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Feb 7, 2006
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Satoshi Ishii official announcement

Satoshi Ishii promoted his new book and made an announced to be a MMA fighter on Nov 3.

" I become a MMA fighter starting today. I decided because it was my dream to become the strongest guy. I wrote the process of making my decision in my book. "

" I didn't ask anybody for any advice about making this decision. I had been thinking about quitting Judo for MMA regardless of the result in the Olympic since the beginning of this year. I made up my mind in Sep and talked to my teachers "

" I keep what Yasuhiro Yamashita told me in myself. I was moved by his words, and encouraged to be the best MMA fighter. "

" I haven't decided which events I join. I will decide after talking to my parents and supporters. I want to debut after training and gaining confidence to win. I will look around many gyms and decide where I train. I will also consider training overseas."

" I have respected Rickson Gracie for long time and I'm a big fan of B.J.Penn and often watch his fight videos. "

" I have no confidence to win right now because I'm a beginner; however, I have a strong feeling that I will succeed in MMA. "

" I train to fight in a ring and cage, and so I have a possibility to fight in the UFC. "

" I'm not thinking about fighting in NYE because I'm not ready. I need to built up my confidence by training hard. I'm learning about striking from basics now. It's hard to work on a ground without Gi. I'm on diet to gain a fit body for MMA. "
 
Feb 7, 2006
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Marcus Davis vs. Chris Lytle on tap for UFC 93

The worst kept secret of a fight now has a date.

UFC welterweights Marcus Davis (15-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC) and Chris Lytle (26-16-5 MMA, 5-8 UFC) have agreed to meet at UFC 93, and bout agreements for the fight have been distributed, sources close to both fighters told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

The fight is expected to air on UFC 93's televised main card, which takes place Jan. 17 at The O2 in Dublin, Ireland.

The event airs on pay per view.

Davis and Lytle both spoke openly about wanting to fight each other even before they both competed last month at UFC 89. With victories from each fighter -- Davis submitted Paul Kelly, and Lytle stopped Paul Taylor with a unanimous-decision win -- the pieces fell in place for the bout.

As Davis first told TAGG Radio, MMAjunkie.com's official radio partner, in July, he and Lytle first discussed the fight earlier this year.

"Chris Lytle and I want to fight each other," Davis said at the time. "He's expressed that he wants to fight me. I've expressed that I want to fight him.

"We like each other, we respect each other, but we want to have that fight. And my pitch to Chris is, 'The first guy that starts grappling is a pussy, so let's not do that. Let's just stand up and just beat the hell out of each other. If we get in a clinching scenario, and somebody wants to throw somebody or whatever, go ahead and do it. But let's not try to finish it on the ground. Let's stand up, and let's bang it out.'"

Davis has suffered just one loss in his past 13 fights: a unanimous-decision defeat to Mike Swick at UFC 85. "The Ultimate Fighter 2" cast member has scored stoppages in 11 of the 13 victories. Davis, a former pro boxer, has been a fixture on the UFC's European cards.

Lytle, meanwhile, has won four of his past six fights. The only losses came to top contenders Josh Koscheck and Thiago Alves. He's gone to decision in just one of his past seven wins.
 
Feb 7, 2006
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Report: Failed UFC 89 drug test nets Chris Leben nine-month suspension

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has suspended UFC middleweight and UFC 89 headliner Chris Leben nine months and fined him one third of his fight purse for failing a drug test at the Oct. 25 event.

UFC President Dana White notified Dave Meltzer of Yahoo! Sports of the suspension and fine, which were issued after Leben tested positive for the steroid Stanozolol.

UFC 89 took place in Birmingham, England, and the UFC served as its own regulatory body for the event since the country has no athletic commission that oversees MMA shows.

Leben suffered a unanimous-decision loss to British fighter Michael Bisping in the main event of UFC 89, which aired via tape delay on Spike TV.

Leben admitted the steroid use to White and Meltzer, who quoted the fighter as saying that he wants to use his suspension time to speak to kids about the dangers of performance-enhancing drugs.

Stanozolol, which is often sold under the brand name Winstrol, is a synthetic anabolic steroid derived from testosterone that is usually prescribed to treat anaemia and hereditary angioedema in humans, though it's also available for veterinary uses. The drug is popular in the bodybuilding world, though MMA fighters such as Tim Sylvia, Phil Baroni and Kimo Leopoldo have tested positive for it in the past.

