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| Jon Fitch vs Paulo Thiago UFC 100 fight likely for July 11 Posted: 13 Mar 2009 06:55 PM PDT
Former number one welterweight contender Jon Fitch is in talks to possibly return to the Octagon against undefeated submission specialist Paulo Thiago at UFC 100 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 11. Bout agreements have not been signed at this time; however, both sides appear to be open to the 170-pound contest. For Fitch it will provide him with an opportunity to exact revenge — the Brazilian most recently stunned his good friend and American Kickboxing Academy training partner, Josh Koscheck, with a fight-ending first round upper cut at UFC 95: “Sanchez vs. Stevenson” just last month. Thiago came into the bout Thiago riding a four-fight win streak for the Jungle Fight promotion last year. Prior to the upset, which was perhaps more shocking because of the fashion in which he did it, Thiago stopped Luis Dutra Jr. via technical knockout (strikes) in round one of their bout in September 2008. He isn’t getting any free passes now that he’s in the big leagues … the promotion appears to be throwing him right in the deep end with some of the best the division has to offer. Fitch scored a dominating unanimous decision win over Akihiro Gono in his last performance at UFC 94: “St. Pierre vs. Penn 2″ on Jan. 31, overcoming the sight of the charismatic Japanese standout and his corner dressed in drag. The Purdue University wrestler now boasts nine victories for the promotion in 10 attempts. The lone blemish on his record is to welterweight deity Georges "Rush" St. Pierre in their championship match from UFC 87 "Seek and Destroy" on August 9. He’ll need to put together another impressive win streak to get back on top of the division. And it will likely continue with Thiago on the historic pay-per-view (PPV) card. Let’s just hope we get to watch it. UFC 100 features two major title fights: Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir will tangle to declare an undisputed division champion and Georges St. Pierre will once again defend his 170-pound strap against number one contender, Thiago Alves. In addition, TUF 9 coaches, Dan Henderson and Michael Bisping, are slated to meet and determine who earns the right to challenge the reigning middleweight champion later in 2009. For the latest UFC 100 fight card and rumors click here. |
| Jonathan Goulet vs. Dong Hyun Kim planned for UFC 100 on July 11 Posted: 13 Mar 2009 04:26 PM PDT
UFC veteran Jonathan Goulet (22-10) has agreed to face the gritty Dong Hyun Kim (11-1-1) at UFC 100 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 11 according to Five Ounces of Pain. The "Road Warrior" was in talks to face Tamdan McCrory at UFC 97, however he first needed to receive medical clearance before the welterweight tilt was finalized. Goulet was suspended after getting knocked silly by Mike Swick at UFC Fight Night 16: "Fights for the Troops" in his most recent outing on December 10. Now set to appear more than six months later at the July 11 show, that clearance will no longer be required. Prior to the Swick loss, the Canadian was riding back-to-back wins, finishing Kuniyoshi Hironaka via technical knockout of at UFC 83: "Serra vs. St. Pierre," which earned "Fight of the Night" honors. Goulet was then scheduled to face the previously undefeated Paul Kelly at UFC 85 before pulling out because of undisclosed health concerns. He’ll have his hands full with the venerable Kim. "Stun Gun" stopped Jason Tan in his inaugural appearance for the promotion at UFC 84: "Ill Will" back in May 2008, pounding out his opponent with elbows in the final frame. Kim was the beneficiary of a Karo Parisyan UFC 88 meltdown in his sophomore effort, having his Octagon encore against The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) alum Matt Brown bumped to the televised portion of the pay-per-view broadcast. The popular South Korean earned a close split decision win against "Immortal." The promising DEEP veteran finally got a crack at “The Heat” at UFC 94 “St. Pierre vs. Penn 2″ back on January 31 where he dropped a razor-thin split decision for his first defeat in thirteen attempts. Now he looks to get back into the win column by overcoming the wily veteran. UFC 100 features two major title fights: Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir will tangle to declare an undisputed division champion and Georges St. Pierre will once again defend his 170-pound strap against number one contender, Thiago Alves. In addition, TUF 9 coaches, Dan Henderson and Michael Bisping, are slated to meet and determine who earns the right to challenge the reigning middleweight champion later in 2009. For the latest UFC 100 fight card and rumors click here. |
