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Originally Posted by A Black Guy
Waooooooooooooooooooooo!
Who's Your Motherfucking Daddy?  |
when he kept hitting gloves. I was surprised he was booed.
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Originally Posted by A Black Guy
It's a foregone conclusion according to MMAth.
 Shogun got choked out by Babalu who got KTFO by Jason Lambert who got out-pointed by Chael Sonnen who got armbarred by Gumby who then got armbarred himself by Elvis Sinosic who was demolished by Forrest. |
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Originally Posted by ReproMan
Tavares got robbed IMO I saw that 29-28 in his favor, Machida won me some fake money, Fitch won fair and square, Forrest went out there and took it to "the best LHW in the world" no questions asked, and it would have been the crime of the century had Jardine not won that decision. I thought it was a crime that it was split. AWESOME event.
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Originally Posted by AKIRA
How
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Originally Posted by ReproMan
According to the UFC scoring criteria, if a round takes place on the ground for more than 50% of the round, grappling is weighted more than striking on the scorecard. If that's the case, Tavares out-pointed Griffin in the 2nd and 3rd rounds, just like Guida did vs. Griffin and Griffin got that decision too. Bottom line is the scoring is fucked.
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Originally Posted by AKIRA
Speaking of people....the bar I was at wasnt as crowded as a usual Liddell fight is...did anyone else have some roomy space at the bars? (for those that wanted to watch the fight for free; I paid $26 for my beer and chicken sandwich!
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Originally Posted by fufu
That card sucked.
and I'm done. |
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Originally Posted by ReproMan
Two of my favorite fighters lost tonight. I had high hopes for Tavares but put him on a growing list of fighters that lost a questionable decision to Griffin, and I truly thought Diego would win tonight but Fitch was just the better man. On the other hand, I couldn't be happier about Shogun losing. We can finally put the PRIDE > UFC bullshit to bed. Seriously. No excuses, Shogun got handled tonight and would have lost a decision had it lasted 15 more seconds. And Chuck... What can I say about that shit!?! Jardine went in there and bruised up the Iceman, took his left leg away and welted the shit out of his midsection. Clear cut ass-kick and I'm stoked. I thought tonight was one of the best cards ever, simply because of the title bout implications and the "changing of the guard" so to speak in MMA. Very historical event if nothing else. |
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Originally Posted by ReproMan
I'm just gonna throw this out there, I mean nothing by it but....
UFC > PRIDE Nuff said. |
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Originally Posted by Goodfella9783
BigDyl might have something to say about that
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LIDDELL Strikes Landed 82 Strikes Thrown 164 Connect percentage 50 Arm strikes 74/152 Leg strikes 8/12 Ground strikes 0/0 Takedowns 0 Submission attempts 0 JARDINE Strikes Landed 111 Strikes Thrown 225 Connect percentage 49 Arm strikes 66/178 Leg strikes 45/47 Ground strikes 0/0 Takedowns 0 Submission attempts 0 |
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RUA Strikes Landed 55 Strikes Thrown 106 Connect percentage 52 Arm strikes 22/49 Leg strikes 8/13 Ground strikes 25/44 Takedowns 4 Submission attempts 0 GRIFFIN Strikes Landed 164 Strikes Thrown 280 Connect percentage 59 Arm strikes 37/82 Leg strikes 10/14 Ground strikes 117/184 Takedowns 1 Submission attempts 2 |
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FITCH Strikes Landed 47 Strikes Thrown 79 Connect percentage 59 Arm strikes 5/13 Leg strikes 4/9 Ground strikes 38/57 Takedowns 2 Submission attempts 0 SANCHEZ Strikes Landed 18 Strikes Thrown 32 Connect percentage 56 Arm strikes 4/10 Leg strikes 6/8 Ground strikes 8/14 Takedowns 2 Submission attempts 3 |
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NAKAMURA Strikes Landed 29 Strikes Thrown 62 Connect percentage 47 Arm strikes 20/43 Leg strikes 6/13 Ground strikes 3/6 Takedowns 2 Submission attempts 0 MACHIDA Strikes Landed 72 Strikes Thrown 123 Connect percentage 59 Arm strikes 15/31 Leg strikes 25/34 Ground strikes 32/58 Takedowns 5 Submission attempts 2 |
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TAVARES Strikes Landed 22 Strikes Thrown 40 Connect percentage 55 Arm strikes 6/17 Leg strikes 3/5 Ground strikes 13/18 Takedowns 3 Submission attempts 6 GRIFFIN Strikes Landed 51 Strikes Thrown 90 Connect percentage 57 Arm strikes 16/39 Leg strikes 8/10 Ground strikes 27/41 Takedowns 2 Submission attempts 2 |
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Originally Posted by A Black Guy
No ring,
No roids, No service. |
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Originally Posted by ReproMan
Defintely the best PPV if the year, if not one of the best ever considering who was fighting and what actually happened. What a mess this makes @ 205.
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Originally Posted by BoneCrusher
205 is stacked to the rafters with serious talent.
It would be interesting if we did our own IM Top 5 per weight class. |
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Originally Posted by PreMier
lifts or fighting or..
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Originally Posted by BoneCrusher
I meant if we ranked the top 5 pro MMA fighters @ the various weight classes
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Originally Posted by Delusional
is there any way i can watch ufc 76 knockout? i know who all won and shit but itd still be interesting to watch..
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Hard Work Propels Fitch up Ladder; Sanchez Contemplates Move to Lightweight (Story from Yahoo! Sports) Posted by Dave Doyle on September 23, 2007 at 9:00 am ET  by Dave Doyle/Yahoo! Sports (Reprinted from Yahoo! Sports with permission) ANAHEIM, Calif. – Jon Fitch doesn’t fight with the same electricity as fellow welterweight Georges St. Pierre. He doesn’t have champion Matt Serra’s charisma. Nor does he have Karo Parisyan’s flashy moves. But unlike the rest of the 170-lb. division, he’s on a winning streak that puts the rest to shame. “The UFC has the deepest 170-lb. division in the world,” said Fitch (15-2, 1 no-contest). If you’re in the UFC and you think you’re at the top of the heap I want to fight you.“ The former captain of the Purdue University wrestling team continued his methodical ascension up the ranks with the biggest win of his career Saturday night. Fitch took a split decision over Ultimate Fighter poster boy Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez at UFC 76 at the Honda Center. Cecil Peoples scored the bout 30-27 Fitch; Marco Rosales had it 29-28 Sanchez; Richard Bertrand had it 29-28 Fitch. Kevin Iole scored the fight 29-28 Sanchez and I had it at 29-28 Fitch. “I was very surprised with split decision,” said Fitch, whose last loss was to Wilson Gouveia in 2002. “I don’t think I completely dominated and destroyed him, but I thought I had dominated him enough to get a 30-27 score.“ In Sanchez, Fitch was facing a fighter at a crossroads. The Ultimate Fighter 1 winner came into 2007 on a cresting wave of momentum. But Sanchez suffered his first career loss to Fitch’s American Kickboxing Academy teammate, Josh Koshcheck, in April, then split with Greg Jackson’s camp in his hometown of Albuquerque. Saturday night was the debut of the new Sanchez, who trains at the University of Jiu-Jitsu in San Diego, and the new approach was apparent. Sanchez eschewed the trademark striking that marked his early career victories and tried to take it to the ground with the top-notch wrestler. Sanchez had his moments, and had Fitch trapped in a guillotine for much of the first minute of the third round. For the most part, though Fitch was able to hold off his opponent. While round one was close, Fitch was able to thwart the bulk of Sanchez’s takedown attempts without much effort. “That’s kinda what we expected,” said Fitch. “We thought he was going to come out really aggressive right away. He was coming off a loss and he waned to finish it off as quick as possible.“ Round 2 went to Fitch in a decisive manner, punctuated by a big slam in which he more or less plucked Sanchez off his back and took him for a ride, sending Sanchez crashing to the mat shoulders-first. “I have a primary plan, a secondary plan and a third plan,” said Fitch. “First was to stand up and bang it out, then we went into the clinch and I was more powerful when I went to the ground. Especially after he caught my kicks I was more comfortable and it was easier on the ground.“ In the third, which most scored in favor of Sanchez, Fitch managed to pop out of Sanchez’s near-submission and immediately assumed top position. But Fitch spent much of the rest of the fight fending off Sanchez’s attempted submissions, including a mid-round Kimura and an attempted leg triangle in the waning seconds. According to CompuStrike, Fitch connected on 59 percent of his strikes (47 of 79) to 56 percent for Sanchez (18 of 32). So Fitch remains unbeaten in the UFC, getting his hand raised after all seven of his octagon encounters and facing stiffer and stiffer competition each time. Of course, there is a logjam ahead of Fitch in the division. Serra is defending his welterweight title against Hughes in December, then St. Pierre will get the next title shot some time in 2008. But that’s all details, as far as Fitch is concerned. “I want to fight the best guys in the world, no matter If they have they belt,” he said. “If they do, that would be nice. I just know that when I get done, I want to be able to say I fought all the toughest guys and took them all on.“ Sanchez was gracious in defeat, and hinted a drop to the lightweight division could be in order. “I feel that he beat me fair and square,” Sanchez said. “I was close, but close isn’t close enough. All fighters go through losses, I’m just going to have to come back stronger.“ “I’m contemplating in my mind if I’m going to drop to (1)55 or not, because I’m a smaller welterweight. I could do more powerlifting and put some more weight on or I could lose some weight.“ |
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Originally Posted by IainDaniel
I guess cause I was drunk and at a bar with a lot of hot chicks and didn't get to watch the fight as much as I wanted I didn't enjoy the card as much
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Originally Posted by A Black Guy
Plus you can't get trail mix at a bar...
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Originally Posted by ReproMan
That's why I hate going to see them at the bar. Not to mention it usually works out that I spend more money at the bar than paying the $40 at home.
I can't wait to see it again, it was my favorite card of the year. |
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MMAjunkie.com (UFC news, MMA news, UFC rumors, UFC gossip, fighter interviews and event previews and recaps - MMAjunkie.com (formerly UFCjunkie.com)) has obtained UFC 76 salary figures from the California State Athletic Commission. UFC 76 took place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. on Saturday, Sept. 22, and featured Keith Jardine’s upset split-decision victory over Chuck Liddell. Jardine earned $14,000 for the victory, and Liddell earned $500,000 in defeat. Other top paydays included Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, who earned $150,000 — $106,000 more than Forrest Griffin, who submitted him in the third round. Additionally, Lyoto Machida earned $50,000 for a victory over Kazuhiro Nakamura ($20,000). The total payroll for the event was $954,000 (though 68 percent of it went to Liddell and Rua). The full amounts included: Keith Jardine ($14,000) def. Chuck Liddell ($500,000) Forrest Griffin ($44,000) def. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua ($150,000) Jon Fitch ($44,000) def. Diego Sanchez ($22,000) Lyoto Machida ($50,000) def. Kazuhiro Nakamura ($20,000) Tyson Griffin ($24,000) def. Thiago Tavares ($9,000) Rich Clementi ($24,000) def. Anthony Johnson ($5,000) Jeremy Stephens ($6,000) def. Diego Saraiva ($3,000) Christian Wellisch ($14,000) def. Scott Junk ($4,000) Matt Wiman ($16,000) def. Michihiro Omigawa ($5,000) All of the night’s winning fighters earned 50 percent of their pay to “show” and an additional 50 percent as “win bonuses.” (The only exceptions would have been Liddell, who would not have earned a win bonus, and Rua, whose win bonus would have been $50,000.) Now, the usual disclaimer: the figures do not include deductions for items such as insurance, licenses and taxes. Additionally, the figures do not include money paid by sponsors, which can oftentimes be a substantial portion of a fighter’s income. They also don’t include any bonuses the UFC sometimes pays for Fight of the Night, Knockout of the Night, and Submission of the Night — which pay $40,000 each — and other assorted pay-per-view and performance-based bonuses. In other words, these are simply base salaries reported to the CSAC and do not represent the total amounts earned by each fighter. |
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Originally Posted by BoneCrusher
Try this. You'll need to register, but it might be what you want.
