UFC blog for latest news, videos, results, betting odds, fighter interviews and MMA rumors - UFCmania.com |
| UWC ‘Capital Punishment’ quick results: Easton retains, War Machine submits Woods Posted: 26 Apr 2009 01:40 AM PDT
Ultimate Warrior Challenge (UWC) returned to the George Mason University Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia on Saturday, April 25 for its sixth installment titled ‘Capital Punishment’ that was headlined by a Bantamweight title fight between Mike Easton and Josh Ferguson. In a night of finishes, Ferguson came out aggressively and kept Easton on the defensive with a mixture of takedown attempts and strikes (even a flying knee), however it wouldn’t be enough as the 135-pound champ kept his composure and retained the gold with a guillotine choke late in the first. Easton remains perfect under the UWC banner with his fourth straight win since his successful debut back at UWC ‘Invasion’ in April 2008. Also on the card, former UFC fighter War Machine (the headcase formerly known as Jon Koppenhaver) secured his third straight win with an impressive performance against Rashad Woods in a catchweight bout of 175 lbs. Woods came to fight, rocking War Machine on a couple of occasions with some vicious Thai knees and a nice slam in the second round. But the former TUF contestant showed his toughness and tenacity by keeping the pressure on and capitalizing on the opportunity to sink in a rear naked choke. Since losing to Yoshiyuki Yoshida at UFC 84 “Ill Will” and being ousted from the UFC for having diarrhea of the mouth, War Machine has continued to improve as a fighter and now boasts three straight stoppages within three separate promotions. While a return to the UFC is unlikely, expect to see more of War Machine on the local circuit as long as he continues to make headlines and win fights. Here are the complete results for UWC 6 ‘Capital Punishment,” which also featured a special appearance by former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz:
To check out our Ultimate Warrior Challenge archive click here. |
| Limb Possible: Kyle Maynard drops unanimous decision in unsanctioned MMA debut Posted: 26 Apr 2009 12:01 AM PDT
Congenital amputee Kyle Maynard made his mixed martial arts debut on Saturday, April 25 at ‘Auburn Fight Night’ from the Auburn Covered Arena, dropping a unanimous decision (30-27) to Bryan Fry in an unsanctioned MMA bout held in Auburn, Alabama. The bantamweight contest marked the end of Maynard’s nearly three year quest to compete in mixed martial arts. In 2007, the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission denied Maynard a license to fight in the belief that he would be unable to properly defend himself. Maynard never gave up his dream and found his opportunity against Bryan Fry in the State of Alabama — specifically chosen for its lack of a sanctioning body that could have potentially denied him the chance to compete. But fight he did, and in an unfortunate and ironic twist, Maynard was prohibited from striking because his gloves were unable to be secured prior to the bout, presumably from the heat and humidity. It didn’t stop a game — but somewhat restrained Fry from lightly peppering Maynard en route to the decision victory. Fry, who improves to 1-2 with the win, was careful not to engage Maynard on the ground where the former 35-16 Varsity wrestler had a distinct advantage. The pro-Maynard crowd repeatedly rained down boos for Fry’s play-it-safe routine, but the end result was probably the best case scenario. Maynard was able to achieve his goal of competing in mixed martial arts, and the sport avoids an unthinkable and perhaps catastrophic scenario. Whether or not Maynard continues to pursue a career in mixed martial arts remains to be seen. Whether or not he should? Well, that’s up to the commissions to decide. As for now, I think it’s pretty clear where they stand. |
| DREAM 10: Joachim Hansen vs Shinya Aoki rematch set for July 20 Posted: 25 Apr 2009 10:41 AM PDT
