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| MMA Quick Quote: Gina Carano vs Cris Cyborg could happen in February Posted: 16 Oct 2008 08:01 AM CDT
– Powerful Chute Boxe striker Cristiane “Cybrog” Santos tells Tatame.com that she’ll likely face undefeated Muay Thai star Gina Carano in February 2009 since both fighters recently won their respective bouts at Elite XC: “Heat.” It’s perhaps the most highly anticipated match in the history of female mixed martial arts. As also stated by “Cyborg” both girls like to stand and trade, which looks to be a highlight reel waiting to happen for one of them. Let’s hope she’s right and the match gets confirmed soon by the promotion. |
| ‘Renzo Gracie: Legacy’ to premiere at the inaugural U.S. Sports Film Festival on October 25 Posted: 16 Oct 2008 07:50 AM CDT
The U.S. Sports Film Festival is a four-day event taking place in Philadelphia from October 23-26. Fight fans will have the opportunity to screen the world premiere of the Gracie documentary as well as “Kassim the Dream,” the incredible story of boxing world champion Kassim Ouma. Ouma was born into poverty and kidnapped at the age of six. Despite being forced to join Uganda’s National Resistance Army, Ouma’s boxing skills carried him to the United States where he would enjoy a successful boxing career. Sadly, Ouma’s father was beaten to death by the Ugandan Army in retaliation for Ouma leaving the country. Gracie (13-6-1) last competed at Elite XC: "Destiny" where he defeated Frank Shamrock via disqualification. Shammy felt it was necessary to drive his knees into Gracie's head while he was on the ground despite being warned by referee Herb Dean regarding an earlier infraction involving the back of the head. Gracie is perhaps best known for his battles with Dan Henderson and Kazushi Sakuraba back in the days of PRIDE Fighting Championship. The back-to-back screenings will be shown at The Prince Street Theater in Philadelphia starting at 6:30 p.m. and will be followed by a panel discussion for fans with Renzo Gracie, Kassim Ouma, the New Jersey Athletic Control Board Counsel Nick Lembo and Pennsylvania Boxing Commissioner Gregory Sirb. If you live in the area be sure to check it out. |
| Rachelle Leah PLAYBOY cover pic and contest Posted: 15 Oct 2008 11:21 PM CDT
Whoot! We’re inching closer to the November issue of Playboy hitting store shelves on October 17. And unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last month or so, then you are acutely aware that former UFC ring girl and current spokesmodel, Rachelle Leah, will grace the cover of the latest edition. She also happens to bare it all in the pictorial inside. Gulp. Well, we wouldn’t really be doing our jobs here at MMAmania.com if we didn’t put a little something together to reward several of our lucky readers with free copies of the historic spread thanks to the good folks over at Playboy Enterprises. Even better, we got our hands on at least one signed by Rachelle herself and perhaps several others. Aren’t we great? So let’s get to it. Our last predictions contest was ruined when Ken Shamrock decided to get cut up hours before his showdown with Kimbo Slice, rendering our DVD contest null and void. Therefore, we will bring it back around again for UFC 89: “Bisping vs. Leben” on October 18 (this Saturday). The rules? Simple. Just pick who you think will win the main event fight between Michael Bisping and Chris Leben, providing the round, method and time of the final result. Here’s an example: Bisping via unanimous decision or Leben via technical knockout, round two, 2:38. The closest predictions, which you are to leave in the comments section below, to the actual result wins a FREE Rachelle Leah Playboy. If we get more than one (and I think we will) we’ll be sure and reward those who came close. If there is a tie then we’ll blow up that bridge when we get to it. For now, leave your UFC 89 main event predictions in the comments section below. Good luck. IMPORTANT: If you don’t want to wait for the contest to expire and want to INSTANTLY order a copy of the November issue with Rachelle for less than $5 CLICK HERE. Playboy Digital actually has some unique benefits like being able to ZOOM IN to get even closer. Sheer madness. Enjoy some additional pics of Rachelle in Playboy after the jump.
