Monday, March 30, 2009

WEC 40, Rumors Stir & Penn - KFlo is Official

By: Samantha Johnson

WEC 40
Last week's WEC 40 conference call shed light on numerous topics. WEC's Vice President, Peter Dropick, said they plan to launch the 125# division by late fall and plan on making the official announcement for Faber-Brown II - rumored to headline WEC 41, June 7th. The Varner-Cerrone rematch all depends on how quickly Jamie is available. If the wait is too long Cerrone may see another opponent before his title rematch.
Coming off back-to-back loses to current-title holder Mike Brown and former title holder Urijah Faber, Jeff Curran noted -rather enthusiastically- "I need somebody like him [Joseph Benavidez] to push the pace and bust me outta my shell." With four-times as much experience, Curran (29-11-1) is the favorite but isn't taking Benavidez lightly. Undefeated, Benavidez (9-0-0) is training partners with ex-champ Faber and will utilize that connection to plan for "The Big Frog"'s assault.
WEC 40 will be broadcast live on Versus, April 5 at 9 P.M. EST
*(Check local listings)
Tickets are still available.

SIGNED
AKA's Jon Fitch has signed a 5-fight contract extension with the UFC. As previously reported, Fitch's next fight will be at the historic UFC 100 against Paulo Thiago; who beat Fitch's AKA teammate, Josh Koscheck at UFC 94 in January.

RUMOR MILL

WEC 41 may be Manny Gamburyan's first fight after his move to the organization's 145 class. After loses to Rob Emerson and Thiago Tavares, Gamburyan dropped to the lower class and looks to follow examples of such fighters as Leonard Garcia. Manny's first opponent will be undefeated John Franchi.

UFC 99
PHOTO CREDIT: URDirt.com
The organization's first venture on German soil will be headlined by Rich Franklin vs Wanderlei Silva at a 195# catch-weight. In addition to the fights already noted, a middle weight bout between Alessio Sakara-Rousimar Palhares has been rumored to be inked. However, Sakara was rumored to be fighting Alan Belcher who is now welcoming Yoshihiro Akiyama at his UFC debut in July at 100.

UFC 101
The Philadelphia card is ever-growing. Over the weekend, BJ Penn officially announced he will face Kenny Florian as the main event at UFC 101.
In addition to the light weight title being on the line, former-champion Forrest Griffin will look to make Thiago Silva 13-2.
Coming off his KO-of-the-night win over Mark Munoz, Matt Hamill looks to make it two-in-a-row against Brandon "The Truth" Vera.
WEC veterans Jesse Lennox and Danillo Villefort will make their UFC debuts.

OFFICIAL
Today, the UFC confirmed Sanchez-Guida is The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale main event. The event will air live on SpikeTV, June 20th. Tickets go on sale (via ticketmaster.com Saturday, April 4 at 12:00 P.M PST. Pre-sale available to FightClub members and Newsletter recipients.

SHOCKER
PHOTO CREDIT: Combat Lifestyle
Due to the fact that NJSACb denied (for unmentioned reasons) sanctioning for the Sylvia-Mercer pro boxing fight; promoter Monte Cox has moved the Adrenaline III card to Birmingham, AL. Alabama does not (yet) have a commission to regulate the fight and Monte Cox is taking full advantage of that. Sylvia will make his professional boxing debut against the greatly seasoned Ray Mercer (36-7-1)... yes, the Maine-iac will likely get demolished. Since HDNet didn't want to air the show (I wonder why?!) cox is still looking for a broadcaster that will pick-up the ill-fated event.

Miss something? Questions? Comments? E-mail me: samantha.lynn.johnson@gmail.com

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Mid-week quick-its

INKED
The Ultimate Fighter 7 alums Matt Riddle and Dan Cramer will face each other at the yet-to-be-officially-announced UFC 101 in Philadelphia, PA.

Anthony Johnson looks to add to his 7-2 record against Matt Brown at The Ultimate Fighter 9 finale June 20th.

CONFIRMED
The UFC has officially announced Josh Koscheck vs. Chris Wilson at the May 23rd, UFC 98

Also officially announced is Paul Taylor against 22-year-old Peter Sobotta.

The Jake Shields - Robbie Lawler StrikeForce fight Has been pushed to the June 6th St. Louis show. It will be the main event.
*PHOTO CREDIT: FIVEOUCESOFPAIN

RUMOR MILL
Rumored to be on the 6/6 StrikeForce card is: Rento Sobral, Rafael Cavalcante, Phil Baroni, Evangalista "my wife could kill you" Santos, Joey Villasenor and "Sugar Free" Kim Couture.

SHOCKER
The New Jersey State Athletic Commission has refused to sanction the pro-boxing debut of Tim Sylvia. He was set to face Ray Mercer (36-7-1) at Adrenaline III in Atlantic City in May. Commissioners on the board have declined to comment as to why the bout was refused sanctioning. All other fights were sanctioned and the card will still be put on; only now as an all-MMA event. Promoter Monte Cox is currently looking for another venue to host the Sylvia-Mercer fight and has hinted it will be held in June. However, if the fight is held off until June, Sylvia may refuse the bout given he has a (higher paying?) fight with Affliction in July to prepare for.
-
Full Tilt (the poker company you've seen across everyone's ass lately) has been banned by the UFC. Unconfirmed rumors suggest they dropped the sponsorship in favor of a higher paying deal with Ultimate Bet. There was no reason given by the UFC only a memo sent to fighter and managers earlier this week that read:
"UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE, FULL TILT POKER WILL NOT BE ALLOWED FOR ANY UPCOMING EVENTS."
Spike could also be the pebble causing the blockage. Full Tilt was not allowed at the UFC 95 and is said to not be allowed at UFN 18 next week.

VICTORY
Kyle Maynard has been licensed by the state of Alabama and will compete on next month's "Auburn Fight Night". It has been a long battle for the inspirational 23-year old; but he has finally accomplished what once seemed unattainable. Born with congenital amputation, Kyle has struggled to get licensed by the Georgia Athletic Commission. Appearing in his amateur debut, April 25th will be the day Kyle has been preparing for for 11 years.


Miss something? Questions? Comments? E-mail me: samantha.lynn.johnson@gmail.com

* Tomorrow- WEC 40 conference info and more...

Monday, March 23, 2009

UFC in Canada, Gatorade, 101 & 102...

By: Samantha L. Johnson
UFC EXPANDS THEIR GRASP IN CANADA

The UFC has signed with French-Canadian language network TQS. The deal includes programming starting at 9 E.S.T. Friday, March 27th (this Friday).
The privately-owned television network will air 52 hours of recorded programming as well as four (4) live events. The first live event aired will be the April 1st battle between WEC WelterWeight title holder Carlos Condit vs Denmark-native Martin Kampmann. This will be Condit's first UFC excursion since the WEC WelterWeight division was absorbed.
Dana White, UFC President, said (via the press release) “We are pleased to have this deal in place, and look forward to bringing the most exciting live event in the world to TQS viewers. UFC is huge in Canada, we have incredible fighters from there, and now fans in Quebec can experience UFC for free on TQS.”
TQS will adapt many of our favorite UFC programs for the Canadian audience. UFC Wired will be hosted by French-Canadian language speaking Rej Laplanche and MiddleWeight Patrick Cote.

