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- Rampage Jackson is going to piss on Rashad Evans if he keeps on barking
- Kimbo Slice beard a big deal in contract negotiation for UFCs Ultimate Fighter
- Sengoku 10 exclusive photo gallery and pics for “Tenth Battle” on Sept. 23
- UFC 103 video review, ‘Rampage’ Jackson retirement talk and more on ESPNs ‘MMA LIVE’
- FieLDS K-1 World GP 2009 Final 16 to air LIVE on HDNet Sept. 26
- Mike Swick chomps at the bit to get back in the welterweight mix
- Alistair Overeem video talks K-1 World GP 2009 Final 16; fighting Fedor in Strikeforce
- Strikeforce Challengers ‘Kennedy vs Cummings’ weigh in results
- MMA Quick Quote: Tune in for Herschel Walker versus a cripple — courtesy of ‘jackasses and geniuses’
- Strikeforce tickets for ‘Fedor vs Rogers’ at the Sears Centre on Nov. 7 on sale soon
| Rampage Jackson is going to piss on Rashad Evans if he keeps on barking Posted: 25 Sep 2009 04:45 AM PDT
The former light heavyweight champion is still ranting about a fight that now looks like it may never happen (legally):
Stick around to see how the drama continues to cascade. A golden shower appears incapable of dousing this fire anytime soon. |
| Kimbo Slice beard a big deal in contract negotiation for UFCs Ultimate Fighter Posted: 25 Sep 2009 04:29 AM PDT
Props: Yahoo!Sports Quoteworthy:
UFC President Dana White reveals that former Miami-based bareknuckle brawler and Elite XC posterboy, Kimbo Slice, had few contract demands with when approached about competing on The Ultimate Fighter ((TUF) 10. In fact, he admits that Kimbo and Co. were quite easy to work . One sticking point in negotiations, however, was the safety of his trademark beard. It appears that he and his management team were concerned that he could lose it because of some shenanigans while sleeping in TUF house. Kimbo’s beard now joins Jennifer Lopez’ butt, David Beckham’s legs and feet, Keith Richards’ (middle finger), Bruce Springsteen’s voice, among others, on the short list of insured “celebrity” body features. No telling if Lloyd’s of London had to get involved. Does is give him an unfair advantage in a fight … should he be forced to shave it or will someone knock it off (Roy Nelson, perhaps?) inside the Octagon? |
| Sengoku 10 exclusive photo gallery and pics for “Tenth Battle” on Sept. 23 Posted: 24 Sep 2009 11:22 PM PDT
Check out more exclusive pics from Sengoku: “Tenth Battle” after the jump.
            Jimmy Viola is an MMAmania.com staff contributor and correspondent for the Japanese fight scene. For more on his exploits in “The Land of the Rising Sun,” check him out at jimmyviola.blogspot.com or by clicking here. |
| UFC 103 video review, ‘Rampage’ Jackson retirement talk and more on ESPNs ‘MMA LIVE’ Posted: 24 Sep 2009 04:00 PM PDT |
| FieLDS K-1 World GP 2009 Final 16 to air LIVE on HDNet Sept. 26 Posted: 24 Sep 2009 03:32 PM PDT
DALLAS (September 24, 2009) — HDNet will feature LIVE coverage of “HDNet Fights Presents: FieLDS K-1 World GP 2009 Final 16,” at the Olympic Gymnasium Arena in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, September 26 at 12:30 a.m. PT/3:30 a.m. ET. The event will also be replayed that Saturday evening at 11:00 p.m. ET. The best 16 strikers in the world will meet in the opening round of this prestigious event. And, in one of the most anticipated first round match-ups, Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem will face K-1 Legend and three-time World GP Champion Peter Aerts. Other featured first round fights include Badr Hari vs. Zabit Samedov, Jerome Le Banner vs. Japanese legend MUSASHI, and defending K-1 World GP Champion Remy Bonjaski vs. Melvin Manhoef. “Let’s be clear, this tournament features THE BEST strikers in the world,” said Andrew Simon, CEO of HDNet Fights. “If you are a fan of the stand-up game, get ready for the non-stop action that only K-1 and HDNet can deliver!” In more first round action, K-1 Super Heavyweight Champion Semmy Schilt will also collide with impressive newcomer Daniel Ghita, Ewerton Teixeira takes on Singh Jaideep, Ruslan Karaev faces K-1 Heavyweight Champion KYOTARO, and Errol Zimmerman meets Glaube Feitosa. The winners will advance to the K-1 World Grand Prix Final on December 5 at the Yokohama Arena in Tokyo, Japan. |
| Mike Swick chomps at the bit to get back in the welterweight mix Posted: 24 Sep 2009 02:25 PM PDT
