Babes of MMA
Friday, March 30, 2012
Babes of MMA: Elaina Maxwell and Jessamyn Duke Back in the Cage Tomorrow
Babes of MMA
"The Alliance" returns as Frank Shamrock is set to corner Maurice Smith at RFA 2
KEARNEY, Nebraska — Resurrection Fighting Alliance (RFA) announced last month that former UFC heavyweight champion Maurice "Mo" Smith would be returning the cage at age 50. He is now scheduled to face Jorge Cordoba on the main card of RFA 2 - Yvel vs. Alexander on Friday night in Kearney, Nebraska.
Now it has been confirmed that MMA's original super-team will also be reunited at RFA 2. Frank Shamrock will indeed be in attendance cornering his longtime friend and training partner Smith. While Smith is regarded as the first fighter from a striking background to win a UFC title, Shamrock is noted as being the first-ever champion for three of the sports biggest organizations: the UFC (light-heavyweight), WEC (light-heavyweight), and Strikeforce (middleweight).
In 1998, Shamrock and Smith along with Tsuyoshi Kohsaka formed what is now regarded as MMA's first super-team, which they called "The Alliance". The three MMA pioneers met during their early days in the sport, while fighting in Japan. Smith's kickboxing prowess, Shamrock's submission grappling acumen, and Kohsaka's TK guard were thus instilled upon each other, emphasizing the importance of cross-training in multiple disciplines, which is now the backbone training methodology within every major training camp in the sport today.
One of the most memorable moments in the history of "The Alliance" came on a late July evening in 1997, when Smith defeated the first-ever UFC heavyweight champion and future UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman in the epic main event of UFC 14. This fight was highlighted by the iconic image of Shamrock hanging over the side of the cage imploring Smith to dig deep after regulation time had ended. Smith's superior striking and conditioning would see him take over the two extra overtime periods to capture the UFC heavyweight title.
Now just a little over 14 years and 8 months after that historic night, Smith and Shamrock will reunite and look to recapture that magical chemistry, as Smith returns to the cage on Friday night. Smith's fight against Cordoba and the rest of the main card taking place at RFA 2 on Friday, March 30th will stream live online at www.Sherdog.com. The event will emanate from the 5,000-seat Viaero Event Center in Kearney, Nebraska.
Resurrection Fighting Alliance (RFA) was founded in 2011 and includes a number of prominent businessmen, fight promoters, matchmakers, and others with successful careers in hosting Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) shows across the United States. To learn more, check out their website at www.RFAfighting.com.
Gilbert Yvel Will Try to Avoid Brawling with Houston Alexander
Gilbert Yvel has a game plan for his bout Friday against Houston Alexander. Whether he will follow that plan, however, remains to be seen.
“The smartest thing to do is just keep my hands up and play my game and keep him at my distance and beat him up,” Yvel told the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Savage Dog Show.” “Because he’s a great fighter, [but] I’m just more advanced. I’m just better. But the fighter in me … the moment the bell rings, I always forget the game plan and I just want to punch him in the face.”
Yvel and Alexander headline Resurrection Fighting Alliance 2, which streams live on Sherdog.com at 9 p.m. ET. The UFC veterans will square off in a light heavyweight bout. After years of competing as a heavyweight, Yvel realized he could make the move to 205 pounds while training for a fight in Canada.
“At one point, I was training so hard, I was like 225,” he said. “Then I was talking to my trainers and I was like, ‘You know what? I might be able to get down to 205.’ … It looks like a pretty easy cut for me. Of course you think, ‘I want to stay around 205, around 220.’ I’m looking good. It’s a pool body, awesome, but of course you’ve got to wait before the next fight and you get one pizza and then another pizza and before you know it, I’m 240 again.”
Yvel is quick to laugh when it comes to his long career. He’s been fighting in MMA since 1997, and the sport still hasn’t lost its luster.
“I’ve been in the fight game now for 15 years, and of course I’m still having fun,” Yvel said. “… Training for the fight is not that fun. The minutes and the days before the fight are not fun, but the moment you’re in there and you take your first punch or you throw your first punch, it is all fun again.”
Alexander has also been in the game a while, but he hasn’t accrued anywhere near the experience that Yvel has. Still, Yvel respects his opponent and also looks forward to fighting him for less than obvious reasons.
“He’s a tough guy, a hard puncher, and a black guy,” Yvel said. “I think he’s like the third black person I’ll fight, so that’s going to be fun. It’s going to be a lot of fun. Let’s go ahead and see who’s the smartest and who’s the toughest.”
As for fighting smart, Yvel will try to stick to his strategy. He expects Alexander to try to counter it with aggression.
“The smartest thing for him to do is start brawling with me … but I will try to stay focused and just keep him at distance and pick him apart,” Yvel said. “This is the best way for me to fight, although a little boring for me. I just like to go in and just punch people in the face, just try to knock them out as fast as possible.”
Listen to the full interview (beginning at 1:02:55).
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Elaina Maxwell Calls Out Singer Chris Brown: “Since He Likes To Lay Hands On Women, Please Come Lay Hands On Me. I Will Kick The Shit Out Of Him.”
Maxwell, a 2003 gold medalist at the World Wushu (San Shou kickboxing) games in Macau, China and a student of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, touches on several topics, including Grammy Award-winning R&B singer and actor Chris Brown who, in 2009, pleaded guilty to felony assault of then-girlfriend and fellow singer Rihanna.
Elaina Maxwell Interview Pre-fight Interview - March 2012
WATCH ELAINA MAXWELL VS ASHLEY SANCHEZ ON SHERDOG.COM THIS FRIDAY, MARCH 30TH @ 8PM ET
Pre-fight interview with Elaina Maxwell about her upcoming 145lb fight against Ashley Sanchez at Resurrection Fighting Alliance 2 in Kerney, NB. Card also features Tara LaRosa vs Kelly Warren and an Ammy title fight between Jessamyn Duke vs Elizabeth Phillips.
Get Elaina's walk-out shirt at elainamaxwell.com!
Pre-fight interview with Elaina Maxwell about her upcoming 145lb fight against Ashley Sanchez at Resurrection Fighting Alliance 2 in Kerney, NB. Card also features Tara LaRosa vs Kelly Warren and an Ammy title fight between Jessamyn Duke vs Elizabeth Phillips.
Get Elaina's walk-out shirt at elainamaxwell.com!
Dakota Cochrane added to RFA2 card
Nebraskan coming off The Ultimate Fighter appearance
KEARNEY (Neb.) – One of the top young fighters in Nebraska and the Midwest has been added to the March 30 Resurrection Fighting Alliance card at Kearney's Viaero Event Center.
Ultimate Fighting Championship hopeful Dakota Cochrane will fight on the pro card at RFA2 against another top regional fighter in Cliff Wright of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Cochrane is 11-2 as a pro, while Wright is 5-2.
Earlier this month, Cochrane appeared on The Ultimate Fighter reality TV series, where he lost a one-round fight that would have landed him a spot in the final cast of 16 that is competing for a UFC contract.
A Fairbury native, Cochrane was a standout athlete on the University of Nebraska at Kearney track team and made his mixed martial arts debut in 2009. He has a notable win over World Extreme Cagefighting lightweight champion Jamie Varner and is considered one of the UFC lightweight division’s top young prospects.
In December, Cochrane lost to Ramico Blackmon in the co-main event at the inaugural RFA show in Kearney.
RFA 2 includes 14 pro bouts that begin at 7 p.m. on March 30. A card featuring five amateur fights begins at 5 p.m.
