September 24th, 2007
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The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) today retained the $25,000 win bonus it initially withheld from Renato “Babalu” Sobral after his controversial submission win over David Heath at UFC 74: “Respect” on August 25.
Even though the decision hit the Brazilian hard in the checkbook, his decision to hold onto a choke well after Heath tapped and the referee attempted to peel him off did not warrant a suspension.
Babalu did take home $25,000 for his final appearance (for now) in the Octagon despite the fine.
The lack of suspension is good news for the mixed martial arts veteran, considering the UFC released him from his contract shortly after the incident.
Babalu is now a free agent and is allowed to fight in other organizations, which should not be too hard once the dust settles.
For more on this situation hit up our Babalu archive.
Written by admin on September 24th, 2007 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on UFC Lightweight Division and David Heath and UFC 74 and Renato "Babalu" Sobral and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and MMA.
The IFL has called a press conference for tomorrow at 4 p.m. ET to make several announcements. FiveOuncesOfPain.com has learned that one of those announcements will be pertaining to a TV deal to broadcast IFL events live.
Also, the IFL cut several fighters with poor records from this past season and the league will be looking for replacements. This site has also learned that the IFL will be teaming with LA Boxing and holding open tryouts in three cities this October in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. So if you’re a fighter looking for a steady gig, hit the gym and get ready to buy a plane ticket.
So let’s see… a live TV deal and the addition of Jay Larkin president? A lot of people keep telling me the IFL is going to fold but it sounds like they still have plenty of life left.
Check out more IFL content on 5 Oz of Pain.
Written by admin on September 24th, 2007 with comments disabled.
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You know what I love so much about covering MMA? There’s never a shortage of news to cover. Here are some stories that are being reported around the ‘Net:
- Loretta Hunt from The Fight Network spoke with John Hackleman, the trainer for Chuck Liddell, who says he’s unaware of any retirement talk. In fact, he not only claims Liddell told him he’ll be back in the gym next Monday, but didn’t rule out a December fight for Liddell:
“He’s already said he’ll be back in the gym next Monday,” said Hackleman, who has coached Liddell for 16 years. “He’s going to fight again, hopefully as soon as possible, maybe in December. We’re looking at ‘Shogun.’”
- It was revealed during the UFC 76 post-fight press conference that Quinton “Rampage” Jackson’s hand injury worsened during his UFC 75 title defense against Dan Henderson and that he’s unlikely to fight again in 2007. It doesn’t look like the UFC can fall back on a Forrest Griffin vs. Rampage UFC light heavyweight title match for UFC 79 on Dec. 29.
- According to John Pollock of The Fight Network, Karo Parisyan has confirmed he’ll be fighting Judoka standout Hector Lombard at UFC 78 in Newark, NJ.
- MMAJunkie.com broke the news that Dean Lister’s opponent at UFC 79 on Dec. 29 could very well be Jordan Radev, the dude who got wrecked by Drew McFedries at UFN 10.
- UFCDaily.com is reporting that Doug Evans will be fighting in a preliminary match on the UFC 79 undercard on Dec. 29.
- According to this week’s print edition of The Wrestling Observer, BodogFIGHT welterweight champion Nick Thompson is having contract issues with the company. He’s one of the most underrated fighters in the world right now (right up there with Jon Fitch) and would be a tremendous addition to any fight promotion’s talent roster.
- In case you missed it, Ricco Rodriguez confirmed on Inside the Cage Radio with Matt Cava and I this past weekend that he’s still under contract to EliteXC (although a debut match has not been scheduled) and that he plans to continue to fight at heavyweight for the time being. His ultimate goal in the next year is to fight at light heavyweight and he also challenged former friend Tito Ortiz to a catch weight fight at 225 lbs.