Top UFC welterweight contender Mike "Quick" Swick recently attended UFC 103: "Franklin vs. Belfort," a card he was originally supposed to compete on opposite Martin Kampmann in a number one contender qualifier match; however, a concussion suffered during training forced Swick off the card. The injury prompted a late replacement in British welterweight prospect, Paul "Semtex" Daley, to make his UFC debut. It was a smashing success. Swick recently sounded off on the Kampmann vs. Daley fight, the "AKA vs. Matt Hughes" situation, fighting teammates, and Georges St. Pierre relying heavily on his wrestling abilities as the featured guest on MMAmania.com's exclusive presentation of Pro MMA Radio. In his conversation with host Larry Pepe, Swick started things off by recapping how he got injured in the first place (off a Josh Koscheck takedown during training), which was pretty much the same story he recounted in MMAmania's exclusive interview last week. While he admitted it was awkward to watch the fight, rather than being a part of it, he seemed impressed with the performance of Daley, who he calls a "great fighter." Dissecting the fight, Swick admitted he found Kampmann's strategy odd, especially considering that Daley isn't known for his ground skills. "I saw (Kampmann) try to take (Daley) down a couple times, but I think he definitely should have put more emphasis on the takedown. And he was trying to do like a new single leg thing that I had never seen him do before. I don't know if he was preparing that for me or what. But I would have stayed in that upper body clench and worked that upper body takedown that he does so well, if I was him." Swick felt Kampmann telegraphed his shots and thought that he either "had a lot going on in his head" or was possibly rocked from an early exchange with "Semtex." Either way, it didn't take long for the Brit to earn the technical knockout victory at 2:31 of the first round. Now hopeful for a November or December return to action — one that might see him square off against Daley — Swick gave "Semtex" props for avoiding the takedown and out-muscling the Dutch Thai boxer to pull off the surprise win. As for an opponent when he returns, Swick has made no secret of his desire to fight former welterweight champion Matt Hughes — in fact all of the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) welterweights (Swick, Koscheck and Jon Fitch) have called out Hughes repeatedly for months now. But if Hughes isn't interested in a fight with an AKA guy, which he seems not to be, Swick just wants a "big fight" to help him put his name back into title contention.
"I'm not going to turn down a fight. So if the UFC calls me and wants me to fight Daley — and that's it, period, whether it's a title shot or not afterwards — I'll take it. I'm not going to turn down a fight, for sure. And stylistically, I like the matchup with Daley. But, if I had a preference, like I said, I would love to fight some(one) that's going to get me that title shot, or have a title shot. That's the goal of everyone. I don't think any fighter would tell you different." Despite being undefeated (4-0) at welterweight and 9-1 in the UFC, Swick understands that the injury that forced him to pull out of UFC 103 might end up coming back to haunt him. "On the flip side of that, though, I did throw a wrench into everybody's plans. I threw a wrench into the UFC's promotion of this event by having to back out … I totally understand that I'm at fault for that, and that could come at a price. If I have to fight an up-and-comer or someone who doesn't have as big of a name, I totally understand that it's my fault that I'm in this position. So I have no problem, I'm not going to argue, I'll fight whoever." As Swick awaits an opponent, he also recognizes that his fellow AKA teammates are eager to get back into the cage as well. While Fitch is scheduled to welcome Ricardo Almeida to the 170-pound division at UFC 106 in November, Koscheck got back into the win column at UFC 103 with a quick TKO of veteran Frank Trigg. Staying true to form, "Kos" called out Hughes in the post-fight interview. As Swick tells it: "Me and Fitch actually yelled at Kos after his fight to call out Hughes. We're always trying to fight Hughes. Me and Fitch and Kos have always tried to fight Hughes and it's never happened. I found out from the UFC that (a Hughes fight) isn't going to probably happen right before that fight. So then it was on to Kos and see if maybe he'd fight Kos or someone. One of us wants to fight him. It doesn't seem like this fight's getting done with any of us. So we're just going to continuously call him out until he fights one of us." Obviously, this