All 22 fighters from UFC 89 were tested, according to the report.

Leben had been scheduled to headline UFC 85 with Bisping in June, but the bout was postponed so that Leben could serve jail time for a previous DUI offense. He hoped jail time wouldn't be issued and that the move would allow him to secure a visa for the event. However, Leben was sentenced to 35 days in the Clackamas County Jail in Oregon (though he was released early), and the fight was postponed.

Serving the jail time was part of what Leben called a maturation process that followed his move to Hawaii, where he now serves as an MMA instructor at the ICON Fitness and MMA Center. Prior to UFC 89, Leben, who appeared on "The Ultimate Fighter 1" (with a few drunken rampages), also said he had quit drinking.

He'll be eligible to return to the UFC in July 2009.
 
Feb 7, 2006
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Unheralded Mike Brown views Urijah Faber as best path to top

Less than 48 hours before facing WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber (21-1 MMA, 5-0 WEC), most fighters generally share how they expect the bout to be their toughest ever.

But American Top Team's Mike Brown (19-4 MMA, 1-0 WEC) told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) he simply views the bout as the final step on his path to the top of the division.

"It's huge," Brown said of his main-event bout with Faber at "WEC 36: Faber vs. Brown" on Wednesday night. "It will be the final piece to the puzzle."

While Faber's 13-fight win streak and boyish good looks have landed him at the front of the WEC's marketing campaigns, Brown is a far less-known commodity. But while his confidence and approach to the bout may surprise you, Brown knows he has made great strides in his seven-year career in preparation for this fight.

"People don't really know who I am," Brown said. "My fights have kind of gone under the radar, and nobody has really heard of me. But I'm good.

"I'm a world-class fighter. I know that. I can compete with anybody. I'm going in there to win. Let's see what happens in a couple days."

Undefeated in his previous seven bouts, Brown holds victories over Jeff Curran, Yves Edwards and Mark Hominick, among others. His only four career losses have come to an impressive roster of fighters in Masakazu Imanari, Joe Lauzon, Genki Sudo and Hermes Franca.

So while not everyone may know of Brown, he doesn't expect to sneak up on Faber.

"[Faber] knows I'm tough," Brown said. "I think a lot of insiders know -- like other fighters and hardcore fans know what I'm capable of. But it's the average Joe Schmo fan that probably doesn't know me or what I'm capable of."

Brown said the lack of expectations from the public actually plays in his favor.

"It makes it an easy fight because I know I can do what's expected," Brown said. "That's easy to do. And it's going to be easy to go beyond that. And that's going to be a positive situation for me."

Brown trains with the all-star roster of American Top Team in Florida. The submission ace believes his supporting cast has prepared him for the stern test of Faber.

"I train with many, many world-class fighters," Brown said. "I know what's out there. [Faber] is just another guy who has a big name. It's an easier fight to take because everybody thinks you're not going to win.

"He's tough. But there's a lot of tough guys out there. I like the fact that his name is big and everybody thinks he's such a monster."

And despite Faber's well-deserved reputation, Brown believes there are opportunities to score the upset.

"[Faber] makes a lot of mistakes in his fights," Brown said. "I've just got to capitalize when he makes them.

"He gets taken down a lot. He gets put in bad positions. He's good at recovering at getting out of that stuff and scrambling well. But he doesn't win every second of every fight.

"He has some holes, and I've just got to capitalize on them. Swing hard and try to hurt him, and make sure I'm on top when there's a takedown situation, scramble situation. That's going to be the name of the game, and that's what I'm going to do."

And if able to execute his prescribed plan, Brown believes he'll have finally reached his ultimate goal.

"I'll be the best guy in the world (if I beat Faber)," Brown said. "I'll have the title. It's completing the puzzle. It's the final piece."
 
Feb 7, 2006
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ESPN Deportes to Broadcast MMA in April

Promotional newcomer Bellator Fighting Championships has secured a broadcast deal with ESPN Deportes to begin airing MMA events as early as April 2009, numerous sources have confirmed to Sherdog.com.

Santa Brito, Communications Manager for ESPN Deportes, confirmed on Monday that the Spanish-language channel is in “the early developmental stages of an MMA program.” Brito would not divulge further information, but clarified that ESPN was currently not developing any MMA programming on its English-language networks.

