Wednesday, March 10, 2010 - MMAWeekly World MMA Rankings

The latest MMAWeekly World MMA Rankings were released on Wednesday, March 10. This system ranks the Top 10 MMA fighters from all across the world in each of the seven most widely accepted weight classes.

Taken into consideration are a fighter's performance in addition to his win-loss record, head-to-head and common opponents, difficulty of opponents, and numerous other factors in what is the most comprehensive rankings system in the sport.

Fighters who are currently serving drug-related suspensions are not eligible for Top 10 consideration until they have fought one time after the completion of their suspension.

Fighters must also have competed within the past 12 months in order to be eligible for Top 10 consideration.

Below are the current MMAWeekly World MMA Rankings, which are up-to-date as of March 10.

. Nathan Marquardt

5. Dan Henderson

6. Jake Shields

7. Demian Maia

8. Robbie Lawler

9. Jorge Santiago

10. Yoshihiro Akiyama

2. Jon Fitch

3. Thiago Alves

4. Josh Koscheck

5. Paul Daley

6. Paulo Thiago

7. Matt Hughes

8. Dan Hardy

9. Nick Diaz

10. Martin Kampmann

lvarez

4. Kenny Florian

5. Tatsuya Kawajiri

6. Joachim Hansen

7. Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante

8. Gray Maynard

9. Frankie Edgar

10. Gilbert Melendez

ijah Faber

4. Raphael Assuncao

5. Hatsu Hioki

6. "Lion" Takeshi Inoue

7. Manny Gamburyan

8. Leonard Garcia

9. Bibiano Fernandes

10. Josh Grispi

3. Joseph Benavidez

4. Miguel Torres

5. Damacio Page

6. Scott Jorgensen

7. Masakatsu Ueda

8. Takeya Mizugaki

9. Brad Pickett

10. Charlie Valencia

Wednesday, March 10, 2010 - by MMAWeekly.com Staff

As “The Ultimate Fighter Season 11” debuts, the hunt for next season’s cast members begins.

The UFC and Spike TV on Wednesday announced that they will hold an open casting call for Season 12 competitors on April 1 at The Omni Charlotte Hotel in Charlotte, N.C., the day after Season 11 debuts on Spike TV and UFC Fight Night 21 takes place at the Bojangles Coliseum.

While Season 11 is comprised entirely of middleweights, Season 12 appears to be headed back to two weight classes. The open tryouts are open to both lightweight (155-pound) and light heavyweight (205-pound) fighters.

The requirements specify that all applicants must be 21 years of age or older and have a professional mixed martial arts record with at least three fights. All applicants will grapple and hit pads at the tryout, so you are expected to wear the appropriate workout clothes and bring your own gear.

Registration begins at 8 a.m. ET, with tryouts beginning at 10 a.m. ET. Fighters must arrive between 8 and 9 a.m. ET at The Omni Charlotte Hotel.

UFC president Dana White will oversee the tryouts with executive producer Craig Piligian, producer Jamie Campione, and Spike TV’s senior vice president of sports and specials Brian Diamond.

With the recent signing of former world champion boxer James Toney to a UFC contract, speculation has run rampant on who would be his first opponent in the Octagon. Sites quickly began to square in on Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Monday squashed such speculation by announcing that Kimbo would instead make his Canadian debut on May 8, facing fellow “The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights” cast member Matt Mitrione.

Kimbo (4-1) made his official Octagon debut on the season finale of “The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights,” defeating veteran fighter Houston Alexander by unanimous decision.

Mitrione (1-0), an NFL veteran, also fought his first bout for the promotion on the Season 10 finale by knocking out Marcus Jones.

The bout will serve as part of the supporting cast for UFC 113 at the Bell Centre in Montreal. A rematch between UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida and challenger Mauricio “Shogun” Rua headlines the card.

Tuesday, March 09, 2010 - Press Release courtesy of UFC
The UFC on Tuesday announced it has reached a long-term agreement with ASN (All Sports Network), the first 24-hour high-definition sports channel in Asia to distribute UFC programs in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Macau, Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand.

ASN will officially launch UFC programming on April 10 with UFC 112: Silva vs. Maia, a live event taking place in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and featuring two world title fights. In addition to broadcasting live UFC events, ASN will also feature UFC Unleashed, a compilation highlight show featuring some of the best fight action in UFC history as well as select seasons of The Ultimate Fighter reality television series.

“We are excited to sign a deal with ASN and to distribute UFC on this HD sports channel,” said Dana White, UFC President. “Asia is a huge market for us, it has a deep-rooted history and appreciation for the martial arts. We are thrilled to be working with ASN and to deliver the UFC to all of our fans in Asia.”

Launched in 2009, ASN broadcasts exclusive, thrilling action from some of America’s biggest sports leagues including the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), NCAA college championship basketball and football, and NASCAR. Other programs include Formula Drift and extreme sports.

Monday, March 08, 2010 - by Jeff Cain - MMAWeekly.com

Toby Imada, whose “Submission of the Year” helped put Bellator Fighting Championships on the map during its debut season, will return to the promotion for its upcoming Season 2 lightweight tournament.

“Toby has meant a great deal to our company and we are very pleased to have him back for our Season 2 lightweight tournament,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Toby Imada epitomizes the heart and soul of our tournament format where winning is what matters and where fighters can truly control their own destiny.”

Imada’s remarkable submission, an inverted triangle choke of Jorge Masvidal at Bellator V, became an overnight YouTube sensation (more than 650,000 people have watched it online to date) and took home honors for “Submission of the Year” from the 2009 World MMA Awards and virtually every major MMA news site including MMAWeekly.com.

Imada is the sixth confirmed participant in Bellator’s Season 2 lightweight tournament along with Carey Vanier, Ferrid Kheder, Mike Ricci, Janne Tulirinta and Chad Hinton.