The main event is a light heavyweight fight between noted strikers Gilbert Yvel and Houston Alexander. Yvel (37-16-1) is a UFC, Pride and Affliction Entertainment veteran from Las Vegas, while Alexander (13-7-0) is an Omaha native who fought in the UFC from 2007-09.
USA TODAY: Women's MMA: Gaff advances in Cage Warriors tourney
Top prospect Sheila "The German Tank" Gaff needed just 10 seconds to earn a spot in the finals of the inaugural Cage Warriors 125-pound women's tournament.
Gaff knocked out Brazil's Jennifer Maia at Cage Warriors Fight Night 4 on March 16 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The tournament-semifinal bout was not without controversy, however, as some felt Gaff (10-4-1) had faked a glove touch before immediately punching Maia (5-2-1) in the jaw at the beginning of the fight.
Gaff, who is known for her aggressive style, immediately swarmed her opponent with punches and knees to the body. Maia attempted to defend with a Muay Thai clinch, but Gaff flattened her with a left-right combination over the top. An unconscious Maia was sent crashing to the mat, and the brief bout was quickly waved off.
Following the fight, fans and media alike questioned whether Gaff had intentionally baited her opponent with a fake glove touch at the beginning of the fight. In an interview with GroundandPound.de this past week, Gaff maintained that she had not intended to use any unfair or unsportsmanlike tactics and had merely wanted to start the fight right away. She said she even considered backing out of the tournament as a result of the backlash, but she will proceed on to the finals later this year.
The second Cage Warriors tourey semifinal, which pits Rosi "The Surgeon" Sexton (12-2) against Aisling "Ais The Bash" Daly (13-2), was originally set to take place in May. It now likely will be contested on June 2 when Cage Warriors travels to Daly's hometown of Dublin.
Gaff spent much of her career competing between 135 and 145 pounds before making the drop to 125 in February 2011. She has knocked out each of her three opponents since then in a combined time of just two minutes. The German striker will face the Sexton-Daly winner in the Cage Warriors tournament final to determine the promotion's first 125-pound women's champion.
LaRosa returns after one-year hiatus, faces Warren at RFA 2
Veteran pound-for-pound standout Tara LaRosa (20-2) will step back into the cage for the first time in more than a year at Resurrection Fighting Alliance 2 on March 30 in Kearney, Neb. LaRosa faces Kelly Warren (3-2) in one of three women's bouts on the card.
LaRosa has not fought since a second-round submission victory over Strikeforce and BodogFight veteran Carina "Beauty But The Beast" Damm at Shark Fights 14. She has lost just once in close to nine years and has battled many of the sport's best female fighters at 125 and 135 pounds during her storied career.
Warren enters the bout with LaRosa on relatively short notice and as a significant underdog. She opened her pro career with three straight wins, but she since has suffered back-to-back defeats in fights under the banner of North American Allied Fight Series.
LaRosa originally was in talks to face Angela Magana (10-4) at the Resurrection show, but Magana was forced out of the fight due to injuries from a car accident.
Also on the Resurrection card, Elaina "Beef" Maxwell (6-4) takes on Ashley "Loca" Sanchez (4-2). Both women fought and won twice in 2011. Maxwell holds notable victories over past and present Strikeforce competitors Shana "Rock Solid" Nelson and Alexis Davis. Sanchez scored her biggest win this past April when she upset Erin "Steel" Toughill at Freestyle Cage Fighting 46.
Resurrection's event also features an amateur women's title bout between Jessamyn "The Gun" Duke (4-2 amateur) and SikJitsu representative Elizabeth Phillips (2-0 amateur). Duke looks to capture her third amateur title in what is expected to be her final bout before turning pro. Phillips has won both of her fights since her July debut and picked up a decision win in February.
Katja Kankaanpaa victorious in Botnia Punishment 11 main event
Unbeaten Finnish prospect Katja Kankaanpaa (6-0) earned a big victory on March 23 in Seinajoki, Finland. Kankaanpaa defeated final Valkyrie featherweight champion "V.V" Mei Yamaguchi (9-4-1) by unanimous decision in the Botnia Punishment 11 headliner.
Kankaanpaa countered an early clinch from Yamaguchi by throwing her to the mat, and she trapped the Japanese challenger in a guillotine choke as the fighters stood. Kankaanpaa took down Yamaguchi again, but Yamaguchi framed up a triangle choke from the bottom and landed punches as Kankaanpaa tried unsuccessfully to slam her way free.
Kankaanpaa scored a takedown in the opening minute of round two and battered Yamaguchi with a series of elbows from the top. Yamaguchi managed to fight her way back to full guard, but not before eating more punches and elbows from the hometown favorite. The fighters stood, and Kankaanpaa held an edge in the striking exchanges as the round ended.
With the bout seemingly up for grabs heading into round three, both women landed punching combinations right away. Yamaguchi took down Kankaanpaa very briefly in the corner, but Kankaanpaa reversed and escaped from a triangle-choke attempt. Back on the feet, Yamaguchi punched her way into a clinch. Kankaanpaa slammed her to the mat and closed out the fight with a series of hammerfists that sealed her victory on all three judges' scorecards.
'Crushen Russian' to make Bellator debut this Friday
American Top Team's Marianna "The Crushen Russian" Kheyfets (5-0) makes her Bellator Fighting Championships debut this Friday at Bellator 63 in Uncasville, Conn. Kheyfets faces off against fellow Bellator newcomer Munah Holland (3-1) on the preliminary card, which will stream on Spike TV's website.
Kheyfets, a Connecticut native, has spent the majority of her pro career fighting in the Florida-based Xtreme Fighting Championships promotion. She most recently stopped Heather "Hurricane" Clark via first-round doctor stoppage at XFC 16 in February. Her Bellator opponent, Holland, is a former Golden Gloves boxing champion who has become a mainstay in the Ring of Combat organization. Holland was also victorious this past month, and she has won two straight since her lone professional setback.
Amateur fighters shine at "Midwest Combat Challenge 19"
Ohio-based NAAFS showcased five amateur women's bouts on Saturday night at NAAFS: Midwest Combat Challenge 19 in Akron. On the main card, Ricardo Almeida understudy Rachel "The Black Widow" Sazoff overcame a size disadvantage to defeat NAAFS mainstay "Rowdy" Ronda Gale via unanimous decision. Scores were 30-27 twice and 29-28 for Sazoff, who controlled much of the bout on the ground.
Other NAAFS results:
•Rebecca "Trainwrecka" Gruitza def. Ashley Delk via submission (straight armbar) - Round 2, 2:21
•Ashley "Smashley" Hawkins def. Angie "Domino" Reinhardt via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
•Ashley "The Bully" Rickard def. Trisha "The Phoenix" Barr via submission (armbar) - Round 3, 0:31
•Rebecca Heintzman def. Roya Darvishian via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
Tuff-N-Uff books five women's bouts for April 7 card
More of MMA's top amateur female fighters will be in action on April 7 at Tuff-N-Uff: The Fist-ival in Las Vegas. Twins Jillian "Justice" Lybarger and Jocelyn "Lights Out" Lybarger both will compete on the card before turning pro later this year. Jillian looks to avenge her twin sister's most recent loss when she defends her 115-pound Tuff-N-Uff title against unbeaten Stephanie "The Shark" Gonzalez. Jocelyn battles Xtreme Couture's Ashley Yoder at 125 pounds.
