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| Jake Rosholt training video for Dan Miller UFC Fight Night 17 bout … Posted: 26 Jan 2009 07:49 AM CST … while Marc Laimon eats pizza: |
| WEC 38 bonuses and awards for ‘Varner vs Cerrone’ Posted: 26 Jan 2009 01:15 AM CST
WEC 38: "Varner vs. Cerrone" from the San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, California, has come to a close. The Zuffa-owned promotion scored a gate of $516,560 thanks to the nearly 8,000 fans in attendance. The highly anticipated main event between Jamie Varner and Donald Cerrone earned "Fight of the Night" for their five round action-packed battle that was leaning in Varner’s favor until an illegal (but unintentional) knee from Cerrone sent him crashing to canvas, scrambling to find his footing like a newborn calf. “C-4″ opted not to continue, but he and “Cowboy” had done more than enough through four-and-a-half to earn some extra cheddar. Former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber sent current champ Mike Brown a little message with his first round submission win over the quickly fading Jens Pulver. “Lil’ Evil” was crumpled with a body shot early in the first and quickly wrapped up with a guillotine before he could recover. The tapout gave “The California Kid” a little extra green as well as a probable shot against the winner of Brown vs. Garcia, who are set to do battle at WEC 39 on March 1. Speaking of featherweights, Brazilian powerhouse Jose Aldo got the attention of well, just about everyone with his crushing knockout of Rolando Perez. “Junior” turned out the lights with a beautifully placed knee that saw him improve his record to 13-1. Overall, it was an exciting card with the only blemish being the disappointing ending in the main event. Regardless, the fighters honored below definitely deserved a little extra cash for their outstanding performances. Here are the special fight bonuses for WEC 38:
Each fighter received a $7,500 bonus for their efforts in addition to their respective base salaries. For complete WEC 38 results and blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action click here. |
| WEC recap and final thoughts for ‘Varner vs Cerrone’ Posted: 25 Jan 2009 11:14 PM CST
Lightweight Champion Jamie Varner put his 155-pound title on the line for third time against the undefeated Donald Cerrone. Both fighters promised fireworks going into the bout and lived up to their pre-fight predictions once the action started. And it lasted all the way until the fifth and final round. “Cowboy” charged forward for most of the fight, daring Varner to stand and trade with him. “C-4″ obliged and nailed Cerrone with shots all night long. But somehow, someway, the the Greg Jackson-trained fighter seemed, for the most part, unfazed. Talk about a granite chin. Cerrone dished out some punishment of his own, but it was clear that the champion was getting the better of the exchanges with the Muay Thay specialist. That’s not to say Cerrone didn’t have his fair share of moments. On the contrary, he nearly ended the Arizona Combat Sports product with a triangle choke at the end of round two. Fortunately for Varner, he was saved by the bell. It was a fantastic fight heading into the final frame. But then it happened … controversy. Cerrone took down Varner and had him pinned up against the cage. Varner tried to escape and “Cowboy” threw a knee the glanced off the right temple of the downed champion. The referee stopped the action because of the accidental — albeit illegal — knee strike. Varner was given time to recover, but informed the ringside officials that he could not continue. So the awesome fight was stopped premature and was sent to the judges for a decision, which Varner won via split decision. Great fight, horrible ending. In the post-fight interview, Varner revealed that he could not see. He also disclosed that he had sustained a broken hand in the second or third round, which prompted the crowd to rain down the boos, speculating it seemed that he had taken the easy way out of the fight. Whatever. An instant rematch has to happen. And it can’t come soon enough.