Imada was on an eight-fight win streak when he was defeated by Eddie Alvarez in Bellator’s first Lightweight World Championship fight in June, and enters the second season tournament looking to get back to a title bout.

“It’s a great thing for me to return to Bellator,” Imada said. “I can’t promise that I’ll give the fans another inverted triangle, but I can promise that I’m gonna’ be fighting my heart out and looking to take home that belt. I want to thank Bellator for all the opportunities they’ve given me.”

Bellator will also conduct featherweight, welterweight and middleweight tournaments during its second season, which will be televised on FOX Sports Net, NBC and Telemundo. Winners of each tournament will earn the rank of No. 1 contender and the chance to face off in a title bout against Bellator’s Season 1 champions.

As he heads into his next fight against Jon Jones on March 21, Brandon Vera is ready to once again prove he has the stand-up skills to go toe-to-toe with anybody in the sport, but he's also ready to show some new tricks.

The California based fighter, who has been working with coach Lloyd Irvin and training partners like NCAA All-American wrestler Phil Davis, is ready to prove that if you take him to the ground, it's a whole new problem.

"You take me to the ground this year, you're going to get submitted," Vera told MMAWeekly.com in a recent interview. "I'll tell you that much right now."

Working to get ready for the fight against Jones, Vera is confident that his next opponent will be willing to stand and trade with him, but if not, he's ready for any problem he may encounter.

"We're going to bang man. I don't think he'll take me to the ground," Vera commented about Jones. "He's with a new camp, he's with (Greg) Jackson's and them. They're good game plan people so he might try to take me to the ground, but I tell you this much in 2010, my jiu-jitsu game I've been tightening back up."

Despite his jiu-jitsu game improving, Vera still says that the fans in Denver are in for a treat when he squares off against Jones because a knockout is headed their way.

"Jones, he's got the skills; he'll stand with me. Somebody's going to go to sleep."

Monday, March 08, 2010 - by MMAWeekly.com Staff
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WEC 47 Fighter Salaries and Bonuses
By MMAWeekly.com Staff

The Ohio Athletic Commission on Monday released the salaries for WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz, featuring a bantamweight showdown between Brian Bowles and Dominick Cruz, which took place on Saturday, March 6, at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

The following figures are based on the fighter salary information that promoters are required by law to submit to the state athletic commissions, including the winners' bonuses.

Although mixed martial arts fighters do not have collective bargaining or a union, the fighters' salaries are still public record, just as with every other major sport in the United States. Any undisclosed bonuses that a promoter also pays its fighters, but does not disclose to the athletic commissions (specifically, pay-per-view bonuses, fight of the night bonuses, etc.), are not included in the figures below.

In the listings below, "Main Event Fighters" are defined as fighters who compete in the main event of a show. "Main Card Fighters" are defined as fighters whose fights appear on the main card, but not in the main event. "Preliminary Card Fighters" are defined as fighters whose matches take place before the main card goes on the air, regardless of whether or not those matches end up airing on the TV or Internet broadcast.

MAIN EVENT FIGHTERS

-Dominick Cruz $18,000 (includes $9,000 win bonus) def. Brian Bowles $12,000

-Joseph Benavidez $29,000 (includes $14,500 win bonus) def. Miguel Torres $26,000
*Benavidez also received a $10,000 bonus for Submission of the Night

MAIN CARD FIGHTERS

-Javier Vasquez $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus) def. Jens Pulver $14,000

-L.C. Davis $18,000 (includes $9,000 win bonus) def. Deividas Taurosevicius $9,000

-Bart Palaszewski $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus) def. Karen Darabedyan $4,000

PRELIMINARY CARD FIGHTERS

-Scott Jorgensen $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) def. Chad George $3,000

-Chad Mendes $8,000 (includes $4,000 win bonus) def. Erik Koch $3,000

-Anthony Pettis $6,000 (includes $3,000 win bonus) def. Danny Castillo $9,500
*Pettis also received a $10,000 bonus for Knockout of the Night

-Leonard Garcia $14,000 (includes $3,000 win bonus) drew with George Roop $3,000
*Garcia and Roop also received a $10,000 bonus each for Fight of the Night

-Fredson Paixao $4,000 (includes $2,000 win bonus) def. Courtney Buck $3,000

-Ricardo Lamas $10,000 (includes $5,000 win bonus) def. Bendy Casimir $3,000

WEC 47 TOTAL DISCLOSED FIGHTER SALARIES: $236,500
(Does not include post fight bonuses.)

Monday, March 08, 2010 - by MMAWeekly.com Staff

Broken hand or no broken hand for Brian Bowles, Dominick Cruz walked away with the WEC bantamweight gold around his waist Saturday night a happy man.

“His hand being hurt, he hurt it on my face. So how you gonna give him credit for that? I mean, my hands hurt too,” Cruz said at the WEC 47 post-fight press conference. “I was ready to fight five rounds with a broken leg, a broken hip, broken face, I didn’t care man. I wanted this belt.”

It showed. From the opening bell, Cruz moved like a character in a video game, slipping most of Bowles’ punches and using good mobility to remain allusive while stinging the champion with his own assault.

“I just try to be like a video game,” Cruz recounted. “Whatever (my coaches) yell, I try to throw it because they see things from a different angle than I do.”

And it worked. In between rounds two and three, the cageside doctor stepped in to recommend a halt to the bout due to a Bowles injury.

The belt is now firmly around his waist, Cruz is prepared for whatever the future holds and whoever the WEC throws at him.

“You’re just gonna see me coming back better and better and better. I’m not gonna stop.”

It wasn’t for a lack of effort on either fighter’s part, but the WEC 47 main event showdown between Brian Bowles and Dominick Cruz came to a disappointing and rather abrupt ending Saturday night at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

Over the course of the first two rounds, Cruz set the champion on his heels, pushing the pace and using outstanding movement to throw Bowles off his game. Every time Bowles would land a punch, Cruz would answer with two of his own, and throw in a low kick for good measure.

