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- K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 results and discussion for ‘Final 16′
- UFC 108: Anderson Silva vs Vitor Belfort agree to fight in Las Vegas on Jan. 2
- Strikeforce results for Challengers: ‘Kennedy vs Cummings’ LIVE tonight (Sept. 25)!
- WEC 44 video promo for ‘Brown vs Aldo’ on Nov. 18
- UFC 106 poster for ‘Lesnar vs Carwin’ in Las Vegas on Nov. 21
- WEC 43 fight card switches prior to San Antonio event on Oct. 10
- Thiago Alves: Beware of the new ‘Pitbull’ on Dec. 5
- Melvin Manhoef video talks K-1 GP Final 16 bout against Remy Bonjasky
- Report: CSAC under fire for accepting freebies from the promotions they regulate
- Mayweather still ‘Money’ as Sept. 19 boxing PPV draws one million buys
| K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 results and discussion for ‘Final 16′ Posted: 25 Sep 2009 08:40 PM PDT
K-1 World Grand Prix 2009: “Final 16″ is set to go off early this morning (Sat., Sept. 26) from the Olympic Gymnasium Arena in Seoul, South Korea. All the action is set to air LIVE at 3:30 a.m. ET on HDNet. It will also be replayed later Saturday night at 11:00 p.m. ET. Feel free to discuss all the great fights in the comments section below — share results, videos and commentary … whatever you wish. Go nuts. It’s an open K-1 thread for all the weekend warriors who plan to stay up and watch it all go down as it happens. We’ll update this post with complete results, as well as a detailed recap of the festivities, as soon as possible. In the meantime, enjoy the show, Maniacs! |
| UFC 108: Anderson Silva vs Vitor Belfort agree to fight in Las Vegas on Jan. 2 Posted: 25 Sep 2009 06:15 PM PDT
Move over Dan Henderson and Nate Marquardt … it looks like Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has finally decided on the next middleweight contender to challenge its reigning division champion, Anderson Silva. Los Angeles Times reports that former light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort has verbally agreed to saunter into “The Spider” web at UFC 108, which is scheduled to take place from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Jan. 2, 2010. Henderson actually appeared to be the front runner to challenge Silva after his most recent — and emphatic — victory over Michael Bisping at UFC 100. Company president Dana White indicated that it was enough to earn him another crack at the Brazilian; however, his manager, Ed Soares, made the case that Henderson should take on Nate Marquardt first to determine a clear-cut contender. That now appears to be the plan. And it’s likely that the recent addition of Belfort to the 185-pound roster had a lot to do with it. "The Phenom" is coming off a first round destruction of former division champ Rich Franklin on Sept. 19 in Dallas. The stoppage — coupled with his two devastating knockout wins under the Affliction banner — were enough to convince White that "The Old Vitor" is back and ready to face his fellow countryman. It’s a tall order, considering Silva hasn’t really lost in more than five years (sans a disqualification loss to Yushin Okami in 2006), and he’s essentially obliterated the middleweight division since entering the Zuffa fold in mid 2006. In fact, he’s been so good that White and Co. have started to match him up against 205-pound fighters to give him more of a challenge. He passed with flying colors, sending former champion Forrest Griffin running for the hills and pasting James Irvin with a highlight-reel, fighting-ending combination. Silva has not had a solid (perhaps trademark is a better term) performance in the middleweight division since he submitted Henderson at UFC 82: “Pride of a Champion” back in March 2008. He’s had two forgettable — albeit winning — fights against Patrick Cote and Thales Leites since that time. It’s safe to say that the promotion is looking to Belfort to bring the excitement back to the middleweight division … win, lose or draw. UFC 108 is expected to serve as the promotion’s traditional “year-end” event because the Christmas holiday falls on the last weekend of 2009. No other potential match ups are known at this time; however, UFC typically likes to go out with a bang so expect more goodness in the near future. |
| Strikeforce results for Challengers: ‘Kennedy vs Cummings’ LIVE tonight (Sept. 25)! Posted: 25 Sep 2009 04:35 PM PDT
Up-and-coming middleweight prospects, Tim Kennedy and Zak Cummings, will square off in the main event of tonight’s (Sept. 25) third installment of Strikeforce “Challengers,” which will take place at the Spirit Bank Center in Bixby, Okla., and air live on the premium cable channel Showtime beginning at 11 p.m. ET. As always, MMAmania.com will provide LIVE coverage of the results of the five main card fights on the Showtime telecast below. Many of our readers check-in before, during and after the Showtime telecast at 11 p.m. ET to share their thoughts on the action. Therefore, feel free to leave a comment or 10 before you leave and chat with all the other Maniacs during the show — it always turns out to be a great discussion. Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps and post-fight analysis after the event. Without further delay, see below for the latest ShoMMA 3 results. (Note: This will go from the bottom up; therefore, scroll toward the bottom for the latest detailed round-by-round action!)