Japan’s Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG) has announced that WAMMA lightweight champion Shinya Aoki is set to do battle with DREAM 2008 lightweight grand prix winner Joachim Hansen for the promotions Lightweight strap at 'DREAM 10' from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama Japan, on July 20. This will be the third showdown between the pair. Their first meeting would go down at 'Pride Shockwave 2006' which would see “Hellboy” succumb to the ground game of the “Tobikan Judan” and become part of the ever growing highlight reel of Aoki's by being victimized via gogoplata. However the second encounter would go a little differently. They would end up facing off again in the DREAM Lightweight Tournament Final at 'DREAM 5' last July. Aoki was trying to work his ground game as usual, when Hansen decided he wanted no part of it and got back to his feet and threw a earth shattering left punch to the jaw of the still grounded Aoki. This would leave him dazed and prepped for more punishment courtesy of some nasty strikes forcing the referee to jump in and save the helpless victim. Now a rubber match is in place for one of the combatants to get the upper hand on the scorecard. Hansen, who once said he would rather have bleeding hemorrhoids than fight for the UFC, hasn't competed since his last clash with Aoki in the summer of 08. He was set to throw down with highly regarded Lightweight standout Gesias “JZ” Calvancante in a non-title bout at 'FieLDS Dynamite!! 2008′ on New Years Eve until Hansen failed pre-fight medicals and was forced to pull out of the fight with a mysterious “head injury” just hours before the event. Now it appears he's back to full fitness and ready to scrap come 'DREAM 10'. Aoki on the other hand has been keeping relatively busy, making quick work on the ground against the likes of Eddie Alvarez (16-2) and David Gardner (16-11) in recent months. He would end up running into a wall last month at 'DREAM 8' when in a misguided attempt to move up to Welterweight, Aoki was knocked out cold in a mere 27 seconds by Hayato Sakurai thanks to some vicious ground and pound and deadly knees from “Mach.” That setback hasn't appeared to put him off from seeking out larger opponents, since he is set to collide with Fedor Emelianenko (30-1) at M-1 Challenge on April 29 in Tokyo, Japan — despite being separated by four weight classes. Of course this time Aoki won't have to worry about any strikes being thrown to his temple as his bout with Emelianenko will be a special five minute grappling exhibition. 'DREAM 10′ will also play host to the semifinals of their Welterweight Grand Prix, which will feature Hayato Sakurai and also jiu-jitsu phenom Andre Galvao. Here is the current line-up for 'DREAM 10': DREAM Lightweight Title Welterweight Grand Prix Semifinal participants That's it for now. Look for more fights to be added as we get closer to July 20. For more on DREAM click here. |
| Enter to win Georges St. Pierre’s bloody hoodie in exclusive ‘Death Warrior’ movie contest! Posted: 25 Apr 2009 10:36 AM PDT
Maniacs! Here’s your chance to literally win the shirt off GSP’s back! MovieSet was on the set of Death Warrior and peeled the bloodied and torn hoodie from the lifeless body of MMA superstar Georges St-Pierre. And now you have a chance to win GSP’s bloody hoodie and more! Win a unique piece of MMA movie history, plus a copy of GSP’s first movie Never Surrender, and a pair of movie tickets to a flick of your choice. CLICK HERE TO ENTER TO WIN GSP’s BLOODY HOODIE! Don’t delay — this contest ends May 17! Here’s the Death Warrior film crew preparing the hoodie for GSP’s final fight scene: Check out all the prizes in the GSP’s Bloody Hoodie Sweepstakes after the jump:
Grand Prize: GSP’s Bloody Hoodie, Never Surrender DVD, and a pair of movie tickets
Death Warrior stars Georges St-Pierre, Rashad Evans, Keith Jardine and Hector Echavarria. Go behind-the-scenes now and check out all the exclusive content! In Death Warrior, a gritty MMA fighter is forced into a twisted, underground gambling ring in which he must fight to the death with other MMA fighters in order to save his wife from certain death at the hands of a maniacal crime boss. In a desperate race against time, he is forced into a series of increasingly violent life-and-death matches while simultaneously piecing together the puzzle which leads him to uncover the identity of the promoter and the ultimate showdown, in which there can only be one Death Warrior. |
| Melvin Guillard vs Gleison Tibau at TUF 9 Finale with Thiago Tavares hurt Posted: 25 Apr 2009 07:46 AM PDT