- In a previous interview with me for CBSSports.com earlier in the year, Joe “Diesel” Riggs claimed he was transferred from the WEC to the UFC per his request. During Inside the Cage, he indicated that was not actually the case and that the idea was actually pushed on him by Zuffa. Riggs has signed what he believes is a five fight contract with Strikeforce and he’ll make his debut for the promotion this Saturday at the Playboy Mansion against 41-year old Eugene Jackson. It’s a non-exclusive deal but he needs to get permission from Strikeforce to fight outside of it (hey, how about Riggs vs. Nick Diaz II?). Riggs also confirmed there’s a chance he could fight Cung Le if he beats Jackson but said that while he wouldn’t mind fighting Le, he’d love to fight Frank Shamrock.
- I came across this interview via a story on MMANews.com, but in an interview with IronLife.com, Pride lightweight Joachim Hansen indicated he is still technically under contract to Zuffa through the Pride acquisition but there are no immediate plans to fight for the company. It appears they don’t want to use him under his existing deal, and wanted to re-negotiate his contract for less money:
They offered me a fight some months ago – I wasn’t sure if they had bought Pride for what the hell was going on. They offered me a fight against Marcus Aurelio, they offered me half the salary of what I got in Pride. Obviously at the time they had already bought Pride, in my opinion they also bought my contract, so how can they offer me half the salary?
- According to The Fight Network, NSAC officially decided not too suspend Renato “Babalu” Sobral following his extended choke on David Heath following their match at UFC 74 on Aug. 25. However, he will not receive the $25,000 win bonus that the commission decided to withhold, which means he’s been fined $25,000 in essence. All because a guy called him a mother fucker?
- According to MMAjunkie.com, Jake O’Brien, who underwent what what considered at the time to be possible career-ending back surgery, will resume training next year.
Written by admin on September 24th, 2007 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Joachim Hansen and Inside the Cage Radio and Xtreme Couture and Eugene Jackson and Cung Le and Hector Lombard and Ricco Rodriguez and Joe Riggs and Chuck Liddell and UFC and Quinton Jackson and UFC 76 and Renato Sobral and WEC and MMA.
“He’s [Chuck Liddell] already said he’ll be back in the gym next Monday. He’s going to fight again, hopefully as soon as possible, maybe in December. We’re looking at ‘Shogun.’ … Chuck will face anyone they put in front of him… You’re dealing with a guy that just lost a fight, is totally depressed right after a humungous loss. Of course, he’s disappointed. We didn’t get into details about the fight, especially after a loss, because that’s not the time you want to talk about it. We usually talk about it when we get back in the gym.”
– John Hackleman — the long-time trainer for former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell — clears up all the retirement talk with FightNetwork.com and even mentions a possible opponent, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Liddell and Shogun were both upset over the weekend in their respective bouts. In the post-fight UFC 76 press conference, UFC President Dana White also mentioned that Liddell-Shogun was a possibility.
Written by admin on September 24th, 2007 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on UFC Light Heavyweight Division and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and UFC Quick Quotes and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Chuck Liddell and MMA.
Here’s the latest on the UFC 78 card:
- Tito Ortiz vs. Rashad Evans
- Karo Parisyan vs. Hector Lombard
- Frank Edgar vs. Spencer Fisher
- Ed Herman vs. Dave Terrell
- Joe Lauzon vs. Jason Reinhardt
- Tamdan McCrory vs. Akihiro Gono
We’ll keep updating as fights get signed…
Check out more UFC 78 content on 5 Oz. of Pain.
Written by admin on September 24th, 2007 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Frank Edgar and UFC 78 and David Terrell and Karo Parisyan and Rashad Evans and Spencer Fisher and Tito Ortiz and MMA.
Top welterweight contender Karo Parisyan (17-4) will fight UFC newcomer Hector Lombard (11-2-1) at UFC 78 on November 17 in Newark, New Jersey.
Rumors have swirled for sometime now that the two accomplished Judo-based fighters would clash; however, FightNetwork.com appears to be the first reliable source to confirm the 170-pound tilt.
Parisyan is on a two-fight win streak and has been victorious in seven out of his last eight bouts dating all the way back to 2004. “The Heat” most recently defeated Josh Burkman via unanimous decision at UFC 71 in May.