STRIKEFORCE CHALLENGERS 3 QUICK RESULTS: Tim Kennedy defeated Zak Cummings via submission (north-south choke) at 2:42 of round two STRIKEFORCE CHALLENGERS 3 MAIN CARD FIGHT RECAPS: Tim Kennedy (9-0) vs. Zak Cummings (10-0) Fight recap: Kennedy came out looking to land some kicks early before scoring a big takedown in the first minute of the fight. From there he worked some brutal ground and pound from all sorts of dominating positions, including a full mount on couple separate occasions. He had Cummings scrambling trying to avoid the punishment, but his attack was relentless. Somehow Cummings was able to make it to the bell, but Kennedy clearly made an impression. In the second round, Cummings came out looking to trade strikes, and Kennedy gladly obliged, overmatching him on the feet as well. That basically left Cummings without an answer. He tried to shoot for a half-hearted takedown after not liking the stand up anymore, but Kennedy capitalized on that too, ending the fight with a north-south choke. Kennedy was very impressive in this fight, basically dominating the previously undefeated Zak Cummings. It’ll be interesting to see where he fits in the Strikeforce middleweight division now that Cung Le has relinquished his championship belt. Final result: Tim Kennedy defeated Zak Cummings via submission (north-south choke) at 2:42 of round two -end- Ray Sefo (1-0) vs. Kevin Jordan (11-7) Fight recap: Jordan took two of Sefo’s patented leg kicks in the first minute of the fight and he had enough of that, opting to shoot right away for a takedown. From there, the K-1 star’s inexperience showed. Jordan took a full mount position and pounded away at Sefo until he was saved by the bell. The second round started in almost identical fashion as Jordan shot right away for a takedown. Sefo was ready this time though and he sprawled nicely to avoid being put on his back again. In the process though, Jordan pulled up lame, clutching his knee. He tried to stand up and keep fighting, but the damage was done and the fight had to be stopped by the referee. This was not the ending either fighter wanted, and it was especially disappointing for Jordan who was fighting a very smart fight and appeared to be on his way to a big win. Final result: Ray Sefo defeated Kevin Jordan via technical knockout (injury) at 0:24 of round two -end- Tyron Woodley (5-0) vs. Zach Light (4-8) Fight recap: Wow! Pound for pound Woodley might be one of the most explosive fighters I’ve ever seen. He stayed patient early on, but you could just tell that he was waiting to pounce. Zach Light is no pushover (he trains with a well respected team at the Wolf’s Lair Gym in England), but T-Wood basically did whatever he wanted in this fight. He had a counter strike for everything Light threw at him, he was able to pick him up and slam him to the mat numerous times, he dominated on the ground with his superior wrestling, and he attempted a variety of submissions throughout the fight. A brutal knee landed perfectly for him early in the second round that sent Light reeling to the canvas. From there some nasty ground and pound followed that softened Light up some more for an eventual fight ending armbar midway through the second round. Awesome performance for Woodley. I can’t wait to see him fight again. Final result: Tyron Woodley defeated Zach Light via submission (armbar) at 3:38 of round two -end- Travis Calanoc (4-0) vs. Thomas Longacre (4-0) Fight recap: These guys were much quicker and a lot more technical than the two heavyweights before them. Longacre stalked Calanoc for most of the first round, mixing in a variety of low kicks, high kicks and brutal combinations with his hands. It appeared that he was going to cruise to a win, but Calanoc finally decided to mount an offense of his own with his Muay Thai skills. He actually almost ended the fight late in the first round with a pinpoint knee to the dome that almost sent Longacre to the canvas. Longacre did make it through the round though, and the rest before the second frame allowed him to fully recover so he could get back to what he was doing early in the first, which was pick Calanoc apart with his kickboxing. And that’s exactly what he did for the rest of the fight en route to a unanimous decision