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‘UFC Countdown’ to 96 ‘Jackson vs Jardine’ on Spike TV tonight Posted: 05 Mar 2009 04:16 AM PST Props: UFC.com

UFC 96 video preview for ‘Jackson vs Jardine’ Posted: 04 Mar 2009 02:07 PM PST

Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Santos collides with Hitomi Akano at Strikeforce event on April 11 Posted: 04 Mar 2009 01:58 PM PST Strikeforce has announced today that former EliteXC female powerhouse Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos (6-1) will collide with Smack Girl Champion Hitomi "Girlfight Monster" Akano (14-5) on the main card of the new-look Strikeforce debut show set for April 11 in San Jose, California. While it may not be the superfight against Gina Carano that MMA fans have been clamoring for, Akano is by all means a suitable replacement. Cyborg — the wife of former Pride FC fighter Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos — burst onto the scene in May of 2008 with a dominating performance against Shayna Baszler in her debut under the Elite XC banner. Like her husband, she's a product of the Brazilian Chute Boxe Academy, a style that's evident as soon as she steps foot in the cage. Her most recent fight was in October 2007 on the Elite XC: "Heat" card. She out-pointed Yoko Takahashi on the judges scorecards for a unanimous decision. It was a hard fought battle, but another impressive win for Santos nonetheless. Santos was scheduled to make an appearance at XMMA 7 against Dutch submissions artist Marloes Coenen until a late injury forced her off the February 27 card. From Cyborg: "I know Hitomi Akano is the best Japanese female fighter today, but I am prepared for any situation and will always be looking for the knockout. My coaches and I will study the style of Akano. My master Rafael Cordeiro is one who has helped me grow up in MMA. He is the best coach in the world." Akano is a submission specialist and former standout on Japan's national judo team and has yet to be finished in 19 career fights. The Japanese import is riding a three fight win streak and has ended 11 of her 14 victories by way of tapout. From Girlfight Monster: "I am really looking forward to this fight because, compared to mine, Cyborg has got almost a completely opposite style. She is a striker and I am a grappler," said Akano, whose start on April 11 will be her second in the United States. "Regardless of where I fight, I believe in myself and my ability to fight my own game." The April 11 Strikeforce card will feature Nick Diaz and Frank Shamrock facing off in the evening's main event at a catchweight of 179 pounds. Also scheduled to do battle is Scott Smith as he faces Benji Radach and Joe Riggs taking on former Elite XC Welterweight Champion Jake Shields.

Marcus Davis would like Dan Hardy to stand and trade or shut his mouth Posted: 04 Mar 2009 11:42 AM PST Props: Fight Hype Quoteworthy: “He's one of those guys that's looking to build his name and stir up things. He's all Hollywood and stuff so whatever. The guy keeps running his mouth and he reminds me a lot of when I fought Jess Liaudin, but he's pushing it further. If the UFC makes that fight, I will be looking forward to it … he's riding high on the fact that he just knocked out Rory Markham, but he's got normal power in his punches, like an average MMA fighter, but he doesn't have my kind of power in his punches and he'll find that out if we fight … I think that he's smoking crack because he can't stand and trade with me. He won't stand and trade with me because he would be on his back and if he's on his back, then I would be on top smashing his face into dust like I said before … I've heard him take shots at my speed or whatever, that I'm not that quick. Well, whatever; we'll find out. I'm fast enough to catch him. He's had 2 fights in the UFC and won't shut his mouth.” -UFC welterweight Marcus Davis (16-4) responds to some recent criticism from fellow 170-pound striker Dan Hardy (21-6). “The Outlaw" mentioned wanting to fight "The Irish Hand Grenade" numerous times in his post-fight interviews following UFC 95 and it seems as though his rhetoric may have worked. Davis told UFC matchmaker Joe Silva to set it up for UFC 99 at the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany, on June 13. Neither the Davis nor Hardy have ever been stopped by strikes in their respective mixed martial arts careers, however that could all change in at some point in 2009 … at least for one fighter.

