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Dana White and Kimbo Slice NYC media blitz continues for The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 and more (Videos)
DREAM 12: Eddie Alvarez vs. Katsunori Kikuno and Kuniyoshi Hironaka vs. Won Sik Park booked for Oct. 25
Dana White talks big MMA business on CNBCs ‘Power Lunch’ (Video)
DREAM announces hexagonal cage will be used during Oct. 25 event
Kimbo Slice training jits at ATT; willing to try light heavyweight
Butterbean vs Tank Abbott headline ‘Alabama Pride’ on Dec. 12
MMA Quick Quote: Jay Hieron wants the Strikeforce belt — is Nick Diaz ready to step up?
Tango and Cash: Chuck ‘Angry Man’ Liddell video raises his stock on week two of Dancing with the Stars (DWTS)
Herschel Walker: I can beat any TUF 10 heavyweight
MMA Quick Pic: Sneak peek at Series 1 of Round 5 ‘Ultimate Collector’ UFC action figures

Dana White and Kimbo Slice NYC media blitz continues for The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 and more (Videos)

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 05:29 PM PDT

Check out part two after the jump, as well as another teaser for Kimbo Slice vs Roy Nelson on Spike TV tomorrow night at 10 p.m. ET.

Scenes from tomorrow night’s TUF episode:

DREAM 12: Eddie Alvarez vs. Katsunori Kikuno and Kuniyoshi Hironaka vs. Won Sik Park booked for Oct. 25

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 02:38 PM PDT

At the press conference DREAM held to officially unveil the blueprint of the new hexagonal cage, two lightweight contests were also announced for DREAM 12, which will take place on Oct. 25 at Osaka Castle Hall in Osaka, Japan.

Bellator lightweight champion and consensus top 10-ranked 155-pound standout, Eddie Alvarez (18-2), will square off with DEEP lightweight champion, Katsunori Kikuno (12-1-1). Newly minted Cage Force lightweight champion, Kuniyoshi Hironaka (15-6), is also set to take on South Korean prospect, Won Sik Park (7-1-1).

Alvarez last fought for DREAM on the New Year’s Eve show, sustaining a submission loss against Shinya Aoki. Quickly bouncing back from the second loss of his career, he entered the lightweight tourney in the inaugural season of Bellator Fighting Championship. As an overwhelming favorite, he dismantled Greg Loughran, Eric Reynolds, and Toby Imada — all three victories via submission — to capture the lightweight crown.

Katsunori Kikuno, a Kyokushin karateka and Tsuyoshi Kohsaka protege, parlayed his success in Japan’s DEEP promotion to an emphatic DREAM debut. At DREAM 10, he defeated Chute Boxe prospect, Andres Amade, via first-round technical knockout.

UFC veteran Kuniyoshi Hironaka has recently captured the lightweight title in Cage Force. Competing for the title that was vacated by the newly minted Sengoku champion, Mizuto Hirota, Hironaka rose to the occasion, capturing the first pro title of his career.

Park, a South Korean prospect, has cut his teeth in Japan’s DEEP and MARS. Since losing his pro debut, he has been riding an eight-fight undefeated streak.

DREAM 12 will feature another South Korean prospect, Myeon Ho Bae (8-4). He will join a star-studded cast of fighters scheduled for the card, including Alistair Overeem, Marius Zaromskis, Paulo Filho, Yoshiro Maeda, Murilo Rua and Kiyoshi Tamura.

Stay tuned to MMA mania for further information regarding the historic DREAM 12 fight card.

Dana White talks big MMA business on CNBCs ‘Power Lunch’ (Video)

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 12:47 PM PDT

DREAM announces hexagonal cage will be used during Oct. 25 event

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 12:24 PM PDT

happyhomeowner

First came the enigmatic teaser trailer. Then a new trailer gave a glimpse of the cage that DREAM has in store for the upcoming DREAM 12, scheduled for Oct. 25 at Osaka Castle Hall.

On Tuesday, Fighting and Entertainment Group held a press conference at the Reversal MMA gym in Tokyo to officially announce the implementation of a hexagonal cage at DREAM 12. DREAM event producer, Keiichi Sasahara, unveiled a blueprint for the cage. At the time of press conference, the cage is still under construction and the blueprint serves as just that — a mere approximation of the overall look of the final product.

Sasahara elaborated that a possibility remains that FEG may use different materials for its hexagonal cage than are typically used by other cage-based promotions. Also, while the blueprint shows the cage in white, the DREAM staff has been ruminating the optimal color for the cage in terms of spectator- and camera-friendliness: Some have objected that a black cage makes it difficult for the crowd to see the fight, while a white cage can potentially trigger glares off the camera, depending on the angle and brightness of the light.

In light of the newly formed alliance between DREAM and Strikeforce, DREAM staff has been seeking input from Strikeforce to design the cage. While DREAM 12 will see an adoption of the three five-minute rounds, no other rule changes are scheduled. Furthermore, DREAM plans to host just one caged fight card per year.