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Kazuhiro Nakamura Fails UFC 76 Drug Test Posted by MMA Junkie on September 26, 2007 at 6:24 pm ET  Kazuhiro Nakamura (11-7 MMA, 0-1 UFC), who made his octagon debut with a unanimous-decision loss to Ryoto Machida this past weekend at UFC 76, has been suspended by the California State Athletic Commission for a failed drug test due to marijuana. According to Bill Douglas of the CSAC, the fighter has been fined $500 and suspended three months, which runs through Dec. 21. The other 17 fighters who took part in the pay-per-view event all tested negative for drugs of abuse. The CSAC also tests for anabolic steroids and masking agents, though those test results are still pending. Nakamura, who competed exclusively in PRIDE Fighting Championships prior to signing with the UFC, is known for grand ring entrances; on Saturday, he walked to the octagon holding an ornate umbrella that continually poked fans and ringside personnel. He’s won a big fan following due to his eccentric behavior. UFC 76 took place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., and featured Keith Jardine’s split-decision upset of Chuck Liddell in the night’s main event. |
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Clay Guida vs. Roger Huerta Targeted for December’s “TUF” Finale Posted by MMA Junkie on September 26, 2007 at 11:26 am ET  The rumors appear legit. MMAjunkie.com (UFC news, MMA news, UFC rumors, UFC gossip, fighter interviews and event previews and recaps - MMAjunkie.com (formerly UFCjunkie.com)) has learned that UFC and Spike TV officials are working on a Clay Guida vs. Roger Huerta fight that would headline The Ultimate Fighter 6 Finale. The event takes place Dec. 8 at The Palms Las Vegas and airs on Spike TV. Although Spike TV officials had no comment about the fight, sources close to both fighters confirm that the main-event bout is in the works. Contracts for the fight have not been signed, though. Huerta (19-1-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC), who was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated in May, has rose to prominence during his five-fight win streak in the UFC. After defeating Jason Dent and John Halverson, Huerta topped Leonard Garcia in a legendary unanimous-decision victory at UFC 69. The heavily marketed fighter most recently scored a third-round TKO of Alberto Crane last month at UFC 74. Guida (22-8 MMA, 2-2 UFC), a Midwest-based veteran with 30 fights in just four years, made his octagon debut at UFC 64 with a second-round submission of Justin James. After controversial decision losses to Din Thomas and Tyson Griffin, he rebounded with a win over Marcus Aurelio last month at UFC 74. Guida dominated the fight, and though two judges awarded him winning scores of 30-27, one judge gave the victory to Aurelio with a 29-28 score. In addition to Guida vs. Huerta, the two finalists from “The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra,” the latest installment of the popular Spike TV reality series, will also compete at the event. |
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Minotauro Will End the Year with Kongo September 25th, 2007 · 3 Comments  Sound the horns because Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira will face Cheick Kongo on the December 29th UFC show. It was widely speculated that Frank Mir would be Kongo’s next opponent; however, in a recent interview with Portaldovaletudo.com.br, Minotauro confirmed that he is next in line to face Kongo. In fact, Minotauro has already started training for the fight. Minotauro admits that he is looking to win by submission, but should the fight remain standing up, he is confident that he can trade with Kongo. To all our Portuguese readers out there you can check out the complete interview here. |
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Originally Posted by Delusional
i registered but didnt see, or couldnt find anything on it yet. ill keep checking though. thanks
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Originally Posted by ReproMan
His hair is great.
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- MELENDEZ RETURNS MORE DETERMINED THAN EVER Friday, September 28, 2007 - by Damon Martin - MMAWeekly.com  Since the acquisition of Pride by Zuffa, LLC, the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s parent company, fans have been patiently waiting to see many of Pride’s contracted stars debut in new promotions. One fighter that is about to have his wait come to an end is the current number-three ranked lightweight in the MMAWeekly World MMA Rankings, Gilbert “El Niño” Melendez. Melendez stormed the world stage last year with stunning victories in Pride including a fight of the year candidate with perennial top ten fighter Tatsuya Kawajiri. The Cesar Gracie trained student now will return to his roots in Strikeforce to face Tetsuji Kato at the Playboy Mansion on Saturday night in Beverly Hills, Calif. “I’m very excited,” said Melendez about his return to MMA. “Even though I wasn’t fighting, I didn’t take any time off. It’s like I’ve been working for free. I’ve been training so hard and helping my buddies get ready for fights. It feels good that my hard work is going to pay off.” The time off from fighting for most of the Pride fighters left with contracts when Zuffa purchased the company was a matter of negotiation or waiting for the deal to expire so they could sign with another organization. Melendez had an existing deal with Strikeforce that allowed him to fight the regardless of his Pride contract. “I basically played the waiting game with the Pride thing,” stated Melendez. “[i] had a lot of faith in them that it would come around and get things together and it didn’t work out.” Now with his Strikeforce deal in place, many fans are asking the obvious question if Melendez will end up in the UFC, where the lightweight division has taken shape over the last few months. “There’s a chance I could end up anywhere,” said Melendez about a possible deal with the UFC. “It’s a sport and I fight for the love, but it’s also a business and I’m trying to make a career out of it and a life out of it. “I really want to fight (Sean) Sherk. It’s a big thing for me to fight Sherk. Maybe I could talk to Dana White or he could give me that call when that time comes and we’ll see what happens.” Never one to back down from challenges, Melendez also welcomed a fight with current K-1 standout Gezias “JZ” Calvancante. “Maybe we can fight by the end of this year if K-1 can make it happen,” Melendez said. Never one to look past an opponent, Melendez is focused on the business at hand and that business for now starts and stops with Tetsuji Kato. “I get extra motivated because I hear people say ‘oh, you’re going to walk through this guy’ which I never, ever think that,” said Melendez about his opponent. “I need to make sure that I don’t think that, that I don’t underestimate him.” Dealing with a nine-month-plus layoff since his last fight, Melendez is determined to get back into full-time competition and is not happy at all that he had to wait that long for a fight. “This has been too long and I’m upset with how some of the things worked out, and I’m upset I had to wait this long to fight,” stated Melendez. Kato may be the unlucky recipient of the anger and frustration that Melendez has been feeling. Fans will find out for sure at the StrikeForce show on Saturday night at the Playboy Mansion. Strikeforce will stream its Sept. 29 “Strikeforce at the Mansion” event, including Melendez’s fight, live to a worldwide audience exclusively at Yahoo! Sports. |
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Originally Posted by A Black Guy
Al Bundy scores 4 touchdowns in a single game, earns a Gracie brown belt, and still goes to the nudie bar.
videos.proelite.com » Ed O'neill Interview: Academy, Ed, Gracie, O'neill, Torrance: videos video |
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Originally Posted by ReproMan
I don't think I agreed with a single thing he said.
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 Wednesday, September 05, 2007 Tank Abbott training hard for brawl with Kimbo Valor client David "Tank" Abbott is taking his upcoming Cage Fury FC bout with fellow heavy handed brawler Kimbo Slice very seriously. Tank, "The Original Huntington Beach Bad Boy" has been spending hours in the gym daily at Westminster Boxing Club in Southern California to prepare for the slugfest on October 12 in Atlantic City, NJ. In fact, through his training, Tank has already shed twenty pounds, and claims to feel better conditioning-wise than he has in years. Both Tank and Kimbo are known for their devastating knock out punching power. There likely won't be much finesse in this war, but it promises to be entertaining. We at Valor wish Tank continued success in his training, and are excited to see him do what he does best on October 12. SOURCE |
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Originally Posted by AKIRA
"I always liked Coleman, but he hasnt been doing good lately, right? I mean losses to Fedor isnt exactly terrible by any means, but how much more steam does this engine have?