In other scheduled women's bouts, Jordan McDonald faces Paulina Granados, Bridgette "Black Wolf" Batch takes on Ashlee Evans-Smith, and Jamie "The Hurt" Herod meets Christine Ferea.
Quick results
Lina "Lynx" Eklund (2-1) defeated Fran Vanderstukken (0-1) by unanimous decision at Staredown 6: Octagon Edition on March 17 in Deurne, Belgium. Eklund got back on track with the victory after suffering a one-sided defeat to a much larger Shana Nelson in February.
Jasminka Cive (5-0) defeated Eva Henesova (0-1) by technical knockout with punches at the 2:10 mark of round three at Max Fighting Championships 5 on March 17 in Vaduz, Liechtenstein. All five of Cive's pro wins have come inside the distance, and she has knocked out each of her past four opponents.
Hannah Stephens (2-0) defeated Chloe Hinchliffe (0-1) by majority decision at Kore MMA: Cage Fighting Championships on March 24 in Austell, England. Stephens earned her second win as a pro after a successful debut in October. Hinchliffe suffered her first official defeat after a controversial loss in February was overturned to a no-contest.
Upcoming fights
Stephanie "Snowflake" Eggink (1-0) faces Kaline Medeiros (0-2) at Extreme Beatdown: Beatdown at 4 Bears 10 on March 31 in New Town, N.D. Eggink returns to action for the first time since a quick submission victory in June. Medeiros fought twice in 2011 and remains in search of her first pro win.
Singapore's first female mixed martial artist, Nicole Chua (0-0), makes her pro debut against India's Jeet Toshi (1-0) at One Fighting Championships 3 on March 31 in Singapore. Both fighters bring strong backgrounds in kickboxing into the bout, which streams live on YouTube. Toshi won her MMA debut this past month.
Milana Dudieva (7-1) faces Danielle "The Curse" West (4-2-1) at ProFC 40 on April 1 in Volgograd, Russia. Dudieva has won seven straight fights since dropping her pro debut, but she has not fought since August due to a series of bout cancellations. West has tasted defeat only once in her past five fights and picked up a technical knockout win in February.
Naoko Omuro (12-8-4) faces "Happy" Fukuko Hamada (7-6-1) in a rematch at Pancrase Progress Tour 4 on April 1 in Tokyo. Omuro submitted Hamada when the fighters faced off in 2007. The first fight marks the only time that Hamada has ever been finished in her career.
On the same Pancrase card, pro wrestler Kyoko Kimura (1-0-1) returns to the promotion to face South Korean kickboxer Sung Eun Kim (0-0).
MMAjunkie.com publishes the Women's MMA Report every other Monday. Its author, Robert Sargent, is a veteran MMA journalist who also runs MMARising.com.
A Wrestler's Pride: Ben Fowlkes: Why Daniel Cormier Can't Allow Josh Barnett to Score Even One Takedown
Photo by
Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
Not that he had any illusions of completely out-wrestling the former U.S. Olympic team captain, Barnett explained later. But if he could nab just one takedown, that would be enough to earn Cormier a lifetime’s worth of mockery from fellow wrestlers like "King" Mo Lawal, which would in turn bring a smile to the "Baby-Faced Assassin’s" face.
Cormier, however, wasn’t laughing. That’s because Cormier doesn’t joke like that. Not about wrestling. Not about the prospect of getting taken down by a guy who didn’t even wrestle in college. As the undefeated heavyweight told MMA Fighting recently, there’s more at stake here than just his reputation among his training partners -- something he found out for himself when he was giving wrestling pointers to a college team recently, and the guys there giggled at the mere thought of Barnett taking him down.
"Right now I can still go into any wrestling room in the country and people will listen to what I say," Cormier said. "If Barnett takes me down, I won’t be able to do that. They won't look at me the same way. This is serious, man."
Maybe you have to be a wrestler to understand it. Maybe you have to know what it feels like to be able to stroll into some college team's wrestling practice and be instantly respected and revered. Not only was Cormier a two-time Olympian in the sport, he's the man responsible for revamping the American Kickboxing Academy's wrestling program. He's the one telling some of MMA's best wrestlers what to do. How would it look if he got put on his back by a catch wrestler? How could he ever live it down if he surrendered a double-leg to some guy who splits his time between MMA and Japanese pro wrestling? You better believe it's serious.
Of course, you could argue that it’s serious for more reasons than just wrestling room credibility. It is, after all, the Grand Prix final. Cormier began as an inexperienced reserve in Strikeforce’s ambitious heavyweight tournament, but after knocking out Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva he now finds himself one victory away from winning it all.
Then again, if the fate of the tournament’s other fighters is any indication, losing might not be such a bad career move. One by one, almost all the Grand Prix heavyweights have made the move over to the UFC, and found great success there. The winner of the fight between Cormier and Barnett will stick around in Strikeforce for at least one more post-Grand Prix bout, according to Zuffa officials, though the idea of delaying his move to the Octagon doesn’t bother Cormier, he said.
"To me, it’s not a negative thing to be in Strikeforce. You have to remember, this is where I started. This is all I know. To be the best heavyweight in this organization, that would be a privilege to me. I just want to fight good guys, and obviously the guys in Strikeforce must be good guys because the ones who have gone over to the UFC are winning their fights. Obviously we’ve been fighting high-level competition."
At the same time, you’d have a hard time finding a fighter on the Strikeforce roster who wouldn’t like a chance to test his skills in the UFC, and Cormier is no different. At 33 years old, he came to MMA relatively late in life. He’s got to make his years in the sport count, and there’s no denying that the UFC is the biggest stage in MMA.
"I do think that at some point in your career, it’s important to experience the show. And the UFC is the show," Cormier said. "It’s the biggest event, the brightest lights, the best there is. But right now I’ve got time. I’ve got to get through this fight with Josh, and then the one afterwards. This is a big fight, regardless of whether it’s in Strikeforce or anywhere else."
For Cormier, the months since his win over Silva in the semifinals have been all about recovery. He broke his right hand early on in that fight and was only recently cleared to start using it in sparring again. That meant he got plenty of chances to work on using his left, which in turn translated to a lot of beatings in the practice room, he said. Now he’s back to full strength, and spending most of his days going head-to-head against former UFC heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez, who has a fight of his own to prepare for at UFC 146, just one week after Cormier takes on Barnett.
Sparring with Velasquez might improve his conditioning, Cormier admitted, but there are days when it "just plain sucks," he said. Maybe it’s also good for him to get used to punching a friend in the head with his newly repaired right hand. That’s what he’ll have to do on May 19, when he takes on an opponent who he likes as a person, but who he knows is intent on ruining his rep in wrestling rooms all across the country.
"I’ve got a job," said Cormier. "For Josh, I don’t think us being friendly is going the change the way he fights in the cage. It sure won’t change the way I fight in the cage. I’ve got a job to do and a family to support, so I’m going to go out there and give it everything and let the chips fall where they may."
Morning Report: Ronda Rousey Upstages Cyborg Santos, Fights Three Japanese Men
Forza LLC via
Getty Images
Ronda Rousey is unquestionably the queen bee of women's mixed martial arts right now. Her next test will likely be Sarah Kaufman -- a relentless Canadian who poses her own problems -- but for the sake of argument, let's say "Rowdy" does what she does and finishes Kaufman in the first round via armbar, and then offs one more opponent in the same fashion. Around that time, the exiled former queen bee, Cris "Cyborg" Santos, would likely be priming for her return, and she has already made it very clear she intends to cut down to 135 pounds and smash Rousey's face in. Santos, of course, has violently ruled the WMMA throne since 2009, though now that reign is plagued with doubt because of her positive steroid test.
