MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

DID DOS SANTOS TAKE AWAY CRO COP'S APPETITE?

Heavyweight prospect Junior Dos Santos spoke with MMAWeekly.com after his career-making victory against Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic at UFC 103.

The soft-spoken 25-year-old insisted he wasn’t trying to beat the striker at his own game, but that’s what happened.

Filipovic appeared to wilt under the pressure of Dos Santos, leading many to believe he was not mentally prepared to face the up-and-comer. Dos Santos isn’t certain about such an idea; he felt his team, including heavyweight legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, had prepared him to give his best.

“I didn’t feel he was intimidated at all in there,” he said of Cro Cop. “When he would engage, I felt like he was there. He had the appetite to keep fighting.

“But I actually hit him with some strikes, and I felt it a little bit, but thank God, I just kept moving forward and was able to execute my game.”

 

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"PUNK" BREAKS LEG (AGAIN), TARGETS DEC. 19 REMATCH

Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh “The Punk” Thomson has been quite unlucky this year.

Two weeks after a fractured leg forced the California State Athletic Commission to remove him from a highly anticipated rematch with interim champion Gilbert Melendez, Thomson re-broke the limb in practice.

“I was really just playing around, just working on my technique, and this kid, this little blue belt, grabbed a leglock—I was wearing a gi—and I couldn’t slide my leg out,” Thomson told MMAWeekly. “He just bellied out on the leglock in the standing position and you just heard the bone go crunch. The hairline fracture turned into an actual break.”

Thomson first broke his leg above the ankle in April as he prepared to face Melendez at Shamrock vs. Diaz. The two waged a five-round war last June, with Thomson emerging as the undisputed champion.

Thomson will get x-rays taken next week to determine the injury’s stage of healing.

“All I’ve been doing it hitting mitts and the bag, and doing the bike and Precor," said Thomson. "Trying to stay in shape, doing what I can,” he said.

Initially, Thomson felt he would be ready for the CBS network debut of Strikeforce Nov. 7 in Chicago, but decided to err on the side of caution.

He has not forgotten about the rematch, and says a yet-unannounced Strikeforce card planned for Dec. 19 on Showtime is a possibility.

“I want to get this whole interim title thing dissolved,” he said. “I want all the complications of, who’s the camp and who’s not the champ…I mean, everyone knows that I am, but I’ve been inactive for a year and he deserves what he’s been given, but it’s time to put it all to a close.

"I’d rather fight him my first fight back and I can move on with my career and he can move on with his.”

 

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Alistair Overeem video talks K-1 World GP 2009 Final 16; fighting Fedor in Strikeforce

 

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UFC 107: Kenny Florian looking to make a statement against Clay Guida on Dec. 12

“I think a lot of people like watching Clay fight because he’s always going to be in your face, he’s always right there. He’s one of those guys who’s not the most technical fighter in the world, but I tell you on any given day he can beat you — and that goes from the best at 155 to the middle of the pack. He’s always right there and he’s gonna be knockin’ on that door so I have to be ready. It’s not hard to get up for a fight against Clay Guida. I know I have my hands full and it’s a fight I’m looking forward to. It’s an honor to fight a guy like that and hopefully we can have a war like he’s had in the past and put on a good fight. I don’t know how it’s going to finish but it’s going to be an exciting fight while it lasts. I definitely don’t want to win by judges decision, I’m going to try and make a statement with this fight.”

 

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Thiago Silva next in line for Rashad Evans, possible for UFC 108

About a week ago, we all learned that the upcoming Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Rashad Evans fight at UFC 107 was off. Then yesterday news came out that “Rampage” was actually retiring from MMA to focus on his acting career. This left many people wondering who Evans would face next seeing as he was set to battle Jackson once their coaching stints on the “Ultimate Fighter” came to end.

That answer may have came when Evans sat down for an interview with MMA.Fanhouse.com and revealed that he could face Thiago Silva either sometime in December at UFC 108, or sometime in early-2010.

