MMA News Thread

  • Wanna Join? New users you can now register lightning fast using your Facebook or Twitter accounts.
Feb 7, 2006
13,049
2
0
41
Khalidov Armbars Irvin, Sokoudjou Blasts Blachowicz at KSW 15

WARSAW, Poland -- Mamed Khalidov’s lightning-fast submission of UFC veteran James Irvin was the silver lining to a largely disastrous evening for Polish mixed martial artists at Saturday’s Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki 15.

Before a hometown crowd at Torwar Hall, Khalidov began the fight in typical fashion by throwing a spinning heel kick. He missed and dropped to his back, where Irvin gave chase and threw powerful shots. Khalidov composed himself and swiftly rolled into an armbar that had the American -- who weighed in at 200 pounds for the middleweight contest -- tapping at the 33-second mark and the fans screaming with excitement. Khalidov was just the third Polish-based fighter to defeat a foreign opponent on the night.

“I’m very happy to represent Poland,” said Khalidov, who recently received his Polish citizenship. “We are fighters. If I have prepared for months for a fight, then I have to take it, even if my opponent came in overweight.”

Another UFC vet, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, fared better in the show’s co-main event, as he snapped Jan Blachowicz’s nine-fight win streak to claim the KSW light heavyweight belt.

The fighters chose to exchange low kicks throughout the bout, a decision which proved disastrous for Blachowicz. The Cameroonian’s powerful strikes dug into Blachowicz’s lead leg often and hard.

By the midway point of round two, Blachowicz’s leg was heavily swollen and the 28-year old struggled to keep his balance. Sokoudjou’s kicks were relentless and ultimately proved too much: after 10 minutes of battering, Blachowicz was unable to answer the bell for the third round and left the arena on a stretcher.

“I know I didn’t have the power to beat him. He showed me a weakness and I took advantage of it,” the victorious Sokoudjou said after his title win.

The vacant KSW lightweight title was claimed by Finland’s Niko Puhakka, who put Maciej Gorski to sleep with an arm-triangle choke at 3:20 of the second round.

Gorski looked spry in the standup, but was unable to put a stop to Puhakka’s takedowns. After a particularly flashy slam in the second stanza, Puhakka moved to side control and secured the winning hold. Gorski went out and referee Tomasz Bronder stopped the fight, though the Pole was unable to come to terms with the official’s decision for a few minutes after the fight.

Puhakka’s Espoon Kehahait teammate, Toni Valtonen, proved to be too much for Poland’s Lukasz Jurkowski to handle. The heavier and stronger Finn completed most of his takedowns and spent approximately eight minutes of the 10-minute bout on top of Jurkowski throwing strikes.

After the fight, Jurkowski took the microphone and announced to the crowd that, having lost his 10th fight, he was retiring from MMA. The 30-year-old thanked the hometown fans for their support and received a rousing ovation.

Spain’s Rogent Lloret survived scattered scares over the course of 10 minutes to out-grapple returning Pole Karol Bedorf to a unanimous decision. Successful sweeps and brief flashes of offense from Bedorf were drowned in Lloret’s dominating top game.

In a largely tentative affair, former Cage Rage light heavyweight champion James Zikic became the top contender to the KSW middleweight title by defeating Antoni Chmielewski after a three-minute overtime round. Neither fighter landed any significant strikes through two five-minute periods, save a few sharp low kicks from Chmielewski in the opening frame. The Pole also threw Zikic to the ground, but failed to capitalize on top position. With 30 seconds to go in the dead-even extension round, Chmielewski slipped while throwing a low kick and Zikic took full advantage, getting on top and attacking until time ran out.

After competing just once in the past four years, Poland’s Michal Materla enjoyed a victorious comeback, submitting Cyrille Diabate teammate Gregory Babene at 4:29 of round two. The Frenchman used striking to stifle Materla early, but resorted to takedowns in the second frame. Once on the ground, Materla outclassed Babene with sweeps and submission attempts before ultimately ending the middleweight contest with a guillotine choke.

In a fight that was expected to be a wild brawl, Marcin Bartkiewicz set out to take down K-1 kickboxer Marcin Rozalski. The heavyweights clashed heads during a takedown attempt in the first round, opening a gash on the side of Bartkiewicz’s head. The cut eventually caused the ringside doctor to stop the fight. However, the accidental clash of heads seemed to elude officials, who awarded Rozalski the TKO victory.

Mamed Khalidov’s cousin, Aslambek Saidov, won the evening’s competitive, grappling-heavy opener with a unanimous decision against Ruben Crawford. Saidov pressed for takedowns and brought the fight to the floor on multiple occasions. Crawford, however, did well to maintain guard and even threatened with submissions from his back. After 15 minutes of back-and-forth, all three judges awarded the bout to Saidov.
 
Feb 7, 2006
13,049
2
0
41
Sources: Warren to Enter Bellator Season 5 Bantamweight Draw

It appears the self-professed “baddest man on the planet” is not content to hold just one world title.

