FieLDS Dynamite!! 2009 results and LIVE fight coverage for Dec. 31 from Saitama, Japan

Here are the results for the Fields Dynamite 2009 (Dream vs Sengoku vs K-1). 

Field Dynamite 2009

Crazy arm break by Shinya Aoki at Dynamite

If you read the last posting "Fighters of the next decade", you'll notice the name Shinya Aoki is not there. Honestly, I meant to add his name as the only possible threat to BJ Penn as the #1 lightweight in the world. For whatever reason, I took it out, but sure enough, this New Years Eve, he not only beat the lightweight champion of Sengoku but he also broke his arm, and made Brock Lesnar look like Mother Theresa when it comes to sportmenship when he gave the finger to his downed opponent after breaking his arm.

If Aoki comes to the US, I still don't think he would have a chance against BJ Penn but he would be a big draw for either UFC or Strikeforce to have. Shitty part for UFC is Strikeforce and Dream have recently come to terms to share fighters and with Aoki being the Dream lightweight Champion, and now defeating the Sengoku lightweight Champion, it would only make sence to have Shinya Aoki vs Gilbert Melendez for the Strikeforce lightweight belt. We'll see what 2010 brings.

Anyhow, check out the fight, i felt sick to my gut after seing it.

Does GSP want to fight The Spider?

Lately, alot of people who talk UFC or MMA with me always ask if GSP will eventually fight Anderson Silva. Even then, alot of people, who always seem to know the answer, even say it WILL happen. I don;t know where they got there information from and I'm not the kind to argue with idiots. I've always been open minded as to what the future may bring but for right now, here's a video where GSP answers this question himself:

Fighters of the next decade

I found this article on Sherdog.com. It basicly shows you the type of athletes that are to be expected as the next generation of MMA fighters. I'm sure you've all read articles of George St-Pierre being a new breed of athletes in MMA, same for Anderson Silva and Gegard Mousasi.

Everyone in the article will future top 10's in there weight class but there are a few that were not mentioned I feel should be on the list such as:

Strikeforce Nov 7th.09: Fabricio Werdum vs Antonio Silva

Strikeforce Nov 7th.09: Jake Shields Vs Jason Miller Good fight

Strikeforce Nov 7th.09: Sokoudjou Vs Gerard Mousasi- GOOD FIGHT!!

Sorry, Best version I can find

Strikeforce Nov 7th.09: Fedor VS Rogers Fight Nov 7th.09

Brock Lesnar Out of UFC 106 Fight Against Shane Carwin

Brock Lesnar pulled out of his fight at UFC 106 due to an apparent illness. Lesnar's training partner Chris Tuchscherer told the Las Vegas Sun  that Lesnar was fighting this flu for the last month and didn't train last week.He did come back last Sunday and even said he was feeling better but then Monday, he made the call to withdraw from the fight.

“He said he’s never been this sick in his life,” White told Yahoo. “He said it’s been going on for a long time and he just hasn’t been able to shake it.”

Tuchscherer made a stupid comment that he wouldn't be surprised if it were H1N1 “There’s a lot of cases of that around here,” Tuchscherer said. “There are a lot of confirmed cases of it. I don’t want to say it’s that for sure, but it wouldn’t surprise me.”.

Clear Cut was Right Again

Funny how things turn out. I mentioned in my last post with my breakdown of UFC 104 that it would be nice to see Anthony Johnson fight against one of the AKA guy's and sure enough, Josh Koscheck and Johnson both verbally agreed to fight in the co-main event at UFC 106.

UFC 106 was suppose to be headlined by Brock Lesnar vs Shane Carwin however with Lesnar's withdraw from the fght due to illness (Possibly H1N1), UFC only had Tito Ortiz vs Forrest Griffin as a main event and no more co-main event.

This should be a good test for Johnson. If he wins, he will be one more win away from a possible title shot. I'm telling you, soon we'll be seing Anthony Johnson vs GSP. Mark my word.


Josh Koscheck vs. Anthony Johnson slotted for UFC 106 co-main event

Clear Cut UFC 104 Breakdown: The Rest

Joe "Daddy" Stevenson won his fight against Spencer Fisher at UFC 104 the way I predicted. With Stevenson training with Greg Jackson and Phil Nurse, his striking has improved tremendously which showed in his fight against Fisher. He was stronger and has superior grappling.



