Mixed Martial Arts

[SevenZeroFive]

Observation ko lang. Those fighters who came back to fighting after doing some showbiz stuff kadalasan natatalo. It's like a jinx or something. I hope that won't be the case for El Matador and also to Rampage.

 

Mostly because they're not training as much or they're not focused as much. Cung Le (Strikeforce Middleweight Champion) and Roger Huerta (UFC Lightweight fighter), both featured in the Tekken movie, haven't foight in almost 2 years. In Cung's case, it's because of his acting commitments. In Roger's case, aside from his acting commitments, he was renegotiating his contract. The layoff will most certainly affect them, as well as Rampage. Randy Couture proved that wrong by beating Tim "TIMMAH!!!" Sylvia and regaining the UFC Heavyweight strap after a year or so in retirement, but in most cases ring rust will affect anybody coming off months and months of not training. Ask Brandon Vera.

[JustSmile=)]

TUF 10 Preview

 

Man I'm so pumped for this season!

 

I'm not a Kimbo fan but he sure can earn a lot of respect if he wins a couple of fights against these monsters.

 

And if you're an MMA fan, you should be excited for this one as well.

 

But in the end, I believe "Big Country" Roy Nelson will take this one.

[ryujin6190]

‘Cro Cop’ Doesn’t Think Fedor is Afraid

 

Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic has no clue why Fedor Emelianenko signed with Strikeforce and decided against testing himself inside the UFC. Like much of the mixed martial arts community, the Russian’s decision left him scratching his head.

 

“I like Fedor as a fighter,” Filipovic said during a pre-fight conference call for UFC 103 on Tuesday. “As a man, I don’t want to insult Fedor, but I don’t understand his attitude. I really don’t understand why he doesn’t want to enter the UFC.”

 

Filipovic -- who will face Brazilian bomber Junior dos Santos in the UFC 103 co-main event on Sept. 19 in Dallas -- lost a unanimous decision to Emelianenko under the Pride Fighting Championships umbrella in 2005. A rematch now seems unlikely since the two heavyweights have opted to hang their hats in different organizations. Emelianenko signed with Strikeforce in August and will debut against undefeated Brett Rogers sometime this fall.

 

“Definitely, the UFC offered him the best possible deal, to pay him more than Dream can offer or Strikeforce can offer, but he’s just refusing to go there,” Filipovic said. “I don’t know why. I think he should take the challenge. I don’t think he’s afraid. Maybe he wants to keep his perfect record. Maybe he thinks the UFC is too tough. Why he’s not there, I don’t know.”

 

Other notes from the conference call included:

 

• Cro Cop sees dos Santos as “one of the young lions in the UFC.” The Brazilian wrecked Fabricio Werdum in his promotional debut and followed with a first-round stoppage against Stefan Struve. “It’s going to be a tough fight,” Filipovic said;

 

• Dos Santos, still somewhat of an unknown commodity in the heavyweight division, welcomed the opportunity to fight Filipovic with open arms. A decisive win could thrust the now world-ranked Brazilian into title contention. “I was very happy with the news. I like to fight the best,” dos Santos said;

 

• Filipovic, despite the fact that he turns 35 this week, maintains his interest in fighting more often. “It depends on injuries. If everything goes well, I expect to fight again before the new year, or at least by January,” he said;

 

• Cro Cop has changed his stance on training. Prior to his first foray into the UFC he disclosed, to the surprise of many, that he had not trained inside a cage. “I underestimated the cage. I feel much more comfortable. I train all the time in the cage,” he said;

 

• With sparring partner Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira entrenched ahead of him on the UFC totem pole, dos Santos claims to be in no rush to challenge for the title. Still, it remains one of his aspirations. “My goal, like any fighter, is to be at the top of the weight class. I’m not worried about that now. I’m not in a hurry to become the champion,” he said;

 

• Cro Cop did his best to avoid questions regarding the happenings after his UFC 99 victory against Mustapha al Turk. UFC President Dana White lashed out publicly at the Croatian heavyweight when it appeared he was spurning a deal with the Las Vegas-based promotion in favor of a return to the Dream organization in Japan. “I wanted to go to the only global organization today. I made my career in Japan, and I liked Pride more than anything, but those days are over. My place is to fight here. I was fair with Dana White. I was fair with Dream. I decided to take the UFC offer, and that’s it,” Filipovic said;

