MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

Nick Diaz formally files breach of contract against Elite XC

Former Elite XC lightweight contender Nick Diaz today formally filed a breach of contract notice against Elite XC, which closed its doors earlier this month, to ensure that he can legally remain an active fighter in the days and months ahead with no restrictions.

The title of the letter read, “Notice of Breach - Unarmed Combatant Promotional Agreement between Nick Diaz and EliteXC Live, Inc.” It was made available in its entirety over at GracieFighter.com.

The breach obviously comes from the promotion being unable to fulfill the number of fights on his contract. The promotion has 30 days to remedy the situation; however, that remains a very slim possibility now that it no longer exists.

Diaz was set to face Eddie Alvarez for the company’s vacant lightweight title on November 8. That bout was scrapped when Elite XC announced its plans to fold.

The Cesar Gracie-trained Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt is always in great shape and seems to want to fight a lot. So this letter should make him eligible to fight anywhere he pleases after 30 days.

Here’s a snip:

“Pursuant to Article 43 of the Agreement, EliteXC Live Inc. has thirty (30) days to cure such material breach by posting a bond or other form of escrow in such an amount as set forth in the Agreement that must be payable to Mr. Diaz upon completion of each contemplated Bout set forth in the Agreement and any extensions thereof, and, specifically to evidence EliteXC Live Inc.’s ability to fulfill its obligations under Article 47. If EliteXC Live Inc. fails to cure such material breach in the manner set forth above within thirty (30) days of receipt this written notice, then in Accordance with Article 43, the Agreement and any extensions thereof will be terminated.”

Diaz has been clear in the past that he enjoys competing in Japan under their rules and in a ring. In fact, he has been rumored for months to be facing “Mach” Sakurai for the DREAM welterweight crown.

The Japanese have traditionally always put together solid events on New Year’s Eve and 2008 is no exception. Therefore, if Diaz becomes a free agent, don’t be surprised to see him compete one more time before year’s end … perhaps on the stacked DREAM K-1 card.

 

[Shogun Locc]

MMA fights for prime-time exposure

The demise of EliteXC leaves prime-time network mixed martial arts in limbo, along with fighters such as Gina Carano, Kimbo Slice and Robbie Lawler. Yet the sport still has a presence on the networks.
Strikeforce announced last week that its Oct. 18 Strikeforce on NBC show drew more than 1.1 million viewers. The show airs late Saturday nights and is available in roughly 80% of TV markets, says the organization's director of communications, Mike Afromowitz.

What Strikeforce does not have is a nasty rivalry with UFC president Dana White, who danced on EliteXC's grave last week and jabs away at pay-per-view rival Affliction. White says Strikeforce, a slowly expanding California promoter that is building on experience in kickboxing and other martial arts, runs a great business.

"I hope they do 10 million viewers next week," White says. "Have you heard me say a bad word about Strikeforce? I wish them all the luck in the world. I have nothing bad to say about guys who are running the right promotion."

Says Afromowitz: "We have nothing but admiration for what (White) has done," he says. "He's overcome tremendous barriers. I've been in the sport for about 10 years, and I've watched UFC grow since Zuffa (White's company) took it over."

Another fighting company expanding out of California is thriving under Zuffa's umbrella. World Extreme Cagefighting, now focusing on lower weight classes, has several replays on Versus and live shows such as the Nov. 5 card with featherweight champion Urijah Faber and middleweight champion Paulo Filho.

"It went from a small, local/regional promotion in California to the second-best organization in the world," says WEC vice president Peter Dropick .

Neither White nor Dropick is interested in women's fights.

"Gina Carano's a talented fighter," White says. "She's a star. She should've been the main event (on CBS' last EliteXC broadcast). My thing with women and fighting is there isn't enough good women to create a whole division. Could I do some one-off fights here and there? Yeah, but that's not really what we do."

A Carano representative declined to comment on her future plans. She has fought on a Strikeforce card in the past.

"Carano's gotta be one of the bigger draws," says Strikeforce commentator Ken Shamrock, who was scheduled to fight Kimbo Slice on the last EliteXC card but fell injured. "That's gotta be one of their priorities."

Lawler said on his official site that he has talked with White, who professed interest in signing "top-10" fighters such as Lawler and Jake Shields.