Bellator Fighting Championships featherweight king Joe Warren (Pictured) announced Saturday at Bellator 37 that he will enter the promotion's Season 5 bantamweight tournament. Sherdog.com confirmed the announcement with Bellator officials shortly after Warren's statement on the MTV2 broadcast.

Before he enters the upcoming 135-pound draw, however, Warren must first square off with Brazilian Marcoes Galvao in a 137-pound catchweight contest in April and then defend his featherweight belt against the winner of the ongoing Season 4 tournament. The promotion has not yet made any official announcements regarding the Season 5 bantamweight draw.

A Greco-Roman specialist, Warren is known for his determination and grappling prowess. The fighter, who has espoused numerous times his desire to compete in the 2012 Olympics, won Bellator's second-season featherweight tournament by earning wins over Eric Marriott, Georgi Karakhanyan and Patricio Freire in 2010. Warren then earned the 145-pound strap by besting reigning king Joe Soto with a come-from-behind knockout in the second round of their Bellator 27 title fight.
 

B-Buzz

lenbiasyayo
Oct 21, 2002
9,673
4,429
0
40
bhibago
last.fm
Middleeasy's Sunday Morning Rumor Mill


- Allegedly, on Friday night KJ Noons went a little 'War Machine' on a few of the bouncers at a night club in San Diego when the staff requested that he and his entourage leave the establishment. Apparently, the bouncers insisted that he leave for being 'too rowdy', tried using physical force to get him out, KJ stood up and, well -- allegedly seriously injured at least one bouncer and is now up for assault and battery charges. Let's hope this does not prevent him from competing on April 9th in Strikeforce.
- As previously mentioned, but now widely confirmed after last night, Rashad Evans has left Greg Jackson's camp and JZ Calvacante, Jorge Santiago and the Villefort brothers will start a new gym with Rashad Evans.
- Mirko Cro Cop went into UFC 128 with the knowledge that he would be cut if he lost the fight.
- Now that ZUFFA has purchased Strikeforce, two American investors are turning their focus towards Sakikabara and what he has planned for Japanese MMA. It's rumored that ProElite is one of these companies.
- While Bellator has been pulling in more than respectable viewership on MTV2, their live attendance have been below nominal.
- It's rumored that ZUFFA has already instilled a few staff members into Strikeforce to essentially 'start running things'.
- I think people don't realize the extent of hate Ken Hershman has towards Dana White. It's rumored that Lorenzo Fertitta met up with Hershman last week in order to preserve the Showtime contract and ensure that ZUFFA and Showtime can work as a team.
- Ken Shamrock is in talks with Tank Abbott in regards to both fighting in Shamrock's next promotion.
- Not sure if this is true, but it's a rumor nonetheless. UFC moved their PPV broadcast an hour early in order to effectively counter-program nearly every Bellator show this year.
- It appears that Joe Silva is still in the process of cutting current members of UFC's roster and that he hasn't even considered the Strikeforce guys as of yet.
- Not really a rumor, but on Friday I mentioned that there was a chance to get in on free money from our new sponsor, BetDSI. We had to work out some things and unfortunately we couldn't offer this feature. However, for UFC 129 you will definitely have a chance at free cash, compliments of BetDSI.
 
Feb 7, 2006
13,049
2
0
41
UFC President Dana White Confirms Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber Happens Next

It seems like any time Urijah Faber does an interview he’s always asked about a future showdown with UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz.

Well, now he has good reason to talk about him because they are fighting next.

UFC President Dana White confirmed the news following the UFC 128 press conference. While Faber and Cruz could still be in line for a coaching opportunity on the “Ultimate Fighter” 14, the two rivals will definitely be facing off for the title in each of their respective next fights.

“Yeah, that fight’s gonna happen,” White told MMAWeekly.com

As far as the timing goes, that’s the only question that remains to be answered. Faber and Cruz could end up as coaches on the reality show or they could just fight later this year.

Faber is coming off a three round war against Eddie Wineland, and Dominick Cruz told MMAWeekly.com on Saturday night that he’s probably 3 to 4 weeks away from being able to head back to the gym.

White echoed similar sentiments when talking about Faber and Cruz and the timing of their 135lb title fight.

“No, I don’t,” White answered when asked if he had a timeline for when the fight could happen.

Faber of course holds a win over Cruz from when the pair fought with the WEC featherweight title on the line a few years ago, and ever since then there has been an uneasy tension between the two fighters.

Now they are on a collision course to fight each other, and it will be for the UFC bantamweight title.
 
Feb 7, 2006
13,049
2
0
41
Featherweights March On To Semifinal Round at Bellator 37

The Bellator Season 4 Featherweight Tournament fighters put on an action-packed show at the Lucky Star Casino on Saturday night. Wilson Reis, Patricio “Pitbull” Freire, Kenny Foster, and Daniel Straus at Bellator 37 battled their way to the semifinals and one step closer to earning a title shot against Bellator featherweight champion Joe Warren.