And if that weren’t enough, Cruz put the champ on his back to put an exclamation point on round two.

But that was where the excitement ended and the night came to a screeching halt.

Prior to round three, the doctor entered the cage to check on Bowles and determined that he was unable to continue.

“The first punch that I threw in the whole fight, I broke my hand. I knew it right then,” said Bowles after the fight. “It just kind of threw me off. That started going through my mind instead of concentrating on fighting.”

It was a bad break for Bowles, but Cruz used his preparation and took advantage of the situation.

“Brian Bowles is a great champion, he really is,” Cruz later commented. “He fought his heart out. I fought my heart out.”

And with that, Dominick Cruz is your new WEC bantamweight champion.

Sunday, March 07, 2010 - by Ken Pishna - MMAWeekly.com

Former WEC bantamweight kingpin Miguel Torres entered Saturday night's bout at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, looking to take out Joseph Benavidez and put himself back into title contention. Somebody forgot to get Benavidez up to speed on the idea.

Torres did his best to utilize his reach advantage and establish a strong jab, but Benavidez smartly countered his reach deficit by charging the takedowns and putting Torres on his back. He wasn't able to do a lot of damage, but Benavidez set the tone by the end of the opening round, setting up the big finish for round two.

Torres again went to work with the jab on the second stanza, but Benavidez again put the former champion on his back. This time, however, he unleashed a fury of harsh forearms that opened a severe gash on Torres' forehead.

As Torres tried to scramble out from under Benavidez, he got caught in a deep guillotine choke. Benavidez threw his leg of Torres' should, locking down any escape routes. Torres tapped out.

While Benavidez was excited after the bout, his assessment of the night was simple, “I had a game plan. I just went in there to fight a fight.”

Just fighting the fight is likely to move Benavidez to the head of the line for a shot at the WEC bantamweight championship.

Sunday, March 07, 2010 - by Ken Pishna - MMAWeekly.com

Saturday night’s WEC 47 featherweight bout between Jens Pulver and Javier Vasquez at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, took on a little bit of a professional wrestling feel.

No, not because anything was scripted.

Pulver entered the bout on a four-fight losing skid, Vasquez off back-to-back losses. It was basically a loser leaves town bout – there’s your pro wrestling shtick.

Pulver twice attempted a guillotine choke off of Vasquez’s takedown attempts and scrambled to keep the fight on the feet, but it was more than he could manage.

Vasquez put the former UFC champion on his back, quickly passing to the side and trapping Pulver in a crucifix position, peppering him with shots to the head. Somehow Pulver managed to find a way out of the crucifix, but the ground is Vasquez’s world. Once he latched on, he wouldn’t let go.

“He got the take downs and before you know it, twist turn, there’s the armbar, pop, pop. I’m like damn; I’m stuck in this thing,” said Pulver after the fight.

Pulver tried to scramble and find a way out. Vasquez capitalized, moved to mount, and then dropped back into the ligament popping armbar, leaving Pulver no choice but to tap out or lose a limb.

“I’m just as big of a fan of Jens Pulver as everybody else,” Vasquez said following the victory. “It was an honor for me to fight him. You’ll never hear me say a bad thing about Jens Pulver.”

He didn’t quite make it official, saying that he’d never say that this is it, but Pulver made it clear that he’s not likely to step back in the cage.

Pointing down at his custom TapouT t-shirt that featured him as a character in the old Punchout video game, Pulver said, “This is the old Punchout, the old Tyson, the vintage, the authentic, and it’s over.”

He then pointed at himself saying, “The vintage, the authentic... I don't know how many more times I can cry in front of all y’all. I love y’all way too much to keep putting you through this.”

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is holding three events in less than a two-week span at the end of March. Recently developed plans for a possible counter offensive to Strikeforce’s return to CBS may see the UFC under a similar scheduling arrangement in April.

It appears that the MMA juggernaut is preparing a UFC Fight Night event on Spike TV for April 17, the date that Strikeforce set for a Nashville event on CBS, according to a report from The Wrestling Observer. An MMAWeekly.com source close to the situation confirmed the report, saying, “It looks that way.”

A later report from Sherdog.com indicated that the UFC might even up the ante a little more than just counter-programming Strikeforce’s TV offerings, by considering holding its UFC Fight Night event at Vanderbilt University, also in Nashville. Such a move would take a shot not only at Strikeforce’s TV ratings, but also its ticket sales.

UFC officials have yet to officially make any sort of announcement regarding an additional date or location.

The maneuver is just the latest in a consistently aggressive strategy from the promotion in countering other high profile mixed martial arts broadcasting.

This time, however, Strikeforce could possibly counter the UFC’s counter.

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker told MMAJunkie.com that everything is currently “locked and loaded for the 17th,” but that there is “some fluidity to what could happen.”

That “fluidity” could mean a possible move to April 24, where Strikeforce would counter the UFC’s sister promotion World Extreme Cagefighting. WEC 48, featuring featherweight champion Jose Aldo defending against former titleholder Urijah Faber, is scheduled for April 24, with plans to be the promotion’s first pay-per-view offering.

Just the possibility of the move has caused a backlash from fans on Twitter that have already purchased tickets to the Strikeforce event based on the April 17 date. In the scope of the situation, especially while Strikeforce’s relationship with CBS is far from cemented, television ratings and the hotly contested advertising dollar are likely to play a major factor into any decision to move.

Strikeforce officials on Friday told MMAWeekly.com that a final decision on whether or not to slide over to April 24 had yet to be determined.

With all three promotions consistently stepping up the amount live events and television programming they offer, regardless of how this UFC-Strikeforce-WEC programming triangle plays out, it’s not likely to end any time soon.

Jon Fitch (21-3-1) rematches Thiago Alves (16-6) at UFC 111 on March 27 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

The American Kickboxing Academy product feels he should get another shot at the title with a win.

In their first meeting in June of 2006, Fitch dominated Alves with superior wrestling and ground and pound before knocking Alves out with an up-kick in the third round.

