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- Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller vs Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza 3 in the works for DREAM 11 in September
- Tim Sylvia gunning for appearance on second season of ‘Bully Beatdown’
- Danny Martinez vs Nick Honstein headlines ‘Night of Champions’ on June 27 in Denver
- A closer look at the future of Cain Velasquez in the UFC heavyweight division
- UFC 100 viewing party at Johnny Utah’s in NYC on July 11
- Rich Franklin wins respect with gritty UFC 99 war against Wanderlei Silva
- UFC 99 medical suspensions and injuries for ‘The Comeback’
- Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 9 Finale results and LIVE fight coverage on June 20!
- TUF 9 Finale: Diego Sanchez training for Clay Guida fight
- UFC 103: Hermes Franca vs Tyson Griffin possible for September 26
| Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller vs Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza 3 in the works for DREAM 11 in September Posted: 18 Jun 2009 04:17 AM PDT
The charismatic Jason "Mayhem" Miller is in talks to once again do battle with grappling phenom Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza at DREAM 11 from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, in September, according to “Mayhem’s” Twitter. No specific date has been set for the event at this time. The bout will once again be contested for the vacant DREAM middleweight title because the former holder, Gegard Mousasi (24-2-1), relinquished the strap to prepare for a move up to light heavyweight. This will be the third encounter between the bitter rivals "Jacare" and "Mayhem" — the pair first met during the promotion’s middleweight grand prix quarterfinals at "DREAM 4″ in June 2008. The bout would go the distance and the conclusion would see Souza garner a unanimous decision victory. The second outing between the pair would be nearly as decisive — it was halted early in the first round because of an errant blow from Miller to a downed Souza. The strike carved a deep laceration to Souza's head, which forced ringside officials to call off the match prematurely because of its severity. The fight was ruled a no contest. The outcome brought their rivalry to new heights, as well as left the DREAM middleweight title vacant. It now appears that we'll have to wait till September to get a more decisive outcome and a new champion.
The semifinal bouts for DREAM's open weight tournament, which has been dubbed the “Super Hulk” tournament, are also set to go down in September. First up will be Japanese fan favorite Ikuhisa Minowa, who has fought virtually every big name overseas under the sun (albeit with inconsistent results). He has the daunting task of facing off against 7'2" gargantuan, Hong Man Choi. Minowa earned his spot by knocking off the modern day Goliath, Bob Sapp, which he did by locking in an achilles lock that forced "The Beast" to tap at DREAM 9. He will face a similar assignment against Choi — who wailed on baseball's steroid stool pigeon Jose "Can"seco for his advancement in the grand prix … at an even greater size disadvantage. On the other side of the bracket, Gegard Mousasi, who vacated his DREAM middleweight title recently because he desired a move to light heavyweight, will face off against the dangerous Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou. Mousasi made short work of "Super Samoan" Mark Hunt in his quarterfinal bout, taking his much larger counterpart to the mat quickly where he would go to work for a kimura straight away, eventually getting it and forcing Hunt to tap. While in his preliminary bout, Sokoudjou got back to his winning ways by trouncing 6' 11", 330-pound Jan "The Giant" Nortje. Despite being considerably outsized, "The African Assassin" was able to take "The Giant" down and pound on him furiously, which forced the referee to intervene and waive off the action. The "Super Hulk" tournament finalists will then do battle on New Years Eve at the annual Dynamite!! event. DREAM 11 is also expected to feature the semifinal bouts of the featherweight grand prix. Though the pairings are still to be announced, it will feature fan favorite and underdog Hideo Tokoro, jiu-jitsu phenom Bibiano Fernandes, hard-hitting slugger Hiroyuki Takaya and also wrestling stud Joe Warren, who shocked the World recently by defeating featherweight superstar Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto. Here is the current line-up for DREAM 11:
For more on DREAM click here. |
| Tim Sylvia gunning for appearance on second season of ‘Bully Beatdown’ Posted: 17 Jun 2009 11:22 PM PDT
Props: Fighter’s Only Quoteworthy:
Former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia talks about going back to his high school days to take care of some unfinished business between him and a few callous bullies. “The Maine-iac” is coming off an embarassing ten second KO loss to former Olympic gold medalist and world heavyweight boxing champion Ray Mercer at Adrenaline III: "Bragging Rights" in Birmingham, Ala., on June 13. Sylvia is on a three-fight losing skid and has dropped four of his last five contests. After having his August 1 bout against Paul Buentello at Affliction 3 cancelled it seems Big Tim is going to look elsewhere to keep on fighting. |