ESPN Deportes has more than four million subscribers out of the nine million recognized Hispanic cable homes, said Brito.

Sources have told Sherdog.com that the proposed 12-week fight series will center around four eight-man tournaments utilizing the 145-, 155-, 170- and 185-pound divisions. Non-tournament bouts will also be featured. It is not clear if the events will run live or on tape delay. Multiple locations across the nation are being considered for the 12-week shoot, sources have told Sherdog.com.

American Top Team’s Jorge Masvidal and Dream standout Eddie Alvarez have been two of the better-known candidates approached to participate on the Hispanic-focused roster.

Bellator -- which translates to “warrior” in Latin -- is helmed by Bjorn Rebney, former CEO and president of Sugar Ray Leonard Boxing. Rebney and Leonard aired live boxing events on ESPN 2 the first Friday of every month under the “Friday Night Fights” moniker from 2001-2004. The relationship reportedly soured when Leonard departed to join NBC’s “The Contender” series.

Rebney would not confirm or deny details of the burgeoning promotion or its TV deal to Sherdog.com on Monday, but said information on Bellator would be released in the coming days.
 
Feb 7, 2006
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NEVADA DRUG TESTS MORE UFC 91 FIGHTERS

Following a three month dry spell in which no mixed martial artists were tested under the Nevada State Athletic Commission's new out-of-competition drug testing process, there have been a number of athletes from the upcoming UFC 91 fight card tested recently.

NSAC executive director Keith Kizer on Monday notified MMAWeekly.com that Mark Bocek and Alvin Robinson are the latest fighters to be scrutinized under the state's out-of-competition testing process. Both fighters returned negative test results.

Bocek and Robinson – who face each other on Nov. 15 – bring to eight the number of fighters tested from the UFC 91 fight card. Never before has the commission tested that number of athletes from one fight card, whether it be for mixed martial arts or boxing.

The other six UFC 91 fighters that have already been tested include main eventers Randy Couture and Brock Lesnar, as well as Nick Catone, Amir Sadollah, Aaron Riley, and Jorge Gurgel. All of them also tested negative.

In reference to the varying number of athletes tested at various points throughout the year, Kizer recently told MMAWeekly.com, "We will not set any pattern... kind of defeats the purpose."
 
Feb 7, 2006
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BROCK LESNAR: "I'M GOING TO DOMINATE THIS FIGHT!"
link:http://www.fighthype.com/pages/content3728.html?PHPSESSID=f8ffe4975527334b1792014487c02bad
"I hope he does try to take me down...I'm surrounded by great atheletes and great wrestlers that can't take me down. Hopefully, in his mind, he comes prepared and if he gets me down, he's gonna have a hell of a time keeping me down...I'm coming to this fight knowing that I'm going to dominate this fight," stated UFC heavyweight contender Brok Lesnar as he talked about his upcoming clash with Randy Couture on tonight's edition of Pro MMA Radio. Check out some other snippets from the show and be sure to tune in tomorrow for the entire replay.
 
Feb 7, 2006
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Pulver: 'I’m a Rookie'
videolink: http://www.sherdog.com/videos/recent/Pulver-Im-a-Rookie-1813
When you've been fighting for almost a decade, completely overhauling your training methods might sound unconventional. But after Hurricane Ike postponed the WEC event originally scheduled for Sept. 10 to Nov. 5, Jens Pulver left Iowa and made the permanent jump to AMC Pankration in Washington in preparation for his bout this Wednesday with Leonard Garcia.

“Rich Franklin came out here and had a lot of good things to say about it. Spencer Fisher came out here and said, ‘Get ready to be humbled. It’s insane,’” Pulver told Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show last week.

For Pulver, who has trained off and on with the renowned Miletich Martial Arts team since 2000, it was time for a change.

“I love Iowa. It really let me be complacent though,” he said. “Being able to work with Matt Hume has been just insane. Everything’s been changed. I’m a rookie again -- literally. They’ve got amateurs out here that could just hand me a beating in a heartbeat in different styles.”

Even with the drastic leap, the 33-year-old Pulver understands the opportunities it presents.

“Rolling with Hume one day I was just humbled to no end,” Pulver said. “But at the same token I was excited because at one point I’m going to be fighting like this. This is the style that I’m after. What they bring, what they teach, the way that they want you to fight, that’s just tailor-made for me.”