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PRIDE and Prejudice October 1, 2007 by Jake Rossen (jrossen@sherdog.com) Ricco Rodriguez (Pictures) should've been our first clue. The wild card UFC heavyweight was coming off both a knockout loss to Tim Sylvia (Pictures) and an eight-month sabbatical in 2003 when he agreed to face PRIDE star Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Pictures) in the promotion's home turf of Saitama, Japan, on just two weeks' notice. The battle between two former titleholders was the closest fans had seen to an inter-promotional clash with any real substance. At the final bell, most observers -- including ringside commentator Mark Coleman (Pictures) -- believed Rodriguez's positional dominance would earn him the decision. Instead, Nogueira won. And while the winner's purse is certainly more practical for a mortgage payment than a moral victory, it was Rodriguez who came out with the evidence stateside fans had been longing for. In a head-on collision between two reputable stars of warring promotions, it was pretty much a dead heat. PRIDE, contrary to the testimony of its fanatical followers, did not decimate the imported competition. Did not, in fact, even make it bleed much. That divisive rivalry -- largely manufactured by inflammatory Internet threads but aided and abetted by juvenile sniping from company chairs -- took on another dimension in 2005, when UFC critics declared the promotion's "Ultimate Fighter" campaign to be nothing but a factory for hammy "personalities" who had no business in the ring. When fans weren't busy pitting global corporations against one another, they were eager to see stars they'd been force-fed wind up face down on the canvas. That kind of audience war-mongering reached its apex in September 2007, when presumed reality TV cartoon character Forrest Griffin (Pictures) dared to face PRIDE's vicious Grand Prix champion, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. Observers wrote Griffin's obituary early; PRIDE devotees seemed to take a palpable glee in the inevitable beating he was to receive. This was the ultimate meeting of UFC's hamburger vs. Japan's Kobe beef, and those beholden to PRIDE would take great pleasure in heckling Griffin's lifeless form. Someone did indeed require a chalk outline that Saturday, but it wasn't Griffin. Normally a whirlwind of arms, legs and knees, Shogun responded to Griffin's methodical attack by shooting sloppy takedowns. By round two, he was huffing like Thomas the Tank Engine, sucking up air like it was on sale. Come round three, he was defenseless against a Griffin rear-naked choke and meekly tapped the mat. The man who had emerged unscathed in battles with Ricardo Arona (Pictures), Quinton Jackson (Pictures), and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (Pictures) was reduced to a submissive position against an athlete who was never even discussed as the best the promotion had to offer. Humbling? An inkblot on your shirt is humbling. For fans of the PRIDE brand, a foreign bigger brother so often used as leverage to rebuke the UFC's stateside dominance, this was devastating. Shogun's defeat was preceded by other meltdowns. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic is 1-2 in the UFC, an ignoble mark for someone once considered the most feared heavyweight in the game. Takanori Gomi (Pictures) was handled by Nick Diaz (Pictures), apparently while Diaz was stoned. With the year winding down, the mythology of PRIDE has nearly dissolved, a fate that undoubtedly gives pleasure to UFC brass who insisted the competition was just as fierce in North America as anywhere else. There are the excuses. The cage is too big; they cannot soccer-kick or stomp; the crowds are more vocal; athletes cannot inject vials of testosterone into their asses without fear of detection, withering their aggression and stamina. All of those explanations are fine in an Oliver Stone, Zapruder flick kind of way. The truth? Forrest Griffin (Pictures) was simply a better fighter than Rua on the night it counted most. With Shogun barely cutting weight, Griffin was likely a good 20 pounds heavier than Rua at fight time. He pressured Rua and refused to let him get comfortable. He hit him, lots, which tends to siphon one's gas tank. This does not mean Griffin could beat Arona, or Overeem, or Nogueira. Unlike "Highlander," Griffin cannot absorb the powers of his fallen foes. But his specific skill set, and the way in which he executed it, was the perfect antidote to Rua's attack. That's it. No more, no less. PRIDE athletes, bereft of any specially packaged tomato cans to dine on, are likely to continue looking very human in the Octagon. The legacies of Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures), "Cro Cop" and pending addition Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) were built in part on squash matches that made them look unstoppable. That's virtually unheard of in the Ultimate, where even unheralded opponents have the capability of flattening out anyone. More importantly, the UFC refuses to manipulate athletes to achieve a preferred outcome. Fighters in PRIDE frequently complained of being coerced into competing on short notice, or with injuries, to boost the chances of their adversaries. Athletes who refused sudden "opportunities" were threatened with burn notices. Tournaments further confused the issue, with fresher fighters tearing into weathered finalists. And it would be perhaps too optimistic to ignore the more restrictive drug policies in the States. "Cycling" on and off steroids, a common behavior used to manipulate the system, takes practice. PRIDE's legacy as a compelling mixed martial arts institution will continue; Rua represents only himself and his camp. His future victories and defeats will have merit only as a reflection of his own abilities -- they don't prove fans right or wrong about anything. Except, of course, on how best to argue pointlessly. For comments, email jrossen@sherdog.com |
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  - CRO COP IN THE PAST, KONGO LOOKS TO NOGUEIRAWednesday, October 03, 2007 - by Damon Martin - MMAWeekly.com  With his win over Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic at Ultimate Fighting Championship 75, French striker Cheick Kongo solidified himself as a top contender in the heavyweight division. In the fight with Cro Cop, it seemed after the first round that Kongo figured out his opponent and worked his game plan to perfection. The first session saw Kongo in the only real danger he faced in the whole fight as Cro Cop mounted the Frenchman and rained down punches. “Not really,” said Kongo about whether he felt threatened while mounted. “But I remained attentive. I'm tired of saying that I'm a good wrestler.” It was in the later rounds that Kongo became the predator while Cro Cop played the prey, spending the latter part of the fight backing up and never letting his hands go. One of the biggest weapons that Kongo used was his dirty boxing and clinch game that seemed to overpower the Croatian. While many fighters have been overly cautious when facing the former Pride Grand Prix champion, Kongo doesn’t feel that he presented much danger at all. “He’s got just his left hand and left high kick. “(After) that, it's routine for me.” The biggest question in the Frenchman’s game continues to be his groundwork. In his loss to Carmello Marrero, he was taken down at will and unable to get out from under the much smaller fighter. He is quick, however, to deflect criticism of his ground skills. “Don't look for these small bugs,” says Kongo said adamantly. But it is exactly “these small bugs” that could become creatures of magnificent proportion in his next fight if contracts are finalized. According to Reed Wallace of White Chocolate Management, who represents Kongo in the U.S., the UFC offered a bout with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira on Dec. 29. Said Wallace, “We accepted, pending Nogueira's acceptance. The bout agreements have not yet been signed, so the fight is not yet official.” Nogueira is widely regarded as one of the most aggressive and versatile ground tacticians in the heavyweight division, UFC or otherwise. Having passed the test that was Cro Cop, Nogueira would likely present the most troublesome matchup for Kongo to date. |
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“Strikeforce at the Playboy Mansion” Fighters’ Salaries Posted by MMA Junkie on October 2, 2007 at 6:01 pm ET  Lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez ($30,000) and Strikeforce newcomer Joe Riggs ($29,500) were the big winners at this past weekend’s Strikeforce show in Beverly Hills, Calif. The two main-card fighters — both of whom were victorious — received the biggest disclosed salaries from the event. MMAjunkie.com (UFC news, MMA news, UFC rumors, UFC gossip, fighter interviews and event previews and recaps - MMAjunkie.com (formerly UFCjunkie.com)) has received the event’s official salary figures directly from the California State Athletic Commission. The Sept. 29 show took place on Hugh Hefner’s world-famous estate and was streamed live on Yahoo! Sports. The invitation-only event drew nearly 1,000 spectators who paid $1,000 per ticket. It was the first-ever MMA event held at the Playboy Mansion. The total official payout for the event’s 24 fighters was $229,183.50. Full payouts includes:
In other words, these are simply base salaries reported to the CSAC and do not represent the total amounts earned by each fighter. |
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“Kimbo” vs. “Tank” Main Event Possibly Canceled (Updated) Posted by MMA Junkie on October 3, 2007 at 3:05 pm ET  An Oct. 12 Cage Fighting Fury Championship main event between Internet brawler Kimbo Slice (0-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and former UFC fighter David “Tank” Abbott (9-13 MMA, 5-8 UFC) may have been canceled, MMAjunkie.com (UFC news, MMA news, UFC rumors, UFC gossip, fighter interviews and event previews and recaps - MMAjunkie.com (formerly UFCjunkie.com)) has learned. The headline fight between the popular sluggers was supposed to headline CFFC 6 at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, N.J., but according to a source close to the event, the bout has been called off. A reason for the cancelation wasn’t given. However, according to Sam Caplan of Five Ounces of Pain | An MMA Blog, Bas Rutten (one of Slice’s training partners) said he hasn’t heard anything about the fight being canceled, and as far he knows, the fight still has a green light. Rumors that the bout had scratched surfaced earlier today on The Underground Forum at The worlds best source for Mixed Martial Arts information.. Slice rose to fame as an underground brawler when his fights were marketed on the Internet. The former football player and bodyguard for pornography companies made his MMA debut at CFFC 5 in an exhibition bout with boxer Ray Mercer. Slice needed just 72 seconds to earn the victory via guillotine choke. He was then slated to face Abbott, a longtime MMA veteran who made his Octagon debut at UFC 6. He most recently fought in the organization at UFC 45, where he suffered a TKO to Wesley “Cabbage” Correira. Regardless of the main event, the CFFC 6 show is expected to go on as scheduled. Former UFC fighters such as Dennis Hallman, Marcio Cruz and “The Ultimate Fighter 5’s” Brian Geragthy are all on the fight card. For the full card and ticket information, head over to Cage Fury Fighting Championships - Atlantic City, NJ. |
 With Oct. 20 rapidly approaching, the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Tuesday announced the finalized card for UFC 77: Hostile Territory set to take place at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati. The additional fights add on to a card already featuring a main event between current UFC middleweight champion and MMAWeekly.com No. 1 ranked fighter Anderson “The Spider” Silva and former champion Rich “Ace” Franklin. Former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia returns to face Brandon Vera in a heavyweight bout with the winner likely moving into title contention. Also previously announced is a welterweight match-up between Josh Burkman and Forrest Petz. The undercard features many popular UFC fighters such as Stephan Bonnar, Jason MacDonald, and fighting in his adopted hometown, Jorge Gurgel, who also owns one of the largest MMA schools in the Midwest, located in Cincinnati. Here is the full fight card, as officially announced by the UFC: –Anderson Silva vs. Rich Franklin –Tim Sylvia vs. Brandon Vera –Josh Burkman vs. Forrest Petz –Stephan Bonnar vs. Eric Schafer –Kalib Starnes vs. Alan Belcher –Jason MacDonald vs. Yushin Okami –Jorge Gurgel vs. Alvin Robinson –Demian Maia vs. Ryan Jensen –Matt Grice vs. Jason Black |
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“Kimbo” vs. “Tank” Main Event Not Canceled (Updated) Posted by MMA Junkie on October 3, 2007 at 3:05 pm ET An Oct. 12 Cage Fighting Fury Championship main event between Internet brawler Kimbo Slice (0-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and former UFC fighter David “Tank” Abbott (9-13 MMA, 5-8 UFC) has not been canceled, MMAjunkie.com (UFC news, MMA news, UFC rumors, UFC gossip, fighter interviews and event previews and recaps - MMAjunkie.com (formerly UFCjunkie.com)) has learned. The fight between the popular sluggers will headline CFFC 6 at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, N.J. as planned. Earlier this afternoon, a source close to the event told MMAjunkie.com that the event had been scratched. However, according to Sam Caplan of Five Ounces of Pain | An MMA Blog, Bas Rutten (one of Slice’s training partners) said he hasn’t heard anything about the fight being canceled, and as far he knows, the fight still has a green light. Quote:
Slice rose to fame as an underground brawler when his fights were marketed on the Internet. The former football player and bodyguard for pornography companies made his MMA debut at CFFC 5 in an exhibition bout with boxer Ray Mercer. Slice needed just 72 seconds to earn the victory via guillotine choke. He was then slated to face Abbott, a longtime MMA veteran who made his Octagon debut at UFC 6. He most recently fought in the organization at UFC 45, where he suffered a TKO to Wesley “Cabbage” Correira. Former UFC fighters such as Dennis Hallman, Marcio Cruz and “The Ultimate Fighter 5’s” Brian Geragthy are all also on the fight card. For the full card and ticket information, head over to Cage Fury Fighting Championships - Atlantic City, NJ. |