Given the dearth of depth in the women's divisions, it isn't that crazy to think "Cyborg" would be immediately thrown into a promoter's dream title fight against Rousey. So what do you think, readers? Would "Cyborg" return with a vengeance and crush the champ? Or would the rowdy one run through a PED-less Santos? Let us know in the comments below.
5 MUST-READ STORIES
The MMA Hour. Ariel Helwani and The MMA Hour return with another two-plus hour show that features Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney in studio, as well as interviews with Phil Davis, Miguel Torres, Rory MacDonald, Eddie Alvarez and Tom "Kong" Watson.
Cesar Gracie not going to let Nick Diaz quit MMA. The person closest to Nick Diaz, his brother Nate, believes his abrupt retirement is for real. Diaz's trainer Cesar Gracie, however, isn't about to watch that happen.
Silva-Sonnen II confirmed for UFC 147. MMA's biggest rematch is finally on the books for UFC 147, as Chael Sonnen will take on Anderson Silva at the 47,000-seat Estádio Olímpico João Havelange in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on June 23, 2012.
The Ultimate Fighter 15 ratings. The third episode of TUF: Live aired last Friday night and averaged 1.2 million viewers on FX.
Top trainer Freddie Roach lists top five boxers in MMA. Legendary boxing trainer Freddie Roach broke down his list of the top five boxers in mixed martial arts.
MEDIA STEW
Check out the sequel to yesterday's Battle of the Sexes between Cyborg Santos and a Japanese man. This time the champ herself, Ronda Rousey, ups the ante by taking on three Japanese men in a clip from the same bizarre game show. (Big thanks to @pegson for the tip.)
Has there ever been a UFC commercial that prominently featuring an English-speaking Anderson Silva? Maybe that's why this UFC on FOX promo seems a tad weird. (HT: MMA Mania)
Speaking of Anderson Silva, his old buddy Mr. Chael P. Sonnen had some choice words after the champ said Sonnen should stop talking and start training. (HT: Middle Easy)
Mark Matheny is known as one of the better refs in MMA, so you'd figure he has reasonably good judgment. But after watching what he does in his spare time, that dream has been thoroughly crushed.
Bloody Elbow's Anton Tabuena brought this to our attention and it felt criminal not to share. Fresh from a loss to Johny Hendricks, Jon Fitch set out on a beard conquest of sizable proportions. Several weeks later he showed off the progress via Twitter, and it was impressive:
But springtime is coming, so earlier this week Fitch stepped up his facial hair game dramatically, shaving down the all-arounder into a legendary 'stache that would make Sam Elliot proud. Well done, sir. Well done.
HUSTLIN' UP NORTH
How I make extra money in Montreal. #hustle twitpic.com/919cf4
EVERYDAY PROBLEMS OF PAT BARRY (NSFW)
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Announced yesterday (Monday, March 26, 2012):
- UFC 147: Anderson Silva (31-4) vs. Chael Sonnen (27-11-1) confirmed for June 23, 2012 at Estádio Olímpico João Havelange in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- UFC 147: Wanderlei Silva (34-11-1) vs. Vitor Belfort (21-9)
- UFC 149: Bryan Caraway (16-5) vs. Mitch Gagnon (8-1)
FANPOST OF THE DAY
Today's Fanpost of the Day is compilation of Don Frye magic from MMA Mania's (shonuff): Don Frye 2012: Predator for President?
Recently there's been a lot of talk by the MMA media christening Chael Sonnen as the best talker in MMA history. But have they lost their historical perspective? Perhaps they have forgotten the hilarious off-the-cuff rants of former UFC Heavyweight Champ and perennial patriotic tough guy, Don "The Predator" Frye, possessor of not only the craziest fight in MMA History (vs Takayama) but also the most outrageous comments.
...
Personally, I think he should throw his hat into the Republican Primary race. Not only would he add spice to the campaign trail, we'd finally have a candidate in this race who says what he really thinks (and then some). Here are a few gems that would make wonderful soundbites on CNN.
On improvising new techniques in MMA:
"I been studying Buddhism. I'm learnin' to levitate. I'm gonna levitate off the ground about a foot so he can't get that kneebar on me. So when he goes down to the ground, I'll be up here. Then I'll swing round and kick him in the head. Can't miss that head. Thing's gotta be about that big, like a 5-gallon bucket, a 5-gallon bucket full of buttholes. Yeck!"
On fighting top competition:
"You gotta excuse me, my stomach's upset. I had the Tim Sylvia breakfast special, ham & eggs and a can of tomatoes."
Jeff Cain: Sarah Kaufman Lays Out a Plan to Build Women’s MMA in Strikeforce
Sarah Kaufman
Kaufman faces newly crowned champion Ronda Rousey later this year in an effort to reclaim the belt. She laid out a blueprint to MMAWeekly.com on how to best promote female mixed martial artists.
Kaufman earned her title shot by defeating Alexis Davis in a hard-fought majority decision at Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey on March, 3.
The fight card was headlined by two women and featured a No. 1 contenders’ bout on the undercard. That fight was between Kaufman and Davis. The fight was a display of all facets of mixed martial arts. Kaufman feels that weekend in Columbus, Ohio, was huge for women’s fighting.
“It was a really positive step forward. I think the fact that the fight with Alexis and I was so exciting really cemented the fact that there are more than just one or two females in the sport,” Kuafman told MMAWeekly.com.
“And I hope to see Strikeforce bringing in more and more females and getting a division really running kind of smooth and having contenders all the time,” added the former champion.
Kaufman is worried about having a viable contender following the bout with Rousey, should she win. In a division that’s shallow with contenders, Kaufman would like to see Strikeforce showcase more female fights on the main cards to build the women to the public.
“From that point on, I want to have another fight set up right way. You don’t just want to have super fights. You want to have super fights because the division is awesome,” she said.
Kaufman doesn’t see many contenders after her bout with Rousey.
“It would be great if we could fight in May. The only problem with that is there aren’t any fighters coming up to challenge after that point,” stated Kaufman.
“I think what would be perfect is to have on the next card, which I think is in May, have another contender-type fight or another fight or two for the females to see some more of the ladies in the 135-pound division and really get the division going.
“On the next fight card, have me and Ronda fight. Have another female fight on that card, and again, that sets up the next title fight. So you’re having this continual stream of female fights that the fans can get behind,” she continued.
“That’s the reason Strikeforce is different. They have the females, so let’s get this going. Let’s get this division really rolling and have people interested in so many more fighters than just myself and Ronda and Miesha, and not Alexis.”
For more UFC News and UFC Rumors, follow MMAWeekly.com on Twitter and Facebook.
Damon Martin: Patrick Cote Tells Ex-UFC Fighters to Stop Begging
“Dear Tim Sylvia, shut the hell up, win fights and stop begging, it’s (expletive) annoying!”
~ Patrick Cote via Twitter.
Patrick Cote wants to get back to the UFC, and he’s made no bones about that in past interviews, but there’s one thing he wants to make clear: he’s not going to beg for the UFC to take him back via Twitter, Facebook, or any other social network.
Since exiting the UFC in 2010, Cote has picked up three wins in a row. This weekend in Brazil he’ll go for No. 4 against Gustavo Machado, and if that’s not enough for Joe Silva to call him up, then he’ll go on and win another fight, and then another, and then yet another, if that’s what it takes.