With Pulver coming off a unanimous decision loss to WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber on June 1, the 29-year-old Garcia sees an opportunity to take advantage. As a guest recently on Pro MMA Radio, Garcia (11-3) said that Pulver’s “reaction time is a little slower than what it used to be” and that his goal in the fight is “to break him mentally.”

The weathered Pulver (22-9-1) takes Garcia’s enthusiasm in stride.

“When have I ever had an easy fight? Everybody always gets geared up to fight me,” said Pulver. “Whether I have the belt around my waist or I don’t people always know that this is that kind of platform that could make them or break them. At the same token, good, I’m glad he’s going off that reaction time. I’ll be damned if the same thing wasn’t said when I got hooked up to my machines here. ‘Hey, Jens has great endurance but he lacks explosion. You could see that in the fight with Faber.’ They’re just saying what was out there.”

The WEC is slowly becoming the big promotion for the lighter weight divisions in North America and so far, Pulver has been involved in one of its biggest fights. Faber vs. Pulver netted more than 1.5 million viewers during its broadcast on Versus.

“I know my role, it’s a pioneer in this sport in a lot of ways,” said Pulver. “I’ve been here long enough. I started bringing in those smaller guys in the UFC and now they’ve just taken off and run with it. I’ve always been that legend so to speak starting something new.”

Pulver is 1-1 since joining the WEC, with his win coming against Cub Swanson in his debut in December 2007. A win over Garcia would not only put Pulver over the .500 mark, but would also mark a new beginning for “Lil Evil.”

“This is the first step for me against Leonard,” said Pulver. “I’m starting over. I’m changing everything I’ve done the last six years and really starting to get more well-rounded and more into the sport.”
 
Feb 7, 2006
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How the Mighty Have Fallen

When former Pride lightweight champion Takanori Gomi succumbed to Marcus Aurelio’s arm-triangle choke in April 2006, it sent a shockwave of surprise through the MMA community.

When Gomi was submitted by Nick Diaz 10 months later, the general reaction was overwhelming.

But after unrenowned Russian kickboxer Sergey Golyaev outpointed him last Saturday, the majority of fans and experts just shrugged their shoulders as if to say, “Yeah, whatever.”

Even though the 30-year-old knockout artist had lost his aura of invincibility before Japanese promotion Dream Stage Entertainment made him one of the “aces” of its Bushido series, which was designed to showcase the lighter weight classes, Gomi thrilled the crowds from Tokyo to Yokohama, from Nagoya to Osaka with his strong wrestling, explosive punching and aggressive fighting style.

Little of that is left in the 2008 version of Gomi, who is supposed to be one of the cornerstones for fledging promotion World Victory Road. His first two outings in Sengoku -- wins over American Duane Ludwig in March and Korean Seung Hwan Bang in August -- were solid but unspectacular. In the end, the successful outcomes may have diverted from the fact that the spark of former days is gone.

Gomi had appeared to be en route to his second straight unanimous decision against the unheralded Russian. Late in the first round, he had threatened with an armbar attempt, though Golyaev was saved by the bell. For seven minutes and 42 seconds, it was another day at the office for Gomi, until a left hook caught him right on the button and sent him into survival mode. The punch and a brief portion of ground-and-pound had the former champion backpedaling for the rest of the round.

While the third round was all Gomi, who scored with stomp kicks and rained down punches from the mount, it was not until the final minute of the stanza that he really came to life and punched with the intention of knocking the Russian out. In the end, however, he had to swallow a split decision loss that would not have materialized under the Unified Rules. According to Sengoku’s judging criteria, though, the decision was perfectly reasonable because Golyaev, while doing not much else, came closest to finishing the bout at one point.

What’s harder to explain is Gomi’s sudden drop in form.

Sure, he had to take a full year off from fighting after the sale of Pride to Zuffa, when he was locked out on a contract dispute. But following the three hard rounds against Seung Hwan Bang in August, the ring rust should have come off. The possibility that Gomi is already beyond his best sporting days can also be ruled out simply because he is still in his prime physically.

