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| Sengoku 6 to feature Nogueira, Gomi and Grand Prix Finals (Updated) Posted: 21 Oct 2008 08:31 AM CDT
World Victory Road (WVR) has finalized its sixth installment that features the conclusion of its lightweight and middleweight grand prix and the return of popular fan favorites Antonio Rogerio Noguiera and Takanori Gomi. Sengoku 6 will take place on November 1 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. "Little Nog", the twin brother of current UFC heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, hasn’t fought since his victory at Affliction “Banned” on July 19 when he easily stopped Edwin "Babyface" DeWees in the first round. He will meet the very well-rounded Moise Rimbon, who choked out Peter Graham at Sengoku 4 on August 28. Another decisive win could help re-establish Noguiera as one of the world's top 205-pound fighters. That position was called into question when the rugged Brazilian was knocked stiff by the recently-fizzled Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou at PRIDE 33 in 2007. Josh Barnett is not scheduled to compete, despite earlier reports. Also added to November's card is former UFC middleweight Joe Doerksen. “El Dirte” was released by the UFC after a technical knockout loss to Jason MacDonald at UFC 83 last April — his third straight defeat under the Zuffa umbrella. He looks to get back into the win column against Izuru Takeuchi. Takeuchi is 5-0 in Pancrase since his return at 'Rising 4′ last April. Both fighters are competing on the reserve bout for a shot at the middleweight grand prix should one of the finalists be unable to continue. No question Doerksen is thinking about Joachim Hansen's improbable grand prix win at DREAM 5. WVR didn't waste any time bringing Team Quest product Muhammed Lawal back into action. "King Mo" obliterated the very experienced Travis Wiuff with a brutal ground and pound in his debut at Sengoku 5. He faces the talented Chute Boxe fighter Fabio Silva, who last competed at Sengoku 3 where he knocked out Yoshiki Takahashi via knee implant. Headlining the show is one of Japan's most popular fighters, Takanori Gomi. "The Fireball Kid" is hoping to improve upon an unsatisfying performance against Seung Hwan Bang at Sengoku 4 on August 28. Gomi took the decision but admitted in post-fight interviews he wanted a stoppage. He may need one at Sengoku 6 or be in danger of getting stopped himself as he faces a very tough Red Devil product in Sergey Golyaev. The Russian has won three straight and stopped eight of his 10 opponents via submission. Rounding out the already solid card is of course the semifinals and finals of the lightweight and middleweight grand prix. Here is the finalized fight card for Sengoku 6: Main Card: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (14-3) vs. Moise Rimbon (13-7-3) Takanori Gomi (29-3) vs. Sergey Golyaev (10-6) Lightweight Grand Prix semifinals: Mizuto Hirota (10-2) vs. Kazunori Yokota (7-1-3) Lightweight Grand Prix reserve bout: Seung Hwan Bang (5-2) vs. Jorge Masvidal (14-3) Lightweight Grand Prix finals: Winner of Hirota vs. Yokota vs. winner of Kitaoka vs. Mitsuoka Middleweight Grand Prix semifinals: Yuki Sasaki (22-14-1) vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura (12-8) Middleweight Grand Prix reserve bout: Joe Doerksen (40-12) vs. Izuru Takeuchi (25-9-6) Middleweight Grand Prix finals: Winner of Sasaki vs. Nakamura vs. winner of Santiago vs. Bahadurzada |
| FEG announces New Year’s Eve supershow featuring DREAM and K-1 combatants Posted: 21 Oct 2008 08:23 AM CDT
For fans of Japanese MMA, 2008 is going out with a bang. Fighting & Entertainment Group (FEG) President Sadaharu Tanigawa has confirmed the scheduling of a New Year’s Eve supershow featuring participants from DREAM, K-1, K-1 MAX and K-1 Koshien. FieLDS Dynamite!! will take place on December 31, 2008 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, and could feature as many as 20 fights. Fighters scheduled to compete are Joachim Hansen, Hayato "Mach" Sakurai, Kazushi Sakuraba, Shinya Aoki, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Mitsuhiro Ishida, Masakazu Imanari, Takeshi Yamazaki, Atsushi Yamamoto, Kuniyoshi Hironaka, Minowaman, Kiyoshi Tamura, Seichi Ikemoto, Yuichi Nakanishi, Yasuhiro Kido and Yoshihiro Sato. Also expected to participate are Norifumi "KID" Yamamoto, Caol Uno, Hideo Tokoro, Masakatsu Funaki, Katsuyori Shibata, Junichi Sawayashiki, Taishin Kohiruimaki, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, Gegard Mousasi and Hong Man Choi. While it’s hard not to be excited about the endless match-making possibilities for this event, one name noticeably missing from the list of superstars is the 12-1 Judo sensation Yoshihiro Akiyama. Akiyama, one of Japan’s biggest stars (and heels) is no longer under contract to FEG and is reportedly negotiating with both Sengoku and the UFC. Therefore, at the very least, an appearance for DREAM on December 31 is unlikely as the two sides are currently not on the best of terms. Still, with so much talent in one night, nothing short of Godzilla himself could diminish the anticipation for this event. My only hope is that FEG can make arrangements to televise the fights on pay-per-view (PPV) and not some cable channel that nobody can seem to access. Who knows, maybe they can even pencil in some of the recently unemployed Elite XC fighters who are looking for a home. And does anybody want to lay odds on another meaningless cameo from Fedor Emelianenko? Stay tuned as this massive event continues to take shape. |
