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| Joe Rogan out, Kenny Florian in at UFC 83 Posted: 05 Apr 2008 08:21 AM CDT Kenny Florian — not Joe Rogan — will be the color commentator alongside Mike Goldberg at UFC 83: “Serra vs. St. Pierre 2″ at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, on April 19. Speculation has swirled for the past two weeks that Rogan would be absent from the broadcast booth and MMAWeekly.com was finally able to confirm it. He apparently has commitments that supersede the historical first foray of the promotion into Canada. Here’s a snip from “Ken Flo:”
Florian recently defeated Joe Lauzon via technical knockout at UFC Fight Night 13 at the Broomfield Event Center in Broomfield, Colo., on April 2. Let’s see how he does on the other side of the fence — he’s got some big shoes to fill. Rogan is the man … I don’t care what anyone says. |
| UFC 86: Melvin Guillard vs. Dennis Siver Posted: 05 Apr 2008 02:43 AM CDT
"The Young Assassin" was granted a temporary release from the UFC, which he detailed in a colorful diatribe right here, after he lost to hated rival Rich Clementi via submission (rear naked choke) at UFC 79: "Nemesis" back in December 2007. It was the second straight defeat for the Louisianna native and the first since returning from a nine-month drug suspension (cocaine) after his loss to Joe Stevenson at UFC Fight Night 9 in April 2007. Guillard got back to his winning ways after taking a unanimous decision win over Eric Regan at Rage in the Cage last month. Apparently that victory was sufficient enough for him to rejoin the ranks of the lightweight division — a division that he may find himself near the bottom of thanks to an absolute plethora of talented fighters. If fans and critics are going to take him seriously, he needs to make a statement against Dennis Siver. That may be easier said than done. Despite being outpointed by Gray Maynard back at Fight Night 12 and having an overall record of 1-2 in the UFC, Siver hasn’t been knocked out in sixteen fights (Guillard’s strength) and more than half of his wins have come by submission (Guillard’s weakness). This may be Guillard’s last chance at success in the UFC. Let’s hope the time away from the Octagon has helped him get his priorities in order. For more details on UFC 86 and its developing fight card click here. |
| MMA Quick Quote: Jake Shields vs. Drew Fickett EliteXC fight rescheduled for June 14 Posted: 04 Apr 2008 03:40 PM CDT
– EliteXC welterweight contender Jake Shields — one of the best 170-pound fighters on the planet — shares his thoughts via his MySpace on withdrawing from the vacant title fight with Drew Fickett last Saturday. Fickett went on to beat the replacement — Jae Suk Lim — in pretty dominating fashion. Afterwards, Shields was called to the ring and it was announced that the two would finally get it on for the belt June 14 in Honolulu, Hawaii, at the Blaisdell Arena. EliteXC Lightweight Champion KJ Noons is also set to defend his EliteXC lightweight belt against Yves Edwards that night. |
| MMA trading cards: Donruss Ring Kings coming soon Posted: 04 Apr 2008 03:21 PM CDT
Props: FightNetwork.com Quoteworthy:
Please note that the trading card above is not real … just having some Photoshop fun. Expect Donruss to make the real jammies available this summer. |
| Dan Henderson autograph session this weekend in Costa Mesa, Calif. Posted: 04 Apr 2008 03:04 PM CDT |
| DREAM.2: Gesias Calvancante vs. Shinya Aoki II Posted: 04 Apr 2008 11:24 AM CDT
At the opening round of the DREAM Lightweight Grand Prix on March 15, the much anticipated match-up between Calvancante and Aoki was stopped after Aoki suffered accidental - albeit illegal - blows to the back of the head and neck and was unable to continue. The bout was ruled a “no contest” and Calvancante and Aoki are set to rematch at DREAM.2 on April 29. The victor had better plan on an early stoppage since they’ll only have two weeks to recover for the next round at DREAM.3 on May 11 at the Saitama Super Arena. Waiting for them will be Olympic silver medalist and K-1 veteran Katsuhiko Nagata (4-2). Nagata advanced to the second round by defeating Russia’s Artur Oumakhanov via unanimous decision. For a look at the Calvancante/Aoki stoppage check out the video below: DREAM.2 will also mark the beginning of the 2008 Middleweight Grand Prix. For a look at the event and a pretty solid fight card that includes fan favorites Denis Kang (29-9-1) and Kazushi Sakuraba (23-10-1) click here. DREAM officials also announced the second round matches for the Lightweight Grand Prix at DREAM.3 on May 11:
Between DREAM, the UFC, World Victory Road and EliteXC/Strikeforce it’s going to be an amazing and action-packed year of mixed martial arts. What a great time to be an MMA fan. |
| UFC 86 tickets sale for Jackson vs. Griffin Las Vegas event Posted: 04 Apr 2008 11:08 AM CDT
The 205-pound showdown between The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 7 coaches, UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Forrest Griffin, is slated to headline the pay-per-view (PPV) event. Here are all the particulars:
UFC 86 tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster.com or StubHub.com (Note: StubHub often has seats available even if the event is "sold out.") Frank Mir — fresh off his massive win (literally) over Brock Lesnar at UFC 81: "Breaking Point" — is expected to return against Justin McCully in a heavyweight showdown. Welterweights Josh Koscheck and Chris Lytle are also expected to lock horns during the main card broadcast. This fight card is still developing; therefore, there's room to add some more great fights — stay tuned for more details. In the meantime, check out the latest rumored UFC 86 line up right here. |
| Report: Roger Huerta to return in August at UFC 87 Posted: 04 Apr 2008 10:33 AM CDT