Kenny Foster pulled off the upset of the night, becoming the first featherweight to move on to the semifinals. Avoiding an early takedown, Foster landed a knee to Erik Larkin’s face, opening a cut above the four-time NCAA D1 All-American’s eye. Foster smelled blood and outwrestled Larkin on the ground to maintain the top position, where he locked in a guillotine choke, forcing an end to the fight at 3:15 in round one.

Bellator veteran Daniel Straus and undefeated Argentinean Nazareno Malegarie took to the cage next, putting on a gritty 15-minute display. Straus looked to be in trouble on the ground throughout the fight as Malegarie attempted several submissions. At the end of the three rounds, it was Straus’ dominating performance on his feet that caught the attention of the judges. Straus via a unanimous decision earned his way to the semifinals in a hard-fought battle.

Next up, Wilson Reis brought Zac George to the ground and forced him to give up his back early with a flurry of hammerfists. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist Reis earned his third trip to the featherweight semifinals and ended George’s six-game win streak with a rear naked choke at 2:09 in round one.

All eyes were on Season 2 featherweight standouts Patricio “Pitbull” Freire and Georgi Karakhanyan as they closed out the night’s fights. In round one action, Pitbull lifted Karakhanyan off his feet, but Georgi defended with a guillotine attempt. The fighters battled through round two mostly on their feet with Freire appearing to a have a slight edge in the momentum. It was all Freire in round three as the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt dropped Karakhanyan to the mat with a left hook to the chin, paving the way for a relentless ground-and-pound assault that ended the fight with a TKO at 0:56 in round three.

Bellator 37 Official Main Card Results:
-Kenny Foster def. Eric Larkin by Submission (Guillotine) at 3:15, R1
-Daniel Straus def. Nazareno Malegarie by Unanimous Decision (29-29, 29-28, 29-28), R3
-Wilson Reis def. Zac George by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 2:09, R1
-Patricio Freire def. Georgi Karakhanyan by TKO at 0:56, R3
 
Feb 7, 2006
13,049
2
0
41
New Date For Shooto’s Legacy 02! From Korakuen To Shinjuku

The “Shooto’s Legacy 02″ Shooto event that was supposed to have happened on March 12th at Korakuen Hall has a new date and location. The event will take place on April 1st at Shinjuku Face. No fights for the card are official yet but expect some soon.

It looks like the MMA scene will start to roll again in Japan in April with Shooto and Pancrase holding events in the first week of the month
 
Feb 7, 2006
13,049
2
0
41
Manager: Leg, Hand Injuries Nearly Kept Barboza from UFC 128

Edson Barboza earned the biggest win of his young career at UFC 128 on Saturday night, and a hard-earned win it was.

Inside the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., the unbeaten Brazilian prospect battled incoming WEC lightweight Anthony Njokuani in a striking-heavy, 15-minute scrap that went straight down to the wire. Barboza improved to 8-0 with a narrow unanimous decision and pocketed $70,000 in “Fight of the Night” bonus pay, but according to his camp, the 25-year-old was very nearly forced out of the bout in late February.

“We were almost gonna pull Edson from that fight, because he had really injured his hand about three and a half weeks ago during a training incident,” Joe Mullings, Barboza’s manager and owner of Jupiter, Fla., gym The Armory, told Sherdog.com on Sunday. “He hit an overhand right and caught the top of somebody’s head, and it really bruised the top of the hand bad.”

However, Mullings asserted that the damaged paw was a secondary concern to a serious leg injury Barboza sustained while preparing for his sophomore Octagon outing.

“About six weeks ago, he blew out his right leg in a training situation,” said Mullings. “We were training and he kicked one of his training partners who had shin pads on. The guy grabbed his leg, ‘Junior’ went to turn out of it and his knee stayed in place, and the shin rotated. He dropped to the ground like a ton of bricks and he’s been in rehab literally six days a week since then. He had not thrown a kick in six weeks.”

With Barboza unable to spar or train lower-body cardio, the decision to keep him in the match did not come easily; in the end, the fighter and his Armory team saw little other option. Not only would Barboza need to keep active in order to further rise in the UFC’s 155-pound shark tank, but the opportunity to produce in-cage fireworks with a fellow muay Thai stylist was simply too good to pass up.

“It’s only his second UFC [fight], and who knows what’s gonna happen if he sits on the bench? When’s the next time he’s gonna get a fight against a great striker like Anthony?” Mullings posited.

Come fight night, Barboza’s strategy involved a reduced number of right leg kicks, the very tool which he had used to chop down Mike Lullo in his UFC debut four months prior. The strike was to be reserved for the second and third rounds, so that Barboza could “get a good round under [his] belt” without having to further exacerbate his injury. Watching from the corner, Mullings soon watched that strategy fall by the wayside.

