MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

Undefeated 205-pounder Stanislav Nedkov targeted for return at Sengoku 11th Battle

Stanislav Nedkov (7-0), an undefeated 205-pounder who's garnering some attention worldwide, will likely return to action on Nov. 7 at World Victory Road's Sengoku 11th Battle event.

A source close to the event told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) Nedkov will appear on the card pending the finding of an appropriate opponent.

Sengoku 11th Battle takes place at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan, and airs in North America on HDNet.

Nedkov, well-versed in wrestling and jiu-jitsu, garnered some attention in May when he topped veteran Travis Wiuff (56-13) via third round TKO at Sengoku Eighth Battle. (It was just Wiuff's second loss in his past 13 fights.)

Nedkov, a Bulgarian who previously competed for Shooto, has now won all seven of his career fights via stoppage. Five of the seven came in the first round.

The latest Sengoku 11th Battle event fight card includes:

* Jorge Santiago vs. TBA
* Hatsu Hioki vs. Michihiro Omigawa
* Kevin Randleman vs. TBA
* Akihiro Gono vs. TBA
* Stanislav Nedkov vs. TBA
* Yuji Hoshino vs. Marlon Sandro

 

[Shogun Locc]

SAM STOUT VS. JOE LAUZON SET FOR UFC 108

Lightweights Sam Stout and Joe Lauzon are set to meet at UFC 108 on Jan. 2.

MMAmania first reported the bout Monday and MMAWeekly.com subsequently confirmed it via sources close to the fight.

UFC 108 is expected for the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn., though the UFC has yet to officially announce the event.

Lauzon (18-4) has been on the bench since tearing the ACL in his right knee in February. On Wednesday he told MMAWeekly.com that while everything isn't 100-percent yet, he'll be ready in January.

"There's some things that I notice that are a little bit off, but I'm back to training hard," said Lauzon. "I've got something to train for, so that helps with motivation."

The East Bridgewater, Mass., resident said Stout's preference for the stand-up game played a part in his decision to take the fight.

"I think that Sam's very tough, but I think I can get the fight to where I'm more comfortable, which is on the ground," he said. "Hopefully I'll get the takedown. I'm confident with my hands and all that, but I'm always going to be more comfortable on the ground."

Stout (20-5-1) was scheduled to take on Phillipe Nover at UFC Fight Night 19 in Oklahoma City, but officials precluded Nover from competing after he suffered a seizure the day of the fight. Stout was awarded his show money despite the cancellation. The London, Ontario, native last fought at UFC 97, defeating Matt Wiman by unanimous decision.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Strikeforce champ Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos now unlikely for Nov. 7 CBS card

Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos wants to defend her Strikeforce title. Likewise, Strikeforce officials want the newly crowned title-holder on their Nov. 7 CBS-televised event.

But right now, Santos (8-1) isn't a lock for the show and instead is awaiting a meeting with her doctor to determine her eligibility for the show.

"It's unlikely that Cris will be fighting on [Nov. 7] but still possible," her manager, Richard Wilner, told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

The Nov. 7 Strikeforce event takes place at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Ill. (near Chicago) and kicks off a multi-fight deal between Strikeforce and CBS. Strikeforce officials hoped to build off the momentum Santos built with her first-round TKO of Gina Carano in August. But the Brazilian fighter has been slowed by injury and probably won't be cleared for the nationally televised event.

"I'm awaiting her return from Spain to get her assessed by a doctor here," Wilner said. "Out of respect to Strikeforce, CBS and Cris' potential opponent, we alerted them to this issue early so as not to interfere with pre-production, preparation, etc."

As MMAjunkie.com reported soon after Santos' recent win, Strikeforce announced the signing of notable Dutch fighter Marloes Coenen (16-3) in the event's post-fight press conference. Coenen was the leading candidate to fight Santos at the Nov. 7 event, which is headlined by Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers.

Santos should know the doctor's decision in the next few days.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Strikeforce's Daniel Cormier discusses MMA debut win, drop to light heavyweight unlikely

Daniel Cormier's professional debut at this past weekend's "Strikeforce Challengers" event was successful – even it wasn't pretty.

But no one is going to be more critical of the fighter than Cormier himself, who on Monday joined MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio) to discuss his Showtime-televised win over fellow MMA newcomer Gary Frazier.

"I've got to learn this sport," the former U.S. Olympian joked. "I really have no idea what I'm doing."

