Saturday, September 5, 2009

UFC blog for latest news, videos, results, betting odds, fighter interviews and MMA rumors - UFCmania.com

UFC blog for latest news, videos, results, betting odds, fighter interviews and MMA rumors - UFCmania.com

Paul ‘Semtex’ Daley vs Martin Kampmann for UFC 103 booked with Mike Swick hurt

Posted: 04 Sep 2009 10:56 AM PDT

A concussion suffered during training on Sept. 3 has forced UFC welterweight Mike Swick to withdraw from his UFC 103 fight against fellow 170-pound contender Martin Kampmann at the “Belfort vs. Franklin” event in Dallas, Texas.

MMAmania.com has confirmed with Swick’s camp that the former Ultimate Fighter contestant has indeed been pulled from the line-up following his head injury.

The news was first reported by The Sun , who also pegs Affliction transplant Paul “Semtex” Daley as the last-minute replacement for “Quick” opposite “The Hitman” on Sept. 19.

The Nottingham, England, native was to make his Octagon debut against fellow promotional newcomer Brian Foster after recently inking a four-fight deal with the UFC in late July following the collapse of Affliction MMA.

The status of Foster for UFC 103 is unknown at this time.

Daley is currently enjoying back-to-back wins after dropping two out of three to Nick "The Goat" Thompson and Jake Shields prior to that. He most recently put his stamp on Junior Barata, needing less than three minutes to take care of business.

The hard-hitting Brit will look to do the same against Kampmann; however, he may not get the chance if he can't stay upright.

The 26-year-old slugger boasts 16 (technical) knockout wins in 21 career bouts (more than 75 percent). However, he is often criticized for his ground game, or lack thereof, for which he apparently makes no excuses (he has lost five times via submission in his eight career losses).

The crafty “Hitman" does have five submission wins to his credit, including a memorable arm-triangle choke over Drew McFedries at UFC 68 in March 2007.

Kampmann last competed at UFC Fight Night 18: "Condit vs. Kampmann," spoiling the Octagon debut of World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) Welterweight Champion and top-ranked 170-pound fighter Carlos Condit.

He defeated Alexandre Barros via second round technical knockout at UFC 93: "Franklin vs. Henderson" in his 170-pound debut earlier this year.

This will mark the third time that Kampmann competes at 170 pounds after getting booted from the middleweight division by Nate Marquardt at UFC 88: "Breakthrough" back in September 2008.

And if he is able to perform well like he did on April 1, he’ll likely face Georges St. Pierre for the division crown in early 2010.

UFC 103 will feature a main event between Rich "Ace" Franklin and Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort at a 195-pound catchweight. Also slated for the main card is a heavyweight tilt between former PRIDE superstar Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and surging heavyweight prospect Junior Dos Santos.

For the latest UFC 103 fight card click here .

Mike Swick video talks UFC 103 fight against Martin Kampmann

Posted: 04 Sep 2009 08:38 AM PDT

James Malec convicted in the shooting death of former UFC fighter Justin Eilers

Posted: 04 Sep 2009 08:32 AM PDT

James Robert Malec was convicted of voluntary manslaughter yesterday (Sept. 3) for the 2008 shooting death of his stepson, former UFC and Elite XC heavyweight contender Justin Eilers, according to the Idaho Statesman .

Sentencing is expected this October and his conviction is punishable by a fine of up to $15,000 and/or up to 15 years in prison.

Malec was arrested and charged with second-degree murder after shooting Eilers once in the chest on Christmas day in Canyon County, Idaho, in a domestic disturbance turned deadly.

Paramedics were called to the scene but were unsuccessful in their attempts to stabilize him.

Malec worked as a Canyon County corrections officer and dog handler in the late 1990's and according to Eilers’ mother, carried a firearm on a regular basis.

Problems arose when Eilers and his ex-girlfriend began arguing, which further escalated when Malec reportedly ordered Eilers to leave. Eilers refused and one witness reports Eilers challenged Malec to a fight before the shooting took place.

From Deputy Canyon County Prosecutor Scott James:

“Justin Eilers was acting like a jerk, there’s no question. He was ruining Christmas. He was disrespecting the defendant in his own home. But he didn’t deserve to die.”

Eilers (19-7-1) was probably most known among casual fans for his three straight losses over a year's span in the UFC. From February 2005 to February 2006 he dropped three fights — each by first round technical knockout — to Paul Buentello, Andrei Arlovski and Brandon Vera, respectively.

