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Feb 7, 2006
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Alistair Overeem Says Zuffa Purchase of Strikeforce 'a Good Development'

Strikeforce heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem was among the many people caught completely by surprise by this weekend's big announcement regarding the sale of his employer to its biggest industry rival.

Overeem told MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour that he was completely shocked by news that Zuffa had purchased Strikeforce, but said he has reason to be excited about what this means for the future.

"I was shocked when I read it, but I'm very excited," Overeem told Helwani. "It's a very big upset in the MMA world, and the fighting world in general. But yeah, my first thought was, I'm excited. ... It was a very big surprise to me and to everybody. The gentlemen did a very good job of keeping the big secret. I didn't see it coming. I didn't see it coming at all."

Overeem, who called in to The MMA Hour from his training camp in Thailand, said he is still preparing to face Fabricio Werdum in the Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix in June, and as far as he knows, "[E]verything is still on."

As for whether the sale will turn out to be a positive or negative for MMA fighters and fans, Overeem sounded an optimistic tone.

"It depends. I'm a positive guy. I see things through a positive lens. It can be really, really the best thing [that] ever happened to the sport, if it's used positive, and I see that happening. If it's used negative, then it's going to be a downfall. But I don't see that happening. I see this as a good thing, a good development, so I see the sport growing.

"We're going to have to wait and see how it works out," Overeem continued. "The fans are going to get to see the fights that are most appealing to them. I think this is what the sport needs to grow, because the sport has grown rapidly, but it's still not there yet. It still needs to grow bigger. I think [UFC president] Dana [White] wants this and I know I want this as well. We want the fights to be worldwide known. We want everybody worldwide to talk about these fights, like in the old days with Muhammad Ali and [Mike] Tyson, and we're not there yet. To get there, there's still some work to be done and I think Dana's working on that."

Overeem seemed surprise to learn that Strikeforce would now adopt the unified rules of MMA, including elbow strikes to the head of a grounded opponent, which he referred to as, "a good thing, I guess."

As for when or if fans might get to see him against some of the UFC's big names, Overeem said his only focus at the moment is on the Strikeforce GP, where he's still awaiting his first-round match-up with Fabricio Werdum.

"For me, I'm a fighter. I want to show the fans exciting fights. I want to go for the knockout. For me, I'm tied down in the Strikeforce Grand Prix. That is my objective for the moment. This is my time to show that I'm number one in this tournament. All the politics talk, I'm not a head of an MMA organization. I know leading a business like that has a lot of responsibilities, a lot of headache, so I can't answer that question for you. ...I'm happy that I'm not in their shoes. I'm happy that I have the simple life of a fighter."

And for anyone who doubts that Overeem's focus is still on winning the tournament, he offered a succinct response to Werdum's claim that he'll look to attack the champ's other arm in their rematch this June.

"He'll be unable to do that when he's sleeping on the mat with his face down," said Overeem.
 
Feb 7, 2006
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Tezuka Continues Undefeated Streak! Quick Victory For Akano

The Pancrase March 13th event in Osaka went on as planned.

Former Strikeforce title challenger Hitomi Akano made quick work of Chisa Yonezawa in the Jewels vs. Valkyrie match-up, ending the fight with an armbar at only 0:40 of the first round.

Yoshihiro Akiyama’s Team Cloud member Ikkei (Nagamura) got back on the winning track with a KO victory over Yuta Nakamura.

In the main event of the evening Motonobu Tezuka got a unanimous decision victory over Hiroshi Tomita. This was a solid fight between two Bantamweight up-and-comers and Tezuka, who is only 23 years old, has already participated in 22 pro fights at his young age and is now 10-0-2 in his last 12. He might have a bright future in MMA.
 
Feb 7, 2006
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Tanikawa's message after the Tohoku-Kanto earthquake

Following the shocking Tohoku-Kanto earthquake that hit Japan on March 11, 2011 at 2:46 P.M., K-1 Event Producer Mr. Sadaharu Tanikawa sends a message to the victims and their families.