| Shinya Aoki vs. Hayato Sakurai set to open DREAM 8 welterweight GP Posted: 13 Mar 2009 04:25 PM PDT
Japanese mainstay Hayato Sakurai (34-8-2) and lightweight superstar Shinya Aoki (19-3) are reportedly set to throw down in the opening round of the promotion's upcoming Welterweight Grand Prix commencing at DREAM 8 on April 5 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, according to MMAWeekly. Aoki, the first-ever World Alliance Mixed Martial Arts (WAMMA) lightweight champion, is coming off a tidy submission victory over David Gardner in the first round of their battle at DREAM 7 on March 8. He was actually on a collision course with “Mach” at last year's Lightweight Grand Prix, until Eddie Alvarez got hurt and Aoki ran into finals alternate Joachim Hansen. "Hellboy" would go on to upset the heavily-favored Aoki and bring home the belt. The "Tobikan Judan" would rebound from that loss — just the third of his career — and submit Todd Moore via neck crank at DREAM 6 in September before finally getting a crack at Alvarez by year's end — and winning via tapout. Now the very dangerous submission fighter will pack on a few pounds and face Sakurai in a quest for welterweight supremacy. Mach holds a unanimous decision win over Aoki from their days in Shooto and has gone up against some of the most talented fights in the sport, from lightweight all the way up to middleweight. In addition to Aoki, he's competed against UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva, Matt Hughes, Jake Shields, Joachim Hansen, Takanori Gomi, Frank Trigg, Jens Pulver and Caol Uno among countless others. He's coming off a gimme fight at 'FieLDS Dynamite!!' last December where he thoroughly beat down professional wrestler Katsuyori Shibata, ending it via TKO in the opening round. Having him meet Aoki in the opening round may not carry the same drama as a match in the finals would, but at least this guarantees they get to face one another. As for Shibata, it appears he was not put off by the loss to Sakurai and will make a return at DREAM 8 against the popular Ikuhisa Minowa — who has fought every name under the sun (albeit to inconsistent results). Also in action will be Croatian sensation Zelg Galesic who will duke it out with Andrews Nakahara. Featuring only eight fighters across two events, the 2009 Grand Prix will conclude on July 20 at DREAM 10. Here is the current line-up for DREAM 8:
Stay tuned for more updates to Dream 8 as they become available. |
| Wanderlei Silva signs contract to fight Rich Franklin at UFC 99 (Video) Posted: 13 Mar 2009 11:58 AM PDT |
| Ultimate Fighter 10 open casting call from Spike TV in Seattle on April 6 Posted: 13 Mar 2009 11:45 AM PDT
Calling all tough guys: Spike TV today announced an open casting call for the next installment of its The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) franchise at The Marriott Seattle Airport Hotel in Seattle, Wash., on April 6. Middleweight (185 pounds), light heavyweight (205 pounds) and heavyweight (265 pounds) hopefuls should arrive at the location between 8 and 9 a.m. PT. Registration will take place as soon as the doors open and tryouts are set to begin at 10 a.m. According to a recent press release, UFC President Dana White will oversee the tryouts with executive producer Craig Piligian, co-executive producer Andrea Richter and Spike TV's senior vice president of sports and specials, Brian Diamond. No debut or possible coaching candidates for TUF 10 are known at this time. However, the “USA vs. UK”-themed TUF 9 is set to launch on the network on April 1, featuring a mix of lightweight and welterweight prospects who will compete in a tournament-style format until one man from each weight class is left standing at the TUF 9 Finale on June 20. Former Pride FC champion Dan Henderson will coach the American squad while Michael Bisping will handle the same responsibility for the British contingent. Henderson and Bisping are then scheduled to collide at UFC 100 on July 11 for the right to face the current middleweight champion some time later this year. To check out the entire TUF 9 roster click here. For all things TUF be sure to hit up our archive right here. |