“I don’t have a lot of control about the decision who is going to put me back in the UFC. My only power I have is be in shape and win fights and that’s what I’m doing. Three wins in a row, and I’m going for a fourth one. The UFC asked us to go to somebody better than my last two opponents, and with a winning record, so that’s exactly what we’re doing,” Cote explained when speaking to MMAWeekly Radio.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia recently took to Twitter to try and get the UFC’s attention, and get a call back to the big show. Cote’s anger at the tactic erupted via his own Twitter account, but he promises it wasn’t necessarily targeted at Sylvia.
Cote was targeting any former UFC fighter that was going the social networking route as opposed to fighting to get back to the Octagon.
“Maybe that was a little bit out of control because that wasn’t a personal attack to Tim Sylvia, but that was just begging to have a chance to go back to the UFC, for me, it’s just a shame. You can’t beg the big organizations like that,” said Cote.
“You’ve been a champion in this organization; you know how things work. You’re not going to go anywhere by begging like that. I was just annoyed about begging, a lot of the begging, and I said loud what a lot of people was thinking. I have nothing against Sylvia. He’s been a great champion. He did a lot in the sport. He did a lot in the UFC. I hope he’s going to be back in the UFC. That’s not the point. The point was just about the begging thing.”
The way back to the UFC is to win fights and impress the likes of UFC matchmaker Joe Silva, who is the man offering the contracts and bout agreements for anybody coming into the promotion. It’s also interesting to note that Silva is not on Twitter or Facebook.
That’s what Cote wants to get across to Tim Sylvia or any other fighter trying to return to the UFC. Fight your way back, that’s it, and that’s all.
“The only thing you have to do is shut your mouth, win fights, and prove you deserve to be back in the big show by winning fights and by your performance,” Cote stated.
“It’s the only way to get back. You have to prove yourself again to deserve the chance to get back in the big show; that’s what I’m doing.”
Cote will try to do that very thing this weekend as he travels to Brazil to face Gustavo Machado for his fourth win in a row. Will the UFC come calling if he’s victorious?
There’s no telling, but count Patrick Cote as one of the fighters who won’t be begging the UFC for another shot if he does.
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For more UFC News and UFC Rumors, follow MMAWeekly.com on Twitter and Facebook.
Jordan Newmark: Brimage Bringing The Intensity to Atlanta Next Month
"Any time you see Marcus Brimage fight,
you are going to see a high-intensity fight and, hopefully, it will end with a
knockout." - Marcus Brimage
UFC featherweight Marcus Brimage
Blame Dragon Ball
Z.For the UFC Featherweights who will soon find themselves on the bad end of a continuous barrage of punches, kicks, and knees from Marcus “The Bama Beast” Brimage, please address all complaint letters to The Cartoon Network and show creator Akira Toriyama. Some credit should go to UFC light heavyweight Quinton “Rampage” Jackson for also inspiring him to start fighting and his first MMA coach, Chris Connelly, for teaching him how to fight. But still to this day, Brimage is picturing Piccolo tearing into Android 17 when he is throwing body blows inside the Octagon, which does little to comfort the opponents receiving them.
“Dragon Ball Z taught me to have a non-stop pace,” affirms Brimage. “When they fight, it's non-stop. It's constantly moving and consistently entertaining. I don't want to have a dull moment in my fights. I don't want to have a fight where people get up and go get their damn popcorn when I fight. I want people to sit down and be ready to be entertained when I fight. There are a couple of guys out there that you know they're going to win, but it's going to be boring. I don't want you to run to the concession stand when I fight. I want everybody to stop and look at me when I fight and then go back to what they're doing when I'm done. That's my time.”
The 26-year old came to prominence last year over the course of three televised bouts inside a UFC cage. It all started with a second round TKO over Bryson Wailehua-Hansen, which gained Brimage entry into The Ultimate Fighter 14 house and, eventually, onto Team Bisping. The next was a disappointing second round sub loss to WEC veteran Bryan Caraway in the first fight of the show. Lastly, Brimage won when it mattered most in his UFC debut against castmate Stephen Bass at the TUF 14 Finale in December.
“It was my UFC debut, so my nerves were a little on edge,” reveals Brimage. “When I was on The Ultimate Fighter, I didn't get the chance to perform like I wanted to, so this was another opportunity to perform the way I should have performed. I didn't know about Stephen Bass' hands that much. I knew that he was an excellent jiu-jitsu practitioner. His wrestling takedowns weren't so good, but I was so surprised to hear that he was a Golden Gloves champion. I was like, 'Oh, it's going to be one of those fights.' I had my old coach Chris Connelly from Alabama in my corner as well as my brother and my strength and conditioning coach Tommy Elliot. It felt like home because I had them all behind me. Having them and their positivity around me helped my nerves before that fight.”
The battle with Bass was a whirlwind of fists, feet, and flying knees until the final bell, mostly highlighted by Brimage’s dynamic striking and Bass’ granite chin. “The whole gameplan was to stay in his face, hit him, work the body, work his head, and he just would not go down - he was like 'Rocky',” says Brimage, who earned a hard fought unanimous decision to improve his overall record to 4-1. “Also, I wanted to avoid his takedowns, so every time he pressed me I was ripping and moving. After that first round, I knew it wasn’t going to be one of those quick knockouts, collect your check, and go party. It's going to be one of those where I'm going to have to earn this one.”
At points, the action was almost anime-like, with the muscular Brimage tattooing Bass with a knee to Bass’ response of gritting his teeth and readying for another. “Actually, after that fight, I was thinking I'm not hitting hard enough,” tells Brimage, who looked to be hitting plenty hard, but nevertheless sought out a hyperbolic time chamber to reach that next level of power punching. “I found a boxing coach down here in South Florida at a gym called Riskus Boxing Club and I'm hitting about 35% harder. The next person I'm fighting against, Maximo Blanco, I hope his chin isn't as strong as Stephen Bass', but it doesn't matter because I'm now hitting harder than my last fight. Somebody's about to go to sleep.”
Brimage’s next 145-pound challenge will be on April 21st at UFC 145 in Atlanta, Georgia against Maximo Blanco. The well-traveled Venezuelan striker will be making his UFC debut in what should be a fan-friendly, frenzied, fist-fracas. At 8-3-1, 1 NC, Blanco was enjoying a six fight win streak running through competition in Japan until suffering a second round submission loss to Pat Healy in Strikeforce last September. Blanco should be a great test for Brimage, as he loves to trade, with seven of his eight wins coming by knockout. Plus, he’s never been knocked out.
“The way I was always brought up to fight, you fight anybody that they put in front of you - there’s no draft dodging here,” asserts the nine year member of the US Air National Guard. “After I said yes, I researched him and I was like, 'Wow, this dude is kind of a badass.' After watching his highlight reels, his Sengoku campaign, his fight with Pat Healy in Strikeforce, I was able to get me a game plan and I'm going to use that game plan when I fight. Maximo Blanco is a bad boy. Don't get that twisted. It is going to be a nice little fight. It's also the first fight. My fight is going to start off everything. I'm already saying that this fight is going to be 'Fight/Knockout of the Night'.”
Brimage has been busy training with his plethora of coaches from American Top Team in Florida, Chris Connelly from Spartan Fitness in Alabama, his strength & conditioning coach Tommy Elliott, and he has also been focusing on turning a weakness of his into a strength.