First of all, I would like to express my condolences to the victims of the disaster. The victims and their families must be going through hell now. Please, stay strong and overcome this tragedy. I hope you will be able to return to normal life soon.

As we can all see, this disaster has caused massive damage to Japan. All we can do right now is to encourage people by harnessing the collective power of fight sports fans. Another major local organization SRC has stated the possibility of withdrawal from the scene. Additionally the organization we work closely with, Strikeforce, has been purchased by Zuffa/UFC recently. We have to say, fight sports in Japan is currently going through the hardest time that we've ever experienced before. However, we are not giving up! We know we have to keep moving forward. We will do our best to make it. So please stick by us, and support us.

We have received many messages from fighters, promoters and fans since the tragedy. It really shows their love for Japan and the Japanese fight sports scene. Now we are determined to fight for them! We will keep on updating these special messages from fighters to our official website, Twitter and Facebook. We hope these messages will go some way to cheering up the people of Japan. Let's unite and overcome this adversity!

Sadaharu Tanikawa
 
Feb 7, 2006
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Faber Won’t Force Takedowns Against Dangerous Wineland

Although Eddie Wineland’s greatest strength is his striking, Urijah Faber says he’s willing to engage him on the feet when they fight Saturday at UFC 128.

In fact, Faber believes it would be a mistake not to.

“I’m more than happy to play his game, but it’s my game too,” Faber (Pictured) said recently during a “Savage Dog Show” interview on the Sherdog Radio Network. “If the opportunity is there to put him in a position where I’m stronger than he is, with that being on the ground, I’ll take it for sure, but I’m not trying to force anything. That’s the way you get rocked -- being desperate for things.”

The bantamweight contest is scheduled for the main card. Wineland, a former WEC 135-pound champion, has won four in a row. Most recently he knocked out Ken Stone with a devastating slam at in December.

“That was a brutal slam for sure,” said Faber, who saw it in person. “I can’t believe Stone held on that long in that terrible position and allowed [Wineland] to do that. I will not be making the same mistake.”

Despite Wineland’s status as a former champ and his success of late, he remains somewhat unknown to casual fans of the sport. Faber knows he’s a gamer, though.

“I don’t know why Eddie doesn’t have more recognition,” he said. “I guess when he was a champion, it was really at the infant stages of the WEC and so there wasn’t as much hype and notoriety behind him. He’s a tough dude. He’s one of the toughest guys I’ve faced.”

That’s saying something considering Faber’s resume. The former WEC featherweight champion has gone the distance with Jose Aldo, fought Mike Thomas Brown twice and also submitted current bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz.

A win over Wineland could even set up a rematch with Cruz for the UFC title. The two have been trading words for a while now, though Faber said he hasn’t yet grown tired of their back and forth.

“I don’t let things bother me,” he explained. “The bottom line is, I’m just an honest guy. People are like, ‘We never see you dislike anyone or say anything bad about anyone.’ That’s because most of the time I don’t feel that way about people. I’m just being honest and people keep asking. Yeah, I don’t like the guy very much. I’m sure we’re going to fight soon. I look forward to it. I’m his only loss, so he wants to get that back. He’s got a UFC title, which I want to get. It’s inevitable. I just have to keep doing my thing.”

That includes a victory over Wineland on Saturday.

“I think I just have to do my game plan,” Faber said. “He’s got heavy hands and good kickboxing and he’s pretty good at everything else. I think his goal is going to be to keep it standing and try to knock me out. I’m going to try to knock him out and try to finish him wherever I can.”
 
Feb 7, 2006
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Kennedy Hungry for Another Fight, Still Wants Lawler

If Tim Kennedy’s win over Melvin Manhoef on March 5 does not warrant a title shot, then he wants the next best fighter Strikeforce can offer. That would likely be former middleweight title challenger Robbie Lawler.