 

• Filipovic believes two straight wins inside the Octagon, starting with dos Santos, could earn him a title shot. However, he admits the depth of the heavyweight division has improved dramatically of late. “There are new fighters arriving, like Junior, like [Cain] Velasquez. It gets stronger every day. It’s going to be tougher and tougher to take the belt,” he said;

 

• Dos Santos conceded that a fight against someone with Filipovic’s reputation brings with it additional challenges. “Obviously, there’s added pressure fighting someone with a big name. I’ve learned to deal with that well,” he said.

[judy2three]

any news for brock lesnar??

[riceb0i]

it's gonna be Brock VS Carwin late this year or early next year i think boss

[anatoly]

can't wait for TUF 10

there's gonna be a lot of trash talking that's for sure hahaha

[judy2three]

it's gonna be Brock VS Carwin late this year or early next year i think boss

 

ahh ganun ba kala ko kasi si minotouro kalaban niya eh sayang

magaling pa naman si nugiera (spelling is wrong alam ko)

 

thanx

 

can anyone defeat brock???

[SevenZeroFive]

'Cro Cop' Doesn't Think Fedor is Afraid

 

...and Cro Cop speaks the truth, unfortunately.

 

can't wait for TUF 10

there's gonna be a lot of trash talking that's for sure hahaha

 

...and for good reason. This lineup is the most stacked since Season 5 with the lightweights & Penn & Pulver coaching. You have 4 former NFL players who are athletically gifted, 3 UFC veterans, former and final IFL Heavyweight Champion Roy Nelson, and Kimbo FREAKING Slice. Not to mention, Rampage & Rashad. This season's gonna be the best since Season 3 (Ortiz vs. Shamrock) and Season 4 (The Comeback).

 

can anyone defeat brock???

 

Of course, Brock can be beaten. It's only a matter of time. Somewhere out there, someone's gonna be much better than Brock will ever be. The question is, when will Brock be defeated. Shane Carwin might be the closest that's gonna happen, but it's hard to tell. Cain Velasquez, another possible option but still hard to tell. Kongo? Unlikely at this point. Cro Cop? Maybe.

[tamago]

Swick is now out of UFC 103 due to an injury

 

Kampmann will now face Paul Daley

[SevenZeroFive]

Swick is now out of UFC 103 due to an injury

 

Kampmann will now face Paul Daley

 

Swick got a concussion while rolling with Koscheck. Dropped Swick up his dome.

 

There goes the #1 contender's match, but Hitman's not getting off Easy. Semtex is a hot prospect, been tearing it up in the UK, and has pretty much the same style as Swick.

[anatoly]

i don't see kampman or swick as a threat to GSP's title unfortunately...so w/ swick going down it doesn't really make much of a diff apart from the fact that the UFC will be given ample time to find a true #1 contender.

it seems GSP has reached the 'leites/cote' part of his title reign

[anatoly]

Of course, Brock can be beaten. It's only a matter of time. Somewhere out there, someone's gonna be much better than Brock will ever be. The question is, when will Brock be defeated. Shane Carwin might be the closest that's gonna happen, but it's hard to tell. Cain Velasquez, another possible option but still hard to tell. Kongo? Unlikely at this point. Cro Cop? Maybe.

definitely carwin/velasquez and noguiera are the contenders for me. kongo's not worth mentioning since he got his butt handed to him quite easily by velasquez. and crocop's a fighter of the past. he needs maybe 2-3 more fights to get back into fighting shape. but i'm convinced he won't reach the form he was once in during his time at pride.

unfortunately the last emperor is in another org. he'd be my #1 pick to take out brock if he was in the UFC.

[King Nothing]

Anyone who knows the date of showing of TUF 10? I saw it at balls unfortunately I could not remember exactly...

[aldrinadj]

i don't see kampman or swick as a threat to GSP's title unfortunately...so w/ swick going down it doesn't really make much of a diff apart from the fact that the UFC will be given ample time to find a true #1 contender.

it seems GSP has reached the 'leites/cote' part of his title reign

 

swick is a threat. he's a good fighter.