During the interview, Evans mentioned that Silva glared at him after his victory over Keith Jardine at UFC 102 in August and he interpreted that as a sign that Silva wanted to “take him on.”

If the fight is indeed signed, it would be a battle between two competitors with only one professional loss on their record. The irony in that is, both fighter’s only loss came at the hands of current UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida.

Evans (13-1-1) faced Machida at UFC 98 in May and lost the UFC light heavyweight title after getting knocked out in the second round. Before that loss, Evans had run up an impressive win streak that featured wins over Forrest Griffin, Chuck Liddell, and Michael Bisping.

Silva (14-1) lost to Machida at UFC 94 in January. He was knocked out in the first round with only one second left on the clock. His UFC resume is impressive as well with wins over Jardine, Houston Alexander, and James Irvin among others.

 

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Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera Wants To Fight Soon, Against Lesnar or Mir:

"I want Brock Lesnar for sure. I want to fight him. But I would fight Frank Mir also. That's my second choice. I'm keeping my diet and staying in shape. I want to fight soon. I didn't have any serious injuries after the fight, and I feel good."

He also addressed those analysts who talked bad about him:

"For those people, I feel sorry I had to shut their mouths. I heard some bull---- radio people say that Nogueira is done, that he's an old guy. Those people have never been athletes and they don't how it is to be one. I hurt my knee and had to train so I didn't want to make it more serious. I fought hurt, and then people talk s---? I feel sorry for them."

 

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Jacaré talks ADCC ’09 and Strikeforce debut

Replacing Roger Gracie on ADCC 2009’s super fight, that happens on this weekend in Barcelona, Spain, Ronaldo “Jacaré” Souza is excited to face Robert Drysdale. “I’m really happy to be convoked to do the super fight with Robert, who’s an excellent athlete. I want to make the most beautiful fight of ADCC super fight’s history“, promised the black belt, talking with TATAME.com before flying to Europe.

“For my fight style and for what I’ve already done for Submission, I wasn’t surprise to be invited, and I was happy to do the super fight. I fought with him for Submission and Jiu-Jitsu, so I knew I have the potential to be there“, guarantees Jacaré, predicting a big fight. “It’s going to be a tough fight, you can wait for that. That’s how I think the fight is going to be“. Facing Drysdale, who trained with him on X-Treme Couture, in Las Vegas, Souza tells the friendship won’t interfere on fight.

“Robert is my friend, an excellent athlete, but I fought with friends other times. I came from Judo too, and on Judo we always fight with train partners too, there’s no friendship stuff. I trained a little time with him, I couldn’t feel how’s going to be, but I’ll go to fight against the absolute champion of ADCC“, said, reveling that must debut on Strikeforce on November 7, with no opponent defined yet.

“I’m excited, I’m training a lot MMA and you can expect a show from me. I’ll make my job and I’ll take the belt from whoever has it. I’ll do my job, taking fight by fight, and when they put me to fight for the belt I’ll be ready“, guarantees, seeing Jason Miller, who he defeated on Dream, being rumored to a title fight. “Let that clown fight for the belt, then I’ll take it from him (laughs)“, finished the black belt.

 

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Rafael dos Anjos and the first UFC victory

Rafael dos Anjos had reasons to celebrate on UFC 103. Winning for the first time in the UFC octagon, Rafael went back to Brazil with the job done, and spoke with TATAME.com about the unanimous decision victory over Rob Emerson. “The victory came on the right time. I was waiting for almost a year for it, it was very important, a decisive moment to me. I make the fight go the way I imagined in my head and it was perfect“, said Rafael, who worked the kicks really well.

“I saw he was a striker and played with a leg open. I’ve noticed that on the videos and I saw that was like that on the fights too, and when I did the first kick he felt, he had thin legs... Gordo (Roberto, his coach) was on my corner and realized he felt too, then I started kicking all the time. The strategy, at first, was to take down and finish in the ground, but I couldn’t do it, I distracted on round two and lost a position, but it was ok“, celebrates, hoping to be back on UFC this year.