| Danny Martinez vs Nick Honstein headlines ‘Night of Champions’ on June 27 in Denver Posted: 17 Jun 2009 10:28 PM PDT
Denver, CO (USA) – King of Champions, the top MMA promotion in Colorado, today announced the complete card for its exciting mixed martial arts (MMA) event, "NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS." This event features fighters from some of the top fight camps in the Western United States , including Xtreme Couture, Team Quest, and the TapouT Training Center. Headlining the card is current WEC fighter Danny Martinez (12-3) taking on local rising star Nick Honstein (5-1) for the King of Champions Bantamweight Championship, and in the co-main event, Alicia Gumm, the wife of UFC veteran Brad Gumm, will battle with Lacey Shuckman in a bout contested at 115 lbs. MMA luminaries scheduled to appear at the event include former UFC Heavyweight Champion/Pride star/current StrikeForce fighter Kevin "The Monster" Randleman, KOC Middleweight Champion Jesse "JT Money" Taylor, current TUF combatant Santino Defranco, and Team Quest/TUF trainer Heath Sims, as well as others. With 13 fights scheduled, MMA fans are not going to want to miss the action! On Saturday, June 27th, King of Champions brings its "NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS" to Denver 's beautiful Crowne Plaza Event Center, located near Denver International Airport. Tickets can be purchased at http://www.kocmma.com/. A map to the Event Center is also available on the website. A promotional video for "NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS" can be viewed here.
WEC fighter Danny Martinez is a tough veteran known for finishing his fights. His only career losses have come against tough up-and-comer Adrian Wooley, UFC/WEC/Affliction veteran Mark Hominick, and current WEC shooting star (and Urijah Faber protégé) Joseph Benavidez. He has brought a decisive end to 9 of his 12 opponents, and his losses have come only by decision. He wants to prove that he belongs in the big leagues, but standing in his way is tough local product Nick Honstein, who is determined to topple the challenge provided by Martinez , and show that he is the one that should be climbing the mountain. This is an important fight for both athletes, and will be hotly-contested. King of Champions prides itself on bringing in some of the best fighters in the United States , and from some of the best camps out there. Three Team Quest fighters are scheduled to appear, as well as a combatant from both the Xtreme Couture and TapouT Training Center fight teams. In short, KOC is determined not to recycle the same local fighters show after show, but is committed to developing the local talent through challenging them. This makes for exciting fights, great experience, and incredible shows for the fans. "NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS" will feature several championship bouts, including the aforementioned Martinez-Honstein bout for the bantamweight belt. Also showcased at the event will be title fights for the amateur welterweight and bantamweight titles, as well as ten other exciting bouts. In non-title fights, submission specialists will collide as Spencer Hooker (5-1, five subs) will battle undefeated prospect Eric Smith (2-0, two subs) in an anticipated battle, and Ring of Fire veteran Joe Kelso tackles Team Quest's Corey Grant. With 13 total MMA fights on the card, King of Champions' "NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS" is sure to please every kind of fight fan! To purchase tickets, please go online to http://www.kocmma.com/ |
| A closer look at the future of Cain Velasquez in the UFC heavyweight division Posted: 17 Jun 2009 10:26 PM PDT
Cain Velasquez's triumph over heavyweight contender Cheick Kongo at UFC 99: “The Comeback” on June 13 perhaps created more questions than answers, not only regarding himself and his abilities but also the shape of things to come within the UFC heavyweight division. Though Velasquez picked up the ‘W’ and dominated for the duration of the bout, I think he looked a little green and should probably work on some things before he can even contemplate fighting for a title. His stand-up looked sloppy, especially his defense which saw him practically walk into shots that made his legs buckle. While he was able to recover, his punches seemed to lack power. Definitely a lot of work to be done here. To his credit, his wrestling did look superb but as we all know wrestling is not Cheick Kongo's biggest strength, in fact far from it. And Velasquez needs to work on the other aspects of his game and not just rely on his wrestling in the future, especially against the likes of other wrestlers who may pose a huge weight advantage against him. Kongo said he was promised a title shot with a win over Velasquez at UFC 99, though as Demian Maia and several others can tell you that being promised a title shot by the UFC brass is not always a lock. But still he was no doubt in reaching distance and obviously being considered. Now with Velasquez beating a potential title contender he's pretty much set himself up into a situation where there's not really anywhere to go but up. No easy fights and his next opponent is likely going to be a big name and a tough test.