[riceb0i]

Swick got a concussion while rolling with Koscheck. Dropped Swick up his dome.

 

There goes the #1 contender's match, but Hitman's not getting off Easy. Semtex is a hot prospect, been tearing it up in the UK, and has pretty much the same style as Swick.

yep and almost the same body type as Quick Swick

 

i don't see kampman or swick as a threat to GSP's title unfortunately...so w/ swick going down it doesn't really make much of a diff apart from the fact that the UFC will be given ample time to find a true #1 contender.

it seems GSP has reached the 'leites/cote' part of his title reign

i dunno boss Mike Swick ain't no pushover if you ask me, but yeah we can wait for Big Dog Almeida to get used to 170 and tear up the division until he runs into GSP

 

definitely carwin/velasquez and noguiera are the contenders for me. kongo's not worth mentioning since he got his butt handed to him quite easily by velasquez. and crocop's a fighter of the past. he needs maybe 2-3 more fights to get back into fighting shape. but i'm convinced he won't reach the form he was once in during his time at pride.

unfortunately the last emperor is in another org. he'd be my #1 pick to take out brock if he was in the UFC.

i'm really not sure about Cain Velasquez chief, he really had a hard time with Kongo as well, i won't really say that he got his butt handed to him by Cain as Cain was eating power shots one after the other he just got lucky with the takedowns and was able to recover, but i doubt if he can withstand dual lunchboxes attached to Brock's arms...

 

i really don't know why Junior Dos Santos' name is not mentioned as a contender? if he KOs Mirko then i'd say they'll say he's legit, but i'm rooting for CroCop in their fight. Mirko for Life!

 

swick is a threat. he's a good fighter.

yep, a damn good fighter if you ask me

[ryujin6190]

Belfort’s Secret Skill: Karate

 

LAS VEGAS -- Wide stance. A different scream before each attack. The Vitor Belfort I saw at Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts was different from the one I’ve followed since he was 15 years old.

 

After the training session, I met with one of his sparring partners, Jayme Sandall -- considered one of the best Shotokan Karate artists in Brazil, along with the Chinzo and Lyoto Machida. While Belfort showered, Sandall revealed that Yoshizo Machida was one of the former UFC light heavyweight champion’s trainers with the Brazilian national team and that he had become close friends with both the Machida brothers.

 

“Actually, Vitor has trained karate for a long time with Vinicius Antony, but he couldn’t stay here for one month before the fight, so he asked me to come and help Belfort,” Sandall said. “I’m really impressed by the way he learns fast. I’m sure people will be able to recognize some differences in his next fight.”

 

Sandall lost to Lyoto Machida in the final of a Brazilian national karate championship and believes the reigning light heavyweight king has spread his art through his rise to stardom in MMA.

 

“Lyoto and his brother, Chinzo, are definitely the best Shotokan fighters we have in Brazil, and the karate community is very happy that they are showing the world how good Shotokan Karate technique is,” Sandall said.

 

After a tough sparring session with Sandall and Xtreme Couture stablemate Ray Sefo, Belfort outlined the benefits of Shotokan Karate.

 

 

Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

 

 

Vitor Belfort“I trained karate in 2001 to fight Heath Herring,” said Belfort, who will face former middleweight champion Rich Franklin in the UFC 103 main event on Sept. 19 in Dallas. “People have a lot of respect for boxing and wrestling, but I’ve always had the vision of bringing things that are not being used in the sport, like I did with boxing. After that, I contacted Lyoto. We trained together a couple of times in Rio de Janeiro, and I felt his timing was from karate, so I started to get interested in karate again. Of course, I made some adaptations, as I combined karate with my boxing game. I’m adding a couple of nice things from Shotokan to my game.”

 

Though he maintains a residence in Brazil, Belfort bought a car and rented a house in Las Vegas, where he lives with Sandall.

 

“My idea is to have two bases,” Belfort said. “I keep my family in Rio, and when I have a fight scheduled, I will come to Vegas to train here at Xtreme Couture, which I consider the best place for a MMA fighter to be.”

