June 2009 MMA News Archive - Page 2

Jon Jones is long removed from his days as a YouTube warrior; mining the Internet for instructional clips he could incorporate into his arsenal. One of his favorite concepts from his wrestling days was misdirection – fake one way and go another. Keep your opponent off-balance. Be unpredictable. ....... ....... “I feel like I have a little momentum going on, but I try not to focus on the past,” he said. “Muhammed Ali says you give different strokes for different folks. So I just focus on Jake O’Brien and I take it one match at a time. Right now, O’Brien is my title fight, and all my energy and focus on him.”

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In the 13 months since his last fight, Tito Ortiz has said more times than I can count that he's close to signing a new contract to return to MMA with another organization. So take this with a grain of salt: Ortiz claims he's close to a new deal with Strikeforce, and he's already targeting an October return to fight Renato "Babalu" Sobral. He also says he has his eyes on a future fight with Fedor Emelianenko, and he says he won't return to the UFC as long as Dana White runs the company.

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by John Morgan on Jun 27, 2009 at 10:10 am ET While the California-based Strikeforce organization is set to promote the most heavily anticipated bout in women's MMA history when highly marketed former EliteXC stars Gina Carano (7-0) and Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos (7-1) meet in the main event of the Aug. 15 event "Carano vs. Cyborg," the company is not stopping its commitment to the women's game there. MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has learned that fellow top female 145-pound fighter Erin Toughill (10-2-1) will appear on the evening's card against an as-yet-undetermined opponent. "Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg" takes place Aug. 15 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Tickets are currently on sale for the Showtime-broadcast event. While Carano and Santos have long been considered by many as the top two fighters in the featherweight division, many MMA observers believe Toughill is also in the top five, if not the top three. Toughill boxed professionally between 2000 and 2006, while also competing in mixed martial arts. The 32-year-old then took a brief hiatus from both sports and competed on "American Gladiators" as the gladiator "Steel." Toughill is 3-0 since her November 2008 return to action. All three wins came in the Palace Fighting Championship, including a May decision over the previously undefeated Emily Thompson. Five of Toughill's 10 wins have come by knockout or TKO. With a win on the card, Toughill could quickly prove a contender for the Strikeforce's 145-pound belt, a title that will be first granted to the winner of the Carano vs. Santos bout. Strikeforce Director of Communications Mike Afromowitz told MMAjunkie.com he was excited to have Toughill involved with the organization. "Erin brings a great deal of experience to the cage, and she's very strong," Afromowitz said. "She's been in the game for a while, and she's certainly earned the right to be recognized as one of the best fighters in the women's featherweight division. "Erin is definitely a great addition to our organization, and we're excited to bring her into Strikeforce on the same night we award our first-ever women's title to either Gina Carano or Cristiane 'Cyborg' Santos." For complete coverage of "Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg", stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com. John Morgan is the lead staff reporter for MMAjunkie.com

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The City of Pensacola is proud to Present a Key to the City to Wanderlei Silva, Middleweight Pride Champion and UFC Fighter on Thursday, July 16th 2009. The Mayor, Mike Wiggins, will be presenting the Key to Wanderlei at Paradise Gardens during Coffee with the Mayor, 508 W Gregory Street, Pensacola. Later that day, Mr.Silva will be giving a speech to At Risk Teens and a street party in his honor will follow. He projects a positive influence with his life story and his determination to overcome the many obstacles that he has confronted. He is a true role model and a true warrior and great spokesman for teens all over the world. Because of his dedication to inspire the many teens that face difficult challenges Mr. Silva generously donates his time to make a positive impact on teens from all walks of life.

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Javier Vazquez will make his anticipated return to mixed martial arts competition on Saturday but not against UFC veteran Din Thomas. Just hours before their scheduled featherweight bout, the Vazquez camp confirmed that Thomas bowed out of the match at Fight Force International “Ultimate Chaos” at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Miss. Vazquez, who announced his retirement following a 2007 submission victory against JC Pennington, will instead lock horns with Mark Kergosien, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu stylist anchored in Mississippi. “Din pulled out,” said Romie Aram, a UFC veteran and one of the founders of the Millennia Mixed Martial Arts Training Center, where Vazquez trains. “He had issues making weight and got himself sick.”

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The Limp Bizkit concert scheduled for UFC 100 weekend at the Mandalay Bay Beach in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Friday, July 10, has been cancelled, according to Ticketmaster.com. No reason was provided for the scratch; however, the “rap-metal pioneers” have not performed a concert in North America in more than eight years and were re-uniting this year for its “Unicorns N’ Rainbows” tour.

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“I try to tell the truth and use a little humor to talk about how I really feel. Like if I think you’re a [expletive] idiot, I’ll try to tell you in a funny way. I’m kind of kidding, but there’s also some truth to it…. I’m probably going to get hurt, if not die. This guy knows how to fight. The good news is, if I die, this book will sell a lot more copies and be worth more.”

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Brock Lesnar will fight Frank Mir in the main event at UFC 100 in a contest that could establish Lesnar as not only the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion but also the undisputed biggest star in UFC history. But one longtime MMA star, Dan Henderson, thinks Lesnar has been pushed to the forefront too quickly.

