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| Chris Leben: ‘Okami or Bisping would be a fun fight’ Posted: 10 Apr 2008 09:00 AM CDT
Quoteworthy:
Chris Leben shares some ideas about who he would like to take on next in the 185-pound division with the hopes that he can reel of some more wins and get another crack at UFC Middleweight Champion, Anderson Silva. “The Crippler” is on a two fight win streak, recovering from a skid in which he lost three of four bouts, including one losing contest against “The Spider” in 2006. (Thanks to MMAmania.com contributor “Mr. NC-17″ for the assist.) |
| Ultimate Fighter 7 ‘brutal’ knockout of Dan Simmler Posted: 10 Apr 2008 08:49 AM CDT
– UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and coach on this season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 7, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, comments on the brutal knockout of Dan Simmler in episode two of the mixed martial arts reality series. The video above captures the fuzzy aftermath of the carnage. Simmler made a full recovery … just probably had a real bad headache in addition to a sore jaw. Ouch. |
| Mirko Cro Cop: ‘My motivation is very high, I’ve never been so motivated!’ Posted: 09 Apr 2008 09:09 PM CDT
He answered a ton of questions, including his plan to compete twice more under the DREAM banner and return to the Octagon to avenge losses to Gabriel Gonzaga and Cheick Kongo. In addition, the Croatian is set on rematching Fedor Emelianenko on New Year’s Eve — regardless of the promotion. Cro Cop also shared his “positive” thoughts on the creepy Jean Claude Van Damme, his Indiana Jones complex (he hates snakes), his favorite movie (”HEAT”), as well as dares a chat participant who calls him a “pussy” to “come and say that in front of” him. Good stuff … check it when you can. |
| Ultimate Fighter 7: Episode 2 recap and discussion Posted: 09 Apr 2008 07:30 PM CDT
Episode two of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 7 is underway and tonight's episode begins where last week’s left off: With a boatload of beatdowns. Dana, Rampage and Forrest will evaluate the remaining 16 fighters and so far Rampage’s method of evaluation is to flip through the fighter profiles and remark “There are some ugly-ass guys here.” Middleweight Elimination Fight #9: Dan Simmler (1-0) vs. Matthew Riddle (1-0) Simmler comes from Serra’s camp and admits his stand-up is limited at best. Apparently so is his personal grooming as Simmler rolls with a Leonidas-style beard that prompts a Gerard Butler comparison from Rampage. Riddle declares that he’s not a pussy and considers TUF 7 the Olympics of fighting. Round 1: High kick by Riddle who then clinches and throws a knee. Riddle drops down and flips Simmler to the mat. Simmler escapes and Riddle lands a front kick. Low kick by Riddle. Simmler goes for a flying armbar and lands on his ass. They clinch and fall into the cage. Both guys look winded but Riddle is smiling and throwing upward knees. More cage resting and Simmler lands a knee of his own. Riddle ducks a shoot. In the tradition of Coach Serra and Coach Penn, Simmler’s cornerman is shouting “Good job! Good job!” ad nauseam. Simmler looking for a single leg and gets dropped on his back. Simmler busy from the bottom but Riddle escapes and goes for an illegal stomp. Referee Herb Dean doesn’t even bat an eyelash. The round ends with Riddle on top doing minor damage. Round 2: Simmler walks straight into a brutal right and folds up like an aluminum beach chair. He hits the mat with a sickening thud and takes a few more shots from Riddle until Herb Dean can save him. Matthew Riddle defeats Dan Simmler via knockout. Riddle celebrates while Simmler begins moaning like a wounded animal causing the gym to fall silent. This very uncomfortable moment is followed by Simmler unclear of his surroundings. Rampage calls it the knockout of the century. Simmler takes a ride in the ambulance. Scary stuff. Middleweight Elimination Fight #10: Luke Zachrich (7-1) vs. Patrick Schultz (7-1-1) Zachrich doesn’t like Schultz’s haircut. Fortunately for him he lives in Ohio and not California. Shultz considers TUF the Ivy league of fighting. Olympics? Ivy League? There’s gotta be a teleprompter somewhere in that gym. Round 1: Schultz jabs and Zachrich throws a lazy front kick. Schultz catches it and drops him with a punch. Schultz scrambles to the top and lands a few shots. Zachrich escapes and gets to his feet. They clinch and Shultz takes himself down. Before he can regret it he reverses and escapes. They tie up and Zachrich flips a reversal of his own. Schultz on the bottom is starting to take punishment. Nasty elbows on top force Schultz to give up his back. Zachrich sinks in the rear naked choke and after a shift in positioning Schultz can do nothing but tap. Luke Zachrich defeats Patrick Schultz via submission (rear naked choke) Rampage complains that his assigned cornermen are jinxed since each contestant that gets any advice from them ends up going home. Middleweight Elimination Fight #11: Erik Charles (10-5) vs. Tim Credeur (10-2) Charles lets it be known that he wants to fight everyone in the house because he is one of the fastest guys there - if not THE fastest. Since Simmler predicted a first round triangle and got knocked into next season, I silently fear for the safety of Erik Charles. Round 