UFC 2009 UNDISPUTED
GameSpot has released the full roster of fighters that will be featured in UFC 2009 Undisputed. A few of our favorites were left out; either because they hold the rights to their likeliness or they were/ are on the outs with the premiere MMA organization. Tito Ortiz and Randy Couture will not be optional characters in the game; however, there's plenty of other greats to choose from. I'm excited to see how each fighter's skills translate when animated.

Gatorade
Gatorade has signed WelterWeight title holder Georges St-Pierre to take part in their newest campaign for the "G" product line. "Rush" is breaking new ground with this sponsorship- he's the first MMA star sponsored by the sports drink mega-company. Georges will join other professional athletes, such as NBA star Kevin Garnett and Yankees slugger Derek Jeter, already signed by the company.
Maybe, just maybe, we'll see GSP featured in something like this::


Memorial
A memorial for Charles "Mask" Lewis Jr. will be held April 14th at 11 A.M. at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, CA map. The services, entitled "Simple Believe: A Celebration of Charles "Mask" Lewis Jr." is open to the public.

INKED
Murilo "Ninja" Rua has signed with DREAM and will fight on their April 5th DREAM 8 show. He was part of the assets acquired with the Strike Force-Elite XC buy out; however it seems Coker was not impressed with his showing during the Lawler and Radach fights enough to keep the Brazilian.

UFC 100 is coming together nicely, but changes are still being made. Alan Belcher -previously reported to be fighting Alessio Sakara- will instead face Yoshihiro Akiyama.

UFC 101 should be the meeting ground for the much anticipated Penn-Florian LW title match. The event is set to take place at Philadelphia's Wachovia Center, August 8th. This will be the first UFC even held in Pennsylvania, who just passed MMA regulations passed last year.

UFC 102 has added Kurt Pellegrino vs Josh Neer to the card as well as Forrest Griffin vs Thiago Silva. The Oregon show has been pushed back 21-days due to the Philly event; however, the show will go on and will be held at the Rose Garden Arena August 29th.

COUNTDOWN
The Ultimate Fighter 9 is only NINE days away. I'll be honest, I'm genuinely excited about this season. I don't know if it's the fact that they are hyping the UK v US angle more than the stupid fighter's antics, but I'm pumped on the upcoming season. Please, please, less drama, more fights... and no one pissing in anyone's anything!!

WEEKEND RESULTS
March Badness
Lashley def. Guida via Uni Dec
Monson def. Nelson via Uni Dec
Hallman def. Ruiz via Sub (RNC) R1 M1:50
Freeman def Mowry via KO R1 M2:30
Thomas def Lemley via TKO R1 M4:13
Ray Jones Jr. def. Omar Sheik via TKO R5 M1:45

Sengoku 7
Muhammed Lawal def. Ryo Kawamura via Uni Dec
Hatsu Hioki def. Chris Manuel via Sub(armbar), R1 M4:12
Nam Phan def. Hideki Kadowaki via TKO, R1 M3:09
Jim York def. James Thompson via KO, R1 M4:33
Michihiro Omigawa def. L.C. Davis via Uni Dec
Marlon Sandro def. Matt Jaggers via Sub (arm-triangle choke), R2 M2:57
Masanori Kanehara def. Jong Man Kim via Uni Dec
Chan Sung Jung def. Shintaro Ishiwatari via Sub (RNC), R1 M4:29
Ronnie Mann def. Tetsuya Yamada via Uni Dec
Nick Denis def. Seiya Kawahara via TKO, R1 M2:36

Bully Beatdown??
Jason "Mayhem" Miller's show "Bully Beatdown" premiered on MTV this weekend.. I've yet to watch my recorded episode, BUT I will tonight and you can bet your ass I'll detail it tomorrow.
Until then, get a taste of his GREAT personality in his interview with Joanne from last year::


Miss something? Comments? Questions? E-mail me: samantha.lynn.johnson@gmail.com

Thursday, March 19, 2009

The Economy, NSAC and "the t-shirt guy"

Competition (?)
Affliction is trying to put together it's "Affliction 3" card to coincide with UFC 100. Sounds like one of the worst business decisions; especially for a company already in the red on their last 2 tries... but what do I know? I'm just some chick with a keyboard, right.
PHOTO CREDIT: CombatLifestyle.com
Several fighters have said they have been approached by "the t-shirt guy" AKA Tom Atencio and other Affliction representatives about restructuring their existing contracts to cut down on costs. The company is trying to do their third (and final?) show on network or cable TV in an effort of competing with the 100 PPV. The revenue would be from advertising alone.. there would be no PPV buys to help shrink the gap of money going in and money going out-and out-and out.

THE UFC IS SENSITIVE
Sensitive to our wallets at least. Dana White was recently filmed vowing to "fuk'n go on the record right now and say I will not raise Pay-Per-View prices; I won't do it." While prices were raised in Feb 2008 (UFC 81) from $39.95 to $44.95 ($49.95 for HD) it should be the last time. White explains the UFC is sensitive to the economy and everybody's troubles. "The UFC is a cheap night at home. It's a really cheap night of entertainment. Everybody gets together... it's easy to kick in a few bucks for pizza, beer and Pay-Per-View." Bottom line is: it's true. Even if you go to a -rare- bar that doesn't charge a cover (as I used to) by the time you figure drinks, food and dealing with the d*bags at the next table it's easier, more fun and cheaper to get it at home.

BOXING... yes, more of that
Andrei Arlovski is following his dream of pro boxing. He'll make his debut April 11 on the HBO Winky Write-Paul Williams card. This bout, along with his next 6 or so, will be on the under-card. After completing -and succeeding- 6 or so times he will "then challenge somebody of note," according to Roach in an interview with "Ring Talk Report". The Minsk-native has been working with famed boxing coach Freddie Roach for just over a year to prepare.

UFC 97
The full card has been released with some minor changes. While it was earlier reported Eliot Marshall would face Mike Ciesnolevicz it appears he will now go up against TUF Season 8 alum Vinicius "Vinny" Magalhaes at the Montreal show.
The event will be headlines by Anderson "The Spyder" Silva defending his title against Thales Leites. Chuck "on notice" Liddell will welcome back Shogun Rua... this better be good after his last performance.
The rest of the card follows. I'm really excited for MacDonald-Quarry.
KrzysztofSoszyniski v Brian Stann
CheickKongo v Andoni Hardonk
Steve Cantwell v Luis Cane
Denis Kang v Xavier Foupa-Pokam*
Jason MacDonald v Nate Quarry
DavidLoiseau v Ed Herman
Mark Bocek v David Bielkheden
Ryo Chonan v TJ Grant*
Sam Stout v Matt Wiman
* indicates UFC debut

NSAC
CageWriter of Yahoo!Sports provided the world with this video of Karo Parisyan in front of the Nevada State Athletic Commission Tuesday. As I wrote he received a 9 month suspension, 40% ($32,000) fine, random drug testing, result change and a tongue lashing. Karo tried to justify his reasoning for the medicine, "...basically, I totally forgot about it; I don't even care about anything all I cared about was trying to fight. I hadn't fought in a year. I was too excited. That [pre-fight drug screening form] didn't mean anything to me." Oooo, bad slip of the tongue, and it only got worse. When the commissioner asked, "What made you realize after the fight to contact and tell a [NSAC] representative?" Karo couldn't help himself, "...I came back to reality..." Might as well of been: Well sir, it's simple, I was totally out of if -not from the meds of course- but after the fight I realize I should probably tell someone my piss-test would come back dirty. The commissioner wasn't impress, to say the least- "Do you realize we cannot have fighters drifting in and out of the state of reality?!" The "reality" comment was metaphorically the nail in the coffin for this case.
View it below...