“I've been making sure that my wrestling defense is off the chain,” says Brimage, who has been getting a lot of ground game advice from a UFC vet because he believes Blanco and future opponents will shoot for a takedown after eating a few of his revamped punches. “Charles McCarthy has taken me under his wing and has been making sure my jiu-jitsu has gotten a lot better. It's pretty cool because I never thought I could be a jiu-jitsu guy, but now I've got a gi and I’m working hard on that.”
In 2011, Brimage made it into the TUF house, debuted with a win the UFC, and met his cagefighting hero “Rampage”, but there is something that eluded him last year, which he hopes to rectify in this one. “My second UFC pro fight and no sponsors yet,” remarks Brimage, who is specifically looking at the US military considering he’s enlisted, his brother is a graduate of the Naval Academy and being cross-trained to the Army, and his dad has been in the Army for almost three decades. “I saw the Air Force Reserve on Ryan Bader's butt when he was fighting Quinton Jackson. Who has been in the Air National Guard for nine years? This guy right here. Throw some of that sponsorship money this way.”
On April 21st at the Philips Arena in the ATL for UFC 145, “The Bama Beast” will be revved up on Senzu beans and looking to unload a kamehameha on Blanco.
“Any time you see Marcus Brimage fight, you are going to see a high-intensity fight and, hopefully, it will end with a knockout,” states Brimage, who is hitting harder and has more confidence in ground game that ever before, which should enable him to really lay into his strikes. If he KOs Blanco then he might go Super Saiyan from sheer excitement over the win and seeing a bonus check with his name on it.
UFC 146 Brings Heavy Hitters to Press Conference Tuesday
UFC® BRINGS OUT THE HEAVY HITTERS THIS
MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND IN LAS VEGAS
UFC HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT - CHAMPION JUNIOR DOS SANTOS vs. ALISTAIR OVEREEM
NUMBER ONE CONTENDER BOUT - CAIN VELASQUEZ vs. FRANK MIR
PLUS:
ROY NELSON vs. ANTONIO SILVA
GABRIEL GONZAGA vs. SHANE DEL ROSARIO
STEFAN STRUVE vs. MARK HUNT
UFC® 146: DOS SANTOS vs. OVEREEM
SATURDAY, MAY 26
MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA – LAS VEGAS
PRESS CONFERENCE AT MGM HOTEL LOBBY ON TUESDAY, MARCH 27 AT 11 A.M. PT
TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY, MARCH 30 – 10 A.M. PT, PRESALE STARTS MARCH 28
UFC HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT - CHAMPION JUNIOR DOS SANTOS vs. ALISTAIR OVEREEM
NUMBER ONE CONTENDER BOUT - CAIN VELASQUEZ vs. FRANK MIR
PLUS:
ROY NELSON vs. ANTONIO SILVA
GABRIEL GONZAGA vs. SHANE DEL ROSARIO
STEFAN STRUVE vs. MARK HUNT
UFC® 146: DOS SANTOS vs. OVEREEM
SATURDAY, MAY 26
MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA – LAS VEGAS
PRESS CONFERENCE AT MGM HOTEL LOBBY ON TUESDAY, MARCH 27 AT 11 A.M. PT
TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY, MARCH 30 – 10 A.M. PT, PRESALE STARTS MARCH 28
Las Vegas, Nevada – The
BIGGEST collection of heavyweight title contenders will be on display this
Memorial Day weekend as the Ultimate Fighting Championship® presents UFC® 146: DOS SANTOS
vs. OVEREEM from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, May
26.
In the night’s main event, newly-crowned UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos defends his title against menacing finisher Alistair Overeem, while in the co-main event, former heavyweight champions Cain Velasquez and Frank Mir collide to determine the division’s number one contender.
Three other
gigantic heavyweight fights round out the main card, including: Roy “Big
Country” Nelson vs. Antonio “Big Foot” Silva; Gabriel Gonzaga vs. the unbeaten
Shane Del Rosario; Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve vs. Mark “The Super Samoan” Hunt.
In total, the main card of UFC 146 includes over 2,000 pounds of the best
heavyweights in the world.
A press conference is planned for Tuesday, March 27 at 11 a.m. PT from the MGM Hotel Lobby in Las Vegas. The event is FREE and open to the public. Dos Santos, Overeem, Velasquez, Mir, Nelson and Silva will join UFC President Dana White at the presser.
“Our Memorial Day weekend events in Las Vegas are always big, but Junior dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem is one of the most exciting heavyweight fights ever!” UFC President Dana White said. “The all-heavyweight main card features five guys ranked in the top 10. This is the most heavyweights on a UFC card in history. You don’t want to miss this!”
Tickets for UFC® 146: DOS SANTOS vs. OVEREEM, presented by BUD LIGHT®, go on sale Friday, March 30 at 10 a.m. PT and are priced at $800, $600, $400, $250, $125 and $75. Tickets are available at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are subject to convenience and service fees.
UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, March 28 at noon PT via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. Non-members may join at checkout at Ticketmaster. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, March 29, starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC in the "Join Newsletter" field at the top of this page.
Official UFC VIP packages are also available at http://vip.ufc.com. These packages include tickets to UFC 146, official event merchandise, as well as special VIP experiences with backstage tours and meet and greets with top UFC stars. Get closer to the action than ever before with this unique UFC VIP opportunity.
UFC® 146: DOS SANTOS vs. OVEREEM will be available live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN, and in Canada on BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.99 US/$49.99 CAN for Standard Definition and $54.99 US/$59.99 CAN for High Definition.
While the UFC 146 main card is loaded with roughly one ton of knockout artists and submission aces, no fight has drawn as much attention as the title tilt between the champion, dos Santos, and challenger, Overeem. Fresh off knocking out Velasquez in November to capture the title, the 28-year-old “Cigano” would love nothing more than to end the reign of terror sparked by “The Reem.” Simply put, dos Santos isn’t envisioning his run as champion being short-lived.
“My dream was to become the champion,” dos Santos said. “The minute Dana strapped that belt around my waist, my dream got bigger. I'm not here to be a one or two-defense champion; I'm here to stay. On May 26, there's going to be a heavyweight striking war and someone is getting knocked out.”
A devastating striker who has held world titles in organizations such as STRIKEFORCE® and DREAM, the 31-year-old Overeem (36-11) has not lost a fight in nearly five years. Owner of wins over the likes of Brock Lesnar, Fabricio Werdum, Mark Hunt and Vitor Belfort, the kickboxing star believes he has the champion’s style dissected and diffused.
“The most important objective in my life right now is to not only become the UFC heavyweight champion, but to go on and reign as champion for years,” Overeem said. “I want to be remembered as the greatest heavyweight in the history of the sport.
“Dos Santos is a very good boxer,” he continued. “I think he is the best boxer in the division and he poses some very interesting problems. But I already know how I will beat him. I will become the new UFC heavyweight champion of the world at UFC 146.”
In the night’s main event, newly-crowned UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos defends his title against menacing finisher Alistair Overeem, while in the co-main event, former heavyweight champions Cain Velasquez and Frank Mir collide to determine the division’s number one contender.
A press conference is planned for Tuesday, March 27 at 11 a.m. PT from the MGM Hotel Lobby in Las Vegas. The event is FREE and open to the public. Dos Santos, Overeem, Velasquez, Mir, Nelson and Silva will join UFC President Dana White at the presser.
“Our Memorial Day weekend events in Las Vegas are always big, but Junior dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem is one of the most exciting heavyweight fights ever!” UFC President Dana White said. “The all-heavyweight main card features five guys ranked in the top 10. This is the most heavyweights on a UFC card in history. You don’t want to miss this!”
