMAWeekly: Have you ever been hit that hard before?

Atencio: When I used to train with Marco Ruas; Marco’s an animal. I used to spar with Brett Cooper and he’s hit me, actually broke my nose. JJ Ambrose broke my nose, and dropped me once. My old best friend Justin Levens dropped me a few times, too. So I’ve been hit. I knew that he wasn’t going to do anything that I haven’t experienced, but I gotta say, he dropped me, man. I wasn’t expecting that.

MMAWeekly: Do you know why he quit after the second round?

Atencio: I don’t know why he quit. I don’t know if it was his cardio... everyone said I broke his nose. I would assume a combination of the two.

MMAWeekly: One of your first comments after the fight was addressing Dana White in a somewhat direct way. Why did you do that?

Atencio: Because he was just a nice kid. I think to say that he was a nobody and a nothing is presumptuous, one, and two, I always say I have a lot of respect for anybody that steps in the cage. I don’t care if you’ve lost every single fight. At least you’re the one doing it. For somebody to criticize that, I just think it’s wrong.

MMAWeekly: Can you confirm Yvel vs. Buentello at Affliction 3?

Atencio: Yep, that’s the fight. I feel bad for Pedro. I’d like to find out how Pedro is doing.

MMAWeekly: After you get back from Germany, is it full steam ahead with Trilogy?

Atencio: Yeah, absolutely. My people are handling Trilogy now, and when I get back, it’s full swing. And I know people are already talking about me fighting again, so I have to figure that out. I don’t know what I’m going to do.

MMAWeekly: Any word about Gomi? Any progress with him coming to Affliction?

Atencio: Yeah, we’re still working on it, we’re finalizing everything, but it looks like it’s gonna go through. I’m not 100-percent yet, but we’re still working on it for sure.

MMAWeekly: Any possible opponents?

Atencio: I don’t want to say because it’s up in the air.

MMAWeekly: What about Lindland?

Atencio: Nah, we’re not going to use Matt this fight.

MMAWeekly: Are you going to use him again or is he done?

Atencio: Yeah, you know, it’s just like Tim Sylvia. We couldn’t use him in the second fight because he lost, and for us to bring him back again, we might as well bring everybody back, and then no one will show up for the fights. But we have to switch it up. If somebody wins, yeah, we’ll bring him back, but it’s only our third fight.