“If people don’t think I’m ready to fight [champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza] again, which I totally respect them, then give me another opportunity to perform and show them I am deserving to be in there for another title fight,” Kennedy (Pictured) said recently during a “Savage Dog Show” interview on the Sherdog Radio Network. “I’m still really, really hungry. I’m already back in the gym. I just want to demonstrate that I’m ready to go.”

Souza defeated Kennedy via unanimous decision last August. Most recently the Brazilian submitted Lawler with a rear-naked choke -- the same finish Kennedy used on Manhoef.

“It was a smart fight,” Kennedy said of his bout against Manhoef. “I needed to get back on the winning track and try to get myself back into relevancy for the middleweight title. A win was really important. A loss would have been really damaging to what I want to do in 2011. The regrets were that I did want to make a really exciting fight. I was hoping to showcase a little bit more of my standup, but I didn’t want to do that until he got tired. We just never got to that point. Hopefully I’ll have an opportunity to go out there and bang with some guys, but Melvin’s just so dangerous. I respect him so much as a striker that I didn’t want to risk it.”

Kennedy actually sees quite a few similarities between Manhoef and Lawler. Both are explosive on the feet, for instance, but susceptible to submissions.

“I think Robbie is a better wrestler,” Kennedy said. “He’s been wrestling for longer than Melvin has. I know that Melvin’s been working at it much harder of late than perhaps Robbie has, but if Robbie has my name on the books, then unquestionably, he’s going to be preparing for takedown defense, getting up from the bottom, maybe takedowns himself.

“The fight will eventually end up there if Robbie and I fight, whether I take him down or he takes me down. He’s a great wrestler. That was his origin. Everybody’s like, ‘He’s such an amazing striker. He has powerful hands.’ Which is true. … He’s very dangerous both on the feet and on the ground. His takedown defense is stellar.”

Kennedy’s eagerness to get back in the cage could be explained by the fact that eventually, the Green Beret wants to return to serving his country.

“I’m always torn about which one I should be doing,” Kennedy said.

At this point, Kennedy suggested that he’d like to fight seven or eight more times. His plans are ambitious, but it’s important that he make his run in MMA now.

“When you come back from a deployment, you’re behind the curve,” Kennedy said of how quickly the sport can evolve. “You have to play catch-up. That means you have to work that much harder. Your conditioning and your technique are going to be deficient because you’ve had less than perfect circumstances to train in. You’re just playing a game of catch-up. Maybe it’s six months, maybe it’s a year [before you can fight again]. It depends.”

In that context, Kennedy’s urgency is understandable. He might not be fighting too much longer, and that’s why he wants top opposition now.

“I just want to fight the best guys in the middleweight division of Strikeforce,” he said. “I want to keep moving up in the overall world rankings and the level of competition that I face.”
 
Feb 7, 2006
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Kyle Kingsbury vs. Fabio Malonado added to The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale

Kyle Kingsbury (10-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) and Fabio Maldonado (18-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) are the latest additions to The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale.

The UFC today broke the news of the light heavyweight matchup via its official Twitter account.

The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale takes place June 4 at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, and the event's main card airs live on Spike TV.

Kingsbury has been on a tear since a decision loss to Tom Lawlor following their appearance on "The Ultimate Fighter 8." The former football player has bested the likes of Razak Al-Hassan and Jared Hamman before knocking out Ricardo Romero in 21 seconds in his most recent octagon appearance at UFC 126.

The "TUF 8" cast member spoke this past week to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) about a new training regimen that included fight camps with his usual camp, American Kickboxing Academy, in addition to work in his current hometown of Phoenix with UFC vets Ryan Bader, C.B. Dollaway and Aaron Simpson.

Kingsbury also talked about his work with the controversial Victor Conte, whom he was profiled alongside in a documentary for HBO's "Real Sports."

