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| Elite XC makes ‘A Night of Champions’ cancelation official … and its existence Posted: 22 Oct 2008 08:31 AM CDT
It was supposed to be the last event for Elite XC in 2008 … and it was shaping up to be perhaps the promotion’s best offering to date. Two world title fights were on the line, including a 185-pound showdown between division champion Robbie Lawler and Joey Villasenor and a 160-pound dream match up between Nick Diaz and Eddie Alvarez for the vacant lightweight crown. A funny thing happened on the way to the desert, however, forcing Elite XC to call it quits. The main event fight influencing controversy that surrounded the “Heat” CBS event earlier this month scared away what investors at CBS/Showtime were still left standing after nearly $60 million in debt had already piled up in the less than two years since the organization’s creation. It was the final stitch in an open wound that appeared to only get worse with time. Here are perhaps the last words from Steele that will adorn the Elite XC epitaph:
Rest in peace, Elite XC. |
| Fedor Emelianenko vs Andrei Arlovski Affliction video trailer Posted: 22 Oct 2008 07:38 AM CDT |
| Anytime, anywhere: Josh Koscheck UFC 90 interview exclusive with MMAmania.com Posted: 22 Oct 2008 12:36 AM CDT
Disaster nearly struck last week when Diego Sanchez suffered torn rib cartilage while training for his co-main event fight against Thiago Alves at UFC 90: “Silva vs. Cote” at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill., on October 25, forcing him off the card with less than two weeks until showtime. “The Nightmare,” fortunately, was short lived. With one quick phone call to the management team of Josh Koscheck, the promotion had secured a worthy replacement — a top contender who could keep the 170-pound title implications intact and would no doubt present another stiff test for the powerful Brazilian Muay Thai specialist. Alves has been on a tear, leveling — not just winning against — the opponents put in front of him, including division stalwart Karo Parisyan and former welterweight champion Matt Hughes. In fact, “The Pitbull” has not tasted defeat in more than two years and is riding a six-fight win streak, finishing all but one of the bouts during that span. Not the caliber of fighter anyone wants to take on with just 12 days notice. Unless, of course, your name is Josh Koscheck. The American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) standout, however, jumped at the chance. He views it as a one-of-a-kind opportunity to accelerate his journey to the top of the division and emerge as the clearcut number one welterweight contender. But his journey will not stop there. Should he defeat Alves on Saturday he does not intend to sit and wait around to see how the division sorts itself out in the coming months. Instead, he plans to be ready to headline UFC Fight Night 16: “Fight for the Troops” against Yoshiyuki Yoshida on December 10. Say what you want about Koscheck, but he is certainly not taking the easy route to a future title shot. He wants to earn it the hard way … and he’s ready to start this Saturday. We just recently caught up with “Kos,” who is fresh off a unanimous decision blood-soaked drubbing of Chris Lytle at UFC 86: “Jackson vs. Griffin” back in July, to find out more about what went into his decision to take the fight with Alves on such short notice, how he intends to approach the showdown, what it will mean for his career and much more. For what it’s worth, we have interviewed Koscheck numerous times and he never sounded this determined and focused. He’s on a mission. Let’s get to it:
MMAmania.com: Josh thanks for taking the time to speak with us — we know right now things are probably crazy with the fight against Thiago Alves literally right around the corner. How are you feeling and what’s going on as we speak? Josh Koscheck: I’m good. Let’s get this started. I’m not really training right now just resting. MMAmania.com: You agreed to take this fight on incredibly short notice, considering the caliber of the opponent and the implications it will have on your bid to become the number one contender in the division. Tell us how it all went down. Josh Koscheck: I got the phone call on Monday (October 14), saying Diego Sanchez got hurt and that the UFC was looking for someone to step up and take his place. My manager Bob Cook approached me about it — he handles all that stuff. I told him let’s talk about it after training because I wanted to think about it and also I didn’t want to ruin my upcoming session. Training went real well and as soon as it was over I told Bob let’s take the fight. MMAmania.com: Was there any hesitation outside of not wanting to ruin your training session? Josh Koscheck: No, not really. Fighting Thiago Alves is a fantastic opportunity for me to prove that I am the number one contender in the 170 pound weight class. I’m the type of guy who is willing to step up and fight anybody, anywhere and anytime. Me taking this fight just proves that. Two weeks notice doesn’t really matter to me — I’m a professional and this is what I do. I’m always training year-round. Now I just have to be ready to come out and perform and put on a good show for the fans. MMAmania.com: From a conditioning, as well as a preparation standpoint, will you be as ready for this fight with Thiago if you had say two months to prepare instead of just two weeks? Josh Koscheck: I’m a fighter. I’m going to step up and fight anybody. This is what I do. It doesn’t really matter. I’m treating this as a street fight. If I’m walking out of a club and a fight breaks out I can’t say, ‘Stop, let me go train.’ You have to be ready to fight at the drop of a dime with no notice. That’s pretty much my mindset going into this. I can guarantee you that I will be in great shape on October 25 … that’s for sure. MMAmania.com: In the past, Thiago has actually had a difficult time with conditioning — he often has a hard time making weight because he’s such a big welterweight fighter. He also does not push a frantic pace like let’s say a Diego Sanchez … he likes to take his time. Is this an area or weakness that you can exploit? Josh Koscheck: History proves that Thiago definitely has had a hard time making weight in the past. That could be because of a lack of discipline on his part and not being prepared 100 percent. Making weight is an important part of the sport and competition so hopefully he does have a hard time making weight again. That’s certainly an advantage for me. He’s a big guy and I know he cuts a lot of weight and that can definitely affect his performance inside the Octagon. But I can’t worry about that. I have to prepare for the best Thiago Alves imaginable. I have to fight my ass off and prove that I am the number one contender. That’s what it comes down to. MMAmania.com: While we’re on this issue of weight, prior to accepting the fight did you step on a scale to ensure that you would have no problems yourself making the 170-pound limit? Josh Koscheck: Not at all. Weight is never an issue for me. It never has been. And my weight would never be a deciding factor in me taking or not taking a fight. Neither would training, money, or anything else. This is about me proving to the UFC and the fans that I can win this fight. That’s why I took this fight. To prove to myself, all the fans and the UFC that I can deliver on short notice when called upon and prove that I am a top welterweight contender who accepts all challenges and challengers. I’m coming into this fight to win … that’s the bottom line. MMAmania.com: Given the collapsed window to prepare for Thiago Alves what are you doing to get ready … is there any cramming or sense of urgency or is it just business as usual? Josh Koscheck: I haven’t really changed anything in my routine to be totally honest. The biggest difference would be my eating habits and diet. I cleaned that up real quick to be ready to make 170. But that’s not really a big change because I already lead a clean lifestyle. Like I said, this is what I do. Being a fighter is who I am and I take that very seriously. So I’m always ready. Nothing really changed besides that. I’m getting plenty of rest. I moved into the hotel already. I’m in fight mode, man, just like that. MMAmania.com: That may sound like the understatement of the century, considering you’re still scheduled to fight Yoshiyuki Yoshida on December 10 in the main event at UFC Fight Night 16: “Fight for the Troops.” Josh Koscheck: Yep, I’m looking forward to fighting him on December 10. That’s a big fight for sure. But I can’t think about him right now. Fighting Thiago Alves this Saturday is all I’m really thinking about and all I have been thinking about since we got that call from the UFC. MMAmania.com: Why on Earth would you want that fight when UFC President Dana White has essentially said that you will earn a title shot with a win over Thiago. “Zenko” is one bad dude. Is it necessary to take such a big risk with the title shot so close? Josh Koscheck: I just want to fight, man. I wish I had eight or nine fights per year. This is a rare opportunity to do what I love to do and stay busy. I’d rather be fighting in the main event on December 10 on Spike TV than being inside the gym training. No one sees that. I want to compete. I want to put on a good show for the fans so I would never turn down that opportunity even if it’s considered dangerous. I could go from five to eight fights per year if the UFC would let me. One thing people may not realize is that I’m used to the wrestling grind — it was a way of life for me for a very long time. I’d often wrestle 40 matches in three months back in the day. So fighting up to eight times per year would really be no big deal. MMAmania.com: I know you didn’t take the call, but did the UFC dangle any carrots or mention the possibility of a title shot in the near future if you took this fight? I’m sure Dana White and Joe Silva breathed huge sighs of relief when you accepted because the promotion was able to come up with what many people feel to be a better match up than the original. Josh Koscheck: I didn’t ask that question and it never came up so I don’t know. Bob handles