MMA News Thread

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WEC MOVING FOWARD WITH FLYWEIGHT DIVISION

In early 2009, World Extreme Cagefighting announced its intentions of adding a flyweight division. On a media conference call on Tuesday, WEC General Manager Reed Harris said to expect further announcements this year on the 125-pound weight class being incorporated into the organization.

“We’re working on it,” said Harris. “The thing that we focus on in WEC is making sure that all of our fights are meaningful and making sure our divisions are deep. Part of that is making sure your guys get fights. So right now we’re focusing on the divisions we have, getting those guys plenty of fights, keeping them busy.

“We’re working on the flyweight division and sometime, I’m sure, in 2010, we’ll announce that we’re going to be forming that and get that moving.”

In February 2009, Peter Dropick, WEC Vice President of Operations and Production, stated, “With the addition of the flyweight division, the WEC has cemented its status as the home of the greatest lighter weight fighters in the world. We are excited to launch the 125-pound championship division, and look forward to giving our fans the best and most action-packed flyweight fights in the sport.”

The WEC showcases the lighter weight classes ranging from lightweight (155 pounds) to bantamweight (135 pounds). The addition of the flyweight division expands its weight classes to four.

The organization cut their light heavyweight, middleweight and welterweight divisions in 2009 to focus solely on the lighter weight classes.

 

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WEC 46 GETS EXTENDED TIME SLOT ON VERSUS

World Extreme Cagefighting returns to Sacramento on Jan. 10 with WEC 46: Varner vs. Henderson. It will air live on Versus, and the network has extended the timeslot to two and a half hours.

“We’ve been able to move to a two and a half hour show with this event on Versus. Versus has given us more time and we are really, really happy about that," said WEC General Manager Reed Harris on a media conference call promoting the event. “We’re going to be able to get all five of our main event fights on TV as well as possibly some other prelim fights depending on the time.”

Harris would like to show every fight on the card, but is thrilled with the commitment from Versus and the added half hour of television time.

“If I had my way I’d start with the first prelim and go all the way through to the main event because all of these guys are fighting for a reason. They’re either trying to be a contender or fight for the belt,” said Harris.

“Versus has been a great partner of ours and the fact that they’re giving us some more time on this event and hopefully on future events really means a lot of us at WEC.”

WEC 46 is headlined by lightweight champion Jamie Varner and interim titleholder Ben Henderson, with Urijah Faber versus Raphael Assuncao in a featherweight bout that will determine the next contender for a shot at Jose Aldo’s crown.

“I look forward to another stellar event,” added Harris. “Our card is stacked, and we’re really looking forward to a great turnout in Sacramento.”

 

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RAPHAEL ASSUNCAO: FIGHTING HIS WAY INTO THE LIGHT

He may be the most underrated Top 10 featherweight in the sport right now, but Raphael Assuncao knows that everything he's done up till now has earned him the shot against Urijah Faber this Sunday night at WEC 46: Varner vs. Henderson in Sacramento, Calif. He also knows with one more win he will get a shot against champion Jose Aldo and the WEC 145-pound divisional title.

Going 2-0 since making his move to the WEC, Assuncao has finally gotten the big fight he was gunning for since moving to the promotion. It's an opportunity he doesn't intend on wasting.

"It's all about the challenge," Assuncao told MMAWeekly Radio about the opportunity to face Faber. "I won my first fight over a solid guy, then they offered me my second fight against Jabouin, one of St. Pierre's kids. Every fight has to be a challenge, you push yourself and you challenge yourself, and I felt good right when they offered it."

Assuncao has nothing but respect for his opponent this Sunday night, but he also understands that he can only respect him so much before he has to throw down the gauntlet and make his presence be known.

"He deserves his status because he works hard and he's a great fighter," Assuncao commented. "I respect the guy so much and I think he has respect for me too, but the business that we're in, we're going to go in there to fight. We're going to try to break each other's game and come out on top."

Of course the stylistic match-up is a tough one to pick apart as both Assuncao and Faber are extremely well rounded, but the Brazilian born fighter refuses to believe the "California Kid" can take him out of his game in their fight.

"I'm not going to let anybody take me out of my game," he stated. "Regardless of how fast he moves, I'm not going to be taken out of my game. I'm going to maintain my pace. I'm going to maintain my game."