“I’m super excited for this fight. I can‘t wait,” said Fitch.

Asked if he’s doing anything different with his game plan or training heading into the rematch, Fitch answered, “No. As far as the course I’ve been on the last year – the strength and conditioning coach, my striking instructor Gary Owens, and getting back to my wrestling and stuff like that this past year – it’s taking on that type of game plan. I’ve had a lot of success with it.”

The game plan may be the same, but the California based fighter knows they’ve both improved since that night in Vegas nearly four years ago.

“We’re both different fighters from the first time we fought,” Fitch told MMAWeekly.com. “It’s kind of one of those things, has his wrestling gotten better than my striking? I guess we’ll see. I think I’ve got enough tricks to where if I need to fight this fight on my feet I can.”

Ranked No. 2 in the world in the welterweight division and Alves No. 3, Fitch feels with a win he should get another crack at the title. Questioned if a win will garner a title bout, the 31-year-old fighter said, “I would think so. If I could stop Thiago, most definitely. If I can finish Thiago in three rounds, there’s no way you can argue anyone else getting a title shot over me.”

Thursday, March 04, 2010 - by Ken Pishna - MMAWeekly.com

"We're going to go up to Canada, and we're hoping to do that in the next few months," WEC general manager Reed Harris said recently on MMAWeekly Radio.

Well, it looks like a few months has been narrowed down to June 20, at least according to an article by TopMMANews.com. The report cites Calgary Combative Sports Commission chairperson Shirley Stunzi as confirming that WEC has “officially booked” the date in Calgary, Alberta.

World Extreme Cagefighting already has two events booked prior to June. The promotion landed in Columbus, Ohio, this week for its first event in the Buckeye State. Bantamweight champion Brian Bowles will attempt to defend his title from Dominick Cruz in the main event.

Then in April, the WEC marks another first, making its pay-per-view debut. A featherweight title bout between current champion Jose Aldo and former champion Urijah Faber heads the card at the Arco Arena in San Jose, Calif., the promotion’s most successful location.

The UFC, WEC’s sister promotion, has already paved the way for its younger sibling, returning in May for the third straight year in Montreal. The promotion also has plans to run an event in Vancouver a week prior to the WEC’s purported Calgary date, although a recent report about slow moving regulation in Vancouver may have put that event in jeopardy.

WEC officials were not available for comment at the time of publication. Follow MMAWeekly.com for more details as they become available.

The path to any title shot is a long and arduous road. Contenders and pressure as its obstacles, some people flail under the bright lights and second chances are not common occurrences in this sport.

That’s why the WEC’s Dominick Cruz is humbled to have earned his second shot at a belt when he faces undefeated bantamweight champion Brian Bowles. (His first shot was opposite former featherweight champion Urijah Faber in early 2007.)

“It’s an honor. I feel blessed to be (fighting for the title) and I say that all the time, but it’s a true statement,” said Cruz as a guest on MMAWeekly Radio.

“I worked so hard to be here just like everybody else, and just to be getting the shot and the opportunity to be here has just been a huge blessing to me and I’m just really excited and pumped up. I’m going to take full advantage of it right away.”

Bowles (8-0) was last seen in action Aug. 9 of last year, when he dethroned then 135-pound kingpin Miguel Torres with a stunning first round knockout, in what was regarded as one of the biggest upsets of 2009. But having been in the game for nearly four years as a professional, Cruz knows full well that MMA is the wrong sport to bank on any definitive results.

“It’s so hard to predict a fight nowadays, man. Everybody’s just at a top notch level, that if you make one mistake, the fight is over,” said the 24-year-old.

“Me being a fighter in the weight class that I’m in, with the caliber of fighters I have to go against, you never count anybody out.”

By the same token, the Alliance MMA product doesn’t think that Bowles’ victory was left to chance.

“I definitely have a lot of respect for Bowles,” proclaimed Cruz. “I knew he could definitely beat Torres. He has his strengths, Torres has his strengths, and it’s all about game plan and who comes out as the better man that night. There’s not much you can do about it.

“You just go in there and fight your fight and hope that it goes your way and hope that all the preparations that you went through add up and you’re just going to pull the win out that night.”

Heading into the main event tilt in Columbus, Ohio, on March 6, Cruz, who hopes to extend his win streak to six, has done his homework, and come fight night will show the fruits of his labor.

“Everybody that I’ve fought, to be honest, has been as good as Brian Bowles, just that everybody has different areas that they’re good at,” said Cruz.

“I’m very confident in myself and my abilities and I’m very confident in my style, that I can beat anybody that’s put in there in front of me. If I didn’t believe that, then I have no business being in there.”

Tuesday, March 02, 2010 - by Damon Martin - MMAWeekly.com

Former UFC, Pride and Affliction fighter, Josh Barnett, has found a new home in Japan as the heavyweight stand-out has signed with Dream and will likely make his promotional debut at their March 22 show later this month.

The signing was confirmed by sources close to the situation to MMAWeekly.com late Monday evening, and the promotion is expected to announce Barnett's addition in the coming days.

Since leaving the UFC in 2002, Barnett has fought in several promotions, most prominently with Pride where he went 5-4 for the organization and faced several of the top fighters.

Most notably, Barnett holds wins over fighters such as Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Randy Couture, and last fought for Affliction in January 2009. He was also the #2 ranked Heavyweight in MMAWeekly's World MMA Rankings when he was due to face Fedor.

Set to face No. 1 heavyweight, Fedor Emelianenko in August 2009, Barnett fell under extreme scrutiny following an alleged positive test for a banned substance, was removed from the fight, and Affliction soon after canceled their third pay-per-view event, eventually closing their doors.

Barnett has not competed in MMA since that time, and has had several delays in his hearings with the California State Athletic Commission to deal with the positive test results, and license denial in the state.