One fighter who may have trouble finding a new organization is Slice. White offered him a spot on The Ultimate Fighter, UFC's reality show on Spike, but insists that he couldn't win the competition. Shamrock agrees.

"Kimbo has got one thing," Shamrock says. "He's got pretty good punch combinations for a big guy. And that's about it."

Cable has been good to MMA. Dropick is happy with the exposure in Versus, and Spike claims an average viewership of 1.6 million for The Ultimate Fighter's current season. Showtime, an EliteXC partner, plans to "explore other opportunities," says spokesman Chris DeBlasio.

Strikeforce's NBC programming is taped, but live shows such as the Nov. 21 card featuring lightweight champion Josh Thomson against Yves Edwards, are often on HDNet, which also carries international promotions.

"You can't beat, as far as exposure goes, being on prime time on one of the four majors," Afromowitz says. "That's hopefully where we're headed."

 

[lenbiasyayo]

a faber and penn fight would be fuckin savage match up hope that or somethin similar happins. faber is fun to watch excited for his fight next week

 

[Shogun Locc]

a faber and penn fight would be fuckin savage match up hope that or somethin similar happins. faber is fun to watch excited for his fight next week

I don't see faber ever fighting bj there both in two different weight classes and they have trained together preparing for fights. Faber is fun to watch but Tyson giffin smashed faber.

 

[lenbiasyayo]

I don't see faber ever fighting bj there both in two different weight classes and they have trained together preparing for fights. Faber is fun to watch but Tyson giffin smashed faber.

alotta fights ago and anyone can win on anygiven day

 

[Shogun Locc]

alotta fights ago and anyone can win on anygiven day

I still think tyson would win the rematch he has gotten way better then the last time they fought and so has faber but tyson is coming from the better team and trains with alot of worldclass fighters at xtreme couture.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Daley Back to Japan for Sengoku

With the Oct. 20 demise of EliteXC parent company, Pro Elite Inc., one of the league’s brightest European fighters in Paul Daley has hit the market once again.

The man known as "Semtex" for his powerful hands went 3-1 in Pro Elite-run events, with his only loss coming to EliteXC welterweight champion Jake Shields via second-round armbar submission during its Oct. 4 event on CBS.

The 25-year-old Daley (18-7-1) had three fights remaining on his EliteXC contract, and though he is unsure of the logistics that agreement might hold for him, the Nottingham native has started to pursue opportunities with other organizations.

"I am considering fights in December in Canada, the UK or Holland and I am 99% sure I'll make a return to Japan in January 2009 for Sengoku,” Daley wrote in an e-mail to Sherdog.com. "As far as exclusive contracts go, I have nothing yet, as we are still trying to establish the legal jargon in my Pro Elite contract. But I hope to be fighting regularly in 2009 with a major U.S. promotion."

The former Cage Rage welterweight champion briefly retired in February 2008, only to re-join the ranks with a hometown comeback for Cage Warriors Fighting Championships last July before taking a crack at Shields.

Daley would not comment on any potential employment with the UFC, which looks to amp up its UK expansion plans in 2009. Daley was offered a three-fight contract with the organization in 2007, but turned it down to join EliteXC’s stable.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Hardy enjoys hearty Octagon debut

After his successful UFC 89 debut over highly experienced and very dangerous Japanese veteran Akihiro Gono on Oct. 18, welterweight Dan Hardy was rightfully pleased with his performance.

“Because of Gono’s experience, a lot of the usual tricks to trap opponents didn’t work, so he was hard to pin down and hit,” said the 26-year-old Nottingham fighter. “I did feel myself chasing him which was a little frustrating, but I’m a patient fighter so I didn’t rush in and expose myself too much. He was very elusive and unpredictable, so it was also hard to push the pace and land any quality combinations; all I could do was try and set him up and catch him with counters.”

Hardy had nothing but praise for the Zuffa-hosted event, which reportedly drew near 10,000 spectators to the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England.

“As far as the overall UFC experience goes, the organization was awesome,” said Hardy. “Everything ran like clockwork and the guys backstage work so hard to make sure the fighters have everything they need. The fans are also great, they are so welcoming and respectful and the made the atmosphere electric.”

Though Hardy believes he will fight again in early 2009, he hasn’t been doled out his next opponent yet. The UFC plans to return to the UK on Jan. 17 in Dublin, Ireland, where former Pride champ Dan Henderson will take on Rich Franklin in a middleweight main event. There has also been talk of the UFC returning to London as early as February.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Alvarez Back in January

Eddie Alvarez has been down this road before.