The path to the top has to go through the best fighters, and Assuncao is ready to test himself against Faber, and then against Aldo.

"I've put in the work. I'm getting experience," said Assuncao. "I fought to be where I'm at. I fought my way through. I’m still fighting my way through."

 

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UFC PRES STILL NOT KEEN ON LIDDELL FIGHTING

UFC president Dana White’s stance on former UFC light heavyweight titleholder Chuck Liddell fighting again hasn’t changed. He still does not want to see his longtime friend competing in the Octagon again.

“The thing that everyone loves about Chuck Liddell was he’s a fighter. That guys loves to fight. And when you’re walking out in that arena and 16,000 people are going crazy and yelling your name and (expletive), it’s hard to walk away from. I get it, but you know, he doesn’t have to do it anymore. He doesn’t,” said White to the media following UFC 108 on Jan. 2.

Liddell will fight again despite White’s opposition, being named a coach on the eleventh season of “The Ultimate Fighter” pitted against his arch nemesis Tito Ortiz. But White would rather provide a position within the organization for Liddell that doesn’t entail fighting.

“He’s made a lot of money and I’ll pay him more money to (expletive) not fight. He can come in and be the Director of Fun or something. I don’t know, a (expletive) job that he doesn’t have to fight,” commented the UFC president.

“I love him. I respect him. I think he helped us build this business. He’s been an incredibly loyal guy to me, an incredible friend to me, and he doesn’t have to fight anymore. I respect him for wanting to, but I don’t want him to.

“Chuck Liddell’s still a huge legend and a star and he’ll always be with us,” added White. “I’m talking him out of fighting. I’m trying to make him not fight.”

 

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UFCs Heath Herring isn't retired from MMA ... just bit by the acting bug

 

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Mamoru Yamaguchi, Kotetsu Boku, Tony Hervey, and Roxanne Modafferi featured on "King of the Cage: Toryumon"

King of the Cage, a household name among the American MMA promotions, embarks on an ambitious campaign to expand its brand overseas in 2010.

KOTC will kick off the new year with a trip to the birthplace of Karate - Okinawa. On January 30, "King of the Cage: Toryumon" will decend upon Okinawa Convention Center in Naha, Okinawa.

Among the fighters featured on the card include Mamoru Yamaguchi, Kotetsu Boku, Tony Hervey, and Roxanne Modafferi.

The afro-sporting Shooto mainstay, Mamoru Yamaguchi (22-5-3) faces an undefeated prospect, Frank Baca for the vacant King of the Cage World Junior Flyweight championship. The veteran flyweight has recently strung together consecutive victories over Kiyotaka Shimizu at "Shooto - Revolutionary Exchanges 3" and over Jesse Taitano at Vale Tudo Japan 2009. His appearance at VTJ 2009 marked a return to MMA after a year-long absence during which he mostly competed in Shoot boxing.

Kotetsu Boku (15-6-2), a veteran of Shooto, Cage Force, K-1 Hero's and DREAM, collides with the former KOTC Lightweight champion, Tony Hervey (11-6). Hervey looks to rebound from the current two-fight losing streak. At Vale Tudo Japan 2009, he fought a five-round war with the former PRIDE lightweight champion and recent UFC signee, Takanori Gomi. Last month, he stumbled against David Shepherd in his title defense at "KOTC - Title Defense."

Top flight female mixed martial artist, Roxanne Modafferi (13-5), returns to action after a deflating loss to Marloes Coenen at "Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers." Modafferi, a veteran of Japanese promotions such as Smackgirl and K-Grace, made her Strikeforce debut as a late replacement for Erin Toughill. Against Coenen, whom she bested via split decision in 2007, she succumbed to an arm bar after losing the striking exchange during the first minute of the fight.

On January 30, she will face Molly Helsel (8-8-1). Helsel, a veteran of Bodog and HooknShoot, counts top talents such as Carina Damm and Sarah Kauffman among her past opponents.

"King of the Cage: Toryumon" will air in the United States on Pay-Per-View.

 

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Wanderlei Silva not interested in fighting Anderson Silva, wants Rich Franklin next

While former PRIDE champion Wanderlei Silva has Michael Bisping set in his sights for the time being, “The Axe Murderer” has already began to think about the future, and apparently current middleweight champion Anderson Silva has no part in it.

