Friday, July 31, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
Affliction Trilogy Cancelled
By MMAWeekly.com
Early information was scattered Friday morning, but all of MMAWeekly.com’s sources pointed to one fact: Affliction “Trilogy” had been cancelled.
The headline bout, and main selling point of the event, was a showdown between the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked heavyweights in the world. WAMMA champion Fedor Emelianenko, unanimously regarded as tops in the heavyweight class, would defend against UFC and Pride veteran Josh Barnett.
That was until it was revealed earlier this week that Barnett had allegedly tested positive for steroids in a pre-fight drug test that caused the California State Athletic Commission to deny him a license to fight.
“The license of Josh Barnett was denied pursuant to rule 303 of Title IV of the California Code of Regulations,” said CSAC Interim Executive Officer Dave Thornton on Wednesday. “That rule prohibits the use of certain substances, including anabolic agents, by any boxer or MMA fighter.”
Hours after MMAWeekly.com reported news of the cancellation, Affliction vice president Tom Atencio issued a statement citing time as the decisive factor.
“Finding an opponent for the No. 1 ranked MMA heavyweight champion in such a short period of time was a huge endeavor and I’m thrilled at the amount of fighters willing to take on this challenge,” stated Atencio. “But in the end, we just didn’t have enough time to promote a new fight to our standards.”
The statement went on to express disappointment that the undercard would be a casualty of the cancellation, but sources close to several fighters indicated that preliminary talks have already begun to try and place some of the undercard bouts and/or fighters on other fight cards that are coming up.
One event that is perhaps more likely than others to gain from the cancellation is M-1 Global’s Aug. 28 event in Los Angeles. Several sources indicated that event is a primary focus for placing undercard bouts. Although the talks are still preliminary, M-1 Global’s event would make sense given that the company is a main partner of Affliction and was co-promoting the Aug. 1 “Trilogy” event.
Affliction has also worked closely with Strikeforce, sharing fighters with the California-based promotion in the past. Strikeforce has an Aug. 15 event on Showtime featuring a women’s title bout between Gina Carano and Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos. That event has also suffered recent setbacks with the withdrawal of heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem in a title bout against Fabricio Werdum and, Friday morning, Joe Riggs dropped out of a scheduled welterweight championship fight against Nick Diaz.
Given the strong relationship between the two promotions, it wouldn’t be out of the question for Affliction to try and place some of its fighters on the Strikeforce card to try and fill in some of the gaps.
Affliction noted that ticketholders for the canceled “Trilogy” event should contact Ticketmaster or ticketmaster.com for a refund.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
UFC 100: Wrap Up
I could start this off by talking about Dan Henderson's KTFO of Michael Bisping, or GSP's win over Thiago Alves. Or even Brock Lesanr's post fight antics. But the true highlight of UFC 100 wasn't even shown on the PPV. Ladies and Gentlemen. The Buffer 360.
UFC 100 Results:
-Jon Fitch def. Paulo Thiago via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
-Brock Lesnar def Frank Mir via knockout (punches) in Round 2, 1:48 to retain UFC heavyweight title
-Georges St-Pierre def. Thiago Alves via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-44, 50-45) to retain UFC welterweight title
-Dan Henderson def. Michael Bisping via knockout (punches) - Round 2, 3:20
-Yoshihiro Akiyama def. Alan Belcher via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
-Mark Coleman def. Stephan Bonnar via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
-Jim Miller def. Mac Danzig via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
-Jon Jones def. Jake O'Brien via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 2, 2:43
-Dong Hyun Kim def. T.J. Grant via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
-Tom Lawlor defeats C.B. Dollway via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 1, 0:55
-Shannon Gugerty def. Matt Grice via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 1, 2:36
UFC 100 Bonuses: ($100,000)
-Yoshihiro Akiyama and Alan Belcher - Fight of the Night
-Dan Henderson - Knock Out of the Night
-Tom Lawlor - Submission of the Night
Saturday's long-awaited UFC 100 event, which sold out before tickets even technically went on sale to the public, drew an estimated 11,000 fans for a staggering live gate of $5.1 million (2nd best all-time) for an average ticket price of $464 (MMA record). The early reports are that the PPV did 1.5 million, which would an MMA record. The first ever UFC Fan Expo 2009 drew an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 attendees.