It appears that for the time being, Barnett will make his living in MMA back in Japan. While no opponent has been named yet, rumors have circled that several fighters have been approached about a possible fight with Barnett, but as of yet no one has accepted.

MMAWeekly.com will have more information on Barnett's Dream debut in the coming weeks.

Tuesday, March 02, 2010 - by Damon Martin - MMAWeekly.com
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Dana White has never been one to back down from making a bold statement. Over the last few years, the UFC president has stated several times that he believes that mixed martial arts will someday be the biggest sport in the world.

He believes that when fans come to a live show, it brings a whole new experience to the fans, and that's something electric that you can't feel unless you've been there in person.

"Anybody that goes (to a live event)... they're going to go and infect 30 or 40 more people with what they saw. You think you like it on TV, wait till you see it live," said White recently.

And he doesn’t shy away from comparing the UFC to the biggest sport in the United States. White says that while the NFL has the right plan for the American market, it's never translated worldwide.

"I think as big as the NFL is in the United States, it's huge," he stated. "This last Super Bowl that we just had was the biggest watched television show in history. That's how big the Super Bowl is, and they've been trying to break into all these other markets, but people don't understand it. They've never played it. They didn't grow up playing it. They don't know the rules and they're never going to be invested in the New England Patriots or the New York Giants."

Reaching down to the primal level is where White believes fighting will always be successful because everyone understands it, and everyone wants to watch.

"Fighting – I don't care what color you are, or what language you speak, or what country you live it, we're all human beings and fighting's in our DNA. We get it and we like it," he stated.

"Before a guy ever hit a ball with a bat, or a ball went through a hoop, there were two guys on this planet and somebody threw a punch, and anybody who was standing around was watching it. It translates across all different barriers, and this will be the biggest sport in the world, I guarantee it."

With the UFC's expansion into Australia in February, going to Abu Dhabi in April, and with talk of a UFC taking place in China, the plan for expansion continues to grow. Some might want to dismiss White's claims as premature, but his vision helped bring the UFC this far, so at the end of the day everyone may want to judge slowly.

Mixed martial arts may very well end up being the biggest sport in the world one day in the future.

It looks like the king will get the chance to add a new jewel to his crown in April.

Charismatic fighter Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal has signed on to fight for the Strikeforce light heavyweight title when he faces champion Gegard Mousasi on April 17 at the promotion's next major CBS card.

The fight was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the situation on Monday.

Since debuting in 2008, King Mo has taken the sport of MMA by storm, proclaiming he was destined for greatness and that he was happy to prove it against any and all comers. After dispatching of veterans like Travis Wiuff and Mike Whitehead, it looks like Lawal will now try to prove he's championship material.

Rapidly rising up the ranks as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport, Gegard Mousasi has made everyone take notice of his considerable skills and technique as he's gone undefeated for almost three years.

After conquering the middleweight division in Dream, Mousasi decided to move up to light heavyweight. Since that time he's beaten all of his opponents, including fighters like Renato "Babalu" Sobral and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou.

Recently leaving his management team of M-1, Mousasi is ready to once again prove he belongs with the best fighters in the world, and try to take some of the swagger out of the step of the always confident Lawal.

The bout between Mousasi and Lawal will serve as co-main event for the upcoming Strikeforce show in April, headlined by middleweight champ Jake Shields defending his title against Dan Henderson. MMAWeekly.com will have more news on this event in the coming days.

Saturday, February 27, 2010 - by Jim Genia for MMAWeekly.com
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ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – You win some, you lose some. Long-time New Jersey amateur promotion New Breed Fighters took the professional mixed martial arts plunge tonight, pairing with Monte Cox’s Adrenaline MMA for a fight card stocked with both local talent and talented out-of-towners.

Heading up the “local talent” portion was Ricardo Almeida-trained Dante Rivera, a jiu-jitsu specialist, veteran of “The Ultimate Fighter Season 7,” and the epitome of hometown hero. But if the crowd was rooting for Rivera, H.I.T. Squad disciple Whisper Goodman had other ideas. With the inaugural NBF middleweight belt up for grabs, Goodman employed strong wrestling and impeccable balance to reverse Rivera’s takedowns and maintain top position. Rivera had two crowd-pleasing slams, but it was otherwise Goodman’s bout, and when time ran out he took the unanimous decision. You win some, you lose some, and on this night Rivera went home with the loss.

In other action, Fight Factory rising star Sam Oropeza put Dave Concepcion to sleep with a high-kick a mere nine seconds into round one, while Oropeza’s teammate Zach Makovsky – a veteran of DEEP and one of the Northeast’s top 135-pound fighters –needed just under two minutes to submit Bo Harris with a triangle choke. And with the NBF welterweight strap at stake, Gracie Barra Boston rep Dennis Olson bloodied up TUF 7 alum Mike Dolce before tapping him out with a guillotine in the third round.

New Breed Fighter/Adrenaline MMA Results:

NBF Middleweight Championship
-Dante Rivera def. Whisper Goodman by Unanimous Decision

NBF Welterweight Championship
-Denis Olson def. Mike Dolce by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 3:17, R3

-Sam Oropeza def. Dave Concepcion by KO (Kick) at 0:09, R1
-Zach Makovsky def. Bo Harris by Submission (Triangle Choke) at 1:50, R1
-Tim Carpenter def. Rich Lictawa by Unanimous Decision
-Giedrius Karavackas def. Kasheem Peterson by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 2:57, R1

Fans in Canada will soon be able to welcome the best fighters from the featherweight and bantamweight divisions because World Extreme Cagefighting is headed north of the border.

That's the word from WEC General Manager Reed Harris, who confirmed the promotion would be making its first appearance in Canada in the near future.

"We're going to go up to Canada, and we're hoping to do that in the next few months," Harris said recently on MMAWeekly Radio.

When speaking on the WEC conference call earlier in the week, Harris commented that after their April pay-per-view event they would likely do a show in June, and Canada would be a possibility. He also mentioned when speaking with MMAWeekly Radio that they want to continue to cultivate their relationship with the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, and another show should soon be headed that way as well.