“I didn’t hurt myself at all on the fight... I was thinking in one more little fight this year, in December. It would be good to fight again year. This is a very hard division, there’s a lot of people, this guy I fought came from nowhere, I didn’t know him“, said, waiting for one more victory to sign a new contract with the event. “My contract is for four fights, I still have one to make and they didn’t tell anything about resigning, but that’s with my manager“.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Sheathing The Sword! SENGOKU X

Another SENGOKU event in the books and it turned out good excitement wise despite a small crowd.

As you might already know SENGOKU will change name to Sengoku Raiden Championship (Raiden means thunder (rai) and lightning (den)) and their New Years Event will take place on NYE at the Ariake Colosseum with Satoshi Ishii vs. Hidehiko Yoshida as the main event.

The story behind the new event name comes from the man Raiden Tameemon (1767-1825) who is considered to be one of the greatest sumo wrestlers (sumo record: 254-10-41) of all time.

The theme is: “Who is the Raiden of the 21st century?”

Another reason for the name change is that SENGOKU’s official name was written with Chinese characters (戦&#26997 before. Now it’s written in European writing, so it will be easier for the foreign fans when SENGOKU/SRC advance overseas.

At the post-event press conference, WVR PR Kokuho said: “I can’t announce it at the present time.” about a future TV broadcast.

Nansen provoked Ishii post-event by saying that he wants to fight him next. Receiving this, Ishii said if SENGOKU puts it together he’ll do it. However, he said that he’ll feel sorry for Nansen because he’ll pin him down and end it without fail. Ishii also said: “I won’t lose to Masato.”

Hiroshi Izumi admitted after his debut that he was obsessed with striking leading into the fight. From now on he’ll build his own style and he also said that this kind of fist fight is already plenty enough, you’ll see an attack, throw, and win style from now on. Also, Izumi is suspended for 60 days due to the KO loss.

Akihiro Gono, Michihiro Omigawa vs. Hatsu Hioki, and Yuji Hoshino vs. Marlon Sandro have been added to SENGOKU XI in November.

At a press conference on the 24th, Hoshino’s SENGOKU participation was officially announced. WVR PR Kokuho said that they offered Hoshino a spot in the GP. He couldn’t participate however due to injury and family circumstances (marriage, etc.).

Hoshino thinks that there are many great fighters in SENGOKU’s FW division after seeing the GP. He himself wants to display good fights and liven up SENGOKU. Hoshino thinks that his break has been a good refresh for him. He had many injuries previously which he has now received treatment on so he’ll appear in the Sandro fight in his best condition.

WVR PR Kokuho said that they are looking to make Kazunori Yokota vs. Eiji Mitsuoka for November, Gono has requested a strong opponent for his return, and Jorge Santiago’s opponent will be Joe Doerksen or another idea that they currently thinking about. Kokuho also wants Satoru Kitaoka to fight in November.

They want to hold three title fights on NYE. At Featherweight, Lightweight, and Welterweight. The current plan is to crown a Light Heavyweight and a Heavyweght champion next year

He ended the press conference with an advance notice of a surprise, saying that he thinks it’ll be good if they’re able to do something surprising in a surprising way(?) which will be the first of it’s kind in Japan.

 

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'Shaolin' Signs with Strikeforce

Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro has signed a multi-fight contract with Strikeforce to join the promotion’s lightweight ranks.

Mike Afromowitz, Strikeforce’s director of communications, confirmed the signing of the Brazilian Thursday. Afromowitz did not know when Ribeiro would make his promotional debut.

Ribeiro, 30, lost a unanimous decision to Shinya Aoki in the welterweight grand prix finals at Dream 10 on July 20 in Saitama, Japan. However, the Nova Uniao Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt boasts an impressive record, with key victories over Tatsuya Kawajiri, Joachim Hansen, and Mitsuhiro Ishida.

