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MMA Quick Quote: Nick Diaz salutes Frank Shamrock Posted: 12 Mar 2009 08:59 PM PDT "I feel I am the perfect candidate for this fight. Shamrock thinks he can beat guys with styles like me…. I don't care about the weight. I feel more energetic. My strength is great. I hit harder. I like this fight because I will be able to control what goes on when we're on the ground…. Frank can talk all he wants, but I'm going to beat him up. Let's see how much he fights back.'' – Nick Diaz shows his respect for mixed martial arts legend and upcoming opponent, Frank Shamrock, at today’s press conference in California to promote the April 11 event on Showtime. Diaz and Shamrock have been tapped to collide in the main event at a catchweight bout of 179 pound, setting up a grudge match between two big local stars at the HP Pavillion in San Jose, California. This is more than likely just the start of a war of words that will undoubtedly boil over when fight night finally arrives.

UFC 96 video review with Shane Carwin, Miguel Torres and Stephan Bonnar on ESPNs ‘MMA Live’ Posted: 12 Mar 2009 04:24 PM PDT

Jake Shields vs Robbie Lawler Strikeforce fight coming soon Posted: 12 Mar 2009 04:17 PM PDT A scheduled welterweight contest between the first and last Elite XC 170-pound champion, Jake Shields (22-4-1), and UFC veteran Joe “Diesel” Riggs (29-10) at Strikeforce: “Shamrock vs. Diaz” on April 11 has been put “on hold,” according to Strikeforce officials. It appears the San Jose-based promotion has other plans for its newly acquired ex-champ, matching him up against the last man to hold the Elite XC middleweight crown, “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (16-4), in a super fight that will be contested at a catchweight of 182 pounds. The Shields vs. Lawler showdown is expected to headline the organization’s second event of 2009, which is tentatively scheduled to take place in the Seattle, Washington, area in May and air live on Showtime. Both competitors have been out of action since their former employer Elite XC went out of business last November. Shields defeated talented British striker Paul “Semtex” Daley on the last ever event for the promotion, which aired live on CBS from Sunrise, Fla., last October. The win was the first title defense for the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. He captured the vacant title with a first round submission win over the normally very difficult to beat Nick “The Goat” Thompson a little more than two months earlier on the July 26 Elite XC: “Unfinished Business” card, which aired live on CBS as well. For Lawler it’s been a little longer since he last saw action. He was last seen finishing off Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith in the second round of their rematch on the “Unfinished Business” card. The two engaged in one of the best fights in the short history of the organization in their first encounter in May, but the fight was ruled a no contest because of an inadvertent eye poke, which led to the rematch. The win over Smith was the fifth in a row for “Ruthless” sans the dreaded no contest … and he wasn’t fighting any bums either. That list included Frank Trigg, Joey Villasenor and Ninja Rua. Not to mention earlier career victories over Niko Vitale (twice), Chris Lytle and others. This is a great match-up for Strikeforce’s second event in the post Elite XC buyout/Showtime deal era. Shields has expressed interest in the past about fighting in the 185-pound division. He’s always been a big welterweight and shouldn’t have a problem moving up to face Lawler — a former welterweight himself. Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Renato “Babalu” Sobral and ex-Elite XC 205-pound kingpin Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante have also been rumored for this card in separate matches. Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more on the developing fight card.

UFC Undisputed 2009 video game introductions preview Posted: 12 Mar 2009 12:03 PM PDT Gabriel Gonzaga: Check out Brandon Vera and Kendall Grove after the jump. “Da Spida:” “The Truth:”

UFC Fight Night 18: Martin Kampmann preparing for war against Carlos Condit Posted: 12 Mar 2009 11:57 AM PDT Props: MMA Fanhouse Quoteworthy: I think it’s going to be a war. It’s going to be a great fight. He’s a tough guy and I’m just going to get in there and try to punch him in the face, and he’s going to try to do the same to me. It should be a great fight. He’s good at a lot of things. He’s dangerous on the ground, he’s got good submissions off his back, he’s got dangerous knees and kicks. I pretty much know what I have to look out for. No matter who you fight in the UFC it’s going to be a tough fight and anything can happen. Everybody’s tough in the UFC and Carlos Condit is definitely tough. [Dropping to 170] is an easy cut. Not tough at all. I’m pretty light right now so the cut shouldn’t be any problem. Hard-hitting UFC welterweight Martin Kampmann breaks down his main event match at UFC Fight Night 18: "Condit vs. Kampmann," featuring the Octagon debut of World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) Welterweight Champion and top-ranked 170-pound fighter Carlos Condit. The SpikeTV telecast is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET on April 1 from the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