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- JORGE MASVIDAL'S NEXT STEP Monday, October 08, 2007 - by Matt Hill - MMAWeekly.com  Fresh off of his 1:33 first round TKO victory over Matt Lee at the Playboy Mansion last weekend, the always-charismatic Jorge Masvidal spoke with MMAWeekly to discuss his victory, the future of his mixed martial arts career and what it’s like training with one of the top MMA gyms in the world. Masvidal pulled off what is perhaps his most impressive win to date in his Strikeforce debut as he overwhelmed Lee in the opening moments. “It was a good performance … I’ve never had a knockout that fast,” he said. Now riding an impressive six fight win streak, Masvidal’s last two outings each ended by way of knockout. Before finding quick success in his Strikeforce debut, though, Masvidal fought for Bodog, an organization making a lot of waves in the MMA world. His last Bodog outing was against the highly experienced former Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Yves Edwards. Masvidal fought a great fight against the 43-fight veteran. Midway into the second round, he caught Edwards with a head kick that put an end to his night. Now it seems that Masvidal has brought his Bodog successes along with him into Strikeforce. Many fans already know of the recent partnership between Strikeforce and Bodog, and as we have seen with the recent merger of the UFC and Pride, some of the best fights occur only with the conglomeration of two top-level organizations. Masvidal believes that this will be the case for him as well. “I get to fight all of the high-level guys from Strikeforce and vice versa. So I think it’s amazing.” True fighters are the ones who look for challenging match ups rather than simply for easy victories. Masvidal is such a man. When asked how he would feel about the opportunity to fight Josh Thomson, Gilbert Melendez or both men, Masvidal said, “I’d love to fight them. I’d come out the victor too. I’m dead serious. I’d bet the house on it, whatever I’ve got, I’ll bet on it. If I fight them I’ll put a whoopin’ on them.” Masvidal continued, “I’ve got respect for them. I’ve seen them fight several times, but if we fight I’m going to kick their butts. I’ll beat them both in one night, you know what I’m saying?” For many fighters, a large part of success in such a seemingly individual sport comes by having talented teams, fighters and coaches behind them. Such is the case for Masvidal who trains at American Top Team in Boca Raton, Fla., along with some of the most talented fighters in the sport today. So what is it like to have the chance to train with such talented guys? “It’s fun,” Masvidal responded. “Especially when you’ve got them in succession. I go with JZ [Calvancante] a round, then Din Thomas next, then Marcus Aurelio next and then somebody from a higher weight class that’s also in the top ten … it’s fun.” He continued, “Your body’s already broken down from three rounds and then before I know it I’ve got a world-class guy in front of me, so it’s constantly pushing me. It will either make you or break you during one of our training sessions.” The old adage “whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” certainly seems applicable with Masvidal’s training regimen and team structure… a regimen that he will no doubt continue to use for each of his upcoming fights in the future. The only question now is how long into the future are fans going to have to wait until they see this talented man back in action? “Hopefully I’ll be fighting Nov. 16, or maybe sooner. Whenever … if it was tomorrow, I’d take it. I’m hungry man.” |
 - KURT ANGLE MAY BE IFL BOUNDTuesday, October 09, 2007 - by Damon Martin - MMAWeekly.com  Former Olympian and current professional wrestler Kurt Angle has been a subject of interest for many mixed martial arts promotions of late including the Ultimate Fighting Championship, but it looks as if the Pittsburgh native will likely call the International Fight League home in the near future. Angle, who currently wrestles in the Total Nonstop Action promotion, has toyed with the idea of transitioning to MMA for the past couple of years. It seems that a deal is in the works that would fit his schedule in terms of balancing fighting with his professional wrestling career. IFL commissioner Kurt Otto likes the idea of Angle coming into the league. He confirmed to MMAWeekly that contract negotiations are under way. “I’m psyched. He’s pretty open about it, which is good. We’re in talks. We’re excited about the opportunity.” While Angle has flirted with a number of organizations, Otto feels confident as to why he may land in the IFL. “Kurt Angle really wants to come on board. He wants to learn MMA and he wants to come to the IFL specifically because of the team format because he’s used to that.” "God willing, the IFL and myself can make a deal," Angle told Alex Marvez of FOXSports.com recently. "The best fit for me right now as a pro wrestler who [works] about 120 times a year is the IFL." If Angle does sign with the team oriented league, both sides have committed to giving him the time needed to be sure he is truly prepared for his fighting debut. No deal has been made official, but it looks like both sides are ready and willing to iron out a workable contract. If Kurt Angle is ready to be an MMA fighter, it only seems a matter of time that it will be with the IFL. |
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MMA Madness Q&A: Din Thomas discusses UFN 11 loss and more Din Thomas lost a highly-anticipated main event fight recently against Kenny Florian at UFC Fight Night 11. Thomas also suffered what appeared to be a major knee injury during that fight. MMA Madness’ Ben Zeidler conducted a phone interview with Thomas this past weekend to catch up with the lightweight fighter. Here are the highlights of that interview. MMA Madness: Can you tell us a little bit about your recent loss to Kenny Florian? Was he different than what you had trained for? Thomas: No, Kenny was actually exactly doing what I expected him to do. Kenny is a technician and he fought a technical fight. I’m still pissed that I wasn't able to continue the fight. I tore my meniscus in two, among other structural damage to the inside of my knee during that first round and had to lay down and take a beating. I think it was shaping up to be a really terrific fight. MMA Madness: What was your game plan going into the fight? Thomas: My game plan was to keep him going backwards and put pressure on him. I felt I was doing that. I was taking my lumps trying to penetrate, but I felt it was just a matter of time before I get inside and take advantage. MMA Madness: Was the Florian fight the toughest fight that you have ever had? Thomas: Not at all. I didn't really think that either of us got to get going like we wanted to in that fight. I've been in plenty of wars in my career. Unfortunately, that fight wasn't really one of them. MMA Madness: Do you think you could beat him if ever given another opportunity? Thomas: Of course, I still think that I can beat him. But I had the opportunity to prove it and I didn’t. Life goes on. Maybe he will give me a rematch. Maybe he won’t. If he doesn't, rest assured I will go to Boston to have a friendly settling of differences. MMA Madness: Would you change your training in any way for a second fight with him? Thomas: No, I was very pleased with my training for him. I will do the same exact thing. MMA Madness: Prior to your Florian loss, you had three straight UFC wins. How do you plan to get back to those winning ways? Thomas: If you count the Matt Serra fight, I had four straight wins...but who's counting? I don't feel like a total loser by losing to Kenny. The way for me to get back to my winning ways is just to fight again. MMA Madness: Who do you want to fight next in the UFC? Thomas: The 155 [lb.] division is easily the most stacked division. There’s so many guys that can give each other hell on any given day. There’s not really one guy that stands head and shoulders over any other guy. I just want to fight anybody that can bring out the best in me and make me look like a rock star. MMA Madness: Can you tell us a little bit about what it's like to train with American Top Team and some of the best fighters in the world? Thomas: It’s a privilege and an honor to be around such talented guys. You gain so much from [those] guys daily, not just physically but mentally. When you watch a guy like JZ Calvalcante train, it’s no wonder that I think he's the best 155-pounder in the world today. MMA Madness: The PRIDE guys really seem to be having a hard time with the UFC guys. Is that due to PRIDE being weaker than people thought, UFC guys being better, or something else entirely? Thomas: Maybe they just aren't used to the stage. The UFC is a whole different stage to fight on than in Japan. It’s very different. Also, the rules for PRIDE (knees and kicks to a [downed] opponent, etc.) allow a guy to look much more violent than what we are use to watching. And sometimes as a fan, we can equate violence with "being better.” That’s a barroom mentality that even knowledgeable fans can get caught up in and it’s simply not true. Truth is, PRIDE fighters are good [and] UFC fighters are good. UFC fighters right now just have the hometown advantage. MMA Madness: You defeated Matt Serra in 2003. If you went back to 170 lbs., how do you feel that you would match up with him now? Thomas: It’s hard to say. I’ve always thought the world of Matt and I think he is a terrific champion. He has one of the best attitudes I’ve ever seen when it comes to a fight. Right now is his time. I think he has figured out what his strengths are as a fighter and he knows how to use them. A hungry Matt Serra is dangerous. MMA Madness: Do you think you are a better fighter at 155 lbs. or at 170 lbs.? Thomas: I’m the same at both weights. The guys at 170 are just taller. MMA Madness: Lately, more and more people (such as Sean Sherk) have been getting caught for using steroids. Why are these guys using them if they know that they are probably going to get caught? Thomas: Well it’s like any other crime. A bank robber doesn't really think that he's going to get caught. He knows there’s a risk but he’s willing to take that risk in order to get the reward. MMA Madness: You play "The Fight Kid" in the film Loren Cass. Can you explain your role in the movie? Also, how did it feel to be involved in the movie business? Thomas: I was basically the high school rival to the main character. We had so much beef in the film. I really wanted to knock his block off. The movie industry is very much like the fight biz. I would never want to be a movie star but I love to act. |
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Palace FC to Make Formal Offer on Kimbo-Tank Options: An offer to resurrect the heavyweight spectacle between celebrated street brawlers David "Tank" Abbott and Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson (Pictures) is expected to be presented Wednesday morning to both parties on behalf of the Palace Fighting Championship, Sherdog.com learned Tuesday. "I have spoken to both sides' management," said PFC's Christian Printup via e-mail. "I am submitting a formal offer (Wednesday) morning. If it satisfies their financial needs the fight will happen on Oct. 18 in the PFC. If it doesn't, I can take comfort in knowing we made a very substantial offer nonetheless." Based out of Lemoore, Calif., the PFC rose out of the Central California valley floor after the departure of World Extreme Cagefighting -- which populated the Palace Indian Gaming Center from 2001 until Zuffa purchased the company in 2006 -- and has promoted three events this year. In Abbott-Ferguson, the upstart promotion, which uses a five-roped ring rather than a cage for its fights, is attempting to salvage a bout that was intended for the Cage Fury Fighting Championships on Oct. 6 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The card was cancelled on Oct. 5, when CFFC president Felix Martinez issued a statement on the promotion's Web site announcing an investor pulled out at the last moment, thus costing the event, which billed itself as the largest on the East Coast, an opportunity at pay-per-view. The hyped heavyweight bout could join a PFC card that features four championship fights. At middleweight, Kenny Ento (Pictures) fights Justin Levens (Pictures). A lightweight clash will see Shad Smith (Pictures), who was stopped just 71 seconds into his fight against Nam Phan (Pictures) on Oct. 6, face local star Poppies Martinez (Pictures). "The Ultimate Fighter 1" veteran Lodune Sincaid (Pictures) fights Jeromy Freitag for the PFC light heavyweight strap. And a welterweight battle pits Chris Botelho (Pictures) against Morris Aldaco (Pictures). Printup also told Sherdog.com that a day following its next card the PFC is expected to sew up a television deal, though no details were released. "I am in general very excited right now," Printup said. EliteXC has also shown an interest in Slice, a source in the company confirmed to Sherdog.com. Canada' Hardcore Championship Fighting, which is offering a card Oct. 19 in Calgary, has also shown interest in making the bout. |
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Originally Posted by Pedigree
Report: Fedor Emelianenko to M-1
To be quite honest, I don't think he wanted his legacy tarnished by getting his a$s kicked by a 44 year old man. |
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Originally Posted by FatCatMC
I wouldn't go as far as to say Fedor is scared, but at this point one can't help to think that there is some sort of anxiety on his part. Typically to be the best, you have to beat the best, unless you are Fedor. His legacy is so rock solid that he hasn't fought top opposition in years and he's still considered the top fighter in the world, a title that would be in serious jeopardy if he chose to sign with the UFC. I really don't know how much longer we can sit here and make excuses for Fedor. At this point, in my mind, he is flat out ducking top opposition in an effort to keep his "aura of invincibility" in tact. If he hasn't fought a top fighter by year's end, I can no longer consider him the top fighter in the world (which I've had my doubts about for a long while anyway).