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| The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 8: Episode 5 recap and discussion Posted: 15 Oct 2008 08:59 PM CDT
Episode five of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 8 gets underway and surprisingly enough we get to enjoy an episode that doesn’t begin with the immature antics of Junie Browning. Well not really, but it felt good to pretend for a few seconds. Anyway, the guest appearance by current UFC middleweight champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva should easily cleanse away the grimy residue left on our collective consciousness by Junie’s previous screen time. Having said that, we pick right up from last week when Loco Ono vaulted into the cage to confront a victorious Efrain Escudero and falls right into the waiting arms of coach Antonio Nogueira. Probably not the person you want to have restraining you - unless of course you list “passing out” as one of your favorite hobbies. Junie is led out of the cage after embarrassing himself and ruining what happened to be a very entertaining fight between Escudero and Nelson. Dana White cites the absence of Director of Nevada Athletic Commission Keith Kizer as the only reason Junie was not expelled for cage diving. As if Dana was unable to make that call. Back in the Team Mir locker room, Junie references his ability to go “From chill to kill” in a matter of seconds. Unfortunately no one in the locker room is impressed save for Shane Nelson, who just happened to get choked out due to a lack of oxygen only minutes before. For some reason their budding relationship reminds me of the Danny Abbaddi-Matt Hamill sandwich making fiasco from season three. Team Nogueira is celebrating Escudero’s win and their camaraderie appears to be contagious. A stark contrast to the somber mood of Team Mir. After Coach Mir warns Junie for his behavior, we end up back at the house where Junie gets a secondary lecture from a bathing Shane Primm. Junie admits that coming on the show is the worst decision he’s ever made. Well if it’s any consolation Mr. Browning, it’s no picnic on this end either. Now that we’re all bored to tears from the Junie Browning experiment the producers wisely rescue us from channel surfing with the arrival of Anderson Silva. As expected, the red team scurries after him to the cliff of punishment like the good little lemmings that they are. Silva gets in the cage and mixes it up with a couple of the guys and Ryan Bader in particular is allowed take a few extra liberties on The Spider. Afterwards, Bader claims that Silva was sparring pretty hard, which of course we all know is bologna since Bader still has the innate ability to chew solid foods. How feared is The Spider? Well John Polakowski, the man who hugs everybody, didn’t go within ten feet of Silva. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Krzystof Soszynski and Tom Lawlor raise a few eyebrows by once again fondling the briefs of an opposing fighter - in a bedroom that looks like it was decorated by Sweet Tooth from Twisted Metal. They explain that as a result of winning his fight, Escudero must now be subjected to the wrath of Team Blue which translates into frozen undies and a bed full of itching powder. I didn’t realize that itching powder was so readily accessible. Perhaps there is a prank closet right next to the liquor closet for mature fighters who just want to relax after a long day with a prank or two. Unfortunately Soszynski and Lawlor turn out to be the Harry and Lloyd of practical jokes since they eliminate any suspense and build-up by leaving Escudero a detailed note about the missing briefs. Naturally the undergarments are found and everyone has a “Ha-Ha” moment but the itching powder? Didn’t go over very well with Kyle Kingsbury and a few of the other victims. While driving to the fight picks they contemplate a retaliation with such suggestions as vampire ants, broken glass, feces meatballs and arson. Or as Junie Browning calls it, “Christmas with the folks”. Everyone meets up at the gym and a few of the red shirts are a bit perplexed as to why Coach Nogueira keeps his picks so close to the vest. He makes his announcement and we have Team Red’s Shane Primm facing off against Team Blue’s Eliot Marshall. Naturally anything fight related was just a tease as we get right back into the prank-off and Team Red looks to have every blue shirt sleeping with the fishes - literally. They take some canned fish and do a sardine-inspired Basquiat on the walls and beds of Team Blue - who seem more irritated at the lack of imagination then the smell of oily fish. Vinny Magalhaes on the other hand must have had some kind of tuna-related trauma as a child and storms into the bedroom of Team Red demanding a confession. None is given so he turns Efrain Escudero’s bed into a lemonade stand. Somewhere in TV Land Chris Leben is smiling. Escudero seems unfazed as he washes his linens and warns of what’s to come. Its time for some training and we get a glimpse of Shane Primm working out with a little extra one-on-one time with Coach Nogueira. Nog predicts Primm by knockout based on his attitude and edge in striking. On the flip side we have Eliot Marshall gearing up for his big fight and we open with Team Blue exiting the van in a bizarre slow-motion “The Right Stuff” kind of strut. He trains in the Nevada elements and rattles off a fairly impressive grappling resume - an a not-so-impressive social resume. Coach Mir says that Marshall’s “worst animal” is himself. Either Mir has been logging some serious hours on the Genesis playing Altered Beast or he’s got his degree from the