Monster Inc.: Kevin Randleman reportedly signs with Strikeforce Posted: 12 Mar 2009 11:00 AM PDT Former UFC heavyweight champion, Kevin Randleman, has apparently inked a deal with the San Jose-based Strikeforce promotion to make a return to mixed martial arts action in 2009, according to a report on FightHype.com. “The Monster” last competed on the second Sengoku card in May 2008, pulling out a unanimous decision victory over Ryo Kawamura (9-3-2). The fight was Randleman’s first MMA bout since 2006 — a submission loss to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at Pride 32: "The Real Deal." It’s been a pretty bumpy ride for ex-Hammerhouse fighter. In addition to surviving a SERIOUS staph infection that could have killed him if went untreated, Randleman — who is now training with XTreme Couture out of Las Vegas — was also stopped for Driving Under the Influence (DUI), intimidating a public officer and other charges in Sin City in late 2007. He satisfied a one-year suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC), which was issued for providing a non-human urine sample following his loss to Rua. The two-time NCAA Division I Wrestling Champion from Ohio State University defeated Pete Williams at UFC 23 in 1999 to capture the vacant heavyweight title. Randleman's title reign was brief, however, when Randy Couture stopped him the following year via technical knockout (strikes) at UFC 28 in round three of their championship bout. Now nearly ten years later, the 37-year old Randleman is looking to recapture some of that old glory. Here’s a snip: “If someone is gonna beat me, they better beat me while I’m still getting back in shape.” 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. While Randleman is unlikely to compete that soon, the promotion has a deal with the premium cable network Showtime to air up to sixteen events this year. It probably won’t be long before we see “The Monster” back inside the cage.

Final interview with Charles ‘Mask’ Lewis Jr. on the rise of TapouT Posted: 12 Mar 2009 09:48 AM PDT Props: Bloody Elbow

Eliot Marshall in agreement to face Mike Ciesnolevicz at UFC 97 on April 18 Posted: 12 Mar 2009 09:23 AM PDT With just over one month until Anderson “The Spider” Silva storms Montreal, light heavyweights Eliot Marshall (6-1) and Mike Ciesnolevicz (17-3) — who are each 1-0 since their debuts inside the Octagon — are set to collide on the undercard of UFC 97: "Redemption" at The Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on April 18 according to MMAWeekly. Marshall cut his teeth in the ‘Ring of Fire’ promotion before making his debut on the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF). He would eventually fall to division winner Ryan Bader in the semifinals, but bounced back at the TUF 8 Finale with a submission victory over castmate Jules Bruchez. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, “The Fire” frequently trains with Greg Jackson’s camp in New Mexico and is very dangerous on the ground. Ciesnolevicz is a Miletich product who made his Octagon debut at UFC 95 “Sanchez vs. Stevenson” where he submitted Neil Grove via heel hook. After competing on the local circuit following the demise of the IFL and his Quad Cities Silverbacks, Ciesnolevicz faced Grove as a heavyweight but will return to the 205-pound class against Marshall. Ciesnolevicz is a very well rounded competitor with a balanced five stoppages and seven submissions. Five of those seven subs have come by way of guillotine choke so hopefully Marshall will shoot with caution. UFC 97 main event features middleweight champion Anderson Silva, putting his 185-pound title on the line against number one division contender, Thales Leites. In the co-main event, Mauricio Rua — fresh off his less-than-thrilling victory over Mark "The Hammer" Coleman at UFC 93 — will challenge former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell. To check out the latest UFC 97 fight card news and rumors click here.

Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson: No DUI ‘Cuz I ain’t driving! (video) Posted: 12 Mar 2009 08:48 AM PDT Props: TMZ

Hang on Sloopy: Bubbly Matt Hamill thinks Mark Munoz is the Real McCoy Posted: 12 Mar 2009 07:50 AM PDT Props: MattHamill.com Quoteworthy: “I’m still new to the sport with UFC 96 being the 10th fight of my entire life. I’ve never had a knockout before and it really sent an adrenaline rush through me. I felt the roar of the crowd from my fingers to my toes! I would like to wish Mark Munoz all the best. He came out strong and he had me very concerned going into this fight. Mark has a world class team around him and it showed in his performance and preparation for the fight. Mark is an excellent fighter and a total class act. I believe he will have a bright future in the sport and this is certainly not the last we will hear from ‘The Filipino Wrecking Machine!’ He just got caught and it could have just as easily been me. That’s the way it goes in this sport, anyone can beat anyone because anything can happen. I want to thank Mark’s manager Mike Roberts and his Trainer Mike ‘Joker’ Guymon for their kind words and support following the fight and the criticism I faced about my celebration. As I tried to explain in the Post Fight Press Conference. I meant no disrespect to Mark or his camp. I was caught up in the moment and have never felt the crowd react like that before. I feel vibrations when a crowd roars like that and it got me pumped. When I say it feels like bubbles in water, I mean like a hot tub! Get in a hot tub with the bubbles off and then turn them on, see if you feel a difference. That’s what it’s like for me. Also, many people wonder how someone who is deaf can move to the beat of a song like I was while walking into “Hang on Sloopy”. Well I have one more home test for you to give you a taste of what its like. Next time you are at a concert or a club, cover your ears as hard as you can and see if you can feel the beat… That’s what I feel. Best of luck to Mark Munoz in the future, he’s a great guy with great people around him and I wish them all the best.” The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 3 contestant, Matt Hamill, channels Sunkist when discussing the good vibrations after his show-stealing (and surprising) knockout of Mark Munoz via head kick at UFC 96: "Jackson vs. Jardine" last Saturday from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. "The Hammer" dropped one right on the button, sending the Oklahoma State University wrestling star crashing to the canvas unconscious. He was clearly elated with the sensational finish. And so, too, were the more than 17,000 fans who packed the arena to watch the local product, as well as the rest of the fighters, put on several dazzling performances.

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