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| UFC reinforces economic benefits of its events as push for New York MMA legislation heats up again Posted: 06 Jan 2009 08:31 AM CST
Props: ESPN.com Quoteworthy:
UFC Vice President for Government and Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner and president of the company Dana White ratchet up the economic rhetoric and financial success of its mixed martial events. Money talks … and the UFC has the numbers to back it up. According to the article, an independent economic impact study indicates that the promotion would generate about $11.5 million for the “Big Apple.” Mixed martial arts is currently unregulated in New York. It appeared to be on the verge of being sanctioned in 2008, but some eleventh-hour concerns from uneducated members of the Assembly Committee on Tourism, Arts and Sports Development scuttled its passage. It appears that the promotion’s efforts since that time have been fruitful — another session on the matter begins in the state capital tomorrow (January 7). Fingers crossed … Madison Square Garden (MSG) could come soon. UFC 100 in summer time would be ideal. |
| Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua on importance of beating Mark Coleman at UFC 93 (Video) Posted: 06 Jan 2009 08:07 AM CST |
| Gray Maynard vs Jim Miller UFC 96 fight possible Posted: 06 Jan 2009 06:20 AM CST Jim Miller (13-1) will get the opportunity to hand Gray Maynard (6-0) his first career loss in mixed martial arts when the two lightweights collide at UFC 96 from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on March 7, according to TheGarv.com. “The Bully” has strung together four straight wins inside the Octagon since his participation on season five of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 5. He most recently outpointed Rich Clementi on all three judges scorecards at UFC 90: “Silva vs. Cote” back in October, relying on his strong wrestling background to frustrate “No Love” for the full 15 minutes. It was his secong big win over a name challenger in the division — he defeated the previously unbeaten Frank Edgar via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 13 in April 2007. He’ll once again have his hands full against the AMA Fight Club product. Miller recently filled-in for an injured Edgar to derail Matt Wiman at UFC Fight Night 16: "Fight for the Troops" on December 10. He took the fight on just eight days notice, after Thanksgiving and having just returned from his honeymoon. And he looked sharp while doing it. This will mark the third fight inside the Octagon for Miller — he scored and impressive third round submission (rear naked choke) over David Baron at UFC 89: "Bisping vs. Leben" on October 18 in his promotional debut. Prior to the big win, Miller plied his trade primarily in smaller shows throughout New Jersey. His only loss was a unanimous decision to none other than Edgar. He holds a notable win over the very tough and experienced Bart Palaszewski via unanimous decision under the International Fight League (IFL) banner back in April. To check out the latest UFC 96 fight card, which currently is awaiting a main event, as well as rumors for the show click here. |
| UFC confirms fight card for Fight Night 17 ‘Lauzon vs Franca′ on Feb. 7 Posted: 05 Jan 2009 09:47 PM CST
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) today confirmed several bouts for its SpikeTV telecast scheduled for February 7 at the University of Southern Florida (USF) Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida. Fight Night 17: “Lauzon vs. Franca” features the lightweight showdown between former 155-pound contender Hermes Franca and The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 5 alum and BJ Penn pupil Joe Lauzon, as well as the highly anticipated showdown between lightweights Mac Danzig and Josh Neer. In the only heavyweight battle of the evening, the oft-talked about Cain Velasquez will have a chance to introduce himself to the masses when he locks horns with Sarajevo native Denis Stojnic. And TUF 7 winner Amir Sadollah — who was forced to withdraw from his scheduled bout at UFC 91: "Couture vs. Lesnar" because of a leg infection — will finally get a chance to keep his momentum going when he tries to spoil the debut of Nick Catone. UFC Fight Night 17 is scheduled to air only four fights — though I find it unlikely all four will go to a decision (especially with Velasquez competing). That should allow some of the undercard bouts (like Johnson vs. Fioravanti) to find their way into the broadcast. Here is the official UFC Fight Night 17 line up:
Main event: Main card: Under card: |
| UFC 94 video: Georges St. Pierre vs BJ Penn 2 preview (Extended) Posted: 05 Jan 2009 08:32 PM CST Oh boy: |
| Josh Neer vs Mac Danzig UFC Fight Night 17 fight is on despite recent arrest Posted: 05 Jan 2009 08:23 PM CST
From Mickey Dubberly — Chief Executive Officer of K.O. Dynasty Sports Mgt. — on behalf of his client, Josh Neer:
Despite a recent video interview that appeared with “The Dentist” just yesterday that cast doubt on his participation at UFC Fight Night 17 at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Fla., on February 7 following a New Year’s Eve arrest, it appears that Josh Neer will indeed compete against against Mac Danzig as scheduled. For more on the situation check out our fighter archive right here. |
| Phil Baroni to headline XMMA 7 against Guillaume De Lorenzi on Feb. 27 Posted: 05 Jan 2009 07:19 PM CST
Phil “New York Bad Ass” Baroni will be back in action on February 27 at the XMMA 7: “Inferno” card, set to take place at the Bell Center in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He’ll face off against undefeated XMMA veteran Guillaume De Lorenzi in the night’s main event. Baroni (13-10) went (3-2) in 2008 after making only one start in 2007. He started last year with back-to-back losses to Kala Hose and Joey Villasenor under the Icon Sport and Elite XC banners. Those defeats came at the end of a streak that saw him lose five of seven fights. After dropping down in weight to compete at 170 pounds, NYBA started to turn things around near the end of the year and rebounded with three straight wins over Scott Jansen at Cage Rage 27: “Step Up”, Ron Verdadero at Icon Sport: “Hard Times”, and Olaf Alfonso at Palace Fighting Championships 10: “Explosive”. He’ll be looking to continue his recent string of success but won’t have an easy time against the hard hitting De Lorenzi (5-0). The Brazilian Top Team (BTT) Canada product has sent his last four opponents home with first round technical knockout losses on their records. He should make for a very exciting match up against Baroni since both guys like to throw leather. We also reported last week that ex-Elite XC female standout Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos would be a part of this card as well. The talented Brazilian striker signed a one-fight deal with the promotion and her opponent is expected to be announced shortly. Here’s the current lineup for XMMA 7 “Inferno”: Phil Baroni (13-10) vs. Guillaume De Lorenzi (5-0) It looks like a solid card for the Montreal fans. If you’re in the area, be sure to check it out. |