MMA Live Post Fight Show:
Dana White UFC 100 Vlog:
UFC 100 Results:
-Jon Fitch def. Paulo Thiago via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
-Brock Lesnar def Frank Mir via knockout (punches) in Round 2, 1:48 to retain UFC heavyweight title
-Georges St-Pierre def. Thiago Alves via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-44, 50-45) to retain UFC welterweight title
-Dan Henderson def. Michael Bisping via knockout (punches) - Round 2, 3:20
-Yoshihiro Akiyama def. Alan Belcher via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
-Mark Coleman def. Stephan Bonnar via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
-Jim Miller def. Mac Danzig via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
-Jon Jones def. Jake O'Brien via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 2, 2:43
-Dong Hyun Kim def. T.J. Grant via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
-Tom Lawlor defeats C.B. Dollway via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 1, 0:55
-Shannon Gugerty def. Matt Grice via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 1, 2:36
UFC 100 Bonuses: ($100,000)
-Yoshihiro Akiyama and Alan Belcher - Fight of the Night
-Dan Henderson - Knock Out of the Night
-Tom Lawlor - Submission of the Night
Saturday's long-awaited UFC 100 event, which sold out before tickets even technically went on sale to the public, drew an estimated 11,000 fans for a staggering live gate of $5.1 million (2nd best all-time) for an average ticket price of $464 (MMA record). The early reports are that the PPV did 1.5 million, which would an MMA record. The first ever UFC Fan Expo 2009 drew an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 attendees.
MMA Live Post Fight Show:
Dana White UFC 100 Vlog:
Thursday, July 9, 2009
TUF10
The TUF10 cast was introduced at the UFC Expo:
•Zak Jensen (11-2): The 6-foot-4, 265-pound 26-year-old Jensen was a collegiate wrestler and football player at Northern Illinois University and Augsburg College. After college, he found success in "Tough Man" competitions and Golden Gloves competitions and eventually made the move to MMA in 2007.
•Marcus Jones (4-1): The 6-foot-6, 260-pound 35-year-old Jones is the most prolific of the show's NFL quartet. While playing defensive end at the University of North Carolina, Jones was an All-American and the 1995 ACC Defensive Player of the Year and became the 1996 first-round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After eight successful years in the NFL, he joined Gracie Tampa and made the transition to MMA.
•Scott Junk (6-2): The 6-foot-1, 265-pound 30-year-old Junk was a former Division II All-American football player at Southwest Oklahoma State. After college, Junk began training in mixed martial arts, earning his way into the UFC in 2007. Junk, who took the fight on less-than-two-weeks' notice, suffered a first-round submission loss to Christian Wellisch.
•John Madsen (3-0): The 6-foot, 240-pound 29-year-old Madsen grew up in South Dakota, where he earned all-conference and all-state honors in football, wrestling and track. After defeating current UFC champion Brock Lesnar in a high-school wrestling match, Madsen went on to earn a Division II wrestling national championship at South Dakota State University. Madsen currently trains at Matt Hughes' H.I.T. Squad.
•James McSweeney (12-4): The 6-foot-4, 230-pound 28-year-old Englishman McSweeney started with a striking background, beginning his training in kickboxing at 6 years old before moving to Thailand to train full-time. After amassing a 136-9 combined record in multiple kickboxing organizations, McSweeney moved in with former UFC champion Rashad Evans and now trains full time at Greg Jackson's MMA in New Mexico.
•Matt Mitrione (0-0): The 6-foot-3, 275-pound 30-year-old was a two-position football All-American while in high school. After attending Purdue University and earning All-Big Ten honors, Mitrione played six seasons in the NFL as a member of the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings. Following a devastating injury, Mitrione returned to his childhood passion of combat sports and began training with UFC veterans Chris Lytle and Jake O'Brien.