TUF 8 Coach Robert Drysdale to hold Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu All-Star Camp featuring appearances by top UFC fighters Posted: 04 Mar 2009 11:09 AM PST Ultimate Fighter Assistant Coach Robert Drysdale announces the first annual Drysdale Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu All-Star Camp to take place March 16th- March 26th at the Robert Drysdale Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Las Vegas, Nevada. The camp will be open to the public and consists of ten days of intense BJJ training aimed at sharpening the skills of BJJ and MMA competitors. The camp will feature some of the best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) instructors in the world including: Rodrigo “Comprido” Medeiros, Andre Galvao, Bruno Frazzato, Abmar Barbosa, Cameron Diffley, Ramon Lemos, Rafael and Guilherme Mendes, Gilbert Durinho, Sonny Nohara and Michelle Nicolini. In addition to world class instructors, the camp will also feature UFC Fighters: Joe Stevenson, Martin Kapman, Kevin Randleman, Phil Baroni and Frank Mir participating in the camp. Robert Drysdale is a Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the 2007 ADCC Submission Grappling World Champion in the Absolute division, Six time World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Champion, Assistant Coach on the hit TV series “The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir”, and a Mixed Martial Arts Fighter currently training at the Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas. WHERE: Robert Drysdale Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy, 1234 S. Rainbow Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89146. WHEN: March 16th - March 26th 2009. Special Guests Expected in Attendance: UFC Fighters: Joe Stevenson, Martin Kapman, Kevin Randleman, Phil Baroni and Frank Mir. For information on how to sign up for the camp visit http://www.robertdrysdale.net, email drysdalebjj@actionfight.com, or call 877-BJJ-MMA-1.

Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson final training days for UFC 96 at Wolfslair (Pic) Posted: 04 Mar 2009 09:44 AM PST Former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson finishes his last days of training at the Wolfslair gym in the UK. Jackson will face Keith Jardine at UFC 96 this Saturday in a bid to earn a title shot against current 205-pound champ “Sugar” Rashad Evans. Thanks as always to Tracy Lee of CombatLifestyle.com for the pics. See more right here.

Stefan Struve tapped to face Denis Stojnic at UFC 99 in Germany Posted: 04 Mar 2009 09:28 AM PST The card for UFC 99 continues to come together with the addition of Stefan Struve and Denis Stojnic, set to do battle from the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany on June 13 according to Fighters Only Magazine. The 20-year-old Struve recently signed a four-fight contract with the organization, earning his opportunity to compete on the biggest stage in mixed martial arts with an impressive five-fight win streak in 2008 — all of which came via submission. Unfortunately he received a rude welcome from the surging Junior dos Santos, who clobbered "The Skyscraper" into a first round TKO loss at UFC 95. Still, the talented Hollander holds notable victories over former UFC veterans Colin Robinson and Mario Neto and is a viable threat, having ended 12 of his 16 wins via submission. Standing in his way is Denis Stojnic, also 0-1 in the UFC after making making his debut for the promotion at UFC Fight Night 17 last month. The Sarajevo native was smashed by blue chip heavyweight prospect Cain Velasquez in his first mixed martial arts appearance stateside. “The Menace” has competed throughout Europe during his career, including a decision win against Hakim Gouram at “Beast of the East” back in May 2008. This is a must-win situation for both fighters, as 0-2 is a place you don’t want to be under the Zuffa umbrella. UFC 99 is expected to be headlined by former middleweight champion Rich "Ace" Franklin taking on ex-PRIDE smashing machine Wanderlei Silva in his middleweight debut. Heath Herring and Cain Velasquez as well as Mike Swick and Ben Saunders are also expected to hook 'em up. For more on UFC 99 click here.