That's not entirely true. On Sept. 25 at the SpiritBank Event Center in Bixby, Okla., Cormier did a lot of things right. He used his dominant wrestling skills to force takedowns, displayed a solid ground-and-pound ability, shrugged off some big shots and continually pushed the pace of the fight.

Cormier said the fight-night jitters never really got to him, but the 30-year-old former Oklahoma State University All-American knows his skills need to catch up with his composure.

"I'm trying my best, and in terms of poise, I think it just comes from wrestling on the big stage and going to the Olympics and wrestling in the world championships every year," said Cormier, who prepared for the fight at the American Kickboxing Academy in California. "But realistically, I'm just learning (MMA), and I take by butt whoopings in practice. ... I've really only had five full weeks of focused training, which isn't bad all things considered, but I need to do a better job of staying in the mesh."

Cormier, who signed with Strikeforce last month, nearly didn't take the fight with Frazier, which ended via second-round TKO via ground and pound.

A hand injury slowed Cormier, and frustration during training only made matters worse.

"Early in the week, (AKA trainer) Bob (Cook) just about pulled me out of the fight," he said. "I really had to fight with him to stay on the card because I didn't want to pull out of my very first fight. I hadn't been able to spar the whole last week of training at AKA. I would spar really lightly just with jabs. I was getting my tail kicked by everybody in the room because I didn't have one of my best weapons. Then, when I would get really upset, I would throw the right hand and set myself back a couple days. It was pretty severe. I wasn't sure if I was able to do it."

Cormier, in fact, was so worried about getting pulled from the fight card that he never got the hand X-rayed. He plans to do that this week, and the results will determine when he returns to the cage. He said he'd like to do so before year's end, health permitting.

But while some in the industry are pushing for Cormier to drop to the light heavyweight division before his career advances too much further, the sub-6-foot-tall fighter said it wouldn't make much of a difference.

"I like being a heavyweight," Cormier said. "I'm big and fat, and I feel good. I'm not cutting any weight. Before the weigh-ins, I ate a big ol' egg and sausage breakfast, and for lunch, I had a 16-ounce steak, and I felt amazing. But if Bob Cook ever decides that it's in my best interest for my career and we needed to go down, that's something we'd have to do. ... If he ever decided that it was time to do that, yes. But right now, the focus is just on getting better.

"But realistically, how many 5-(foot)-11 are at 205? Not many. So I'm going to be short regardless. I'm just going to have to find comfort in my skills and the skills that I'm going to develop, and hopefully that'll carry me to a lot of victories."

Some of those skills that Cormier hopes to develop are in the striking department. His kicks, for example, were so bad that before the Frazier fight, Cook banned Cormier from using them at all until they have more time to work together.

Ultimately, though, Cormier thinks his striking will eventually be one of his biggest wins. Opponents will always have to worry about being taken down, and when standing, Cormier wants to punish them there, as well. Additionally, he said fans have only got a sneak peek of one of his greatest weapons of all: an uncanny ability to take punishment.

"As you can see, I have a really big ol' head," Cormier said. "I don't really worry about getting punched because hopefully I can see it. If I don't see it, maybe you might knock me out, but man, I've been through so much. I've fallen out of moving cars, I've run into walls, I've been hit in the face with baseball bats as a kid and stuff, so I'm got a pretty worn face that can take a little damage.

 

[Shogun Locc]

MMA Quick Quote: Brett Rogers wants Alistair Overeem to defend the Strikeforce belt — or surrender it

“I don’t know what’s been going on with [Overeem], he’s kinda been hesitatin’ on everybody. He’s always complainin’ about something ain’t right, his hand is hurtin’ and things like that. If I was anybody I would try to go in deep on why his hand is hurtin’ and why everything else is hurtin’ because maybe it might not just be hurt, it could be something else. I don’t know, I ain’t the one to say or start nothin’ but he’s definitely gonna have to give up that belt here real, real soon because I’m in it to win it, I want that belt. If you’re a title holder, I’m sorry man but you should be fighting at least a couple of times a year. No excuses. If you can’t get the job done then give it up. One, I say he’s ducking me. He knows I’m gonna get him. I could care less who he is. Two, I don’t think he can fight in the states right now. I don’t think you can get that big in such a small amount of time. I don’t know, who knows.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Shane Carwin: Brock Lesnar was fed fights that sell pay-per-views