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Inside the Cage: Return of the Monster: Part II {Oct 10, 2007} By Dave Carpinello PDG: You were arrested a couple of months back for DUI. With a pending court date upcoming what can you say about that night? Kevin: It is turning out that was the best thing that could have happened to me that night. I haven’t had a drink since and I am beyond walking a fair line. I have got a blessed life and I almost flushed it down the toilet. I could have killed myself or someone else. The thought of that makes me sick. PDG: There have been many different reports and rumors regarding what happened that night. Do you have a statement that you can give to your fans? Kevin: I want to tell my fans and everyone else that I am truly sorry for disappointing them. I would like to say that I was an idiot for driving that night. It has really changed a lot of things in my life. I would rather go to the gym and get my ass kicked by Forrest Griffin or any of the other fighters in that gym than go to a bar and drink. Being successful and in the limelight sometimes you can lose sight of your goals. I love my job, I love the sport and I want to be a champion again. That night could have cost me everything that I hold dear to me. I have not read any of the stories that have been circulating. I did not assault an officer that night. I want to apologize to him and I will do whatever the judge wants. The job of a police officer is hard enough than to have to deal with some f**king asshole who doesn’t have all his faculties about him. I respect everyone even the bum on the corner. I apologize to all my fans that had to hear about that. I do know though that if you do the crime, you have to do the time. I have been changing, not in the sense that I am going to church now but it has changed the way I approach life. I have learned that nothing good can happen after midnight. If that night didn’t happen though, I would not have the outlook on life that I have now. My priorities have changed and I don’t want to just be a fighter. I want to be a role model and I have been around a lot of them lately and I know that I can still accomplish that in my life. I will show people that I went through life with reckless abandonment and that is no way to live your life. That is not how grown men act. I gave away too many opportunities in my life because I just didn’t care before now. I care about the fan that lost faith in me because of that night. My fans are my family. The organizations in mixed martial arts are a part of my family also. I represent all those people and all my family. I didn’t realize at the time what I was about to throw away. I made a mistake and I AM SO SORRY!!!!!! I will apologize personally to every fan that I come in contact with. I promise that you will never hear my name on a police blotter again. PDG: You also have your hearing with the NSAC coming up. Are you ready for that? Kevin: I am not really worried about that. I have done everything that they have wanted me to. I feel real comfortable with how that will go. Whatever hoop they want me to jump through I will do it. They are going to want another blood test to make sure that the infection is gone. I will also have to take a full physical so they can make sure that I am healthy. The doctors have said they are protecting me from myself. I needed this time for myself so that I could grow up. If gave me a chance to get healthy and I needed that year off because I probably would have continued to fight. I was still sick up until about six months ago. The whole experience has allowed me to slow down my life. My health means more to now than ever because if I am not healthy. The athletic commission is not going to let me fight. I am healthy now and I can’t wait to come back and fight. PDG: Will your arrest have any bearing on the hearing with the NSAC? Kevin: I am not thinking about that right now. I haven’t fought in almost a year and I am enjoying all the learning right now. I used to be a guy who didn’t want to learn jiu-jitsu. Now I know jiu-jitsu. I have had a year to learn it with some of the best trainers available. I have been training at Randy Couture’s gym and there are gladiators that workout there. I would put my money on any fighter that comes out of there. I don’t know if one will affect the other but if it does I will deal with it. It will give me more time to train and think about what I did that put me in this situation. PDG: Lets move on to fighting. You have been over in Japan with Mark Coleman and Josh Barnett doing pro-wrestling shows. Is it a good time going to the smaller cities and performing? Kevin: They are exciting because for one Japan is a very beautiful country and the people that live there have great morals. Those little shows are so much fun because you get the chance to interact with the fans more. Working with Josh Barnett is a great time; he is one hell of a performer. Mark Coleman is a great performer also but Barnett is a character. PDG: Alright, I am going to ask you about 3 fighters who have been in the Octagon since our last interview and I want you to give me your assessment. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua: Kevin: I like the guy. I made a bad statement once about him that was taken out of context. Shogun Rua is a great person and a nice guy. I have the utmost respect for him and his family. PDG: What did you think about his fight with Forrest Griffin? Kevin: I called that. Forrest is a very smart man and the one thing that he had going into the fight with Shogun was that…….Forrest is a country strong mofo. He will tire you out before he gasses. That is my favorite fight of the year so far. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic: Kevin: I”ll tell you what. I said that Cro Cop was going to lose 2 or 3 times in the UFC until he figures out that damn cage. I would love to train with CC. He can be a very dangerous fighter in the cage if changes up his style and technique. You can’t be a kicker in the cage the whole time because good wrestlers will just take you down. The way he is fighting right now he would lose to Randy every time. Chuck “Iceman” Liddell: Kevin: I lost 7 out of 10 fights at one time in my career. I fought the cream of the crop of fighters. If fans think that you are over the hill because you lose 2 fights……… Chuck Liddell is the same fighter that beat up Randy Couture twice. He beat a lot of people and then he lost to Quinton Jackson and Keith Jardine. For anyone to take away from Chuck’s ability to win a fight would be disrespectful to the guys who beat him. Chuck’s skills haven’t diminished. This sport is like a growing being and it great to see the fighters maturing and getting even better. PDG: So what do you say about the people that are jumping from the Iceman bandwagon? Kevin: I AM DRIVING CHUCK’S F**CKING WAGON!!!!!! Chuck Liddell is still the man that knocked out all of the fighters in his way to the top. It is hard to be the champ and win, win, win, win, win, win, win. You can get a little complacent in life. He will come back with a vengeance. PDG: I want to get your take on some rumors that you may be signing with Strikeforce and possibly fighting Renato “Babalu” Sobral. Kevin: It is all speculation. I am not talking to anybody about anything until I get cleared by the athletic commission. If I did fight Babalu do you think anything will change just because I am taking a new approach to my life since my DUI. I am (growls) still the MONSTER. There is not one 205 lb fighter that I am scared of. PDG: Thanks for taking the time Kevin. Anything else to add this time? Kevin: The last thing that I want to say is I am sorry from the bottom of my heart. I embarrassed myself, my family, my friends and my fans. Forgiveness is a hard thing to ask for but I want everyone to know that I am human. I made a mistake and would like over time for my fans to forgive me. When I come back I will earn back the respect that I lost. I want to thank my fans for their support during my career. “Never let the door of opportunity shut on you and God Bless”
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Originally Posted by FatCatMC I wouldn't go as far as to say Fedor is scared, but at this point one can't help to think that there is some sort of anxiety on his part. Typically to be the best, you have to beat the best, unless you are Fedor. His legacy is so rock solid that he hasn't fought top opposition in years and he's still considered the top fighter in the world, a title that would be in serious jeopardy if he chose to sign with the UFC. I really don't know how much longer we can sit here and make excuses for Fedor. At this point, in my mind, he is flat out ducking top opposition in an effort to keep his "aura of invincibility" in tact. If he hasn't fought a top fighter by year's end, I can no longer consider him the top fighter in the world (which I've had my doubts about for a long while anyway). |
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MMA Madness Q&A: One-on-one with Josh Barnett Josh Barnett is a UFC veteran and a PRIDE veteran. He is also considered one of the world’s top heavyweights. However, “The Babyface Assassin” currently has no home and hasn’t fought in close to a year. MMA Madness’ Ben Zeidler spoke to Barnett by phone last week to find out about his fighting status, his beef with Dana White, and more. Here are highlights of that interview. MMA Madness: When can we expect to see you fighting again? Barnett: The nearest I can think of is the Imagination TV show Pancrase: Legends of MMA. You can catch some of my matches there on November 7th for 15 weeks. But for some live in-the-ring action, I'm talking to some companies right now and we've got some things on the table. But there's nothing that's absolute, nothing to say that I'll be definitely fighting at a certain time. MMA Madness: Can you tell us any of those organizations that you're currently looking at? Barnett: Umm…all of them. [Laughs] MMA Madness: Is there any chance that you could wind up back in UFC someday? Barnett: There's always a chance. It's just about the right offer, that's all. MMA Madness: How soon? Barnett: The UFC? I don't know, maybe you should call Dana [White] up and ask him. [Laughs] MMA Madness: Why is there such a big conflict between you and Dana? Barnett: When I think somebody says something that's B.S., or if I think that something isn't being done up to par, then I say something. That's probably why. I've been in this business longer then he has, and there's just a certain amount of respect that I expect, and I don't necessarily feel like I get that from him all of the time. He says some things and that's fine. He's allowed to make any statements he wants; I'm going to make a rebuttal. It's up to him if he wants to get real torqued off about it, not me. MMA Madness: What do you think about your friend Renato Sobral being kicked out of UFC? Barnett: I think it was totally lame. I think it was a totally B.S. deal. I think it was unnecessary to the level at what they did. I don't think it follows any of the protocol that is standard for other situations like this. And I think that there was other motivation behind it. MMA Madness: People have done worse things in the cage than Sobral’s choke. I know that B.J. Penn's choke on Jens Pulver was longer than Sobral's choke on Heath, and Penn didn't get punished at all. Barnett: No he didn't, and the only difference being Jens didn't go out. That's the only thing that I can see, but beyond that all I've heard is that they hugged after word. But David Heath on his way out said he respected Babalu -- he had a lot of respect for him. So what's the difference there? MMA Madness: What punishment do you think Sobral should've gotten? Barnett: They had to punish him? Some sort of a fine if they had to, but not to that extent. MMA Madness: You've been known to speak Japanese and even use a Japanese theme as your entrance. Can you talk a little about the connection you have with your Japanese fans? Barnett: Um…a psychic link… MMA Madness: Can you elaborate? Barnett: Yeah, I just really enjoy the culture. I really enjoy other cultures all around the world. And I think that knowing more than one language is a really rich thing to have in someone's life. I think that we've just clicked. Being on the level of nerddom that I'm on, it really talks to them. I love fighting over there, and I love the great positive vibes that I get from the Japanese fans. MMA Madness: In the first issue of FIGHT! Magazine, you were listed as one of the five people who could possibly beat Fedor. Why do you think your paths have never crossed? Barnett: At this point, it's the same reason why I haven't gotten into the ring yet, just politics and contract stuff. But right now it's not my fight. My management is out there doing stuff -- not me -- but we'll get it done. MMA Madness: If given the opportunity, how do you feel you would match up? Barnett: I think that I'd match up pretty well with him. I'd be surprised if anybody else could do much going against Fedor. But there's an X-factor in that we're friends and that we respect each other so much, which will bring better fighting spirit out of both of us. MMA Madness: You've beaten everyone from Randy Couture to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. What's the biggest win of your career? Barnett: Yuki Kondo. I won the King of Pancrase with that win; it was in Ryogoku, and I had all my teammates from New Japan Pro Wrestling there. It was just an awesome thing. MMA Madness: Do you think that you could defeat current UFC Heavyweight Champion Couture? Barnett: Absolutely. Absolutely. I think I could finish him in two rounds more or less, but not because he won't be out there doing his thing. It'll be a big fight, but I think our styles favor me. But he's doing really well for himself, and it's fun to watch him out there and to cheer for him. And if it does ever happen, then I'll have to put the fan in me aside and just go out there and take care of business. MMA Madness: You're a well-known critic of the 10-point system, and lately, we've been seeing that come under fire with some questionable decisions or rounds that would be scored 10-8. Can you talk a little about that? Barnett: Part of the biggest problem in MMA right now is that the submission isn't given a lot of weight in the United States. That's a huge detriment to me. I think that MMA fights should be judged on not so much control, but who comes closest to finishing a fight. If you are scoring knockdowns, mounted positions, raining sizeable punches that are causing damage, or near submissions, that should count a lot more than just taking down someone a lot. Not to mention just going for a submission means you're trying to finish the fight. People that are just on top picking away [aren’t] trying to finish a fight. They should be rewarded as such. I think that the PRIDE system was really the best system. And, off course the human error factor comes into it as well. Sometimes people make mistakes when they're judging. People are going to disagree with the judges, and that's something that people are going to have to deal with. But those criteria that I mentioned before are the most important. MMA Madness: Did you find competition in PRIDE or UFC to be tougher? Barnett: When I fought there, definitely PRIDE. MMA Madness: Why is that? Barnett: I don't know, at the time they were just better fighters, they were better athletes, and they were better fights. Whether they're having success outside of PRIDE is another thing, but at the time they were the cream of the crop. MMA Madness: Well, the PRIDE fighters aren't doing very well in the UFC. Why do you think this is? Barnett: I don't know, maybe all of that money that they're making now is allowing them to party all the time. I've been really surprised with some of these fights that I've seen. I have no idea. |
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Originally Posted by Richie1888
harsh words
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Kimbo Slice Signs with EliteXC; Nick Diaz Signs Extension Posted by MMA Junkie on October 11, 2007 at 2:35 pm ET ProElite.com, the parent company of the Elite Xtreme Combat organization, has signed famed Internet brawler Kimbo Slice to fight on the organization’s upcoming Nov. 10 event in Corpus Christi, Texas. Earlier today ProElite.com broke the news, which was confirmed by Sam Caplan at Five Ounces of Pain | An MMA Blog. The 33-year-old Slice was slated to headline an Oct. 12 Cage Fury Fighting Championships event against UFC veteran David “Tank” Abbott, but last week, event organizers pulled the plug on the show, citing the loss of a key investor. Numerous MMA promotions were vying for the bout after CFFC’s cancellation. And while Slice has been signed, EliteXC made no mention of Abbott, though the California-based promotion says more news about the signing will be available later today. Slice rose to fame as an underground brawler when his fights were marketed on the Internet. The former football player and bodyguard for pornography companies made his MMA debut at CFFC 5 in an exhibition bout with boxer Ray Mercer. Slice needed just 72 seconds to earn the victory via guillotine choke. The Nov. 10 EliteXC event airs on Showtime at 10 p.m.
