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| Anthony Johnson loses appeal to overturn Kevin Burns loss Posted: 13 Sep 2008 07:29 PM CDT
Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) Executive Director Keith Kizer today confirmed the ruling via email. Here’s the snip:
Video replays of the third round stoppage show that "Rumble" was felled by an unintentional eye poke and not an uppercut. The referee in charge of the action, Steve Mazzagatti, unfortunately did not have the benefit of watching instant replay and called a halt to the 170-pound bout. Johnson eventually had to undergo eye surgery to repair a damaged retina. It’s important to note that Johnson and Mazzagatti crossed paths at a smaller show several weeks after the match and Mazzagatti apologized for the bad call. There’s no word yet on when Johnson will return to action and it’s likely that this loss — while official — will forever have an imaginary asterisk beside it and not do much if anything to affect his current status with the promotion. |
| Affliction/Golden Boy Promotions partner to hold hybrid MMA/boxing events Posted: 13 Sep 2008 02:27 PM CDT
Affliction MMA recently “postponed” its encore pay-per-view (PPV) event “Day of Reckoning” — originally scheduled for October 11 in Las Vegas, Nevada — because the promotion had a big announcement to make tonight about the company’s future. And Vice President Tom Atencio had curious fans buzzing when he revealed that the announcement would be made during the big lightweight professional boxing title fight between Joel Casamayor and Juan Manuel Marquez, which will air on HBO pay-per-view (PPV) live from “Sin City” at 10 p.m. ET. So what’s all the fuss about? Affliction has forged a partnership with Golden Boy Promotions — the monster boxing promotional company led by superstar Oscar De La Hoya — to co-promote future events that will feature mixed martial arts and boxing matches, according to ESPN.com. Here’s a snip:
It’s a relationship that was first discussed before Affliction even staged its first-ever event on July 19; therefore, it doesn’t come as too much of a surprise that Golden Boy Promotions is once again back on the MMA radar. Of course, Affliction also has an existing deal with multimillionaire Donald Trump, meaning that the upstart promotion has added another powerful partner to help it succeed. And the fearsome threesome will get its first crack at the big time when it trots out the biggest star on the roster, WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko, to anchor the MMA portion of the card now set for the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. on January 17. No opponent for Emelianenko is known at this time. This card will not air on HBO, which would have been an industry coup — it is set to air on normal PPV. However, it’s certainly possible that the new format and partnership could likely lead to something down the road. Stay tuned for more details. |
| Finding closure in the loss of Evan Tanner Posted: 13 Sep 2008 12:01 PM CDT
Such is the case with the late Evan Tanner, whose body was discovered on September 8 by Yuma Search and Rescue Marines in the Palo Verde Mountain range. The coroner who responded from El Centro, Calif., reports that Tanner succumbed to heat exhaustion after setting off on sort of a middle-aged Walkabout, where the former UFC middleweight champion spent his final days testing his physical limits and finding his spirituality. Now that the initial shock of his passing has worn off, both fans and media from the world of mixed martial arts are trying to find his rightful place in the annals of UFC history. Recently I came across a public petition to have Tanner posthumously inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. While the argument has merit, it’s hard to take seriously when it’s signed by many of the same people who called Tanner “washed-up” after his recent 0-2 run in the UFC. But that pales in comparison to the abundance of Tanner quotes now making the rounds on the MMA Internet boards. A year ago they were a punchline … now they’re gospel. I admire people who are sincere in their efforts to restore nobility to the memory of a great fighter, but I ask you, where were all these good Samaritans when Tanner was broke, unemployed and suffering from alcoholism? I can’t say for sure, but I do know they are there for him now that he’s passed. In fact, it was a mere 48 hours before his estate was contacted about securing the publishing rights to his life story. Evan Tanner has my respect because he conquered his personal demons with the support of a few loyal fans and little else. From rock bottom, he scratched and clawed