Rampage Jackson: Wanderlei Silva is the ‘Chump Murderer’
(mmamania.com)“I think that if I fought Wanderlei Silva in the UFC I would have beat him. Wanderlei was the Chuck Liddell of Pride. If you were beating Wanderlei on the ground, the referee’s would stand you right up. It happened to me. It happened to other fighters that fought him…. Me and Silva don’t even talk to each other. Silva is the type of guy that thinks everyone should be afraid of him. The way I react around him is different. I am not afraid of Wanderlei Silva. They call him ‘The Axe Murder’ because he destroys people in his fights. They threw him chumps and he murdered them. Look at his record of guys he fought. This guy is ‘The Chump Murderer.’ I speak my mind around him and he looks at me all crazy like I shouldn’t be saying that. I think some of the referees took payoffs in Pride. In Japan, I promise you something was up.”
While a guest on the Opie and Anthony radio show, reigning UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson reflected on his two crushing losses to Wanderlei Silva while the two competed under the Pride FC banner overseas in Japan. It’s widely believed that Silva will drop down to middleweight after his upcoming fight with Keith Jardine at UFC 84: “Ill Will,” which would put a damper on seeing a third match up — this time inside the Octagon — anytime soon.
Rest of the stuff
Sonnen Ready to Tangle with WEC and UFC Champs
(mmajunkie.com)"I sent an email to (UFC and WEC matchmaker) Joe Silva when I thought I was competing with Paulo, and I just said 'Look, I'm going to beat up Paulo, and I'm going to call out Anderson,'" Sonnen said. "'Am I going to look like a fool, or does that interest you?' And he wrote me back pretty candidly, and said 'You're wasting your time. We're not going to inter-mingle the two promotions right now. You're not going to get to fight Anderson.'"
But with Zuffa seemingly holding true to its word to maintain the UFC and WEC as separate entities, Sonnen does not feel the door is closed on an eventual match-up with Silva. In fact, the soon-to-be 31-year-old Oregonian feels the bout is inevitable.
"My argument to Joe Silva was very simple," Sonnen reasoned. "I'm the only guy under Zuffa contract, one with the courage to fight (Silva) and two, with the physical ability to beat him. So, at some point, when all the guys under Zuffa contract find a million reasons not to get in there with him, and I'm the only guy for him, not only will I get in there with him, I want in there with him. They're going to have to make that match happen."
Billy Evangelista vs. Marlon Sims Strikeforce fight booked
(mmamania.com)The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 5 cast member and legendary (in his own mind) street brawler Marlon Sims (3-2) is set to return to action against super tough up-and-comer Billy Evangelista (5-0) in a 155-pound bout this weekend on the Strikeforce: “Shamrock vs. Cung Le” under card.
No major site is reporting this match up — not even ProElite.com or Strikeforce. However, Strikeforce Vice President Mike Afromowitz today confirmed the showdown with MMAmania.com.
Sims has had one fight since his backyard brawl with Noah Thomas on the set of TUF 5, losing to Pat Minihan via submission (rear naked choke) in December 2007. Evangelista, on the other hand, has been turning heads on the local Fresno, Calif., scene with his undefeated record and fantastic promise.
Don’t expect this one to go the distance.
Josh Koscheck re-signs with the UFC
(fiveouncesofpain.com)FiveOuncesOfPain.com has confirmed with sources close to negotiations between Josh Koscheck and the UFC that Koscheck has re-signed with the organization. Koscheck is coming off of a TKO victory over up-and-coming welterweight Dustin Hazelett at UFC 82. Details of the deal are not available at this time.
Tim Sylvia to Leave the UFC?
(bloodyelbow.com) It looks that way. Not only was there a message of a "huge announcement" coming on his website, but The Fight Network is reporting that Sylvia appears to be headed for (financially) greener pastures:
Two-time UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia could announce his decision to leave the Las Vegas-based promotion as early as Friday, according to a source close to the situation. Sylvia, who has one fight remaining on his current contract with the UFC, submitted to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in a bout for the interim heavyweight championship at UFC 81 in February.