As Alvarez was preparing to fight Nick Diaz for the vacant EliteXC 160-pound title on Nov. 8, he received word that the event had been cancelled and the promotion was no more.

Alvarez, who is ranked second at 155 pounds in the latest Sherdog.com rankings, said while he was disappointed by the cancellation of the fight, he wasn’t surprised by Pro Elite’s demise.

“It just sucks,” said Alvarez. “It happens to companies like this a lot. I think if this was the first time I’d been through this, I’d be more shaken. I was with Bodog Fight when they went under about this time last year. I just have to keep my head up, keep training and fight whenever I can. I can’t get down.”

In addition to losing his next purse, Alvarez had already committed substantial time to prepare for the bout.

“I was called by Jeremy (Lappen, Head of Fight Operations) and he told me things weren’t going to continue as planned,” he said. “I was bummed. I was a month to five weeks into my training camp and to not fight after putting so much into my training was tough.”

Despite the bad ending to his time with EliteXC, Alvarez -- who lives in Philadelphia and is one of the biggest draws on the East Coast -- had nothing but good things to say about the promotion.

“My manager (Monte Cox) always dealt with (EliteXC executive) T. Jay Thompson and we had a good relationship,” said Alvarez. “We worked out a deal that was good for both sides and I fought for them once. They treated me well.”

Alvarez had a breakout year in 2008, going 4-0 and advancing to the finals of Dream’s prestigious lightweight grand prix in Japan. However, after knocking out Tatsuya Kawajiri in the semifinals on July 21, Alvarez was unable to compete in the finals against Shinya Aoki that same night due to a large gash he suffered against Kawajiri. That opened the door for alternate Joachim Hansen, who Alvarez had beaten by unanimous decision in the quarterfinals, to step in and win the tournament championship.

“Fighting Joachim Hansen isn’t a bad idea,” said Alvarez. “I don’t have anybody particular in mind for who I’d like to fight, though. I just want to continue fighting good guys and move up. I want to fight anyone who’s world-class and who’s a good fight and a good matchup.”

Though Alvarez said Japan is always an option, the 23-year-ols dynamo also has his sights set on his home turf.

“I want to be as well known in the U.S. as I am in Japan,” he said.

Along with Dream, Alvarez is still under contract to Adrenaline MMA and Extreme Challenge, which are both owned by his manager Cox -- so, don’t expect him to be on the sidelines long.

“Eddie’s contract with Pro Elite was also a contract with Adrenaline and Extreme Challenge, and also a contract with Dream,” Cox told Sherdog.com. “That contract allowed him to fight in any of those places. (Pro Elite) only owned a piece of Eddie. I put in his contract that he would fight in EliteXC and then Extreme Challenge, Adrenaline, or Dream. We were alternating. The deal also says if one of the organizations doesn’t schedule a fight or is unable to put on a fight, they lose a turn.”

Under the two-year agreement, Alvarez (15-1) has two more fights owed to Dream, though Cox said Alvarez’s next fight could be for Extreme Challenge, possibly this January in Atlantic City. Cox also did not rule out a stint with the UFC if an attractive offer presents itself.

“We’re going to do what’s in Eddie’s best interests, but while he’s waiting, he isn’t going to starve,” said Cox.

Alvarez already had a brush with the UFC when he auditioned for the second season of “The Ultimate Fighter” at open-call auditions in 2005. After catching UFC President Dana White’s eye, Alvarez was flown out to Las Vegas for the final round of interviews. Alvarez didn’t make the final cut, but the UFC was impressed enough to offer him a multi-fight contract directly into the big show. However, the sides couldn’t come to terms at the time.

“The UFC is always an option, but the catch is that we have to make a deal that both sides are happy with,” said Alvarez. “The UFC has a lot of good fighters and they might not need a fighter like me. I get paid well for somebody who’s not in the UFC and I want to continue to make a good living at it. I have two kids and a family, so it’s important to be able to put food on the table and make sure they’re comfortable. Right now, it’s about making money and being the best fighter in my weight class.”

The collapse of Pro Elite and its EliteXC brand has left a stable of fighters scrambling, but Alvarez – who has clinched 11 of his 15 victories with his fists –- seems to have options.