"We're looking to do another show probably this quarter at the Palms if everything works out, so there's a lot of different towns we've done well in, and as we spread our company and grow our brand, we'll also attract new markets," Harris stated.

As far as locations in Canada, Harris couldn't commit to one area in particular whether on the east or west coast. The UFC has held successful shows in Montreal, and is planning its first event for Vancouver this June. The one major area still on hold is Ontario. The province has not passed legislation yet to legalize mixed martial arts.

Harris believes there are several viable areas in Canada for a WEC event, and they are already working on possible sites and dates.

"We're looking at a few different cities and it's really going to depend on dates and venues, and things like that," Harris said. "Again, we have television concerns and so there's a lot of elements that go into it. Right now I don't have a city specifically I can announce, but I can tell you we're looking at two or three."

Following the move to Columbus, Ohio, for their next show, the WEC will likely start to line up more events in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for more details on the promotion's move into Canada as they become available.

Yves Edwards marked himself as the top contender for the MFC lightweight belt. Yet it was a pair of spectacular knockouts that stole the show at the Maximum Fighting Championship’s MFC 24: Heat XC on Friday night at the River Cree Resort and Casino, just outside Edmonton, Alberta.

A flurry of punches from Edwards (37-15-1) dropped opponent Derrick “The Eraser” Noble into his corner. Edwards continued to rain down an array of strikes until referee Vern Gorman stepped into to stop the proceedings at 4:44 of round one in the night’s main event. “The Texas Gunslinger,” who was making his debut in the MFC, looked crisp right from the start although Noble (25-13-1) did catch him with a sharp hook in the early moments.

Edwards had a star-studded corner backing him up including MFC welterweight contender Luigi Fioravanti, and in an interesting twist, reigning MFC lightweight champion Antonio McKee.

While Edwards’ win was convincing, it was overshadowed by the dramatic finishes laid out in front of a sold out crowd by two other fighters. In the card’s co-main event, English invader Tom “Kong” Watson sent a resounding message out to the rest of the MFC’s middleweight contingent when he scored a vicious head-kick knockout over home-town fighter Travis Galbraith.

Watson (11-3) caught a wide-open Galbraith perfectly on the side of the head and sent him crashing face first to the mat. Galbraith (17-7) was motionless for several seconds and then needed help getting to his corner after what was one of the most devastating knockouts in the history of the Maximum Fighting Championship. It was a clear winner in the Knockout of the Night derby, though early on it looked like that honor would go to Jesse Juarez.

Juarez (13-5) didn’t even break a sweat as he came across the ring, waited for Nathan Gunn to drop his left hand, and then fired out a spectacular head kick that put Gunn down chin first into the canvas. Juarez followed up with one hammerfist, but the result was in the bag from the moment Gunn (7-2) went down and the verdict was in a mere 11 seconds into round one.

It was the seventh consecutive victory for Juarez, who called out for a shot at the MFC welterweight title after the bout. For Gunn, it was a second straight horrific knockout after he fell in equally scary fashion to Pete Spratt at MFC 22.

Lewis, backed by an incredible throng of supporters from his hometown, was critical of his own performance but inched a little closer to a coveted crack at the MFC light heavyweight belt.

There is no question that Chuck Liddell is an MMA legend and icon of the UFC. Following a tough string of fights, the former light heavyweight champion has been battered with retirement questions, but he's back coaching on “The Ultimate Fighter" and about to fight rival Tito Ortiz for the third time in June.

Jake Shields, who served as an assistant coach during the filming of the latest season of the reality show, says that fans and critics should stop questioning Liddell, and just wait to see what he looks like come June.

"I haven't seen him this motivated since years ago when I first met him," Shields said when appearing on MMAWeekly Radio recently. "He's like a whole new Chuck. I think a lot of people are counting him out, being like, ‘oh, Chuck needs to retire,’ but the way Chuck's looking right now, I wouldn’t want to fight him."

Whatever the motivation is that's driving Liddell, his friend and training partner believes that it's struck a nerve in the San Luis Obispo, Calif., fighter and he's ready to prove all the naysayers wrong.

"I think it's a combination of Tito pissing him off, and the fans counting him out saying he should retire," Shields commented about Liddell's return. "I think Chuck's got another run in him."

Liddell has never backed down from the fact that he wanted to fight again regardless of his last few fights. UFC president Dana White has been very outspoken about Liddell's future, saying that he loves his friend, but believes he should call it a career.

At the end of the day, Liddell will get another shot in the Octagon, and facing an old rival like Ortiz might be just the medicine the doctor ordered to rekindle the fires in the twilight of his career. Shields is confident the third fight will go much like the first two, ending with Liddell's hand raised in victory.

"He is going to beat the living crap out of Tito. Chuck truly does not like Tito. He just runs his mouth and pops off, tries looking funny on TV, but I've never seen Chuck so motivated in my life," Shields stated. "He really wants to beat the crap out of Tito. People are going to be surprised at the beating they're going to see. They're going to be like, ‘wow, Chuck's back.’"

Friday, February 26, 2010 - by Damon Martin - MMAWeekly.com
An injury has forced Cole Miller out of his scheduled bout against Andre Winner set for March 31 in North Carolina.

The change was initially reported by MMAJunkie.com, and sources close to the fight have confirmed the news independently to MMAWeekly.com on Friday.

After suffering loss to Efrain Escudero last year, Miller bounced back with an impressive showing over Dan Lauzon at UFC 108, submitting the Massachusetts fighter with a kimura in the first round.

A member of American Top Team, Miller suffered a hand injury in the fight with Lauzon, but it's unknown at this time if that was the same problem that will keep him out of his March fight or not.

At this time, Andre Winner has not received a new opponent, but with over a month until the fight is scheduled, the UFC may be able to find a suitable replacement.