Ribeiro’s three career losses have come at the hands of Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante, Aoki, and in a rematch with Kawajiri.

Afromowitz said he was uncertain if Ribeiro is still contracted with Dream as well. However, the two promotions share an active talent-exchange relationship.

 

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"Strikeforce Challengers: Kennedy vs. Cummings" live and official weigh-in results

BIXBY, Okla. – MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) was on scene for today's official "Strikeforce Challengers: Kennedy vs. Cummings" fighter weigh-ins.

Playing host to the weigh-ins was the SpiritBank Event Center in Bixby, Okla., which is the same Tulsa-area venue that hosts Friday's Showtime-televised event.

While a handful of fights will be contested as catchweight affairs, each contestant made weight on the first attempt.

Among the fighters that weighed in are headliners Tim Kennedy and fellow middleweight Zak Cummings.

The event's main card also features notables such as kickboxing standout Ray "Sugarfoot" Sefo, U.S. Olympic wrestling team captain Daniel Cormier, and former University of Missouri All-American and Big 12 champion Tyron Woodley, who puts his undefeated record on the line.

The full weigh-in results included:

MAIN CARD

•Zak Cummings (186) vs. Tim Kennedy (186)
•Kevin Jordan (236.6) vs. Ray Sefo (240.8)
•Zach Light (170.4) vs. Tyron Woodley (171)
•Travis Calonoc (146.6) vs. Thomas Longacre (148)
•Daniel Cormier (250.2) vs. Gary Frazier (245.2)
PRELIMINARY CARD

•Lacey Schuckman (121) vs. Jeri Sitzes (120.4)
•Levi Avera (175.4) vs. Paul Bradley (176.6)
•Brandon Gaines (187.8) vs. Trey Houston (183.6)
•John Carson (155.8) vs. Kenny Giddens (155.2)
•Nick Gibbons (147) vs. Josh Pulsifer (147.6)
•Lemont Davis (168.4) vs. Dillon Smith (169.4)
As a reminder, MMAjunkie.com will be on scene with complete coverage of Friday's event. The preliminary-card action begins at approximately 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT), and the Showtime broadcast kicks off at 11 p.m. ET/PT.

 

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Mir and Torres Head to Sityodtong

A week after Kenny Florian announced a semi-amicable parting of the ways with longtime mentor Mark DellaGrotte, the Boston-settled trainer told Fighter’s Only that he’s already moved on: DellaGrotte will be opening his doors to Frank Mir and Miguel Torres.

“I just picked up Frank Mir, he is going to be working with us,” he said. “I have a great relationship with Frank, he is going to be my new project. And Miguel Torres is coming to see us.”

New faces and bodies to resist training apathy is always a positive. (Unless you become a gym-hopping nomad. Then it’s bad.) Mir showed very good striking against Antonio Nogueira, and if he can continue to hone those skills, he might have opponents reconsidering their chances on the ground. (Mir trained with DellaGrotte prior to the second Lesnar fight, but didn’t remain upright long enough for it to matter much.)

 

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WEC confirms latest changes, "WEC 43: Cerrone vs. Henderson" fight card set

World Extreme Cagefighting officials have confirmed a trio of changes to its upcoming card, and the lineup for next month's "WEC 43: Cerrone vs. Henderson" event is now set.

The event takes place Oct. 10 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio and airs on Versus.

Serving as replacement fighters on the card are Noah Thomas, Javier Vazquez and Will Campuzano.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) previously reported all three changes over the past week, and the new bookings are now all official.

Thomas (13-5 MMA, 0-1 WEC), who made his promotional debut as a replacement for Eddie Wineland at WEC 41, again serves as a replacement fighter (for Rafael Rebello) and fights Scott Jorgensen (6-3 MMA, 2-2 WEC).

Meanwhile, Vazquez (13-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) replaces injured Mark Hominick (16-8 MMA, 0-2 WEC) and meets promotional newcomer Deividas Taurosevicius (10-3 MMA, 0-0 WEC).