Sylvia's departure could set the stage for a lucrative match with former Pride heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko later this year. Still widely regarded as the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Emelianenko's services are being sought by a number of potential suitors, including EliteXC.
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Roy Jones Jr. Wants Silva Fight; Dana White Not So Much
(cagepotato.com)Now that it’s clear both Silva and Jones want the fight, there’s just one question: What does the UFC think? Turns out, they’re not so crazy about it. Not yet, anyway.
“We’ve spoken about it,” Soares said. “At first, I think there was a lot of resistance. They don’t seem too into it, to be honest with you. We’ve heard from certain people that there’s just no way that this can happen. But never say never, you know.”
Recently the jokesters over at Bodog went ahead and handicapped the bout, despite the fact that it’s only talk at this point, and they pegged Jones as a heavy favorite with a -2800 line. Silva is going off at +1400, which is understandable since he’s never had a real pro boxing match and Jones, you know, has had a few.
Soares, who may well be biased, warns us against underestimating Silva.
“I think Anderson would be able to put up a good fight against Roy Jones. That’s my opinion. Maybe it’s unrealistic. When you talk to some people and read some of these threads, there’s people who swear up and down that it’s the stupidest thing to believe Anderson would do it, but I don’t know. Maybe I’m tainted. I’m not saying that Anderson’s going to go in there and knock him out, but I think Anderson is that skilled that he could make it a fight.”
Joe Lauzon: The Accidental Star
(cagepotato.com)What began as innocent play-acting between friends on a backyard trampoline evolved into an unlikely career for Joe Lauzon — an information technology specialist by trade, a mixed martial artist by choice. Never in his wildest dreams could Lauzon have envisioned the path he has taken.
“It happened by accident,” Lauzon says. “We’d been power bombing and choke slamming each other on a trampoline, and it eventually turned into a grappling match to see who could stop who. A couple of my friends started training in jiu-jitsu, and the next thing I know, I’m getting triangle choked every two minutes.”
His competitive interest piqued, Lauzon decided to train, too, and through that seemingly insignificant decision, the Brockton, Mass., native charted a new course.
“I was like, ‘enough of this,’ and I started training jiu-jitsu,” he says. “And when my friends started fighting, I started fighting. A couple of years ago, I never would have thought I’d be on a billboard in Times Square.”
Lauzon has covered great distance in a short time, emerging as a top prospect inside one of the UFC’s deepest divisions. He will tackle Kenny Florian in the main event at UFC Fight Night 13 next Wednesday, April 2 at the Broomfield Event Center in Broomfield, Colo. And right now, Lauzon’s stock has never been higher.
"Strikeforce on NBC" Officially Announced
(mmajunkie.com)
The series debut is set for Saturday, April 12 from 2-2:30 a.m. ET.
"Mixed martial arts has exploded onto the sports scene," stated Jerry Petry, Executive Vice President, NBC Universal Television. "Its athletes are tremendous competitors, and the sport is one of the fastest growing in the world. As a leader in this arena, Strikeforce will be able to deliver some of the finest and most intense action ever seen on broadcast TV."
The show will air in its weekly timeslot after NBC's popular late-night program, "Poker After Dark." Network executives say that it was a natural lead-in program since the core audience (18-34 year old males) is so similar.
As MMAjunkie.com first reported, "Strikeforce on NBC" will feature complete fights from the Strikeforce archives, as well as other highlights and event footage. Additionally, the program will be used to spotlight some of the organization's more popular fighters.
Quick little Dana White Interview
(fightopinion.com)Translated from Japanese
Here it is (in Japanese). I’ll keep the summary short, since most of what he told the interviewer is similar to other American interviews he has done.
* He ripped into the DREAM promotion, calling it minor-league and said that Mirko was tuning his game up in the minor league so that he could come back to the Octagon where the real competition is.