Stay tuned to MMAWeekly.com for more information on the March 31 Fight Night card as it becomes available.

Friday, February 26, 2010 - by Damon Martin - MMAWeekly.com
Bellator Fighting Championships announced the final pairings for their upcoming welterweight tournament that will kick off on April 15.

In the first fight in the tournament, NCAA wrestling champion Ben Askren will make his promotional debut with Bellator and take on former UFC fighter, Ryan Thomas.

The remaining three fights in the tournament's first round will take place a week later on April 22nd.

Dan Hornbuckle, one of the leading favorites for the tournament title, will face off against Canadian fighter, Sean Pierson.

Undefeated Arizona Combat Sports prospect, Jacob "Tick-Tock" McClintock draws tough British fighter Jim Wallhead, while former Affliction fighter Brett Cooper gets a first round match-up against Steve Carl.

The fights for Bellator will be available on Fox Sports Net in the U.S., and the April 15 show will be held at the Chicago Theatre in Chicago, IL. No official word from Bellator about the April 22 event, but they are expected to announce the venue for that event in the coming days.

Friday, February 26, 2010 - by Ken Pishna - MMAWeekly.com

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker on Thursday confirmed recent speculation that his fight promotion would land in Nashville, Tenn., on April 17. Aside from the date and location, he was rather elusive.

“We've been putting most of our efforts into the fight tomorrow night," Coker told MMAFighting.com of the Strikeforce Challengers card on Friday in San Jose, Calif. "But we'll have some announcements next week, for sure.”

He refused to discuss any specific fights for any specific dates.

MMAWeekly.com sources indicated that the April 17 fight card, despite recent questioning, would remain on CBS and feature a bout between middleweight champion Jake Shields and challenger Dan Henderson. Some of the other Nashville bouts could be confirmed during Friday night’s Strikeforce Challengers telecast on Showtime.

Reports on Thursday suggested that an expected marquee fight between Fedor Emelianenko and Fabricio Werdum might be moved from the April 17 fight card to an undisclosed Strikeforce event in May.

MMAWeekly.com sources on Thursday confirmed that Fedor will not fight on the April 17 CBS card. It was unclear what the plans are for the Emelianenko vs. Werdum bout, and details of a possible May event were also cloudy.

A light heavyweight title bout between champion Gegard Mousasi and Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal and a lightweight bout between Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez and Dream champion Shinya Aoki were also expected for the CBS fight card, but it’s unclear if those plans may have changed as well.

Friday, February 26, 2010 - by MMAWeekly.com Staff (Photos courtesy of Esther Lin/Strikeforce)

Sarah Kaufman has plans to take Strikeforce gold home with her to Canada. Takayo Hashi also has plans to take the first Strikeforce women’s welterweight title with her back to Japan.

Only one will achieve her dream, but both are now officially set for the opportunity.

Kaufman on Thursday weighed in at 134 pounds before California State Athletic Commission officials in San Jose, Calif. Hashi stepped on the scale at 132 pounds, making the bout official.

The rest of the athletes on the card also made weight. Five bouts will be televised live on Showtime with seven non-televised preliminary bouts for the audience in attendance.

Main Bouts (On Showtime):
-Sarah Kaufman (134) vs. Takayo Hashi (132)
-Trevor Prangley (185) vs. Karl Amoussou (184.5)
-Luke Rockhold (185) vs. Paul Bradley (186)
-James Terry (169) vs. Tarec Saffiedine (170)
-Raul Castillo (183) vs. Yancy Medeiros (185.5)

Preliminary Bouts (Non-Televised):
-Eric Lawson (185.5) vs. Wayne Phillips (183.5)
-Chris Stewart (182.5) vs. Samuel Bracamnonte (180)
-Tristan Arenal (156) vs. George Miller (156)
-Jesse Tobar (141) vs. Johnson Nguyen (145)
-Renee Robinson (141) vs. Lilia Salas (145)
-Steve Dickie (243) vs. Alan Lummel (253)
-Ronald Carillo (132) vs. Anthony De Los Santos (136)

Never one to hold back on his opinion, Frank Mir has proven that getting in your opponent's head can benefit you when it comes time to fight.

Before his UFC 107 match-up against Cheick Kongo, he quipped about the Frenchman's lack of ground skills, and a few other barbs, which led to Kongo's anger heading into the fight in Memphis last December.

Mir reversed the situation on Kongo, dropping him with a big punch early and then putting him away with a guillotine choke on the ground. The former UFC champion admits that maybe it got into Kongo's head, but in reality he was just answering a question honestly and it shocked some people.

"Honestly it just kind of worked out that way. With Kongo I was being matter of fact about things," said Mir in an exclusive interview with MMAWeekly Radio. "I said his ground skills aren't that great, guys, and because the cameras are on, instead of just being like they aren't that great, they're not very good, really is it that far fetched to say that they're probably the worst in the UFC?

"I don't understand this whole mentality just because it's true doesn't mean you have to say it. I'm like, why not? I guess if I said it about someone's wife or their kids, that's kind of awful, but I'm saying it about another man who gets to lock himself in a cage with me and if he didn't like what I said, he gets to punch me in the face and try to fix it."

Putting the recent controversy about Brock Lesnar behind him, Mir is now 100-percent focused on Shane Carwin and their upcoming interim title fight on March 27 in Newark, N.J. With the fight just a month away is it too soon for Mir to pick at Carwin's weaknesses?

"In the Shane Carwin fight, honestly it's not that I'm down playing anything or not trying to get into his head. I'm looking for different angles and honestly to my disadvantage, he doesn't have a lot of fight time on footage. He stays pretty reserved, and in a lot of ways he's a likeable guy. He's a tough competitor. He keeps himself kind of on the straight path. There's really nothing bad for me to say about him," Mir commented.

Being honest has put Mir in the crosshairs of the media that scrutinize his words. He says that ultimately he's just telling it like it is, but he won't be a guy that will just make up something to stir up controversy.