“Brock is not good with math. Thankfully, the UFC and WWE have paid him enough money to get a math tutor. I know I wasn’t walked through the front door of the UFC with people holding the door for me. I wasn’t fed fights that sell pay-per-views. I was matched up by promoters and took whatever they put in front of me. One of those fights was the former enforcer for the Mongols Motorcycle Club. His previous fight ended when Mongols in the crowd started fighting and stabbing people. For Brock to say that I have hand-picked my fights is just stupid. I got my start in the WEC and I have fought everyone the UFC put in front of me. I have fought three times as many people then Brock has. If he wants to disrespect the opponents I have fought, that is his choice. I say any man or woman that enters that cage to face an opponent is worthy of my respect. They have trained hard, and to disrespect MMA fighters is disrespecting the sport of MMA. What I can tell you is, talent-wise I respect Brock, but he needs a filter put on his words.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Rolles Gracie Jr.: ‘There are a lot of people that can beat [Brock Lesnar]‘

A second degree black belt under the most feared family in the history of the fight game, thirty-one year old Rolles Gracie Jr. has done a good job at managing to fly under the radar in the world of mixed martial arts considering his family tree.

At 6′4″, and normally walking around at a solid 240-250 pounds, Rolles has put together an undefeated record of 3-0 with all three victories coming by first round submission during his time in the sport.

Having initially made the transition from competitive submission tournaments to MMA in 2007, competing under Renzo Gracie in the IFL, Rolles ended up taking the next year and a half off before returning with a vengeance in May of 2009, and again on September 26 where he caught decorated K-1 veteran Peter Graham in a first round arm-triangle during Art of War 14 in China.

Don’t be surprised to see this fast rising prospect make the crossover to a major promotion in the United States sooner, rather than later. Although born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil , Gracie currently reside in New York City, where a move to a major promotion such as Strikeforce or the UFC seems to make complete sense. The last name alone is reason enough to put butts in seats, and isn’t that what it all boils down to in the end?

In a recent conversation with Tatame.com, Rolles revealed that he has been taking this whole fighting thing as seriously as humanly possible. Even going as far as to travel across the country to train with one of the best trainers in the sport, alongside many of the best fighters in the business.

“My manager, actually, lived in Albuquerque for a long time, trained with Greg Jackson, moved out to New York and started to train with us. Once a friend of him was there and Rashad too, a little after the fight between Rashad and Lyoto. He liked my Jiu-Jitsu and asked me to his camp.

“I’ve trained with him for my last fight too. I’m making an exchange, I’m training with Rashad Evans, a great friend of mine, a great person. We’re doing this exchange… He’s talented, explosive, in a little while you’ll see a big difference.”

If you’re a heavyweight in mixed martial arts today, it could be fair to say that you may be in the wrong sport if you don’t have your scope zeroed in on one man’s head. A goliath of a former WWE superstar that can currently lay claim to being the biggest draw the profession has ever seen.

When asked his thoughts on current UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar’s potential vulnerability, Gracie had this to say, “Man, in the UFC I bet on Minotauro (Rodrigo Nogueira), I’m his fan for what he has done and his history, his fights against though guys… I think he has Jiu-Jitsu to beat Brock Lesnar. There are a lot of people that can beat him.”

With that said, is there any chance that we will see Rolles giving it a shot in the near future?

While anything is possible, the still developing submission expert seems to be more than content to not rush into things. At the same time, Gracie made sure to leave not even a shadow of a doubt to his plans for the future, explaining, “Of course, the greatest MMA event is the UFC, the biggest dream of the fighter is to fight at the UFC, but I want to go there when I think I’m ready. I don’t want to go there and go back.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Exclusive: Edgar Garcia vs. DaMarques Jones set for UFC 107

A welterweight bout between heavy handed Arizona based slugger Edgar Garcia and TUF 9 runner-up DaMarques Jones has been set for UFC 107.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com has been able to confirm the bout through sources close to the match-up.

UFC 107 is set for December 12, from Memphis, Tennessee, with a lightweight championship between B.J. Penn and Diego Sanchez expected to headline.

Garcia recently obtained “Fight of the Night” honors in his UFC debut against “Bad” Brad Blackburn at the TUF 9 Finale in June of 2009. A bout he ended up dropping by the narrowest of margins in a hard fought split decision. prior to the loss, Edgar has gone undefeated in his professional fighting career, winning five of his seven victories by way of either TKO or knockout.