Penn brought his mom to the "Greasegate" hearing and still didn't get what he wanted.
Keith Kizer clarified that the Tuesday hearing was just a chance for Greg Jackson and Phil Nurse to explain themselves. There will likely be no action taken against GSP or his camp... but Penn still has his fingers crossed. "The ultimate vindication would be a rematch and kick his butt." He told the Las Vegas Sun. "A good vindication would be a fair rematch and if he beats me fairly, I'll be the first to shake his hand." Some how I doubt that, we'll see.
PHOTO CREDIT: MMAWeekly.com

MORE ON PENN
He's officially crazy. Well... that or really hungry for attention. Today he announced "The Live Like a Champion Project", and no, it's worse than you think. The project "... Invites 300 Martial Arts Teachers to Join Him [BJ] for a Year of Intensive Training" begining January 1, 2010 (at 6AM). But, it's more than training; "Half of The Live Like a Champion Project is about expanding the public’s awareness of what martial arts are about, beyond fighting and self-defense; the other half to expand the kind of education available to people who love teaching martial arts," details the Baby Penn in the press release. (So kindly provided by CagePotato)
Hey, if this sounds like it's for you just head on over to BJPenn.com for full details of how to join the madness sign up.

More tomorrow.

Miss something? Comments? Questions? E-mail me: samantha.lynn.johnson@gmail.com

**Just a little side note to all those who think I'm a hater... I like BJ - I think he's a VERY talented fighter and incredibly skilled jits guy... I just think he's gone a little off his rocker lately.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Chuck [possibly] Done, Open Casting, and more...

WARNING
Dana White has "made it very clear to Chuck [Liddell]... unless he looks incredibly impressive -I mean, he's going to have to go out there and dazzle me, for me to want Chuck to still fight." Apparently the "Iceman" has failed to dazzle the boss-man in his most recent fights (1-3 in his last 4 outings). The President goes on to say, "it's not about money... Chuck is one of my good friends." Could it be though that Chuck is one of the highest paid fighters, and they don't want to fork it out if he's going to be sub-par? Probably, I wouldn't want to shell out half a million dollars for a blaze performance either. Rua and Liddell better come in shape and ready to bang, the boss man is salivating for a "dazzling" performance.

INKED
T.U.F. 9's finale is shaping up to be a decent card. Most recently Chris Lytle and Kevin Burns have agreed to face each other at the event.
Though months down the road, UFC 101 has added one more fight to the card. Thiago Tavares will meet Melvin Guillard at the Portland show, August 8th (date not confirmed).
UFC 100 will see Jon "spinning back-fist" Jones vs Jake O'Brien as well as Jonathan Goulet vs Don Hyun Kim face off at the milestone event.

SUSPENDED
Karo Parisyan has been suspended for 9 months after a positive drug test showed traces of "oxymorphone, hydromorphone and hydrocodone" in his system. "The Heat" was fined 40% of his purse from the Kim fight (=$32,000) and the result of the fight will be changed from a "Split Decision" to a "No Contest". The NSAC voted unanimously on the matter; also ruling that Karo must submit random drug tests during the course of his suspension.

GREASED, CONT., CONT. CONT.
The NSAC has been and will be quite busy this week. Today they hear the case of Penn v St-Pierre over what has been dubbed "Greasegate" by some. Keith Kizer (Exec. Dir.) recently spoke with MMAJunkie.com explaining, "I think we have everything we need to [reach a conclusion]. Both camps sent in voluminous documents. We have the video. It happened right in front of us." In addition to that the commission is giving Phis Nurse and Greg Jackson a chance to explain what took place and "decide what, if any, changes they want to make going forward with how Vaseline is handled in the corner."
PIC CREDIT: mmaopinion.com

There has been a noticeable change in how the corner's are and are not allowed to handle the fighters. The fighters now see their team, then the assigned cut-man then the ref before the enter the cage. Most commissions have become more strict in that the assigned cut man is the only person in the corner allowed to apply Vaseline or any other lubricant substance.

BOXING?
It seems K.J. Noons isn't the only pro fighter opting for boxing. Tim "The Maine-iac" Sylvia will make is pro-boxing debut May 30th against boxing vet Ray Mercer at Adrenaline 3. The event will take place at the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort as part of the "hybrid-model" show put on by promoter Monte Cox. Though Cox and Adrenaline have a "deal" with HDNet, this event will not be broadcast on the network.

OPEN CASTING

The Ultimate Fighter has announced open castings for the tenth season. The castings will be held at The Marriott Seattle Airport Hotel in Seattle April 6th. Those trying out should arrive between 8-9AM to register; or pre-register by downloading this form.
*If you pre-register it must be received by no later than April 4th.
**Those trying out will be asked to spar and grapple, dress appropriately and bring your gear!

MORE ON 100
The UFC has announced a FAN EXPO to go hand-in-hand with the event. The expo will be Friday and Saturday; prices are $50 for a two-day pass or $30 for a single day. There will be autograph sessions, training demos and more to be announced later. For additional information or to become a vendor call: 888-464-9950 or e-mail Ed Gallo (event director) at egallo@reedexpo.com More information to come.

UPCOMING -MMA- MOVIE(S)
Is this real?
Never Back Down SURRENDER is a straight to DVD movie featuring some of the biggest names in MMA (GSP, Rampage, etc). It is written, produced and directed by Hector Echavarria; who also stars in the film. It's one of four to come out this year featuring many of the same fighters. I honestly don't know what to think of it... but it will definitely be on my Netflix. It's cheesy, it's action... oh yes, I'M IN! For those of you interested (or who have the same sick sense of humor) the DVD for Never Surrender will be released April 28th.




CONGRATZ
Congratulations to Jenna Jameson and Tito Ortiz on their new additions. Jenna Jameson has given birth to twin boys. PHOTO CREDIT: The Sun:UK; STORY: The Huffington Post

Miss something? Questions? Comments? E-mail me: samantha.lynn.johnson@gmail.com

Friday, March 13, 2009

98, 99, 100... FINALLY!

CONFIRMED
Finally, the UFC has announced UFC 100: Making History. The event, as previously rumored, will be held July 11 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, NV. Ticket information and card details will be announced at a later date. As of now it is rumored that GSP v Thiago Alves will be the co-main event accompanied by Mir-Lesnar II. Other bouts should be Hendo-Bisping, Tyson Griffin-Rafael Dos Anjos, Matt Grice-Shannon Gugerty & Mark Coleman-Stephan Bonnar. None of these have been officially; however, the Mir-Lesnar was mentioned in Dana's Vlog after word of Mir's surgery left him unable to compete at 98.