The former UFC heavyweight champion will continue his camp in Las Vegas before breaking for two days to head out to Columbus, Ohio, to fulfill his commentary duties with the WEC next weekend. He will then get back to training for the interim title fight.

It's been a long time coming, but now it's official.

Dan Henderson and Jake Shields have agreed to meet in Strikeforce with the middleweight title on the line in April. Shields confirmed the bout when speaking to MMAWeekly Radio on Tuesday night.

"It's a go now. We finally worked it out a few days ago," he said about the fight with Henderson. "It's a done deal, it's been agreed upon by both parties as far as I know, and I think it's set to go."

As recently as six weeks ago when Shields left to help out as assistant coach on the eleventh season of “The Ultimate Fighter," a deal had still not been sealed for the fight to happen.

Now, both Shields and Henderson have a deal in place to put the two middleweights in the cage together in April, although according to the current Strikeforce champion, while a date and venue have been given to the fighters, the actual broadcast has yet to be determined.

"I have a date (and) venue, but they told me to hold that back," said Shields. "Hopefully CBS. I think it's CBS. There's a slight possibility of Showtime because they're still (working it out). I don't know the rest of the card or any of that yet. But me and Dan's on, and I'm hoping it's on CBS."

Shields admits that the waiting game was tough because contract negotiations are something that have to be done, but now it's all over and he's happy to fight again soon.

"I really wanted the fight, the fans really wanted it, so I knew it was going to happen," he commented. "There was a few little things holding it back, but luckily everything's been worked out and I'm just happy the fight's happening, and I want to go out there and put on an exciting fight."

Even though Shields will enter the fight as the Strikeforce middleweight champion, Henderson brings with him a wealth of experience, and a resume of impressive wins. If the betting odds come out placing Henderson as the favorite, it's nothing new to Shields, and he'll happily play the underdog.

"I always prefer to be the underdog. Dan's a great fighter, he doesn’t have a lot of holes in his game, but I think he does have a few, and I'm going to go out there and try to exploit them," stated Shields.

The fight will likely either headline or co-headline the card in April, depending on what happens with Fedor Emelianenko, who is also rumored for the same show. Stay tuned to MMAWeekly.com for more information on the upcoming Strikeforce card as it becomes available.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010 - by Damon Martin - MMAWeekly.com

As Bellator Fighting Championships readies to make its Season 2 debut in 2010, one of the marquee names on its roster happens to be lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez. The Philadelphia native was just announced as a headliner for an upcoming super fight in May against former UFC slugger Josh Neer at a catchweight of 160 pounds.

For the last few years, Alvarez has been splitting time living in the U.S. and fighting in Japan, but now it looks like his eyes are focused on fighting closer to home and promoting Bellator.

Speaking with MMAWeekly Radio recently, Alvarez talked about his deal with Dream and his future with Bellator.

"(Katsunori Kikuno) was my last fight with Dream under my contract. I'm still on very good terms with Dream. I love them guys over there, but my obligations are with Bellator now," said Alvarez. "I want to help build the brand of Bellator and now that they have a major network here in the United States, I'm excited about it."

Fighting more often in his home country is something Alvarez has longed for since breaking into Dream over the last few years. He was scheduled to compete for the EliteXC lightweight title in November 2008, but the promotion went belly up and he had to find a new home again.

With a third child on the way, he says it's important to be close to home and he's ready to let the American fans know what they've been missing.

"I'll be able to build myself here in the United States and showcase my talents to the American audience," Alvarez commented. "It's cool to go over to Japan and get the love I get, but this is where I live and I'd like to have my career here as well."

The former Bodog champion confirmed that the fight against Neer in May will be his next scheduled bout. About six weeks ago, Alvarez says he had minor surgery to repair a torn meniscus, but he's a week away from returning to full time training.

As for the fight with Neer, many fans were disgruntled to hear that the bout would be contested at a catchweight with Alvarez's lightweight title not being on the line. The champion says that falls back on his opponent, and he believes even if the fight had been at 155 pounds, the title wasn't set to be defended anyways.

"That was Josh. I fight at 155. I don't fight at catchweight or anything like that, but I'd rather be able to get a fight at 160, rather than stay at 155 and be stubborn and then not have no one to fight," Alvarez said. "They wanted to go to 160, and I wanted to fight.

"I didn't think they were going to make it a title fight anyway. That's the promotion's deal. I don't deal with that. I just tell them to get me guys to fight."

The Bellator lightweight champ will start his camp for the upcoming May fight soon in his hometown of Philadelphia, and looks forward to staying busy in 2010.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010 - by Jeff Cain - MMAWeekly.com

The last time the Ultimate Fighting Championship was in Brazil was Oct. 16, 1998, at the Portuguesa Gymnasium in Sao Paulo for UFC Brazil: Ultimate Brazil, also known as UFC 17.5.

The company at the time was owned by SEG and not yet purchased by Zuffa, LLC.

Pat Miletich defeated Mikey Burnett to obtain the first UFC welterweight title, Frank Shamrock defended his belt with a win over John Lober, Pedro Rizzo knocked out David “Tank” Abbot, and Vitor Belfort dispatched of Wanderlei Silva in just 44 seconds.

Fast-forward 12 years and the UFC plans to return to South America’s largest country, but it’s not because of mixed martial arts’ Brazilian roots.

“We were not looking at Brazil anytime soon, but because Brazil got the Olympics, now we’re seriously looking at Brazil,” UFC president Dana White said following UFC 110 when asked by Wanderlei Silva, who made his Octagon debut that October night in 1998.

“Yes, we’re probably going to Brazil very soon,” said White.

No timeframe has been set for when the Octagon will return to Brazil, but the promotion has ample fighters hailing from there to stack up the card, including middleweight titleholder Anderson Silva, light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida, and contenders Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Junior Dos Santos, Vitor Belfort, the Nogueira brothers, Demian Maia, and Wanderlei Silva, just to name a few.