“I’m a free agent right now and it’s a good time to be ranked in the top five in the world,” said Alvarez. “I’m sure there will be plenty of companies who want to contact me and Monte has been talking to some people. Plus, I still have my contracts with Dream and Adrenaline, so I do have something to fall back on.”

 

[naner12]

Evensen has more experience then Pat Barry and could easily get a win agianst Barry especially since pat has only 3 fights in his career while Evensen is 10 - 3 - 0 but this is MMA and anything can happen.

Evensen thinks he's a striker and likes to stand. Pat's blowing his face into next week. Evensen won't make it past 2 minutes on the feet with him .. if he goes for a takedown it'll be a different story. Pat only has 3 MMA fights but his K-1/kickboxing background far exceeds anything Evensen has ever done.

.. plus Pat's a homie of mine so I'm extremely biased but Evensen definitely isn't standing with him successfully.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Evensen thinks he's a striker and likes to stand. Pat's blowing his face into next week. Evensen won't make it past 2 minutes on the feet with him .. if he goes for a takedown it'll be a different story. Pat only has 3 MMA fights but his K-1/kickboxing background far exceeds anything Evensen has ever done.

.. plus Pat's a homie of mine so I'm extremely biased but Evensen definitely isn't standing with him successfully.

Pat barry K-1 background isn't anything to really talk about either he has not even faced the top K-1 level strikers he only had five fights with only one tko win and 3 losses. This is MMA not kickboxing and it does not matter if barry is the better kickboxer if he can't use those skills and is taken to the ground.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Future is now for WEC's Leonard Garcia

Compared to the obstacle Leonard Garcia faced six months ago, a fight against a former UFC champion amounts to a Sunday stroll.

Garcia, who landed on the national MMA map at UFC 69 with an epic battle against Roger Huerta, was one of 13 people arrested in Lubbock, Texas, in March in connection with a major cocaine trafficking ring. He was charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine.

The 29-year-old Texan was confronted with a completely different kind of fight and an uncertain future.

While on the surface it appeared the "Bad Boy" might have been living up to the nickname, all federal charges against Garcia were dropped on June 30, clearing the way for him to resume training and restart his career.

"When it was all said and done, and I knew I was going to fight again, it wasn't hard to get over it," said Garcia, whose association with a friend who had a drug problem ensnared him in the arrests. "Fighting has actually been an outlet to let it all go. If I wouldn't have had something to go back to, hell, I don't know what would have happened … I think I'd have lost it. But once they told me I was fighting, it was all good."

And, the opponent was even better. Garcia drew former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver (22-9-1 MMA, 1-1 WEC) at WEC 36 Wednesday at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. It's an opportunity for Garcia to notch a signature victory in only his third WEC bout and move a step closer to a crack at the title.

After Garcia's first-round knockout of Hiroyuki Takaya at WEC 32 in February, WEC matchmaker Scott Adams said Garcia (11-3 MMA, 2-0 WEC) was "next in line" to fight featherweight champion Urijah Faber. Garcia's legal troubles scuttled that plan and moved Mike Brown up in the rotation to face "The California Kid" at the Nov. 5 event.

"Just that Jens has such a big name is a big deal for me," Garcia told MMAjunke.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "I feel like I'm a guy who's still learning, still coming up and doing everything I can to learn the game. This is a springboard that's going to boost me up. If I get through Jens, I think I definitely deserve a (title) shot."

With the event moved to November due to the threat of Hurricane Ike back in September, Garcia took the additional time to focus on further refining his standup. He traveled to Denver to train with Duane Ludwig for three weeks and helped "Bang" prepare for his Oct. 3 Strikeforce bout against Sam Morgan.

"There wasn't any real adjustment to make, just some fine-tuning," said Garcia, who still trains primarily with Team Jackson in Albuquerque, N.M. "If I can keep up with Duane while he was training for a fight, I know I'm in good shape. I just kept the stride going and kept the training camp going. All of my training partners have seen a big spike in my development in everything."

After what he endured earlier this year, it's a relief for Garcia to be focused solely on fighting. Some MMA fans were quick to rush to judgment about him following the arrest, but Garcia says he also feels he has gained some new fans for maintaining his innocence and having his name cleared from federal charges.

