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| UFC 91 video trailer for ‘Couture vs Lesnar’ Posted: 25 Sep 2008 08:34 AM CDT (Thanks to MMAmania.com reader “Juanito” for the assist.) |
| Alvin Robinson vs Mark Bocek UFC 91 fight confirmed Posted: 25 Sep 2008 08:30 AM CDT
It's a 155-pound bout between two talented fighters who have struggled ever since making their respective Octagon debuts. Robinson — the Ring of Fire lightweight champion — lost his debut to Kenny Florian in the first round of their UFC 73: "Stacked" bout via submission (strikes) back in 2007. He rebounded to beat Jorge Gurgel to a bloody pulp at UFC 77: "Hostile Territory" en route to a unanimous decision win several months later. However, the winning feeling was short-lived when Nate Diaz submitted him with a triangle choke at UFC - Fight Night 12 at the start of the 2008 fight campaign. Robinson apparently took some time off this year to address some injuries that plagued him up until that point and now he's ready to rock once again. Bocek is among the most accomplished Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialists from Canada to transition to mixed martial arts. The former ADCC competitor, however, could not defend a submission attempt from Mac Danzig in his last appearance, losing via third round rear naked choke at UFC 83: "Serra vs. St. Pierre" back in April. He has one win (unanimous decision) over Doug Evans at UFC 79: "Nemesis" and one loss (technical knockout) to Frank Edgar at UFC 73. UFC 91 will feature the first round of the "heavyweight tournament" to declare an undisputed champion — division kingpin Randy Couture will return to action and put his belt on the line against Brock Lesnar in the main event. Kenny Florian and Joe Stevenson will also hook 'em up in a lightweight contest in what appears at this time to be the co featured bout of the evening. To check out the latest UFC 91 fight card and rumors click here. |
| Alexander Shlemenko vs Robert McDaniel Elite XC bout added to ‘Heat’ Posted: 25 Sep 2008 08:01 AM CDT Twenty-four-year-old Russian knockout artist Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko (21-3) has been added to the Elite XC: “Heat” undercard in a middleweight bout against Robert “Bubba” McDaniel (11-4). In his last fight McDaniel defeated Icon Sport Middleweight Champion Kala Kolohe Hose on the undercard of Elite XC: “Return of the King” in Hawaii. The first round submission victory was impressive, but unfortunately for “Bubba” the title was not on the line. When offered a championship rematch McDaniel respectfully declined, saying the belt belonged around the waist of a Hawaiian. He’s a King of the Cage veteran who brings a talented submission attack to the cage. In fact, nine of his 11 professional wins have been submissions. His opponent, however, likes to finish guys with his knockout power. Shlemenko has ended 14 fights with strikes, including four of his last six. He’s a young guy with real natural knockout power and a load of potential. Consider that his only three losses have been to last night’s DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix runner-up “Jacare” Souza (submission) and Pele Land-Jones (twice by decision.) All three of those losses came during a 10 month span from late 2005 through most of 2006. Since then he’s put together six straight wins and appears to be at the top of his game. This should be a great fight with some interesting contrast in styles. Shlemenko could be a future star for Elite XC, but Bubba McDaniel cannot be taken lightly. Elite XC: “Heat” takes place at the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla., on October 4, featuring two heavyweight clashes between Kimbo Slice and Ken Shamrock and Andrei Arlovski taking on Roy Nelson, as well as a welterweight title bout between division champion Jake Sheilds and Paul “Semtex” Daley. The event will air on the CBS network, beginning at 9 p.m. ET on Saturday night. |
| The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 8: Episode 2 recap and discussion Posted: 24 Sep 2008 08:59 PM CDT
Episode 2 of The Ultimate Fighter 8 is underway and it lives up to its title “Down to Business” when right after the recap of Episode 1 we roll into the fifth lightweight elimination fight. Coaches Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira are cageside as well as UFC President Dana White. Lightweight elimination #5: Wesley Murch (3-2) vs. John Polakowski (2-1) Wesley immediately endears himself to the US fans with his English accent and love for Winston Churchill. Not to be outdone, the Ritalin-deprived Polakowski flashes his pearly whites and declares his love to hug well, just about everybody. Fortunately he’s not fighting Buddy Revell. Round 1: Murch comes in hard but eats a couple of shots and goes to the ground. He works his way up and they tangle. Dana declares his love for small guys. Somewhere in time the Lollipop Kids are smiling. Murch gets a trip and takes Polakowski down. He gets into mount and starts to land some shots from the top. Murch then rolls into a heel hook but doesn’t