“I talk with Anderson again who was my friend for so long and we had our problems but we’re done with those problems,” said Silva during a recent fan Q&A session that took place from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. “At this moment, I don’t want a fight with him. He’s the champion. I need to prove myself again inside the Octagon. I need to fight better.

“After few fights I would feel comfortable, but now, I don’t want a fight with him.”

So if there are no title hopes in the near future for the rebounding knockout artist, who then? According to Wanderlei, his first choice is fighting for Strikeforce, but the next name on his hit list seems like a much more realistic possibility.

“I wanted to fight with Dan Henderson, but he left (for Strikeforce),” explained Silva. “I would say Rich Franklin. Our first fight was a close match. I think I won, he thought he won. It was a tough decision. But the UFC is great with a lot of good fighters. So all fights have the potential to be a great match.”

Silva will face of with Michael Bisping at UFC 110, which is set to take place from Sydney, Australia on February 20.

 

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Jay Hieron vs. Joe Riggs announced for “Strikeforce: Miami”

It appears as though a card already packed with talent is getting a bit deeper, as Jay Hieron has announced he will be looking to extend his six-fight win streak against notable welterweight Joe “Diesel” Riggs at the Strikeforce event on January 30th in Miami.

The 18-4 Long Islander broke the news to fans earlier today via his Twitter page. Riggs has also racked up a number of consecutive wins as of late, including two this past December, and was last seen in Strikeforce defeating Phil Baroni by unanimous decision last June.

The bout rounds out an already-stacked card set to feature twin title-fights between welterweights Nick Diaz and Marius Zaromskis, as well as women’s champ Cris “Cyborg” Santos and Marloes Coenen, a sure-to-be entertaining brawl between Melvin Manhoef and Robbie Lawler, and the promotional debuts of both Bobby Lashley and Herschel Walker.

 

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Exclusive: Bobby Lashley vs. Shane Del Rosario scrapped from “Strikeforce: Miami”

While TNA wrestling star/mixed martial artist, Bobby Lashley, is still looking likely to make his Strikeforce promotional debut on the “Strikeforce: Miami” card slated for January 30, undefeated Muay Thai wrecking machine Shane Del Rosario will not be the hulking heavyweight’s first opponent.

Previous rumors of the possibility of the two fast rising prospects facing off during the card that will take place from Sunrise, Florida were widespread in recent weeks after a big “TBA” was listed as Lashley’s opponent for the upcoming event, but FiveOuncesofPain.com has recently been able to confirm through Del Rosario himself that the bout between the two will in fact, not be happening.

Not on January 30 at least.

However, according to Del Rosario the rumors were much more than pure gossip as the bout was absolutely on the table. As a matter of fact, not only was the match-up on the table, it was actually agreed to by both sides at one point according to Shane.

“They asked me if I wanted to do it and I said, ‘Yeah, let’s do it for sure’,” explained Del Rosario. “Then they’re like, “Alright, well we’ll get back to you”, and they got back to me and it was a no.

“But it did seem like it was going to happen at first so I was really excited. But I kind of had it in the back of my mind that it wasn’t really a good decision for his camp. They said that he already said yes and they said , “Well it’s up to you”, so we were like, ‘Alright, let’s do this!’. I don’t know if they didn’t really expect for us to say that, but you know, whatever.

“He’s a very athletic guy, so I’m sure if he’s doing well we might meet again some other time.”

With that out of the way, Shane is currently free to set his sights on a return to Strikeforce in March, as the California based knockout specialist went on to further confirm to 5 Oz. that fellow slugger Lavar Johnson is being looked at as a possible opponent for his March return.

Del Rosario currently sports an unblemished record of 9-0 with not a single one of his nine victories making it to the judges scorecards. With 7 knockouts and 2 submissions, Shane left a huge exclamation mark in his Strikeforce debut against Brandon Cash “Money”, as the former US WBC Muay Thai champion managed to gather his senses after being leveled at the hands of Money to hit the massive brawler in a grizzly omoplata Five Ounces deemed to be the third nastiest submission of 2009.

Lashley is still expected to compete at “Strikeforce: Miami”, but no opponent has been named for him at this time.

 

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Potential Ways to Fight MMA Piracy

The issue of piracy in MMA has been brought to the forefront by Lorenzo Fertitta in recent weeks as he and the UFC attempt to crackdown on various forms of illegal copying and redistribution of UFC events. It makes a lot of sense not just to talk about piracy and bemoan the fact that it exists, but to delve deeper into the issue in search of ways to combat piracy.