DREAM8
Some of the DEAM8 WelterWeight Grand Prix names have been announced.
Zelg Galesic v Andrews Nakahara
Ikuhisa Minowa v Katsuyori Shibata
Hideo Tokoro v Daiki Hata as part of the first round of the featherweight Grand Prix that took place last week at DREAM7.
Those competing in the Grand Prix will be: Shinya Aoki, Hayato Sakurai, Seichi Ikemoto & the winner of Yuya Shirai vs Yoon Young Kim

UPDATE
As reported Wednesday, Rampage Jackson will not be facing Rashad Evans at UFC 98. He will undergo surgery to correct an injury sustained while training for Wanderlei Silva last year. After the surgery he is supposed to have no contact for five (5) weeks. This would put his next possible fight -at earliest- at the end of June. That is if he has surgery Monday and if the doctors clear him for a full training camp as soon as the 5 weeks are over. All of that is highly unlikely.

INJURY REPORT
Six (6) fighters have been medically suspended after Saturday's UFC 96:
Mark Munoz - 60 days
Gabriel Gonzaga - 60 days
Mike Patt - 30 days, was also released from his UFC contract
Pete Sell - 30 days
Jason Day - 30 days
Ryan Madigan - suspended indefinitely due to an eye injury, will have to be cleared by a doctor to compete again.
*As with all medical suspensions, the above fighters can be cleared by a licensed doctor before their suspension dates and have the suspensions immediately lifted.

RUMOR MILL
Tito Ortiz may be fighting in Afflictions next event. He confirmed at 96 that he will be fighting in August, and Affliction 3 is rumored to be in August. It wouldn't be a huge surprise if he was signed by the clothing-company-turned-MMA-promotion, they are the one organization that has been most likely to pick him up.

Matt Hughes has let it slip recently that he would "toy with the idea of moving up to 185 to face Silva." WHAT?! Don't get me wrong, I like Matt Hughes, I think he's a great fighter and will def be in the Hall of Fame... I just don't think a fight with Silva would be best. Maybe after we see how he looks against Serra -I'm picking Hughes to win-, but not until then.

The TUF 9 Finale may have Diego Sanchez vs Clay Guida as the headliner. Also reported to be on the card is Joe Stevenson vs Nate Diaz. I think a fight between Diego and Clay would be incredibly exciting! Along with the Stevenson-Diaz fight it's perfect for a TUF Finale.

UFC 100 May be Brazilian Paulo Thiago's next appearance. Tatame recently reported he will face Jon Fitch at the historic event.

Shamrock on 'roids?
The California State Athletic Commission has suspended and fined Ken Shamrock for a positive steroid result. This may come as no surprise to some; Frank Shamrock stated in a 2008 interview with MMAMadness that "...Ken did them [steroids] his whole life..."

But, the two have fueded for years so Frank may not be the most trustworthy source. The commission dropped a fine of $2,500 along with a suspension that will run through Feb. 1, 2010 due to a positive test result showing: 19-Norandrosterone, 19-Noretiocholananolone and -made famous by Baby Fedor, Stanozolol. Shamrock's manager, Rod Donohoo, in a statement regarding the result said, "Ken is willing to submit to an immediate testing in Sacramento to prove his-innocence." As with Sidelnikov's response, "Ken was taking legal over-the-counter products." Aren't we all...


INKED
Last Thursday's rumor mill featured the rumored bouts of UFC 99. It has been confirmed Swick will face Saunders as well as Davis-Hardy, Siver-Hartt and Struve-Stojnic. Added to the card is Paul Kelly who will be dropping to 155 for the first time to fight Roli Delgado.

Jake Shields is off the April 11 Strikeforce card, instead he will face "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler at the promotions May event in Seattle.

Jason Guida (brother to the UFC's Clay Guida) will step in for the recently suspended Frank Shamrock against Bobby Lashly at this month's "March Badness". Badness is put on by Square Ring, Inc and will consist of a "hybrid" model, fusing boxing bouts with MMA fights. The event is being held in Pensacola, FL, March 21 for anyone that is interested. It could be interesting the card has some good guys lined up.

Miss something? Questions? Comments? E-mail me: samantha.lynn.johnson@gmail.com

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Loss of an Icon and more...

Loss of an Icon

It's been hard to read sites today, as every site features the news of Charles "Mask" Lewis Jr's untimely death. He was killed in a car accident last night in Newport Beach, CA. Policemen have reported an unnamed female passenger has survived the crash; however, they announced Mask DOA.
Charles Lewis Jr, better known to most as "Mask" was one of the founding members of TapouT clothing and was featured on their Versus reality show of the same name. RIP
The man driving the car that bumped Lewis' car has been arrested and is being held on a $1m bond. Charges of Gross Vehicular Manslaughter are being brought against him.




FILED
Monday, BJ Penn's lawyer -Raffi Nahabedian- filed a formal complaint with the Nevada State Athletic Commission regarding the GSP "greasing" scandal. The 20 page document -yet to be released in its entirety- makes claims that St-Pierre "ingested a substance that would cause his body to become highly and unnaturally slippery during the bout..." What would that substance be? I've heard of bathing in oil and lotioning up, but ingesting something? News to me. The document goes on to request GSP, Jackson, Nurse and an "unnamed party" be fined $250,000 as well as have their licenses suspended. On top of that, they request the result be changed to a "no contest" and St-Pierre be required to "undergo a pre-bout shower to make sure no substances exist on his body." Sound like an episode of Oz to you too? Personaly, I think Baby J is asking a little too much from the Commission. If he wants another fight, then just give him one. We all already know what will happen. At this point he needs listen to Sean Sherk, "I didn't say anything about it during the fight; so I'm not going to say anything about it after the fight. If BJ thought that GSP had grease on him then he should have said something to the referee." That's him saying "leave it alone, shut up and move on" in a round about way.

Thanks Steve Cofield


INKED
It's been confirmed, Lyoto Machida (14-0-0) will face undefeated LightHeavy Weight champ Rashad Evans at UFC 98, May 23. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson was initially offered the bout, but turned it down due to lagging injuries and feeling "over trained". If he were to have taken the fight it would have been his 3rd in 5 months.
Lyoto has a karate background and has manipulated it in a way that most fighters can't get around. He has used his skills to take out some impressive competition: Tito, Thiago Silva and Nakamura.
Rashad (9-0-1 in the octagon, 13-0-1 overall) moved through the ranks quickly after his time on The Ultimate Fighter. Most recently he got (T)KO wins over both Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin. Both are exciting fighters and I'm looking forward to watching them vie for the title.