look confident in his ability to execute it. Murch loses the position and ends up on bottom. Mir is very vocal with instructions. Nogueira seems content to just shout “C’mon John!” They get back to their feet and Murch ducks into an upward knee. Polakowski tries to capitalize but Murch surprises him by slipping around and getting his back. Murch comes close to securing the choke but Polakowski twists into mount. They get back to their feet once again with ten seconds left and Murch nails him with a huge low kick but then collapses and eats a few shots as time expires. The round ends but Murch is in the fetal position clutching his shin. Apparently the last low kick injured his leg. Mir convinces him to press onward and Murch answers the bell for round two. Round 2: Murch opens with a jab and tries to follow it with a fight-ending flying knee but falls down and the fight is stopped due to his leg injury. It’s unfortunate because it was an action-packed fight. Polakowski runs around the ring like he just escaped from Bellevue and then tries to hug Nogueira, White and Mir. Nogueira doesn’t seem to mind and admits he likes to hug too. Mir on the other hand hasn’t looked this uncomfortable since waiting for the judges decision in his fight with Dan Christison at UFC 61. Polakowski wins via TKO Light heavyweight elimination #5: Shane Primm (1-0) vs. Sean O’Connell (1-1) Primm is having trouble dealing with the presence of fried chicken in the dressing room. O’Connell decided to give things a go after watching Season 1 winner Forrest Griffin make his mark. His blood is on your hands Mr. Griffin. Round 1: O’Connell rushes in and they go to the cage. Grabbing a single, O’Connell works and secures a nice takedown. Primm uses the position to work for an armbar. O’Connell escapes but Primm maintains a dominant position. They get back to their feet and go right back down with Primm looking for a kimura. O’Connell gets outclassed on the ground and gives up his back and the fight when Primm locks in a rear naked choke. Primm wins via submission (rear naked choke) Right after the stoppage Primm gets to his feet and thanks Mir for “great coaching”. I admit Mir was instrumental in the win but Primm should also thank himself for great listening - something I think is still missing in the ranks of the UFC. Lightweight elimination #6: Ido Pariente (13-4) vs. Efrain Escudero (10-0) Pariente comes right out and declares his love for Israel. Escudero admits it’s better to fight in the cage than in the streets where there is the potential for getting 86′d. Round 1: They meet in the middle and lock up. After some minor struggling Escudero scores a takedown. Pariente gets to his feet and tries a single-leg takedown of his own but can’t make it happen. He backs away and they exchange jabs prompting Escudero to shoot and land another takedown. Pariente powers out but gets stuck in a guillotine. Escudero lets it go and takes his back. Pariente tries to fight him off but eventually succumbs to the rear naked choke (as Escudero predicted in the pre-fight interview). Escudero wins via submission (rear naked choke) Light heavyweight elimination #6: Ryan Lopez (4-3) vs. Tom Lawler (4-1-1) Lopez is a former male model and current bounty hunter who like Escudero, is happy to be fighting in a non-lethal environment. Mir gets a little giddy when Lopez shows his athleticism by jumping straight into the air like a frightened feline. Lawler tries to use MMA math to explain how he needs to eat to fight and not die so he can live to fight or something convoluted like that. Lawler has a haircut that looks like a cross between a Yamaka and a starfish. Round 1: Lopez goes for a low kick but Lawler catches it and takes him down. Lopez is absolutely smothered by Lawler and gets choked out just seconds into the first. Rear naked choke seems to be the order of the day. Mir, who practically carried the flag for Team Lopez, opts out of his membership by stating “You gotta be complete”. Lawler wins via submission (rear naked choke) Lightweight elimination #7: Roli Delgado (5-3-1) vs George Roop (8-3) Dana calls this one “Battle of the Beanpoles” because both fighters are over six feet tall. Pretty tall for lightweights. Highlights only. Roop is able to outpoint “The Crazy Cuban” in a back-and-forth fight and impresses Mir in the process for being so coachable. Roop wins via unanimous decision Light heavyweight elimination #7: Kyle Kingsbury (7-1) vs. Ryan Bader (7-0) Highlights only. Kingsbury ahead in round one but “Darth” Bader uses his strength and wrestling to come back in round two and choke him out. Bader wins via submission (arm triangle choke) Lightweight elimination #8: Charles Diaz (3-0) vs Shane Nelson (9-3) Highlights only. Nelson dominates Diaz in both rounds en route to a unanimous decision victory. Both coaches are impressed with his skill set. For those not in the know, Nelson trains under BJ Penn. Nelson wins via unanimous decision Light heavyweight elimination #8: Eliot Marshall (5-1) vs. Karn Grigoryan (5-0) Marshall takes the humble approach. Dana comes