Controversial and star-crossed lightweight Melvin Guillard (21-7-2) will take on the surging Gleison Tibau (17-6) — not Thiago Tavares as originally reported — at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 9 Finale at "The Pearl" at the Palms Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, on June 20 according to Tatame.com. Tavares reportedly sustained an elbow injury while training that forced him out of the lightweight contest, which was rumored to take place at UFC 101, but is now booked to go down on the Spike TV special. Guillard has encountered his share of problems outside the Octagon since his short stint on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 2. The "Young Assassin" was arrested in Houston, Texas, on August 13, 2008, for violating probation on a 2007 drug charge. He also tested positive for cocaine after his loss to Joe Stevenson at UFC Fight Night 9 in Las Vegas, Nevada, in April 2007. He was fined and suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) for the transgression. The talented 26-year-old Louisiana native appeared to have slayed his personal demons, destroying Denis Siver at UFC 86: "Jackson vs. Griffin" in July 2008 — his return fight after being released by the UFC for, among other things, his relationship with illegal drugs. One has to imagine that he's used up most if not all of his nine lives, meaning that a win is critical for Guillard, but it won't come easy against a Brazilian jiu-jitsu player with talent like Tibau — Guillard has demonstrated throughout his up-and-down career that he has lackluster submission defense. Tibau is no stranger to filling in for injured fighters — the Brazilian recently stepped in for Efrain Escudero to take on Jeremy Stephens at UFC Fight Night 18 from the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tenn., on April 1. He won the bout via unanimous decision, which was his second straight bib victory — he submitted Rich Clementi at UFC Fight Night 17 earlier this year in a must-win situation. That’s because Tibau was riding a back-to-back losses, which is always precarious in the land of the UFC. It was uncharted territory for the American Top Team (ATT) product — he won three of his first four fights inside the Octagon. And the only loss during that stretch was to Nick Diaz at UFC 65: "Bad Intentions" back in November 2006. But Tibau recovered after dropping dropped consecutive bouts to perennial division threats Tyson Griffin and Joe Stevenson and is now out to make in three in a row and possibly get in the 155-pound title picture. TUF 9 Finale features a lightweight match between Diego Sanchez and Clay Guida, as well as a co main event that pits Joe Stevenson against Nate Diaz in another fantastic 155-pound showdown. Naturally, the show will also host the lightweight and welterweight finales for the ninth season of TUF, which is currently in progress. Coach Dan Henderson is leading a U.S. team against coach Michael Bisping and his British squad. For more on TUF 9 Finale click here. |
| WEC 41: Frank Gomez vs Eddie Wineland on tap for June 7 Posted: 25 Apr 2009 07:40 AM PDT
A 135-pound bantamweight bout between Frank Gomez (6-1) and Eddie Wineland (14-6-1) has been added to the under card of WEC 41: “Brown vs. Faber 2,” which is slated to take place at the Arco Arena in Sacramento, Calif., on June 7, according NWI.com. Gomez dropped the first fight of his career by first round submission (guillotine choke) to Scott Jorgensen during his WEC debut back in January on the “Varner vs. Cerrone” card. Before that, the Greg Jackson trainee had defeated his first six opponents — who had a total combined record of (14-19) in professional mixed martial arts competition — dropping four of them with strikes and finishing another with a rear naked choke. This will likely be the toughest fight to date for the Albuquerque, N.M., resident. Wineland is the former WEC 135-pound champion, defeating Antonio Banuelos for the strap via a nasty head kick at WEC 20 back in 2006. The Duneland Vale Tudo product went on to lose his first title defense to Chase Beebe nearly 11 months later at WEC 26 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Earlier this month at “Torres vs. Mizugaki,” Wineland made a return to the WEC cage following back-to-back stoppage victories over Jason Tabor and Wade Choate on the smaller circuit. His homecoming wasn’t a memorable one, however. He was submitted just over a minute into the bout with a rear naked choke by one of the division’s rising contenders Rani Yahya. This should be a solid match up between two fighters hungry to get back in the win column. WEC 41 is set to feature a featherweight championship rematch between current title holder Mike Thomas Brown and former division kingpin, Urijah “The California Kid” Faber. Jose Aldo, Cub Swanson, Manny Gamburyan, Jens Pulver and others are expected to be in action on the card as well. As usual, the main card will air live on the Versus network on fight night. Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for the latest WEC 41 news and rumors. |