Finally, Campuzano (6-0 MMA, 0-0 WEC), a Dallas-based bantamweight, makes his WEC debut as a replacement for injured Akitoshi Tamura (14-7-2 MMA, 1-1 WEC) and meets Damacio Page (11-4 MMA, 2-1 WEC).

Despite the change, the fight remains on the televised main card.

The official WEC 43 card now includes:

MAIN CARD

•Donald Cerrone vs. Benson Henderson (for WEC interim lightweight title)
•Dave Jansen vs. Richard Crunkilton Jr.
•Will Campuzano vs. Damacio Page
•Rafael Assuncao vs. Yves Jabouin
PRELIMINARY CARD

•Muhsin Corbbrey vs. Anthony Njokuani
•Scott Jorgensen vs. Noah Thomas
•Wagnney Fabiano vs. Erik Koch
•Manny Tapia vs. Eddie Wineland
•Charlie Valencia vs. Coty Wheeler
•Deividas Taurosevicius vs. Javier Vazquez

 

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Strikeforce and American Forces Network reach deal, "Challengers" event airs live

Strikeforce and Showtime Sports on Thursday announced a deal that will put MMA events on the American Forces Network.

The deal, which provides live event broadcasts, kicks off with the broadcast of tonight's "Strikeforce Challengers: Kennedy vs. Cummings" event at the SpiritBank Event Center in Bixby, Okla.

Tonight's headliner Tim Kennedy, a Special Forces soldier who has served tours of duty in Middle East, will be one of many fighters featured on AFN, which is available to one million American service men and women worldwide.

AFN airs on bases in 175 countries and aboard 140 U.S. Navy ships at sea around the world.

"We are proud to be able to bring live Strikeforce events to the men and women of The United States Armed Forces," Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker stated. "These are people that have dedicated their lives to protecting our country, so it's great to be able to give something back to them. And the timing couldn't be better. Having Army Ranger Tim Kennedy headline a terrific Challengers event is the perfect start."

The Nov. 6 Strikeforce/M-1 Global event that features Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers will also be carried live by AFN. The event airs domestically on CBS as part of a new deal between the U.S. network and Strikeforce.

"We are delighted to add Strikeforce mixed-martial-arts programs to our AFN schedule," Corey Slutsky, Sports Director at the American Forces Network, stated. "We provide a touch of home to U.S. military service members and their families deployed around the world, and we salute the Strikeforce team for their support of the troops."

The American Forces Network (also known as the Armed Forces Network), which is operated by the U.S. Department of Defense, got its start in 1942 with the Armed Forces Radio Service. TV programs became available in 1954.

 

[Shogun Locc]

RAY SEFO SAYS HE'S READY FOR MMA

Four years removed from his first try at mixed martial arts, Ray Sefo is ready to step back into the cage.

On Friday, the K-1 standout faces UFC veteran Kevin Jordan at the third installment of Strikeforce Challenger Series in Bixby, Okla.

Sefo flirted with the sport back in 2005 when he knocked out Min Soo Kim at Hero’s, the now-defunct MMA wing of the fight promotion. Early in his career, he tried professional boxing as well, earning a 5-1 record between kickboxing engagements.

Something about MMA kept pulling at him, though.

"Learning the ground has been a whole new challenge, and that has given me the hunger to compete more so," he said.

Sefo been inactive since a decision win over Hong Man Choi last December in K-1, but says his recent work with the fighters of Las Vegas’ Xtreme Couture put a return to MMA on the fast track.

“Because my contract with K-1 had me stacked every year, I never had the chance to do any groundwork or focus on the MMA side of things,” Sefo told MMAWeekly. “I teamed up with Xtreme Couture, and everybody there trains MMA. That had a huge part in it. Training with all the guys there, I spoke to Scott Coker about it, and he was game and made it happen.”

The 38 year-old Sefo signed a four-fight contract with Strikeforce, though he says he’s taking his future in MMA one fight at a time.