The Armenian-born Judo specialist has been clamoring for a title shot since he missed his chance against Matt Hughes in 2005 because of an injury sustained during training. However, Matt Hughes and Georges St. Pierre are already lined up in front of Parisyan, meaning he won’t get his crack at 170-pound glory until mid 2008 at the earliest.
Lombard will make his Octagon debut, hoping that his vast experience fighting overseas can be enough to topple a veteran who will be making his tenth appearance within the eight-sided cage.
The Cuban has appeared twice under the PRIDE FC banner (his only losses) in Japan, as well as with the DEEP organization also in “The Land of the Rising Sun.” Lombard — a Judo specialist and Olympian — has been successfull of late throughout Australia where he now lives and competes.
For the latest UFC 78 fight card from the Prudential Arena in Newark, N.J., click here.
(Note: It appears the the rumored bout between Parisyan and Hayato “Mach” Sakurai did not work out.)
Written by admin on September 24th, 2007 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on UFC 78 and Hector Lombard and UFC Welterweight Division and Karo Parisyan and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and MMA.
Fresh off his decision loss to Keith Jardine, former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell is scheduled to square off against Mike Nickels of “The Ultimate Fighter” fame at UFC 80. Mike Nickels has defeated such notables as Noah Inhofer, Carpacio Owens, and Wes Combs before losing by RNC to Stephan Bonnar at UFC 73.
Ok, maybe not. This post is fabricated horseshit, Chuck Liddell is not fighting Mike Nickels (as far as I know), but the idea is just as stupid as Joe Silva and Dana White’s decision to have Liddell fight Keith Jardine in the first place. Be sure to sign up on the new UFC Forums and discuss anything you want!
Written by admin on September 24th, 2007 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Dana White and Chuck Liddell and UFC and MMA.
Props: 77.UFC.com
(Note: Site is not complete with fighter interviews, etc. but has the trailer and a slick design. Check it out when you can.)
Written by admin on September 24th, 2007 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on UFC 77 and UFC Pay Per View (PPV) Events and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and MMA.
BJ Penn has been bumped from the UFC 78 card in Newark, N.J., on November 17 and will instead fight at UFC 79 on December 29 in Las Vegas, Nevada, according to FightNetwork.com.
Here’s the snip:
“… it appeared that Penn has been patiently awaiting a new opponent for Nov. in the interim, the popular Hawaiian’s camp has confirmed their leader is now preparing for a Dec. 29 match-up at UFC 79….”
The reason for the switch has everything to do with the uncertainty involving the status of the lightweight title. Current champion, Sean Sherk, was penciled in to defend the 155-pound crown against Penn; however, Sherk tested positive for steroids after his win over Hermes Franca at UFC 73 in July.
“The Muscle Shark” is scheduled to appeal the finding before the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) on October 31 — little more than two weeks prior to the Newark event.
Put simply, the UFC can’t promote a show for which it has no main event set in such a short amount of time.
Therefore, Penn will fight for the title one month later on New Year’s Eve weekend against Sherk, or he will face Joe Stevenson for the vacant strap if the Sherk ruling is upheld and he is stripped of the title.
Here’s a snip from “Daddy:”
“I was told I was definitely fighting in December or January. I think there’s a strong possibility I’ll face B.J. Penn.”
That means that two championships will be on the line on December 29 — UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Serra takes on Matt Hughes in the main event of the evening. However, the recent news means that UFC 78 is now void of championship main event.
So can the potential rematch between Tito Ortiz and Rashad Evans slated for the newly-built Prudential Arena be a big enough draw?
You tell us. In the meantime check out the latest UFC 78 fight card right here.
Written by admin on September 24th, 2007 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Joe Stevenson and UFC 78 and UFC 79 and Sean Sherk and UFC Lightweight Division and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and BJ Penn and UFC Pay Per View (PPV) Events and MMA.
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