An opponent has not been specified. Huerta last competed at UFC’s Ultimate Finale 6 in December 2007 where he planished the resilient Clay Guida in an epic battle for lightweight supremacy. Following the fight an exhausted Huerta announced a break from mixed martial arts after competing five times in 2007. His goal during the hiatus was to finish college and participate in outside endeavors like filming for the new Tekken movie (based on the popular video game). Restless fans have been calling for his return — now more than ever — after Kenny “KenFlo” Florian (9-3) dispatched of Joe “J-Lau” Lauzon (16-4) at last Wednesday’s Ultimate Fight Night 13. It was in fact Florian who pitched the idea at the post-Fight Night press conference indicating that a match with Huerta would be a “blockbuster.” It could also be a match that determines the #1 contender for the UFC lightweight championship. Whether or not Florian’s victory helped expedite Huerta’s return or if the timing is coincidental (because the show will be held in Minnesota) remains to be seen. As of now, it’s still just speculation. Stay tuned. |
| UFC Quick Quote: Pete Sell considers drop to welterweight Posted: 04 Apr 2008 10:29 AM CDT
– Contestant on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 4 and long-time UFC middleweight fighter, Pete Sell, tells FightTicker.com that he is mulling a move down to the welterweight class. “Drago” is on a four-fight losing streak inside the Octagon since his upset of Phil Baroni at UFC 51: “Super Saturday” back in 2005. During that span he was involved in one of the most memorable finishes in the history of the promotion, losing to Scott Smith via Hail Mary knockout at the TUF 4 Finale in November 2006. The move would hopefully help the Matt Serra protege get back on track — Sell is a good guy. |
| ShoXC Elite Challenger Series back on Showtime Saturday night Posted: 04 Apr 2008 10:14 AM CDT
UPDATE: Please note that Bao Quach has replaced Wilson Reis. Tomorrow night is no different. EliteXC will stage its latest ShoXC Challenger event on Saturday, April 5, on the Showtime premium cable channel at 11:30 p.m. ET from the Table Mountain Casino in Friant, Calif. It’s the fifth show in 29 days for Pro Elite, which is the parent company of EliteXC. For a little refresher: March 8 (London, Cage Rage), March 15 (Honolulu, Icon Sport), March 21 (Santa Ynez., Calif. ShoXC), and March 29 (San Jose, Calif., Strikeforce) have all been successful quality events for EliteXC Live Events President, Gary Shaw, and Pro Elite. Here’s a quote from Shaw himself:
It looks like the Pro Elite team has put together another solid show for us this weekend. Read a little bit about the featured bouts of the evening and get some predictions after the jump. Jared Hamman (9-0) vs. Poai Suganuma (8-1) — (205-pound main event) Hamman is one hell of a prospect for EliteXC. No fighter has even been able to take him past the second round. In his nine career wins, seven of them have been by technical knockout and two via submission. In his last two fights Hamman has scored huge victories over two quality opponents. In July of last year at an IFC show he knocked out a very tough and experienced Travis Wiuff (49-11), and in October slapped a rear naked choke on the then undefeated and Tito Ortiz-trained Aaron Rosa. He has stepped up the competition level in his last two fights and continues that trend against the 26-year-old Hawaiian, Poai Suganuma. Suganuma’s lone loss is from a cut he sustained at a Pancrase show back in 2006. Since then he’s reeled off three straight wins against some less than stellar competition. He has shown he has a nice all around game with three technical knockouts and three submissions to his credit; however, none of those fights have been against the caliber of a fighter like Hamman. This fight is a big step up for Suganuma and a real opportunity to prove he can beat a quality opponent. I think Hamman will continue his undefeated streak in this fight. He’s clearly fought the tougher fights out of the two and still has yet to be truly tested. Prediction: Hamman wins this one in the second round with a technical knockout of some sort. Joe Camacho (10-11-3) vs. Fabricio Camoes (7-4) — (160-pound limit) Camacho is a King of the Cage veteran and while his record doesn’t say much, he is actually a solid fighter. Some of his losses are to guys like Joe Stevenson (twice), Roger Huerta and Wander Braga, which is nothing to be ashamed of. Camoes has won four fights in a row and three of those via submission. He has looked sharp as of late and will look to extend that good fortune in what will be his EliteXC debut. Camoes is a naturally bigger guy and is fighting with more confidence right now. I think his size advantage will allow him to wear down Camacho and pull off a sub sometime in this fight. Prediction: Camoes round two submission (rear naked choke) Matt Lucas (9-0) vs. Giva Santana (10-0) — (185-pound limit) The battle of the unbeatens showcases two fighters who have both fought for EliteXC before and have earned there way on to the main card of a Showtime telecast. Santana is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu submission expert and Lucas can beat you with his hands and his submissions. This fight could be the show stealer. Prediction: Santana via split decision Also on the main card will be Wilson Reis (3-0) of Philadelphia vs. Doug Evans (5-2) of Anchorage, Alaska, at 140 pounds, as well as talented Shayna “The Queen Of Spades'’ Baszler of Sioux Falls, S.D., taking on Japan’s Keiko Tamai (16-14) at 140 pounds. The main card fights will all be three five-minute rounds. These rest of the under card, which will be three three-minute rounds, include:
It should be entertaining MMA action once again. Check it out if you have the time. |
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