| Report: Pro Elite and Elite XC ’shutting its doors effective immediately’ Posted: 20 Oct 2008 08:24 PM CDT
Solid ratings on network television were not enough to overcome an almost $60 million deficit for Pro Elite, the parent company of Elite XC and several other promotions. MMAmania.com has been able to confirm an SI.com report that the relatively young mixed martial arts promotion is no more. Little more than two weeks after its biggest star, Kimbo Slice, lost in just 14 seconds to replacement journeyman Seth Petruzelli in front of 4.5 million people on CBS, Elite XC has apparently been hit with a knockout blow of its own. That’s not to say the two had anything to do with one another. It’s perhaps just an unfortunate coincidence. Regardless, there is no more Elite XC, including the November 8 “A Night of Champions” event that was looking like a great card. One year, 10 months and six days … Elite XC was established on December 14, 2006, and pronounced dead on October 20, 2008. The company dug a deep $60 million hole of which it was never able to climb out. Obviously, no money — investors who were supposed to keep the company alive at least until the end of the year never materialized — equals no events, especially when there’s not even a pay-per-view (PPV) deal to fall back on. If nothing else, Elite XC can hang its hat on staging the first-ever live mixed martial arts event on network television … and the second, and the third. Not to mention the first female fight on network television … and the second, and the third. Elite XC is also responsible for some of the best fights of the past year or so. Robbie Lawler vs. Scott Smith I and Frank Shamrock vs. Cung Le are just two examples of those. Not to mention quality performances from Jake Shields, Nick Diaz, Antonio Silva, Rafael Feijao, and plenty of other world class caliber fighters. They gave it a good shot. In the end, it’s just tough for a new promotion to come in and be successful in mixed martial arts. Even the UFC, which is now very profitable, lost tons of money when the Fertittas first bought it — company president Dana White often remarks that he and his high school buddies make it look easy. It seems he’s right once again; however, that’s obviously a different story, and outcome, but you get the point. The plan was probably more or less to gain popularity with the CBS deal and grow into a PPV juggernaut like the UFC. But that was obviously a little overzealous. The truth is that the UFC has a stranglehold on all the PPV buyers, and it’s not going to be easy for any other company to be successful. Just ask Affliction. The upside to this for the fans is that there’s going to be a bunch of great fighters now without a place to work. It’s going to be interesting to see how many of these guys (and gals) end up in the UFC, Strikeforce, WEC, Affliction, or any of the other organizations out there. Expect to see these guys beefing up their rosters with names like Jake Shields, Eddie Alvarez, Nick Diaz, Antonio Silva, Rafael Feijao, Paul Daley, KJ Noons, Wilson Reis, Cyrille Diabate, and countless others. Who knows … maybe even Kimbo Slice. In the end, the talent was there near the top … it just wasn’t enough to compensate for all the other shortcomings and struggles that upstart mixed martial arts promotions face attempting to get off the ground. Elite XC joins Pride FC, International Fight League (IFL) and World Fighting Alliance (WFA) as recent MMA organizations that were forced to fold. Hopefully, the list ends there. |
| UFC 91 preliminary drug tests come back clean from NSAC Posted: 20 Oct 2008 07:32 PM CDT
UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture, Brock Lesnar, Nick Catone, Amir Sadollah, Aaron Riley and Jorge Gurgel were tested several weeks out from the pay-per-view (PPV) event that will be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas to eliminate the possibilities of "cycling off" performance enhancers such as steroids. It's a proactive and unique measure — often referred to as the new "out of competition" testing policy — that the NSAC has adopted to curtail and prevent the use of banned substances. If a positive test is returned early, which would essentially devastate a major PPV event such as UFC 91, "the commissioners would decide" on a course of action based on the results, according to NSAC Executive Director, Keith Kizer. These fighters — along with other random participants slated to compete on the card — will likely be tested again right around fight night. It is merely an extra layer of protection to ensure good clean fights when it comes time to bang. For all the UFC 91-related information you can handle be sure to hit up the MMAmania.com archive right here. To check out the latest UFC 91 fight card and rumors click here. |