Here are some of the ways that MMA can fight piracy:

1.) Bring lawsuits upon offending pirates in the hopes of intimidating any would-be infringing parties from stealing MMA content.

This method has proven to be highly inefficient in both the music and film industries. It turns out that most people have an “it won’t happen to me” or “I won’t get caught” attitude regarding piracy, and thus continue to do so regardless of the number of people sued, fined, or imprisoned for their illegal behavior. Moreover, it’s time consuming and costly to pursue every mom and pop bar or restaurant that illegally distributes a UFC event (likewise, every stream site with a $75 setup that can broadcast to 1000 people from a basement in Siberia).

2.) Band together with the rest of the sports and entertainment community to lobby for tougher piracy laws in Washington.

Washington is a tough place to play. It’s necessary to form coalitions not just to increase lobbying leverage, but also to share the immense cost of operating in that environment.

What could some potential anti-piracy laws look like? There’s a very controversial “three strikes” law being bandied about in France that would cut a user off from the internet if he or she committed three acts of detected piracy. Others have proposed legislation which requires ISPs to divulge personal account information of suspected pirates to respective watchdog groups like the RIAA. Both plans, however, have been met with a great deal of opposition from rights and privacy activists.

3.) Enlist the help of the MMA community.

Perhaps one the most powerful and feasible solutions to cutting down piracy is engaging in a community campaign to stop piracy. MMA has some of the most dedicated and die hard fans in sports, and they could be used as a tool to report pirate activity at local bars and pubs or on the internet with live streaming sights. The UFC has already had some success with a similar model as the Boston Herald reports.

However, this plan would also depend on an efficient reporting structure whereby accusations could be submitted via websites like UFC.com and handed over to government authorities that have the ability to shut these sites down instantly. If it gets bogged down by a host of red tape and bureaucratic posturing it won’t work. The only way to beat some of these streaming sites – the kind where two pop up for every one that is taken down – is to become just as quick to mobilize as they are.

4.) Seek to disincentivize piracy through providing alternative means of product viewing.

Ideas have popped up on within MMAPayout.com’s comments section and other websites about using an Netflix or iTunes type approach to fight viewing that would provide an easy, cheap alternative to simply viewing the fights online. It wouldn’t combat PPV stealing, but it would provide another source of revenue for the organization and stem some of these fight sites that usually have individuals up as early as 3-4 hours after the fight.

The UFC has its vault system which charges per fight and is still pretty clunky. It may be in their best interest to partner with an established entity like Netflix to disseminate new content. That, or totally revamp the vault by making it easier to use and offering a monthly subscription fee.

The key to providing alternative means of product viewing is that you give users a reasonable option to pay for the content that they might otherwise steal. Lure them in with demos and one free fight feature per week so that they can see how it works, how easy it is, and how they’re getting value or benefits for their purchase. It also doesn’t hurt to explain how paying for the product goes to help support the sport and the fighters that fans truly care about.

Payout Perspective:

Truth be told, the notion that there’s one cure-all solution to piracy is false. The internet knows no bounds and is far too vast an entity to regulate or control absolutely. Any approach that MMA takes in fighting piracy must be comprehensive and utilize multiple points of attack that include pursuing infringing parties, lobbying for tougher legislation, and disincentivizing piracy through alternative product offerings

However, companies like the UFC have to realize that piracy is a cost of doing business these days. Acting within reasonable limits to minimize piracy should be the organization’s goal, because a truly dogged pursuit of internet pirates is only going to end with the company losing a lot of money and taking its eye off the ball when it comes to expanding its brand.

Lorenzo has talked about the impact of piracy on the industry – lost jobs, stifled expansion, etc. – but like anything else there’s a fine line to walk whereby pursuing piracy too much will eventually produce diminishing and even negative returns. In other words, there’s a point where all this money, time, and effort could be put to better use.

The other thing to consider in this matter, as was mentioned in a previous piece, is that the sports, music, and film industries often fail to entertain the other side of piracy. These groups simultaneously over-estimate the impact of piracy on their business while discounting the promotional value of this content. Only a small percentage of those that pirate material would still purchase the product if a pirated version were not available. But, many of those that engage in piracy – children especially – use it as a means to try a product before they escalate their commitment to purchase.