Johnson is a veteran of the fight game with a respectable record of 9-7. His last appearance saw him on the losing end of a rear-naked choke at the hands of James Wilks in the final round of 170 pound bracket during the TUF 9 Finale.

A full list of the bouts expected for UFC 107 are listed below:

B.J. Penn vs. Diego Sanchez

Frank Mir vs. Cheick Kongo

Kenny Florian vs. Clay Guida

Thiago Alves vs. Paulo Thiago

Paul Buentello vs. Todd Duffee

Wilson Gouveia vs. Alan Belcher

Edgar Garcia vs. DaMarques Johnson

Rousimar Palhares vs. Lucio Linhares

Kevin Burns vs. TJ Grant

 

[Shogun Locc]

EA Sports Partners With UWC

"Check out UWC: Redemption this Saturday.....EA SPORTS MMA is sponsoring the show and will be on the mat

Next fighter to be announced Monday, October 5th at 3:30pm EST via Live Chat. Check out EASPORTS.com for the link on Monday."

 

[Shogun Locc]

 

[Shogun Locc]

Michael Coasta on the debut as a Wand Fight athlete

Who saw only the results of Art of War 14 – event that happened last Saturday in Macao (China), where all the fights with no winner ended as a draw, has no idea of the excellent performance of Michael Costa on the show. Called to face the rough Norwegian Simeon Thoresen, Joachim Hansen’s pupil, who came from 11 submissions in 12 fights and seems (at least physically) to be from a category above Michael’s, the Brazilian made his opening on Wanderlei Silva’s team making a big fight.

After take a knockdown and see the opponent on his back, Michael showed he has heart ans technique and he turned the fight, deserving to win, clearly, in case of a result for decision. After having calm to get out of the unfavorable position, Michael was back to the fight standing up and went for it, dropping the European and closing the first round hitting him with a strong ground and pound. With his eye hurt Simeon’s trainer had bad moments on the break. Didn’t want to be back to the second round, but the trained convince him.

Meanwhile, on the red corner, Wanderlei Silva, with Gustavo Gussem and Ivan Canelo’s help, putting the Brazilian’s moral up, and he came back more aggressive on the second and last round, deserving the winning on showing superiority standing up (when he fitted better blows) as on the ground (when he dropped the Norwegian and pressed his ground pound). In the end, the heroic turn of the Brazilian wasn’t computed because of the event’s rules.

“I knew it would be a rough fight, the guy has 15 fights and one defeat, with 11 winnings for submission. But I’m Brazilian and I have ground too. In the locker room I trained with Rilion and with Gussem to escape from that thing on the back with the triangle and thank God it works on the fight. I made the first round more defensive, because I broke my hand. I was training to fight with my left hand, but thank God everything went well“, remember Michael, thanking his idol and new technician. “Wanderlei helped me a lot, he’s an excellent teacher. It would be good if each one have the opportunity to meet him as a person, he passes security. I feel happy to represented my country well“, finalized.

 

[UCDgreek]

MMA Quick Quote: Brett Rogers wants Alistair Overeem to defend the Strikeforce belt — or surrender it

“I don’t know what’s been going on with [Overeem], he’s kinda been hesitatin’ on everybody. He’s always complainin’ about something ain’t right, his hand is hurtin’ and things like that. If I was anybody I would try to go in deep on why his hand is hurtin’ and why everything else is hurtin’ because maybe it might not just be hurt, it could be something else. I don’t know, I ain’t the one to say or start nothin’ but he’s definitely gonna have to give up that belt here real, real soon because I’m in it to win it, I want that belt. If you’re a title holder, I’m sorry man but you should be fighting at least a couple of times a year. No excuses. If you can’t get the job done then give it up. One, I say he’s ducking me. He knows I’m gonna get him. I could care less who he is. Two, I don’t think he can fight in the states right now. I don’t think you can get that big in such a small amount of time. I don’t know, who knows.”

umm brett, are you looking past fedor?

 

[Shogun Locc]

Henderson-UFC Talks Moving Slowly

Dan Henderson and UFC owners Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana White met at the negotiation table last week in Las Vegas but left without a new agreement reached, said the top-ranked middleweight.

“It didn’t go quite as I hoped. Let’s put it that way,” Henderson told Sherdog.com Wednesday. “It could have been a lot better.”