Former 145-pound golden boy Urijah Faber and veteran Jens Pulver hooked ‘em up in the co-featured fight of the night. It was a quick rematch from back in June 2008, which the “California Kid” took via a five-round unanimous decision. Perhaps too quick for “Lil Evil,” who is still dealing with the tragic murder of his long-time friend and training partner, Justin Eilers. It didn’t help matters that he was going up against an overwhelming hometown favorite — the crowd was very vocal about their support for Faber. And he gave them more to cheer for, taking it to the former UFC lightweight champion right out of the gate. Pulver landed a handful of nice strikes, but it was too little too early. Faber drilled him with a shot to body, which has Pulver doubled over. He managed to stay upright, but not for long. Faber smelled the blood in the water and shifted into all-out attack mode. Pulver dropped to escape the punishment and it was a matter of seconds before Faber had him locked in a tight, fight-ending guillotine choke. Pulver had no other choice but to tap, and in the process, dropped his third straight bout inside the blue cage. The future is now uncertain for Pulver, who claimed the he “is not done” with the fight game, but not so much for Faber. He’s poised to challenge Mike Thomas Brown — or Leonard Garcia — for the opportunity to recapture his 145-pound crown. Top featherweight contender Jose Aldo kicked off the action and was charged with introducing Rolando Perez to the organization. He was not anything but hospitable. The Nova Uniao standout took it to the newcomer from the opening bell, strafing him with a blistering combination of strikes. Perez was game and not scared to exchange; however, Aldo proved to be just too fast and too much. With about a minute left in the first round, Perez — already showing the signs of punishment on his face — reached for a left to the body. Aldo timed it perfect with a sensational standing knee, which sent Perez to the canvas in a heap. Aldo finished him off and then bolted the cage to celebrate with the fans in the stands. No trademark back flip this time, just dancing in the crowd … good stuff. The win is Aldo’s third straight with the promotion — all of which have been impressive finishes. And it’s safe to say that because of his performances, showmanship and high energy that he is on the short list of title contenders in the 145-pound class. Welterweights Danillo Villefort and Mike Campbell picked up right where the featherweights left off, engaging in a back-and-forth, up-and-down scrap for much of the first round. Campbell looked solid against the Brazilian import in the early going with powerful punches and well-timed strikes. However, "Indio" was just on another level on the ground, transitioning from submission to submission and getting the Mark Dellagrotte-trained fighter in several dangerous positions. He eventually was able to get the back of Campbell, flatten him out and box his ears en route to a technical knockout finish. It didn’t appear that the strikes were doing much damage; however, Campbell was simply incapable of escaping or defending intelligently. The referee stepped in much to the chagrin of those in attendance, giving the American Top Team product his first win for the promotion. Villefort — a former middleweight — is a solid prospect for the division … expect to see him in action again real soon. Remember: The WEC welterweight division is perhaps its thinnest. It’s therefore not a stretch to imagine Villefort gets into the title mix with one or two more impressive victories. It was a solid night of fights when all was said and done. The Varner-Cerrone scrap could have been the early candidate for “Fight of the Year” if it had ended differently. WEC 38 flew under the radar because of being sandwiched between Affliction: “Day of Reckoning” and UFC 94: “St. Pierre vs. Penn 2.” WEC 39, which takes place on March 1 and features two title fights, will hopefully receive a little more exposure and fanfare — the mixed martial arts action almost always delivers. Tonight was no different. For complete WEC 38: “Varner vs. Cerrone” results click here. |
| WEC results LIVE tonight for ‘Varner vs Cerrone’ Posted: 25 Jan 2009 02:40 PM CST
The main event of the evening features WEC Lightweight Champion Jamie “C-4″ Varner defending his 155-pound title for the second time ever against undefeated Muay Thai specialist Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. And former 145-pound champ Urijah Faber will square off against Jens “Little Evil” Pulver in the co-main event in a rematch from WEC 34. As always, MMAmania.com will provide detailed coverage of the main card bouts, beginning with the 9:30 p.m. ET telecast on Versus. In addition, we will deliver up-to-the-minute quick results of the under card action at around 8 p.m. ET. Many of our readers check-in before, during and after the Versus telecast to share their thoughts on the action. Therefore, feel free to leave a comment or 10 before you leave and chat with many of our readers during the show — it always turns out to be a great discussion. Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps and post-fight analysis after WEC 38. Without further delay, see below for the latest WEC 38 results. (Note: This will go from the bottom up; therefore, scroll toward the bottom for the latest fight updates!)