APOLOGY ACCEPTED
Thank you Fight! for the pic

In a recent interview with The Canadian Press, referee Yves Lavigne says he "screwed up". While he says the horrible early stoppage by Ref Rick Fike did not effect his judgment to let it go after almost stopping it just after the opening bell, he does say, "I made a rookie mistake at the beginning and stopped it way too soon. I kind of restarted the fight. It wasn’t over at that point and I made the decision to look like a fool and say 'ok, keep going'."
He does acknowledge it was a mistake, he should have stopped it earlier, "I did let Mr. Sell take maybe — not maybe — I let him take a beating for absolutely nothing. So I didn’t do my job properly." It is a mistake he is bound and determined to not let happen again. " screwed up and I’m going to learn from it and try not to do it again. … I’m going to make sure not to do it again."
In his defense, Lavigne is normally a great ref, and one of few, who normally makes the better calls. It was an off night or something. Maybe he saw something the rest of us didn't in Sell. According to Sell "I want always to be given the chance to fight back, not matter what. I thought he did good with that. ... I want any referee that judges the fight to always give me the benefit of the doubt that I'm always willing to fight." Sounds a bit like KOS after his last fight. Honestly though, the refs are there for the fighter protection. They are trained to step in when a fighter 1. taps (verbally or physically) 2. is not or cannot intelligently defend him/herself 3. is brought to submission by another opponent.

Miss something? Comments? Questions? E-mail me: samantha.lynn.johnson@gmail.com

Monday, March 9, 2009

Weekend in review: 96, DREAM7 and more...

INJURY REPORT
As reported last week, Frank Mir is out of UFC 98 against Brock Lesnar. Last Monday (March 2) he had his knee scoped and will not be ready in time for the May 23 fight. Their bout has been moved to the UFC 100, July 11, card and Evans will defend his title at 98. Dana has offered Rampage his title shot, but after feeling over-trained for this weekend he will take time to decide. First, Jackson must be cleared by a doctor and decide if he wants to go straight back to camp. Something else to consider: When Dana offered Rampage the match (in his locker room, post fight with Jardine) Dana explained that if Rampage would not take the 98 fight the title shot would go to Lyoto Machida. I guess the real question is how bad does he want it.



MONEY, MONEY, MONEY, MOOOOONEEEY
UFC has announced the bonuses for Fight of the Night and Knock Out of the Night (there were no submissions on the Ohio card).
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Keith "The Dean of Mean" Jardine won the Fight of the Night. Each will receive an additional $60,000.00. Taking home Knock Out of the Night is the Buckeye's own Matt The Hammer" Hamill.

DREAM 7
Dream7's feather weight grand prix's opening round is completed. The results are:
MasakazuImanari def Atsushi Yamamoto via Split Dec
HiroyukiTakaya def Jong Won Kim via KO
Yoshiro Maeda def Micah Miller via Uni Dec :-(
Tatsuya Kawajiri def Ross Ebanez via RNC
Shinya Aoki def David Gardner via RNC
Mitsuhiro Ishida def Daisuke Nakamura via Uni Dec
Abel Cullum def Akiyo Nishiura via Split Dec.
Joe Warren def Chase Beebe via Dr. Stoppage
Bibiano Fernandes def Takafumi Otsuka via Uni Dec

ANOTHER MMA MOVIE?
Variety.com reports Nick Nolte has been cast to star in "Warrior". Nolte is set to play a Viet Nam vet who recovers from alcoholism to train his boy in MMA. Sounds iffy, however, the director is the same who did "Pride and Glory" and "The Smashing Machine". "Warrior" is slated for a 2010 release date.

T.U.F. U.S v U.K
The names 36 members of the upcoming T.U.F. season have been released. This season required fighters to have at least 3 professional fights to even try out. After skimming the names most look to have, at least, an average of 5 and one (Ray Elbe) has 31 professional fights. Several fighters are veterans of UFC, IFL or WEC while others train with or are from current or ex fighter's camps (PENN MMA, Wolfslair, Miletich, etc.) Best news... I don't see anyone with the last name Browning!!
Courtesy Yahoo!Sports
U.S. welterweights
• Ryan Biglar (2-1): Biglar, 24, is a jiu-jitsu fighter originally from Guam who represents the Cobra Kai in Las Vegas.
• Ray Elbe (20-11): A Muay Thai fighter, the 25-year-old Elbe has spent the last three years working on his game in Phuket, Thailand. The most notable man he’s faced was Renato Verissimo, who knocked him out in 2003.
• Christian Fulgium (6-2-1): A wrestler, Fulgium represents the Gladiator camp in Lafayette, La.
• DaMarques Johnson (13-6): Johnson took up MMA training while in the military. Training out of Elite Performance in Salt Lake City, Johnson once faced former World Extreme Cagefighting welterweight champion Brock Larson, who submitted him in a 2005 bout.
• Kevin Knabjian (10-3-1): A wrester from Eastern Illinois University, the same school that produced UFC star Matt Hughes, the one-time WEC fighter trains at Gilbert Grappling in Chicago.
• Mark Miller (10-4): A Muay Thai fighter also based in Chicago, Miller trains at Dino Costeas MMA and Toro Muay Thai.
• Jason Pierce (9-0): A one-time collegiate soccer player, Pierce trains with the vaunted Miletich Fighting Systems camp in Bettendorf, Iowa.
• Kiel Reid (8-1): A native of Bettendorf, Reid also trains with Miletich, whose experience includes a 2004 fight against UFC veteran Luigi Fiorvanti.
U.S. lightweights
• Paul Bird (4-1): A striker, Bird trains at Des Moines (Iowa) MMA. He has fought in the Midwest Cage Championships promotion.
• Santino DeFranco (13-4): A wrestler and jiu-jitsu specialist, DeFranco has experienced fighting in the now-defunct International Fight League. He also helped coach Efrain Escudero, the TUF 8 winner.
• Jason Dent (19-9): A submission specialist, Dent runs his own gym in Mentor, Ohio, at Griffon Brawl. He is a UFC veteran who has losses to Roger Huerta and Gleison Tibau.
• Cameron Dollar (4-1): Dollar trains in Colorado Springs, Colo., and is a former teammate of TUF alums Cory Hill and Noah Thomas.
• Tom Hayden (4-0): A submission fighter, Hayden is trained by popular UFC veteran Jorge Gurgel in West Chester, Ohio.
• Waylon Lowe (5-2): Lowe, 28, also fights for Gurgel.
• Josh Souder (7-2): A member of Team Prodigy, Souder has faced castmate Jason Dent in 2005, losing by TKO.
• Richie Whitson (4-0): A native Alaskan who trains with Team Quest in Temecula, Calif., Whitson is a heavy-handed striker.
U.S. coach Dan Henderson: A two-time Olympic wrestler, Henderson is the only man to have simultaneously held two weight-class championships in PRIDE. He was the organization’s light heavyweight and middleweight champion and is one of the top fighters in the UFC.