M-1 Global issues statement regarding positive steroid test for Kirill ‘Baby Fedor’ Sidelnikov Posted: 04 Mar 2009 08:57 AM PST M-1 Global officials first learned that Kirill Sidelnikov failed his post-fight screening for performance enhancing drugs when it was informed late last week by the California State Athletic Commission. Immediately after the company was notified, an internal investigation was launched. As a part of the investigation, M-1 Global officials spoke with Kirill and asked him to explain his position. In preparation for his Affliction debut against Paul Buentello in January, Kirill spent some time training outside of the Imperial Team family in St. Petersburg. Kirill indicated that during that time away he began to experience complications from a broken nose that he had recently sustained. Not wanting to miss any training time leading up to “Day of Reckoning,” Kirill followed the advice of a coach not affiliated with M-1 who gave him a nose spray commonly used in Russia to help treat some of his symptoms. It is M-1’s belief that the nose spray is what contained the Stanozol. For those that are skeptical of this explanation, we believe Kirill’s account is true based in large part to his physique. If he had been using large amounts of Stanozol on a regular basis, we believe that the frame of his upper body would have contained leaner muscle that had more definition. While we do not believe the use of a nose spray provided Kirill with an unfair competitive advantage, we are obviously very disappointed in his lapse of judgment. Even though it was only a common nose spray that he used to treat an injury, an athlete must take full responsibility for what he puts into his system at all times. While we are not citing youth as an excuse, we feel we need to offer the public an explanation and we attribute the mistake in part to the fact that Kirill is just 20-years of age. In spite of our disappointment, Kirill remains a part of the M-1 family and as such, he can continue to count on our support through this turbulent period. While we do not endorse his actions, we stand by him. M-1 takes full responsibility for Kirill’s actions and we respect the decision of the California State Athletic Commission. The organization would also like to make it clear that we do not condone the use of performance enhancing drugs of any kind and we’d like to hereby apologize to the MMA community for Kirill’s indiscretion. M-1 believes that Kirill is one of the top up-and-coming fighters of the sport and after he has served his punishment and is eligible to return, we hope that the public will give him a second chance to prove himself.

Paul Taylor reportedly set to face Peter Sobotta at UFC 99 on June 13 Posted: 04 Mar 2009 08:30 AM PST UFC welterweight Paul Taylor is reportedly set to face UFC newcomer Peter Sobotta in a 170-pound scrap at UFC 99 from the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany on June 13 according to Fighters Only Magazine. Taylor (9-4-1) hasn’t competed since a close unanimous decision loss to Chris Lytle at UFC 89: "Leben vs. Bisping" last October due to injuries. Prior to that he squeezed out a split-decision win against Jess Liaudin at UFC 85: "Bedlam" after suffering back-to-back losses for the first time in his career. “Relentless” is a regular on the UFC European circuit, having been involved in the last five shows (this will be his sixth) overseas. He’ll be trying to right the ship against Germany’s own Peter Sobotta in his UFC debut. The grappling standout is 8-1 and riding a four-fight winning streak after blasting Kerim Abzailow at a KSW event last September. UFC 99 is expected to be headlined by former middleweight champion Rich "Ace" Franklin taking on ex-PRIDE smashing machine Wanderlei Silva in his middleweight debut. Heath Herring and Cain Velasquez as well as Mike Swick and Ben Saunders are also expected to hook 'em up. For more on UFC 99 click here.

UFC Quick Quote: Matt Hamill vs Mark Munoz will not be a wrestling match at UFC 96 Posted: 04 Mar 2009 05:53 AM PST “It's a great matchup for me. Wrestler versus wrestler. But it's not gonna be a wrestling match. It's gonna be, I feel like, whomever has adjusted to MMA better. That's going to win the fight. All the in-between techniques. The transitions between wrestling and other disciplines. It's going to be an interesting fight. I'd like it to be exciting. I know Matt Hamill's gonna want to stand. In a lot of fights, he uses his wrestling sporadically. I like to use wrestling to set up other things. I think obviously his strength is his takedowns. But I haven't seen much ground game from him. I've seen a lot of front headlock punches, and once he gets guys tired and worn down, he's like a juggernaut. He keeps coming forward. He wears them out with those front headlock punches, dirty boxing punches. Uses wrestling to tire the guys out, but I haven't really seen him doing ground-and-pound when he's in guard or half-guard…. I haven't seen much ground (work) from him. Obviously, his standup's gotten a lot better. His weaknesses are, I believe, in his ground game on his back. Nobody's ever put him there. So yeah, I'm looking to put him on his back." – Mark Munioz — a former NCAA Division I national champion from Oklahoma State University — tells Sherdog.com that his upcoming fight against Matt Hamill — a three-time NCAA Division III national champion from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) — at UFC 96: “Jackson vs. Jardine” from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on March 7 will not turn into a wrestling match. He intends to put him The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 3 alum on his back and beat him up. Can he do it?

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