| Jason Guida agrees to replace Ken Shamrock at ‘March Badness’ against Bobby Lashley on March 21 Posted: 13 Mar 2009 09:53 AM PDT
The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 8 castaway Jason Guida has verbally agreed to face former WWE superstar Bobby Lashley at "March Badness," live on pay-per-view (PPV) from the Pensacola Civic Center in Pensacola, Fla., on March 21 according to Larry Pepe of Pro MMA Radio. March Badness — a hybrid mixed martial arts and boxing event being put on by former boxing champion Roy Jones Jr. — was originally set to feature Lashley against “The World’s Most Dangerous Urine Sample,” Ken Shamrock, until Shammy got popped for steroids following his “win” over Ross Clifton at WarGods: "The Valentine's Eve Massacre" last month. Former Heavyweight boxing champion Hasim “Rock” Rachman — who recently expressed his desire to enter the world of MMA — was offered the bout against Lashley but declined. Also considered was MMA pioneer Don Frye, however “The Predator” was unable to come to terms with event promoters. Enter Jason Guida. Guida (17-19) — brother of UFC lightweight contender Clay Guida — recently squandered perhaps the biggest opportunity of his fighting career when he was booted off the first episode of "The Ultimate Fighter" (TUF) 8 for failing to make the 205-pound division limit. Despite an up-and-down career (as evidenced by his record), Guida has proven in the past that he can hang with some pretty decent fighters. In fact, he holds wins over Marvin Eastman, Ron Faircloth, Ron Fields (twice) and Mike Van Meer. None of those guys are at the elite level, but they all have a ton of experience and are tough as nails.
He's also been in the cage and came up on the losing end to guys like Vernon White, Travis Wiuff, Terry Martin, Thales Leites and Eric Schafer. In short, he's not worried about too much when he's in there. Guida pretty much just comes to fight, and win or lose, he leaves it all in the cage. Hopefully he leaves the cage in one piece come March 21. Lashley (1-0) is an absolute monster, weighing in right around the 265-pound heavyweight limit for his fights. He destroyed Joshua Franklin in under a minute during his MMA debut last December with devastating takedowns and a ground-and-pound that opened up a nasty fight ending gash on Franklin's head. One of the newest members of the prestigious American Top Team, Lashley has a rare blend of size, freakish athleticism and blazing quickness. He's going to be a handful for anybody in a fight, let alone a fighter he outweighs by more than fifty pounds. Also expected to be in action is the man who put an end to the Kimbo Slice hype train last October with a 14-second technical knockout, Seth Petruzelli. He'll lock horns with ex-WEC 205 pound champion Doug "The Rhino" Marshall. Top heavyweights Roy "Big Country" Nelson and Jeff "The Snowman" Monson will also collide in a featured MMA fight as well. The boxing portion of the event will be headlined by Roy Jones Jr. taking on Omar Sheika. Stay tuned for more updates on "March Badness" as they become available. |
| Dana White pays tribute to Charles ‘Mask’ Lewis Jr. Posted: 13 Mar 2009 09:30 AM PDT
Props: MMA Payout Quoteworthy:
-UFC President Dana White comments to the Canadian Press regarding the untimely death of Charles ‘Mask’ Lewis Jr., founder of the popular multi-million dollar MMA clothing line and television show TapouT. Lewis was killed Wednesday morning when his Ferrari was invloved in a multi-vehicle car crash. The accident is still under investigation. |
| UFC 100 confirmed for Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on July 11 Posted: 13 Mar 2009 09:11 AM PDT