The former two-division Pride champion said he and the UFC are currently haggling over a new five-fight deal. Talks are ongoing, said Henderson, but money is the obvious sticking point.

Henderson banked $350,000 for his crowd-pleasing second-round victory over Michael Bisping at UFC 100 on July 11 in Las Vegas, which included a $100,000 knockout bonus doled out that night by the promotion.

How much more Henderson is asking for has not been disclosed, though the two-time Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler is far from the first to turn down a renewal offer from the UFC.

“Obviously I feel my value has gone up enough to warrant what I’ve asked for. I don’t think I’m being greedy by any means,” said Henderson. “There’s a lot of numbers being thrown around out there and I feel I should be paid what I ask for. They feel like, I guess, I’m not worth that though.”

Henderson, 39, who said he became a free agent last month when his contract expired, has bided his time thus far, choosing not to negotiate with rival promotions like Strikeforce, which mounts its first major network effort Nov. 7 on CBS.

“I haven’t talked to anyone yet,” said Henderson. “I’m just kind of giving the UFC a chance to figure things out. I don’t want to be disrespectful in any way and I don’t want to waste anyone else’s time, like Strikeforce.”

Meanwhile, the UFC has diverted earlier plans to match Henderson against UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva in a rematch of their March 2008 fight at UFC 82.

White told The Los Angeles Times last Friday that the promotion had acquired verbal agreements to contest Silva against recent UFC 103 winner Vitor Belfort at UFC 108 on Jan. 2 in Las Vegas.

Belfort, a former UFC light heavyweight champion, would make his debut at 185 pounds for the promotion in the championship bout.

“Yeah, I’m not real thrilled about that,” said Henderson of the plans. “And I like Vitor. He’s a good guy and he’s been around for a long time, but I just don’t understand why he gets to jump to the front of the line, especially when I beat him.”

Henderson said he brought up his 2006 unanimous decision victory over Belfort at Pride 32 in Las Vegas at last week’s meeting, but he was met with puzzled faces.

“I think it’s something that might have slipped their minds, that (that fight) happened,” said Henderson. “I’m not exactly sure. You’ll have to ask them on that, but to me, that’s what it seemed like.”

Henderson is hoping Fertitta and White won’t forget his service to the promotion over the last two years. Since rejoining the promotion in 2007, Henderson has co-headlined four of the five events he’s appeared in.

“I feel like I have stepped up for them a number of times and have done things for them,” said Henderson.

In late July, Henderson said he was asked to rematch Rich Franklin at UFC 103 on Sept. 19 in Dallas, as the promotion was in need of a last-minute main bout to go head-to-head with a Mayweather-Marquez boxing card on the same night. Henderson agreed and was presented a new multi-fight contract a few days later, which he then passed on.

“We figured out we were a lot further away than we thought (on the contract),” said Henderson.

During a July 31 teleconference call, White announced that Franklin would face Belfort instead and that Henderson would wait to fight Silva next following the Brazilian’s 205-pound, non-title bout against Forrest Griffin at UFC 101 on Aug. 6. Henderson said White contacted him shortly after the media call and reiterated that he’d get the next middleweight title shot.

But when Henderson wouldn’t sign the new contract, other wheels were set in motion. With Belfort siphoned off to Silva in the new year, Henderson was offered another headlining bout against Nate Marquardt at UFC 105 on Nov. 14 in Manchester, England, under the same terms.

Henderson said he’s willing to face Marquardt once he and the promotion can come to a new agreement.

“I never turned Marquardt down,” said Henderson. “I basically made a statement saying that Marquardt and Anderson Silva are my next two fights regardless and I’ve got to beat them both to either become or stay the champ. I’m O.K. with fighting (Marquardt); we just have to come up with a deal.”

Henderson, who’d prefer 10 weeks to properly prepare for his next bout, believes he won’t fight again until the new year. And if a stalemate continues between himself and the UFC, Henderson understands he might have to begin looking elsewhere.

“Basically anywhere’s a possibility, but I’d like to make things work with the UFC,” said Henderson. “Since I’ve had a history with Japan, I guess that would be one place I’d talk to. Strikeforce, for sure, would be the next big U.S. promotion.”

Henderson said he walked away from the meeting with the feeling the ball was in the UFC’s court.