 

Asked about what aspects of karate impressed him the most, Belfort gave no pause. “It keeps you relaxed all the time,” he said. “You never show what you are going to do; you always do what the opponent doesn’t expect. I should say that karate is the art of hit and not getting hit. What impressed me the most was the reaction time. Jayme is helping me a lot in our everyday training. That’s the interesting thing about MMA; you’re able to combine as many techniques as you can. There is no more of that representing only one art.”

 

Belfort maintains his edge in other aspects of MMA, too.

 

“Today, I’m pretty much focused on my karate training, but I’m also training my muay Thai and boxing with Shawn Tompkins, who is an amazing trainer,” he said. “Today, I should say that karate is the basis of my stand-up fighting, together with boxing.”

 

The 32-year-old Belfort promised an intense encounter with Franklin. He will carry a four-fight winning streak into his first UFC appearance in almost five years.

 

“It’s going to be a pretty much tactical fight,” he said. “No one can make mistakes, and I’m training hard to apply my karate, my boxing and my jiu-jitsu. It’s just about letting the techniques flow and hoping that everything works fine. I already consider myself a winner when I overcome the everyday training, which is the worst part. Franklin is a great fighter, and I truly hope we can make a good show in my return to UFC.”

[anatoly]

i dunno boss Mike Swick ain't no pushover if you ask me, but yeah we can wait for Big Dog Almeida to get used to 170 and tear up the division until he runs into GSP

yeah i know he's no pushover, but i'd like to see him take on a top welterweight first like alves/kos/fitch or maybe even matt hughes. let's face it, since he dropped down to welterweight he hasn't really fought any of the big names yet. so i believe doing so would reveal whether or not he's amongst the top fighters in the division.

 

i'm really not sure about Cain Velasquez chief, he really had a hard time with Kongo as well, i won't really say that he got his butt handed to him by Cain as Cain was eating power shots one after the other he just got lucky with the takedowns and was able to recover, but i doubt if he can withstand dual lunchboxes attached to Brock's arms...

yeah i know cain ate quite a few big shots, but i wouldn't say he was eating power shots one after the other. i wouldn't say he was lucky with the takedowns either, because he is a superb wrestler. so apart from those big punches he got hit with, he dominated the fight from start to finish in my opinion. kongo just had no answer to cain's superior wrestling. you can expect the cain camp to improve on his head movement to avoid such things happening again. who knows maybe he won't recover as quickly the next time he gets tagged lol

[anatoly]

Anyone who knows the date of showing of TUF 10? I saw it at balls unfortunately I could not remember exactly...

sep 22 if i remember correctly

[SevenZeroFive]

(re: Swick)

From what I've read on the various news sites that I go to Swick is lobbying for a fight with Hughes, and for good reason. Look at what happened to Thiago Alves. When he TKO'd Hughes he skyrocketed up the rankings to become #1 contender. If Swick defeats Hughes - and he will, trust me - he'll legitimize his stake atop the top 5 at 170. The only problem is, if he doesn't get the Hughes fight. Say Hughes gets a 3rd shot at Dennis Hallman, who does Swick fight? The only option that I can think of is Carlos Condit, provided he wins at UFN 19. He'll never fight Fitch or Koscheck since they are all teammates at AKA, unless Dana - or worse, Lorenzo Fertitta - gives him an ultimatum.

 

(re: Heavyweight Contenders)

I actually have a beef with the Lesnar - Carwin title fight. Shane hasn't fought elite competition yet, and the only reason he got the call is because of his beef with Lesnar. If I was Joe Silva, I would've strongly lobbied for Velasquez, even though he apparently has a suspect chin. Sure, Cain did dominate Kongo throughout their fight, but as far as striking is concerned, if Cain fought someone else - say, Frank Mir or Ben Rothwell, maybe Cro Cop - and he gets rocked, he'll get finished. The only saving grace for Cain was that Kongo wasn't fast enough to pounce on Cain when he got knocked down, and Kongo didn't know how to counter Cain's wrestling.

 

Let's let the Lesnar - Carwin fight pass, then let's talk about who should be next. Mir is hinting on Kongo as his next fight, but the populace is starting to ask for a rematch with Big Nog. The winner of Cro Cop - Cigano will skyrocket up the rankings, then we also have Cain fighting Rothwell at 104. And Anderson Silva is also hinting on going heavy.