•Roy Nelson (14-4): The 6-foot-1, 265-pound 33-year-old was born and raised in Las Vegas, training in martial arts from an early age while playing football, baseball and wrestling. After turning pro, Nelson surprised many opponents with his less-than-impressive physique. "Big Country" earned the now-defunct IFL's heavyweight crown, before suffering recent losses to notables Jeff Monson and Andrei Arlovski.
•Demico Rogers (4-0): The 6-foot-4, 235-pound 27-year-old was a stand-out wrestler and football player while attending high school in his native Washington. Rogers began training jiu-jitsu as a means of staying in shape, and after winning a local mixed martial arts tournament, he began to focus on the sport as a potential career.
•Brendan Schaub (4-0): The 6-foot-4, 240-pound 26-year-old credits the Jean Claude Van Damme movie "Bloodsport" as his inspiration to pursue martial arts. Growing up in Colorado, Schaub was an all-state athlete in both football and lacrosse. Schaub went on to play fullback at the University of Colorado before later playing in the Arena Football League and earning a spot on the Buffalo Bills' practice squad in the NFL. Schaub remained active in tae kwon do and jiu-jitsu, and he currently trains at T's KO Fight Club and Jackson's MMA.
•Darill Schoonover (10-0): The 6-foot-2, 250-pound 24-year-old Schoonover grew up in Texas and began training in jiu-jitsu, judo and submission grappling at 17. After graduating high school, Schoonover entered the Army, serving two years in the armed forces. Schoonover remains on active reserve while pursuing a career in teaching, though with 10-stoppages wins in 10 trips to the cage, mixed martial arts may quickly take precedence.
•Wes Shivers (3-1): The 6-foot-7, 285-pound 32-year-old Shivers was grew up in Mississippi, earning a scholarship to play football at Mississippi State University. Shivers earned all-SEC honors before playing in the NFL with both the Tennessee Titans and Atlanta Falcons. Shivers followed his football career with a four-year stint in law enforcement. Shivers continues to train in Mississippi, including with UFC veteran Alan Belcher.
•Wes Sims (22-12-1): The 6-foot-10, 260-pound 29-year-old Sims originally planned to pursue a career in professional wrestling before UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman convinced "The Project" to take a shot at mixed martial arts. Sims earned his way into the UFC in 2003, dropping back-to-back outings to current UFC interim champion Frank Mir. Sims currently runs a gym in his native Ohio.
•Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson (3-1): The 6-foot-1, 235-pound 35-year-old Ferguson needs little introduction to hardcore or casual MMA fans. The streetfighting YouTube sensation played football at the University of Miami before working as a bodyguard, earning extra money with his bareknuckle brawling exploits. A four-time veteran of the now-defunct EliteXC, Fergsuon last fought in a now-infamous loss to Seth Petruzelli.
•Abe Wagner (6-2): The 6-foot-4, 265-pound 29-year-old Wagner grew up in Wisconsin, excelling in both football and basketball while in high school. Wagner played linebacker at Michigan Tech University, earning a degree in mechanical engineering. Wagner began training in mixed martial arts in 2005.
•Mike Wessel (6-1): The 6-foot, 255-pound 31-year-old Wessel was raised in Ohio, eventually playing his way onto the University of St. Francis football team. Wessel played briefly in the Arena Football League before accepting a position as the strength and conditioning coach at the University of Arkansas. Wessel suffered his first professional defeat at the hands of Antoni Hardonk in his lone UFC appearance at UFC 92 in December 2008.
•Justin Wren (10-1): The 6-foot-3, 264-pound 22-year-old Wren was a two-time high-school national champion wrestler in his native Texas, earning a spot on the Iowa State University wrestling team before an injury forced him to take a year off and recover. During his time away from wrestling, Wren focused his energy on mixed martial arts training, eventually electing to turn pro. Wren trains in Texas with "The Ultimate Fighter 4" champ Travis Lutter, and he plans on moving to Las Vegas to train full-time with current UFC interim champ Frank Mir.
Kimbo talks TUF:
•Zak Jensen (11-2): The 6-foot-4, 265-pound 26-year-old Jensen was a collegiate wrestler and football player at Northern Illinois University and Augsburg College. After college, he found success in "Tough Man" competitions and Golden Gloves competitions and eventually made the move to MMA in 2007.