Anthony Johnson missed weight and fought at 176 lbs. Fighters who miss weight are often punished in some way or form by UFC either by giving them a less lucrative opponent for their next fight or in Travis Lutter's case, they get cut from the organization. In the end, he missed out of 60,000$ in knock out of the night. Dana White said because he didn't make weight, he was no longer eligible. Something tells me, that will be

Cecil Peoples Should Not be a Judge

"First of all what you need to understand is that from where the judges are sitting, we get to see things that the fans at home may miss. Mauricio Rua was being aggressive but it wasn't effective aggressiveness which is what we as the judges look for when scoring a fight. The way I saw it, Lyoto was landing the more cleaner and damaging strikes throughout the fight - if you take a look at the judging criteria clean strikes are valued more-so than the quantity of strikes landed. Although Rua threw a lot of low kicks they were not as damaging as Lyoto's diverse attack in the earlier rounds which is why I scored the first three rounds for Machida. You have to keep in mind we always the favour the fighter who is trying to finish the fight, and leg kicks certainly don't do that."

"When both fighters are engaged in a striking match what I always look for is the fighter who is being judicious, picking his spots, being accurate and landing the cleaner strikes which ultimately is what Lyoto did more effectively than Rua. Lyoto made Shogun come after him, he determined where the fight took place which in my opinion constitutes as effective Octagon control. I recognize the fact that Rua did have a few takedown attempts during the course of the fight however Lyoto defended them all successfully which counts as effective grappling in his favour, where as unsuccessful takedown attempts are not scored at all. Therefore going by that criteria, I believe Lyoto won the fight clearly. I'm just glad the other judges on the panel saw it the same way and I'm sure the fans who understand the technicalities of the sport agree with the decision too."

Cecil Peoples: I beleive Machida won that fight clearly 

The Clear Cut UFC 104 Breakdown Shogun vs Machida

Sorry I didn't post right away after the PPV but I want to see how the buzz would be for a couple days throughout the media. I'm sure many of you already heard or saw the contraversial ending to the Machida vs Shogun fight. Although I was 4-0 in my predictions (Not counting the prelims), I agree with everyone's opinion that the Machida Era should have ended Oct 24th.09. Shogun in my opinion won 3 out of 5 rounds with a good, patient game plan.

MMAmania found a chart with a breakdown of the number strikes landed. Shogun through more then double the amount of strikes then Machida and landed in more areas. Check out this chart breakdown for those who are visiual like me.

Clear Cut UFC 104 Predictions Main Card

Anthony Johnson vs Yoshiyuki Yoshida

"Rumble"

 Anthony Johnson (7-2, 6"2, 170 lbs) is considered to be one of the biggest welterweights in the UFC. In the off season he goes way up to 220lbs. He's a strong wrestler but prefers to strike. I find his striking ability is at a level same as GSP and Thiago Alves. Very powerful and lands most of his shots. Yoshiyuki Yoshida (11-3, 5"11, 70lbs) is a Judo fighter from

Alistair Overeen Destroys Tony Sylvester

Alistair Overeem hasn't fought in the United States since winning the Strikeforce heavyweight championship two years ago, but on Saturday he beat and destroyed American, Tony Sylvester, in Golden Glory's Ultimate Glory 11 event in Amsterdam.

Overeem's first-round submission win was short and not particularly good: Overeem landed a hard knee to Sylvester's face, knocked him to the ground, landed a couple of punches, let him back up, and then forced him to tap with a standing guillotine choke. The whole fight lasted just under a minute and a half. Sylvester never went on the offensive at all.

Shane McMahon Resigns from WWE, May Have MMA in his Future

Shane McMahon is the son of the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) CEO Vince McMahon and also happens to be executive vice president of global media for WWE.

Today he announced he is resigning from his position to be effective January 1st.10. While the direction of his future business career is uncertain, the world of mixed martial arts could be a possible landing spot.

Shane has always been a loong time fan of MMA and has been seen in attendance at many UFC events. He was in favor of buying out the UFC during its time of financial difficulty and has spoken previously of perhaps even starting his own MMA promotion.