“Trust me, I’m a smart enough guy to understand if I don’t have the hunger nor the capabilities to train and mix it up with the guys and get in the ring, I honestly would retire,” he said. “But for me, watching people like Randy (Couture) in his camp, who’s 46 years old and still a beast in the game, he’s very inspirational.

“One of the lucky things is I’ve never done drugs in my life. I don’t smoke, when I go out with the guys I have a good night, and it’s not something I do every day. I’ve actually looked out for myself very well over the years. I still think I have something left to bring to the cage now.”

As a decorated kickboxer, Sefo understands his destiny is to spend much of his time fending off takedown attempts of fighters who want to take advantage of his inexperience on the ground.

“That’s no secret,” he said. “Myself, coach Sean Thompkins, Jay Hieron, and Alex Schoenauer, everybody, we all know that’s going to be the case. Hence the reason why we focused on my MMA training with jiu-jitsu and wrestling. I’ve been so blessed to be at Xtreme Couture and I have the guys that I have in my corner. I have no doubt in my mind that we’re going to be prepared and ready for whatever comes.”

Sefo would no doubt love to do what he does best (knock Jordan out) when Friday around, but if opportunity presents itself on the ground, he’ll take it.

“That’s the fun part of the game, you never know what’s going to come, whether it’s a punch, a kick, a shot, a submission, or whatever,” he said. “Our camp has been a good camp, so we’re prepared for whatever there is.”

 

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Cummings admits respect for Kennedy, hopes to smile his way to victory at Strikeforce

When Strikeforce middleweight prospects Zak Cummings (10-0) and Tim Kennedy (10-2) squared off at Thursday's official weigh-ins, the mood was anything but intense.

The duo was all smiles at the SpiritBank Event Center in Bixby, Okla., and Cummings recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio) to expect more of the same in tonight's "Strikeforce Challengers: Kennedy vs. Cummings" main event on Showtime.

"I've got a lot of respect for [Kennedy]," Cummings said. "After watching his interview before his fight with 'Mayhem' Miller, I was like, 'I can't fight this guy. I like him. He cracks me up.'

"He seems like a cool guy. I want to go out there an battle with him and be smiling the whole time."

Of course, for the undefeated Cummings, keeping a smile on his face doesn't mean he doesn't want to go on the attack.

"I'm ready for a three-round war," Cummings said. "I know Kennedy is very tough, and he's going to be in really good shape. I'm ready for a war.

"I'd love to say, 'Yeah, I'll knock him out in the first round. I'll sub him in the first round.' But with a guy like Kennedy, you never know."

Cummings first gained national attention with a one-sided unanimous-decision win over Terry Martin at February's "XCF: Rumble in Racetown 1." Cummings has since added to his career win total with a TKO victory over Dominic Brown in May, but a victory at tonight's event could really put the Missouri native on the map.

The full-time college student has hardly had time to notice.

"As big as this is for me, I've been so busy I haven't even thought about it much," Cummings said. "Everybody's like, 'Are you nervous? Are you getting excited?' But I've had tests at school and been trying to figure stuff out. I've just been on the go so much, I really haven't thought about that much.

"I know it's a huge step up for me, but it hasn't really all set in yet. It probably won't until after the fight. Hopefully it sets in on a good note."

Kennedy has earned both fame and respect by balancing his commitments to the U.S. Army with a fighting career. But Cummings has done the same with his workload as a student at Missouri State University and his in-cage endeavors. Now entering tonight's main event as a replacement opponent for the originally scheduled Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos, Cummings wants to prove to the world that he belongs at the top level of the sport.

"I definitely think I'm being overlooked some," Cummings said. "I'm going to for a while. There's a lot of people that strictly think MMA is UFC. They don't even know a lot of the guys in Strikeforce.

"I definitely think [Kennedy] has been in a few more larger fights and has a little bit better name out there, so I know I'm going to be overlooked, and that's why I'm expecting to go in this as the underdog. But I'm undefeated, and in almost every one of my fights, I've been the underdog. It's nothing really new to me."