Sasahara cited the desire for “a change of scenery,” as the primary impetus behind the introduction of the cage. He also mentioned that, having announced the plan for a vigorous exchange of fighters between his organization and Strikeforce, caged fight cards will enable DREAM fighters to acclimate themselves to fighting in the cage.

Likewise, the use of the cage, instead of the standard ring, facilitates the interpromotional leap for fighters on Strikeforce’s roster as well. While maintaining FEG’s belief in the spectator-friendliness of the ring, Sasahara emphasized the potential benefits that the experimental attempt at caged fight cards will yield.

DREAM 12 will feature South Korean prospect, Myeon Ho Bae (8-4). He will join a star-studded cast of fighters scheduled for the card, including Alistair Overeem, Marius Zaromskis, Eddie Alvarez, Paulo Filho, Yoshiro Maeda, Murilo Rua and Kiyoshi Tamura.

Kimbo Slice training jits at ATT; willing to try light heavyweight

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 11:43 AM PDT

Props: MMA Fanhouse

Quoteworthy:

“I’m training at American Top Team. I’m a hard puncher trying to learn the ground game. You can do a lot, but you can’t master anything in two years. In mixed martial arts, the more you roll the more you learn. It’s something I’m working on. I’m a heavyweight, but if the promoters want me to come down, heck yeah I’d give it a try.”

Former YouTube sensation and Ultimate Fighter (TUF) attraction Kimbo Slice heads to American Top Team (ATT) after completing a tenth season on the Spike TV reality show opposite former IFL champion, Roy Nelson, UFC veteran Wes Sims and several former NFL players, among others. Will the artist formerly known as Kevin Ferguson prove Dana White (who predicted he would never win a TUF show back in Oct. 2008 when he first made the bold offer) and all the other doubters wrong — or is he too green to hang with the big boys? Don’t be surprised to see one last hurrah from Slice at the TUF 10 Finale — and maybe even more if he wins on Dec. 5. Are you ready for more Kimbo in 2010?

Butterbean vs Tank Abbott headline ‘Alabama Pride’ on Dec. 12

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 11:23 AM PDT

Featuring a real who’s-who of MMA stars…

For some reason when I see this poster, “pride” is the last thing that comes to mind…

MMA Quick Quote: Jay Hieron wants the Strikeforce belt — is Nick Diaz ready to step up?

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 10:12 AM PDT

“I really, really want my next fight to be for a title. I’ve worked my butt off and I feel I really deserve a title shot. That’s why I signed with Strikeforce to get a title shot. I could have went straight to the UFC. They were offering the same money, but at the end of the day, I wanted to pursue my dream of becoming a world champion and the quickest way to do that was Strikeforce. Like I said, I would like my next shot to be for the title; if not against Diaz, then against somebody else. I can’t wait for this guy nor can I control what he does. It is what it is man. I just want my title shot and what I signed with these guys for. I don’t want to keep fighting these non-title fights because that’s not what I came here for. I fought my last fight and I proved myself and now we have to sit at the table and see what’s going on. Hopefully Nick Diaz can get his shit together and we can get out there and mix it up. I think that’s a great fight, not just for me and him, but for the fans too.”

Former IFL standout Jay Hieron tells the gang over at FightHype.com that he’s ready for the Strikeforce welterweight title — which is the lone reason he signed with the San Jose-based promotion. Unfortunately his championship bout against Nick Diaz on August 15 was scrapped when Diaz failed to report for his mandatory pre-fight drug test the week before the “Carano vs. Cyborg” event and had to be replaced by Jesse Taylor. Hieron won a unanimous decision over “JT Money” and doesn’t want any more shenanigans from Diaz. Strikeforce is shooting for a late 2009 title fight — will Diaz step up, or step aside?

Tango and Cash: Chuck ‘Angry Man’ Liddell video raises his stock on week two of Dancing with the Stars (DWTS)

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 09:47 AM PDT

Herschel Walker: I can beat any TUF 10 heavyweight

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 09:23 AM PDT

Props: ESPN First Take

Quoteworthy:

“Who ever made [UFC President Dana White] the guy to measure athletic talent? I don’t think (he) knows anything about athletic talent. He knows about fighters, which is different, but I will say this: He’s running a show right now with heavyweights and I’ll put dimes to donuts, all the heavyweights on his show right now I will beat. That’s pretty easy to say. I always tell people put their money where their mouth is. Dana says I’m so old? Why doesn’t he step into the ring with me?”

Recent Strikeforce acquisition and former NFL great Herschel Walker reacts to criticism from UFC President Dana White regarding the NFL great making a transition to mixed martial arts when he debuts for the San Jose-based promotion in January 2010. Walker, a Taekwondo black belt, maintains his athleticism will propel him to great heights — and already puts him above any Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 heavyweight. Is the 47-year-old running back merely posturing? Or does Walker believe that all he needs is some decent chop-socky and a 40-yard dash to make it in the fight game? I guess we’ll find out early next year. Anyone want to take a stab in the comments section on who his first opponent will be?

MMA Quick Pic: Sneak peek at Series 1 of Round 5 ‘Ultimate Collector’ UFC action figures

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 06:15 AM PDT

Props: Round 5 MMA

Courtesy of Round 5 MMA