•Marcus Jones (4-1): The 6-foot-6, 260-pound 35-year-old Jones is the most prolific of the show's NFL quartet. While playing defensive end at the University of North Carolina, Jones was an All-American and the 1995 ACC Defensive Player of the Year and became the 1996 first-round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After eight successful years in the NFL, he joined Gracie Tampa and made the transition to MMA.
•Scott Junk (6-2): The 6-foot-1, 265-pound 30-year-old Junk was a former Division II All-American football player at Southwest Oklahoma State. After college, Junk began training in mixed martial arts, earning his way into the UFC in 2007. Junk, who took the fight on less-than-two-weeks' notice, suffered a first-round submission loss to Christian Wellisch.
•John Madsen (3-0): The 6-foot, 240-pound 29-year-old Madsen grew up in South Dakota, where he earned all-conference and all-state honors in football, wrestling and track. After defeating current UFC champion Brock Lesnar in a high-school wrestling match, Madsen went on to earn a Division II wrestling national championship at South Dakota State University. Madsen currently trains at Matt Hughes' H.I.T. Squad.
•James McSweeney (12-4): The 6-foot-4, 230-pound 28-year-old Englishman McSweeney started with a striking background, beginning his training in kickboxing at 6 years old before moving to Thailand to train full-time. After amassing a 136-9 combined record in multiple kickboxing organizations, McSweeney moved in with former UFC champion Rashad Evans and now trains full time at Greg Jackson's MMA in New Mexico.
•Matt Mitrione (0-0): The 6-foot-3, 275-pound 30-year-old was a two-position football All-American while in high school. After attending Purdue University and earning All-Big Ten honors, Mitrione played six seasons in the NFL as a member of the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings. Following a devastating injury, Mitrione returned to his childhood passion of combat sports and began training with UFC veterans Chris Lytle and Jake O'Brien.
•Roy Nelson (14-4): The 6-foot-1, 265-pound 33-year-old was born and raised in Las Vegas, training in martial arts from an early age while playing football, baseball and wrestling. After turning pro, Nelson surprised many opponents with his less-than-impressive physique. "Big Country" earned the now-defunct IFL's heavyweight crown, before suffering recent losses to notables Jeff Monson and Andrei Arlovski.
•Demico Rogers (4-0): The 6-foot-4, 235-pound 27-year-old was a stand-out wrestler and football player while attending high school in his native Washington. Rogers began training jiu-jitsu as a means of staying in shape, and after winning a local mixed martial arts tournament, he began to focus on the sport as a potential career.
•Brendan Schaub (4-0): The 6-foot-4, 240-pound 26-year-old credits the Jean Claude Van Damme movie "Bloodsport" as his inspiration to pursue martial arts. Growing up in Colorado, Schaub was an all-state athlete in both football and lacrosse. Schaub went on to play fullback at the University of Colorado before later playing in the Arena Football League and earning a spot on the Buffalo Bills' practice squad in the NFL. Schaub remained active in tae kwon do and jiu-jitsu, and he currently trains at T's KO Fight Club and Jackson's MMA.
•Darill Schoonover (10-0): The 6-foot-2, 250-pound 24-year-old Schoonover grew up in Texas and began training in jiu-jitsu, judo and submission grappling at 17. After graduating high school, Schoonover entered the Army, serving two years in the armed forces. Schoonover remains on active reserve while pursuing a career in teaching, though with 10-stoppages wins in 10 trips to the cage, mixed martial arts may quickly take precedence.
•Wes Shivers (3-1): The 6-foot-7, 285-pound 32-year-old Shivers was grew up in Mississippi, earning a scholarship to play football at Mississippi State University. Shivers earned all-SEC honors before playing in the NFL with both the Tennessee Titans and Atlanta Falcons. Shivers followed his football career with a four-year stint in law enforcement. Shivers continues to train in Mississippi, including with UFC veteran Alan Belcher.