| Ready for a war: Patrick Cote UFC 90 interview exclusive with MMAmania.com Posted: 20 Oct 2008 03:07 PM CDT
Patrick "The Predator" Cote (13-4) has said it for months: he and his camp have the perfect game plan to do what no other fighter has managed to do in eight fights — beat Anderson Silva (22-4). Hell, if you don't count the disqualification when Silva illegally up-kicked Yushin Okami's head into the rafters, it's even more than eight fights — the guy hasn't truly lost since December 2004. But Cote is nothing but confident that Silva's reign is about to come to an abrupt end. He's not worried about the crazy odds. In fact, that takes away the pressure. And he's inviting Silva to stand and trade, something a host of UFC fighters like former middleweight champion Rich Franklin, Dan Henderson, Nate Marquardt, Chris Leben, James Irvin and more have all had significant trouble with. All the talk … and the wait is almost over. Cote will face "The Spider" for the middleweight strap this Saturday, October 25 at UFC 90. It airs on pay-per-view (PPV) from the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill., starting at 10 p.m. ET. When we recently caught up with "The Predator," he shared his thoughts on how his training camp has gone, these crazy Vegas odds and just how strong his chin really is. Here we go:
Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): I last talked to you before your Ricardo Almeida fight at UFC 86. That fight ended in a split decision. How did you feel about your performance in that fight? Patrick Cote: I think that I did what I had to do. I was sticking to the game plan. For sure when you put two guys together like that who have completely different styles, you can't expect for a crazy standup war or a crazy jiu-jitsu fight. My style is to stay on my feet and avoid the takedowns, and that's exactly what I did. I'm not going to play jiu-jitsu with a six-time world champion of jiu-jitsu. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Absolutely. I thought that it was a great performance, and it was clearly enough to earn you the title shot. You face Anderson Silva this Saturday. You've talked about fighting Silva for a while now, saying that you feel that you and your camp have the perfect game plan for him. How amped up are you for this fight? Patrick Cote: I'm in really, really good shape right now — the best shape of my life. I can't wait to fight him. If they asked me to fight him today, I would do it. I can't wait to fight Anderson. I think I'm going to shock a lot of people. A lot of people have a lack of respect toward me, because they have already looked over me. I just want to prove to everybody that I will give him a war, and I will win the belt, and after that everybody will know that they made a mistake (looking past me). Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Speaking of that, I think you can't talk about this fight without talking about the fact that Vegas has you as a huge underdog.* Do you find that insulting that the oddsmakers don't seem to have confidence in you, or do you attribute it to simply that Silva has been such a devastating fighter for so many people. (Note: Betus.com currently has the split at Silva -700, Cote +500.) Patrick Cote: No, it's perfect. I don't care. It's easier for me to fight — I don't have any pressure on me. The biggest difference between me and the opponents who have already fought Silva is that I don't care if I'm fighting Anderson Silva. I know that this guy is one of the best in the world, but I'm not scared of him. I'm not nervous to fight him. A lot of fighters who fought him before had already lost before the fight because they were too afraid of him. Me? I don't care. I'm not going to be nervous or scared to face Anderson. That's exactly what I'm going to do — I'm going to prepare myself very well. A lot of people, a lot of my friends, are going to put money on me, and they will be rich after the fight. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): (Laughs) Right on, man. Well let's talk about Silva. He's a dangerous striker. If he keeps you at a distance, his kicks can be deadly; however, if you close the distance, his clinch is also so extremely dangerous, as Rich Franklin found out the hard way on two separate occasions. What do you think about Silva's standup, and what strategies do you feel will be most successful against thechamp? Patrick Cote: I feel great. Everybody knows me and everybody knows my style. I'm a striker. I like to stay on my feet and exchange with people who will stand with me. (Silva) said that he's happy to fight me because I will stay on my feet and exchange with him, so hopefully he's gonna do it too. As for striking, I've never been rocked in my life, and I've never been knocked out in my life. So I go in there very confident. We know exactly what to do, we have a good game plan. Now I just have to do it. Mark DellaGrotte will be in my corner. As a corner man, he's already gone three times against Anderson Silva, so he knows him very well. We know exactly what to do to beat him. Right now, it's the time for Anderson Silva to lose and I'm the perfect opponent to do it. I ain't scared of him. I don't care. I just need one punch to put him away, so we'll see what happens. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Have you been preparing for this fight differently than you have in previous fights? Patrick Cote: Oh, for sure. I took 10 weeks for my training camp — two and a half months — I'm in great shape. I have a new conditioning and strength training coach too. I've spent a lot of time here at Sityodtong in Boston with Mark DellaGrotte, a good Muay Thai guy here. I've been sparring with a couple of guys from Thailand too. My training camp is perfect for this fight. I can't wait to fight, like I told you. I'm ready to fight tomorrow. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Did the UFC have you sign a contract extension before this fight, and if so, how many fights do you have on the contract? Patrick Cote: For this fight or before? Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): I was under the impression that you only had one or two fights on your contract remaining. Patrick Cote: I didn't sign any contract, but this fight is very important for me to have a good contract after that, and to be the champion and it is going to be easier to negotiate after that. So I'm still on the same contract. But sure, I fight for the money, I fight because this is my job; but first I want to be #1. I fight to be the best in the world, and to be the best in the world you have to have the belt around your waist, so that's the most important thing for me right now. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): The last time I talked to you was on The Ultimate Fight Train before UFC 83. You provided the ringside commentary at that event for the French pay-per-view. You had told me before that you were interested in continuing this gig for future UFCs in Canada. Have you discussed with the UFC when they plan to return north of the border, and if you will continue to provide commentary for the next UFC event in Canada? Patrick Cote: They told me that I did a good job, but no, we haven't talked about that. If they offered me to do it again, for sure I would do that. I enjoyed it a lot. But I prefer to be in the Octagon than outside it. Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Well Patrick, as always it's a pleasure to talk with you, and I wish you luck against Anderson Silva. I want to give you a chance to thank any sponsors or if you have any parting words for your fans? Patrick Cote: I just want to thank my sponsors. I have a lot of good sponsors that help me train full time — Warrior Wear, One More Round — they help me out a lot. For my fans, I will give a good show. For everybody who believes in me, I'm not going to disappoint you. I will be there 100 percent and the UFC will have a new middleweight champion for sure. |
| Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller retires from MMA competition … for now Posted: 20 Oct 2008 02:10 PM CDT
Here’s a snip:
Miller has almost a cult-like following of fans that he often refers to as the “Mayhem Monkeys” who support his bizarre and often hilarious persona. He assured those fans that he’ll still be involved in the sport in one way or anther even if he’s not fighting:
He has explored doing interviews and things like that with Pro Elite in the past — he’s a regular on the Jason Ellis Show on Sirius satellite radio for “Mayhem Monday’s,” and it’s certainly possible we’ll see Jason in the broadcasting booth some day soon as well. So, when he says he’ll still be in the MMA world, he’s telling the truth. There are plenty of opportunities for a guy with his personality in the broadcasting business. As far as his fighting career goes, or went, “Mayhem” was a very talented athlete. In fact, his talent carried him to memorable career moments such as becoming the Icon Sport middleweight world champion in 2006 by defeating current Elite XC champ Robbie Lawler, going the distance against George St. Pierre on the UFC 52 card, and competing in the 2008 DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix in Japan where he lost his most recent fight to “Jacare” Souza in the quarterfinals. He also holds notable wins over Denis Kang and Falaniko Vitale. At 27 years old, Miller is still young enough to return to fighting one day if that’s what he wants to do and he’s certainly leaving that door open: “I might come out of retirement in a little while, but right now I’m retired.” Let’s hope it’s sooner rather than later … and certainly not never. Or the statement is just one big hoax. |