He is a strong asset to have on your side if Strikeforce or UFC and willing to cough up the money to have his services. Shane has many resources  where both UFC and Strikeforce lack in international relations. Shane helped launch the WWE into new international markets and headed its publications division for many years not counting the fact he grew up with Vince McMahon as a father. What better tutor can you have?

Shane McMahon has not announced any future plans to enter the realm of MMA but it would make sense if he did and if he does, this is another major player in the game that can make a big difference as to how far MMA will go in popularity. Shane knows this kind of business as much as a Gracie knows how to grapple.

Think back when the WWE had their "Attitude" era. Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, D-Generation X... all bad asses fighting for the title. All took orders from nobody, they had the gorgeous women. For years and years, WWE has worked to attract the age group of 25-35 year old men for the ratings. Its the business Shane knows and for him to come to MMA can only mean good and exiting things.

I expect big announcements come January 1st10.

http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/10/16/shane-mcmahon-resigns-from-wwe/

Dan Henderson May be Going to Strikeforce as UFC Contract Negotiations Falter

Dan Henderson has been in contract negotiations with the UFC since his last UFC victory against Micheal Bisping at UFC 100. That was his last fight on his UFC contract and to this point, both sides have not been able to agree on a new deal.

“We have a good relationship with Henderson, and there are no hard feelings. He had a figure he believed he was worth, and we had our own figure, and we weren’t able to get together.”
Dana White said in a press statement.

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker admitted to having met with Dan Henderson but would not ellaborate any further. Henderson's camp however made sure we would not get our hopes up too fast:

“We had a brief get-to-know-you session with (Strikeforce) and met them for coffee, but to say he’s close to signing would be a gross misrepresentation. Until something is signed, nothing is ever over.”

This whole situation really puts the UFC in a hot spot considering Dan Henderson is considered one of their elite superstars on top of the fact he is in title contension. Henderson has mentioned numerous times recently that his goal is to remain a UFC fighter but with Vitor Belfort — who lost to Hendo at PRIDE 32 back in Oct. 2006 - getting a title shot right away after Henderson was promised a title shot for his brutal knock out over Bisping, this was a big blow to Henderson’s bargaining power at the negotiating table.

Nothing has been confirmed yet as to which promotion Henderson will sign with but if we see him sign with Strikeforce, Gegard Moussassi vs Dan Henderson would surely be a fight of the year which I would pay to watch.

More to come as this develops

Yahoo-Sport Article
MMAmania

Wes Sims Interview Before TUF 10 Started, Says Frank Trigg did Gay Porn...

UFC veteran Wes Sims did an interview with 411mania 1 week before the TUF 10 season began where he discusses a number of issues. He's truly trying to get the attention from everyone with his stupid remarks. Almost makes it hard to know what is true or not considering how stupid he sounds but then again, guy's like him tend to say more then they should which often times can be true in order to get in the spot light.

Wes Sims is a man with a plan, to make it back to the big show that is the UFC and begin a career in adult entertainment. Wes Sims has fought all over the world in every organization including the UFC, Pride, and the IFL. Sims is a member of the legendary Team Hammerhouse and currently trains under UFC fighter and Hall of Famer, Mark Coleman.


Jeffrey "The Vile One" Harris: So what is your background and what were you doing before you started doing the show?

Wes Sims: Hey this is Wes "The Whole Show" Sims, formerly known as "The Project." Professional fighter. Fought around the world. UFC veteran. I think the only UFC veteran to be main card coming back on the TV of The Ultimate Fighter. So, I'm looking to make it very interesting this season. Before I went on the show, I was living it up in the streets of Chicago, homeless. You shocked? You surprised? You still there with me, Jeffrey?

TVO: Were you hanging out with Mark Coleman and Phil Baroni at all?

WS: I was before I was homeless.

TVO: I hope now you've maybe upgraded to something better than a cardboard box.

WS: I've got an apartment now. The cardboard box? Uh-uh. Sleeping bag under the highway.

TVO: That sucks man. Obviously, you're done shooting the show, and the first episode hasn't aired yet so we can't talk too much about that. But what have you been doing since you finished shooting the show?

WS: Lots and lots of interviews . . . I really want to start working on my porn career. Yeah. Let's not elaborate that, let's not go into that. Just quote me, "I want to start working on my porn career."