 

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Machida Recovering, Eager for Shogun Rematch

video link: http://www.sherdog.com/videos/recent/Machida-Recovering-Eager-for-Shogun-Rematch-2151
UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida is about to resume training with the hand he had surgery on shortly after his Oct. 24 title defense against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

Sherdog.com caught up with Machida at his apartment in Brazil, where the undefeated titleholder discussed the importance of his rematch with Shogun, whether he’d fight Anderson Silva and also a fighter the UFC needs to sign: his brother.

 

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Thiago Silva Interview

Not everything went as Thiago Silva planed. Promoted to the main fight of UFC 108, he had planned to beat Rashad Evans to win a chance of revenge against Lyoto Machida, his only butcher until then. Although, the favorable decision to the ex champion frustrated the Brazilian, who got farther of a chance to the title. After the defeat, Thiago talked to TATAME about the difficulties on fight, said why he didn’t attacked Rashad on the last round, when he needed to go to all or nothing, and why he decided to fight even not being 100%.

What did you think about the fight?
The fight was good, besides I have lost. It was hard to defend the takedown and I lost by point. I took a lot of takedowns, didn’t I?

Did you expected that he would work that much on takedowns?
I expected, but I didn’t thought that he was going to insist that much on the game. I thought he would exchange a little bit more, but he escaped from the exchanging and he went on takedowns.

How much did the injury muddled you?
At some point, it did muddled a little... I’ve hurt my back four weeks left to the fight and I got almost three weeks and a half without training at all, just doing strengthening and physiotherapy. I lost a little bit of timing and strength, I don’t know if the trust too…

Did you thought that you would have more difficulty on the fight because you lost a month of training?
I thought it would be worst than it was. I could put the rhythm and did what I could. I went to my limit. It’s not right, but I went, I did what I could and tried my best.

On the third round you started to provoke him and almost knocked him out. On that moment, did you think you were winning the fight?
I knew I was losing. I wasn’t that good on the energy and I tried to provoke him to see if he comes over me, but he didn’t bought it. I knew I was losing, I lost the two rounds.

When you hit him, don’t you think that you needed to keep hitting him more?
To be tired make a difference, man… I started to provoke him because he was with the low energy, getting tired… Wanting or not, he has a heavy hand, there’s some time that we don’t know what’s going on anymore… I think the energy made the difference, I was pretty tired.

What did UFC guys told about the fight?
They said it was a good fight, but we have to recover the waist time.

Your aim was to win to have a rematch against Lyoto. How do you see yourself inside UFC now?
Now is to wait... Probably they will match me with a good fight, Dana White told that, and I’m here to fight with the best. I want to fight with the best and I think I’m on the way. I’ll keep training, there’s nothing to do. To lose happens.

Will you stand still now for a while?
Things are bad, man… I’m inside home, lie down, just came back from the doctor, I’m with a strong compression on the muscle, on the vertebra… I’ll have to make a treatment, there’s no scheduled date yet… I’ll pass through three doctors and then I’ll start the physiotherapy again.

Is this injury the same that forced you to postpone the fight against Lyoto?
It’s the same injury, even a little worse, but this time I didn’t wanted to cancel the fight. I don’t think it’s nice you schedule an event and have to cancel the fight, so I went as I were. Now, I’ll stop to take care of myself.

Do you regret to have fought without being 100%?
I don’t regret because I like to fight. To cancel to fight wouldn’t have been good. When was missing a month to the fight I was with a very good training… I wasn’t 100%, but I did what I could. We never fight 100%, it’s very hard.

 

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Faber on Assuncao, Aldo

As for Faber, the former WEC featherweight champion returns after two losses to former champion Mike Thomas Brown to face submission specialist Rafael Assuncao in a bout with serious title implications. The winner could easily become the first challenger to newly-crowned champ Jose Aldo later this year.

“I can’t say for sure,” Faber said when asked about a potential title shot. “But I know that I’m ranked third in the world and Rafael is ranked fifth so this would obviously see who will be ranked next. I would hope that I would be able to get the next shot but that’s up to the WEC. I can only hope for the best.”

A showdown with Aldo is one that interests Faber immensely. The Brazilian wunderkind seemingly looks unstoppable at the moment courtesy of six straight highlight reel finishes. Still, Faber believes that he has the style to give Aldo a run for his money.