victory. Calanoc showed a lot of heart by absorbing a good amount of punishment throughout the three round war and still trying to do what he could to win the fight. But it was clear that he was outmatched on his feet with Longacre. This was a very exciting fight though with a ton of action. Final result: Thomas Longacre defeated Travis Calanoc via unanimous decision -end- Daniel Cormier (0-0) vs. Gary Frazier (0-0) Fight recap: Cormier looked very comfortable in the cage for this being his first pro fight. Gary Frazier on the other hand did not. Cormier had the 21 year old back pedaling (he was basically running away at times) on his feet right from the get go. He kept that pressure turned up for the majority of the first round while also using his wrestling to control the youngster on the ground. Frazier continued to look tentative in the second round as well, with his only offense being an occasional wild looping haymaker right hand. Cormier was easily able to avoid those though, and eventually he found himself in a favorable position on the ground where he finally finished off his over-matched opponent. Solid win for Cormier, but it’s hard to judge him against a guy that looked like he didn’t even want to fight. It’ll be interesting to see who Strikeforce puts him up against next. Final result: Daniel Cormier defeats Gary Frazier via technical knockout (strikes) at 3:39 of round two -end- |
| WEC 44 video promo for ‘Brown vs Aldo’ on Nov. 18 Posted: 25 Sep 2009 04:28 PM PDT |
| UFC 106 poster for ‘Lesnar vs Carwin’ in Las Vegas on Nov. 21 Posted: 25 Sep 2009 04:24 PM PDT
To check out the latest UFC 106: “Lesnar vs. Carwin” fight card and rumors click here. |
| WEC 43 fight card switches prior to San Antonio event on Oct. 10 Posted: 25 Sep 2009 04:18 PM PDT
World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) recently announced that there will be three changes to its upcoming “Cerrone vs. Henderson” card at The AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, on Sat., Oct. 10, which is set to air live on the Versus network beginning at 9 p.m. ET. The first adjustment to the line-up involves a fight on the televised main card between Damacio “The Angel of Death” Page and Akitoshi Tamura. Tamura has been pulled from the card for undisclosed reasons and will be replaced by undefeated Texas resident, Will Campuzano. Campuzano has fought three times this year, stopping all three of his opponents before the final bell, including his most recent first round technical knockout victory over Tim Synder in May. Also being added to the card as a late substitute is “The Ultimate Fighter” (TUF) 5 alum, Noah Thomas. He’ll fill in for the injured Rafael Rebello on the undercard against Scott Jorgensen. Thomas lost his WEC debut back in June via a second round arm triangle from Frank Gomez. And the last modification will see Javier Vazquez step in for the injured Mark Hominick to face WEC newcomer Deividas Taurosevicius on the undercard. Like Thomas, Vazquez also dropped his WEC debut this summer, coming up on the wrong end of a razor close split decision with L.C. Davis at WEC 42. WEC 43 will feature an interim lightweight title fight between Greg Jackson pupil Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and the versatile Ben “Smooth” Henderson in the main event of the evening. The co-headliner for the card will mark the return to the WEC cage for former lightweight number one contender, Rich “Cleat” Crunkilton, as he takes on undefeated Midwest product, Dave Jansen. For more on WEC 43 click here. |
| Thiago Alves: Beware of the new ‘Pitbull’ on Dec. 5 Posted: 25 Sep 2009 11:59 AM PDT
Props: Tatame.com Quoteworthy:
Former number one welterweight contender Thiago Alves talks about his rebirth as a complete fighter following his five-round unanimous decision loss to 170-pound kingpin Georges St. Pierre at UFC 100. "The Pitbull" will have to get back in line and work his way up the welterweight ladder for another crack at the unstoppable Canadian. Who's next? Rumor mill has him facing fellow Brazilian Paulo Thiago at the TUF 10 Finale on Dec. 5, but perhaps you want to play matchmaker in the comments section below — Jon Fitch, Marcus Davis, Dan Hardy … what showdown do you want to see? |
