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| UFC 86 video: Patrick Cote on long road to Ricardo Almeida fight Posted: 24 Jun 2008 08:29 AM CDT |
| Phil Baroni to welterweight ‘to be a world champion’ Posted: 24 Jun 2008 08:01 AM CDT
It’s a 15-pound decision that he hopes will help him become a world champion in the near future. Here are his exact thoughts:
Baroni — who has heavy hands and “one punch knockout power” — would certainly be a dangerous opponent for anyone at 170 pounds. The former bodybuilder, however, has often been criticized for his lack of dedication in the gym before fights, which would also have to change if he plans on having any success regardless of weight class. And “The New York Badass” will waste no time in testing the welterweight waters. He’s been signed to fight on the July 12 Cage Rage 27: “Step Up” card against an unknown opponent. Cage Rage promoter Dave O’Donnell had this to say about Baroni in a recent MMAWeekly.com interview:
Baroni is 10-10 in his professional mixed martial arts career — essentially a clean slate. Perhaps the timing for a change could not be better. Time will tell. |
| UFC 89: Birmingham, England, the likely destination on October 18 Posted: 23 Jun 2008 10:33 PM CDT
It will be the fifth major event to be staged there in 18 months; however, the show will likely take place for the first time ever in Birmingham at the National Indoor Arena (NIA). The venue can hold about 4,500 mixed martial arts fans, which seems a bit too intimate for this type of show and it could change to a larger venue such as the NEC Arena. Prior to his fight at UFC 85: “Bedlam” earlier this month, Michael Bisping hinted that he would likely participate on the card. And while there is no official confirmation it would make sense that he take on Chris Leben — the two were supposed to meet at the O2 Arena in a middleweight showdown before the bout was scrapped. The report indicates that highly touted British welterweight prospect, Dan Hardy, is also expected to make his Octagon debut at UFC 89 against a yet to be named opponent. England in particular and Europe in general is clearly a top priority for the promotion even though officials often admit that the events come at a financial loss. However, if the UFC can win over more fans — and it appears to be doing that — another report today indicates that a massive show in an outdoor soccer stadium is possible in the near future. Here’s a snip from United Kingdom UFC President Martin Zelaznik via UK.EuroSport.com:
Indeed, the prospect of a major UFC show from historic Wembley Stadium, for example, would be downright insane. Stay tuned for more details, updates and fight announcements regarding UFC 89. |
| Nick Diaz and KJ Noons will not fight on July 26 Posted: 23 Jun 2008 09:28 PM CDT
The match up appeared to be all but guaranteed — Noons and Diaz were involved in a post-fight tussle at the “Return of the King” show earlier this month after Noons defended his 160-pound title against Yves Edwards. Diaz was invited in to the ring to discuss a rematch with Noons and the entire situation descended into chaos rather quickly. Noons defeated Diaz via technical knockout (cuts) at Elite XC: “Renegade” back in November 2007. It was a decision that did not sit well with the volatile Diaz and the smack talk has escalated ever since. Recent speculation has the July 26 CBS show headed for Stockton, Calif., which is where Diaz calls home. He’ll likely still compete on the card, considering it’s possibly in his backyard and his scheduled fight against Hayuto “Mach” Sakurai for the Dream welterweight title fight on July 21 (just five days prior to “Saturday Night Fights”) was recently scrapped because of contractual obligations with Pro Elite (the Elite XC parent company). Stay tuned for more details on this developing story. |
| Jake Shields vs Nick Thompson Elite XC title fight set for July 26 on CBS Posted: 23 Jun 2008 08:06 PM CDT
At this point, Shields has to be thrilled just to be finally fighting for this 170-pound belt regardless of the opponent. And “The Goat” just so happens to be a serious competitor. Two previously scheduled fights between Shields and Drew Fickett were scrapped earlier this year because of injuries sustained to both fighters in training. It was believed Fickett would still get the opportunity to fight for the inaugural championship, but in a bizarre turn of events, he pulled a Houdini act with Elite XC officials after fighting without the promotion’s knowledge on a small show in Arizona. In steps Nick Thompson. “The Goat” is no step down in competition for Shields. In fact, the former Bodog champion has an insane amount of fights to his credit and has only been competing for a little more than five years. It’s fitting the announcement for the biggest fight to date for the young, talented and experienced fighter would come today on his 27th birthday. He is currently riding a 12 fight win streak and remains the only man to defeat fast rising star Eddie Alvarez. it came with a second round knockout last April to earn the Bodog welterweight crown. Shields is a name that is quickly becoming one of the more recognized in the business. After defeating Dave Menne in January of 2006, he went out three months later to beat Yushin Okami and Carlos Condit in the same night to win a Rumble on the Rock eight-man grand prix tournament. Needless to say, Shields opened up a lot of eyes and the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Cesar Gracie is on everybody’s top 10 welterweight list. He’s on a nine fight winning streak of his own, including three straight wins under the Elite XC banner. He is one of the brightest stars Elite XC has on its roster and he was a shoe in for their first welterweight title fight. “Unfinished Business” is on it’s way to becoming a great night of fights with two title fights confirmed and two more rumored to be taking place on the CBS card. A venue for the event has not been confirmed as of yet, but the rumor mill has been spinning, naming Stockton, Calif., as the leading candidate |
