March 27th, 2008
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Quoteworthy:
“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.
(Thanks to MMAmania.com reader “john” for the assist.)
Written by admin on March 27th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Wanderlei Silva and UFC Light Heavyweight Division and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and MMA.
(Hint: None of the quotes were from this guy.)
From today’s notable quotes, who said…
A) To look out for the “purple nurple” in his next fight?
B) That he wants to fight Dana White?
C) “It’s like if you have a Ferrari and a police officer gives you a speeding ticket before you turn the key.”
D) “I’m definitely one of the players in the weight class. 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.”
E) “I heard Kimbo Slice is calling me out. Hold on, Dawg, you aren’t even in my weight class! You don’t even fight in my organization!”
F) “My balls itch.”
(more…)
Written by admin on March 27th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Rampage and Frankie Edgar and quotes and General and Funny Shit and Kimbo and Frank Shamrock and Gary Shaw and MMA.
As expected, Strikeforce and NBC have struck a deal to air a weekly half-hour long mixed martial arts series dubbed “Strikeforce on NBC” on late night network television, beginning on April 12 at 2 a.m. ET.
Here’s a snip from Strikeforce Chief Executive Officer Scott Coker:
“It’s truly an honor to have the opportunity to bring the Strikeforce mixed martial arts product to one of the longest-standing and most well-respected national television platforms. NBC has a history of popular late Saturday TV and in the 80’s NBC’s ‘Saturday Night’s Main Event’ show helped catapult the popularity of professional wrestling. Strikeforce is looking to follow in suit and establish a legacy of its own on the network.”
According the release, “Strikeforce on NBC” will follow “Poker After Dark,” hitting a demographic (18 to 34-year-old males) that dovetails with its current target audience.
Episodes will be prerecorded and showcase some of the top fighters, fights and storylines of the San Jose, Calif.-based promotion. For example, the premiere episode is expected to shine the spotlight on Cung Le, airing his fight against Brian Warren, as well as providing a profile on the popular San Shou fighter-turned mixed martial artist.
This is big news for Strikeforce, which has only been promoting professional MMA bouts for little more than two years. However, the quality of the fights and fighters are solid.
And exposure on network television — regardless of the time slot — means that bigger and better things more than likely loom on the horizon.
Written by admin on March 27th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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(Cung Le to appear on The Peacock soon.)
MMA continues to penetrate the media, what with “Iron Ring” on BET, Spike TV’s UFC broadcasts, CBS agreeing to air EliteXC shows, Frankie on Kimmel tomorrow, and now the official announcement of the NBC/Strikeforce marriage. We dropped details for it a while back, but now the official announcement has been made.
From the press release:
In a major step for the fastest-growing sport around the globe, NBC has partnered with world championship promotion company Strikeforce to be the first to premiere a weekly mixed martial arts cage fight series on broadcast television. “Strikeforce on NBC” will premiere the night of April 12 from 2-2:30 a.m. ET on NBC.
“Strikeforce on NBC” will air immediately following NBC’s hit poker tournament series, “Poker After Dark” (1-2 a.m. ET/check local listings), the core audience of which — 18-34 year old males — matches that of mixed martial arts.
Each episode of the hard-hitting series will feature Strikeforce mixed martial arts fights and highlights as well as fighter profiles. Mixed martial arts pits fighters skilled in a wide array of combat disciplines against each other inside a caged-in ring. Popular disciplines include boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, among others. The premiere Strikeforce episode will feature superstar Cung Le vs. Brian Warren, Duane “Bang” Ludwig vs. Tony “The Freak” as well as a profile on Le, recognized as one of the most dynamic competitors in the sport.
While it’s annoying that they kept typing out “mixed martial arts” as opposed to just going with “MMA”, this is still a forward motion for the sport and we’ll applaud that. However, here’s something NBC-related from an IFL press release that makes the applause stop cold:
…twins Jim and Bill Germanakos, the most recent winners of NBC’s hit show “The Biggest Loser,” will host the IFL weigh-in next Thursday, April 3, at 3 p.m. at L.A. Boxing in Secaucus, N.J., and give tips to the athletes trying to make weight for the IFL “New Blood, New Battles” show at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J. The fights will take place on Friday, April 4, at 7:30 p.m.
“These athletes are in unbelievable shape, but if there are any quick tips that we can help them with to shed a few ounces as they hit their desired weight, it will be our pleasure,” Bill Germanakos said. “The sport of Mixed Martial Arts is a great base for training and weight loss since it involves so many aspects of conditioning, including strength and flexibility and self discipline, so this will be fun for us as we continue to spread our message of healthy lifestyle to a larger audience.” All information for Jim and Bill can be found at WeightLossTwins.com.
Dear God. Speechless…
(more…)
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— Our BFFs at Complex just posted an interview with Frankie Edgar, in which “The Answer” discusses entrance music, crotch rockets, being denied by The Ultimate Fighter, and unsanctioned no-holds-barred matches in the Bronx.
— Damon D (of BetUS fame) has a new sports blog called The House of Smack, and it’s kind of amazing. Learn about the relationship between UFC event names and shitty action movies, and then check out this list of balls-out hockey goalie fights.
— Frank Shamrock will be a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! tomorrow (12:05am ET/PT, 11:05pm CT), hyping up his fight against Cung Le, which will take place the following night. Apparently, Frank will be giving MMA instruction to “Guillermo the Parking Lot Security Guard,” whoever that is. He’s also been droning on at Fightline.com for the last couple days. Where does he find the time to train?
— CombatLifestyle’s Tracy Lee has an amazing set of photos from the WEC 33 afterparty. Doug Marshall doesn’t seem to be taking his loss too hard…
— Tomorrow, Tim Sylvia will announce that he’s leaving the UFC and has just booked a fight against Fedor Emelianenko. Well, maybe. If his “big announcement” just has to do with turkey hunting, we’re going to be very disappointed.
Written by admin on March 27th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Announcement and Frankie Edgar and Doug Marshall and News and Frank Shamrock and Tim Sylvia and MMA.
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. He trains with the prestigious American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) camp, which has some of the most talented fighters in the sport on its roster.
Don’t expect this one to go the distance.
Written by admin on March 27th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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“I’m definitely one of the players in the weight class. 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…. Every fight is important for position. If you lose, you’re pretty much out of the picture for a while. It (the competition for a title shot) is pretty vicious. You’re only as good as your last fight…. You get better by winning. If you win, everything takes care of itself. You get what you want to get out of it. I know this is going to be a tough fight. He (Maynard) is big, strong, has heavy hands and comes from a good camp.”
– UFC lightweight contender Frank Edgar tells his hometown rag, The Asbury Park Press, that his fight next week against Gray Maynard at UFC Fight Night 13 is important if he wants to remain in the 155-pound title chase. In fact, he says that every fight is equally important … and he’s right — especially in a division so stacked. I wasn’t too thrilled when this match up was first announced, but it’s grown on me over time. Hopefully, it’s an action-packed, fast-paced back-and-forth war.
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Read more articles on Frank Edgar and UFC Fight Night 13 and UFC Lightweight Division and UFC Quick Quotes and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Gray Maynard and MMA.
UFC Fight Night 13 is less than one week away, taking place at the Broomfield Event Center in Broomfield, Colo., on Wednesday, April 2, 2008.
It’s a three-hour SpikeTV special that will begin at 7 p.m. ET, leading in to the debut of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 7 series at 10 p.m. Of course, MMAmania.com is set to provide LIVE fight updates for the under card action, as well as blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage on the main card action all night long (not to mention a complete write up of the TUF 7 opener).
Needless to say but it’s going to be a rather busy and exciting night for mixed martial arts fans.
Top lightweight contenders Kenny Florian and Joe Lauzon will square off in the main event of the evening on a show that is absolutely loaded with great match ups from top to bottom.
Here’s the complete line up:
Main event:
155 lbs.: Kenny Florian (7-3) vs. Joe Lauzon (16-3)
Main card (televised):
170 lbs.: Karo Parisyan (18-4) vs. Thiago Alves (13-3)
205 lbs.: Matt Hamill (3-1) vs. Tim Boetsch (7-1)
155 lbs.: Nate Diaz (8-2) vs. Kurt Pellegrino (11-3)
205 lbs.: Houston Alexander (8-2) vs. James Irvin (13-4)
Under card (may not be broadcast):
155 lbs.: Frank Edgar (8-0) vs. Gray Maynard (4-0)
155 lbs.: Marcus Aurelio (15-5) vs. Ryan Roberts (8-2)
155 lbs.: Din Thomas (20-7) vs. Josh Neer (23-6-1)
155 lbs.: Manny Gamburyan (7-2) vs. Jeff Cox (9-4)
155 lbs.: Clay Guida (22-9) vs. Samy Schiavo (10-4)
170 lbs.: George Sotiropoulos (8-2) vs. Roman Mitichyan (5-1)
170 lbs.: Tommy Speer (9-2) vs. Anthony Johnson (4-1)
Many of our readers check-in before, during and after the SpikeTV telecast to share their thoughts on the action. Therefore, feel free to leave a comment or 10 before you leave and chat with many of our readers during the show — it always turns out to be a great discussion.
In the meantime feel free to share your thoughts and predictions in the comments section below.
Keep in mind that MMAmania.com will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps and post-fight analysis after UFC Fight Night 13.
Can’t wait.
Written by admin on March 27th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on UFC Results and UFC Fight Night 13 and UFC on SpikeTV and UFC Ultimate Fight Night (UFN) and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and MMA.
The Japanese-based DREAM mixed martial arts promotion recently announced three more bouts for its upcoming middleweight grand prix tournament slated for the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, on April 15.
Fan favorites Denis Kang (29-9-1) and Kazushi Sakauraba (23-10-1) will take part in the competition albeit with separate opening-round opponents.
Kang — who is coming off a knockout loss to Yoshihiro Akiyama — will look to redeem himself as he goes up against Gerald Mousasi (20-2-1). Sakauraba, on the other hand, is riding a two-fight win streak after defeating Masakatsu Funaki (38-12-1) by armbar at K-1 Dynamite last New Year’s Eve. He will take on Andrews Nakahara in the first round of the tournament.
In addition, a fight between Kioyshi Tamura and Masakatsu Funaki has been booked for the second-ever DREAM show next month.
Here’s how the first round of the event currently shapes up:
Kazushi Sakauraba (23-10-1) vs. Andrews Nakahara (0-0-0)
Denis Kang (29-9-1) vs. Gerald Mousasi (20-2-1)
Kiyoshi Tamura (28-14-0) vs. Masakatsu Funaki (38-12-1)
Yoon Dong Sik vs. TBA
Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. TBA
Shungo Oyama vs. TBA
Kin Taiei vs. TBA
Minowaman vs. TBA
Dae Won Kim*
Mamed Khalidov*
Daniel Acacio*
Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza*
*Rumored participants
The DREAM 2008 Middleweight Grand Prix is shaping up to be a competitive event. It’s going to be a great first round. Stay tuned for more details.
Written by admin on March 27th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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