“I don’t know what they’re thinking,” said Henderson. “They haven’t gotten back to me at all since I flew out last week. I’m not trying to pin them over a barrel or anything. I feel like I was just undervalued before, especially toward the end of my contract.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Former WEC champion Carlos Condit returns to New Mexico, training at Jackson's MMA

Still fresh off of his split-decision victory over Jake Ellenberger at UFC Fight Night 19, Carlos Condit recently confirmed with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that he has made the move back to Albuquerque, N.M., and is the newest addition to the world-famous team at Greg Jackson's Mixed Martial Arts.

Condit, who began his fighting career in Albuquerque, moved to Arizona in 2008 to join forces with Arizona Combat Sports and train with the likes of C.B. Dollaway and Jamie Varner.

But the former WEC champ said he was forced to move back to New Mexico this past week for personal reasons.

"I had some family stuff going on back in Albuquerque, and the move back home was the best thing for me and my family right now," Condit said.

Condit says that he is taking a lot away from his experience in Arizona and still sees potential in making visits back to Tempe, Ariz., to train.

"I learned a lot while training at Arizona Combat Sports," Condit said. "I feel that my wrestling definitely improved out there. There were a lot of great guys to train with, and it helped me step up my game.

"But as I said before, my personal circumstances have changed, and I needed to come back home to Albuquerque. It's just lucky for me that one of the best camps in the world is out here."

The addition of Condit to the Jackson's Mixed Martial Arts team lineup brings another potential title contender to Albuquerque, but it also adds to the potential problem of an intra-camp match up for UFC gold.

Light heavyweight contenders Keith Jardine and Rashad Evans, who also both train at Jackson's Mixed Martial Arts and have both been in line for the UFC's 205-pound title in recent months (Evans actually holding the title earlier this year), made headlines when they stated that they would not fight each other for the belt. The same problem may now occur in the New Mexico camp for the UFC's welterweight title.

Condit, after his razor-thin victory over Ellenberger, now finds himself just a few wins away from possibly becoming a contender for the UFC welterweight belt, which is currently held by Georges St. Pierre, another Team Jackson fighter.

However, Condit admits no cause for concern.

"I would have a long way to go in the UFC before I fought Georges, so I have to focus and make the best of the present time," Condit said. "I can't worry too much about what may happen in the future."

Also presenting potential controversy over Condit's decision to join the team is the rumored feud between Condit and WEC lightweight contender Donald Cerrone, who is also a part of the elite list of Greg Jackson fighters.

The rumors of a potential feud began after Condit's move to Arizona when Cerrone openly discussed his frustration over Condit – who Cerrone had spent time training with in Albuquerque – joined Arizona Combat Sports and began training with Jamie Varner just before "Cowboy" was set to face off against Varner for the WEC lightweight title.

"I think [Cerrone] didn't like the fact that I was at Arizona Combat Sports and his upcoming opponent, Jamie Varner, was there too," Condit said. "But I had made the decision to leave before they were scheduled to fight, so it wasn't like I was bailing out to go help Varner train for that fight, which is how I think he took it.

"As far as I know, and as far as I'm concerned, it's water under the bridge."

Condit contends that his main focus right now is getting back in the gym and taking advantage of all that Jackson's camp has to offer.

"I want to get back to being a very strategic fighter and stick to my game plans more," Condit said. "I know that Greg comes up with really good gameplans, so I want to take advantage of that.

"There is great stand-up training here, great jiu-jitsu training here. They just have everything I need to grow as a fighter. I expect to improve in all aspects of my game."

 

[Shogun Locc]

Luke Rockhold: I'm fighting Jesse Taylor at "Strikeforce Challengers" on Nov. 6

Earlier this week, Strikeforce's Jesse Taylor (13-4) announced that he's returning to action on the Nov. 6 "Strikeforce Challengers: Evangelista vs. Gurgel" event in Fresno, Calif.

While Taylor didn't announce who he would face, his opponent has now revealed himself.

Four-time Strikeforce veteran Luke Rockhold (5-1) recently posted on his Facebook account that he will meet Taylor at the event.

ProMMA.info was the first to report the addition to the card. Strikeforce officials were unavailable for comment when contacted for confirmation by MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

While neither fighter announced what division would host the bout, Rockhold has traditionally fought as a middleweight. Taylor has bounced between the 185- and 170-pound divisions.

Rockhold is 4-0 under the Strikeforce banner, with all four wins coming by first-round submission. Rockhold most recently fought in June's "Strikeforce Challengers: Villasenor vs. Cyborg," halting Cory Devala via rear-naked choke in just 30 seconds.