| Dustin Hazelett vs Ben Saunders UFC 96 fight on tap Posted: 05 Jan 2009 07:04 PM CST
As expected, “McLovin” — a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt phenom under Jorge Gurgel — will continue his rise to division contender status in front of his hometown fans. The 22-year-old submission specialist is on a two-fight win streak, tapping Tamdan McCrory and and Josh Burkman, respectively, in his last two appearances. Hazelett has won five of seven fights inside the Octagon and appears to get better with each performance. He’ll be out to prove once again that he is a serious threat in the 170-pound division when he takes on “Killa B.” Saunders is coming off a lopsided first round ass-kicking of Brandon Wolff at UFC Night 16: “Fight For the Troops” just last month. The former contestant on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 6 channeled the Muay Thai skills of UFC Middleweight Champion to totally rout the Hawaiian in his Octagon debut. It was impressive (and painful) to watch to say the least. Saunders has been perfect (3-0) since his stint on the mixed martial arts reality series, defeating Ryan Thomas at UFC 87: “Seek and Destroy” in August and Dan Barrera via unanimous decision at TUF 6 Finale. He is a very big welterweight. It will be interesting to see how the lanky Hazelett handles his size and if he can use it to his advantage by using his long limbs to secure a fight-ending submission. To check out the latest UFC 96 fight card, which currently is awaiting a main event, as well as rumors for the show click here. |
| Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva fight license to be subject of CSAC meeting Feb. 10 Posted: 05 Jan 2009 02:50 PM CST
Claiming his innocence, Silva took matters into his own hands and appealed the ruling in October. However, these things have more of a guilty until proven innocent theme to them instead of the other way around. And the commission’s final decision was to uphold the suspension when Silva’s defense did not appear to sway the initial finding. With his fight career being his family’s main source of income, sitting out for a full year was not an option for the Brazilian. He decided to disregard the punishment and take a fight in Japan where the CSAC’s suspension would not be recognized. The big man’s manager Alex Davis released this statement in early December regarding his client’s decision to fight in Japan in spite of the CSAC’s suspension: “Antonio has decided to fight, he really has no option. He's innocent, he's tried to prove it and it fell on unwilling ears, and he has financial commitments that to not meet would have serious consequences for him. In light of these, he has decided to continue his career in Japan until when and if his situation with the CSAC is resolved.” While “Bigfoot” was victorious in the fight on January 4 against Yoshihiro Nakao, he still may have come away a loser. Apparently, the CSAC didn’t take to kindly to him ignoring its suspension and its decided to take action. On February 10, the commission will meet to discuss the possibility of revoking Silva’s license to fight in the United States. In addition, team members and trainers who worked his corner in Japan will be dealt with as accomplices and could be punished as well. Silva knew there would be consequences for his actions if he ignored the suspension. We’ll have to wait until February 10 to find out just how severe those consequences are, but this doesn’t look good for the Brazilian giant right now. He may just have to get used to fighting in Japan. Thanks to CombatLifestyle.com for the photo of Antonio Silva. |
| David ‘The Crow’ Loiseau returns at UFC 97 to face Ed Herman Posted: 05 Jan 2009 11:58 AM CST
Former UFC middleweight contender David Loiseau will return to the Octagon on April 18 when he faces The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 3 finalist Ed Herman at UFC 97 from The Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada according to Cageplay.com. “Short Fuse” is hoping to not only spoil Loiseau’s homecoming, but to also snap a two-fight losing streak inside the cage. Herman came up on the losing end of a split-decision loss to Alan Belcher back in September and was choked out by Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu phenom Demian Maia at last year’s UFC 83. Loiseau recently defeated Solomon Hutcherson via fifth round technical knockout to earn the Xtreme MMA (XMMA) middleweight title at the Claude Robillard Sports Complex in Montreal, Canada. It was a big (and gutsy) win for "The Crow" — his third straight since a controversial split-decision loss Jason Day earlier this year — because it got him once step closer to a UFC return. The Canadian was at one time a top 185-pound title contender. In fact, he challenged then-champion Rich Franklin for his belt at UFC 58: "USA vs. Canada" in 2006, losing to "Ace" in a lopsided unanimous decision. Loiseau had won four of five bouts inside the Octagon, including stoppages of Evan Tanner, Charles McCarthy and Mark Weir, to earn the opportunity. After the loss to Franklin, however, Loiseau dropped three of his next four and fell of the radar. He was cut from the promotion rather abruptly after a unanimous decision loss to Mike Swick at UFC 63: "Hughes vs. Penn" in September 2006. Loiseau — who trains with welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre and Patrick Cote, among others — has been working hard ever since in smaller shows to be invited back. It looks like his efforts have finally paid off, which is good news for him, the fans and the middleweight division. |
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