Velasquez certainly seems like one for the future and if he can keep adding to his arsenal he's going to be very dangerous down the line, but let's not forget that Velasquez is only into the early stages of his career and it appears at the present time he's somewhat a victim of his own hype. There's been rumors that he'll be facing off with wrestling behemoth Shane Carwin next. Which if it happened I don't see ending well for the young prospect. He proved in the Kongo fight that his chin is durable and he can quickly recover, but I don't think it would be the same if he walked into the unforgiving hamhocks that Carwin calls hands. He packs a punch, his power is devastating to say the least and just as Gabriel Gonzaga found out the hard way at UFC 96 in March, one shot is all it takes for it to be lights out. Love him or hate him Velasquez is a prospect with a ton of potential and given the right chance to grow he can become a force to be reckoned within the UFC. Carwin isn’t exactly a spring chicken at the age of 34 but is also considered a bright prospect of the heavyweight division. I'd personally like to see these two kept apart for a little while. Remember this is the same division that early last year seemed to be in tatters with its foundations crumbling. Now it appears to be much stronger and brimming with talent, but I would like to see the prospects kept apart so that they can each grow into more complete fighters before squaring off. Though if it did happen and Velasquez lost, it wouldn't be the end of the world. The UFC realizes his potential and I think if he were to lose to Carwin they'd let him take a step back and give him some easier fights while he grows his skill set further. As stated, Velasquez is in a predicament where there's likely to be no more easy fights, just seasoned veterans. One of which I would like to see him against next would be the man he was originally supposed to face at UFC 99, Heath Herring. The grizzled veteran would be a stern test. A victory for Velasquez would give him a win over another known name, keep him in title contention but also give him time to grow as a fighter. If he proves successful maybe after that he could face off against the likes of Gabriel Gonzaga while he continues to improve. As for Carwin, it's hard to say what's next for him. Everyone else seems to be booked up, leaving him without a dance partner. If by some chance Mirko Cro Cop doesn't run off to Japan and decides to stick around, he'd be my first choice but right now it doesn't seem likely. I do think the UFC has done a good with molding other young guns such as Junior dos Santos. Last year at UFC 90 he burst onto the scene with a shocking upset knockout victory over title contender Fabricio Werdum. He could have easily been thrown into the deep end again after that but they decided to bring him along slowly, which should pay dividends later on. UFC 100 boasts the heavyweight title unification bout between Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir that will crown an undisputed champion, but after that who's next in line for a shot? I would like to see the winner of the UFC 102 main event of Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira get a crack at the gold, while the likes of Velasquez, Carwin and Dos Santos can be brought along and be given time to grow. If that were to happen, chances are that it would be a big money maker, but Couture is 45 years old with one fight left on his contract after the Nogueira bout and "Minotauro" has echoed his thoughts on retiring soon. I don't know if the UFC would be too keen on throwing them into title contention only to have them leave straight after, though Couture originally retired back at UFC 57 in what was a title fight but losing effort against Chuck Liddell. After the high buy rate of the first Lesnar vs. Couture pay-per-view (PPV) turned out, a second fight may be too tempting to pass up for all parties involved regardless if Couture vacates the title immediately after winning. If he did win it would once again prove there's some life left in this old dog and Couture may be keen to stick around for a little longer. As of now the title picture after Lesnar vs. Mir at UFC 100 on July 11 is looking pretty open. Lots of possibilities and likely lots of surprises along the way. I'll be interesting to see how things take shape in the coming months. |
| UFC 100 viewing party at Johnny Utah’s in NYC on July 11 Posted: 17 Jun 2009 10:25 PM PDT