“From the get-go, I’ve been really impressed with Aldo,” Faber said. “He’s extremely athletic. He’s got really good stand-up and is very creative. He would be a tough fight. As far as matchups go, I think I’ve got the style to beat him. I’m the superior wrestler out of the two of us and I think my submission game is very good.

“I can’t get too excited about possibly fighting him yet though because I’ve got another hard-headed Brazilian [Assuncao] to throw around first.”

 

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Varner Bouncing Back from Broken Hands

Varner’s road to recovery has been well-documented. The reigning WEC lightweight champion suffered a broken foot, a broken hand, and a near career-ending eye injury in his last bout, a successful title defense against rival Donald Cerrone last January. Lingering problems with his right hand kept Varner on the sidelines until now.

“The healing went well after the first surgery but things got messed up because of my negligence,” Varner said during a Wednesday teleconference. “I have really bad ADHD so I can’t really sit around. The bone didn’t heal correctly and I had to go in for a second surgery in April. They had to re-break it and place pins in it. Everything is 100% now though. I’m nervous as all hell to see how it’s going to hold up but I’m excited to see the outcome. I feel like I need to remind the fans what Jamie Varner is all about.”

While a rematch with Cerrone is certainly on the horizon, Varner must first focus on a former training partner in Ben Henderson, who grabbed the interim WEC lightweight belt with a unanimous decision over Cerrone in October.

“I’ve trained with Ben before,” said Varner. “He’s a great fighter. We both have an idea of what each other are going to do so it’s going to make for a very interesting matchup.”

“I remember when I went down to Varner’s camp to help him with Marcus Hicks,” Henderson added. “He wanted to go for a sixth round and I was so tired that I knew I wouldn’t be able to go again. I was like ‘Man, this is a how a champion does things’. I’ve had to pick myself up and improve my game to get where I am now.”

 

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Other WEC notes

• WEC General Manager Reed Harris echoed Faber’s sentiment on a future title shot: “We’ve definitely had that discussion. Ultimately, it will be up to Sean Shelby [WEC matchmaker] but we’ve had that discussion over the past week. I can’t see why Urijah hasn’t earned that spot. It’s not us trying to give Urijah these kind of fights. He fought Brown for 25 minutes with two broken hands, so how do you not put him in your featured fights?”

• Varner made sure to comment on the continual trash-talking from Cerrone: “Donald has done a good job of bad-mouthing me on every forum that he’s ever had. Ultimately, I think it makes him look bad as an individual because of a lack of class. I’m going to take the high road here and not say much. I know that I’m going to be fighting him next but I can’t take my mind off Ben. In his last fight, [Cerrone] was so focused on me that it affected him. I think Cerrone is an easier fight than Ben but I’d welcome that fight regardless.”

• Faber admitted that he felt he always had a chance to win during the Brown rematch: “It was very frustrating in the Brown matchup because I was handicapped in so many different ways. I know in my heart that I was never really out of that fight. I would have preferred to get unconsciously stomped on in that fight than lose the way that I did. I was still protecting myself and going forward until the end. I always thought I had a chance.”

• Henderson discussed training with UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn and two-time title challenger Kenny Florian in preparation for Varner: “It was tough with all of the traveling and going back and forth instead of staying at my own camp but it comes with an invaluable amount of experience.”

• Harris stated that ticket sales for the promotion’s third trip to Sacramento were going well as expected. “Tickets sales are going very good,” said Harris. “We should have another full house. Sacramento has been a great market for us. Both the WEC and UFC have had great success there and Sacramento product Urijah Faber is one of our most popular fighters. Our TV ratings are also very, very good in the area. After the Faber-Assuncao fight, we’ll make another decision about returning once again.”

• Varner revealed that he used swimming in order to stay in shape while rehabbing his hand: “I was actually lucky enough to have participated in swimming all throughout high school so I just jumped back into that and started to swim with the Arizona State team. I was walking around at 185 pounds and within two weeks I lost 10 pounds. It helped me gain a lot of my strength back but also helped me prevent a lot of potential injuries. Instead of hitting the bag and doing things with my hands, I was able to swim and stay in shape.”