Dubya School of Botched Maxims. Back at the gym, Escudero is caught lying down and when Coach Nogueira stops by to say hello he squeals like a stuck pig. Itching powder, lateritious sediment, the whole enchilada. Being the good coach that he is, Nog doesn’t want any of his guys to miss their beauty sleep and so he takes his case to Coach Mir and asks for his assistance in calling off the pranks. Mir is unsympathetic and has a “Boys will be boys” mentality. In the locker room, a flustered Nog vents to his old pal Stankie - who not coincidentally looks like he just crawled out of the heating duct like that old guy from Metallica’s “Unforgiven” video. They decide the best thing to do is just go over Mir’s head and talk to Team Blue themselves, which is certainly going to sit well with Mir. Not that it matters. Nog tries to have a pow-wow with the group but Team Blue laughs him off and promises to continue with their pranks. While I don’t think Nog should have gotten involved, part of me wanted to see him snap and start submitting some of the smug people who weren’t paying attention. After what seems like an eternity we finally get to fight day and since the weigh-ins were not broadcast we must assume that everything is copacetic. Team Nogueira's Shane Primm (1-0) vs. Team Mir's Eliot Marshall (5-1) Round 1: Marshall opens with a quick combo that gets the attention of a lethargic Primm. Marshal tries again but Primm rushes him and tries to clinch. Marshall uses leverage to take him down. Marshall lands a few bombs and Primm rolls right into a rear naked choke. Marshall is unable to lock it in after several close calls but Primm is unable to roll back into guard and eats the occasional punch. Marshall finally finds the choke and sends Primm tapping at 2:25 of the first. Nice win by Marshall and a very poor showing by Primm. Eliot Marshall defeats Shane Primm via submission (rear naked choke). After the fight, a pumped-up Marshall calls out Ryan Bader and then gives a good ribbing to Vinny Magalhaes back in the dressing room. Magalhaes, whose hair changes color faster than the horses in Emerald City, is not amused and starts hulking up. Vinny is to humor what Junie is to self-control. For the first time all season Team Red is not all hugs and smiles. A visibly deflated Nogueira has a hard time consoling the devastated Primm and Ryan Bader is pacing the room in a state of uncertainty. Is the momentum starting to shift to Team Mir? Stay tuned next week as we finally get to see Junie Browning in the cage as he takes on Team Red’s Roli Delgado - who Browning claims got his jiu-jitsu black belt from McDonald’s. Will Browning be able to walk the walk? Or will the “Crazy Cuban” finally shut him up? See you right here in seven! |
| Brett Rogers vs Paul Buentello Elite XC fight likely for Nov. 8 Posted: 15 Oct 2008 08:58 PM CDT
FiveOuncesOfPain.com was apparently able to confirm the rumored bout. Rogers is a knockout artist … plain and simple. He’s won each of his fights by early stoppage and hasn’t had an opponent last even 2:30 yet while fighting for Elite XC. His first fight for the promotion was at “Renegade” last November in Corpus Christi, Texas. He submitted Ralph Kelly in the first round with strikes. In February at “Street Certified” he took out James “The Colossus” Thompson and in May he knocked out Jon Murphy in the first televised fight of the company’s debut on CBS in Newark, N.J. During the post event press conference for the Murphy fight, Brett called out fellow heavyweight Kimbo Slice for an unimpressive showing in the night’s main event. A rivalry was born, but Elite XC had other plans for Slice for the time being. It was speculated that the two would face each other early in 2009, but Kimbo’s loss to Seth Petruzelli last week more than likely threw a big wrench into those plans. Rogers now finds himself on a short list of candidates in line for a shot at Antonio Silva’s title … even shorter if the belt becomes vacant on October 22 following the champ’s steroids appeal in Los Angeles. The point is that a win over a respectable name like Paul Buentello could land “The Grim” in a world title fight in early 2009. He’ll need to bring his A game facing a guy like Buentello, however. The American Kickboxing Academy member likes to swing for the fences and he has plenty of knockout power in both hands if he lands. He’s also very experienced with 26 professional fights, including four in the UFC. “The Head Hunter” most recently won a unanimous decision over Gary Goodridge at Affliction: “Banned” in July. Goodridge was a late replacement for Aleksander Emelianenko, who couldn’t get cleared at the last minute. Clearly this is going to be a stand and trade type of fight and an early stoppage of some kind seems likely as well. Both these guys are finishers, and combined between the two, only two fights have gone the distance. It’s safe to say somebody’s going to sleep in this one. “A Night of Champions” already had a fight card rich in talent. So much so in fact that this announcement, as well as the promotion continuing to report that “Feijao” Cavalcante will be competing on the card, means the women’s match between Kaitlin Young and Sarah Kaufman could very likely be moved to the untelevised under card. Though no announcement has been made by Elite XC at this time. For more on “A Night of Champions” click here. |
| Elite XC: ‘Heat’ medical suspensions include Kimbo, Nelson, Ninja and more Posted: 15 Oct 2008 08:46 PM CDT