WEC 38 QUICK RESULTS: WEC Lightweight Champion Jamie "C-4″ Varner defeats Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone via split decision WEC 38 MAIN CARD FIGHT COVERAGE: WEC Lightweight Champion Jamie "C-4″ Varner vs. Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone (155-pound limit) Fight recap: Jamie Varner retained his lightweight title with a split decision win over Donald Cerrone in the main event. The champ’s ground and pound gameplan worked well throughout the five round battle. Cowboy has proven to be capable of ending fights off of his back in the past and he was unorthodox from that position in this fight for sure, but Varner was on top of his game with the ground and pound. Cerrone stayed aggressive on his feet throughout the fight, but couldn’t stop the champ from taking him down. It looked like the fight was going to go the full five rounds, but an unintentional illegal knee from Cowboy while Varner was grounded stopped the bout prematurely. Under the California state rules the fight went to the scorecards and Varner eeked out a split decision. Final result: WEC Lightweight Champion Jamie "C-4″ Varner defeats Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone via split decision -end- Urijah "The California Kid" Faber vs. Jens "Little Evil" Pulver (145-pound limit) Fight recap: This fight started out similar to the first encounter between these two. Both guys looked pumped up and ready to brawl and they came out scrapping. But, Faber hit Jens with a nasty body shot with his left hand just over a minute into the first round that really hurt the former UFC champion badly. Once Urijah smelled that blood he went in for the kill and choked Pulver out rather easily. This makes back to back first round losses now for Jens in the WEC and three in a row overall for the first time in his career. For Faber, he likely moves right into the number one contender spot. Jose Aldo might have something to say about that, but Faber defended that title successfully five times before losing it. He definitely deserves a chance to get his belt back. He’ll probably face the winner of Mike Brown and Leonard Garcia next. Final result: Urijah "The California Kid" Faber defeats Jens "Little Evil" Pulver via submission (guillotine choke) at 1:34 round one -end- Danillo "Indio" Villefort vs. Mike Campbell (170-pound limit) Fight recap: Technique won out over power in this fight. Villefort was solid on his feet, using a variety of kicks and knees, and when the fight went to the mat Campbell was clearly outmatched there as well. When he was put on his back early on, Villefort came close to pulling off several submissions. Campbell somehow escaped them, but clearly wanted no part of the ground game after that. Once Indio got him back to the mat, it was all over. The Brazilian easily took a full mount position and proceeded to pound out the WEC newcomer with about a minute left in the first round. With Villefort and Edgar Garcia, who won on the under card in impressive fashion, the WEC unveiled two real contenders in the 170 pound division during this event. Final result: Danillo "Indio" Villefort defeats Mike Campbell via technical knockout (strikes) at 3:55 of round one -end- Jose Aldo vs. Rolando Perez (145-pound limit) Fight recap: Aldo was pretty much as advertised in this fight. He was ridiculously fast on his feet with kicks and punches and was far and away the better fighter. To his credit, Perez stood in there and traded shots with the Brazilian for as long as he could, but Aldo kept picking his shots and he was eventually just too much. The blow that finally dropped Perez was a hard knee right on the chin. Aldo pounced on him and easily finished him off pretty easily for the technical knockout win. He’s now 3-0 in the WEC. Final result: Jose Aldo defeats Rolando Perez via technical knockout (strikes) at 4:15 of round one -end-
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| Freddie Roach: Lucky punch from Fedor floors cocky Arlovski at Affliction Posted: 25 Jan 2009 02:19 PM CST
Props: MMA Insider Blog Quoteworthy:
Freddie Roach — who has raved about the boxing skills of his pupil, Andrei Arlovski, heading into his superfight against WAMMA Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko at Affliction: “Day of Reckoning — talks about what went wrong last night. “The Pitbull” was knocked out cold by the cornered and very dangerous Russian cyborg in the first round while attempting a flying knee. Roach chalks it up to youthful inexperience and a little bit of luck. Perhaps Emelianenko should have used better technique and fought more like a man. That way, maybe, he wouldn’t now be eating crow or having to cough up $5,000 to M-1 Global’s Gary Millen in a sidebet. Photo courtesy of Arlovski.com. |