all that stuff and he works directly with the UFC … not me. There wasn’t any negotiating, if that’s what you are asking. I was asked if I wanted the fight and I said yes. That’s pretty much it. But it would be hard to argue that if I win these next two fights that I wouldn’t be the number one contender. There are certainly no guarantees but I’m putting myself in the best position possible and want to eliminate any doubt about who deserves the next title shot. I know that I will be the number one contender if I win these next two fights hands down. And I’m going to do everything possible to ensure that I make that happen. MMAmania.com: Okay, let’s talk about Thiago for a little bit. I’m sure you saw him cream Matt Hughes at UFC 85 and before that he stopped the very durable and resilient Karo Parisyan. I mean these are two very respected and talented fighters in the division and Thiago handled them. What does he bring to the table that might give you some problems? Josh Koscheck: He definitely comes to fight. Thiago is a very dangerous opponent who has really powerful striking. Good knees, good kicks, solid punches. I haven’t really seen him use his hands too much because he is so effective with those knees and kicks. We have a good gameplan for this fight. I went back to my roots after that loss to Georges St. Pierre and have really polished my wrestling. I kind of lost sight of that aspect of my game while I improved in all the other areas. So I’m ready to fight wherever it goes. MMAmania.com: So does that mean we will see an approach similar to your most recent fight with Chris Lytle: Stand, trade, shoot and then work the ground and pound? Josh Koscheck: Listen, this is a fight. It doesn’t matter who has the better stand up or the better wrestling. This is a fight. I have to be prepared to strike, wrestle, use my jiu-jitsu — everything. He’s a tough kid and I have to be prepared for anything and everything. MMAmania.com: You mentioned he has good knees, which are pretty much what set up the recent wins over Hughes and Parisyan. How are you going to deal with that as to not get caught like you did against Drew Fickett? Josh Koscheck: We have a strategy, like I said. We always put together gameplans that give me the best chance of winning. Let’s just say that I don’t intend to put myself in too many dangerous situations and we are well aware of the damage that he can do with those knees. MMAmania.com: How do you plan to handle his size and strength? Josh Koscheck: Well, my good friend, Jon Fitch, who I train with every day pretty much kicked his ass not too long ago. And Jon is not the only big guy who I work with at AKA. Trevor Prangley is a huge 185 pounder who walks around at like 220 and I’m in the gym working with him everyday, too. Phil Baroni, Mike Swick and all of my other training partners are big guys. So competing against someone who may be bigger, faster or more powerful than me is really not that much of a concern. I’ve also already fought the best 170-pound fighter in the world, Georges St. Pierre, so nothing really worries me at this stage of my career. MMAmania.com: If he comes in several pounds over the division limit like he did against Hughes do you intend to still take the fight? It seemed to be a big advantage for him in that one. Josh Koscheck: Absolutely, Thiago can weigh 190 and I’ll still fight him. I don’t care about that. It isn’t about him making or losing weight. He can weigh whatever he wants and I’ll still fight him. MMAmania.com: Since Fitch fought him in 2006 Thiago has clearly evolved in more ways than one. He’s certainly a better fighter and he is clearly much bigger. I know you joked about his physical transformation a little bit in a video that MMAmania.com passed along not too long ago, but do you ever seriously wonder what’s in the juice this guy is drinking? Josh Koscheck: Well, for someone who has tested positive for illegal substances in the past (diuretics) there might be something going on there or some concerns. But who am I to say what he does or what he may have done. He’ll be tested just like every other fighter on the card. I can’t worry about stuff like that. I just know that I’m ready to fight and perform. The rest will take care of itself. MMAmania.com: Does training with Fitch give you any competitive or psychological advantage heading into this fight? On the flip side Fitch is in Thailand right now — is it a disadvantage not having him around or in your corner for this one? Josh Koscheck: I’ve been training with Jon Fitch for years and months. Every time I’m preparing to step into the cage he helps me out. And I do the same for him. We talk on the phone all the time and he has helped put together this gameplan for Thiago even though he is not around right now. We’re ready to go. It’s really just been one week that he hasn’t been in town and we have been talking about fighters, fight strategies and everything else for years. I’m the one who has to step in the cage on Saturday night — not Jon Fitch or anyone else. I’m going to win with what I have. That’s my plan. MMAmania.com: Is there any bad