However, Eilers was on a very impressive streak before passing, having won 10 of his past 12 fights. After falling to Antonio Silva at EliteXC 'Unfinished Business' back in July 2008, Eilers was targeting a debut at light heavyweight to further refine his improved skill set and once again prove he was ready for the big stage.

The unfortunate news came barely a week after former UFC and WEC competitor Justin Levens was found dead - also by gunshot - in his California home.

From Gwen Moore, Malec’s wife and Eilers’ mother:

“I didn’t want to make that determination as a wife and a mother. Everyone asked me what justice I wanted. I want my son back, that’s what I want. And I’m not going to get that.”

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more on Malec’s sentencing in the coming weeks.

MMA Quick Quote: When in doubt, fake an injury

Posted: 04 Sep 2009 07:43 AM PDT

"There's loopholes in everybody's game, and in his game, the way I see it, he can sometimes get a little sloppy. He is a patient guy, but when he feels that he has to give, he kind of rushes it a little bit. Just on that, I can kinda set him up for a knockout just by faking an injury or something, just jump in and out his offense a little more than not. Hit and move. Hit and move. Fedor, he's definitely done and proved to the world that he's capable of doing whatever he needs to to get the job done. That right there –- that's the type of fighter that I'm looking forward to fighting because it's all about testing your might and he's definitely got it to test."

Undefeated heavyweight wrecking machine Brett Rogers tells Sherdog.com that he anticipates capitalizing on a "sloppy" former PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko when the two clash this Fall for the Strikeforce promotion on Showtime. "Da Grim" has taken a serious step up in competition after knocking out Andrei Arlovski at the "Lawler vs. Shields" event back in June. Is he ready to dethrone "The Last Emperor?" Or will Emelianenko drop the iron curtain on the aspiring heavyweight? Time will tell…

(Photo courtesey of Esther Lin/Strikeforce)

Strikeforce: Alistair Overeem will defend his heavyweight title following K-1 event

Posted: 04 Sep 2009 07:03 AM PDT

There were more than a few eyebrows raised after the official line up was recently announced for the upcoming K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 Final 16 — primarily because one of its participants was Alistair Overeem, current Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion.

“Demolition Man” was forced to withdraw from his scheduled title defense against Fabricio Werdum at the August 15 "Carano vs. Cyborg" event in San Jose after re-aggravating a previous hand injury .

It was that same injury that booted him from the promotion’s June 6 card in St. Louis, where Andrei Arlovski (on loan from Affliction) stepped in to take his place to get creamed by Brett Rogers at 0:22 of the first round.

In light of the recent acquisition of famed heavyweight star Fedor Emelianenko, fans were beginning to get restless with no clear timetable for Overeem’s return, even calling for an interim title in his absence, much like they did for the middleweight strap when 185-pound champ Cung Le went Hollywood.

The Dutch striker has yet to defend his heavyweight crown after capturing it with a second round submission win over Paul Buentello way back in 2007. Overeem has since been employed in Japan, racking up a 3-0 record in MMA (1 NC) and a 1-1 record under the K-1 banner during that span.

Now he will return to K-1 to battle aging “Dutch Lumberjack” Peter Aerts on September 26 in Seoul, Korea.

When contacted by MMAmania.com (www.MMAmania.com ), Strikeforce officials were happy to report that Overeem’s injuries have finally healed and that he will compete in the upcoming kickboxing bout as part of his existing contract with K-1.

Following that bout, as well as a planned fight for Golden Glory, Overeem is expected to return to Strikeforce to defend his title.

And with Brett Rogers, Fabricio Werdum and Fedor Emelianenko all gunning for first dibs, don’t expect him to receive a very warm welcome.

Vitor Belfort: Fighting Randy Couture for a fourth time is ‘not a bad idea’

Posted: 04 Sep 2009 06:29 AM PDT

Props: Tatame.com

Quoteworthy:

"That's not a bad idea. Whatever has to happen, will happen … If Dana White and the fans want it, what can I do? I'll fight (Couture) and try to invert the score. How do I think it'd be? Just put us there, my friend … That's how we see the things."

Newly re-signed UFC star Vitor Belfort contemplates a future match against one-time arch nemesis Randy Couture. The two met three times inside the Octagon starting all the way back at UFC 15 in 1997 and "The Natural" is ahead on the scorecards 2-1. Since they last met at UFC 49, both Couture and "The Phenom" have juggled weight classes with mixed results. Anyone want to see them hook ‘em up one last time as Captain America nears the end of his career? Or was the third time the charm? Opinions please.
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