to the conclusion that Grigoryan is nuts based on his history with Armenian fighters. Round 1: Grigoryan opens with a hard low kick followed by a right. Marshall shoots and gets stuffed. Grigoryan muscles him to the ground and tries to batter him but Marshall uses his jiu-jitsu to avoid punishment and stay mobile. Marshall is able to sweep and get mount. Grigoryan rolls and reverses position but gets a submission attempt at every turn. Round 2: Partial head kick by Marshall. Grigoryan, who is bleeding from the nose, answers with three low kicks. They start to trade on their feet and neither looks to have refined striking but Grigoryan is throwing harder. Marshall has too many close calls and takes it to the ground. Marshall throws knees from side control until the bell sounds. The judges see it even through two and call for a third round. Round 3: Each fighter throws the requisite haymaker and Marshall quickly brings it to the ground. Unfortunately Grigoryan muscles his way into mount after a brief struggle. Once again Marshall is able to sweep and this time gets his back. Grigoryan tries to roll so Marshall quickly transitions to mount. He lands a few elbows but Grigoryan powers out and gets back on top but begins gushing blood. Mazzagatti stops the action for what I thought was a cut check but instead he stands them up and lets the fight continue. With ten seconds left they go for broke but nothing lands. The third was all Marshall. Grigoryan wins via shocking, er, split-decision After the fight everyone - including Dana - is stunned at the outcome. Well, everyone except Noguiera and Grigoryan. Nog thinks he won via aggression and Grigoryan’s only argument is that he won because the judges said so. After the fights we learn that Antwain Britt has a broken hand and will not be able to continue. Since Britt was a light heavyweight, does anyone want to take a wild guess as to who gets to stay? Marshall is back after being eliminated for about an hour and I guess the only thing I am wondering is how Karn Grigoryan must feel now Eliot Marshall is back in the house, knowing that Dana and most of the other fighters feel he was on the losing end of his fight. Do I foresee a future rematch? One thing I noticed about the fights was how instrumental Frank Mir was in several of the victories. He was on his feet, constantly coaching and calling out strategies. Nog seemed much more passive and I wonder if that will be a factor in future fights. Stay tuned next week as injuries plague the final roster and some of the expected drama begins to unfold. See you then! |
| Andrei Arlovski vs Roy Nelson Elite XC fight announced for October 4 Posted: 24 Sep 2008 06:17 PM CDT
Former UFC Heavyweight Champion and WAMMA number one contender Andre “The Pitbull” Arlovski (13-5) has agreed to a bout on the October 4 CBS event to face former IFL champion Roy “Big Country” Nelson (13-2) in a co-promoted fight between Affliction and Elite XC. This fight will not over take the match up between Kimbo Slice and Ken Shamrock as the night’s main event, but it will certainly garner more buzz and attention among the hardcores in the MMA world. Here’s a snip from Jeremy Lappen, head of the Live Fight Division of Elite XC:
Arlovski defeated Ben Rothwell - the man who defeated Nelson for the IFL belt - at the inaugural Affliction event in July. Lackluster performances against Tim Sylvia and Fabricio Werdum led some fans to believe Arlovski had lost some of the intensity and killer instinct that had earned him the nickname “Pitbull” while knocking guys out in the UFC. But those thoughts were put to rest with the brutal third round knockout of Rothwell. Besides the two losses to Tim Sylvia in 2006, Arlovski has not lost a fight in over five and a half years. “Big Country” has also had a successful career in mixed martial arts thus far. He compiled a record of (6-1) during his time with the IFL, and is primed for a high profile fight like this one. Despite his size and raw punching power, Nelson also brings a strong grappling and submission game to the cage. He’s finished four fights by tapout and six by technical knockout. In short, he’s a deceptively well rounded fighter. This is a great addition to an already deep fight card, and could do wonders for the event’s marketability and television numbers. For more on the Elite XC: “Heat” fight card click here. |
| Evan Tanner ‘Into the Desert’ final blog entry found Posted: 24 Sep 2008 01:27 PM CDT
Props: Spike.com Quoteworthy:
The entry above is from former UFC middleweight champion Evan Tanner, who up until his premature death was a regular blogger on Spike.com. The network apparently uncovered the draft post in the dashboard of the control panel — Tanner never published the entry. He was eventually found in the California desert in which he sought solitude, succumbing to heat exhaustion from the searing temperatures that soared above 110 degrees. He was just 37 years old. There is a memorial service in his honor this weekend. Dan Christison provided MMAmania.com with all the details … check them out after the jump.