Tickets for UFC® 146: DOS SANTOS vs. OVEREEM, presented by BUD LIGHT®, go on sale Friday, March 30 at 10 a.m. PT and are priced at $800, $600, $400, $250, $125 and $75. Tickets are available at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are subject to convenience and service fees.
UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, March 28 at noon PT via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. Non-members may join at checkout at Ticketmaster. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, March 29, starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC in the "Join Newsletter" field at the top of this page.
Official UFC VIP packages are also available at http://vip.ufc.com. These packages include tickets to UFC 146, official event merchandise, as well as special VIP experiences with backstage tours and meet and greets with top UFC stars. Get closer to the action than ever before with this unique UFC VIP opportunity.
UFC® 146: DOS SANTOS vs. OVEREEM will be available live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN, and in Canada on BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.99 US/$49.99 CAN for Standard Definition and $54.99 US/$59.99 CAN for High Definition.
While the UFC 146 main card is loaded with roughly one ton of knockout artists and submission aces, no fight has drawn as much attention as the title tilt between the champion, dos Santos, and challenger, Overeem. Fresh off knocking out Velasquez in November to capture the title, the 28-year-old “Cigano” would love nothing more than to end the reign of terror sparked by “The Reem.” Simply put, dos Santos isn’t envisioning his run as champion being short-lived.
“My dream was to become the champion,” dos Santos said. “The minute Dana strapped that belt around my waist, my dream got bigger. I'm not here to be a one or two-defense champion; I'm here to stay. On May 26, there's going to be a heavyweight striking war and someone is getting knocked out.”
A devastating striker who has held world titles in organizations such as STRIKEFORCE® and DREAM, the 31-year-old Overeem (36-11) has not lost a fight in nearly five years. Owner of wins over the likes of Brock Lesnar, Fabricio Werdum, Mark Hunt and Vitor Belfort, the kickboxing star believes he has the champion’s style dissected and diffused.
“The most important objective in my life right now is to not only become the UFC heavyweight champion, but to go on and reign as champion for years,” Overeem said. “I want to be remembered as the greatest heavyweight in the history of the sport.
“Dos Santos is a very good boxer,” he continued. “I think he is the best boxer in the division and he poses some very interesting problems. But I already know how I will beat him. I will become the new UFC heavyweight champion of the world at UFC 146.”
Monday, March 26, 2012
Marloes Coenen Invades Dutch TV
InvictaFC’s Marloes Coenen is the renaissance woman of MMA and this past week saw her hit the national scene in the Netherlands.
Coenen had the official grand opening of her new R-grip gym in Amsterdam, which came with a lot of fan fair. The mayor of Amsterdam Eberhard van der Laan helped open the gym to the public, with kickboxing champion Gokhan Saki doing demonstrations and introducing people to the new gym in the area. Coenen is hoping to build the future of both men and women in the fighting arts. The gym is also affiliated with Coenen’s fight team Golden Glory.
You can watch one of the local reports from GeenStijl TV (in Dutch) here, featuring Coenen, Saki, and the mayor of Amsterdam. Still entertaining if you don’t speak the language.
Also, as reported Wombat Sports a few weeks ago, Coenen will be on the reality show “The Treasure of Orange” with premiere Mar. 30 on SBS 6 in the Netherlands. A new preview is out, this time with Coenen heavily featured.
Coenen had the official grand opening of her new R-grip gym in Amsterdam, which came with a lot of fan fair. The mayor of Amsterdam Eberhard van der Laan helped open the gym to the public, with kickboxing champion Gokhan Saki doing demonstrations and introducing people to the new gym in the area. Coenen is hoping to build the future of both men and women in the fighting arts. The gym is also affiliated with Coenen’s fight team Golden Glory.
You can watch one of the local reports from GeenStijl TV (in Dutch) here, featuring Coenen, Saki, and the mayor of Amsterdam. Still entertaining if you don’t speak the language.
Also, as reported Wombat Sports a few weeks ago, Coenen will be on the reality show “The Treasure of Orange” with premiere Mar. 30 on SBS 6 in the Netherlands. A new preview is out, this time with Coenen heavily featured.
OneFC Featuring Chua vs. Toshi to Stream Free Saturday
The debut of Singapore’s first pro female fighter will be streamed live and free on Youtube.
Hometown fighter Nicole Chua will take on India’s Jeet Toshi at the OneFC War of Lions event at Singapore’s Indoor Stadium Saturday.
Chua is one of the more decorated Muay Thai fighters out of Singapore, having started her fighting career at age 18. She won a bronze medal at the Amateur World Muay Thai Games. She has made the transition to MMA this past year, taking up Brazilian jiu-jitsu at Evolve MMA to round out her game. Chua was the first female signed to One FC.
India’s Toshi is coming off her first MMA win over Pooja Mehra in Mumbai, India this past February. Toshi has found success in the Sanshou circuit in China, and is one of India’s more accomplished female kickboxers.
The match will air live and free on the OneFC Youtube channel Saturday morning at 5 a.m. pacific/8 a.m. eastern.
Weekend Rundown: Flyweight Finishers Advance in Deep Title Tourney
The 35-year-old BJJ black belt waded through strikes to get inside on Takashige Hirukawa, then tripped the kickboxer to the ground and quickly established mount. From there, the result was academic, as Kibe softened “Crazy Hiru” with punches before peeling off a textbook armbar at the 2:17 mark. Kibe, who has spent the bulk of his 10-year career competing at bantamweight, has now won 10 of his last 11 outings.
Kibe wasn’t the only member of his Aichi-based Splash gym to advance in the tournament. In the evening’s co-main event, Naoyuki Kato used his lanky frame to put away the smaller Hirotaka Miyakawa in the opening round. Miyakawa recovered from an early knockdown and rear-naked choke attempt by posting and sweeping to top position, but was dazed by a hard upkick as he stood over the prone Kato. Sensing his opponent was stunned, Kato leapt to his feet and floored Miyakawa with a single punch, then kept firing until referee Kenichi Serizawa intervened at 3:45.
The last man to defeat Kato, 23-year-old Takeshi Kasugai, spent the first round of his quarterfinal bout defending against the grappling attack of Wajutsu Keishukai fighter Takumi Murata. However, the local favorite turned the tables in the second frame, scoring a trip takedown and battering a shrimping Murata with hammerfists to the head and body. When Murata scrambled to his feet and shot for another takedown, Kasugai turned the corner to take his back, where he sunk in a rear-naked choke which put Murata to sleep with just 10 seconds remaining in the round.
In the fourth quarterfinal pairing, Club Barbarian student Tomoki Motoya snapped a two-fight losing streak and nearly snapped Akito Sakimura’s arm in the process. After jumping guard repeatedly in the first period, 22-year-old Motoya found what he was looking for in the second, using a kimura to sweep to top position before cranking Sakimura’s arm behind his back for the tap at the 3:41 mark.
Deep’s first flyweight ace will be crowned July 22, when the semifinals and final will play out at Zepp Nagoya.
Quick Hits
Onetime UFC talent Goran Reljic notched his second win since exiting the Octagon on Saturday at Strength and Honor Championship 5 in Geneva, Switzerland. Competing at heavyweight, Reljic needed just over three minutes to blast Rogent Lloret with punches and force referee Remco Pardoel to wave the fight off. The event, which was attended by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, also featured Bellator veteran and Reign MMA light heavyweight Raphael Davis, who punched out Bosnia’s Berin Balijagic at 1:26 of round two.