Taylor dropped a unanimous decision to Jay Hieron in his most recent bout. The loss snapped a seven-fight win streak for the former "The Ultimate Fighter 7" finalist.

With the addition to the Nov. 6 card, which takes place just one day prior to the CBS-braodcast "Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers" event, "Strikeforce Challengers: Evangelista vs. Gurgel" now includes:

* Billy Evangelista vs. Jorge Gurgel
* Luke Rockhold vs. Jesse Taylor*
* Ben Holscher vs. TBA
* Casey Olson vs. TBA
* Anthony Ruiz vs. TBA
* Cole Escovedo vs. TBA
* Zoila Frausto vs. TBA

* - Not officially announced.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Fight Path: WEC featherweight Will Campuzano refuses to stink like chicken

Will Campuzano's hometown stinks like chicken.

"There's a huge factory there," Campuzano (6-0) said of Mount Pleasant, Texas, where he moved with his mother and his sister after they left Mexico when he was 2 years old. "On Fridays you can smell the chicken boiling, and it's disgusting. I can go anywhere and know that smell."

It's more than a smell he's trying to avoid. In struggling to leave that hometown and keep from becoming another of the thousands of workers in its chicken factory, Campuzano has become a skilled mixed martial arts fighter who has started his professional career 6-0.

His biggest break yet comes Oct. 10, when Campuzano will fight Damacio Page (11-4) at WEC 43. He is a late replacement in the fight for Akitoshi Tamura, who was scratched because of injury.

The 135-pound fight in San Antonio will come in the same state in which Campuzano went from a trouble-making kid from a single-mother home to a committed MMA fighter who remains hungry working from fight to fight to prove he can make it in the sport.

That's one of the reasons the Dallas-based, 23-year-old Campuzano was quick to take the fight in late September despite the short notice. Its appearance on the Versus-televised main card gives him a major chance to show a wider audience what he can do.

"I'm just glad I have a fight, I haven't been able to work much," Campuzano said. "Shows have been canceling on me, so I haven't been making much money, and it's been some pretty rough times. I know how big of a chance this is."

Chicken town

When Campuzano was about one year old, his father told his mother he was going to the United States to find work and would send for the family. He never did.

Later on, when he was about 19, Campuzano finally got the full story from his grandmother. His father, in fact, had found another woman and started an entirely new family in his new country. Not only that, but it was the fourth or fifth such family his father had started.

Campuzano's mother landed in Mount Pleasant for work in the factory.

"I remember being in the first grade and noticing for the first time that everyone else had two parents and I just had my mother," Campuzano said. "It wasn't a big deal until I started going to friends' houses and they had fathers.

"I used to have a bunch of pictures of him, but I burned them. I poked his eyes out of the pictures and then I burned them."

Campuzano's mother was often working second jobs after his shifts at the factory, so Campuzano was largely responsible for himself and his sister. He supplemented with action movies, whose stars became the main male characters in his life.

His mother also loved boxing, which brought televised violence into the home from Campuzano's earliest days. He was drawn to the man-against-man quality of the fights.

He also started fighting often in school, falling in with a tough crowd that drew him away from studies and more toward trouble. His small size got him picked on, and he reacted.

"I was so skinny," Campuzano said. "People would say I looked like Bruce Lee in hungry times."

Eventually, Campuzano didn't like that many of his friends had dropped out of school, impregnated girls and were having big troubles in life. They were afraid to go certain places because of rival groups.

"By the time I was 17," he said, "I wanted something else."

YouTube sensation

Campuzano was out of high school and taking classes at a community college in Mount Pleasant when he took his first tae kwon do class. Some people in the class introduced Campuzano to a local gym, where, after sparring and training for MMA for just two weeks, he took his first amateur fight.

"When we started fighting, it was so exciting, and I couldn't stop thinking about it afterward," Campuzano said.

About a year and a half ago, Campuzano took part in an eight-man, featherweight tournament. He won his three fights that night and took the tournament championship, which helped encourage him to turn professional.

After leaving school and moving to Dallas, Campuzano looked at his 6-0 professional record and his successes there and sought his first pro fight. A month before the fight, though, a larger sparring partner clipped him with a body shot.

"I couldn't spar for months, but the guy they gave me (for the pro fight) was one of those guys who just takes a paycheck, some bum," Campuzano said.