“Of course, it being Junior, he wanted to fire that thing right away,” Mullings said. “The first kick of the night, the whole thing went rubbery on him. In between the first and second rounds, he pointed at it, ’cause he didn’t want to say anything, ’cause the cameras were on him. He said, ‘I can’t even stand on it.’”

It was at this point that Mullings and Armory Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor Eduardo Guedes urged their charge to take the fight to the floor. A dyed-in-the-wool striker, Barboza insisted on staying upright and showing his standup superiority against Njokuani.

“If you look, he was still peppering kicks, but he could not set his back leg, which is where his power for his right hand comes from,” Mullings said.

The lightweights split the first two rounds, and the fight still appeared up for grabs midway through the final stanza. Outworked by Njokuani through much of the period, Barboza scored a takedown with 30 seconds to go and briefly kept his man pinned to the fence. As Njokuani struggled to his feet, Barboza wheeled backward into the center of the Octagon and positioned himself for his final strike. Njokuani charged in and Barboza whipped around, using his injured leg to plant a beautiful spinning hook kick square on the Texan’s jawline. Njokuani stumbled backward and then wobbled forward toward Barboza, who raised his hands in victory at the sound of the final horn.

“I want to take nothing away from Anthony. Anthony fought a wonderful fight,” said Mullings. “We were very surprised and impressed, regardless of Edson’s injury, with Anthony’s fight. Very, very, very impressive.”

While Njokuani’s bonus pay hopefully helped dull the sting of a close defeat, Mullings said the extra check was merely icing on the cake compared to the learning experience Barboza picked up in the fight.

“Obviously, the money is a component, but more importantly, Junior felt it was a perfect fight for this point, as his career has reached this level in the UFC, that he went through a war like this,” Mullings said. “Him and I were sitting outside after the fight, talking, and he said, ‘Joe, these are the kind of wars I need under my belt. I had them in muay Thai, and they’re what defined me as a muay Thai fighter. I needed a fight like this now in my MMA career that really tested my courage.’ And Anthony certainly did that.”
 
Feb 7, 2006
13,049
2
0
41
Heun Sidelined, Thornburg in at Strikeforce Challengers 15

Lightweight Conor Heun has been forced to withdraw from his April 1 bout with James Terry at Strikeforce Challengers 15 after suffering a torn knee ligament in training. The promotion announced on Monday that Nick Diaz-trained Josh Thornburg will step in to face Terry in a 165-pound catchweight contest at the event, which goes down at Stockton Arena in Thornburg’s backyard of Stockton, Calif.

Thornburg, 26, will have a quick turnaround, competing less than one month after his exciting, though unsuccessful, three-round brawl with Roger Bowling at “Feijao vs. Henderson” on March 5.

“There’s no such thing as a moral victory and I was very disappointed I couldn’t get it done [against Bowling],’’ Thornburg stated in a release. “Going in, I was super confident. But I appreciate that I’m getting a chance to come right back and fight in my hometown on Showtime.’’

Prior to dropping his Strikeforce debut to Bowling, the Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu representative had notched back-to-back submission wins on local California cards. Since turning pro in July 2009, Thornburg has compiled a 6-2 record, including four wins by submission and one knockout.

A pupil of former Strikeforce middleweight champ Cung Le, Terry has won four of his five bouts since joining the promotion in April 2009, his only defeat coming at the hands of welterweight prospect Tarec Saffiedine. The Livermore, Calif., native owns a record of 9-2; though six of his wins have come via decision, his last outing was a first-round TKO win over Thornburg’s teammate, Lucas Gamaza, at January’s “Diaz vs. Cyborg.”
 
Feb 7, 2006
13,049
2
0
41
Report: Ortiz-Bader Matchup Targeted for UFC 132 on July 2

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz appears poised to return to action against once-beaten prospect Ryan Bader on July 2 at UFC 132 “Fitch vs. Penn 2.”

News of the bout was first reported Monday by MMAWeekly.com; soon after, the fighters addressed one another via Twitter.

“Want some? You will get some. Let’s go,” Ortiz wrote to Bader.

“Yes sir, done,” Bader replied.

Ortiz was set to face Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in the main event of UFC Fight Night 24 on March 26, but was forced from the bout after suffering a concussion and facial laceration in training. The 36-year-old “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” has not won a bout since 2006 and is 0-4-1 in his last five outings. UFC President Dana White, Ortiz’s onetime manager, has publicly stated that Ortiz’s next fight will be his last chance for a win inside the Octagon.

Bader, 27, comes off the first defeat of his career, having been guillotine-choked by current UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones at UFC 126 on Feb. 5. The former Arizona State University wrestling standout had won 12 straight bouts prior to the loss, including victories over the more experienced Nogueira, Keith Jardine and Eric Schafer.