•Wes Sims (22-12-1): The 6-foot-10, 260-pound 29-year-old Sims originally planned to pursue a career in professional wrestling before UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman convinced "The Project" to take a shot at mixed martial arts. Sims earned his way into the UFC in 2003, dropping back-to-back outings to current UFC interim champion Frank Mir. Sims currently runs a gym in his native Ohio.
•Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson (3-1): The 6-foot-1, 235-pound 35-year-old Ferguson needs little introduction to hardcore or casual MMA fans. The streetfighting YouTube sensation played football at the University of Miami before working as a bodyguard, earning extra money with his bareknuckle brawling exploits. A four-time veteran of the now-defunct EliteXC, Fergsuon last fought in a now-infamous loss to Seth Petruzelli.
•Abe Wagner (6-2): The 6-foot-4, 265-pound 29-year-old Wagner grew up in Wisconsin, excelling in both football and basketball while in high school. Wagner played linebacker at Michigan Tech University, earning a degree in mechanical engineering. Wagner began training in mixed martial arts in 2005.
•Mike Wessel (6-1): The 6-foot, 255-pound 31-year-old Wessel was raised in Ohio, eventually playing his way onto the University of St. Francis football team. Wessel played briefly in the Arena Football League before accepting a position as the strength and conditioning coach at the University of Arkansas. Wessel suffered his first professional defeat at the hands of Antoni Hardonk in his lone UFC appearance at UFC 92 in December 2008.
•Justin Wren (10-1): The 6-foot-3, 264-pound 22-year-old Wren was a two-time high-school national champion wrestler in his native Texas, earning a spot on the Iowa State University wrestling team before an injury forced him to take a year off and recover. During his time away from wrestling, Wren focused his energy on mixed martial arts training, eventually electing to turn pro. Wren trains in Texas with "The Ultimate Fighter 4" champ Travis Lutter, and he plans on moving to Las Vegas to train full-time with current UFC interim champ Frank Mir.
Kimbo talks TUF:
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
UFC 100: The Big One
UFC 100 is this Saturday night at 10pm live from Las Vegas on PPV. It's the biggest event in mixed martial arts history, and for UFC 100, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is bringing out the big guns. Two championships will be on the line when UFC heavyweight title holder Brock Lesnar defends his crown against rival Frank Mir in their long-awaited grudge match, and UFC welterweight champion Georges "Rush" St-Pierre puts his belt up for grabs against Brazilian knockout artist Thiago "Pitbull" Alves. Also, The Ultimate Fighter 9 coaches collide as Dan Henderson takes on Michael "The Count" Bisping in a pivotal middleweight showdown. This is a card that you don't want to miss.
Here is the full card:
-(18pts) Brock Lesnar (-200) Vs. (22pts) Frank Mir (+170)
-(17pts) Georges St-Pierre (-320) Vs. (22pts) Thiago Alves (+240)
-(2pts) Jon Fitch (-400) Vs. (7pts) Paulo Thiago (+300)
-(9ts) Dan Henderson (-250) Vs. (11pts) Michael Bisping (+200)
-(4pts) Yoshihiro Akiyama (-200) Vs. (6pts) Alan Belcher (+180)
-(3pts) Mark Coleman (+250) Vs. (1pt) Stephan Bonnar (-330)
-(2pts) Mac Danzig (+150) Vs. (1pt) Jim Miller (-180)
-(1pt) Jon Jones (-400) Vs. (3pts) Jake O'Brien (+300)
-(1pt) Dong Hyun Kim (-140) Vs. (1pt) TJ Grant (+110)
-(1pt) CB Dollaway Vs. (2pts) Tom Lawlor (+190)
-(1pt) Matt Grice (Even) Vs. (1pt) Shannon Gugerty (-130)
Some Links:
-The Pros Pick: Lesnar vs Mir.
-Former UFC champion Chuck Liddell and Tapout founder Charles "Mask" Lewis will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
-"The Girls Next Door's" Holly Madison will serve as an honorary ring girl at Saturday's UFC 100 event.
-Will there be a Buffer 360 at UFC 100?
Frank Mir (with black eye provided by Forrest) interview:
Friday, July 3, 2009
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