| Melvin Manhoef video talks K-1 GP Final 16 bout against Remy Bonjasky Posted: 25 Sep 2009 11:32 AM PDT |
| Report: CSAC under fire for accepting freebies from the promotions they regulate Posted: 25 Sep 2009 11:26 AM PDT
Oops, they did it again. The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) is once again finding itself mired in controversy after the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission launched an investigation in response to the accusation that CSAC members were accepting free tickets to several boxing and mixed martial arts events — the same events they were charged with regulating. According to the L.A. Times, commission members were getting their palms greased in order to send friends and family to pricey events at no charge. Included in the list of beneficiaries was actor Sylvester Stallone, who’s chummy with Commission Chairman Timothy Noonan, one of Governor Schwarzenegger’s top Aides, one commissioner’s pastor and an assortment of other member’s friends and family. The CSAC is no stranger to controversy. It’s probably best known for the Sean Sherk steroid scandal, which “The Muscle Shark” claims was botched from the get-go. Phil Baroni and Antonio Silva also blasted the behind-the-scenes shenanigans of their steroid testing, with “Bigfoot” even filing a lawsuit to prove his innocence. It was widely believed that the commission was on the straight and narrow after embattled commissioner Armando Garcia stepped down in light of sexual harassment charges, but these new developments don’t exactly reek of ethics. What influence these handouts from promoters had on any of the decisions made regarding their corresponding promotions is purely speculation, but it certainly doesn’t leave you with that warm, fuzzy feeling. |
| Mayweather still ‘Money’ as Sept. 19 boxing PPV draws one million buys Posted: 25 Sep 2009 09:53 AM PDT
Floyd Mayweather is still ‘Money.’ Love him or hate him, the piston-mouthed pugilist puts asses in the seats — to the tune of 1,000,000 pay-per-view buys for his Sept. 19 unanimous decision win over Mexican fightmonger Juan Manuel Marquez. There was a much ballyhooed brouhaha between Mayweather and UFC President Dana White, who claimed that “boxing was trying to sell a fight that nobody cared about” and that “nobody gave a shit about what’s-his-name.” Apparently there are over a million people who would disagree with him. While the theater showings for the boxing event are still being tabulated, it’s safe to say that if this was a head-to-head battle against mixed martial arts for the attention of fight fans, UFC 103 didn’t even make it out of the first round. Still, there are a couple of important points. First and foremost, boxing fans might be calling this a “victory,” but I’m not convinced that Mayweather stole much — if any — of the audience for “Franklin vs. Belfort.” From the disastrous results of recent hybrid Boxing/MMA fight cards, I feel comfortable saying that most fight fans like one form of combat sports better than the other. In short, I don’t know how many fans had to “choose” between which event they would watch last Saturday night.
UFC fans probably watched “Franklin vs. Belfort” while Boxing fans watched “Mayweather vs. Marquez.” Fans of both likely veered in either direction on a comparable scale. I would also bet that the causal UFC viewer and post-TUF fanboy is probably unfamiliar with Vitor Belfort, and the only time they saw Mirko “Cro Cop” was when he was getting stomped by Gabe Gonzaga and Cheick Kongo, or poking out the eyes of Mustapha Al-Turk. And despite his appeal, Rich Franklin isn’t exactly the sport’s biggest draw. Would the addition of Brock Lesnar, Georges St. Pierre or Anderson Silva have improved the UFC buyrate? Probably. But again, I doubt it would have made a dent in the Mayweather drawing power. Because the UFC does not release their PPV buys, a true numbers-to-numbers comparison is not possible, but I don’t think anyone from Zuffa would claim it came anywhere near 1,000,000. While several of its divisions are on life support, Boxing is proving that it still isn’t dead. If by chance it is, Floyd Mayweather has an uncanny knack of bringing it back to life. |
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