| Affliction video: Behind the scenes at ‘Day of Reckoning’ Jan. 24 Posted: 25 Jan 2009 02:12 PM CST |
| Extreme Challenge MMA ‘War at the Shore:’ The agony of defeat (Pic) Posted: 25 Jan 2009 02:10 PM CST
For our complete recap of Extreme Challenge MMA ‘War at the Shore’ including the main event between Tara LaRosa and Alexis Davis, click here. |
| Canadian phenom TJ Grant signs four-fight UFC contract Posted: 25 Jan 2009 01:30 PM CST
Canada's best kept secret may soon be revealed. MMAmania.com has confirmed with King of the Cage (KOTC) and TKO Major League MMA veteran TJ Grant that he’s signed an exclusive four-fight contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The Fit Plus standout is expected to make his UFC debut against PRIDE veteran Ryo Chonan (16-8) this April at UFC 97 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The card will be headlined by Anderson “The Spider” Silva as he defends his middleweight title against Thailes Leites while former light heavyweight kingpin Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell does battle with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Grant (13-2) has won 13 of his 15 professional fights - with a staggering 12 of those 13 by submission. In addition to winning matches, he's been winning over audiences in Canada for quite some time and holds convincing victories over UFC veterans like Forrest Petz. From Grant:
For more on Grant’s background in MMA, the fight with The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) alum Ritchie Hightower that never happened, KOTC Champs that don't have to defend their belts and a whole lot more, check out last month’s exclusive interview here. |
| DREAM 7 to feature Featherweight Grand Prix; Yamamoto offered first-round bye Posted: 25 Jan 2009 01:05 PM CST
First up will be DREAM 7, taking place on March 8 from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, and will feature the opening round of the 2009 Featherweight Grand Prix. There are 16 competitors for the tournament, with four fights in part one of the opening round getting underway in March. The remaining four bouts will conclude the opening round on April 5 at DREAM 8 with the Grand Prix expected to wrap up at some point in September. It's important to note that DREAM's featherweight class will be considerably different to what has come to be the norm in the U.S (145lbs). FEG expects their class to be somewhere around the mark of 138 lbs. DREAM event producer Keiichi Sasahara says featherweight superstar Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto has been offered a first-round bye in the tournament in hopes that he will have recovered from a previous injury in time to compete. Yamamoto (17-1) is in the midst of a 14-fight win streak, but has been plagued with injuries that have kept him on the sidelines since demolishing Rani Yahya at K-1 Premium Dynamite in December 2007. He was expected to make his DREAM debut last July to face undefeated featherweight prospect Joseph Benavidez at DREAM 5. However three days before the fight while in training he attempted a flying knee maneuver and landed awkwardly on his right leg. This resulted in a partial tear of his anterior ligament that has kept him out of action ever since. With the opening round not being completed until April 5, ‘Kid’ will have a considerable amount of time to prepare should he opt to participate. Also in a bid to crown a new welterweight champion, DREAM has constructed a mini-tournament featuring only eight fighters and will conclude in July. The focal point will be Japanese mainstay Hayato "Mach" Sakurai - unless lightweight superstar Shinya Aoki moves up in weight to join him as he previously alluded to. As well as the March and April shows, DREAM is looking to hold events in the months of May, July, September, October and December. The May and September shows will have primetime slots on Japanese broadcasting channel TBS. The remaining shows are likely to be broadcast at late night for fans in Japan. Stay tuned for more updates to the DREAM 2009 schedule as they become available. |
| WEC predictions and preview for ‘Varner vs Cerrone’ Jan. 25 Posted: 25 Jan 2009 10:33 AM CST