Brazilian Murilo “Ninja” Rua was suspended indefinitely by the FSBC due to his second round knockout loss to Benji Radach in the first fight of the main card. Rua was out for a few minutes, and had to be taken to the hospital afterwards. Main event loser Kimbo Slice will sit on the sidelines for the next 30 days following his 14 second loss to last minute replacement fighter Seth Petruzelli. Slice’s original opponent Ken Shamrock — who could not get clearance to fight after getting cut in warm ups only hours before — was not suspended at all by the commission since he did not compete. Here's the complete list of “Heat” injuries and their medical instructions:
Just a quick reminder: Fighters often return to action much quicker once doctors give them the green light. The lengthy suspensions are just a precaution in most cases. For complete results and coverage of the “Heat” click here. |
| Michael Bisping UFC 89 Video Diary featuring Cheick Kongo (Video) Posted: 15 Oct 2008 08:43 PM CDT See more at Bisping.tv |
| Nick Diaz gets paid by DREAM and agrees to fight in Japan Posted: 15 Oct 2008 08:37 PM CDT
Basically, the Stockton native likes the way the Japanese approach the fight game. In fact, he recently confirmed through GracieFighter.com that he will return to fight in “The Land of the Rising Sun.” Here’s a snip:
There have been rumors all summer that Diaz would face “Mach” Sakurai for the DREAM welterweight title during his next trip out there, but Diaz had problems getting paid for his last fight with the promotion against Katsuya Inoue at DREAM 3 on May 11. He was reportedly owed $100,000 by the Japanese mixed martial arts promotion for the first round technical knockout win over Inoue. He is now clearly skeptical about doing business with them again. Here’s a report posted on GracieFighter.com dating back to August 1:
Obviously the “Mach” fight didn’t happen in September, but isn’t completely out of the question for a future DREAM event now that they finally coughed up the money … even if it was five months late. For now, however, Diaz is set to face Eddie Alvarez in Reno, Nevada, on November 8 at Elite XC: “A Night of Champions” for the vacant company lightweight belt. |
| Fedor-ing to the masses: Trump presser likely to unveil reality series, contract extension Posted: 15 Oct 2008 03:15 PM CDT
Vot a cahntry! Affliction and M-1 Global, the Turner & Hooch of mixed martial arts, are the latest tandem to join forces in hopes of expanding their share of the market in the combat sports world. And “The Donald” makes three. The trio are expected to announce a new partnership during a press conference tomorrow around noon at the Trump Tower in New York City. In attendance will be Donald Trump, Affliction’s Tom Atencio and M-1 Global’s Vadim Finkelchtein. With current WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko perched atop the bow of the partnership like a wooden maiden, Trump will likely announce the fruition of “Fighting Fedor” and M-1 Challenge. Fighting Fedor is a reality show that pits sixteen fighters against each other in a sequestered environment with the winner getting a shot at the current title holder. Sound familiar? See for yourself: Unfortunately the series has been in pre-production longer than Duke Nukem Forever and despite the hackneyed narrator trying to sell us the premise as "Groundbreaking" and "The likes of which have never been seen before on American television", that sales pitch only works on people without SpikeTV - or brains. Not to mention the ending is a bit anti-climatic. Imagine if Amir Sadollah had to fight Anderson Silva at the conclusion of the Ultimate Fighter 7. M-1 Challenge on the other hand, has already been taking place around the world. It has also produced some quality fights - though the premise is basically The International Fight League (IFL) on tour. A summary from the M-1 Web site:
The idea has merit, but again the question remains as to how they will capture a stateside audience that has already been branded by the UFC. Outside of Fedor, how many fighters come to mind when you think of M-1 Global? The absolute worst case scenario for all parties involved is a defeat by Emelianenko at the hands of Andrei Arlovski at their upcoming Affliction bout in early 2009. UFC President Dana White has already watched one promotion collapse at the hands of a fighter the UFC didn’t want when Seth Petruzelli knocked out Kimbo Slice. Imagine his joy if Arlovski stopped Fedor in similar fashion. Stay tuned for more of the finer details following tomorrow’s presser. |
| Andre Gusmao vs Antonio Mendes UFC 93 fight in the works Posted: 15 Oct 2008 01:21 PM CDT
Gusmao was undefeated until he locked horns with the up-and-comer Jon Jones at UFC 87: "Seek and Destroy" in August, losing via unanimous decision in his debut for the promotion (and enduring some low blows that may or may not have been illegal). Prior to joining the UFC, Gusmao competed in the International Fight League (IFL). In fact, his first round knockout win (knee) of Mike Ciesnolevicz sealed the victory for the Renzo Gracie-led New York Pitbulls at the 2007 Team Championship Final in September 2007. Mendes, too, was on a nice run before he made his Octagon debut against Thiago Silva at UFC 84: "Ill Will" back in May. The Brazilian lost via submission (strikes) in the first round. Before the loss, Mendes was on an 11-fight win streak, competing primarily in his native Brazil and throughout Europe. Rich "Ace" Franklin (24-3) and Dan "Hollywood" Henderson (23-7) — two of the world's most elite 205-pound fighters — will headline UFC 93. Also featured is the return of Mauricio "Shogun" Rua as he takes on UFC pioneer Mark "The Hammer" Coleman. To check out the latest UFC 93 fight card and rumors click here. |
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