And despite the fact that the pair was more than cordial at Thursday's weigh-in session, Cummings won't let his admiration for Kennedy stand in the way of his ultimate goal.

"If it takes a win over Kennedy to really get my name out there and kind of reach that next level, then that's great," Cummings said. "That's what I'm shooting for.

"I'm going to go out and battle, and I definitely think I've got the tools to win either way – early or a decision. But I'm just going to try to put him away and see if he keeps hanging around."

 

[Shogun Locc]

IS CONDIT BACK ON TRACK WITH FIRST UFC WIN?

Former WEC welterweight champion Carlos Condit has now officially nabbed his first win inside the Octagon. One of the prizes of the WEC, there was a lot of hype upon Condit’s original foray into the organization, when he headlined UFC Fight Night 18 this past April opposite of Xtreme Couture’s Martin Kampann, losing a close split-decision.

His most recent performance, another split-decision, this time in the New Mexico native’s favor, would prove to be one of Condit’s toughest test’s to date. He took on veteran Jake Ellenberger, whose list of victims read legend Jose Landi-Jons and UFC veterans Zach Light and Gil Castillo, all by way of knockout.

At UFC Fight Night 19 in Oklahoma City, Okla., the bout turned for the worst early for Condit as the hard-nosed Ellenberger came out gun slinging right away, dropping the former champ on two separate occasions in the opening round.

“I didn’t really stick to my game plan. I was expecting him to go out and start throwing big right’s (hands) and that’s what he did and that’s what he caught me with. It wasn’t too unexpected, but he was able to capitalize,” said Condit while speaking with MMAWeekly.com.

“I was pretty hurt. It was more that I got smashed right in my eye. It was more from the pain from eye getting smashed that dropped me more than having my bell rung, but I was pretty rocked.”

After dropping the first round and gaining back some momentum in the second, where Condit was able to mount Ellenberger while working for submissions of his own, the third round would prove to be the deciding factor. He knew what needed to be done and showed what being a champion is all about, belt or no belt on the line.

“Going into the third I was just kind of thinking back to my fight against Kampann right before, and that’s kind of where I lost that fight,” said Condit.

“After surviving that first round, after I made it through that round, I told myself that I’m going to win this fight no matter what and just push that pace as hard as I can. I was in really good shape going into this fight and that definitely paid off.

“I was trying to pound him out. I was pissed for getting stuck in the eye earlier in the fight, so I wanted to make him pay.”

Though the 25-year-old was able to pick up the win in his second try in the UFC, questions still arise. The general public remembers Condit’s wars in the WEC, finishing all five of his opponents with his five fights with the promotion, three of which were title defenses. Though maybe some fans have become spoiled, the question now, after having gone to back-to-back split decisions, where’s that ‘killer’ instinct?

“Sometimes if you fought a dude 10 times it’s not always going to be the same outcome,” said the Arizona Combat Sports fighter.

“Some of those guys that if I fought in the WEC again, I might end up going to a decision with them or having more of a war than I did. It’s all any given night as to how somebody performs. I definitely have to get back on my ‘killing ways,’ but I think that this was a decent performance, but I can definitely see room for improvement.”

In the end, Condit is only concerned with putting on a good show. It’s the fans that he allows the power to measure the level of success he reaches through the wars he puts himself in.

“If people were entertained and we put on a good show, which I feel that we did, then it’s a good fight. Even if I didn’t look great the whole time, we put on a great show and that’s what matters.”

Hoping to get back in the Octagon sooner than later, it’s now a whole new type of battle that the father-to-be will have to endure. No gloves, no mouth guard, just diapers and whaling screams in the middle of the night is what’s next on his plate.

“Me and my girl have a baby on the way and I think that I’d definitely like to get a fight before the baby comes so I can probably, maybe take a little bit of time off after.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

ART OF WAR: GROUND ZERO FIGHTERS MAKE WEIGHT

MACAO, China – The fighters for Saturday night’s Art of War: Ground Zero event in at the Cotai Arena weighed in on Friday at the Venetian Hotel. Everyone was on weight, with only one fighter having to go to a second attempt.

