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Mike Brown vs Urijah Faber 2 WEC promo video (Extended) Posted: 11 May 2009 06:36 PM PDT

UFC Quick Quote: Takanori Gomi eager ‘to test the waters overseas’ Posted: 11 May 2009 05:54 PM PDT ” … it’s the return, my mental mindset in coming back. Day by day, my chances become fewer and fewer, and the window to challenge myself overseas gets smaller and smaller. The opportunities are less and less now…. My time is running out … I’d like to relax for a little bit, and if I continue fighting, I’d like to test the waters overseas…. Yeah, one fight at time. I want to help out my teammates and just take things one fight at a time… I’m coming soon! The Fireball Kid will be there!" [Laughs] I’d like to thank all of you [international fans], and continue to thank you for supporting me and MMA. You guys are important, and I’ll continue to do my best. Oh, and tell Dana White I said, ‘hi!’” -- Former Pride FC lightweight deity Takanori Gomi talks to Sherdog.com about his fighting future after his recent knockout win over the promotion’s 154-pound champion, Takashi Nakakura, in the second round of their non-title fight at Shooto: “The Final Tradition” this past weekend. “The Fireball Kid” flirted with the move a few years ago when Zuffa — the UFC parent company — purchased the Japan-based mixed martial arts promotion; however, he decided to stay loyal and close to home, competing in front of the fans who watched him ascend to stardom in the “Land of the Rising Sun.” But now that he is getting older, 30, and the sport is struggling to survive in his homeland, Gomi — who just snapped a back-to-back losing skid — is considering jumping ship and giving the competition in the United States his best shot before closing out his sparkling career. Who’s interested?

Thales Leites vs Alessio Sakara fight on tap for UFC 101 Posted: 11 May 2009 05:20 PM PDT The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) must want to see how far along the Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills of former Italian boxer-turned mixed martial artist, Alessio Sakara, have come since his submission loss to Dean Lister back in 2006. That’s because ground specialist and former number one middleweight contender, Thales Leites, will fill-in for the injured black belt, Rousimar Palhares, at UFC 101 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pa., on August 8, according to a report from Intheguard.tv. "Toquinho" suffered a tibia fracture during training that required surgery and was forced out of competition, which opened up a slot for Leites. And he’ll more than likely attempt to make a lasting impression after his most recent lackluster performance against middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 97: “Redemption” last month. Leites was able to do what no man has done up until this point — survive five rounds with “The Spider.” But that’s all he seemed there to do because there was very little offense for 25 minutes. In fact, he basically played keep-away once he realized that he would be unable to implement his slick jiu-jitsu skills. The performance did not go over well with the public at large, as well as UFC executives, including company president Dana White, who admitted at the post-fight press conference that he was “embarrassed.” Leites had five wins in six attempts prior to the loss, three of which came via submissions. He’ll likely look to add to that total when he tangles with “Legionarious.” Sakara is coming off a brutal knockout of Joe Vedepo via head kick at UFC Fight Night 15 back in September 2008. It was an eye-opening finish from the heavy-handed American Top Team product to say the least. He was set to lock horns with Jake Rosholt at UFC Fight Night 17 on Feb. 7, 2009, until a late shoulder injury forced him off the card. He was then penciled in to clash with Alan Belcher at UFC 99 before "The Talent" was promoted to a showdown opposite big free agent acquisition, Yoshihiro Akiyama. The former light heavyweight is currently (2-2) in his last four bouts and the same during his three-year career (4-4, 1 NC) with the UFC. Sakara — who historically struggles against higher-level competition — has been branded a gatekeeper of the division. A big win on August 8 could go a long way in peeling off that label. UFC 101 will likely feature a main event between lightweight champion BJ Penn and number one contender Kenny Florian, as well as UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva, stepping up once again to compete at light heavyweight against former 205-pound champion, Forrest Griffin, in a three-round, non-title special attraction. For more on UFC 101, including rumored bouts and all other event-related news, click here.

Shaw family-inspired ‘Blood, Sweat and Bling’ reality show back on track Posted: 11 May 2009 01:20 PM PDT That’s the awesome word from Ariel Helwani over at MMA Fanhouse. For those unfamiliar with the epic concept that never quite took off a few years ago (wonder why) have a look:

World Championship Fighting (WCF) announces four featured bouts for June 27 Posted: 11 May 2009 12:28 PM PDT Boston Mass. May 11, 2009 — World Championship Fighting today announced four featured fights for their June 27th show at the Shriners Auditorium in Wilmington, Mass. In a fight that will no doubt have title implications, lightweight Calvin Kattar from Premier Fight Team in Derry, NH makes his return to the WCF stage to take on undefeated Rodrigo Almeida. Calvin has been on fire as of late, winning three fights in a row, all in less than a minute. One of those three wins took place at WCF5, and was a 49 second submission win over Bobby Dias. Almeida has managed to keep his record unblemished at 4-0 in his young career and was impressive in his WCF4 victory over Jose Lopez. The winner of this fight will take one step closer to the WCF 155-pound title. After an unsuccessful run at the 135-pound title, which snapped his five fight winning streak, Dan Bonnell moves back to his more natural weight of 145, and looks to get back to his winning ways. He is one of only two fighters to compete on every WCF card, and has gone 5-1 in the WCF. His opponent will be WCF veteran Dan O’Keefe, who turned in one of the best come from behind performances in WCF history at WCF3, defeating Garth Krane by TKO with only 34 seconds left to go in the bout. Also included on the WCF7 fight card is the return of fan favorite John Benoit. John looks to rebound from the only loss of his 8 fight career, when he takes on Damien Trites. John is currently 7-1 overall, and has appeared on all but 1 WCF card. Trites made his WCF debut at WCF6, and was dominant, winning by submission in just over a minute, bringing his record to 4-2. Both of these fighters have wanted this fight for quite some time now, and this one promises to be a crowd pleaser. In another featured fight, 4-1 middleweight prospect Dan Keefe (not to be confused with 145-pound fighter Dan O’Keefe) makes his WCF debut when he takes on Ronnie Wuest. Dan has been impressive throughout his pro career, with all of his wins coming by TKO. His opponent, Ronnie Wuest is no stranger to the WCF, as he appeared on WCF1 and WCF2. He was impressive in his 1st round TKO win over top 10 fighter Jesse Peterson, and his fight with Dan Keefe should be a war! Visit WCFighting.com for more information.