| EliteXC DVD ‘Shamrock vs. Baroni’ Posted: 23 Jun 2008 05:09 PM CDT
Also featured: To crown the first ever EliteXC Middleweight Champion, Chute Boxe star Murilo “Ninja” Rua goes head to head with top ranked “Smokin” Joey Villasenor, San Jose star Cung Le vs. UFC veteran Tony “The Freak” Fryklund, dynamic lightweight Josh “The Punk” Thompson vs. Nick Gonzales, and a match of top heavyweights as Paul “The Headhunter” Buentello takes on striker Carter Williams. Let the battle begin! FIGHT CARD: BONUS FIGHTS (Not seen on TV): Running Time: 195 minutes EliteXC ‘Shamrock vs. Baroni’ is now available for purchase in our DVD store for $19.99 by clicking here. To check out our massive library of MMA DVD titles, including PRIDE DVD and UFC DVD click here. We also have Elite XC, WEC, Cage Rage, IFL, King of the Cage and other products for sale in our store. Looking for a title but don't see it in our store? Email us and we'll be happy to check its availability. Please keep in mind that we are only able to ship within the continental United States at this time. |
| Dustin Hazelett vs Josh Burkman Ultimate Fighter 7 fight (Video) Posted: 23 Jun 2008 02:39 PM CDT
Props: UFC.com In a rare move, the “Fight of the Night” at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 7 Finale between Dustin Hazelett and Josh Burkman is available to watch for FREE over on UFC.com. Check it out when you can … “McLovin” has got some nifty tricks up his sleeve and he seems to get better with each fight. What a fantastic finish. |
| Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale fighter paydays and salaries Posted: 23 Jun 2008 01:58 PM CDT
The original TUF winner, Diego Sanchez, was the top earner of the evening, raking in $70,000 for his hard-fought three round battle against Luigi Fioravanti. Spencer Fisher and TUF 3 winner, Kendall Grove, also earned more than $30,000 each for their performances. Here are all TUF 7 Finale payouts: Kendall Grove — $32,000 ($16,000 to show, $16,000 to win) Amir Sadollah — $16,000 Diego Sanchez— $70,000 ($35,000 to show, $35,000 to win) Spencer Fisher — $36,000 ($18,000 to show, $18,000 to win) Matthew Riddle — $16,000 ($8,000 to show, $8,000 to win) Dustin Hazelett — $24,000 ($12,000 to show, $12,000 to win) Drew McFedries — $26,000 ($13,000 to show, $13,000 to win) Matt Brown — $16,000 ($8,000 to show, $8,000 to win) Dean Lister — $28,000 ($14,000 to show, $14,000 to win) Rob Kimmons — $6,000 ($3,000 to show, $3,000 to win) *Note that Tim Credeur and Cale Yarbrough each received their $8,000 show purses even though the fight was cancelled at the last minute, according to NSAC Executive Director, Keith Kizer. For more on that fiasco click here. Keep in mind the salaries listed above do not include fight bonuses, sponsorships, percentages and other unofficial payments. It also does not include deductions for expenses such as insurance, taxes, etc. For example, the UFC often hands out extra cash for "Fight of the Night," "Knockout of the Night" and "Submission of the Night." To check out these figures for TUF 7 Finale go here. The total base fighter payroll for TUF 7 Finale was $402,000. For complete results and coverage of the fight night special that aired on Spike TV over the weekend click here. |
| Cain Velasquez vs Jake O’Brien UFC Fight Night 14 fight official Posted: 23 Jun 2008 01:14 PM CDT
Over the weekend, the heavyweight showdown between Cain Velesquez (3-0) and jake O’Brien (10-1) was made official for Ultimate Fight Night 14 at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 19. It’s a match up that pairs two young and decorated former collegiate wrestlers — Velasquez was an All-American at Arizona State University and O’Brien racked up a solid career while on the Purdue University squad for two years. Velasquez lived up to the lofty expectations in his Octagon debut, overwhelming Brad Morris at UFC 83: “Serra vs. St. Pierre 2″ en route to a first round technical knockout. The American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) stand out is regarded as a raw blue chip prospect who has adapted well to mixed martial arts and could one day challenge for a division title. O'Brien was actually among several fighters cut from their contracts when the promotion was out to trim its roster. In hindsight, it was perhaps to soon because O’Brien had just one loss in four attempts inside the Octagon. And that was a defeat to former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski at UFC 82: “Pride of a Champion” back in March. He holds notable wins over Heath Herring, Josh Shockman and Kristof Midoux while under contract with promotion. This could be a tough fight for O’Brien who has traditionally relied on his athleticism and strong wrestling skills to defeat his opponents. That’s because Velasquez more than likely is the better wrestler and is just as — if not more than — athletic in this pairing. UFC Fight Night 14 features the light heavyweight debut of UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva against James Irvin in the main event of the Spike TV special presentation. To check out the most recent fight card click here. |
| UFC Quick Quote: CB Dollaway ‘didnt fully commit to the tap’ Posted: 23 Jun 2008 12:03 PM CDT
– CB Dollaway tells MMAWeekly.com that he tapped but he didn’t really tap during his fight with Amir Sadollah for The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 7 middleweight crown. There was some controversy in the wake of the tussle that referee Herb Dean perhaps blew the call. However, it seems that Dollaway began to tap and then had second thoughts while in the armbar. Therefore, it’s difficult to blame Dean — seeing the movement — for an early stoppage — he had no choice but to waive off the bout. |
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