You could hit that UFC 100 viewing event at Radio City Music Hall or you could walk a few more blocks and watch it FOR FREE at Johnny Utah’s since they are showing it with NO COVER CHARGE. And I’m pretty sure you aren’t getting the kind of food and drinks at the concert hall like you will at JU. Johnny Utah's, located at 25 W 51 between 5 & 6 Avenue in New York, New York, will feature $1 bottles of Rolling Rock, $3 Bud Light draft and $5 Cazadores Margaritas all while UFC 100 AIRS LIVE ON THREE SEPARATE 15-FOOT PROJECTION SCREENS! Who knows, you may even catch a glimpse of Nostradumbass riding the mechanical bull. |
| Rich Franklin wins respect with gritty UFC 99 war against Wanderlei Silva Posted: 17 Jun 2009 10:23 PM PDT
Any fighter who holds a 26-4 record and was once the UFC middleweight championship would certainly consider their career a resounding success. For Rich Franklin he can leave the sport with his head held high at any point from here on in. Some say his career has been marked by an inability to win the big one. Franklin has been one of the UFC’s poster boys since their epic explosion following the first Ultimate Fighter Finale. It was on that show where he defeated UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock via brutal first round TKO and announced that he was here to make an impact. Being chosen as one of the two coaches on the follow-up season only enhanced his value. Up until that point he had lost only one fight to a relatively unknown Lyoto Machida on a New Year’s Eve card in Japan in 2003. In June of 2005 he defeated Evan Tanner for the second time in a bout for the UFC middleweight championship. His first defense came against Nate Quarry and he won via first round knockout. Franklin would defend the title for a second time against David Loiseau in a five round war just four months later. He was now 21-1 and facing a stiff test in Anderson Silva. Silva was awarded a title shot based upon his complete domination over Chris Leben at Ultimate Fight Night 5 in his organizational debut. Silva defeated Franklin and took home the middleweight crown in just under three minutes work. So at this point in his career Franklin had only lost twice. He would take home a win against gatekeeper Jason MacDonald and then win a hard fought battle against Yushin Okami to earn a rematch against Silva at UFC 77 in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Although Franklin was able to last into the second round this time around the result was the same, another loss and another broken nose for Franklin. With this loss also came the realization that as long as Silva was champion Franklin would no longer vie for the middleweight title. Three losses, two to the same man and Franklin was left in limbo. The UFC put him up against perennial underachiever Travis Lutter. Franklin took advantage of Lutter’s poor conditioning and earned himself a second round TKO. As you see there was a trend beginning here, Franklin was good enough to beat the good fighters, the guys who pretended to contend but when it came down to it he could not get over the hump against the upper echelon fighters. Franklin then decided to fight at 205 lbs and was matched up against Matt Hamill. Here is another fighter who was tough but someone Franklin was certainly expected to defeat. At UFC 88 he defeated the fellow Ohioan resident via third round TKO. What happened next still confuses me to this day. With no room in the middleweight division for Franklin as long as Silva ruled the roost, the only plausible place for Ace was at 205 lbs. The UFC had other ideas as they had him face off with Dan Henderson at light heavyweight for the right to coach against middleweight Michael Bisping in the first ever USA vs. UK Ultimate Fighter show. The winner would participate on the show and then square off against Bisping at the end in a bout to be contested at 185 lbs. Henderson was awarded a very narrow split decision. Once again Franklin fought an elite fighter and once again he came up short. All that led to his UFC 99 battle with former Pride superstar Wanderlei Silva. For the first time in his career, Franklin won a fight that many expected him to lose. This fight did not end without controversy as many people thought Silva won the fight. Whatever Franklin does from here on in he will have gone on to defeat one of the sport’s very best of all time who still has a lot to offer and a lot of fight left in him. A solid win for the man who kept coming up short. |
| UFC 99 medical suspensions and injuries for ‘The Comeback’ Posted: 17 Jun 2009 08:59 PM PDT
UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner recently issued medical suspensions for the UFC 99 event that took place this past Saturday at the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany on June 13, revealing that 11 fighters in all will have to sit out of action. Ratner served as the event’s regulator operating under the guidelines of the Nevada State Athletic Commission in the absence of an overseas regulatory body. Not surprisingly, Mustapha Al-Turk will be taking some time off for the grisly eye poke he suffered at the hands of Mirko Filipovic during their heavyweight clash. Al-Turk is eligible to return no sooner than July 29 pending clearance by an ophthalmologist. Also on the shelf is welterweight Marcus Davis following the facial injuries he received in his unanimous decision loss to Dan Hardy. “The Irish Hand Grenade” is out of action until August 13 with a mandatory face X-Ray required before he can return. In fact out of all twelve bouts on the card, only Spencer Fisher vs. Caol Uno and Paul Kelly vs. Roli Delgado escaped without sending at least one fighter to the injured reserves. Here's the complete list of injuries and their medical instructions:
Just a quick reminder: Fighters can often return to action much quicker after obtaining medical clearance from a doctor. The lengthy suspensions are just a precaution in most cases. For complete UFC 99 results and coverage click here. |
| Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 9 Finale results and LIVE fight coverage on June 20! Posted: 17 Jun 2009 08:57 PM PDT
With The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 9 now in the books it can only mean one thing: Finale time! And it’s all set to go down this weekend, Saturday, June 20, from "The Pearl" at the Palms Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. TUF 9 Finale features a maniacal lightweight test of endurance 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. Of course, the lightweight and welterweight finales for the ninth season of TUF are also slated for the main card. Andre Winner and Ross Pearson are set to face off for 155-pound supremacy while welterweight Damarques Johnson — the lone American to advance to the final round in the “U.S. vs. U.K.”-themed show — will collide with James Wilks. Here is the current TUF 9 Finale fight card:
*Fight not yet official by UFC.com. MMAmania.com will provide LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action on fight night (Saturday, June 20), which is slated to air beginning at 9 p.m. ET on Spike TV. The latest quick updates of the live action will begin to flow earlier than that around 7 p.m. ET. We're still a few days away from showtime; therefore, feel free to share your thoughts and predictions on "TUF 9 Finale” in the comments section below. And remember that MMAmania.com will be the spot for the latest news and event-related highlights before, during and after the event. For everything you need to know about TUF 9 Finale feel free to also hit up our event archive right here. |
| TUF 9 Finale: Diego Sanchez training for Clay Guida fight Posted: 17 Jun 2009 08:53 PM PDT |
| UFC 103: Hermes Franca vs Tyson Griffin possible for September 26 Posted: 17 Jun 2009 08:24 PM PDT
UFC lightweights Hermes Franca (19-7) and Tyson Griffin (13-2) are in talks to compete in a 155-pound match up at UFC 103 in Dallas, Texas, on September 26, according to MMAWeekly. Franca has been on a roller coaster ride during the past 18 months. The former number one contender returned from a 12-month steroids suspension in 2008, losing to Frank Edgar in his July comeback fight at UFC Fight Night 14. The Brazilian then rebounded with a win against his former Brazilian jiu-jitsu teacher Marcus Aurelio at UFC 90: "Silva vs. Cote" in October. And shortly thereafter he was arrested in Jupiter, Fla., on suspicion of Driving Under the Influence (DUI). That case is still pending; however, Franca has insisted that he was exhausted, which caused him to drive erratically. He is innocent until proven guilty. Franca was then penciled in to battle Joe Lauzon at UFC Fight Night 17 back on February 7 but was forced to withdraw due to an ACL tear in his right knee, which should be good to go by September.
Griffin is coming off a closely contested unanimous decision win over Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC Fight Night 18 this past April in a scrap that awarded both men 'Fight of the Night' honors. The Xtreme Couture product seems to have a thing for being judged, going the distance in his last seven fights and winning five of them. Prior to Dos Anjos, he dropped a unanimous decision loss to Sean Sherk at UFC 90 after stringing together four straight victories since UFC 67. And that's the thing with Griffin -– fireworks always seem to follow him. In fact, he's been rewarded with several "Fight of the Night" bonuses in addition to one he nabbed on April 1. Perhaps the only thing keeping him out of serious title consideration is his inability to finish. He’ll get yet another chance to make a statement when he battles Franca later this fall. For more on the still-developing fight card for UFC 103 click here. |
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