his way back onto a major UFC pay-per-view, even if his return to the fight game didn’t go exactly as planned. The point is he returned. It’s not that his skills had declined over the years, it’s that they didn’t continue to evolve. And being paired with Japanese juggernaut Yushin Okami at UFC 82 after a two-year layoff wasn’t exactly the best place to work out the kinks. No matter. His return to action made headlines and for the first time in ages they were because of his accomplishments inside the Octagon and not outside it. True, most of his big fights in the UFC were losses, but his status as a grizzled and talented veteran was able to elevate not just the wins, but the overall presence of his opponents. Kendall Grove may have a second shot at UFC super stardom because he defeated Evan Tanner. Grove enjoyed hype that he may not have otherwise experienced had he instead been paired with someone like Sean Salmon. And how far did Evan Tanner bring Rich Franklin? They had two magnificent battles, with Tanner almost stopping “Ace” with a crushing left at UFC 53. That was Franklin’s coming-out party, where he was able to establish himself as one of the better strikers at 185 and his wins mattered because Evan Tanner mattered. Even David Loiseau wouldn’t have had his crack at Franklin’s title had he not stopped Tanner at Ultimate Fight Night 2. But for me his biggest contribution to the relevance of a current star was his fight against Tito Ortiz at UFC 30 back in 2001. At the time Tanner was a staggering 23-2 and 3-0 in the UFC with 17 submission wins. The up-and-coming Ortiz was coming off back-to-back victories over Wanderlei Silva and Yuki Kondo after giving Frank Shamrock all he could handle at UFC 22. Tanner lost just 32 seconds in, but the hype surrounding the fight and the KO finish solidified Ortiz as a major player in mixed martial arts and gave birth to the Ortiz Era (for better or worse). Evan Tanner may be gone, but his legacy lives on in the success of fighters that he helped create. Whether or not he ever makes it into the UFC Hall of Fame is of little importance. This sport wouldn’t have been the same without his contributions. And he doesn’t need his picture hanging in the corridors of the UFC to prove it. Check out the short and sweet tribute to Evan Tanner at UFC.com after the jump, as well as one from NBCSports.com.
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| UFC Quick Quote: Chuck Liddell knows the importance of being well rounded Posted: 13 Sep 2008 10:40 AM CDT
– The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season one coach Chuck Liddell talked about the well-rounded attributes for which he looked in a fighter when deciding the then hopefuls he wanted on his team. That was just about four years ago. Fast forward today and the “Iceman” is widely regarded as perhaps the most one dimensional fighter in the light heavyweight division despite strong wrestling and kickboxing backgrounds. He is essentially now exclusively a head hunter who looks for the highlight reel finish. However, the 38-year-old former champion has lost three of his last four fights — two of which came via knockout. Time is now to listen to his own words. |
| Jaime Jara vs Givanildo Santana Elite XC fight Sho XC September 26 Posted: 13 Sep 2008 09:55 AM CDT
Santana is appropriately nicknamed “The Arm Collector” for his uncanny ability to finish his opponents with armbar submissions. In fact, 10 of his 11 professional victories have been armbars. That’s insane. Sure, he hasn’t necessarily faced the stiffest competition the sport has to offer, but guys like Jaime Fletcher and Matt Lucas are two solid names — or arms — that he has been able to add to his collection. Both Fletcher and Lucas were wins under the Pro Elite banner for Santana. However, his opponent Jara might be a little more difficult to sumbit. It’s been nearly five years and 19 fights since he has been forced to tap out. He’s been able to win 14 of his last 16 fights with one no contest. Notable career achievements include three career wins over former Strikeforce light heavyweight number one contender Anthony “El Toro” Ruiz, as well as a close decision loss to current UFC number one contender Rashad Evans in 2004. Jara is a little more well-rounded than his opponent. He uses more of a wrestling base to transition to submissions or ground and pound, as opposed to Santana who obviously likes to use a jiu-jitsu attack. Both of these guys are riding high on confidence heading into this fight, which should make for a very nice addition to an already solid Sho XC event. For more on the fight card click here. |
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