* * * * We’re a little late in sending our well-wishes, but the MMAjunkie.com team would like to congratulate Sam Caplan on his new gig with ProElite.com. Sam was hired as the company’s lead writer and editor and will work for the promotion in a full-time capacity.Unfortunately, because of his new position, Sam will no longer have the time to contribute to MMAjunkie.com (though we remain colleagues and friends) in a regular capacity. We wish Sam the best of luck with his new endeavor. |
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COUTURE QUITS UFC  MMA Icon Walks Away From Promotion In Stunning MoveBy Brian Knapp At the height of its power and popularity, the Ultimate Fighting Championship today lost the man many recognize as the face of mixed martial arts. UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture announced his resignation from the Las Vegas-based promotion, leaving two contracted fights, his job as an on-air analyst and his heavyweight crown on the table. In South Africa shooting scenes for his lead role in the upcoming feature film “The Scorpion King – Rise of the Akkadian,” Couture made the announcement official in a letter to UFC president Dana White. The UFC’s inability to land PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko played a prominent role in the decision to walk away, according to Couture. “I appreciate this opportunity the sport of MMA and the UFC has given me,” the UFC Hall-of-Famer said. “However, I’m tired of swimming upstream at this stage with the management of the UFC. It only makes sense at this point in my career to fight Fedor Emelianenko, and since he’s now signed with another organization, I feel like it’s time to resign and focus on my other endeavors.” His abrupt departure deals a significant blow to the world’s most visible MMA organization. Couture was not only a beloved competitor – White once called him “the greatest fighter in UFC history” – but also a revered spokesman for a company that had long struggled to gain mainstream acceptance. “Randy’s contract was on a fight-by-fight basis, and that’s the way he said he was always going to take it – fight by fight,” said Matt Walker, Couture’s agent at The Gersh Agency. “His acting career is accelerating at an astronomical rate, and without the support he felt some of his peers were receiving in the fight business, this was the logical choice.” A three-time All-American wrestler at Oklahoma State University, Couture won four national championships in Greco-Roman wrestling and made four attempts at qualifying for the Olympics. He made his MMA debut at UFC 13 on May 13, 1997, where, at age 33, he won a heavyweight tournament, defeating Tony Halme and Steven Graham on the same night. Just seven months later, he toppled famed kickboxer Maurice Smith in Yokohama, Japan to win the UFC heavyweight crown for the first time. Over the course of the next decade, Couture emerged as one of the most decorated mixed martial artists in history. The UFC’s only six-time champion, he captured the heavyweight belt three times, the light heavyweight title twice and an interim light heavyweight title, as well. Couture remains the only man to win UFC championships in two weight classes. His run through the promotion included a memorable trilogy with light heavyweight rival Chuck Liddell, the only opponent to beat Couture twice. Following his third bout with Liddell in February 2006, Couture announced his first retirement. As 2007 dawned, his desire to compete returned, and a four-fight contract with the UFC – which included the opportunity to fight Tim Sylvia for the heavyweight strap at UFC 68 in March – was presented to Couture. He accepted, and the wheels for an historic comeback were set in motion. Couture floored Sylvia with an overhand right seconds into the bout and punished the 6-foot-8 giant over five rounds. Playing to chants of “Randy!” he regained the heavyweight title for an unprecedented third time in front of 19,049 fans at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Five months later, at the age of 44, he defeated rising contender Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 74, stopping the young Brazilian by third-round TKO despite suffering a broken left arm. It would be his final appearance in the Octagon. Couture (16-8) leaves behind an unrivaled legacy in the sport. Fifteen of his 24 career bouts were title fights, and he bested six former UFC champions – Liddell, Vitor Belfort, Tito Ortiz and Sylvia among them. Always willing to meet a challenge, Couture consistently tested himself against the world’s premier fighters. The 19 men he fought (he squared off with Pedro Rizzo twice and Liddell and Belfort three times each) hold 357 victories between them. |
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Originally Posted by AKIRA
What does it matter if theyre never going to face?
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Dana White: “Not Surprised” by Randy Couture’s “Retirement” Posted by MMA Junkie on October 11, 2007 at 5:48 pm ET UFC President Dana White says he’s “not surprised” by Randy Couture’s decision to quit the UFC despite the 44-year-old champion having two fights remaining on his contract. The UFC’s head honcho today issued a statement on the organization’s official website, UFC.com. In it, White hinted at no ill-will with the UFC Hall of Famer and even said that he’d be ready to promote Couture if he decides to come out of “retirement.“ Said White: “I’m not surprised at all by Randy’s decision. I talked to Randy several weeks ago and he said that if he couldn’t fight Fedor, then he has nothing left to prove in the sport of mixed martial arts.Couture came out of retirement in March to defeat then-champ Tim Sylvia for the UFC heavyweight title. He signed a four-fight deal as part of the return; however, back in February (before he even fought Sylvia), Couture said he wouldn’t necessarily fulfill the terms of the contract and would instead reevaluate his career on a fight-by-fight basis. Although Couture told The Fight Network earlier today that the UFC’s inability to sign top-ranked heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko played a part in his decision, money — or lack of it — may have played bigger role. Earlier this year, officials from Zuffa LLC (the UFC’s parent company) purchased the Japanese-based PRIDE Fighting Championships, but the UFC had to re-sign many of the organization’s top fighters to new deals. The elite — such as Mauricio “Shogun” Rua — demanded significant salaries that rivaled those of fighters such as Couture. Couture earned a base salary of $250,000 and a portion of pay-per-view revenue for a victory over Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 74 in August (In his UFC debut, Rua earned $150,000 in a UFC 76 loss to Forrest Griffin last month.) |
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Originally Posted by IainDaniel
I bet this has more to do with money. Randy has done all he can do to stand a top the UFC as one of the Greatest Champions, yet he gets shitty pay days compared to some of the Competitors.
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Originally Posted by AKIRA
I promise you, you better be in high spirits this weekend.
And it still sucks that he wants to quit. Think hell be back? Meaning, you think this will get Fedor signed? |
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Originally Posted by ReproMan
I was just trying to stir shit up in a thread I posted about the Fedor signing, but it's defintely how I feel. |
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Originally Posted by A Black Guy
I promise you that he made at least a mil each on the Sylvia and Gonzaga fights.
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Originally Posted by IainDaniel
He made 250,000 each fight. with no win bonus.
For all he has done for the UFC, and you compare the likes of what Crocop, Rampage, and probably what they were offering Fedor. Seems like a serious slap in the face to me. |
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Originally Posted by Richie1888
who do you think Cro Cop will fight next Repro does he still have a fight left on the contract ?
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Originally Posted by Richie1888
he really wont get to fight anyone of note anymore.
I honestly thought he would destroy all comers in the ufc but I thought wrong when he fights in the UFC he doesn't really seem interested is he not a member of parliament in Croatia ? but if he didn't come back to the UFC who do you think they'd pair him with ? |
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Originally Posted by ReproMan
From the sounds of things, he's really not interested in fighting anymore. He's wanting to return to the Special Police force he was on from what I understand. I'm sure he can't fight anywhere else because of his contract, so this may be the end for Mirko too.
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nnnooooooooo
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Early 2008 Return Possible for “Cro Cop” Posted by MMA Junkie on October 13, 2007 at 10:35 am ET Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, a beleaguered UFC heavyweight coming off shocking back-to-back losses, is planning to return to the octagon in early 2008 — and he wants former PRIDE heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira as an opponent. The news comes from the Croatian daily sports publication Sportske Novosti. According to a translation of the story, Filipovic recently had successful surgery to repair a deviated septum, an injury that the fighter said affected his ability to breathe, as well as his his overall conditioning. Now healthy, he’s looking to get back into the hunt for the heavyweight title, which was recently vacated when champion Randy Couture opted to resign from the organization. After a successful debut against Eddie Sanchez at UFC 67, Filipovic suffered a first-round knockout to Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 70 and then an equally shocking unanimous-decision loss to Cheick Kongo at UFC 75. Dave Meltzer, a Yahoo! Sports writer who also pens the Wrestling Observer newsletter, recently reported that Filipovic wasn’t returning phone calls from the UFC and that his future in the organization was therefore uncertain. However, Filipovic now appears set for his return. However, though he has his sights set on one of the organization’s top contenders, Nogueira is instead expected to fight Cheick Kongo in January or February. Regardless of the opponent, it’s must-win time for Filipovic. One of the most-decorated fighters in mixed-martial-arts history, the PRIDE 2006 Open-Weight Grand Prix winner has suffered the first consecutive losses of his career. Three in a row could mean total disaster. However, at just 33 years old and now apparently healthy, the fighter could easily become a dark-horse candidate who again rules the roost. As for his return, the UFC is likely to host a January event in Newcastle, England. The European event would be a natural fit for the Croatian fighter. |
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- MARK CUBAN READY FOR MMA DEBUT Saturday, October 13, 2007 - by Ken Pishna - MMAWeekly.com Mixed martial arts is one of the hottest properties in all of sports. And the Ultimate Fighting Championship rules the roost. Many other promoters have stepped up to challenge the American juggernaut, most opting to sign the biggest name fighters they can lay their hands on and start chipping away at the UFC’s rock-solid pay-per-view dominance. That is until Mark Cuban entered the fray. Owner of the National Basketball Association’s Dallas Mavericks, chairman of the HDNet high-definition television network, self-made billionaire; it might be expected that Cuban would immediately take aim at the top of the MMA roster. But that is not the tact that he has chosen at all. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Instead of throwing millions of dollars at top free agent Fedor Emelianenko to make a big splash, his first fight card features the comeback of Erik Paulson, a talented fighter that hasn’t been in the ring for more than seven years and is relatively unknown to American fans. The rest of the event is fleshed out primarily with a regional flavor that is sure to draw the Dallas MMA faithful to the American Airlines Center, but is far from the media magnet that usually gravitates towards anything Cuban has a hand in. That wasn’t an accident, but part of his design for HDNet Fights’ first outing. “This is our Beta test,” said Cuban. “This is where we are going to learn. “We didn’t go out and spend half a million on marketing for this. I’m not looking to fill the American Airlines Center (on Saturday night). I want to get 3,000 people there to fill the lower bowl, so I can walk around and talk to people and find out what we did right, what we did wrong, what we can do better.” In speaking with him, Cuban knows where he wants to go with the promotion, but realizes he doesn’t yet hold all the answers on how to get there. “The reason I got into this … I see this unique opportunity to start treating MMA fighters as professional athletes,” stated Cuban. A telling statement considering heavyweight champion Randy Couture’s recent resignation from the UFC, reportedly due to his discontent with the way that he and other fighters have been treated. “The UFC’s done a great job in what they do, but they kind of stole the (World Wrestling Entertainment) script,” said Cuban about the promotion’s success. “And we just think that we can take a different approach and treat them more like a Mavs game, more like an athletic event than a spectacle.” Some may say that it’s rather brash of Cuban to imply that he will lead the way to mixed martial arts’ future, but then again, he’s never exactly been known to be the “walk softly and carry a big stick” kind of guy. “I have a reputation (for) how I’ve treated the Mavericks, how I changed the NBA,” he said. “I plan on taking everything I’ve learned … and apply that to what we’re doing here. “When I got to the NBA, a lot of people didn’t like the way I do things, that’s their problem. I think now, there are probably a lot of people in the mixed martial arts industry that aren’t going to like the way I do things, once again, that’s their problem.” |
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Originally Posted by ReproMan
I think nothing but good can come from Cuban getting into MMA.