1: Credeur shoots and they go to the cage. Single leg gets Charles to the mat. Credeur on top and transitions into side control. Credeur spins into a textbook armbar and Charles taps. Charles was right - he was the fastest. Fastest at tapping out. Tim Credeur defeats Erik Charles via submission (armbar) Prior to the remaining televised fights, we get highlights (and lowlights) of four fights that took place during the second wave of the middleweight elimination tournament. Brandon Sene (2-0) defeats Aaron Meisner (2-0) via submission (armbar) During the Cramer/Riggs fight, Riggs landed four illegal upkicks. Rampage asked aloud: “Were those illegal?” Dana responds: “They’re not fighting in PRIDE.” Unfortunately for some fans, neither is anyone else. Middleweight Elimination Fight #15: Nick Rossborough (8-3) vs Jesse Taylor (6-2) Rossborough gets an unflattering comparison to Eminem which of course means we’ll get treated to at least a dozen 8 Mile jokes during the fight. Round 1: Rossborough swings, misses and gets taken down. Taylor smothers him against the cage. Rossborough escapes but Taylor is on him and takes him right back down. Taylor landing elbows and punches. Rossborough in trouble. Rossborough tries to roll out of danger and gets choked out for his efforts. Jesse Taylor defeats Nick Rossborough via submission (rear naked choke) Middleweight Elimination Fight #16: Josh Hall (3-2) vs. Matt Brown (9-6) Brown is very upfront about his approach to the fight: No strategy except kill or die. Hopefully Brown never pursues a career in law enforcement. Round 1: Hall shoots and backs him to the cage. Hall with a knee. Again. Brown returns the favor. Punches start flying. Hall eats a jab and then a low kick. Hall has seen enough and dumps Brown to the mat. Hall with strikes from the top. Brown trying to fight him off. Hall with shoulder strikes. Brown goes for a triangle and Hall gives him half a slam. Rinse and repeat. Brown gets it deeper. Hall rolls him over and forces his way out. Brown gets to his feet first and lands a couple of shots that daze the grounded Hall. Brown pouring it on with seconds to go. Hall gets a warning and can’t recover. Brown finishes him off. Matt Brown defeats Josh Hall via TKO (strikes) Afterwards Dana commends the entire cast for proving him wrong. There were no pussies or posers in this group. The guys who didn’t make it say goodbye and take the walk. We have our 16 contestants. The announcer gets us ready for the remainder of the season by referring to it as a “baptism of blood”. I thought that was the highlight of the night until I see Coach Griffin submit Coach Jackson via flying Spiderman web. Stay tuned next week for more blood, backstabbing and bitchslapping. Ain’t life (as a TUF contestant) grand? See you then! |
| Eddie Alvarez vs. Joachim ‘Hellboy’ Hansen DREAM fight set for May 11 Posted: 09 Apr 2008 06:52 PM CDT
EliteXC allows most of their fighters to compete outside their organization, probably because more exposure can’t be a bad thing for any fighter. So Eddie was shipped overseas to represent the promotion in a tournament that they knew a lot of people would be watching … or at least paying attention to. Alvarez did not disappoint, stopping Andre “Dida” Amade in the first round with strikes. The fight was not only impressive for Eddie because of the level of competition, but he was fighting a long way from home, really on the big stage for the first time in his career, and he dominated. That left five possible candidates for a round two opponent: Tatsuya Kawajiri, Joachim Hansen, Katsuhiko Nagata, Luiz Firmino or Mitsuhiro Ishida. All very good fighters and any one of which would provide a solid fight and test for Alvarez. It was recently announced it would be “Hellboy” Hansen and the fight would take place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, on May 11. Hellboy made his way in the quarterfinals by defeating Kotetsu Boku in a unanimous decision. He’s a six-fight Pride FC veteran and holds wins over Yves Edwards, Caol Uno and Takanori Gomi to name a few. He is considered by a lot of people in the MMA world to be a top 10 lightweight fighter. Alvarez will have his hands full for sure. This is a big step up in competition for him. Plus Hellboy is used to fighting on the big stage in Japan — he’s got a little bit of home court advantage. I’d say Hansen has the advantage on paper because of his experience, but Alvarez is a Philadelphia fighter with a lot of heart. He’s going to Japan to win, regardless of the opponent. This fight is going to be an absolute war. I can’t wait. This is what a tournament like this is all about, two fighters who fight on opposite ends of the globe, in different organizations, who might not have ever fought each other. Kudos to EliteXC for allowing their fighter to compete. It really makes it worth it for the fans. |
| UFC Quick Quote: Josh Burkman to retire … maybe Posted: 09 Apr 2008 03:04 PM CDT
– Josh Burkman jokes (I think) with MMAWeekly.com that he will retire if his upcoming welterweight fight with Dustin Hazelett at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 7 Finale on June 21 goes to a decision. “The People’s Warrior” has had his last five fights go to the judges scorecards and he’s dropped two of them (Mike Swick and Karo Parisyan). He narrowly won a split decision over Forrest Petz during that span. |
| Urijah Faber on Jens Pulver WEC fight in June and more (Video) Posted: 09 Apr 2008 02:42 PM CDT |
| Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson Elite XC fight on CBS confirmed Posted: 09 Apr 2008 02:28 PM CDT It’s official. Kimbo Slice will meet 6′5″ 265-pound British fighter James “The Colossus” Thompson in the main event on May 31 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. on the the mixed martial arts network debut on CBS. NBCSports.com recently confirmed the long-rumored heavyweight showdown. While it doesn’t seem Thompson deserves to be fighting in any main event — let alone the MMA network television debut main event — this is a fight that makes some sense for EliteXC. Obviously, EliteXC Live Events President Gary Shaw and his promotion are trying to milk Kimbo’s star power for all its worth by feeding him guys that will play right into his strength … his knockout power. Thompson fits right into that mold as he’s known for having a suspect chin. He’s been knocked out or stopped due to strikes seven times in his career, most recently in the first round to Brett Rogers at the February 16 EliteXC show in Miami. It’s not Kimbo vs. James Thompson that’s being sold in this main event. It’s Kimbo’s raw punching power vs. Thompson’s weak chin. And I’m buying. Sure, EliteXC could have given Kimbo some stiffer competition in this fight. Ken Shamrock, Antonio Silva, Ricco Rodriguez, heck even Brett Rogers would have been a better fight. But at this point in Kimbo’s career, it’s more important to continue to build the lore that surrounds him, especially for the new fans who EliteXC is hoping CBS brings in, than to test his actual overall MMA abilities. Put simply, he’ll be tested with some tough fights eventually in his career — there’s no reason to rush that. This is, after all, only his third professional fight. I know that way of thinking is a bit hard to swallow for some MMA fans, but EliteXC is a company that is trying to compete with a monster (UFC) and they only way it can do that is to build some stars. And right now its biggest star is Kimbo Slice. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a guaranteed win for Slice. He still has to go in there and take care of business, and the Colossus could provide some problems for him. First of all, he has a significant size advantage over Kimbo. I remember being at the weigh-ins for the February show in Miami and seeing them in person. Kimbo seems like a small heavyweight while Thompson is huge. Also, Thompson trains with Randy Couture — the master of game planning for fights. Don’t think for one second that Randy will have his guy go out there and play right into Kimbo’s hands. He’ll have a gameplan,. One that will probably include a lot of wrestling and clinching. There’s two ways I can see this fight playing out. The first is the most obvious: Kimbo knocks out Thompson early and in highlight reel fashion. Or second: Thompson could come out and look for takedowns and use his size to wear down Kimbo from the top position on the ground. We saw in his fight with Brett Rogers that Thompson went for takedowns early. He wasn’t too successful, but that might have had something to do with Rogers’ size (he’s huge). Thompson shouldn’t have as tough a time taking Slice down, but who knows, we haven’t really seen Kimbo’s takedown defense. Will Kimbo get another highlight KO to put on his resume or will his size finally be tested? I guess we’ll have to wait for May 31 to find out. |
| Gray Maynard broken hand, out 4 to 6 weeks Posted: 09 Apr 2008 10:28 AM CDT
Gray Maynard is on the shelf for four to six weeks because of a broken hand sustained during his lightweight bout against Frank Edgar at UFC Fight Night 13 at the Broomfield Event Center in Broomfield, Colo., on April 2. “The Bully” used a distinct size advantage to dominate the undefeated New Jersey native en route to an impressive unanimous decision win. It’s an achievement that raised the stock significantly for the former contestant on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 5 in the deep 155-pound class. In fact, it’s possible that he will next lock horns with Nate Diaz sometime in 2008. Diaz submitted Maynard in the semifinals of the 16-man tournament, going on to claim the championship with a technical knockout win over Manny Gamburyan in the finals. Both fighters have shined since their stints in the mixed martial arts reality series. Let’s hope Gray gets well soon and we see the rematch. If not, Tyson Griffin has been discussed as possible next opponent for Diaz. Either way … win-win. Both are solid match ups. |
| Randy Couture: Fedor Emelianenko vs. Tim Sylvia to be ‘an interesting fight’ Posted: 09 Apr 2008 10:15 AM CDT
Quoteworthy:
Randy Couture — who resigned as UFC heavyweight champion in late 2007 because of his desire to fight Fedor Emelianenko (and other reasons) — comments for the first time on the potential showdown between the Russian and Tim Sylvia. There appears to be no sour grapes. Couture is mired in a legal quagmire while the UFC granted “The Maine-iac” a release from his contract to pursue other opportunities. It’s important to note that the July fight between Emelianenko and Sylvia has not been signed, according to Vadim Finkelstein. Let the charades begin. |
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