Despite playing third fiddle to the highly anticipated Affliction: “Day of Reckoning” last night and next Saturday’s megashow at UFC 94: “St. Pierre vs Penn 2,” World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) will tonight (Jan. 25) share its unique brand of mixed martial arts from the San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, Calif, with “Varner vs. Cerrone.” The main card for WEC 38: “Varner vs. Cerrone” will air live on the Versus network, beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET. Lightweight champion Jamie “C-4″ Varner will put his strap on the line against undefeated Muay Thai specialist Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in the main event of the evening. It will be buttressed by a rematch of one the most watched fights in the history of the organization when former featherweight title holder Urijah “The California Kid” Faber squares off against former UFC champion Jens “Little Evil” Pulver (pictured above). With those two bouts on the docket, as well as a fantastic under card, the WEC has once again assembled another fight card gem. To help get you pumped for the festivities, we’ve taken a closer look at each of the four main card bouts and provided predictions, too. Let’s get it on:
WEC Lightweight Champion Jamie "C-4″ Varner (15-2) vs. Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone (9-0) Testing positive for the banned diuretic after his WEC debut in September of 2007 was among the best things that could have happened to the then 24-year-old Donald Cerrone. He used the nine months on the sidelines to improve every aspect of his game by training tirelessly with guys like George St. Pierre, Leonard Garcia, Nate Marquardt, Keith Jardine, Rashad Evans and others at Jackson Submission Fighting in New Mexico. When he returned to the cage last June his confidence level was through the roof. And his all around game had clearly improved as evidenced by a decisive first round submission win over then undefeated Danny Castillo. In November, the WEC granted the prospect a shot at the former champion, “Razor” Rob McCullough, in a number one contender eliminator match on the WEC 36 card in Florida. Cerrone won the “Fight of the Year”-nominated war of attrition via unanimous decision by out-pointing the former champ on the scorecards with a solid Muay Thai attack. It was nothing different than what we’ve see from him in the past as far as technique goes, but during the three round battle we got a chance to see two things from Cowboy that we hadn’t seen before. First, his chin was tested numerous times in the fight and he showed the ability to recover more than once when in deep water. And second, his cardio was finally tested in a match that lasted longer than two rounds. He aced both tests with flying colors. However, Varner was not as impressed. He claims his win over “Razor” was more impressive because he (a.) won by stoppage, (b.) was facing McCullough when he hadn’t lost in five years, and (c.) was never really hurt in the fight. Meanwhile, “Cowboy” was knocked down several times in comparison. Obviously, none of that means much when the cage door gets locked on Sunday; but, Varner makes some solid points nonetheless. Cowboy has a big advantage in this match up — his length and reach. He’ll have to use his Muay Thai and kickboxing to stay away from Varner’s power because if he thought Razor Rob hit hard, he’s in for a rude awakening against C-4. It’s not the end of the world for Cerrone if he gets put on his back because he has solid submission skills, but he’ll certainly want to stay away from the champ’s powerful hands … just ask Marcus Hicks. Cerrone also needs to remember that it’s a five round fight and he has plenty of time to do what he needs to do. If he starts feeling rushed or uncomfortable, Varner will no doubt exploit the situation and make him pay dearly. Basically, Varner is the more seasoned and well rounded fighter, but Cowboy definitely has the tools to pull off the upset. It’s just a matter of if he can execute in the cage. If Cowboy is on top of his game on Sunday night and can avoid making any big mistakes, we can certainly see him becoming the next WEC lightweight champion. Prediction: Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone via unanimous decision Urijah "The California Kid" Faber (21-2) vs. Jens "Little Evil" Pulver (22-10-1) Anyone who’s expecting this fight to live up to the first encounter between these two back in June at WEC 34, is probably setting themselves up for a disappointment. That memorable five round classic was the first time in nearly five years that either one of these guys had been in a fight that went to the judges scorecards. Whether it was adrenaline highs, something in the water over in Sacramento — Faber’s hometown — or whatever, there was just no stopping either one of these guys that night. Since then, however, both guys have suffered first round