| ‘Bang’ vs ‘Fancy Pants’ main event possible for Strikeforce Challenger Series on June 19 Posted: 25 Apr 2009 07:39 AM PDT
Strikeforce MMA will continue its run on the premium cable network, Showtime, with an event headlined by journeyman Duane “Bang” Ludwig (18-8) and one of the top undefeated prospects on the promotion’s roster, Lyle “Fancy Pants” Beerbohm (9-0), on June 19, according to FiveOuncesOfPain.com. A venue has not yet been announced for what’s likely to be the second part in the brand new Strikeforce Challenger Series. “Fancy Pants” has stormed through nine relatively unknown opponents to this point in his career, including a hard fought comeback win against the previously undefeated Rafaello Oliveira during his last appearance under the Sho XC banner last October. Only once has a fight involving Beerbohm gone to the judge’s scorecards. His other eight victims have all tasted defeat before the final bell (four by submission and four by technical knockout). The aggressive finisher was considered as a replacement for injured lightweight champion Josh “The Punk” Thomson to face Gilbert Melendez on the “Shamrock vs. Diaz” card a couple of weeks ago, but he eventually gave way to Brazilian fighter Rodrigo Damm instead. Ludwig will be a huge step up in competition for the Spokane, Wash., resident. “Bang” has been all over the MMA world, competing for 10 different promotions over his nine year career, including the UFC, King of the Cage, Sengoku, Strikeforce and others. The High Altitude product from Denver, Colo., hasn’t been shy about facing the best fighters in the world either. He’s seen action against guys like Takanori Gomi (loss), BJ Penn (loss), Josh Thomson (loss), Jens Pulver (win), Thomas Denny (win), Tyson Griffin (loss), Genki Sudo (win), Paul Daley (loss) and most recently on the Strikeforce: “Destruction” card last November against Yves Edwards (win). Both of these fighters like to push the pace and won’t be scared to stand and trade strikes. Expect nothing short of fireworks in this lightweight scrap — this is another solid match up from the Strikeforce brass. Keep it locked on MMAmania.com for all your Strikeforce news and updates. |
| Diego Sanchez video on Clay Guida TUF 9 Finale fight and so much more Posted: 25 Apr 2009 05:58 AM PDT Check out part two after the jump.
(Thanks to MMAmania.com reader “Jeffrey Lee” for the assist.) |
| MMA Quick Quote: Kyle Maynard weighs in on Brian Fry fight tonight Posted: 25 Apr 2009 05:56 AM PDT
– Bantamweight congenital amputee, Kyle Maynard, talks to Sherdog.com before making his amateur mixed martial arts debut tonight (April 25) against Brian Fry at “MMA Fight Live” from The Auburn Covered Arena in Auburn, Alabama. It’s been getting quite a bit of attention for obvious reasons — seemingly everyone is puzzled about how he intends to handle his business inside the cage. If you’re curious remember that you can watch it all unfold LIVE later on this evening via streaming video over at www.KyleMaynardFight.com, beginning at 9 p.m. ET (8 p.m. CST). |
| UFC Japan full Web site ‘coming soon’ Posted: 25 Apr 2009 05:55 AM PDT This is interesting … check out the latest microsite from the UFC, which could be laying the groundwork for a trip back to the “Land of the Rising Sun” some time soon:
Props: Jp.ufc.com |
| You are subscribed to email updates from UFC blog for UFC news, results, videos, rumors, fights, pics and tickets -- MMAmania.com To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
Inbox too full?  Subscribe to the feed version of UFC blog for UFC news, results, videos, rumors, fights, pics and tickets -- MMAmania.com in a feed reader. | |
| If you prefer to unsubscribe via postal mail, write to: UFC blog for UFC news, results, videos, rumors, fights, pics and tickets -- MMAmania.com, c/o Google, 20 W Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment