October 1st, 2007
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Quoteworthy:
“I want to start everything from the beginning and win the most big belts that I can. I´ll give the maximum attention to my career and fight against the best athletes. I have this big wish of fighting against Quinton Jackson, I think it would be a great combat…. Then I´ll go to the superheavy category, this is my aim. “
– Former UFC “phenom” Vitor Belfort has his sights set on current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Rampage Jackson. The talented Brazilian is looking to get back in the mix as one of the best fighters in the sport. In the meantime, he has been approached by EliteXC to fight Robbie Lawler in a 185-pound title fight.
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FightNetwork.com has confirmed recent rumors that Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (30-4-1) and Cheick Kongo (11-3) will clash in a heavyweight bout at UFC 79 on December 29 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Earlier reports that Noguiera would face Frank Mir now appear to be completely erroneous.
Barring the possible signing of PRIDE FC champion, Fedor Emelianenko, in the next few months, the winner of the fight will more than likely earn the next crack at current titleholder, Randy Couture, in early 2008.
“Minotauro” is the former PRIDE FC division champion who made his Octagon debut with a decision win over Heath Herring at UFC 73: “Stacked” on July 7. He’s about as complete a fighter as it gets, boasting fantastic Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills and a sharp stand up game.
Kongo, on the other hand, is a devastating kickboxer. The Parisian does not perform well when the fight goes to the ground, which could mean big trouble against a talent like “Big Nog.”
“The French Sensation” earned a spot near the top of the heap with his recent decision win over Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 75: “Champion vs. Champion” last month. Kongo has a solid record in the UFC (5-1) since joining the organization in 2006.
UFC 79 features the 170-pound title fight between welterweight champion Matt Serra and Matt Hughes. BJ Penn is expected to fight either Sean Sherk or Joe Stevenson for the lightweight title. And Wanderlei Silva is expected to make his much anticipated return to the UFC on the New Year’s Eve weekend event.
Stay tuned for more updates … this card is turning out to be rock solid.
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Brian Knapp of The Fight Network is reporting that a heavyweight clash between Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Cheick Kongo is planned for UFC 79 on Dec. 29 in Las Vegas.
Nogueira made his UFC debut this past July at UFC 73 and defeated Heath Herring for the third time in his career. Meanwhile, Kongo is on a two fight win streak with his most recent victory being a sound unanimous decision over Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 75 in September.
It is believed that the winner of Kongo vs. Nogueira could be the next in line for a title shot against current UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture.
In addition to Kongo vs. Nogueira, all indications are that Matt Serra will make his first defense of the welterweight title in a match against Matt Hughes in one of the show’s main events.
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The Fight Network is reporting that its sources have indicated Sam Stout could return to the UFC as early as Nov. 17 and make an appearance at UFC 78 in Newark, NJ.
Stout, who has not fought since losing to Spencer Fisher at UFC Fight Night 10, has been trying to fight his way back onto a major show by keeping busy on regional shows. He boosted his stock with a first round TKO over Martin Grandmont for the fight promotion TKO at the Bell Centre this past Saturday in Montreal, Canada.
Stout’s inclusion on the UFC 78 card is far from official and no potential opponents were mentioned. However, it looks like the rivalry between Fisher (who is scheduled to fight Frankie Edgar at UFC 78) and Stout is inevitable to become a trilogy:
“Right after my last match with Spencer [Fisher], Dana [White] told me that if they ever have a problem finding an opponent for me they’ve always got Stout-Fisher III in their back pocket,” says Stout. “I’m hoping to be back in the Octagon some time before the end of the year.”
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Former UFC fighter Mark Homnick was victorious this past Saturday while fighting for the Canada-based fight promotion TKO at the Bell Centre in Montreal, reports The Fight Network.
Hominick broke a two-fight losing streak with a first round TKO over Ben Greer. According to TFN, the win could lead to a return to the WEC for Hominick with Alex Karalexis being discussed as a potential opponent.
TFN is also reporting that Hominick is planning to start training on a regular basis at Randy Couture’s Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas, NV.
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Next season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) will feature 16 middleweight fighters, which will provide the 185-pound division with some depth and perhaps some future stars.
Here’s a snip from BloodyElbow.com:
“UFC matchmaker Joe Silva made an appearance at the Combat Sports Challenge in Richmond, VA this past weekend where he announced to the crowd that the next season of The Ultimate Fighter will focus exclusively on the middleweight class. No further details are available at this time. However, if ultimately true, this would be a boon to a comparatively weak division.”
Middleweights who have participated on the mixed martial arts reality series have gone onto excel inside the Octagon — Diego Sanchez, Mike Swick, Josh Koscheck, Chris Leben, Kendall Grove and Ed Herman all spring to mind. Those fighters, however, were not all on the same season.
The new format now focuses on just one weight class. For example, TUF 5 showcased lightweights, while the current season, TUF 6, is set to award a six-figure contract to one 170-pound contestant.
With a handful of premier 185-pound fighters in the UFC stable right now, the talent from TUF 7 might be able to provide a much-needed spark for the division. In fact, it’s surprising the welterweight show came out before the middleweights.
There is no timetable for casting, filming and the debut of TUF 7 on Spike TV at this time. Early 2008 would seem to make the most sense — just stick around for more details.
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If a rival MMA promotion was thinking about making a run at IFL lightweight wunderkind Chris Horodecki, it appears they’ll have to wait until 2009. The Fight Network is quoting Horodecki as saying that the IFL has exercised its option to extend his contract for the 2008 season.
Horodecki is slated to return from a hand injury when he takes on Bart Palaszewski in the first round of the promotion’s portion of its light weight World Grand Prix on Nov. 3 in Chicago.
The IFL announced recently that they will be televising a hour of the event live on MyNetworkTV at 8 p.m. ET. Televised matches have yet to been officially announced but I’ve been assured that Palaszewski vs. Horodecki II is a virtual lock to be shown.
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According to Fightlinker, Tito Ortiz made an appearance at Little Creek Casino in Shelton, WA this past weekend and got on the microphone to tell everyone that his next fight is against either Rashad Evans or Wanderlei Silva.
A fight against Wanderlei Silva doesn’t make a whole lot of sense right now, so I’m assuming it’s Tito doing what he does best: talking shit.
At this point, you can’t take anything that comes out of Tito’s mouth all that seriously. My guess is this will remain a rumor and nothing more. The UFC has unsettled business to finish between Ortiz and Evans and I just don’t see them putting Ortiz into a matchup with someone like Wanderlei Silva until he gets past Evans.
On the contrary, however, a matchup between Ortiz and Silva would be a interesting rematch from a previous fight in the UFC where Ortiz came out on top. Like I said, if Ortiz gets past Evans, look for someone like Wanderlei to be his next opponent.
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Sherdog.com is reporting that Yoshihiro Akiyama and Denis Kang have been scheduled for K-1 HERO’s next card on Oct. 28. The card is slated to take place in Seoul, South Korea at the Jang Chung Gymnasium.
This will be Akiyama’s first fight since a 10-month suspension after being accused of applying an excessive amount of moisturizer to his body prior to his match against Kazushi Sakuraba last Dec. 31.
For Kang, who is half-Korean, it will mark his first match under the K-1 HERO’s banner.
Opponents for both Kang and Akiyama have yet to be named.
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There’s yet even more news stemming from Gary Herman’s latest column on 15rounds.com. The article features quotes from Renato “Babalu” Sobral in regard to his recent signing with the San Jose-based promotion Strikeforce.
According to Sobral, not only will he be fighting for Strikeforce but Kevin Randleman and Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos are headed to the promotion as well:
According to Sobral, two other fighters headed to Strikeforce are Kevin “Monster” Randleman and Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos. Sobral has his sights set on both of the former Pride Fighting Championship competitors.
“I’d like to fight both Randleman and Cyborg,” Sobral said.
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