begs the question, why is it that the AKA guys are so interested in fighting Hughes. Is there bad blood between camps? Why such an emphasis on the former champ? "He's the best fighter out there that we haven't fought yet … he's a great fighter. He's one of the most decorated fighters in UFC history. Why wouldn't you want to fight a guy like that? … Again, the motivation behind it isn't that we don't like him. It's just the fact that he's the biggest name UFC fighter that doesn't have an opponent." Plus, as Swick explained, everyone else is already scheduled to fight, including former number one contender, Thiago Alves. He makes a strong case that it's inevitable that Hughes will have to fight one of the AKA fighters. Maybe the question should be, why is Hughes not interested in it? "(Hughes) runs more risk fighting an up-and-comer, because he doesn't want to lose to an up-and-comer. So I don't really know (why he's not interested) … Koscheck's available, I'm available, and every other welterweight who I can think of is booked on a fight, so I'm curious, if they do have an opponent for him, I'm curious to see who it is, because if I was in his position, I wouldn't want to fight just any random welterweight. I'd want to fight a top welterweight who's doing good." And when you're looking for a top welterweight who's doing good, you really need look no further than AKA. Despite the multiple call-outs, Swick says the UFC brass has "insinuated" that the fight is not going to happen. Not for him, and "probably not Kos and Hughes either." So if Swick, Koscheck and Hughes are all available, and Hughes is out of the question, is there a chance we could see some teammate-on-teammate crime, ala Swick vs. Koscheck? Alas, the million dollar question that's been asked time and time again: "If you can put yourself in our shoes, we train together. We help create each other and make each other as successful as we have been. We're great training partners. I couldn't possibly prepare for a welterweight fight in the UFC with better training partners than two top 10 welterweights … Until I fight Georges St. Pierre, I'm not going to have any opponents that are better than my training partners, which is a very rare thing." Despite team loyalty, Swick is willing to admit that it might one day become an issue. When it does — for example, if one of them were to be the champion, and one the top contender — Swick says they'll "deal with it." "The circumstances could never come up. And if it doesn't, why would we want to say, ‘Ah, I'll fight if this happens, or I'll fight this or I'll do this.’ It's just an issue that we don't really want to think about until it comes up. 'Cause it's one of those things that could never come up. You know, I could possibly fight middleweight, Fitch could possibly fight middleweight, there's a lot of ways around it, not to mention there's a ton of welterweight opponents." In fact, when the three AKA welterweights originally came together, none of them were considered serious contenders. They were all still young. Fitch had just come off fighting in MMA tournaments in Mexico, Swick was coming off a knockout loss to Chris Leben in the WEC, and Koscheck was brand new to the sport. The fact that the three helped one another rise to the very top of the sport, peaking nearly at the same time, only helps solidify their bond. As Swick puts it, "I think that's a huge accomplishment, and we have each other to thank for that." Their commitment to helping one another improve may one day place them inside the Octagon opposite welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre, who has relied heavily on his wrestling abilities in recent fights to take his opponents down, keep them there and punish them for it. "I agree with Kos, I think (GSP) is fighting like a wrestler. I think he's found his niche. He's got one thing that's really good, and it's above most the guys in the division, and that's that he's got a good shot, he has good timing, and he's getting people to the ground, and just riding them out for the decision. And he's very good at that. That's something we're looking at, all of us, in preparation for a possible fight with him." Should Swick get his chance, he feels he has the advantage on the feet and will try to keep it standing. Swick went on to talk about his feud with Leben and how he suspects "The Crippler" of dodging a rematch opportunity that would have gone down as the main event of an Ultimate Fight Night card broadcast on Spike