Ground Zero features a main event pitting Japanese fighter Tsuboi Atsuhiro against Chinese Taipei fighter Andy Wang; both easily made weight.

Perhaps of more interest to most international mixed martial arts fans, however, is a heavyweight showdown between undefeated Rolles Gracie and K-1 veteran Peter Graham.

Gracie, who is now a part of Greg Jackson’s team of fighters in Albuquerque, N.M., stepped on the scales at 108.7 kg. Graham, a few inches shorter than Gracie, weighed 115.5 kg.

“Rolles trained with us for his last fight and this fight,” said Jackson, who is in Macao to corner Gracie. He confirmed that Gracie is officially part of Team Jackson’s under a new affiliate partnership with Renzo Gracie’s school.

Korean fighter Lee Yong Jae initially weighed in at 79.0 kg for his 78 kg bout. Upon a second attempt about half an hour later, he weighed in at 78.2 kg, making his bout with dynamic Chinese fighter Wang Sai official.

Art of War: Ground Zero takes place Saturday night at the Cotai Arena at the Venetian in Macao. The event marks Art of War’s first foray outside of its home base of Beijing.

Art of War: Ground Zero Weigh-ins:
-Tsuboi Atsuhiro (72.0 kg) vs. Andy Wang (72.5 kg)
-Peter Graham (115.5 kg) vs. Rolles Gracie (108.7 kg)
-Rodney Glunder (87.8 kg) vs. Antonio Braga Neto (89.6 kg)
-Lee Yong Jae (78.2 kg) vs. Wang Sai (78.4 kg)
-Simean Thoresen (78.3 kg) vs. Michael Costa (77.6 kg)
-Daijiro Matsui (83.0 kg) vs. Daniel Madrid (83.5 kg)
-Arthit Hanchanca (70.6 kg) vs. Dai Shuang Hai (71.6 kg)
-Kim Dong Hyun (78.3 kg) vs. Vaughn Anderson (78.3 kg)
-Claes Beverlov (77.5 kg) vs. Zhang Li Peng (77.7 kg)
-Elyorbek Akbarov (82.0 kg) vs. Dorjderem Munkhbayasgalan (83.7 kg)
-Jeong Soon Hak (78.0 kg) vs. Yao Qiang (77.2 kg)
-Hattori Kenichi (71.4 kg) vs. Jason Schmidt (70.3 kg)

 

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Melvin Manhoef video talks K-1 GP Final 16 bout against Remy Bonjasky

 

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Report: CSAC under fire for accepting freebies from the promotions they regulate

Oops, they did it again.

The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) is once again finding itself mired in controversy after the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission launched an investigation in response to the accusation that CSAC members were accepting free tickets to several boxing and mixed martial arts events — the same events they were charged with regulating.

According to the L.A. Times, commission members were getting their palms greased in order to send friends and family to pricey events at no charge. Included in the list of beneficiaries was actor Sylvester Stallone, who’s chummy with Commission Chairman Timothy Noonan, one of Governor Schwarzenegger’s top Aides, one commissioner’s pastor and an assortment of other member’s friends and family.

The CSAC is no stranger to controversy. It’s probably best known for the Sean Sherk steroid scandal, which “The Muscle Shark” claims was botched from the get-go. Phil Baroni and Antonio Silva also blasted the behind-the-scenes shenanigans of their steroid testing, with “Bigfoot” even filing a lawsuit to prove his innocence.

It was widely believed that the commission was on the straight and narrow after embattled commissioner Armando Garcia stepped down in light of sexual harassment charges, but these new developments don’t exactly reek of ethics.

What influence these handouts from promoters had on any of the decisions made regarding their corresponding promotions is purely speculation, but it certainly doesn’t leave you with that warm, fuzzy feeling.