Fights for DREAM 2 tournament announced
(dreamofficial.com)Three fights for the upcoming first round of the DREAM Middleweight GP have been announced. In one fight Kazushi Sakuraba will face Brazilian born Kyokushin Karate fighter Andrews Nakahara. In the second two legends will collide as Kiyoshi Tamura takes on Masakatsu Funaki. In the last announced fight Pride veterans Denis Kang and Gegard Mousasi will meet.
Latest Frank Shamrock Interview
(fiveouncesofpain.com)With just less than 36 hours left until his Strikeforce middleweight title defense against Cung Le on Saturday in San Jose, defending champion Frank Shamrock was gracious enough to take time out and speak exclusively with ProElite.com (SamCaplan.ProElite.com). The transcription of that conversation is now available for your reading pleasure.
Frankie Edgar Interview
(app.com)Frank Edgar has gotten used to being asked when he is he going to get a shot at the championship in the Mixed Martial Arts Ultimate Fight Championships 155-pound weight class. "I'm definitely one of the players in the weight class,'' Edgar said. "It might depend on the outcome of this fight and a couple of other fights in the UFC. The 155-pound class is definitely one of the most stacked in the UFC.
Ultimate Fights Expand to Include Kids
(optimum.net)Ultimate fighting was once the sole domain of burly men who beat each other bloody in anything-goes brawls on pay-per-view TV.
But the sport often derided as "human cockfighting" is branching out.
The bare-knuckle fights are now attracting competitors as young as 6 whose parents treat the sport as casually as wrestling, Little League or soccer.
The changes were evident on a recent evening in southwest Missouri, where a team of several young boys and one girl grappled on gym mats in a converted garage.
Two members of the group called the "Garage Boys Fight Crew" touched their thin martial-arts gloves in a flash of sportsmanship before beginning a relentless exchange of sucker punches, body blows and swift kicks...
I for one am sick of ired of the media referring to MMA as Ultimate fighting. they call it MMA later on but it is getting redundant. also, it is funny how uneducated about the sport this journalist sounds. I for one think it is OK to train them as i train an 11 year old in MMA as long as it is supervised (teach a kids class). As for actually fighting i would say i would wait until 16+ to start because i agree that it is a little too dangerous for 11, 12 and 13 year olds participating in MMA matches however i am all for them training in it.
EliteXC,CSAC at odds over Diaz removal
(sherdog.com)
Nick Diaz (Pictures) will not fight Saturday night in San Jose, Calif., nor will he collect the $50,000 purse he was set to receive for his bout against South Korea's Jae Suk Lim (Pictures).
California State Athletic Commission executive officer Armando Garcia made that determination Wednesday.
Why? It depends on whom you ask.
"He did not turn in his medical information in time for the fight," said Garcia, confirming an MMAWeekly report that Diaz was removed from the Showtime-televised card. "They were just turned in today."
Cuban getting involved in Angle vs Couture
(http)Kurt Angle vs. Randy Couture Update: Mark Cuban Confirms They're Negotiating
Submitted by Michael Bluth on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 at 5:33 PM EST
TNA Champion Kurt Angle has said for years that he would like to get involved with Mixed Martial Arts. In a recent radio interview, Angle said he is currently training for a MMA fight with UFC Heavyweight champion Randy "The Natural" Couture. While Angle is known for making some outlandish statements, billionaire Mark Cuban has shed some new light on what would be one of the biggest MMA fights of the year.
Pat Smith's charges reduced cleared to fight
(http)More alterations have been made to YAMMA Pit Fighting’s debut card on April 11 at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, NJ.
FiveOuncesOfPain.com has confirmed with Nick Lembo, legal counsel for the New Jersey Athletic Control Board, that Maurice Smith has pulled out of the YAMMA Pit Fighting event due to illness. FiveOuncesOfPain.com announced yesterday that Maurice Smith was tapped as a replacement for Pat Smith after Smith’s legal troubles this past weekend.
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