 

(re: Belfort & Karate)

I agree with what Vitor said about the difference with karate. He's right in saying that karate as a base for striking is more relaxed, because when you look at kickboxers and muay players they look so intense, then when you look at Lyoto and his stance it's like he's just standing there. It's not like sport karate where you see the players bounce around, kinda like how taekwondo is. In full contact karate matches, like in Shotokan tournaments or others like the Sabaki Challenge, talagang full contact and they just stand still. No bouncing around like in sport karate, and that helps the fighters being balanced and relaxed.

 

The main difference for me is the preparation for the strikes. In kickboxing, boxing, and muay, especially if the fighter isn't a purebred striker (mainly a grappler who learned how to strike), punches and kicks are slightly easier to telegraph. Whereas in karate, from the stance itself, it requires little to no prep at all, and judging on how Lyoto strikes, it's even faster than Anderson's. So, combine the speed and unpredictability of karate with the aggression and power of either kickboxing, boxing, or muay thai, and you have a perfect striking skill set.

[kendimann]

ahh ganun ba kala ko kasi si minotouro kalaban niya eh sayang

magaling pa naman si nugiera (spelling is wrong alam ko)

 

i think nogueira will challange the winner of the brock vs. carwin fight

 

can anyone defeat brock???

 

indeed. his chin was never tested before. lets see his next fight since carwin is known for his KO abilities

[anatoly]

oh yeah that's right. i forgot that swick was teammates w/ those guys at AKA my bad. but yeah i agree w/ your point about matt hughes

 

i actually like the carwin-lesnar matchup. i mean yeah apart from gonzaga, carwin hasn't had a fight against a decent-caliber heavyweight but the fact that he's just as big and maybe just as athletic as brock makes not just for a great draw but also for a great fight. and by putting carwin against lesnar, that also keeps cain in title contention where he'll face the winner of carwin/brock assuming he wins his next fight.

brock actually had it the same way when he faced couture for the HW belt. and we all know brock didn't deserve such an early title shot. but business is business.

[El Chapo]

tagal naman i-announce main event ng UFC 105

[SevenZeroFive]

tagal naman i-announce main event ng UFC 105

 

Supposedly, it was Michael Bisping against Wanderlei Silva. That was scrapped because Silva had facial surgery. Instead, Bisping will face Denis Kang (32-11-1). Another confirmed matchup, and a more important matchup, is the "Outlaw" Dan Hardy - "Stungun" Dong Hyun Kim fight. Whoever wins will make some significant ripples on the 170 talent pool.

 

From the looks of what has been rumored for 105, they're gonna load the card - top to bottom - with UK talent, since the event's gonna be in Manchester. One rumor though that just popped up was a fight involving former #1 middleweight contender Dan Henderson. Originally, the rumors was that he's set to face new UFC signee Antonio Rogerio "Lil Nog" Noguiera (17-3-0), but Noguiera is now set to make his UFC debut against Luiz Arthur "Banha" Cane in 106. Now the rumors - and it's pretty close to being confirmed according to some news outlets - is that Hendo is set to face Nate Marquardt.

Edited September 12, 2009 by SevenZeroFive

[SevenZeroFive]

You want your day wrecked early? Read what Manny Pacquiao's boss Bob Arum has to say about MMA in general:

 

"For me, I look at the UFC audience and the boxing audience as being two different audiences entirely," Arum told Fanhouse's Ariel Helwani. "UFC are a bunch of skinhead white guys watching people in the ring who are also skinhead white guys."

 

When Helwani took offense at that characterization, stating that he covers MMA extensively and, as a Jew, was far from being a skinhead and wasn't covered in tattoos, Arum laughed and replied, "90% of the people in the audience wear tattoos. I don't care, that's up to them. But those are people who don't have any interest in boxing. They wouldn't."

 

Arum continued, "For me, and people like me, it is not something that they ever care to see. They've watched it, it's horrible, guys rolling around like homosexuals on the ground. It is not a sport that shows great great talent. The guys that throw punches can't throw punches to save their ass. When they land, they have no chin. These are not like boxers."

 

"These are good class guys who have built a terrific business but for me, MMA is garbage and junk," he said. "That's how I feel and for people in my generation, it's garbage and junk."