U.K. welterweights
• Dean Amarasinghe (4-1): A grappler from Nottingham, England, Amarasinghe trains at Rough House Gym.
• James Bateman (2-1): A striker, Bateman trains at Grimsby NHB in Grimsby, England.
• David Faulkner (2-1): A member of the Wolfslair team that features U.K. coach Michael Bisping and UFC star Quinton Jackson, Faulkner is a submissions expert.
• Tommy Maguire (5-2): The 20-year-old Maguire is a striker who works with the Tsunami Gym in Wisbech, England.
• Che Mills (7-2): A tall welterweight at 6-foot-2, Mills works with ex-UFC fighter Mark Weir’s Range Fighting Gym.
• Nicholas Osipczak (3-0): Osipczak trains in London with Pancrase UK. He’s finished all of his fights in the first round.
• Alex Reid (10-9-1): Reid, 33, trains in London with the London Shoot Fighters. He’s faced notable opponents such as Murilo Rua, Tony Fryklund, Dave Menne and Jorge Rivera.
• James Wilks (5-2): Trained by veteran Eric Paulson in Orange County, Calif., the 30-year-old Wilks is a striker.
U.K. lightweights
• James Bryan (3-1): A striker, Bryan, 25, is from Somerset, England.
• Dan James (3-0): A striker from Swansea, Wales, he’s finished two of his three pro bouts.
• Gary Kelly (2-1): A striker, the 25-year-old Kelly trains alongside Bisping and Jackson at Wolfslair in Liverpool, England.
• Jeff Lawson (13-2): A submission fighter with 12 finishes, Lawson trains with Team Bulldog in Dorset, England.
• Ross Pearson (9-3): A striker, Pearson trains at Sunderland Jiu-Jitsu & MMA Club in Sunderland, England.
• Martin Stapleton (5-1): A Muay Thai fighter, Stapleton is a product of Quannum Combat Arts.
• A.J. Wenn (7-2): A well-rounded fighter from the Tsunami Gym, Wenn is from Cambs, England.
• Andre Winner (9-2-1): Winner is a member of the Rough House team in London and is coming off a loss and a draw in his two fights prior to appearing on the show.
U.K. coach Michael Bisping: Bisping was the light heavyweight winner on Season 3 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” He has gone on to become one of the world’s top middleweights. His only loss was a disputed decision to current UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans.

POST FIGHT PRESSER
"Rampage" Jackson came into Saturday's fight feeling over trained and looking for a KO. "The whole time I felt like I had to do somethin'. I hit Jardine with everything but the kitchen sink." Which normally doesn't work very well if there is no power behind what you're throwing. Near the middle of the third round is when it looked the worst. Rampage got a flurry in towards the end, but couldn't finish in time. "He [Jardine] went down -I think it was the first round- he wend down, I tried to pounce on him but he recovered and got up and he was pissing me off. Like, 'man, why don't you just stay yo' ugly ass down, let me knock you out?!'"
After the fight Jardine got some discouraging news, "One of the judges told me I lost the fight in the last 10 seconds. That's pretty hard to take." Hopefully, it's the cattle-prod he needs to train the hardest he ever has and keep winning. I'm sure all the talk of eventually "having" to fight Evans didn't help keep his mind straight either.

Carwin proved he really may be the future of the HeavyWeight division with his right hook (T)KO of Gonzaga just 1:09 into the first round. The Colorado boy remains undefeated with a 11-0 record and -what seems to be- insurmountable power. He's so big and SO powerful. It's hard to think what could stop him. I thought Gonzaga was big enough, strong enough and fast enough to at least make a good fight; however, Carwin proved me wrong.

With his Knock Out of the Night head-kick to Mark Munoz, Matt Hamill advanced to an 8-2 record and was "electrified" with the energy from his home-state patrons. In the post fight presser Hamill, when asked about his 'excessive celebration' while Munoz was hurt 'pretty seriously,' responded: "First of all, my thoughts and prayers are for Mark Munoz. He's a great fighter and has a great wrestling background. I just got a little emotional, you know; but you have to understand. It's like when you go under water you feel like a bubble... But can you imagine over ten thousand people that are making all of the bubbles? That got into my body. It just got me really electrified, really excited." Aww, how can you not love him?

Tomorrow: The reffing at 96. Beyond horrible? One time mistakes? I'll cover Yves Lavigne's response.

Missed something? Questions? Comments? E-mail me: samantha.lynn.johnson@gmail.com

Friday, March 6, 2009

Week's end wind down, build up to 96

BREAKING POINT
Frank Mir has injured his knee and will not be able to compete in UFC 98 against Brock Lesnar. According to a report on MMAmania.com it is a minor injury that required surgery to repair. However, the rehab should be brief and he is expected back by summer's end. 101 maybe?

As I predicted in Monday, March 2nd's post, the UFC will be in PA -Philly- before the end of 2009. Will somebody PLEASE hire me already!!
They are still working -and hopeful for- on New York, but so far no progress has been made.

The NSAC meets Tuesday, March 17th to determine what, if any, action will be taken towards GSP and/or his camp for the "Greasing" incident from UFC 94 involving Phil Nurse, Greg Jackson and Baby J Penn's alligations. President White's thought: "...I honestly do not believe that Georges St-Pierre was in on some 'greasing' [pause] I don't think that they planned to go in there, grease Georges St-Pierre up to win the fight... I do think the cornerman had his hands where they shouldn't have been!"

INKED
Building their women's division, Strikeforce has signed 7-0 Canadian Sarah Kaufman to the ever-growing 135# class. The Brisith Columbian had signed with EliteXC just three weeks before their demise and was acquired when Strikeforce took over. However, in the time off she also began a relationship with PFC (Palace Fighting Championship) for their April 23rd card. In a recent interview she stated, "They're open, I believe, to working [with each other], so as long as Strikeforce is first and foremost... If [Strikeforce says] it's okay, I'm allowed to fight with PFC as well. As of yet they've allowed me to fight for PFC April 23 in Lemoore, CA."

Alan Belcher and ATT's Alessio Sakara at UFC 99 in Germany.

NO UFC: UNDISPUTED?!?!
It's a possibility. Not a likely one, but still, it's possible. THQ, publishers of the long-awaited game, are in HUGE financial trouble. In the last year their stock has fallen from $20/share to $2/share. I'm no math whiz but even I know that's bad. They are currently preparing to cut 600 jobs and are battling with bankruptcy. This means the game could A.) not meet the June 3rd release date B.) be released by another distributor C.)be rushed out and a lower quality than we are all expecting or D.)have all rights bought by the UFC who will then decide whether to complete it with another publisher/developer and release it or hold off.
Did I pay $5 at GameStop for the waiting list for nothing?

UFC 96 PRE-FIGHT PRESSER
Video of presser
Ohio Athletic Commission's Executive Director, Bernie Profato, to UFC Pres Dana White a huge proverbial "I heart you!" :-)
But seriously, Bernie is a huge proponent of MMA and has held the sport's hand in Ohio and gotten it very far. His comments at the press conference showed how just one state can grow so much in so little time; "We started in '04 with Mixed Martial Arts. Because of the UFC's influence, we had 6 events in '04. The final year in '08 we finished with 132 [events]." Looking at Dana, "So that's what you've done for Ohio and MMA in Ohio." Profato finished his speech by presenting Dana with a lifetime matchmaker's license so he never has to go through the pesky task of applying for one again.

Regarding the Jackson-Jardine fight White explained, "[this is a] very important fight for both these guys. Ever since Quinton's 'episode' he's been back on track and looked amazing in his last fights. He wants the title back. Obviously, if he wins this fight Saturday he gets the next title shot. Keith Jardine a win for him, moves him up the ranks when he will, eventually, have to fight Rashad Evans. If Rashad Evans keeps winning and he keeps winning. They say they wont, but I can guarentee you they will.