blood between you and Thiago or AKA and American Top Team (ATT) where he trains? Josh Koscheck: There’s no hard feelings between me and Thiago. We’re both professionals and we know what’s at stake with this fight. I respect him and everyone else at his gym. People don’t realize that for him to take this fight with me on two weeks notice is pretty ballsy — he could have said no just like me. But he didn’t. That’s the way I look at it. He stepped up and took the fight with me on short notice … not the other way around. May the best man win. MMAmania.com: Ideally, how would you like to see this fight end? Josh Koscheck: I’d like to knock him out in the first round like Seth Petruzelli did to Kimbo Slice the other night. If I had my way that would be the ultimate. If I get the quick knockout then I don’t have to deal with him for 15 minutes. But I don’t think that’s going to happen. I see this as a dog fight. We’re both going to come in and do our thing. He’s probably been training his ass off. Thiago was supposed to fight Diego Sanchez so I’m sure he’s been working his ass off to get ready for him. MMAmania.com: Let’s say you get this fight to the ground … can you keep him there? He appears to be able to get back to his feet real well. Josh Koscheck: We’ll find out on October 25. If I take him down and he gets up that’s just part of the sport. It won’t be anything new if he does. I’ll just have to take him down again if that’s how the fight goes. I’ve been in this situation before. I just have to go in and fight my fight. MMAmania.com: Well we wish you the best of luck against Thiago on Saturday night. It should be a hell of a fight. Thanks for speaking with us and for stepping up. Josh Koscheck: Thank you very much. |
| Cowboy Bebop: Donald Cerrone branding the WEC lightweight division Posted: 22 Oct 2008 12:01 AM CDT
Donald “The Cowboy” Cerrone (8-0) is set to face “Razor” Rob McCullough (16-4) at WEC 36 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida on November 5, airing live on the Versus Network at 9 p.m. ET. It will be Cerrone’s third fight for the Zuffa-owned promotion, after making a mockery of the lightweight division in Ring of Fire. In addition to being undefeated in eight fights, he’s finished all eight of his opponents by submission. Not bad for a U.S. Muay Thai Champion that went 28-0 in his Muay Thai career. In fact, Cerrone admits to being bit of a late bloomer in the grappling department. “I remember when I first started training I was like ‘Man, I don’t know why people always submit people, that’s gay, I just want to stand on my feet’. Then I started learning jiu-jitsu and now here I am submitting people, it’s funny.” What isn’t funny is the $3,000 fine and eight month suspension he served after testing positive for diuretics following his match against Kenneth Alexander at WEC 30 - a match he won via armbar in just 56 seconds. Cerrone blames the diuretic use not on weight cutting but rather on his desire to flush his system of the medication he used to treat staph infection - medication that he says wreaked havoc on his system. “The medication they give you makes you feel worse than the actual [staph infection]. It kind of runs you down and you feel like shit. I shouldn’t have done it. I have no one to blame but myself.” It was a rookie mistake, but one that he says taught him a valuable lesson - especially after the Nevada State Athletic Commission overturned the decision and ruled it a No Contest. Cerrone has only been competing professionally for two years yet has a natural talent for fighting that doesn’t stem from a hard-knock life. “I don’t have a bad childhood to blame, I didn’t have a father that beat me. I came from a wealthy family and out of a good school district. I can’t really point the finger at why I do what I do. I guess I used to think I was a lot cooler than everyone else and would try and streetfight all the time. One of my buddies was like ‘Man you think you’re tough? Come down and start kickboxing’ and I just enjoyed it, it started to become my passion”. Now “The Cowboy” is using some of that passion to make a name for himself in the ranks of the WEC’s 155lb division. And speaking of names, what is it about that nickname? “When I was riding the bulls in high school I used to wear my hat and boots, I still wear [them] everywhere, it’s just how it is. My own Grandmom and Mom call me Cowboy, that’s just what people call me”. Cerrone was big on the rodeo scene as well as motocross before he discovered fighting. In fact a horrific wipeout on his 4-wheeler hospitalized him with a coma when he was younger. That experience has left him with little fear of what can happen in a fight. Of course training with Team Jackson doesn’t hurt either, a place Cerrone would call home after just a one week trial. “We have so many good people in different areas that you have to constantly be improving or you’re just going to be getting beat all the time. There’s always someone better [here at the Jackson camp].” No question the Team Jackson influence will assist him when he faces the dangerous WEC veteran and fellow Muay Thai