His memorial will be held in Amarillo, TX on September 27th at 2:00 p.m. at the Civic Center. The Civic Center is located at 401 South Buchanan Street. If anyone wishes to send flowers or cards, they can be sent to Jeff Tanner, 504 S Harrison Street, Amarillo TX 79101. The family has also set up a memorial fund with The Amarillo National Bank. You can call them at 800-ANB-3733 to transfer money into the Evan Tanner Memorial Fund or you can mail them a check at”
A side note: Your bank may charge you for a wire transfer. Also my wife has set up an email address where people can email the family directly evantannerfamily@gmail.com. If anyone has any questions they can email her, Kyria, at teamtanner@gmail.com. |
| David Blaine ‘Dive of Death’ ABC episode to feature Kimbo Slice Posted: 24 Sep 2008 10:29 AM CDT
Tonight David Blaine will push the limits of the human body once again with his “Dive of Death” two hour special, which airs on ABC beginning at 9 p.m. ET tonight (September 24). Basically he’ll hang upside down by a thin wire, five stories in the air over Wollman Rink in New York City’s Central Park. For three days and three nights (72 hours) he’ll stay suspended from the wire without a safety net of any kind. No one knows what Blaine has planned for the conclusion of the spectacle, but he usually comes through with something awe inspiring. Plus it’s called the “Dive of Death,” so it has to be something cool, right? Of course, there was that time when he attempted to break the world record for breath holding under water and almost killed himself in the process. That was after living in a small tank of water for a week straight. Clearly not something done by a normal human being. It’s obvious this guy either has a death wish, or he’s on some kind of super natural shit none of us know about. Either way, it’ll be fun watching. Leading up to the mysterious conclusion of the “Dive of Death” ABC will air footage of Blaine performing various other magic tricks while on a cross country road trip. One of the stunts Blaine has on tape that will be part of the broadcast will be him showing off his ability to absorb a punch to the stomach from Elite XC heavyweight fighter Kimbo Slice. The stunt is designed as a tribute to Blaine’s hero Harry Houdini, who died from injuries inflicted from punches to the stomach, according to FightLinker.com. That’s one heck of a magic trick. Maybe he didn’t see the guy on YouTube who took a hundred bucks to get tackled by Kimbo in full pads. It didn’t work out so well for him. Again, “Dive of Death” will air on ABC tonight (Wednesday) beginning at 9 p.m. ET. |
| Dana White video: ‘Kimbo sucks’ Posted: 24 Sep 2008 09:01 AM CDT |
| MMA Quick Quote: Antonio Silva innocent until proven guilty on steroid charge Posted: 24 Sep 2008 08:57 AM CDT
“Antonio (Silva) is the EliteXC heavyweight champ and he will continue to be the heavyweight champ until he has his day in front of the commission. When the commission comes and levies down on him with whatever ruling they have, EliteXC will huddle up and we will figure out what we want to do about the title at that point.” – Elite XC Vice President Jared Shaw stands behind his suspended heavyweight champion via MMAWeekly.com, taking an innocent until proven guilty approach. Silva tested positive for steroids following his title winning fight against Justin Eilers on July 26. Some would say that’s pretty solid proof of guilt, but Silva and his camp are arguing that a tumor in the champ’s body has caused an abnormal dose of testosterone to be released into his system. I’m no doctor, but if that’s true, it sounds like a legitimate reason for the failed test. It’s still hard to believe a man the size of Silva, who cuts weight to make the heavyweight limit of 265 pounds would take anything that would add more mass to his already enormous frame, especially before a fight with Eilers — who is one of the smaller heavyweights in mixed martial arts. At least Elite XC is giving him the chance to make his case. The promotion deserves some credit for that. |
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