| Josh Koscheck on Thiago Alves UFC 90 fight video Posted: 20 Oct 2008 01:28 PM CDT He’s going to shock a lot of people this Saturday, according to this pre-fight interview:
Props: Yahoo.com |
| Brock Lesnar ‘E:60′ ESPN episode debuts tomorrow (Tuesday) to promote UFC 91 Posted: 20 Oct 2008 10:44 AM CDT
The hour-long episode that includes Lesnar will debut tomorrow (Tuesday, October 21) at 7 p.m. ET. He scored his first UFC win over Heath Herring via unanimous decision at UFC 87: "Seek and Destroy" in August. Lesnar dropped his UFC debut to Frank Mir at UFC 81: "Breaking Point" earlier this year. Despite his inexperience and average record, Lesnar was granted a title shot against one of the sport's most experienced fighters in Couture — a recent UFC Hall of Fame inductee and MMA legend. It's a match up that is being billed as, "the biggest fight in the history of the UFC." The winner of the bout will go on to face the winner of the UFC 92 bout between interim title holder Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira and Frank Mir to declare an undisputed division champion. "E: 60" reporter Tom Farrey is the lead on the Lesnar feature, providing a detailed account of his childhood and meteoric rise into the public eye. His successful WWE career and unsuccessful bid to become and NFL player will likely also be integrated into the program. For those who have never seen an episode of "E: 60" this is definitely the time to check it out — these are often very well done. The network knocked the MMA-related segments on Lee Murray, Gina Carano and Kimbo Slice out of the park in the past. So do your best to tune in to ESPN tomorrow (Tuesday, October 21) at 7 p.m. ET. |
| UFC 90 weigh in details and information for ‘Silva vs Cote’ at Chicago Theater Posted: 20 Oct 2008 09:53 AM CDT
The official weigh-in event for UFC 90: "Silva vs. Cote" is set to take place at the historic Chicago Theatre in Chicago, Ill., on Friday, October 24. It will air live on DirecTV (Channel 101) at 5 p.m. ET — there's no word yet on whether it will also be streamed live over the Internet … we'll keep you posted. Of course, MMAmania.com will provide up-to-the-minute coverage of the UFC 90 weigh-in, as well as provide a detailed recap of the festivities as soon as they conclude for those who miss it. Here's the complete line up:
For those in town for the UFC debut in the Chicago area remember that the weigh-ins are FREE to attend and open to the public. The Chicago Theatre is located at 175 N. State Street. Of course, fans are encouraged to show up about an hour before the fighters tip the scales to rub elbows, take pictures and get autographs from the several fighters who will likely be in attendance. UFC Fight Club members will also be able to attend an exclusive Q&A session with former welterweigh champion Matt Hughes before the weigh-in begins. In addition to coverage of the weigh-in, remember that MMAmania.com will also provide LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action on fight night, which is slated to air at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view (PPV) from the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill., on October 25. Of course, the latest quick updates of the prelim bouts will begin to flow earlier than that at around 8:30 p.m. ET. It's going to be a fun night of fights … check us out for all the pre, during and post-fight coverage you can handle. |
| UFC Quick Quote: Pete Sell vs Josh Burkman could be a loser leaves town match Posted: 20 Oct 2008 09:33 AM CDT
“I think it’s do-or-die for both of us. We are in the same predicament. We have to show the UFC that we belong here…. All in all [the move to welterweight] is a very good thing for me. I can’t go on binges a week at a time, eating or drinking. If I go off the wagon, I’m not going to make weight…. I feel like being injured like that … being on a losing streak, it gives you the time to reflect when sitting on sidelines. It makes you appreciate being able to be in there. I’m really excited just to be able to get that feeling again, to feel that glory and that rush fighting in front of so many people. I’ve been putting my time in since March, and for all the hard work and dedication I’ve put in, it’s time to cash in.” – Pete Sell talks to Newsday.com about his upcoming fight against Josh Burkman at UFC 90: "Silva vs. Cote" at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill., on October 25. It will mark the first fight for "Drago" at welterweight and his first fight in more than a year — he has been sidelined with a nagging shoulder injury. Sell has lost four of his last five fights inside the Octagon, meaning that he is likely in a must win situation. "The People's Warrior" is in a slump of his own with three losses in his last four attempts, which could mean that this is a possible "loser leaves town match." |
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