A victory over Pulver would undoubtedly land a few more supporters in Garcia's corner.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Fighters make weight for World Victory Road's Sengoku 6

Weigh-ins for World Victory Road's Sengoku 6 event, which features the semifinals and finales for the organization's lightweight and middleweight grand prix tournaments, took place today in Japan.

Sengoku 6 takes place Saturday at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, and begins in the U.S. at approximately 3 a.m. ET.

All 18 competitors made weight at today's weigh-ins.

In addition to the night's grand prix conclusions, the event features a number of notables in non-tournament bouts, including Takanori Gomi, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and rookie Muhammad "King Mo" Lawal.

The complete weigh-in results and reverse bout order includes:

Lightweight GP final
Middleweight GP final
Sergey Golyaev (69.9 kg/153.8 pounds) vs. Takanori Gomi (69.9/153.8)
Muhammad "King Mo" Lawal (92.8/204.2) vs. Fabio Silva (92.8/204.2)
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (92.9/204.4) vs. Moise Rimbon (92.9/204.4)
Bang Seung Hwan (69.9/153.8) vs. Jorge Masvidal (69.9/153.8)*
Joe Doerksen (82.7/181.9) vs. Izuru Takeuchi (82.9/182.4)~
Satoru Kitaoka (70.0/154.0) vs. Eiji Mitsuoka (69.9/153.8)+
Mizuto Hirota (70.0/154.0) vs. Kazunori Yokota (69.9/153.8)+
Kazuhiro Nakamura (83.0/182.6) vs. Yuki Sasaki (82.8/182.2)^
Jorge Santiago (81.9/180.2) vs. Siyar Bahadurzada (83.0/182.5)^
+ - Lightweight GP semifinals
^ - Middleweight GP semifinals
* - Lightweight GP reserve bout
~ - Middleweight GP reserve bout

 

[Shogun Locc]

KJ Noons now wants a rematch with Nick Diaz

Former Elite XC lightweight champion KJ Noons once again had a lot to say about his arch nemesis Nick Diaz in a recent on PWB’s Official Podcast Hotline with Lex and Ian.

Noons defeated Diaz by first round technical knockout at Elite XC: “Renegade” in November of last year in the promotion’s inaugural division title fight. The 160-pound affair was stopped after the first round by a cageside doctor who would not allow Diaz to continue with at least two gushing gashes on his face.

Diaz stormed out of the cage shortly thereafter.

It was believed he would eventually get a rematch because of the way the fight ended. But the rematch never went down. Some people figured the less experienced Noons didn’t want to face the more talented Diaz again for fear of losing his title, but Noons tells a different story:

“The number one reason why it didn’t happen was because they wanted to pay me three times less money than the guy I beat the crap out of…I had defended my title successfully, and they wanted me to fight him, which I was perfectly fine with. It was built up, all the drama, behind the scenes … they wanted to pay me three times less money and I told them to go screw themselves.”

Noons’ performance against Diaz was without a doubt impressive — he was easily ahead in the fight when it was stopped. But the fact that it ended on a cut never sat right with the fans or Elite XC … and virtually everyone wanted the rematch to happen.

Noons, on the other hand, felt like he put a beating on Diaz and that the Stockton native didn’t deserve another title shot yet. And it’s not like Noons had a cupcake in his first title defense either. Yves Edwards was a heavy favorite and brought in a ton more experience, but KJ took him out … impressively.

Then he called out Eddie Alvarez, one of the fastest rising prospects in the world — but that still wasn’t good enough for Elite XC. The promotion wanted the Diaz rematch. And when the two parties couldn’t agree, Noons was stripped of his belt. Again, KJ tells another story:

“I wrote them a letter telling them I would give them the belt back, and in the return they don’t say anything about that and they strip me of the belt, acting like they are taking away from me. If you’re gonna treat your champ like that, I don’t want to be your champ.”