practitioner in McCullough. Cerrone looks forward to the challenge, but doesn’t want any free passes. “I want to fight the old Rob, the old Rob that was the champion, the one that comes out and just lets it go, that’s who I want. I don’t want the timid, scared Rob. I’m looking for a war”. The winner of Cerrone vs. McCullough was rumored to get a title match against WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner at a future event, which Cerrone has confirmed. “They offered me a title fight even if I didn’t want to fight Rob [but] I needed this fight financially and just to get myself back in the ring after having eight months off”. Despite the opportunity, Cerrone is in no hurry to fight for the title. He’s confident that his shot will come and has indicated that he still has some unfinished business with a fellow WEC lightweight. “I wouldn’t mind fighting Rich Crunkilton after [McCullough] just because he acted like he hurt his ankle (prior to WEC 34) and skipped out on me. I don’t like that”. Crunkilton was replaced by Danny Castillo, who was easily submitted by Cerrone in the first round via armbar. He may not have things end so easily for him against Rob McCullough on November 5, but he’s not going to take any chances. Cerrone has called upon his best friend and training partner, former UFC lightweight Leonard Garcia to help him prepare. Apparently he doesn’t share the same view many fighters do about fighting a friend. “I try to knock the little bastard out every time we spar - and then we’re friends afterwards”. What are friends for? For more on Donald “The Cowboy” Cerrone, check out the replay of MMAmania.com’s exclusive presentation of Pro MMA Radio by clicking here. |
| Brock Lesnar E:60 video (updated) Posted: 21 Oct 2008 04:24 PM CDT |
| Napout: MMA merchandise gone berserk Posted: 21 Oct 2008 07:31 PM CDT |
| UFC 92 poster for ‘The Ultimate 2008′ Posted: 21 Oct 2008 03:04 PM CDT |
| UFC 90 video blog with Dana White (Day one) Posted: 21 Oct 2008 01:55 PM CDT |
| Jake Shields to UFC ‘has now become a real possibility’ Posted: 21 Oct 2008 01:27 PM CDT
GracieFighter.com posted this statement mere hours after Elite XC was pronounced dead. Shields is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Cesar Gracie who runs the Web site, so even as vague as this comment is, it’s still coming from a very close and reliable source in regard to Jake. Shields — the first and only Elite XC welterweight champion — was pretty vocal over the last few months about wanting to prove himself against the best in the sport. In fact, after defeating Nick “The Goat” Thompson in little more than a minute at “Unfinished Business” in July, he called out the winner of the George St. Pierre and Jon Fitch UFC title fight scheduled for a couple weeks later, saying he wanted a super fight against the UFC champion. At the time it seemed like a pipe dream since the UFC obviously doesn’t believe in cross-promoting and Elite XC had Shields locked up under contract for another year or so. But, now that Elite XC is no more, it appears Jake is a free agent, and would like to be the first — and possibly the best — former Elite XC fighter to join the UFC ranks. Of course, if Shields does end up in the Octagon, he’ll have to work his way up a very long ladder of title contenders that include Thiago Alves, Josh Koshcheck, Diego Sanchez, Karo Parysian, Jon Fitch and many more. Elite XC was clearly having a hard time finding credible opponents for him at 170 pounds. He was even quoted as saying he would fight Robbie Lawler — the promotion’s middleweight champion — if that was the toughest match the organization could provide for him. But he won’t have to worry about moving up in weight in the UFC because he’ll find plenty of credible opponents there. And that makes the UFC the perfect landing spot for a fighter trying to prove himself as the best in the world. Obviously there are plenty of behind the scenes details that Jake and his management team have to work out with Zuffa before we see him in the Octagon, but as the statement says, “It’s a real possibility.” Let’s hope it becomes a reality, not only for Jake, but for some of the other top fighters formerly under contract with Pro Elite. Hopefully this will start a trend. |
| UFC Quick Quote: Hermes Franca predicts knockout win over Marcus Aurelio at UFC 90 Posted: 21 Oct 2008 12:00 PM CDT
– Hermes Franca shares his prediction with InsideFighting.com on his upcoming fight against Marcus Aurelio at UFC 90: “Silva vs. Cote” at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill., on October 25. He intends to finish his former Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor and camp member at American Top team (ATT) — a good back story that most of you should check out prior to the lightweight showdown if you haven’t already. Despite the bad intentions, both fighters insist that bad blood is not boiling over after their shared and spotty past. In fact, Franca and Aurelio intend to go about this as professionals, indicating that it is not personal. Uh-huh … |
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