technical knockout losses — Pulver to current number one division contender Leonard Garcia and Faber to current champion Mike Brown, both at WEC 36 in November. For Pulver it was the third loss in four fights, but for Faber it was just his first taste of defeat since the initial setback of his career to Tyson Griffin back in 2005. Before that, “The California Kid” was the face of the organization and appeared unbeatable in six WEC matches. He’ll no doubt look to silence, not only the critics from that loss, but also those who felt like he should have finished Pulver the first time around, with a strong performance in this fight. In June, he was the champ and had a lot more to lose. This time around, however, he has everything to gain with a win. If Pulver felt overwhelmed at times during the first fight, that’s nothing compared to what he’ll be facing this time around in what will essentially be a pissed off Urijah Faber with a point to prove. The only real advantage for Pulver in this fight is his powerful left hand. He’ll need to find a home for it early and often or he’ll be sent home fast by the younger, quicker, faster, stronger and more well rounded ex-champion. Pulver has done a lot for this sport and deserves nothing but respect, but he’s in trouble in this fight. Faber all the way. Prediction: Urijah Faber via second round technical knockout Danillo "Indio" Villefort (8-2) vs. Mike Campbell (4-0) Both fighters are making their WEC debuts in a fight that is more than likely being aired on the main card so the promotion can try to build some contenders for Carlos Condit in a shallow welterweight division. Indio was last seen submitting UFC veteran Mike Massenzio at an IFL event last May in Connecticut. He has a strong background in judo and Brazilian jiu jitsu, training with one of the best camps in the world at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida. He was originally supposed to debut for the promotion as a middleweight, but will fight at 170 pounds due to the organization phasing out the bigger weight classes this year, meaning he should have some good size for a welterweight. Campbell will be making only his fifth career start in a professional mixed martial arts match. His record suggests that he’s got some power since he’s stopped his last three opponents with first round (technical) knockouts. Villefort will more than likely look to use his size to take the fight to the ground where he can work for submissions as well as avoid Campbell’s power. If he can do that, his experience should win out, either on the scorecards or with a submission of some sort. Prediction: Danillo "Indio" Villefort via second round submission Jose Aldo (12-1) vs. Rolando Perez (4-1-1) Aldo is one of the top prospects in the WEC’s featherweight division. He’s a black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu, but is a world class striker as well, with seven career (technical) knockouts. After two impressive wins over Alexandre Franca Nogueira at WEC 34 and Jonathan Brookins at WEC 36, he’s more than likely only a fight or two away from a title shot. An impressive win in front of the Versus audience — something he hasn’t had the chance to do yet — could land him the first shot at the winner between Mike Brown and Leonard Garcia (with a Faber loss, of course). Perez took this fight on short notice as a replacement for Fredson Paixao, who was originally scheduled to face Aldo but was forced out because of some contract issues. He’ll be making his promotional debut after taking his first six career fights under the Total Combat banner. His only loss there was by decision and all four of his wins were stoppages, three by submission and one technical knockout. Perez is a solid fighter, but this is a match up that Jose Aldo should win. He’ll be far and away better on his feet than Perez, and he should be able to counter anything on the ground as well if the fight gets there. Aldo’s a very difficult fighter to prepare for, for anybody, but for a guy with limited experience to try and do so on short notice … it’s just not a recipe for success against this guy. We’re going with Aldo in highlight reel fashion. Prediction: Jose Aldo via first round knockout. That’s a wrap. Feel free to share your event-related thoughts and predictions in the comments section below. To check out the full WEC 38 card click here. Remember that MMAmania.com will provide up to the minute live coverage of all the WEC 38 action later this evening … so check in early and often. See you later! Photo courtesy of Tracy Lee of CombatLifestyle.com. |
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