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Originally Posted by ReproMan
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Originally Posted by fufu
Anderson Silva plowed through Franklin once again! Who the fuck will be able to beat Silva in the UFC?
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Originally Posted by Doublebase
Did Vera win?
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Originally Posted by Doublebase
Did Vera win?
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Originally Posted by fufu
No, it was a boring decision.
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Originally Posted by PreMier
fuckin dumb, watch wwe
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Originally Posted by AKIRA
In other news...
Ok I just watched the Barrera (sp?) vs. Saunders fight on TUF tonight. I dont know if it was a repeat, but I am pretty sure it wasnt. Anyway, can someone tell me why there was no 3rd round? Are the rules different from a regular PPV? I must be pretty dumb in this category. I thought it was a 50-50 fight that a 3rd round would unravel. Also, how many times does a fighter have to lose in order to get kicked off the show now? Or do they stay and just not fight...? In any case, I was kinda glad Barrera(sp?) lost. He was exhausting to watch. |
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Originally Posted by ReproMan
On the show the fights are 2 rounds until the finals (3). You lose once and you're out of the competition, but you stay on the show to assist your teammates with training.
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Originally Posted by Doublebase
I just thought of something. Tag team UFC fights. What do you think?
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Originally Posted by fufu
No, it was a boring decision.
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Originally Posted by IainDaniel
I bet this has more to do with money. Randy has done all he can do to stand a top the UFC as one of the Greatest Champions, yet he gets shitty pay days compared to some of the Competitors.
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Originally Posted by IainDaniel
I don't want to say I was right or anything.....but.
Couture saga brings owner out of shadows - MMA - Yahoo! Sports |
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Originally Posted by ReproMan
You were right about it being about money, but he made 3 million last year, 1.5 mil a fight. Second only to Chuck Liddell.
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. I'm back out again in a few days for four to six months. Don't wreck the place while I'm gone AKIRA 
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11/05/2007 Super Bowl Showdown set between Lesnar and Mir By Thomas Gerbasi In a classic case of putting your money where your mouth is, new UFC signee Brock Lesnar – who has made no bones about wanting to fight the best the heavyweight division has to offer – will make his Octagon debut at UFC 81 on February 2nd against none other than former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir. The bout will be held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada on the eve of Super Bowl XLII. “It’s an interesting matchup,” said UFC President Dana White. “Lesnar is a great wrestler, a good athlete, and this is definitely gonna be a big test for him. Frank Mir is a former world champion who is coming off a big win over Antoni Hardonk, and he’s looking to get his career back on track while Lesnar’s looking to walk into the UFC and prove what type of fighter he’s gonna be by trying to knock him off.” The 6-3 ½, 265 Lesnar (1-0) comes to the UFC with stellar college wrestling credentials that saw him earn All American status four times, win Big Ten Championships twice, and also win the 2000 NCAA National Championship. After leaving the University of Minnesota, the South Dakota-born Lesnar gained fame as a professional wrestler and also had a stint with the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings. In 2007, he made his mixed martial arts debut and annihilated Min Soo Kim in just 69 seconds on June 2nd. “This guy’s not trying to duck anybody,” said White of Lesnar. “He knew once he got in the UFC that he was gonna fight tough guys.” 28 year old Las Vegan Frank Mir (10-3) was destined for stardom from the moment he stepped in the UFC Octagon, and he lived up to all expectations when he submitted Tim Sylvia in 50 seconds in 2004 to win the UFC Heavyweight Championship. Unfortunately, Mir’s career ground to a halt when a serious motorcycle accident later that year forced him to the sidelines for almost two years. His eagnerness to return forced him into some spotty performances when he did return in 2006, but at UFC 74 in August, Mir was back in top notch form as he submitted Antoni Hardonk in just 77 seconds. |
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Originally Posted by A Black Guy
Frank via crazy-eyed coke-rage.
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Originally Posted by AKIRA
Hey wait...did Kimbo ever fight Tank?
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Kimbo Slice vs. Bo Cantrell Set for Nov. 10 EliteXC Event Posted by MMA Junkie on November 1, 2007 at 10:37 am ET After his original opponent, Mike Bourke, was forced off the card with a broken clavicle, Internet-brawler-turned-MMA fighter Kimbo Slice (1-0) will instead fight Bo Cantrell (10-10) at Elite Xtreme Combat’s Nov. 10 event. The official announcement came during yesterday’s EliteXC conference call, though Sam Caplan broke the news at Five Ounces of Pain | An MMA Blog earlier in the day. “EliteXC: Renegade” takes place at the America Bank Center Arena in Corpus Christi, Texas, and airs on Showtime. Former UFC fighter Nick Diaz (15-6) takes on KJ Noons (5-2) in the night’s main event. The fight will take place in a new 160-pound weight class. (During yesterday’s conference call, EliteXC Live Events President Gary Shaw announced the formation of new weight classes, including 140 lbs., 150 lbs., 160 lbs. and a super-heavyweight division at 265-plus lbs.) The 33-year-old Slice was slated to headline an Oct. 12 Cage Fury Fighting Championships event against UFC veteran David “Tank” Abbott earlier this month before event organizers pulled the plug on the show. Days later, EliteXC stepped in and signed the fighter. Slice rose to fame as an underground brawler when his fights were marketed on the Internet. The former football player and bodyguard for pornography companies made his MMA debut at CFFC 5 in an exhibition bout with boxer Ray Mercer. Slice needed just 72 seconds to earn the victory via guillotine choke. He’ll now take on Cantrell, a Gladiators Challenge and King of the Cage veteran. Last week Cantrell suffered a first-round submission loss (via gogoplata) to Brad Imes in a Reno KOTC event. It was Cantrell’s fourth consecutive loss — with all the losses coming in the first round (with times of 1:33, 0:26, 0:05 and 0:55). EliteXC: Renegade’s main card will also feature Jakes Shields vs. Mike Pyle. Seth Kleinbeck vs. Kyle Noke, and Moses Baca vs. Yves Edwards are also scheduled for the event, and Shaw confirmed that he’s working on getting Antonio Silva cleared to fight. A full card will be announced shortly. * * * * For audio from yesterday’s conference call, check out:
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Originally Posted by A Black Guy
Are we going to have ShoXC night at my place now?
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Originally Posted by ReproMan
Two lopsided title fights and 2 freakshows is my kinda card. Hell yeah!
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Originally Posted by BoneCrusher
Interesting matchup between Mir and Lesner. BJJ expert vs wrestling expert
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Originally Posted by BoneCrusher
Interesting matchup between Mir and Lesner. BJJ expert vs wrestling expert
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Originally Posted by ReproMan
Yeah it is. I was kinda hoping they'd give Lesnar more of a cupcake for his first match.
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Originally Posted by PreMier
who do you think will win?
lesner is just so powerful.. i think he will wreck mir |
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Originally Posted by fufu
Ok, everyone says Lesnar is super strong, but noone gives examples of his strength. So I want to know, what is this guy's deal?
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Originally Posted by BoneCrusher
I'm calling this one for Mir. I think Lesnar will be like every other huge wrestling dude. Plenty of power with no MMA technique and no gas.
Mir is 6'3 and 255 so he doesn't give up much to Lesnar's 6'2 285 really. That said Mir was an asshole in his first few UFC bouts. How he held that armbar on Dorkboy after the he broke his arm (he knew that arm broke too btw) AND the ref telling him to let go repeatedly was bullshit. *** Edit after seeing that training video it looks like Mir is fucked. |
... we have plenty of guys here who hit 400 plus.
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Originally Posted by PreMier
i think he is already there.
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Originally Posted by BoneCrusher
Is your google broke? Do search engines not run on time in your part of the world?
Whoa ... I just googled him
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Originally Posted by PreMier
got this from espn
The 6-foot-3, 290-pound Goliath, the guy who benches 475 pounds, squats 695 pounds Lesnar ran the 40-yard dash in 4.7 second |
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Originally Posted by PreMier
look, all im saying is he is fast, strong and athletic.. and he has a good wrestling background, and im sure he is doing nothing but improving.
so thats the deal. i made a statement, either accept it or dont, i really dont give a shit |
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Originally Posted by fufu
There is nothing in that video that is setting him apart from anyone else. I see nothing particularly impressive.
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Originally Posted by BoneCrusher
I saw a very powerful man with outstanding arm extension and rc rotation, explosive power through the full range of his strikes ... strikes thrown from the ground out not just from the shoulder, and serious take down skills with insane hip fexation from a heavyweight. I saw speed (if the clip isn't edited to exaggerate that) not normal for someone his size. Core strength is just off the charts there too ...
Is that what you saw? |
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Originally Posted by A Black Guy
Don't forget Lesnar is going to have to make 265 to fight in the UFC.
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Originally Posted by fufu
Nope.