The most reasonable explanation might be that the burden of being the main draw for the upstart promotion -- in addition to Kazuo Misaki and the occasional Hidehiko Yoshida appearance -- is simply putting too much pressure on the 155-pounder’s small shoulders. In Pride Bushido he had a core support group of strong second stringers like Gono, Minowa, Sakurai and Chonan to entertain the crowd. Now Gomi needs to put on a show for the fans who expect him to shine and win as he did in his Pride heyday, which can lead to him forgetting fundamentals and losing fights he was supposed to win.
 
Feb 7, 2006
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Kitaoka poses litmus test for Gomi

Gomi’s Jan. 4 bout against rising star Satoru Kitaoka will be crucial to see where his career is headed. Last time Gomi was threatened by a Japanese challenger, he emphatically finished off Mitsuhiro Ishida -- a fighter similar to Kitaoka in build and style -- with a soccer kick and punches in 1:14.

Can Kitaoka, whose brash statements before and after Sengoku 6 have certainly angered the longtime king of the lightweight division, light a competitive fire under Gomi again?

From a sporting perspective, the 5-foot-6 grappling wizard has done his homework. Kitaoka coasted through the Sengoku lightweight tournament, finishing all of his opponents inside the first round except for fellow finalist Kazunori Yokota. His strongest asset is his wrestling, as evidenced by his explosive double-leg takedown that’s arguably the best of any Japanese fighter today. The seven-year Pancrase veteran also attacks the limbs of his opponents in the fashion of a 2004 Ryo Chonan.

The tournament victory brings some late recognition for the 28-year-old, who holds wins over a trio of titleholders -- Deep champion Hidehiko Hasegawa, WEC champion Carlos Condit and Cage Rage champion Paul Daley -- but never managed to put the gold around his own waist.

What’s particularly remarkable about Kitaoka is the fact that he has competed as high as the old Pancrase middleweight (181-pound) division when he could effectively fight as a featherweight given his size. Despite cutting in excess of 30 pounds for the tournament finals, the Nara native still sported arms that were a match for those of Sean Sherk and thighs that even eclipse those of Tyson Griffin.
 
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Misaki a tough matchup for Santiago

In the end Kitaoka pocketed a cool 5,000,000 yen (around $50,000) for his efforts, as did the middleweight grand prix champion Jorge Santiago. The Brazilian, whose mixed martial arts career was born and bred at talent hotbed American Top Team in southern Florida, had an arguably even tougher route to the title. He had to go through durable American Logan Clark, Shooto light heavyweight champion Siyar Bahadurzada and former Pride gatekeeper Kazuhiro Nakamura.

The well-rounded Rio de Janeiro native, who seems to have a knack for fighting more than once in a night after already winning the Strikeforce middleweight tournament last year, achieved two novelties besides taking the tourney: He became the first man to submit Clark as well as the first middleweight to knock out the experienced judo player Nakamura.

Looming on the horizon for Santiago is a Jan. 4 clash with Bushido grand prix champion Kazuo Misaki for the vacant middleweight strap. Not only is the “Grabaka Hitman” the most high-profile opponent Sengoku can offer Santiago at this time, he is also the type of fighter that has given him the most difficulty in his career. Looking at his track record, Santiago has lost to Alan Belcher, Chris Leben and Joey Villasenor -- all fighters who are blessed with above-average kickboxing skills, as is Misaki.

Regardless of how this bout will play out or whether the promotion’s first middleweight champion will hail from Japan or Brazil, Sengoku has to continue trying to build both native and foreign stars. Because the history of Japanese MMA has shown that for every Takada, there has to be a Rickson. For every Sakuraba, there has to be a Wanderlei Silva. And for every Yoshida, there has to be a Cro Cop.
 
Feb 7, 2006
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Report: UFC newcomers Tom Egan and John Hathaway to meet at UFC 93

Dublin, Ireland-based welterweight Tom Egan (6-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will meet fellow UFC newcomer John Hathaway (10-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at UFC 93, an event set for Jan. 17 at the O2 Arena in Dublin.

The report comes from the U.K.-based Fighter's Only Magazine.

The match-up, which features two undefeated European fighters, will take place on UFC 93's un-aired preliminary card.

Egan trains at Irish Top Team, a brand of the popular Florida-based American Top Team. The 20-year-old, nicknamed "The Tank," turned pro in 2007.

Hathaway, meanwhile, is a veteran of the U.K. fight circuit who's fought primarily for Cage Rage (and the organization's "Contenders" series). Eight of his 10 victories have come via stoppage -- six in the first round.
 