Now that the two fighters are apparently free agents with Elite XC going down, there are plenty of opportunities for them to fight each other elsewhere. And Noons is certainly not downplaying a rematch:

“I think it would be a great fight…as long as it makes sense, if any promotion wants to do it, let’s make it happen, call me up…”

And the fallout from the demise of Elite XC continues …

 

[Shogun Locc]

ANTHONY JOHNSON: "I'M GOING TO KNOCK HIS F$@KING HEAD OFF"
link: http://www.fighthype.com/pages/content3708.html?PHPSESSID=f014392975eaf236a75ff652b76b6df5
"He's got a lot to prove in this fight. Everybody is looking at him as the bad guy and I know he's looking to prove to everybody that he can beat me. I'm glad he's thinking that way because I'm thinking the same way too. I'm going to knock his f$@king head off if I get a chance. It's all good though. He's getting prepared and I'm getting prepared and I think this fight is going to be entertaining," stated UFC welterweight contender Anthony Johnson as he talked about his upcoming rematch with Kevin Burns. Check out what else he had to say about the fight and much more.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Bigfoot comments the end of EliteXC

EliteXC heavyweight champion, Antônio “Bigfoot” Silva saw the event close the doors after the following edition, but with the maintenance of the punishment in the doping punishment keeps the fighter away from fights in USA until July 28th. “I can fight in any place of the world, except in United States. I used to be very happy, I liked EliteXC, they threaded well there and very I was well paid. My life changed because of them, but unfortunately I think they acted in the wrong way about Kimbo”, commented the fighter.
In the last edition of the event, the polemic fighter Kimbo Slice received U$ 500 thousands, very far from the U$ 200 thousands paid to Bigfoot when he won the title. “The money that they paid to Kimbo almost made a whole event. Kimbo always treat me well, I don’t have nothing against him, but he made good use of the moment of the people to make his name, but we know that Kimbo never was a valued 500 thousands dollars fighter. The event had big fighters, Nick Diaz, (Rafael) Feijão, Eddie Alvarez, Jake Shields, myself, but I think they made the wrong thing and the plan finished wrong”, finished the giant of American Top Team.

 

[Shogun Locc]

SIYAR BAHADURZADA EYES SENGOKU CROWN

Siyar Bahadurzada returns to action Saturday at Sengoku 6 and he has his sights on winning the organization’s inaugural middleweight tournament.

“My training is going really well. I’m training very hard and I'm in shape,” said Bahadurzada. “I have improved and adopted some stuff in my fighting style which I'm going to show on Nov.1.”

The winner of the semi-finals will advance to the finals, which will be held on the same evening.

“Fighting twice in one night does not intimidate me at all. I train with Golden Glory and every training session we have is no less than a fight and we spar like that everyday. So basically we fight four or five fights every day at the gym,” explained Bahadurzada.

The Dutch-Afghan fighter reached the semi-finals with a TKO victory over Chute Boxe’s Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos. The fight came to an unfortunate end when Santos suffered a dislocated elbow after the two fighters competed for a takedown. An emotional Bahadurzada was seen yelling from the four corners of the ring while his Brazilian opponent was tended to by the doctors.

“I was very disappointed that the fight had to be stopped because of an injury. But at the same time, I did not realize what happened that very moment when the fight was over. I was full of emotions because of the hard period I had behind me; twice broken right hand and an elbow surgery,” explained Bahadurzada. “Unfortunately most people interpreted my emotional release the wrong way and I cannot blame them; it came at the wrong time. But as I said before, the emotional release had nothing to do with the fight outcome that night.”

Standing across the ring from the Golden Glory fighter this Saturday will be Jorge Santiago. The American Top Team fighter submitted Logan Clark to advance to the semi-finals. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt has seen a lot of success after his time in the UFC, defeating Andrei Semenov and Jeremy Horn en route to winning Strikeforce’s first four-man tournament. Santiago submitted Yuki Sasaki by armbar in his Sengoku debut.

“He is a good fighter. Most people see him as the favorite to win the tournament, but I guess I will prove a lot of people wrong, including the bookies,” said Bahadurzada confidently.

If he is successful in defeating Jorge Santiago, Bahadurzada will face the winner between Kazuhiro Nakamura and Yuki Sasaki in the grand prix finals.

“I'm ready to face either one of them. I cannot pick between them. They are both good fighters and I respect them…until the bell goes in the ring. Then there will be no respect at all.”

Siyar Bahadurzada has a challenging road ahead of him. The Shooto 183-pound champion has taken his tough childhood in Afghanistan and used it as his motivation to “achieve everything I want.” His hard work and dreams may come to fruition this weekend.

“It would mean a lot to me (to win the grand prix). I have worked hard for this and this will be a great reward.