Zuffa announced today that UFC 100 is confirmed for July 11 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Heavyweights Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir are expected to finally clash in an effort to declare an undisputed division champion after Lesnar took the original title from Randy Couture at UFC 91 and Mir stopped Antonio Nogueira for the Interim title at UFC 92. While the two brutes were expected to throw down at UFC 98, Mir went out with a knee injury that required surgery and put him on the shelf until the summer. Georges St. Pierre is also penciled in to defend his 170-pound strap against number one contender Thiago Alves. ‘Rush’ flattened BJ Penn at UFC 94 to keep himself atop the heap while “Pitbull” earned his shot at the champ with seven straight wins, including TKO finishes over Matt Hughes and Karo Parisyan. The Ultimate Fighter 9 coaches, Dan Henderson and Michael Bisping, are also slated to meet and determine who earns the right to challenge the reigning middleweight champion later in 2009. UFC 100 will be the first event at Mandalay Bay since July 2008, when Quinton Jackson and Forrest Griffin headlined UFC 86 in a battle for the light heavyweight title. For the latest UFC 100 fight card and rumors click here. |
| Shane Carwin: Gabriel Gonzaga crushed my nose Posted: 13 Mar 2009 07:55 AM PDT
Props: MMAWeekly Quoteworthy:
– Undefeated heavyweight behemoth Shane Carwin — who is scheduled for surgery on Tuesday — talks about getting his nose broken during his fight with Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 96: "Jackson vs. Jardine" from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on March 7. "Napao" was the biggest test of his young career and despite some choppy waters in the first minute, Carwin was able to weather a crushed beak and a surprising takedown to TKO the Brazilian Yeti at 1:09 of the first round. That’s 11-0 for those of you keeping score at home. |
| Sengoku 7 bout order confirmed for March 20 Posted: 13 Mar 2009 06:50 AM PDT
World Victory Road has confirmed the bout order for its Sengoku 7 event, which takes place on Friday, March 20, airing live in North America on HDNet from the National Yoyogi Stadium in Tokyo, Japan. In addition to the featherweight grand prix, former PRIDE and EliteXC competitor (and the man who almost kept UFC 97 out of Canada) James Thompson will do battle with MARS veteran Jim York on the main card of Sengoku “Seventh Battle”. “The Colossus” (14-9) has dropped seven of his last ten, but is probably most famous for his fight against Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson at EliteXC “Primetime” last May. Thompson exposed the ground game of Fergie with an easy takedown and proceeded to rain down 80-something elbows without drawing a stoppage. He would later get TKO’d on his feet in the third round with a credited assist from referee Dan Miragliotta. He’s a big and muscular brute who loves to charge head on and swing for the fences, which should be a welcome approach for York. “Big” (9-2) was in cruise control, winning nine straight fights until he was upended by Yoshihiro “I kissed Heath Herring and got dropped for it” Nakao at Sengoku “Second Battle.” York carries heavy hands but also has an underrated submission game. Don’t expect a long feeling-out process with these two.
Also on the card, wrestling phenom and breakout star Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal (3-0) has been put to the task of facing current light heavyweight King of Pancrase Ryo Kawamura (9-3-2). The Team Quest standout has been on a ferocious tear since debuting at Sengoku 'Fifth Battle' back in September, demolishing veteran of the sport Travis Wiuff (54-12) with relative ease. In the span of just four months since his debut got underway, Mo has continued to dominate his opponents and boost his record to 3-0, entertaining fans along the way with his fighting style and colorful personality. Lawal seems right at home in Japan with his theatrics and thankfully he can back them up when it comes fight time. In his post fight speech after his last win at Sengoku 'Rebellion' on January 4 (a TKO victory over Yukiya Naito) "King Mo" stated that he wants to fight on every single Sengoku card of 2009. No arguments here. The bout order for Sengoku “Seventh Battle” is as follows:
The Grand Prix quarterfinals will be held at Sengoku “Eighth Battle” on May 2 from the National Yoyogi Stadium in Tokyo, Japan. The semifinals and finals are expected to take place this summer. Stay tuned for more event updates for Sengoku as they develop. In the meantime, get up to speed on all things Sengoku by heading over to our archive here. |
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