"Believe me, nobody's supplements get tested further than Victor's do," he said. "I fully trust that he's doing everything on the up and up now. He knows where he's getting his products from manufacturer-wise, and everything that he's doing is on the up and up."

The Brazilian Maldonado made his octagon debut this past October at UFC 120 and quickly made his presence known with a third-round TKO victory over James McSweeney. He now enjoys an 11-fight win streak earned mostly in regional competition. Twelve of his 18 professional victories come by way of stoppage due to strikes.

That's a stat to bookmark for Kingsbury, who's been working to even out his skillset after Lawlor outwrestled him in his UFC debut.

"I feel like I'm learning a lot quickly, and it's starting to show in my fights," he said. "I still feel very fortunate to be in the UFC. I understood how I did on the show, and I'm just happy that they've given me the opportunity to fulfill my potential and grow as a fighter. I'm just going to accept whoever they throw at me."
 
Feb 7, 2006
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Bellator signs undefeated heavyweight prospect Blagoi Ivanov

The man best-known for defeating Fedor Emelianenko in a combat sambo match is coming to Bellator Fighting Championships.

Bellator officials today announced that Blagoi Ivanov (8-0 MMA, 0-0 BFC) has signed a multi-fight deal with the promotion and will soon fight for the first time in the U.S.

"Blagoi is a great signing for us at heavyweight," Bellator chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney stated in today's official release. "He brings an incredible sambo background to the cage and is developing his hands with some of the best in the business. I'm very happy that he and his management have decided to move his career forward under the Bellator banner."

The 24-year-old Bulgarian is currently training with Shawn Tompkins at Las Vegas' TapouT gym. Competing professionally since 2005, Ivanov's highest profile MMA bout to date is an August 2009 split-decision win over Kazuyuki Fujita under the Sengoku banner.

However, Ivanov made waves in 2008 with a victory over Emelianenko in the semifinals of the 2008 World Sambo Championships.

"I can't wait to have the chance to show what I'm capable of to all of the Bellator fans watching on MTV2 all across the U.S," Ivanov stated. "I'm already hard at work preparing for my first fight with Bellator.

"My ultimate goal is to fight Cole Konrad for the Bellator world heavyweight championship. My mission is to become the Bellator champion, and that's what I intend to do."

An exact date for Ivanov's Bellator debut has yet to be determined.
 
Feb 7, 2006
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"Countdown to UFC 128" preview show debuts tonight on Spike TV

As a reminder, the UFC's traditional pre-event preview show returns tonight with the debut of "Countdown to UFC 128."

The show debuts on Spike TV at 11 p.m. ET/PT, and replays are slated for Thursday at 3:05 p.m. ET/PT, and Saturday 6 p.m. ET/PT.

UFC 128 takes place March 19 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The pay-per-view main card features a championship headliner between light-heavyweight titleholder Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and replacement Jon Jones.

The in-depth "Countdown" show focuses primarily on the night's headliner, which came about after Rua's initial opponent, Rashad Evans, was forced off the card with a knee injury. A co-headliner between former WEC champs and current UFC bantamweights Urijah Faber and Eddie Wineland, which is expected to earn the winner a title shot, also will be examined. Main-card fighters Brendan Schaub and opponent Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic also will get some attention.

The full UFC 128 card includes:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view)

* Champ Mauricio "Shogun" Rua vs. Jon Jones (for light-heavyweight title)
* Urijah Faber vs. Eddie Wineland
* Jim Miller vs. Kamal Shalorus
* Nate Marquardt vs. Dan Miller
* Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic vs. Brendan Schaub

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)

* Luiz Cane vs. Eliot Marshall
* Edson Barboza vs. Anthony Njokuani

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)

* Ricardo Almeida vs. Mike Pyle
* Kurt Pellegrino vs. Gleison Tibau

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Joseph Benavidez vs. Ian Loveland
* Raphael Assuncao vs. Erik Koch
*
Nick Catone vs. Costantinos Philippou
 
Feb 7, 2006
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Bellator 36 debut scores 230,000 viewers; replay lands 241,000

Bellator's second season-four event, Bellator 36, netted 230,000 viewers for MTV2's live broadcast, and the immediate replay actually outdrew the live airing with 241,000 fans tuning in.