“I don't think I have any left (fans) after the fight against Cyborg," he quipped. "All I want to say is that I'm not only fighting to win fights and earn money; my goal is also to win the heart of the MMA fans. I want the MMA fans to watch my fights with certain emotions... I want to steal their hearts so they are nervous every time I fight. I'm willing to give it my all to show the MMA fans some exciting fights!”

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC 91 and 92 at the Gate

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (only $9.99 a month online) gave an update on the gates for the next two Vegas shows:

Lesnar- Couture, as of a week or so ago, was at 8,000 paid and $3.1 million, so tickets still aren’t moving with only $500 and more expensive seats left. With casino buys and such, the gate will end up comfortably north of $4 million, which would be among the biggest in history, but this was expected to break the $5,397,000 record……Tickets are now on sale for the 12/27 Las Vegas show… We don’t have numbers, other than the Internet presale was way slower than for Lesnar-Couture and for any of the major Vegas shows.

Looking back at a report from last month, sales have remained essentially flat over the last month. The card should see some pick up in sales as the event draws nearer. The north of $4 million figure is certainly over and above what they could have done if the card were held in Portland like originally planned, but has to be considered a mild disappointment. With Vegas being hit hard by the economic downturn, the UFC will have to temper expectations and projections for the next two cards. This is a problem that wasn’t avoidable, as MMAPayout.com had it’s doubts about the three cards in 2.5 months strategy right after it was announced.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Creating Your Own Opportunity

Bringing in sponsors to the MMA game can often be a tough road, but key in being successful is being proactive in exposing the sport to the uninitiated and then cultivating these prospects for future business. In reading over the Underground forum, an excellent example of this would be the show being put on for the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas. Here a little more info and the who and the why:

LG and MTX put this fight on for free (at an expense) to educate these industry executives on how great our sport is and how special the athletes are that participate. Last year we out drew the Mary J Bilge concert and this year we have doubled the budget so expect big things.

If you want to be considered for the event please send us your bio and any links to your fight vids to [email protected]

The CES is a who’s who of the players in the technology business, with plenty of prospects for bringing in a blue chip company to advertise in the MMA arena. Forward thinking and being proactive like with this CES show are what will help take the sponsorships for fighters to a whole other level

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC 91 COUTURE VS. LESNAR LINE-UP

The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Friday confirmed the televised line-up for its UFC 91 event scheduled for Nov. 15 in Las Vegas. Already announced in the main event is a bout between returning UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture defending his belt against rising heavyweight talent Brock Lesnar.

The pay-per-view portion of the fight card at the MGM Grand Garden Arena also features a lightweight contenders bout between top 155ers Kenny Florian and Joe Stevenson.

“Joe always comes to fight,” Florian said. “He’s very well rounded. I expect the fight to be a war. I think a win over Joe Stevenson will make me the No. 1 contender for the lightweight belt.”

“Fighting a person like Kenny can get you back in the title picture,” Stevenson added. “I consider very few people in the lightweight division a threat on the ground. Standing, I don’t see him with knockout power. People are putting him as the favorite and I don’t know why.”

Last season’s winner of The Ultimate Fighter, Amir Sadollah, will have his first true UFC test when he faces undefeated New Jersey native and former NCAA Division I wrestler Nick Catone in another of the televised fights.

Brazil’s Gabriel “Napao” Gonzaga, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, gets back in the Octagon in a heavyweight bout with former two-time All-American wrestler Josh Hendricks, who is undefeated in his last 10 fights.

Finishing off the pay-per-view announcements is Nate Quarry's first bout since chasing Kalib Starnes out of the UFC in April. He faces his most difficult test yet since returning from back surgery in submission specialist Demian Maia, who will be attempting to keep his undefeated professional record intact.

Main Card Bouts:
-Randy Couture vs. Brock Lesnar
-Gabriel Gonzaga (#7 Heavyweight in the World)* vs. Josh Hendricks
-Joe Stevenson (#10 Lightweight in the World)* vs. Kenny Florian
-Demian Maia vs. Nathan Quarry
-Amir Sadollah vs. Nick Catone

Preliminary Bouts:
-Dustin Hazelett vs. Tamdan McCrory
-Jeremy Stephens vs. Rafael dos Anjos
-Alvin Robinson vs. Mark Bocek
-Jorge Gurgel vs. Aaron Riley
-Ryan Thomas vs. TBA