• Even though he was forced out of action for almost a year, Varner still feels that the creation of an interim title wasn’t needed: “I broke my hand and broke my foot fighting for the organization that I love. It’s one thing like when Frank Mir got into a motorcycle accident and couldn’t fight for years but I was only a couple of months away from coming back. I didn’t really think it was necessary. But it is what it is. It adds a little bit of drama.”

 

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Despite Rumors, Rich Franklin vs. Patrick Cote Not Happening at UFC 113

Despite several unsubstantiated reports stating otherwise, a rumored match-up between former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin and former number one UFC middleweight contender Patrick Cote at UFC 113 (May 1st, Montreal) is not happening according to both Franklin’s longtime manager Monte Cox and “The Predator."

Cox told Cage Potato yesterday that Franklin plans to stay at light heavyweight when he returns to action following an estimated 6-8 week recovery from a hernia surgery that the Cincinnati, Ohio native has scheduled for next week, and that they have not been offered a fight on the May 1 card.

Responding to the rumor, which was propagated by a posting on The Fight Network website, Cote said he was as surprised as anyone to hear the fight was a go:

“I’m not sure where the Fight Network got the story from,” Cote said. “I mentioned on Facebook that I would like to fight Rich if he’s available for the show in Montreal in May, but I didn’t tell anyone it was happening.”

Here is the Facebook post in question:

A warm up fight is the most dangerous thing to do. Fuck it give me a big fight right away !!! I’ll be back on top soon !! Rich Franklin said than he want to take time off until May, hope he will come back at 185 and fight me here in Montreal !!! UFC 113 May 1st Cote vs. Franklin sounds good to me !!!

Sidelined since blowing out both his medial cruciate and anterior cruciate ligaments in his last fight against UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 90 in October 2008, Cote did confirm that he has been told by UFC brass that he will likely be fighting on the card and should know his opponent soon. The Quebec City native, who is 4-1 in his last 5 UFC outings, was originally scheduled to return to action last summer, but another MCL injury he suffered in training necessitated a second surgery.

 

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TUF 10 Winner, Roy Nelson Wants to Fight on March or April:

""Big Country" said that he was hoping to return to action in either March or April, but he would really like to fight on the April 11 Abu Dhabi card because he received his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt from Renzo Gracie, who will be making his UFC debut against Matt Hughes on that card."

 

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Shawn Tompkins on Joining TapouT, Training Coleman for Couture, Belfort

For renowned MMA trainer Shawn Tompkins, the transition from Xtreme Couture to the TapouT Training Center has been smooth, even though it can sometimes lead to seemingly awkward situations.

For example, Tompkins is currently in the midst of training MMA legend Mark Coleman for his upcoming fight at UFC 109. Nothing awkward about that, right? Well, maybe this: Coleman will be squaring off against Tompkins' former boss, Randy Couture.

"It's just business," Tompkins said of the upcoming bout. "Anyone who's ever spoken to Randy, as far as competition, that's how he feels, too.

"For Randy, it's about the fight, not the drama," Tompkins continued. "He's real cool about it. We talked about it. I let his camp know first. I started working with Mark for the Stephan Bonnar fight [at UFC 100]. I have my own team now, and this is how I make my living and how my family survives, so if Mark Coleman comes to me and asks me to coach him in a matchup against another UFC Hall of Famer, I'm going to say yes. It's nothing personal. It should happen for the sport and the fans, and when it's all said and done, Randy and I will still be friends, and I'll still respect him for everything he's done for me."

Tompkins left Xtreme Couture in October, mainly for the opportunity to run his fight team his own way, he said.

At Xtreme Couture, many fighters would come in with their own coaching staffs; at TapouT, he is the head coach and is responsible for bringing in other coaches to work with his fighters.

"One thing that didn't really work well for me at Xtreme Couture was every fighter having their own staffs," he said. "If you're going to take this sport seriously, that doesn't seem to work out too well. I've always had my own thoughts on the best way to do it. Now these fighters that are training with me at TapouT are with me specifically as a part of Team Tompkins. What it comes down to is we get to coordinate and make sure they get what's best for them."

When he walked through the front door of the TapouT facility, which is just two miles from his former home at Xtreme Couture, Tompkins brought a stable of fighters with him. Along with Coleman, there's also UFC No. 1 middleweight contender Vitor Belfort.