TV; however, Leben turned down the fight, only to claim later that he didn't know it was main event. "He said he didn't know, and he said his management turned the fight down for him, and if that's the case, I would fire my manager. If my manager turned down a main event fight against a guy I'd already beat in the UFC and didn't tell me, I think I'd be pretty upset about it. So he either knew, or his manager's not that great." To hear the full interview — including discussion of this month's Fight Magazine cover story that sheds light on how the suicide of Swick's father when Swick was only 10 years old helped establish his motivation and determination to eventually become a fighter — head on over to the Pro MMA Radio archive with host Larry Pepe. |
| Alistair Overeem video talks K-1 World GP 2009 Final 16; fighting Fedor in Strikeforce Posted: 24 Sep 2009 11:14 AM PDT Can some explain the gratuitous bag shot at 0:48? Hopefully they’re talking about his hand injury … |
| Strikeforce Challengers ‘Kennedy vs Cummings’ weigh in results Posted: 24 Sep 2009 11:01 AM PDT
Strikeforce is set to put on its third “Challengers” event tomorrow night (Sept. 25) at the SpiritBank Center in Bixby, Oklahoma with “Kennedy vs. Cummings.” The main card will be aired LIVE on the premium cable channel Showtime beginning at 11 p.m. ET. The weigh ins for the event will take place later today (Sept. 24) at 8 p.m ET. We’ll post those results right here as soon as they become official. The featured fight of the night is a battle between promising middleweights Tim Kennedy (10-2) and Zak Cummings (10-0). Kennedy is coming off perhaps the biggest win of his career last June on the last “Challengers” card when he pounded Nick “The Goat” Thompson into a submission in the second round. Meanwhile, Cummings has been making his name on the smaller circuit, notching wins over guys like UFC veteran Terry Martin. Also scheduled for the card is U.S. Olympic competitor Daniel Cormier, collegiate All-American wrestler Tyron Woodley and plenty of other up-and-coming stars. Check out the full results from the weigh ins below:
Remember, MMAmania.com will provide up to the minute results of the event tomorrow night beginning with the 11 p.m. telecast on Showtime. Check in early and often. |
| MMA Quick Quote: Tune in for Herschel Walker versus a cripple — courtesy of ‘jackasses and geniuses’ Posted: 24 Sep 2009 10:27 AM PDT
– UFC President Dana White blasts the recent Strikeforce acquisition of former NFL legend Herschel Walker on Inside The Ultimate Fighter (via MMA Fanhouse), who at age 47 is expected to make his debut for the San Jose-based promotion in January 2010. White maintains that he is not opposed to competition, rather he opposes bad decisions that cast the still-growing sport in a negative light. Does Walker, a karate black belt, have something to offer Showtime audiences? Or is this a signing that will come back to haunt Scott Coker and Co. down the road? Opinions please. |
| Strikeforce tickets for ‘Fedor vs Rogers’ at the Sears Centre on Nov. 7 on sale soon Posted: 24 Sep 2009 08:26 AM PDT
Tickets for the Strikeforce: "Fedor vs. Rogers" CBS prime time event at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois on Nov. 7, will go on sale to the public beginning Monday, September 28 at 10:00 AM CT. However, “Strikeforce Insiders” e-newsletter subscribers will be afforded a special pre-sale ticket purchase opportunity that begins tomorrow, Sept. 25, at 10:00 AM CT and ends at 10:00 PM CT on Sunday, Sept. 27. Strikeforce Insiders will receive a special e-newsletter tonight (Sept. 24) with the pre-sale code. The event will mark the promotion's debut in the “The Prairie State,” as well as the first prime time mixed martial arts event to air since CBS televised the Elite XC broadcast of “Kimbo-gate” back in October 2008. Headlining the blockbuster event will be a heavyweight clash between former PRIDE champion Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko and undefeated knockout artist Brett “The Grim” Rogers. Several of the promotion's other top fighters will be in action on the card as well, including a Strikeforce middleweight title bout pitting Jake Shields vs. Jason “Mayhem” Miller for the 185-pound belt recently vacated by budding film star Cung Le.
Here's a look at the current line up for ‘Fedor vs. Rogers:’
It's going to be a great night of fights. If you live in the Chicago area be sure to snag your tickets as quickly as possible. |
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