The live airing earned a 16 percent increase from this season's debut episode, and the immediate replay earned an astounding 90 percent increase over the previous week's replay broadcast.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today received the figures from industry sources.

Bellator 36 took place this past Saturday at Shreveport Municipal Auditorium in Louisiana. The live broadcast featured the four quarterfinal matchups of Bellator's season-four lightweight tournament. Michael Chandler, Patricky Freire, Toby Imada nd Lloyd Woodard all earned victories and advanced to the tournament's semifinals.

Unlike Bellator's season-four debut, Bellator 36 went unopposed by any other major live MMA events.

Compared to the previous week's live airing and immediate replay, Bellator 36 scored a 56 percent ratings increase among men ages 18 to 34, a staggering 119 increase with men ages 25 to 34, and an impressive 45 percent increase in total average audience.

Belator's fourth season is the promotion's first to air on MTV2. The organization's first season aired on ESPN Deportes, and season two and three aired on FOX Sports Net.
 
Feb 7, 2006
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Anderson Silva documentary, "Like Water," debuts at Tribeca Film Festival

"Like Water," a documentary focused on Anderson Silva's life leading up to his UFC 117 win over Chael Sonnen, debuts at next month's Tribeca Film Festival.

Directed by Pablo Croce, the film is one of six documentaries in the New York gathering's fifth edition of the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival.

This year's Tribeca Film Festival takes begins April 20 in New York City.

"Five years ago, Tribeca and ESPN started the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival with a modest goal: We wanted to shine a light on sports stories and broaden the audience for independent film," Tribeca Film Festival's executive director Nancy Schafer stated in an official release. "It has become one of the signature programs of the Tribeca Film Festival, and I know that the audience will be thrilled with this year's films, just as I was."

"Like Water" promises an intimate and revealing look at Silva's training and personal life during his preparation for this past August's thrilling five-round victory over Sonnen. The win was the UFC middleweight champion's 12th-straight win in the UFC.

The Tribeca Film Festival screenings mark the world premiere of the film. The screening schedule will be announced on Monday, March 21.
 
Feb 7, 2006
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UFC 128's Wineland hopes title shot, "TUF" slot, comes with victory over Faber

Leading into this weekend's UFC 128 event, much of the focus on the card's co-feature has dealt with a potential title shot and "The Ultimate Fighter" coaching slot for Urijah Faber (24-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC).

Eddie Wineland (18-6-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has something to say about that.

A former WEC bantamweight champion, Wineland believes he'll prove victorious at this weekend's pay-per-view event, and he hopes the spoils evidently in line for Faber will fall his way after a win.

"I think I put together a good win streak, and I'm deserving of a title shot given that I win this fight," Wineland recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). "To me, that makes sense. It's Urijah Faber, and I'm on a four-fight win streak."

Wineland makes a compelling argument. He makes his UFC debut on the strength of back-to-back "Knockout of the Night" wins in the WEC, and the 26 year old owns a four-fight win streak after downing Ken Stone, Will Campuzano, George Roop and Manny Tapia.

Yet in listening to most pre-event banter, it's former WEC posterboy Faber that seems to be all but booked for a coaching slot on "The Ultimate Fighter 14" opposite the UFC's 135-pound champ, Dominick Cruz. Wineland hopes he's considered for the role should he score the upset.

"I would definitely be interested in something like that," Wineland said. "Whether it's going to happen or not, who knows? The bosses, I'm sure they have their ideas."

Oddsmakers have installed Faber as an overwhelming four-to-one favorite. The common belief is that Faber's wrestling prowess will prove troublesome for Wineland's striking-first approach. "The California Kid" has stated he's willing to trade with his opponent, but Wineland believes that will change during the fight.

"He claims that he's ready to stand and trade with me," Wineland said. "I believe him. I think he'll stand and trade. But I think I'm going to punch him a couple of times – I'm going to put a couple on his chin – and he's not going to like the way it feels, and he's going to resort back to wrestling. He's going to go back to what he knows best, and he's going to try and take me down."

Wineland cites his win over Campuzano, a two-time UFC veteran who prefers to stand and bang, as to what might happen to Faber should he choose to stand toe-to-toe.

"[My style] frustrates people even that do come from a striking background," Wineland said. "You go back to Will, and after the first five minutes, his head was spinning. He didn't know which way to go. He didn't know when I was coming, when I was going. It's very, very hard to deal with somebody like that."

Wineland debuted for the WEC in May 2006, just two months later than Faber. Yet prior to the company's recent merge with the UFC, it was Faber who became a superstar, while Wineland has flown under the radar.

Saturday is Wineland's chance to change all of that, and the full-time firefighter is willing to do whatever it takes to claim the prizes presumably awaiting Faber: Cruz and a slot on "The Ultimate Fighter."

"I'd have to work it out one way or another because that's an opportunity I wouldn't want to miss," Wineland said.
 
Feb 7, 2006
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All Grown Up, Ian Loveland Expects Tough Fight at UFC 128 and Beyond

After a stellar amateur career in which he went undefeated, current UFC bantamweight Ian “The Barn Owl” Loveland hit a rough patch when he turned pro.

Inconsistency plagued the up-and-coming Team Quest fighter, and through his first 14 fights he had only a .500 record.

On the verge of becoming a career small promotion fighter, Loveland began to put things together. Heading into UFC 128 on Saturday, he’s riding an impressive seven-fight winning streak.

“I just kind of grew up,” Loveland told MMAWeekly.com. “I got married, and you can’t behave the same way you can when you’re single. Just more maturity and for the first time I started putting fighting ahead of everything else, that’s the main thing.”

With maturity, Loveland went from being a reckless fighter at times to a fighter who could truly adapt and put the fight where it needed to be in order to secure victory.

“I’ve just kind of learned to slow things down and win fights rather than just going out there, fight, and hope I win,” he said.

Loveland also points out that his time in the UFC has helped him become a more developed fighter.

“It definitely lit a fire under my ass just even more,” he stated. “I think I was already on the right track and doing the right things, but since then I think I’ve taken it to another level in my training.”

After defeating Tyler Toner at “The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale” in December, Loveland’s task is even greater this time around as he faces top ranked Joseph Benavidez at UFC 128.

“I’ve got some reach on him and will probably be bigger and stronger than he is, so that will help me quite a bit,” said Loveland. “I think I’ve got a good strategy to fight guys with a lower center of gravity. I think my style of fighting kind of caters to that too.

“I think it’s a real good match-up not only for me to win, but to have an exciting fight and gain a bit more popularity too in the process.”

Having originally begun his training with Team Quest at 20 years old, Loveland’s body has matured. He feels his decision to move down to 135 has put him at the absolute peak of physicality.

“I feel a lot stronger and more athletic,” he stated. “I’m walking around lighter, leaner, and in better shape. All those years of training kind of shaped me up.”

A win over Benavidez will not only run his winning streak to eight fights in a row, but it could also set the table for him to face more of the elite in the bantamweight division.

“I certainly hope (it does), this is what I want,” he said. “You never know what match-ups you’re going to get, but once I beat Joseph, I’m pretty sure that they’re going to give me nothing but tough fights from there on out.

“I’m ready for it; especially dropping down to 135 pounds. I felt like I could be a competitive 145-pounder, but at 135 pounds I think I can do some really big things.”

Having gone through the growing pains of a young fighter early in his career, Loveland has begun to become a legitimate veteran force that could make waves in the UFC in the years to come.

“I just want to thank Team Quest, David Wood, Dave Jansen, Tyson Nam, Ryan Healy, Blaine Macintosh, and CrossFit Gresham,” concluded Loveland. “I’m going to put on a great fight for the fans and hopefully get Fight of the Night.”
 
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With an eye on the UFC, Bigfoot welcomes an “interesting fight” with Lesnar

Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva has never hidden his big dream of fighting Fedor Emelianenko, and the victory over the Russian on Strikeforce was overwhelming. Exactly one month after beating the MMA legend, the Brazilian heard that the event has been purchased by its rival, UFC.

“It’ll be very good, I’m looking forwards to know how it’ll be like”, celebrates Bigfoot, revealing that, in case the events merged today, he’d have an opponent he’d like to fight. “I’ve never had issues with anybody, I’ve always respected everybody, but as a professional I believe it’d be interesting fighting Brock Lesnar”, Silva told TATAME, explaining his choice. “I don’t agree that Brock is the second on the ranking, it doesn’t make sense. This fight would be interesting so I put Brock on the place where he was supposed to be… It really doesn’t make any sense”.

According to the UFC promoters, on a conference call that happened yesterday afternoon, Strikeforce will continue to work aside from the main event, much because of the contract the organization has with Showtime, responsible for the promotion of the shows. Dana White didn’t discard, though, that some fighters might change events before the expiration of the contract between Strikeforce and Showtime, in 2014.
 
Feb 7, 2006
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DREAM Spin-Off Event! The Trump Card Of K-1′s Rebuilding Is…

Some new information/rumors on both DREAM and K-1 (who might be run by separate companies/people from now on).

The DREAM spin-off event (Japan Cup Bantamweight GP) will probably take place at JCB Hall in the middle of April and they will hold another event in the summer. FEG, who are one of the two parent companies of DREAM, will not be part of any of this (they have problems of their own). So it is a “former PRIDE staff portion of DREAM (Real Entertainment) and possible other people”-only event.

As far as K-1 goes, a couple of articles saying that the trump card of the rebuilding/reconstruction (as far as contract renewal with broadcaster goes) of K-1 is Masato (doesn’t say if it’s as a fighter, public figure, or whatever). It also says that profit is possible just by changing the administration/management. So there will probably be change in the people behind and around K-1 (possibly some really interesting ones, that even fans can recognize).
 
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Denis Kang Headlines April 16 Road FC Event in Seoul

Onetime Pride Fighting Championships standout Denis Kang will take on Eun Soo Lee in the 205-pound main event of Road FC 2 “Alive,” set to take place April 16 at the Grand Hilton Seoul Convention Centre in Seoul, South Korea.

Kang, 33, signed a non-exclusive, multi-fight deal with the South Korean promotion in February. The Canadian-based French Korean was released by the UFC in December 2009 following a 1-2 run which included stoppage losses to Michael Bisping and Alan Belcher, and a decision win over Xavier Foupa-Pokam. Kang competed twice in 2010, submitting Dae Won Kim at a W-1 MMA event in June before fighting Paulo Filho to a controversial split draw at Impact FC 2 in July.

Before his engagement with Lee, Kang is expected to meet Jesse Taylor in the main event of Battlefield Fight League 7 in Nanaimo, B.C., Canada, on March 26.

Like Kang, Lee also competed under the Pride banner and once held the heavyweight title of now-defunct Korean promotion Spirit MC. The 29-year-old Team Posse representative has not fought since 2008, when he recorded a pair of wins under the Deep and M-1 Challenge banners. Lee’s professional ledger stands at 14-2, his only losses coming to Pride heavyweight Yoshihiro Nakao and current M-1 middleweight contender Magomed Sultanakhmedov.

Also slated to appear at Road FC 2 is Lee’s lightweight teammate Woo Sung Yu, who faces Wajutsu Keishukai fighter Koji Ando, and Team Force featherweight prospect Young Bok Gil, who meets Sengoku veteran Shoko Sato.