Although not officially announced by the promotion, UFC 132 is expected to take place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. Last week, the promotion revealed two planned bouts for its annual 4th of July super-card: the headlining welterweight rematch between B.J. Penn and Jon Fitch, and a lightweight duel pitting Evan Dunham against George Sotiropoulos.
 
Feb 7, 2006
13,049
2
0
41
Spike TV airs 16-hour UFC marathon around Saturday's UFC Fight Night 24 event

Want to know what an all-UFC channel might look like?

Lock your dial on Spike TV this Saturday to find out.

Spike TV officials recently announced the channel will air an incredible 16-hour block of UFC programming that includes 11 episodes of "UFC Unleashed," as well as a live airing and instant replay of this weekend's "UFC Fight Night 24: Nogueira vs. Davis" event.

The programming starts at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT and wraps up in the wee hours of Sunday morning.

Featuring a light heavyweight main event between longtime veteran Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and top prospect Phil Davis – not to mention a welterweight bout that appears destined for fireworks between Dan Hardy and Anthony Johnson – "UFC Fight Night 24: Nogueira vs. Davis" takes place Saturday at Seattle's KeyArena.

UFC Fight Night 24's main card airs live at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, and an instant replay airs immediately following the event.

"UFC Unleashed," the organization's long-running video-vault show, features some of the biggest fights and fighters in recent UFC history. Each hour-long episode contains multiple fights.
 
Feb 7, 2006
13,049
2
0
41
Trainer: Jones vs. Evans matchup forcing "soul searching" at Jackson's, Grudge

When it comes to the impending fight between newly minted light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones and former champ Rashad Evans, trainer Greg Jackson is sticking to a long-held policy not to corner fighters against one another.

Other coaches are still figuring things out. It's admittedly an uncomfortable situation not only for Jackson but those who've worked with both fighters, or work with the Jackson team.

"Everybody's doing soul searching right now," Jackson today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

Not long ago, Evans and Jones were meeting on the mats of Jackson's MMA academy in Albuquerque, N.M., as Evans prepared to face light-heavyweight champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 128. When Evans hurt his knee in early February, Jones went in his place and dominated the Brazilian champion en route to a third-round TKO.

That win has fractured the working relationship. Evans recently announced that he'd left Jackson, and both he and Jones agreed to a fight sometime this year.

"Rashad is 100 percent on board to fight Jon Jones," UFC president Dana White said following UFC 128. "Rashad is fired up about this. He wants to fight Jon Jones."

Jackson said the fight materialized even before this past Saturday's pay-per-view event.

"Everything was great," the trainer said. "Then I think Jon gave an interview where he said he would fight him, and that hurt Rashad's feelings, and it was just kind of a cascade from there. It's just one of those unfortunate things that happen. But here we are."

Prior to his knee injury, Evans had been in line to fight for the title and passed on other fights in late 2010 as he waited for Rua to recover from a knee injury. Rather than delay Rua's return, the UFC gave Jones the title shot following his impressive victory over Ryan Bader at UFC 126.

Evans vented on Twitter about Jackson's decision to work with Jones following the recent title fight.

"I decided to leave Greg because I felt like he didn't have my best interest anymore," Evans wrote. "Greg is not the same coach he use to be."

But Evans said his partnership with the trainer may have been more in spirit than in practice. He wrote that he had worked with Jackson only a handful of times in his most recent two fights.

Jones, on the other hand, has been a steady fixture at the academy in Albuquerque, and that may play a part in keeping him there for the fight against Evans.

"I'm kind of leaning toward working with Jon, and Rashad had not opted to work with me personally in his last few fights," said Jackson partner Mike Winkeljohn. "I feel like there had been a small split between us. I love the guy to death, and if there's anybody that has the tools and uses them right and can challenge Jon Jones, it would be Rashad Evans. I just don't know if I can coach against Rashad. So I haven't figured that one out yet."

Indeed, the coaches' final decisions may have less to do with which fighter spent more time with them and more with a philosophical preference, much like Jackson's choice.

"It's hard because we're all friends," said Trevor Wittman, who's worked closely with Evans at Jackson affiliate Grudge Training Center but only minimally with Jones. "It's something that's going to happen, which I figured was going to happen, and I kind of helped Rashad mentally prepare for it. But it's ultimately up to the fighters."

Jackson, meanwhile, said his relationship with Evans will survive the recent split.

"On my end, Rashad Evans is one of my best friends," he said. "I love him to death. I don't know how he feels, but I'm staying out of the fight, and I'm always cool."

However, he had mixed feelings about the recent turn toward the teammate vs. teammate fight.

"I was really happy for Jon," Jackson said of his student's recent win. "I was really sad that he and Rashad were going to fight. So it was really bittersweet for me. Even if the whole thing had to happen that way, I still would feel the same.

"The world title, that's for the guys. That's not for me. I just enjoy the process of the fight and gameplanning and doing everything right in the corner.

"Obviously I wish it was different. But that's life, and you've got to do the best you can with the hand you're dealt."
 