Feb 7, 2006
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Jake Rosholt ready for next big step at WEC 36

The first thing you learn when talking to three-time NCAA wrestling champion Jake Rosholt is that he hates losing.

In a sport filled with All-American wrestlers, Rosholt has the best collegiate credentials in the Zuffa organization, which includes the WEC and the industry-leading Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Rosholt, who makes his WEC debut Wednesday, when he faces unbeaten submission specialist Nissen Osterneck, was the NCAA champion at powerhouse Oklahoma State in 2003, 2005 and 2006, and is considered one of the best clutch college wrestlers of the past decade.

Yet, when he looks back at his career, instead of talking up his accomplishments, the first thing he brings up is his loss to Ben Heizer of Northern Illinois in the 2004 semifinals that cost him the chance to be a rare four-time champion.

"Maybe some day in a few years I'll look back on it and feel good about my career, but I still think about losing in the semifinals in my sophomore year," he said. "It cost me being a four-time champion."

As a junior, Rosholt tore his MCL and his meniscus with a month left in the season, was very limited in what he could do in training, but still won nationals at 197 pounds.

As a senior, midway through the season he hit a mental wall.

"I always thought I would end up going to the Olympics, but during my senior year, I burned out and decided I was done. I made the decision it would be my last year and I'd never wrestle again," he said.

He was coaching a kids wrestling club in Dallas early last year when Ted Ehrhardt, who brought him to Dallas, brought up the idea of him moving to MMA. He dismissed without a thought.

"I had never even hit a heavy bag," said Rosholt about his start training for the sport in April, 2007. "I wish I'd done some boxing and taken some jiu-jitsu classes. This was never something I considered doing. I'd never even seen a UFC except one of the Randy Couture vs. Chuck Liddell fights."

Ehrhardt had a plan, called Team Takedown, where the group would sponsor several top college wrestlers to go into MMA, putting them on salary, moving them to Las Vegas and getting them the best training. Rosholt and his college teammate, two-time NCAA champion Johny Hendricks, who debuts with WEC on the Dec. 3 show in Las Vegas, were to be the two big stars.

Ehrhardt did a great sell job, but Rosholt still said he had little interest. They reached a compromise. He'd send Rosholt to Las Vegas for a few days of training under Randy Couture, and then accept whatever decision Rosholt would make.

"I got beat up for two straight days, and I loved it," he said, and he hasn't looked back since. "It just felt natural."

He's 4-0 in fights on smaller shows in Oklahoma where, because of his college background, he's been a headliner and a big favorite.

But Osterneck and the WEC are a huge step up for someone with very little experience in most disciplines that make up the sport.

At this stage in his career, Rosholt is similar to where UFC standout Josh Koscheck was in his early days as a fighter: a great wrestler learning while in competition in the other disciplines.

In his most recent win over Chad Jay on March 15, he showed, as expected, excellent wrestling, with quick takedowns, reminiscent of Georges St. Pierre. He has natural punching power and strong ground-and-pound, which has led to three of his four stoppage wins, with the fourth coming with a guillotine submission.

His stand-up game clearly has holes, particularly when it comes to defense.

But whenever Jay connected, he couldn't follow up because Rosholt could take him down at will. In his four matches, he said that any time he's wanted to take a fight to the ground, he's been able to.

There is potential in his stand-up because of his power, but he needs to work on footwork and combinations, and at the same time, not on being too reliant on his boxing when he doesn't need to be, a mistake a lot of wrestlers who learn boxing make.

But the Thiago Alves vs. Koscheck match on Oct. 25 in Chicago was a wake-up call to national champion wrestlers: At some point during their career, someone will come along that they can't take down, so wrestling alone will not get you MMA championships.

Osterneck is far from simply an opponent to showcase Rosholt as a future star. He's considered one of the best middleweight prospects in the country, sporting a 5-0 record, with all five victories finishes within two rounds, four by submission. Rosholt has been training with Marc Laimon on his jiu-jitsu, because he's facing someone who has no problem when it comes to being taken down.

And it's a lot more than just a debut match on national television for both. WEC is dropping its middleweight division at the end of this year.

The winner of the match is a lock to be signed by the UFC next year. The loser needs to make a strong showing or they could be on the outside looking in.