Shawn Tompkins doesn’t have time for ‘Brazilian time’ — even for Wanderlei Silva Posted: 11 May 2009 11:12 AM PDT Props: RawVegas.tv Quoteworthy: “We worked together before, we worked together for the Keith Jardine fight. We’re great friends, I think we just have different ideas on what a training schedule should be. People have brought it up before. There’s the ‘Brazilian time’ and I don’t have time for ‘Brazilian time.’ I train 28 of the best athletes in the world here in Las Vegas. We had a few conflicts at the beginning of camp and I decided it was best if he got a different trainer and I moved on to some other guys.” Xtreme Couture trainer Shawn Tompkins reveals that Wanderlei Silva was inconsistent in his training times and that the difficulty of trying to find a cohesive schedule led to his departure as “The Axe Murderer’s” trainer for the upcoming main event between Wandy and Rich Franklin at UFC 99 on June 13. Tompkins also mentions that it has been brought up before. Could Silva’s recent shortcomings inside the cage be blamed on an inconsistent training schedule? Or does Tompkins need a refresher course in ‘Brazilian Time?’ I think we might get our answer on June 13.

Goran Reljic ‘back’ on track to UFC return Posted: 11 May 2009 10:09 AM PDT Up-and-coming UFC prospect Goran Reljic has gotten the go-ahead to begin light training after having surgery last February to repair a back injury sustained while training for his 185-pound fight against Thales Leites at UFC 90: "Silva vs. Cote" in October 2008, according to MMAFighting.com. Leites would go on to defeat replacement Drew McFedries and earn a shot at middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva at UFC 97. The rest is (cough) history. From Reljic’s manager Zoran Saric: “I have to be very specific on his programs for rehabilitation and training because he likes to train and spar like he fights, and the human body is just not made to take pressure like that especially on back and joints where fighters get hurt the most. [The] UFC is waiting very patiently for his comeback and I can't tell [you] how much Goran is waiting to step in Octagon again.” Reljic is a 24-year-old undefeated Croatian fighter who stopped Wilson Gouveia via technical knockout in his debut performance for the promotion at UFC 84: "Ill Will" back in May 2008. He trains with the Roger Gracie Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy in London, England, where he is a purple belt. Goran also made headlines last year after diving into the ocean in the middle of the night to pull two men from a car that had crashed into the sea. In addition, he is the protege of former UFC heavyweight fighter, Mirko Cro Cop. Expect big things from this guy when he returns.

Former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra featured on tonight’s presentation of Pro MMA Radio Posted: 11 May 2009 09:18 AM PDT With less than two weeks until his ultimate grudge match against bitter rival Matt Hughes at UFC 98, former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra (9-5) will join us tonight at 9 p.m. ET on MMAmania.com's exclusive presentation of Pro MMA Radio. "The Terror" will break down his unlikely reign as 170-pound champ, the behind the scenes shenanigans from The Ultimate Fighter 6 and how he plans to retire former welterweight kingpin Matt Hughes on May 23. Hosted by Larry Pepe, Pro MMA Radio is professional, guest-driven program that features some of mixed martial arts biggest names. If you're looking for a radio show that revolves around a couple of MMA fans ranting and raving about everything that's already been covered ad nauseam, then Pro MMA Radio probably isn't for you. However, if you want to hear from actual fighters and industry insiders answering questions that are relevant to the current MMA scene, tune in every Monday night at 9 p.m. ET for our exclusive live feed. See you tonight at 9 p.m. ET!

UFC fighter Houston Alexander rescues child left in car on May 6 Posted: 11 May 2009 08:37 AM PDT UFC light heavyweight Houston Alexander is used to knocking out opponents inside the Octagon. On Wednesday, May 6, “The Assassin” did his part to help knock out child neglect. According to WOWT.com, Alexander discovered a child left alone and crying inside an unlocked Chevy Lumina in a parking lot near his hometown of Ohama, Nebraska, and stayed with the girl until she was safe. After searching local businesses for her family, the child’s mother was found at a local plasma center giving blood, accompanied by a cousin who was supposedly left in charge of watching the girl. The police have charged the mother with Misdemeanor Child Neglect and notified Protective Services regarding the incident. The Nebraskan is currently on the sidelines mending a broken hand that forced him out of his fight against Andre Gusmao at UFC 98 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 23. Alexander (8-4) was relatively unknown to the masses until he burst onto the scene with two destructive performances inside the Octagon, taking out top contender Keith Jardine in his debut back at UFC 71: "Liddell vs. Jackson" in May 2007 and then crumbling Alessio Sakara at UFC 75: "Champion vs. Champion" less than four months later. He quickly returned to Earth — practically crash landing with three straight losses to Thiago Silva at UFC 78, James Irvin Fight Night 13 and Eric Schafer at Fight Night 15. However UFC President Dana White appears to be giving the charismatic father of six at least once more chance to prove he belongs with the top mixed martial arts promotion in the world. After his actions last Wednesday, it’s easy to see why the Zuffa brass would want to keep him around for as long as possible.

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