Feb 7, 2006
13,049
2
0
41
UFC boss says new champ Jon Jones' biggest tests may lie outside of the cage

At just 23 years old, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones (13-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) appears to have the mixed martial arts world in the palm of his hands.

But after "Bones" dismantled former champ Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at this past weekend's UFC 128 event, UFC president Dana White said it's not the palm of Jones' hands that need to be monitored right now.

It's his back.

"His life is going to change in so many ways starting right now," White said. "It's actually scary. When you get to this point, I worry about guys. There's cling-ons all over, I'm sure, waiting to just [expletive] barnacle right on to him.

"He's going to have to make a lot of choices over the next couple of years – personally, professionally. He's in for a very wild, weird, crazy ride right now."

How much crazier that ride can get remains to be seen. Astoundingly, Jones made his professional debut less than three years ago, yet he was fighting in the octagon as a mere four-month veteran of the sport. Since then, Jones has been on an astronomical ride to the top of the light heavyweight division that culminated with his win over Rua – a bout he took with just six weeks of notice.

He's already backed by Form Athletics and Xyience, among others, and a recently announced multi-year deal with K-Swiss is rumored to have netted a multi-million-dollar payday (Jones' manager, Malki Kawa, declined to confirm details of the deal). White said he anticipates the potential crossover star will develop attention from even more blue-chip sponsors hoping to get into the Jon Jones business – not to mention others hoping for a handout.

With strong family ties and devout religious faith, Jones appears to be prepared for the inevitable tests. Nevertheless, White warns of the challenges ahead.

"He seems like a guy who's grounded enough and has the right people around him to handle it and go the right direction, but you never know," White told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "You never know what's going to happen. I'm telling you, you wait and see the people that start clinging on to Jon Jones – the dirtiest, nastiest, scuzziest, scummiest, most disgusting human beings on the face of the Earth will start to cling on to this guy and become barnacles and get in his ear and try to pull him in different directions. This is where it gets ugly.

"It's been since day one of this thing, when it wasn't even what it is today. It's part of any business when somebody becomes big and popular. I guarantee he's out there right now, and there's people glomming on to him as we speak."

Jones is currently enjoying some well-deserved time off after his 4-0 run in the past 365 days. When he returns, he'll face his Greg Jackson-trained teammate, Rashad Evans, in a bout surrounded with controversy and plot lines. Oddsmakers have already installed Jones as a five-to-one favorite in the bout, and fans are already suggesting a bout with pound-for-pound kingpin Anderson Silva may be the light heavyweight champion's only option for true competition.

White isn't sure exactly how far Jones' star can rise, but he knows the challenges – both in the cage and out – have just begun.

"After what I saw [against Rua], it looks like he's a mile ahead of everybody," White said. "But who knows. You never know in this sport."
 
Feb 7, 2006
13,049
2
0
41
UFC targets Belfort vs. Silva II, "The Axe Murderer" holding out for Leben

For a guy who built a career on fighting anybody, anywhere, anytime, Wanderlei Silva (33-10-1 MMA, 3-4 UFC) is proving incredibly difficult to schedule.

UFC president Dana White said he's trying to book a rematch between Silva and Vitor Belfort (19-9 MMA, 8-5 UFC) – a fight "The Phenom" has verbally agreed to – but "The Axe Murderer" is holding out for a bout with Chris Leben (25-7 MMA, 11-6 UFC).

White admitted he's a little shocked by Silva's actions, especially considering he already turned down a UFC 130 fight with Brian Stann because he didn't want to face a U.S. military hero.

"We asked him to take [a fight with Stann], and he turned it down," White said. "He said, 'I don't like it because everybody likes this guy.' That's kind of a weird philosophy, but I'll accept that. Wanderlei's a warrior. He always goes out there. So we offered him the Vitor fight, and now he's on Twitter lobbying to fight Chris Leben."

This past week, Silva took to his official Twitter account and seemingly announced an official booking with "The Crippler."

"I fight with Chris Leben," Silva stated. "I think we're going to give a great show for the fans."

However, White said the UFC simply hasn't offered the contest to either fighter,

"I don't want him to fight Chris Leben," White said. "I want him to fight Vitor Belfort.

"Vitor Belfort has accepted the fight, wants the fight, and now we're fighting for Wanderlei to accept the fight."

White said the matchup would take place in Las Vegas, likely at July's as-yet-unofficial UFC 132 event, though it could happen as soon as May's "UFC 130: Edgar vs. Maynard III."

Belfort and Silva first tangled in October 1998. In one of the most famed highlights in UFC history, a then-21-year-old Belfort needed just 44 seconds to earn a TKO victory.

Silva has been inactive since a February 2010 victory over Michael Bisping. The Brazilian underwent knee surgery this past summer and has been recovering since.
 
Feb 7, 2006
13,049
2
0
41
UFC 128: Jon Jones and Shogun Rua Both Receive Medical Suspensions

The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday skirted New York – where the politicos in charge still haven’t sanctioned mixed martial arts – with a return trip to Newark, N.J. for UFC 128. Light heavyweight phenom Jon Jones shocked many with his domination of Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in the main event, capturing the UFC light heavyweight championship in the process.

Jones and Rua both received post-fight medical suspension from the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board, as did numerous other fighters.

Jones won via TKO referee stoppage in round three, but received an indefinite suspension pending an X-ray, MRI, and orthopedic clearance of his right hand. Rua was suspended a standard 60 days for the TKO, but also received an indefinite suspension pending a CT head scan.

Kamal Shalorus, who was TKO’d by Jim Miller, also received the stand 60-day suspension, and is out indefinitely pending a CT scan of his facial/orbital bones.

Brendan Schaub and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic had a tough fight to opne the pay-per-view portion of the event, with Schaub winning via knockout near the end of round three. Both were suspended following the fight. Schaub was suspended 60 days for a facial laceration, and indefinitely pending a CT scan of his facial/orbital bones. Cro Cop was suspended 30 days for the knockout, 30 days for facial laceration healing, and indefinitely pending a CT head scan.

Luiz Cane made quick work of Eliot Marshall in the former Ultimate Fighter competitor’s Octagon comeback, stopping him via TKO a little over two minutes into their fight. Cane was suspended indefinitely pending an x-ray and orthopedic clearance of his left thumb. Marshall suspended 30 days for the TKO, and indefinitely pending a CT head scan.

Edson Barboza, Jr. won a unanimous decision after a three-round “Fight of the Night” performance against Anthony Njokuani. Barboza was suspended indefinitely pending x-rays and clearance of both his right hand and right knee.

Ian Loveland dropped a unanimous decision to Joseph Benavidez in a non-televised preliminary bout. He was suspended indefinitely pending an MRI and orthopedic clearance of his right ankle.

Raphael Assuncao was knocked out by Erik Koch midway through the first round of their fight. He received a 30-day suspension stemming from the knockout.
 
Feb 7, 2006
13,049
2
0
41
Schaub and the “collision course” with Rodrigo Nogueira

The heavyweight Brandan Schaub knocked his greatest idol out, on UFC 128, which happened last Saturday (19), in New Jersey. The fighters was inspired by Mirko Cro Cop, but didn’t take it easy on the veteran, applying a hard punch which knocked him out, earning the USD$70 thousand bonus for the best knockout of the evening. The American guy analyzed the bout and told exclusively to TATAME how he retired his idol, according to Dana White’s statement.

“Mirko is tough, and I’ve been there with Gabriel Gonzaga, so I’m used to the high caliber guys and Mirko’s tough, so it took me to finish him off tonight, so it was a tough fight. My corner said “you need to go for a finish”, so who knows? You never know what the judges think. We didn’t know, so he told me to go for a finish, so that was the plan”, commented.

Schaub is on a four-win-streak and, according to what he said to TATAME, he’d like to face Rodrigo Minotauro. “There’re a Brazilian heavyweight who can be matched, who’s Nogueira, so maybe… But I’ll fight who they want me to fight”, said the lightweight, who also wants to fight on UFC Rio. Check below the complete interview with the fighter.

First of all, what are your thoughts about the fight? Did things go according to your plan?

Yeah. Mirko is tough, and I’ve been there with Gabriel Gonzaga, so I’m used to the high caliber guys and Mirko’s tough, so it took me to finish him off tonight, so it was a tough fight.

On the second round you had no problems, but the first one was tied. Did you think you’d have to go for the knockout or the submission on the third round?

No. I know we get scorecards, so I was 10-9, 10-9 for me. My corner said “you need to go for a finish”, so who knows? You never know what the judges think. We didn’t know, so he told me to go for a finish, so that was the plan.

It’s two wins in a row against Gonzaga and Cro Cop. How do you feel about that?

That feels good. The big names put me on the top of the division, so things are good.

Gonzaga retired after the loss he had for you and Dana White said that Cro Cop’s leading to the same course. What do you think? Do you think Cro Cop should stop now, or do you think he should do more fights?

You know, it’s really up to Cro Cop. He can beat tons of guys out there, he can beat 95% of the heavyweights in the world right now. It’s really up to Cro Cop… He has such a huge fan base, and it’s really up to him.

Where do you see yourself now on the UFC heavyweight division?

Top 6 or 7. Let’s see what they give me next. I’d love to fight in Brazil, in August.

If you could someone to fight next, who would it be?

There’re a Brazilian heavyweight who can be matched, who’s Nogueira, so maybe… But I’ll fight who they want me to fight.

Do you expect to return on UFC Rio?

Yeah.

How do you think it would be a fight against him?

That’d be a tough one. He’s talented, he’s good on the ground, he’s a veteran, so it’s the same story, another monster, another legend.

Third legend in a row…

(laughs) Yeah… Three legends. It might be some good.

How is your training? What’s your focus on training?

Everything. Jiu-Jitsu, it’s a real passion of mine. Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling, Boxing…

When did you start on MMA?

My dad was doing martial arts when I was younger, the first UFC was in my hometown, Denver, in 1993, so I was a huge fan and I fell in love with it when I was really young.

Who was your biggest idol?

Cro Cop.

Are you kidding?

No. Crazy, right?

What do you expect now? Have you talked to UFC already?

No. I have a suspension because of my eye, so I’m gonna see that, I’ll take a week off and then come back after.

Talking about the event, what did you think about Shogun VS. Jon Jones? Were you surprised?

No, I think Shogun had a long layover on that first round , Jon was kind of warm, so it’s a tough fight for Shogun since he’s been such a long time off, so I expected it to be a better fight.

Do you think Jon Jones is gonna defend his title? No one has done that since Rampage…

Yeah, I know. If anyone’s gonna beat him, it’s going to be Rashad Evans, he’s so tough, man… It’s gonna be an interesting mashup.

How do you think this fight would be like? Do you think Rashad has enough Wresling…

Yeah, prior decision, he’d use his Wrestling.
 
Feb 7, 2006
13,049
2
0
41
HDNet Inks Long-Term Deal with Schiavello

HDNet on Monday announced the long-term signing of mixed martial arts commentator and veteran broadcaster Michael “The Voice” Schiavello.

“I’m here to stay and am thrilled to continue to be a part of the HDNet family,” said Schiavello (Pictured) in a press released issued to the media Monday afternoon. “HDNet is the Home of MMA and to be a part of this remarkable team and to cover the very best array of MMA promotions is a constant thrill. I also want to thank the North American audience for their overwhelming response to me over the last 18 months. Keep watching HDNet and I will keep delivering enthusiastic and passionate commentary of each and every event. "

Schiavello will continue as the “signature voice” of the popular network, hosting his “Voice Versus” series and commentating live MMA.

“Michael is unique and distinctive -- the first time I heard him scream at K-1 that ‘Jerome Le Banner has more muscles than a seafood platter,’ I knew he was the perfect fit for HDNet,” stated HDNet Chairman Mark Cuban. “Michael’s energy and humor is so great that it doesn’t matter if you are watching the main event at Dynamite on New Year’s Eve or an undercard of a small regional show -- he always makes the event something special.”
 
Feb 7, 2006
13,049
2
0
41
HDNet on Monday announced the long-term signing of mixed martial arts commentator and veteran broadcaster Michael “The Voice” Schiavello.

Bellator Fighting Championships officials today announced the five-fight "local feature" card for this week's Bellator 38 event, and recent signee Blagoi Ivanov (8-0 MMA, 0-0 BFC) heads the list.

The man best known for a 2008 combat sambo win over Fedor Emelianenko meets Mississippi native John "Doo Doo" Brown (8-4 MMA, 0-0 BFC).

Featuring the four quarterfinal matchups of Bellator's debut light heavyweight tournament, Bellator 38 takes place Saturday at Harrah's Tunica Hotel and Casino in Tunica, Miss. The main card airs live on MTV2.

Brown and Ivanov each make their Bellator debut. While the fight is the highest-profile contest in Brown's four-year career, he does count losses to notables Ricco Rodriguez and Jeff Monson among his past experiences.

The 24-year-old Bulgarian Ivanov 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.

Additional contests include Austin Lyons (5-1 MMA, 0-0 BFC), who's currently riding a five-fight win streak, against Spartan Fighting Club's Jimmy Van Horn (2-0 MMA, 0-0 BFC), as well as submission specialist Tim Galluzzi (4-0 MMA, 0-0 BFC) against Jake Underwood (1-0 MMA, 0-0 BFC).

The fight card is rounded out with Brian Albin (6-4 MMA, 0-0 BFC) vs. Cody Donovan (5-1 MMA, 0-0 BFC) and Amaechi Oselukwue (0-1 MMA, 0-0 BFC) vs. Abe Wilson (2-1 MMA, 0-0 BFC).

With the local-feature fights now booked, Bellator 38's full card now includes:

MAIN CARD

* Tim Carpenter vs. Daniel Gracie (light heavyweight tourney quarterfinal)
* Raphael Davis vs. D.J. Linderman (light heavyweight tourney quarterfinal)
* Nik Fekete vs. Richard Hale (light heavyweight tourney quarterfinal)
* Chris Davis vs. Chrisitian M'Pumbu (light heavyweight tourney quarterfinal)

PRELIMINARY CARD (un-aired)

* John Brown vs. Blagoi Ivanov
* Austin Lyons vs. Jimmy Van Horn
* Tim Galluzzi vs. Jake Underwood
* Brian Albin vs. Cody Donovan
* Amaechi Oselukwue vs. Abe Wilson