Ever the sportsman, Rampage took the podium exclaiming, "Man, I feel bad for Keith Jardine right here. Ya know, Dana said he gonna make him fight his friend and stuff like that. Ya know, I have friends that I train with, that I couldn't see my self fightin' 'em... I like Jardine and I like Rashad. Ya know what I'm saying? But, ya know, Dana's right, this is Mixed Martial Arts, isa isa isa business and a sport. So I'ma try to help you [Jardine] out baby boy. I got you back [fist pump]. So you wont have to fight your boy Rashad." Haha, so kind. Followed by Jardine breaking his normally hard-as-steel look "[with a smile] thanks for lookin' out for me man."
See, MMA isn't full of guys trying to kill each other. It's all about "helping" another guy out. *Loved Jardine's hat, by the way.*
On a more serious note, Rampage does believe his loss to Forrest was a blessing. He feels "it's very motivating to look at yourself and see yourself beat by a guy you know you can beat." Sounds like Forrest lit a little fire under someone's rump.
Mark Munoz and Matt Hamill are just two wrestlers colliding in a ring. Munoz is looking to keep his win streak going and views it as a good omen that the State wrestling championships are in town. Hamill (who, don't you just have to love?) offered to "forget about MMA" and make it "wrestler against wrestler". I have a feeling that's how it will go. But, don't count stand up out. Hamill has been getting better and better as of late and might be looking to show that off. The Ohio boy, who's movie is due out later this year, concluded, "I can't wait to feel the vibrations."

DREAM 7
DREAM 7 will be in Saitama, Japan this weekend. However, they are doing a 6-day tape delay to air it on HDNET next Sunday... but I'll have at least one outcome come Monday. Here's the card::
Non-Tournament Bouts:
Shinya Aoki vs. David Gardner
Mitsuhiro Ishida vs. Daisuke Nakamura
Ross Ebanez vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri

Featherweight Grand Prix Brackets:
Masakazu Imanari (15-6-1) vs. Atsushi Yamamoto (12-5-1)
Hiroyuki Takaya (9-6-1) vs. Jong Won Kim (0-0)
Yoshiro Maeda (23-6-2) vs. Micah Miller(10-2)
Chase Beebe (11-3) vs. Joe Warren (0-0)
Bibiano Fernandes (3-2) vs. Takafumi Otsuka (8-3-1)
Abel Cullum (13-2) vs. Akiyo "Wicky" Nishiura (9-3-1)

--
UFC 96 picks up tonight or tomorrow.

Miss something? Comments? Questions? E-mail me: samantha.lynn.johnson@gmail.com

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Cyborg, Sengoku and Steroids...

INKED
Strikeforce has signed Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos to face Hitomi "Girlfight Monster" Akano- No seriously, her nickname is "Girlfight Monster", to face each other in their upcoming April 11 card. The bout will be the regular 3/3 held at 145#. Akano is a Bodog vet and trains at Abi Abe Combat Club in Tokyo; she is a submission specialist with 10 of her 14 wins coming via arm bar.

The Brazilian commented on the fight, "I know Hitomi Akano is the best Japanese female fighter today, but I am prepared for any situation and will always be looking for the knock out." Watch out "Girlfight", Cyborg makes most men look like wimps.

Tell me that's not scary!
And, she's only 23... wow the Brazilian sun is brutal.


Sengoku has announce the featherweight Grand Prix pairings.
Hatsu Hioki v Chris Manuel
Hideki Kadowaki v Nam Phan
Marlon Sandro v Matt Jaggers
L.C Davis v Michihiro Omigawa
Masanori Kanehara v Jong Man Kim
Seiya Kawahara v Nick Denis
Tetsuya Yamada v Ronnie Mann

Also on the card in non-tournement bouts will be Muhammed Lawal v Ryo Kawamura at light heavyweight & James "Cauli-ear" Thompson v Jim York battling at heavy weight.
The Grand Prix will be held at the Yoyogi National Gym in Tokyo and aired in the US on HDNET.

RUMOR MILL
UFC 98 will see Yushin Okami (top MW challenger) face Dan Miller.

Paul Taylor has -rumored- to have agreed to fight German native Peter Sobotta at UFC 99. The 22-year-old Sobotta trains out of Unlimited Combat System Geislingen (Balingen, GER) and has a record of 8-1-0.
It is also rumored that Stefan Struve will be facing Bosnian Denis Stojnic. It seems the UFC wants to pad the card with regional guys for their first mainland European event. Struve, Sobotta and Stojnic are all from countries in close proximity to Germany. The UFC may also announce a bout for light weight Dennis Siver. Both he and Sobotta appeared at the press conference announcing the organization's 99th event.

The T.U.F. 9 finale may be Diego Sanchez's next test. He is rumored to face seasoned light weight Clay Guida at the June 20th event. The forums are already a buzz with whether this will be a LW legacy fight or capture a 2009 lay-and-pray fight of the year prize. Sanchez looked decent at his 155 debut against Stevenson last month. "The Nightmare" has good wrestling, but Clay has excellent ground game with everything to gain and nothing to lose.

MINCED WORDS
Yesterday's USA Today(3/4/2009) interview with Dana White had him basically guaranteeing Jackson a title shot -even if he loses-, dangling Groves future with the UFC and sparring words with Jardine. Regarding Kendall Grove, T.U.F. 3 winner, Dana had this to say, "If Kendall loses this fight, It could be the first-ever T.U.F. winner that's no longer with the UFC." That, of course is excluding "The Comeback" winner Travis Lutter. I'm sure he meant guys who never competed in the UFC before T.U.F.

Keith Jardine has recently stated (see prior post) that if he were to get a title shot he would turn it down because of his friendship with belt-holder Rashad Evans. White wasn't so happy about the Montana natives choice, "I disagree with that, and I have to their face many times. This isn't basketball or football. You're not part of a team. Do you want to be the champ? If Rashad's got the belt, what are you going to do- sit your whole career out and wait for Rashad to retire? Their careers are going to cross paths. And when they do, they're going to have to fight." Not necessarily. Maybe Jardine is okay with second-best, as long as his good buddy has the belt. I mean, Rich Franklin doesn't seem to have a problem with it.