Again, I didn't see anything particularly impressive. He is fast, but let's have the WWE make a sensationalized training video for other heavy weights and see how it looks. I'm not saying he won't be good. But I'm not sold on him. |
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Originally Posted by fufu
I like how he works his ground and pound up close and still effective. However, his opponent was 4-6 coming off of 3 three losses. I def. want to catch his battle against Mir to see how good he is on the ground. |
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from mmamanina.com“I was in critical condition for almost three weeks and I am two weeks out of the hospital now … pain is just part of the healing, and it hurts a lot…. I had two organs shut down again. I think what I need to do is stop enduring the pain and go see the doctors earlier.”Gee … you think so, huh, Kevin? Egad. The former UFC heavyweight champion Kevin Randleman talks about a “painful” staph infection the bored two holes in the side of his body and almost killed him. |
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- MARK KERR ENDS SEVEN-YEAR DROUGHT Thursday, November 08, 2007 - by Tom Hamlin - MMAWeekly.com HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – For the first time in nearly seven years, Mark "The Smashing Machine" Kerr had his hand raised in victory. He won on Wednesday night at the World Cagefighting Organization’s event in Hollywood, Calif. As everyone who's followed his career knows, it wasn't easy getting there. After demolishing fellow heavyweight Stephen Gavin en route to a keylock victory, Kerr spoke of the baby steps he was taking to get back into the fight game. "I wanted to play it out for another year and a half," he said. "I don't think in my wildest ideas that the (Ultimate Fighting Championship) is looking for a 39-year-old guy that used to be really good. They want a 39-year-old guy who is really good. Unless I can achieve some kind of level that I was before, there's no way in the world they're going to come knocking on my door. "This is step one. Step two is to get an upgrade in opponent and see if I can get back into that really good feeling of how I feel about myself when I get in the ring. I think if I'm able to do that there will be more opportunities." To take his first baby step, Kerr had to endure a battery of pokes and prods to get licensed by the California State Athletic Commission. His age, combined with his recent failure to pass a physical in August's Global Fighting Championship debacle, contributed to the CSAC's stringency. After a neurological test, extensive physical, extensive blood work, and a stress EKG – a test he claims no other fighter has endured – Kerr was ready to step in the cage. The tests set him back in the neighborhood of $4,000. He plans to fight for the WCO again in December, taking on a commentating role in addition to fighting. "It's relief," he said of finally getting back on the winning track. "Sometimes you forget how to get past mental blocks and you find your self stuck in a rut. So it was a big relief." In other card action, late replacement Ruben “Warpath” Villareal stepped in and was promptly bowled over by Jimmy Ambriz. Ambriz wasted no time in slamming Villareal to the ground, abusing him with right hands from knee-on-belly position. Villareal offered little offense and even less defense; holding his arms skyward until the referee called a stop to it. Carmello Marrero jumped back into the game as a heavyweight after dropping fights to Gabriel Gonzaga and Wilson Gouveia in the UFC. Following an initial stutter in transitioning from clinch to the mat, he took advantage of opponent Rafael del Real's closed guard, firing down a series of elbows that caused an eye injury. Upon the ringside doctor's exam, the fight was called before the second round. WCO/Xcess Fighting Full Results: –Jimmy Ambriz def. Ruben Villareal by TKO (Strikes) at 1:19, R1 –Mark Kerr def. Stephen Gavin by Submission (Keylock) at 1:39, R1 –Marcus Gaines def. Mavrick Harvey by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 1:07, R1 –Scott Epstein def. Sergio Quinoles by Submission (Triangle Choke) at 4:36, R2 –Carmello Marrero def. Rafael del Real by TKO (Eye Injury) at 5:00, R1 –Fabio Costa def. Paul Karsky by TKO (Doctor Stoppage) at 1:14, R1 –Jason Georgianna def. Todd Guimond by Unanimous Decision, R3 –Georgi Karakhanyan def. Hildred Oliney by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:39, R1 –David Mejia def. Greg White by TKO (Strikes) at 2:30, R2 –Adam Lehman def. Daniel McWilliams by TKO (Strikes) at 0:34, R2 –Jeff Willingham def. Bobby Sanchez by Submission (Triangle Choke) at 2:32, R1 |
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M-1 Global debut: Fedor versus Pedro Rizzo? Fedor Emelianenko, the famed Russian fighter who is seriously challenging the old adage that no man is an island, still does not have a date for his first fight under M-1 Global. But does he have an opponent? Our buddy Brent Brookhouse is passing word from Tatame.com that Pedro “The Rock” Rizzo is in fact preparing for a bout with the former PRIDE heavyweight champion but that the negotiating is still in its infancy. The Heavy Champion of the Art of War, Pedro Rizzo, who traveled yesterday to Netherlands to help his friend Peter Aerts in the preparation for the K-1 GP final, also has the aim of sharpening his exchanges for a possible fight against the Russian Fedor Emilianenko. “Actually, we received a proposal, but we can´t say from whom. Now it´s too early to speak”, said Jorge Guimarães (Joinha) Rizzo´s manager.Rizzo may not have much left in terms of star power, but his knockout power and TKO victory over Jeff Monson at Art of War 3 actually puts him ahead of Monson from a competitive standpoint. While Fedor had hoped to fight on New Year’s Eve, that date was quickly dismissed by M-1 President Monte Cox as being too restrictive. Hopefully M-1 Global can get something on paper soon as Fedor’s star is starting to fade. No one can question what he’s accomplished in this sport but you can’t build a company of the future on memories of the past. The clock is ticking. |
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Originally Posted by ReproMan
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Originally Posted by BoneCrusher
So this is like aaaaaaaaaaaaa kinda almost fight. Like MMA lite sorta. He maybe M-1 can buy up Sapp too. I'm sure he's lounging around somewhere ... he'd be a good match-up. Sapp can use "Myaheee myahaaa myahaha" as his walk out song. Ello.
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Will the real Kimbo Slice please stand up? Before there was such a thing as UFC, and knowledge of what constituted real fighting with techniques from every fighting sport legal, people had their fantasy about the big streetfighter who wasn’t trained in the gym who was the toughest guy in town. The role is as old as the fame of the pro wrestler Dick the Bruiser in the 50s, and maybe goes back to the pioneer heavyweight boxer, John L. Sullivan. In the modern MMA era, the first guy in the U.S. who fit the bill was David “Tank” Abbott. In the early days of UFC, even though Abbott never got so much as one win in his career over a top-level fighter, he made himself a lucrative career in the sport and was one of the most popular and most talked about fighters in the UFC’s early years. Whether true or not, people bought into the idea that Abbott was this guy who would rather fight than do anything else, and would come off the bar stool and get into the cage and fight anyone at any time. Even today, Abbott has this unique charisma, because people think back to the early UFC’s and remember his spectacular knockouts, even though most of them were a generation ago against fighters with skill levels that the only way they’d be at a UFC show today is if they purchased a ticket. But Abbott has past 40, and his record over the past nine years is 1-7. But nobody, until now, had quite replaced him in the role of the unrefined streetfighter. In underground circles, the rise of Youtube created the heir apparent. Kevin Ferguson aka Kimbo Slice, was a myth created in brutal bare knuckle street fight videos in South Florida where he’d aggressively pound on non-fighters with cameras filming. His brutality garnered him a cult following, and even people who should have known better, started surmising he’d walk into mixed martial arts and clean house. His first street fight style match against a professional fighter, Sean Gannon, a Boston police officer, became the stuff of Internet legend. The truth was that Gannon, hardly an MMA name, went to South Florida, fought under Kimbo’s rules, which was basically nothing but stand-up bare knuckle and completely unsanctioned boxing, until it would end up with a brutal 30-count knockdown. Gannon knocked him down a few times and finally knocked him out. Nevertheless, Gannon’s face looked bad when it was over. Like fans would do with Abbott’s quick one-sided losses, somehow there are people who gravitate toward this fantasy of a street fighter, and rationalized that what they saw didn’t happen, or didn’t count. Gannon weakened Kimbo with a standing guillotine, and it was supposed to be boxing. Gannon only won because Kimbo gassed first. Gannon’s face was a mountain of bruises so even though he won via knockout, he really lost. There are always explanations to cling onto when your fantasies about fighting are at stake, and the big bad thug who can whip anyone on the street facing an out-of-shape looking police officer who is a low level MMA fighter and being put down for 30 isn’t what a lot of people wanted to see or believe. Gannon actually got a shot in the UFC, but didn’t even look competitive with Brandon Lee Hinkle. Kimbo’s legend continued to grow anyway, and he has his own rationale for the loss, saying that he should have brought a bigger posse to the event, because Gannon got away with using a guillotine on him to take away his air. He said the Kimbo of today would destroy the Kimbo who fought that night, and that Gannon could not last a round with him now. On Saturday night, this very different Kimbo makes his official fighting debut with Elite XC on a live Showtime card at the American Bank Center Arena in Corpus Christi, Tex. On a show that features proven quality fighters like Nick Diaz, Jake Shields and one of the best super heavyweights around in 295-pound Antonio “Big Foot” Silva, it is Kimbo who is getting almost all the attention. Kimbo faces journeyman Bo Cantrell (10-10) in the semifinal of the show, headlined by a five-round match to create the first Elite XC lightweight championship with Diaz facing K.J. Noons. In Elite XC, lightweight is a 160 pound weight class as opposed to 155 in most MMA organizations. “My son Jared told me there’s a guy on youtube that I had to see,” said Elite XC president Gary Shaw, who said in the video he saw someone that reminded him of an unrefined young Tyson, saying he was impressed with his killer instinct and head movement. “I was looking at him for boxing, but I later heard he was going to MMA.“ Shaw said he showed his boxing people the tape, and instead of blowing it off like he’s some wannabe with no fighting skill, they were as impressed as he was. Kimbo does have one sanctioned encounter at an arena as opposed to a backyard, under his belt, as he took down and used a guillotine submission on 46-year-old former heavyweight boxing champion Ray Mercer in what was billed as an exhibition match on June 23 in Atlantic City. Slice was training for another Atlantic City fight with the aforementioned Abbott a few weeks ago, when the promoter canceled the show after a sponsor backed out at the last minute. Several promotions tried to get the match, but Abbott decided against doing it at this time. “As soon as that fight fell apart, I put my guy on a plane and told him, ‘Don’t come back until you have him signed on a contract,”‘ said Shaw. For a guy with no fights, and who is starting out at the age of either 31 or 33, depending on what you believe, Shaw claimed he has a guy with potential to be a heavyweight champion in boxing or MMA, feeling Kimbo has natural physical skills and fighting instincts. His trainers say he’s got a tremendous work ethic in the gym, and has been a quick learner. Shaw does admit his age starting out is a question mark. But he also notes he doesn’t have the physical wear-and-tear on his body that most fighters would have at the same age. With a fierce scowl, a shaved head, big beard and a muscular physique, expected to be 230 to 240 pounds, he’s got the visual. And he’s had nearly a year of training under Bas Rutten in Thousand Oaks, Calif., learning every aspect of the game. “The main thing I’ve learned is there’s a big difference between street fighting and this,” Slice said. “When I was a street fighter, I’d wake up and have a fight and I’m done. Now there’s more preparation. The guys I’m fighting are professionals. I wasn’t a professional MMA fighter. Before I was a street thug.“ “I am not intimidated at all,” said Cantrell. “This is not my first rodeo. This is more than a fight; it’s like a title fight. Kimbo is getting a lot of attention so a victory would obviously be great for me. I am just coming out to do my job. There is no pressure on me whatsoever. Let’s see how he deals with the pressure and against someone who can get off first. I am ready to welcome Kimbo in the world of MMA.“ While Kimbo said he said he may have been hungrier as a fighter in his days fighting under crude conditions, he compared his former skill level to a handy man who came to work with nothing but a hammer, and now he’s a guy who comes to work with a full box of tools. There are actually two big questions here. The obvious one is after a year of training, does he have potential as a fighter? And while he clearly has potential as a character on the Internet, will that translate to the larger television viewing audience? No Internet creation has yet to prove to be able to draw appreciable money in a fighting sport. There’s always a first time, but the Mercer fight bombed on pay-per-view. People within the fighting world have clearly up to this point overestimated his real fame, but that doesn’t mean that if he can fight, particularly if he has a highlight reel finish, that he can’t be marketable. Tank Abbott is living proof of that, and there is a wide open spot in MMA for a fan base waiting for the fantasy of the mean man on the streets who walks into the cage and overpowers the trained fighters. Even if it’s largely a myth. Shaw said about 4,000 tickets have been sold for Saturday’s card, headlined by Diaz (15-6) vs. Noons (4-1), in what will likely be a stand-up battle. Diaz’s main claim to fame is a Feb. 24 win over Pride lightweight champion Takanori Gomi in Las Vegas, Nev., which was later overturned and ruled a no contest because Diaz tested positive for marijuana and was suspended. Diaz has great BJJ skills, but prefers to use his reach and boxing. That would suit Noons just fine, since he’s a professional boxer, coming off a July 27 knockout win over Edson Berto. Jake Shields (19-4-1), a former college wrestler who adapted his skills strongly to BJJ, faces Mike Pyle (14-4-1) in a welterweight match that is expected to be a battle on the ground. The other televised matches have middleweights Kyle Noke (13-3-1) of Queensland, Australia, vs. Dr. Seth Kleinbeck (8-3), the former of whom was once a bodyguard for the late “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin; and Antonio Silva (8-1) vs. Jonathan Wiezorek (11-1). Silva is known for fast hands, a good ground game and remarkable speed for someone near 300 pounds. |
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Originally Posted by BoneCrusher
And the votes are in ... Nick Diaz is still a bitch.
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