That fight, in July 2008, started a pro career in which Campuzano has won all six fights by stoppage in a variety of organizations.

In the seven-month period from October 2008 to May 2009, Campuzano fought four times. The last fight, against Tim Snyder at an Urban Rumble Championships event, ended after 2:59 with a TKO.

Campuzano has ensured all of his fights have been posted on YouTube, where fans can see his toughness. In his third fight, for instance, Campuzano was caught up by an opponent and heard his kneecap pop. The opponent, in fact, also heard the pop, and he relented a bit. But Campuzano didn't tap, and he finished the fight.

"I just don't tap," he said.

It's a toughness that could earn him plenty of fans during the WEC broadcast on Oct. 10. Even though he has scratched and clawed his way to his big chance, Campuzano isn't nervous or worried. He's more looking forward to the opportunity.

"I don't have anything to lose," Campuzano said.

 

[Shogun Locc]

SPIRITWOLF GOES FOR KOTC GOLD ON THURSDAY

Gunning for a title is the only thing on Waachiim Spiritwolf's mind right now, and on Thursday night at King of the Cage he'll get that chance. He’ll face Rick Legere in a rematch of a fight the two had in late 2008, except this time it will be with the junior welterweight championship on the line.

When Spiritwolf last faced Legere, the result was a devastating knockout just 16 seconds into round two, as Spiritwolf picked up the win. Following that fight, he made another great showing as he blasted highly touted up and comer Brett Cooper in the first round of their bout in June.

Now the proud Native American looks to keep his streak alive with a second win over Legere.

"He wants revenge," Spiritwolf told MMAWeekly.com. "I want the belt."

With Spiritwolf competing at 160 pounds in this fight, the California native anticipates staying busy in several weight classes in the future.

"I can fight for the 170-pound title or maybe the 155 (belt) after I win," Spiritwolf commented.

The show on Thursday will also feature King of the Cage welterweight champion Mike "The Joker" Guymon putting his title on the line as well.

 

[Shogun Locc]

DESPITE CONCUSSION, LOMBARD WANTS FIGHT

Bellator Fighting Championships middleweight champion Hector Lombard has met a delay in his return to the cage.

The 31-year-old Cuban native was due to face UFC veteran Kalib Starnes at
Cage Fighting Championships on Oct. 9 in Sydney, Australia, but last week suffered a concussion and serious head cut in training that Wednesday led his doctor to bench him for three weeks.

“I wanted to fight, but the doctor said ‘no fight,’” Lombard told MMAWeekly.com. “It’s a pretty bad concussion.”

The CFC has cancelled the show in the wake of Lombard’s injury and rescheduled it for Nov. 20. Lombard says he’s game to fight then, though he will wait to field offers from his manager.

“I would like to fight every month,” he said. “Maybe six fights, seven fights (in 2010), no problem. I want to fight the best: Jake Shields, Nick Diaz, anybody that can give me contention for a belt.”

According to one MMAWeekly.com source, Lombard could meet Starnes at the rescheduled event, though nothing has been finalized. Lombard's Bellator contract is exclusive, but the promotion maintains an open door policy with fights it approves.

Known at American Top Team for his pedal-to-the-metal sparring style, Lombard said he would continue to work hard when his unofficial suspension was over.

“I train the way I fight,” he said. “The way you fight is the way you train. You train hard; you fight hard. You train soft; you don’t fight the same. These things are going to happen to you regardless.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Lashley to Strikeforce?

Strikeforce may not have considerable depth in any division, but they have enough personalities to make any given evening interesting: Fanhouse is reporting that former WWE attraction Bobby Lashley is in talks with the promotion to make their Nov. 7 date on CBS.

Lashley has been stirring interest primarily for looking like an off-season Mr. Olympia and possessing credible grappling skills: his pressure positioning against Roger Gracie’s stellar submission work would be something worthwhile. And there’s obvious appeal in seeing a pro wrestling attraction take on Fedor Emelianenko: in 30-plus career fights, the Russian hasn’t spent much time in the ring with a wrestler capable of keeping him down. Maybe Lashley can.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Kimbo Slice training with Coach Howard Davis Jr. at American Top Team:

"Kimbo is preparing himself for his next fight in the UFC, rumored to be sometime in December. Kimbo will be training under the watchful eye of ATT's head coach Ricardo Liborio."