And now, the much anticipated M-1 explanation/reaction/refusing of all guilt statement regarding "Baby Fedor" Kirill Sidelnikov's positive steroid test. M-1's reasoning behind the positive result is "a nose spray commonly used in Russia". In their statement M-1 (Fedor and Kirill's managers) detailed that "...in preparation for his Affliction debut... Kirill spent some time training outside of the Imperial Team family in St. Petersburg. Kirill indicated that during that time away he began to experience complications from a broken nose that he had recently sustained. ...Kirill followed the advice of a coach not affiliated with M-1 [of course!] who gave him a nose spray commonly used in Russia to help treat some of his symptoms. It is M-1's belief that the nose spray is what contained the Stanozolol."
But, incase you don't buy that they go on with this: "For those that are skeptical of this explanation, we believe Kirill's account is true based in large part to his physique. If he had been using large amounts of Stanozol[ol] on a regular basis, we believe that the frame of his upper body would have contained leaner muscle that had more definition." That's right, he couldn't have been taking steroids "on a regular basis" because he's FAT. I get it now. There aren't steroids that just make you a big piece of meat.
But of course, if you still think he's guilty, they'll just own up to it and blame it on him. "While we do not believe the use of a nose spray provided Kirill with an unfair competitive advantage, we are obviously very disappointed in his lapse of judgment. Even though it was only a common nose spray that he used to treat an injury, an athlete must take full responsibility for what he puts into his system at all times."
And finally, just to get your oh-he's-just-a-baby sympathies up they will conclude with, "While we are not citing youth as an excuse, we feel we need to offer the public an explanation and we attribute the mistake in part to the fact that Kirill is just 20-years of age." But at least he still has somewhere to turn, "In spite of our disappointment, Kirill remains a part of the M-1 family and as such, he can continue to count on our support through this turbulent period. While we do not endorse his actions, we stand by him."
I'm sorry, but when I was 20 years old [hem, last year] I knew the difference between steroids and Zicam.

I'll leave you with this Demian Maia video.. just because it's cool.


Sorry, this was a long one.

Missed something? Questions? Comments? E-mail me: samantha.lynn.johnson@gmail.com

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Tuesday Talebearings...

CARDS
UFC 98 will feature Mir-Lesnar II. The event will be May 23 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Also on the card* is Josh Koscheck v Chris Wilson, Sean Sherk v Frankie Edgar, James Irvin v Drew McFedries, Andre Gusmao v Houston Alexander, Phillipe Nover v Kyle Bradley, George Roop v David "do it, just f***ing do it!" Kaplan, Yoshiyuki Yoshida v Brandon Wolff, Tim Hague v Patrick Barry. Also on the card, and should be co-headliner- will finally be Matt Hughes v Matt Serra
Here's a little somethin'-somethin' for those of you that don't watch T.U.F.::


UFC 99 Has been announced for Cologne, Germany June 13 at the Lanxess Arena. The headliner will be Rich Franklin v Wanderlei Silva at a catch weight of 195 pounds. During the announcement UFC Co-owner, Lorenzo Fertitta, said, "Our vision for the UFC has always been global. Following our success in the United Kingdom and Ireland, our first card in mainland Europe is another significant step towards making the UFC's brand of mixed martial arts the biggest sport in the world." There have been rumors or events to take place in Dubai, France and other European areas in the future.
This card will also feature Mike Swick v Ben Saunders, Spencer Fisher welcoming Caol Uno, Mostapha Al Turk v Tod Duffee and Paul Taylor & Stefan Struve against two yet-to-be-announced opponents.
After being called out by the British boy, Marcus Davis has requested to fight Dan Hardy at the German event as well.

From the horse's mouth
In a recent interview with Britain's Setanta network, Dana White brought light to speculations surrounding who is to be Anderson Silva's next challenger. "If [Bisping] beats Dan Henderson, not only will he break into the top five, I think if he wins that fight his next fight will be a title shot against Anderson Silva -- which hopefully will be here in the UK."

BOOTED
"Baby Fedor" Kirill Sidelnikov has been suspended for on year by the California State Athletic Commission for a failed drug test following the last Affliction. He was also fined $2,500 (USD) for traces of the banned substance stanozolol, a synthetic anabolic steroid, being found.

INKED
LHW Title holder, "Suga'" Rashad Evans has signed a new deal with the UFC. While terms & financial details were not released, it is expected he will be getting a pay bump. Right now Evans is waiting for UFC 96 to determine who he will face next. If Rampage beats Jardine he will- likely- face Evans for a title shot next. However, if Jackson fails, the title shot will -likely- go to Brazilian stand-out Lyoto Machida. Machida is still undefeated and has been tearing through the division with no mercy.

Din Thomas has signed a three fight deal with Affliction to fight in their featherweight division. The UFC veteran will be joining IFL vets Deividas Taurosivecius and Savant Young, among others.

Bobby Lashley and Ken Shamrock have signed to fight each other on Ray Jones Jr's March 21st "March Badness" card in Pensacola, FL. The event will be a hybrid of boxing and MMA.

RUMOR MILL
There's a rumor floating that Joe Silva wants to pit Joe Stevenson versus Mac Danzig. I do think this would be a great fight, one catch, the rumor also says it will be one of the two's last fight with the mega-organization. That's the part I don't like. I would think Mac is still under his TUF contract, and Joe has put on some good fights as of late, even if he has lost.

Fabricio Werdum has signed with Strikeforce and has dropped the name of Kimbo Slice for his debut. Nothing is in ink, and nothing has been confirmed by anyone else, it's all on Fabricio right now. Of course, he stated, if he were to fight the brawler, he'd plan a strictly ground assault. If, if Kimbo were to face the Brazilian it would go against what Scott Coker has previously stated is his plan for bringing Kimbo back. On his recent media tour, Coker explained that he would like to bring Kimbo back nice-and-easy. Let him work his way up and build back his reputation. He had one??

More to come for the mid-week roll around.
Miss something? Questions? Comments? E-mail me: samantha.lynn.johnson@gmail.com

Monday, March 2, 2009

Monday madness...

So after a weekend of PS3 and WEC I'm a bit worn down. Let's do a quick run down with more to be continued later.

APPROVED
Pennsylvania has approved MMA regulation! No word on upcoming shows. The UFC looks to have things tentative for the rest of the year but I wouldn't be surprised to see a Fight Night or something in there before year's end. PA has said the plan to host 4-5 events per year.

INKED
Randy Couture and interim champ Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira have agreed to fight at UFC 101 in August. No date has been set and locations are in the air. The most frequented rumor is Portland, OR. If the event is held in Portland, Randy will have a "home town" advantage. He resided there for many years and founded Team Quest and SportFight with Matt Lindland. Though Couture has been out of the area for some time, I'm sure he'll still have the home-town crowd cheering him on.

UFC Fight Night 18 card is completed. You can view it here. I am still looking forward to seeing Almeida and Horwich as well as see Cole beat down Junie.

The WEC has added the featherweight bout of Raphael Assuncao v Jameel Massouh to April fifths' WEC 40 card in Chicago.

Rumor mill
Rumor has it Fedor and Barnett are in talks with Affliction to headline Affliction 3. Can we just call this the "Fedor Organization"... I mean, the guy has -or will- headline every show they put on.

BJ Penn, giving new meaning to "Baby" J, has stated he will file a formal complaint with the NSAC against GSP. Let's just drop this already. If there was residual Vaseline it was an accident and BJ wouldn't have won anyways.

CroCop back in action? There are talks that Filipovic will return to the UFC sometime this year. There were rumors of him fighting Couture, which could still be possible but wouldn't be until the end of this year.

Corrections
In a previous post I stated the WEC has removed the WW division. They have now gone on to remove the Light Heavy Weight and the Middle Weight divisions as well. As with the signed WW guys, these men will be moved to the UFC.
I think this is a good division of weight classes. The WEC will house the lighter guys and the UFC will pick up the heavier classes.

More to come tomorrow.

Miss something? Question? Comments? E-mail me: samantha.lynn.johnson@gmail.com