 

When Helmani pointed out that perhaps the differing opinions on the sport were a generational thing, Arum agreed that people of his generation aren't buying UFC pay-per-views, before adding, "Neither are the Mexicans. And the Filipinos. And the blacks."

 

First off, are any of you guys white? Are you guys skinheads? I'm not white, I'm with all of you guys who represent our version of Brown Pride. My hair's already grown to its normal status. And I LOVE mixed martial arts. Not just the UFC, the SPORT of mixed martial arts. He's being racist, and apparently he's very comfortable with it.

 

Second, I don't have an interest in boxing because of the s@%t Arum and his fellow douchebags pull on their events. Just ask Paulie Malignaggi. Click on the links and see how

and

(<- links right here), and here's Paulie talking about boxing's incurable death:

 

"I don't understand how Gale Van Hoy keeps getting jobs. ... Boxing has no f***ing integrity left. It's been happening for years. That's why this sport has no popularity left. That's why nobody watches this s**t, because every year, there are decisions like this and probably worse than this. ... People get f***ed constantly. Nobody watches boxing anymore because of s**t like this."

 

And, I don't have an interest in boxing, and Dana White says it best as to why I don't watch anymore:

 

"Boxing is doing it to you again," White said. "They're giving you the fight that you don't want. Nobody asked for this fight with Mayw eather and … what's his name? What's his name? Nobody even knows. Nobody in this room even knows who Floyd's fighting.

 

" … On that same night, on that UFC card, you guys can all tune in and you can watch not one fight, you guys can watch five great fights that night for ten dollars less than what Floyd wants you to pay to see him run around in circles, and lay on the ropes, and move around and not fight."

 

Third, calling MMA fans homosexual is already a slur, and you're supposed to be a top executive of a global brand? Way to go, Bobby Boy. You just buried boxing one feet deeper into its grave.

 

Fourth, calling the UFC "garbage" is irresponsible. Revenue-wise, they're up there. Frank Fertitta III (47 years old, Station Casinos CEO, Zuffa LLC co-owner), his brother Lorenzo (40 years old, Zuffa LLC co-owner, UFC Chairman & CEO), and Dana White (40 years old, Zuffa LLC co-owner and UFC President) raked in an estimated $250 million in 2008, and they only invested $2 million to complete the buyout from Robert Meyrowitz's Semaphore Entertainment Group. Imagine, from almost disappearing amidst increasing pressure to ban the sport, to raking in record numbers in PPV sales that's up there with World Wrestling Entertainment and the numerous boxing entities there is, for a measly $2 million? That's not garbage, Bobby Boy. That's sheer genius.

 

The numbers don't lie. Here's from Forbes.com and their article "Ultimate Cash Machine":

 

Price the Fertittas paid for UFC in 2001: $2 million

 

Value today: $1 billion-plus

 

UFC estimated 2008 sales: $250 million

 

UFC is estimated to control 90% of the mixed martial arts industry.

 

UFC pay-per-view buys in 2001: 145,000

 

UFC pay-per-view buys in 2007: 5.1 million

 

Lastly, what does he mean that the African-Americans, Mexicans, and Filipinos don't buy UFC PPV's? How does he know that? Doesn't he know that some of the elite fighters in the UFC roster, as well as Strikeforce and the other MMA promotions in the US, are either African-American or Hispanic? And we do have Pinoys fighting in MMA, like Brandon and Kerry Vera (UFC and Strikeforce, respectively), Philippe Nover, and Mark Munoz? The moment I read that, I had the answer right away as to why that is so. WE FILIPINOS GET THE UFC PAY-PER-VIEWS FOR FREE, YOU MORON. EVEN YOUR OWN PAY-PER-VIEWS, WE GET IT FOR FREE.

 

Bob Arum is an embarrassment to his company, the "sport" he represents, and to himself as an individual.

Edited September 12, 2009 by SevenZeroFive

[anatoly]

what the eff?! gee bob arum just ruined my beautiful sun morning...what an effing racist. boxing is great, its just sad that people like arum take away from the sport by saying crap like this. the boxing industry is all about money now. top competition has very little if not nothing to do with it now