But Tompkins made it his primary goal to focus mainly on younger fighters and shepherd them to a championship level. To that end, also on his roster are unbeaten lightweight Evan Dunham, 22-year-old WEC featherweight Chris Horodecki, Junie Browning, George Roop and more.

All told, Tompkins has over 20 pro fighters on his fight team now.

"It's the best decision I've ever made," he said. "It's nice as a coach to have the freedom to make my own decisions and build the fighters the way I think they should be built."

In addition, as Tapout ramps up production of their training centers nationwide, Tompkins will be responsible for training and certifying all coaches. He's already certified five coaches but plans to ramp up that front in the spring.

Until then, he'll focus on his many fighters, including Belfort, who is expected to face off with UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva sometime around April or May.

Tompkins said that while Belfort is currently in Brazil training with Lyoto Machida and his camp, he is expected to return back to Las Vegas in about 10 days to begin putting together his game plan for Silva.

Silva has repeatedly implied that Belfort is not deserving of a title shot, and has seemed to indicate that Belfort betrayed his friendship by accepting a fight with him. Though "the Spider" has seemingly made the fight personal, Tompkins says Belfort won't allow himself to do the same.

"No fight will ever be personal to Vitor," he said. "He's not that type of person. He does things for God and family, and there's no person out there who's going to make it personal for him. He just would never allow that to happen. There's fighters who need that to perform, and I think Anderson Silva's always been one of those fighters. It's showed in the past, but Vitor's very self-motivated. He respects Anderson for who he is."

 

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KJ Noons vs. Billy Evangelista Off Strikeforce: Miami

A lightweight fight between KJ Noons and Billy Evangelista has been scrapped from the upcoming Strikeforce: Miami card. Noons confirmed the news with MMA Fighting on this week's edition of The MMA Hour, which will air on the Web site on Wednesday.

Noons (7-2) said he was recently informed by the organization that Evangelista suffered an undisclosed injury injury in training, forcing him to withdraw from the fight. The former EliteXC 160-pound champion added that he has been placed on standby for the Jan. 30 card in case someone else gets injured, but if that doesn't happen, he will make his Strikeforce debut in either March or April.

Noons recently signed a new multi-fight deal with the San Jose-based organization last month. He last competed in MMA in June 2008, when he defeated Yves Edwards to retain his EliteXC belt. Following the victory, Noons and EliteXC could not reach an agreement on a new deal, and he was eventually stripped of the title before the organization folded in October 2008.

The 27-year-old also announced that Mark Dion is no longer his agent and that he now represents himself. Dion had been the target of criticism from former EliteXC vice president Jared Shaw during the negotiations.

Since leaving MMA, Noons returned to boxing, where he compiled a 4-1 record. His overall boxing record is 11-2, and he said his new deal with Strikeforce will allow him to continue to pursue his goal of being a two-sport champion.

Evangelista recently defeated Jorge Gurgel on a Strikeforce Challengers card, improving his record to 10-0 (1 no contest.)

Official fights for the upcoming Strikeforce: Miami card include Cris Cyborg vs. Marloes Coenen, Nick Diaz vs. Marius Zaromskis and the Strikeforce debuts of Herschel Walker and Bobby Lashley against yet to be announced opponents. The event airs live on Showtime.

 

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Bellator Continues Quality Signings, Inks Featherweight Georgi Karakhanyan

Continuing their wave of quality signings, Bellator has inked a deal with highly regarded featherweight prospect Georgi Karakhanyan, the company confirmed on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old is 12-1-1 in his pro career, with eight straight wins. In addition, he shows the ability to finish, as 10 of his wins come via TKO or submission.

Karakhanyan, who was born in Russia to Armenian parents before moving to the U.S., formerly played professional soccer in the Major Indoor Soccer League before transitioning full-time into MMA.

The son of a karate black belt, Karakhanyan has been involved with martial arts throughout much of his life, and has already evolved to a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu despite beginning his training in the art form in 2006.

Karakhanyan had been considered one of the top unsigned prospects in MMA, and had previously spoken with the WEC before signing with Bellator.

"With 12 wins and just one loss under his belt, Georgi is a proven winner," Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney said in a statement. "He brings an explosive style to the cage that makes for great fights. We are excited to welcome Georgi to Bellator."

In the last few weeks, Bellator has announced several signings, including rising welterweight stars Dan Hornbuckle and Ben Askren. The company's second season kicks off on April 8.