Danny Martinez continued his climb in the flyweight division on Saturday night, as “The Gremlin” pounded out Rich Bonafidini in the first round of their title fight at Xplode Fight Series "Disarm" in Valley Center, Calif. Martinez has won three in a row since being outpointed by then-top-ranked Jussier da Silva in December 2010. XFS also got a new featherweight champ in Escondido, Calif.’s Jason Miknuk, who knocked David Salas senseless with a well-timed knee after only 16 seconds.
Katja Kankaanpaa stayed perfect and added a major win to her résumé Friday with a unanimous decision against ex-Valkyrie champion “V.V” Mei Yamaguchi. Fighting before a partisan crowd at Botnia Punishment 11 in Seinajoki, Finland, Kankaanpaa used her size advantage to thwart the Japanese fighter on the feet and control the action on the floor across all three rounds, improving to 6-0.
Newly crowned Legend Fighting Championship bantamweight ace Tuerxun Jumabieke kept his unbeaten record intact by a narrow margin Saturday at RUFF 3 in Chongqing, China. In a rematch with Hong Kong-based South African Irshaad Sayed, “The Wild Wolf” had to rely on his top game to control the muay Thai-minded “White Tiger,” grinding his way to scores of 29-27, 29-27 and 27-29. The undercard saw first-round finishes from two other Legend fighters, featherweight “Executioner” Xian Ji (armbar submission of Guobin Xue) and “Dongbei Tiger” Guan Wang (TKO stoppage of Zhou Wen Jiang).
Welterweight prospect Robert Whittaker forced a first-round stoppage against Shaun Spooner on Friday in the main event of Superfight Australia 13. The 21-year-old from New South Wales moved his record to 9-1 and has posted back-to-back wins since falling to Hoon Kim under the Legend banner last October.
Morning Report: TUF Brazil Brings the Violence, Cyborg Santos Fights a Japanese Man
Josh Hedges, Getty
Images
5 MUST-READ STORIES
Weekend MMA & boxing results. Catch up on another busy combat sports weekend with MMA results for The Ultimate Fighter: Live, The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil, Bellator 62, United Glory 15 and BAMMA 9, boxing results for Erik Morales vs. Danny Garcia, and fight videos of Patricky Freire vs. Lloyd Woodard, Rick Hawn vs. Ricardo Tirloni, and Kimbo Slice's absurd match against Brian Green. (And again, if you haven't seen the debut episode of TUF: Brazil yet, you can check it out here.)
The Ultimate Fighter 15 post-fight power rankings. Cristiano Marcello fell in the weekly TUF 15 power rankings after Justin Lawrence's crushing knockout.
M-1 Global sues Vyacheslav Vasilvsky. Bellator middleweight semifinalist Vyacheslav is being sued by M-1 Global over an alleged breach of contract, and could be forced to pay €1,000 for each day in violation (over 365 days, according to M-1), €5,000 for each fight in different promotion (five since 2010), and court fees.
Miguel Torres UFC 145 fight blog. Torres talks about his love of Montreal, training for his upcoming bout against Michael McDonald, and the difficulty of locating tacos in Canada in his debut UFC 145 fight blog.
Yasubey Enomoto defended M-1 Global title with open wound infection. Former M-1 Global welterweight champ Yasubey Enomoto fought at M-1 Challenge 31 with a large open infection on his shin, which has now spread to his knee as a result of the weight cutting process. Enomoto is currently hospitalized and receiving treatment.
MEDIA STEW
Where else but a Japanese game show could you see Cyborg Santos duke it out with a shockingly capable male comedian? This battle of the sexes actually gets pretty heated. (HT: Bloody Elbow)
Another under the radar nugget from the weekend: Sergei Kharitonov returned to action for the first time since his Strikeforce loss to Josh Barnett. Now watch this ridiculousness and tell me you wouldn't love to see him on the UFC's all-heavyweight card.
Three weeks into TUF 15 and not only is Team Cruz dominating the Octagon, they're crushing the YouTube battle as well. Check out The Dominator clowning on Faber in this reenactment. Nice extra touch: the sharpie'd Faber chin.
Today's episode of This Week in Questionable Reffing comes from CFC 12, featuring Mark "The Great White Shark" Potter knocking out Larry Watts, a guy wearing a t-shirt waving off the bout, but not actually waving off the bout, and the bout continuing for another one-sided 30 seconds. (HT: Cagepotato)
Easily the best part of last night's TUF: Brazil debut:
THE CARNY DROPS DOWN
YOU WIN THIS ROUND, ROCKHOLD
I have broken through the lines and infiltrated your base camp. @rockholdMMA #CreepingOnAKA pic.twitter.com/5Wtjz8Nt
@TimKennedyMMA lol should of done some reconnaissance work not my gym haha
@rockholdMMA BLASTED!!!! CIA failed again.25 Mar 12
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Announced over the weekend (Friday, March 23, 2012 - Sunday, March 25, 2012):
- UFC 148: Jeff Hougland (10-4) out, Ivan Menjivar (24-8) in against Renan Barao (28-1)
- UFC on FX 3: Scott Jorgensen (13-5) vs. Eddie Wineland (18-8-1)
- UFC on FX 3: Josh Neer (33-10-1) vs. Mike Pyle (22-8-1)
- UFC on FX 4: Jim Hettes (10-0) vs. Steven Siler (20-9)
- UFC on FUEL 3: Mike Easton (12-1) out, Jeff Hougland (10-4) in against Yves Jabouin (17-7)
- Titan Fighting Championship 22: Anthony Johnson (10-4) vs. Dave Branch (10-2)
- Super Fight League 2: Gabe Ruediger (17-8) out, Ryan Healy (19-10) in against Paul Kelly (12-4)
FANPOST OF THE DAY
Today's Fanpost of the Day is a fantastic rundown on the future of the 145-pound division by Bloody Elbow's fightinghistorian: Can Jose Aldo be Beaten? A Meditation on Perfection in MMA Today
Jose Aldo is currently riding a fourteen-fight winning streak, with eight of those wins coming by absolutely vicious knockout. He has not been seriously tested during that time: in fact, he has only lost three or at most four rounds out of twenty-eight since making his debut in the WEC, and has never found himself anywhere close to being finished or losing a decision. I say this not to rehearse the obvious point - that Aldo is really, really good - but to emphasize the sheer enormity of his dominance since reaching the biggest stage in MMA.Found something perfect for the Morning Report? Just hit me on Twitter @shaunalshatti and we'll include it in tomorrow's post.
It's possible that we've never seen a fighter as well-rounded as Jose Aldo, GSP included, and I would argue that we've never seen anyone with his combination of well-roundedness, explosive athleticism, and absolutely vicious finishing ability. At this point, then, one question stands out: who is capable of beating Jose Aldo? My intention here is to briefly discuss all possible challengers, with the goal of discerning who precisely has the best chance of beating him at featherweight; there are potential matchups at 155 as well, but I'd like to focus on the here and now.
Let's start with the obvious contenders first. For each, I'll give a brief rundown of when they might expect to receive a title shot, the most likely fashion in which such a fight would play out, and finally my guess at what the betting line would be, purely as a means of quantifying the likelihood of a win by the contender. (Note: -400 means that Aldo would be a 4-to-1 favorite, for example). After running through the list, I'll conclude with a discussion of what Aldo's dominance means for the sport of MMA as a whole.
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