"There can't be any fear of losing," he said. "If you fear losing, you'll lose. Every time I wrestled I started thinking about how not to lose, I lost.

"I think it's the right time (to debut with a major promotion). I don't think I'm in over my head. Mostly I'm looking at being confident in the ring and doing what I know how to do. I want to put it on the ground and end the fight."

Still, questions abound as to whether someone who never took a jiu-jitsu class nor ever put on boxing gloves less than two years earlier, for all his athletic ability, is ready to be thrown to the wolves in the UFC.

If he keeps winning, he's probably only a few fights away from top 10 competition. While a comparison can be made with Brock Lesnar, the difference is Lesnar also has size going for him, as he's got 30 to 50 pounds on most opponents, an edge wrestlers don't have in the lower weight classes. Unlike most college wrestling stars in UFC, Rosholt is the rare college wrestling star who is fighting at a lower weight than he did in his last two college seasons.

But in a clutch situation, Rosholt has excelled. He was 105-20 in college, and came back from losing in the Big 12 championships all three years prior to winning his NCAA titles.
 
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2008 OLYMPIAN BEN ASKREN JOINS ATT

2008 Olympic wrestler Ben Askren has decided to take a shot at mixed martial arts and officially joined the American Top Team, as confirmed to MMAWeekly.com on Monday.

Askren, who wrestled at 163 pounds while competing in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, has considered the move to MMA for quite some time now.

Just after returning from China, Askren spoke to MMAWeekly Radio about his pending decision to move into MMA and how working his way up to the top is very important to him.

“I’m not going to go in the cage unprepared,” he said on the show. “I’m a worker and I’m going to work. I’m going to get good at what I do. I want to get good at jiu-jitsu, get good at striking, and I’m going to go in there prepared.”

At American Top Team, Askren will have some of the best athletes and trainers in the world to work with to prepare him for the move into MMA.

The University of Missouri wrestler, who won the 2006 and 2007 NCAA National Championship in wrestling in the 174-pound weight class, will compete at welterweight in the world of MMA and he has already worked with an ATT affiliate school in Missouri, but will start training with the main academy in Coconut Creek, Fla., beginning in December.

While there is nothing definite that Askren couldn’t go back and try for the 2012 Olympics in London remains to be seen, but for now he will work with American Top Team for a future in MMA.
 
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TIM CREDEUR: "I DON'T REALLY CARE WHERE THE FIGHT GOES"
link: http://www.fighthype.com/pages/content3724.html?PHPSESSID=d03bf4e642ab1774c21bdfa5395ad1c0
"I think, more than anything, when I fight, you can expect to see fighting. I don't waste a lot of time, be real flashy or play a lot of games. I'm down to fight. I love to fight. I like to hit people and I don't mind so much getting hit… I don't really care where the fight goes; standing up, in the clinch, on the ground, him on top and me on bottom, boxing, kickboxing, it doesn't matter. I'm down to do it wherever. That's the kind of fighter I've always been and that's the kind of fighter I want to be," stated UFC middleweight Tim Credeur as he talked about his upcoming clash with Nate Loughran at UFC Fight Night 16. Check out what else he had to say about the fight, his thoughts on the current season of TUF and much more.
 
Feb 7, 2006
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Gary Shaw "Not Ashamed" Of His Time With EliteXC

The OC Register's Carlos Arias gets a gold star for finally tracking down former EliteXC president of live events, Gary Shaw, and getting him to speak on camera about the promotion's demise at this weekend's Vic Darchinyan vs. Cristian Mijares boxing event in Carson, CA.

Despite the fact that Shaw says at the top of the interview that he doesn't want to comment on EliteXC, Arias squeezes out five full minutes of quotes from the promoter.

"I am not ashamed of what I did while I was in EliteXC," Shaw says at the beginning of the clip.

"I can't really make any comments because of a lot pending litigation that might go on between EliteXC and others."

So, I guess that's why Shaw and his son, Jared, have kept quiet the last couple of weeks. There is money to be made at the end of the day and I have a feeling Gary told $kala to stay quiet once and for all.


Shaw also isn't spilling the beans as to what the future holds for his son.


"I know he truly loves MMA," Shaw said, "so there is a chance he would want to stay in it."

We can, however, thank $kala for getting his father involved in the sport.


"If it wasn't for Jared I wouldn't have gotten in MMA...His MMA roots are deep and go back a long time."