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Main Card Bouts: • Bobby Lashley (255.4) vs. Bob Sapp (322.2) • Pedro Rizzo (243.6) vs. Gilbert Yvel (237) • Din Thomas (146.6) vs. Javier Vazquez (144.8) • Chris Horodecki (155) vs. William Sriyapai (154.8) • Brett Cooper (169.2) vs. Waachiim Spiritwolf (168.4) • Tom Atencio (160.4) vs. Randy Hedderick (159) Preliminary Bouts: • Danny Abbadi (174.6) vs. James Orso (173.2) • Eric Bradley (170.4) vs. Kelly Leo (168.4) • Colin McKee (174.2) vs. Lance Thompson (172) • Eric Graham (159) vs. Drew Wallace (159) • Greg Maher (265.2) vs. Rocky Overstreet (253.4)

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Wanderlei Silva expects to be offered a rematch with Vitor Belfort if the UFC signs the Brazilian middleweight. Silva - a Brazilian middleweight himself - fought Belfort at UFC Ultimate Brazil back in 1998. Belfort stopped him in 44 seconds with a lightning fast series of punches that ran Silva backwards across the Octagon. “That sequence of punches... I don’t know whether that was technique or anxiety. Many people told me he was dying of fear to face me so that must have been anxiety [that drove him]," he told Brazil's Sensei Sport TV.

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It might just be time for mixed martial arts fans to mark July 11 completely off their calendars. Spike TV today announced it will air a five-hour marathon of the upcoming series "UFC's Ultimate 100: Greatest Fights" prior to the July 11 pay-per-view start of UFC 100, which takes place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The series, which will count down the bouts fans select as the top 100 UFC fights of all-time, debuts July 5 on Spike TV at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

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UFC submission aces Rousimar Palhares (9-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) and Thiago Tavares (14-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) will eye fall returns to action after being forced to withdraw from summer bouts due to injury. An elbow injury forced Tavares out of his The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale bout with Melvin Guillard, while Palhares had been scheduled to face Alessio Sakara at UFC 101 in August before a broken leg forced the middleweight out of the contest. Alex Davis, manager for both Palhares and Tavares, today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) both are progressing on schedule in their recoveries and will eye fall bouts in the UFC.

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Unlike some states, Washington apparently issues all competitors a minimum one-week suspension. Paperwork was void of any details of each fighter's particular ailment, though suspension dates are listed below. * Joey Villasenor: Suspended indefinitely, doctor's clearance needed * Evangelista Cyborg: Suspended until July 19 * Tim Kennedy: Suspended until June 26 * Nick Thompson: Suspended until June 26 * Jorge Gurgel: Suspended indefinitely, doctor's clearance needed * Conor Heun: Suspended indefinitely, doctor's clearance needed * Sarah Kaufman: Suspended until June 26 * Shayna Baszler: Suspended until June 26 * Luke Rockhold: Suspended until June 26 * Corey Devela: Suspended until June 26 * Dennis Hallman: Suspended until June 26 * Justin Davis: Suspended until June 26 * Brian Caraway: Suspended until June 26 * Alex Zuniga: Suspended until June 26 * Lyle Beerbohm: Suspended until June 26 * Duane Ludwig: Suspended until June 26 * Landon Showalter: Suspended until June 26 * George Stork: Suspended until July 19 * Len Bentley: Suspended until June 26 * Marques Daniels: Suspended until July 19 * Steve Hadsel: Suspended until June 26 * Taylor Roberts: Suspended until Aug. 18

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The list of official salaries includes: Joey Villasenor: $48,000 def. Evangelista Cyborg: $10,000 Tim Kennedy: $20,000 def. Nick Thompson: $15,000 Jorge Gurgel: $20,000 def. Conor Heun: $4,000 Sarah Kaufman: $8,000 def. Shayna Baszler: $8,000 Luke Rockhold: $7,000 def. Corey Devela: $7,500 Dennis Hallman: $10,000 def. Justin Davis: $2,000 Brian Caraway: $6,000 def. Alex Zuniga: $1,000 Lyle Beerbohm: $6,000 def. Duane Ludwig: $15,000 Landon Showalter: $3,000 def. George Stork: $1000 Len Bentley: $1,500 def. Marques Daniels: $1,500 Steve Hadsel: $3,000 def. Taylor Roberts: $1,000

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The inaugural British Association of Mixed Martial Arts rolls into view Saturday night and C’he Mills for one can’t wait to get the event underway. “It’s the first show, but from what has been said so far it sounds good. I am just looking forward to getting in there,” explained the Gloucester based fighter, adding, “I fought three weeks ago as a warm-up in a local Somerset show. I won that, but now I am looking forward to the fight this weekend.” He faces Edgelson Lua in his first BAMMA bout.

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Why? Because the man himself, Royce Gracie, says so. Both these UFC Champions have come under fire for "elusive" fights that end without them getting hit and are perceived as boring, but Gracie says their winning iwthout taking damage is the perfect strategy for winning fights.

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When Jon Jones was a kid, he frequently was the first player chosen in pickup basketball games. By his own admission, though, that was a mistake. Jones is no basketball player. With brothers Arthur and Chandler starring on the Syracuse University football team, he often was expected to be a star wide receiver or running back. But Jones chuckles and admits he's lucky if he can catch one of every three balls thrown his way.

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While it's not the most sensational MMA legal case this week, Kazuo Misaki has avoided jail time by pleading guilty to obstruction of justice in relation to a March traffic incident.

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Bob Sapp is fighting stateside in just a few days. It's good to see "The Beast" back. But don't be shocked if you see a smaller Sapp against pro wrestler Bobby Lashley on Saturday at Ultimate Chaos in Biloxi, Miss. After years of fighting in the 350-380 pound range, he's down to 320. It's a necessary move. Sapp's gas tank has always been shaky plus he's 35 years old now. All good reasons to trim weight plus when you break a toilet, you're too big.

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“[Bobby Lashley is] looking for a train wreck. I’m the train that’s going to wreck him. He’s expecting me to go three rounds … no. I’m going to knock him out. He’s looking for me? He’ll see me after I knock him out and he’s laying there looking up at me. Everybody’s going to see what ‘Ultimate Chaos’ means … me and Bobby Lashley.”

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