TVO: Maybe the right person will read this interview...

Lesnar Training for Shane Carwin. Awsome Video

Shogun Discusses His Upcoming Fight Against Lyoto Machida

Gegard Mousassi vs Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou

Strikeforce has annouced Gegard “The Dreamcatcher” Mousassi and Rameau “The African Assassin” Sokoudjou will throw hands at the Nov. 7 “Fedor vs. Rogers” Strikeforce event on CBS.

They were suppose to meet at Dream 11 Super Hulk Tournament but Gegard Mousassi suffered an injury to his shoulder which caused him to pull out of the bout. Sokoudjou went on to defeat Mousassi's replacement Bob Sapp via ground and pound.

There was alot of hype for this fight in Japan however I'm not too exited about it. Sokoudjou is a very similar fighter as Melvin Manoeuf who lost to Mousassi by triangle choke. Mousassi also went on to defeat Renato “Babalu” Sobral who has a win over Sokoudjou by rear naked choke.

I see this being more of a marketing tool to help build Gegard Mousassi's name in the U.S. Unless Sokoudjou can knock him out early in the first round, I see Mousassi winning by ground and pound when Sokoudjou gets tired or by submission. If Mousassi wins, this woould be another big name on his list of victims which only makes him worth more in the U.S.

Gegard Mousasi and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou

Ben Rothwell happy he's a Somebody

Ben Rothwell is a big man with lots of experience. He was one of the International Fight League (IFL) standout heavyweights remembered mainly for his battle against current TUF 10 cast member Roy Nelson.

He only lost once in his last 15 fights to Andrei Arlovski which is nothing to be ashamed of. He should fit in well with the UFC heavyweights and surely is the best test to date for Cain Velasquez.

Ben Rothwell is a somebody


“I’m ecstatic to be here finally … I didn’t want to be one of those guys who was just happy to get into the UFC. You know, you see a lot of these guys that come and go, and that just isn’t me. My objective all along has been to come into the UFC as a somebody … and then finish my career there. The only way you can finish your career there is if you win fights and make a name for yourself. Obviously I’ve done something right because they’ve put me on the poster and made me (a part of) the co-main event…. I feel great about the fight … I want to be fighting with the guys that are names in the UFC. I want to be a name in the UFC, as well. That’s the only way — you’ve got to be in there fighting the guys that people know. So I’m very excited for the fight.”

Minotauro Noqueira Wants a Fight ASAP

Rodrigo Nogeira is ready to fight and hopes to fight sooner rather then later. Which seems to be the same issue for many fighters, he wants to fight more frequently.

“For the (Couture) fight I trained the most in my life. I don’t know who’s next, it’s up to the UFC. I fight whoever they ask me to. If it is to fight for the belt, I will. I don’t want to be taking much time off, though. I used to fight four times a year in Japan but I haven’t been managing to keep this pace of action in the U.S., so I want to fight more to maintain the stride. What may come ahead, I’m ready.”

Nogeira Wants to Fight More Frequently

Brett Rogers Video on Fighting Fedor

Brett Rogers is next in line to face Fedor Emelianenko at Strikeforce November 7th 09. Check the link below for a little video interview with Brett Rogers where he talks about fighting Fedor, his past, how he didn;t take fighting seriously before and so on and so forth.

Brett Rogers Interview

AKA vs Matt Hughes

American Kickboxing Acadamy has been on the hunt for Matt Hughes lately with Josh Koschek, Jon Fitch and Mike Swick each having made public they would like to fight the future Hall of Famer.

To me, it only makes sense, Hughes is on his way down. Similar to what we saw with Chuck Liddell when he lost to Keith Jardin. Liddell went on to defeat his long time rival Wanderlei Silva, same as Matt Hughes rebounded by defeating his long time rival Matt Serra. Hughes knows at this point in his career, if he wants to save his legacy, he has to avoid going down the same path as Liddell did when he faced Rashad Evans.

BJ Penn Says Rampage Will be Back in the UFC

BJ Penn did an interview with the Sun.co.uk and was asked his opinion on the Rampage departure, here what he had to say:

“Fighting wears on you — especially in this sport — so everybody wants to get the big break and do some stuff outside of the sport. That whole Rampage thing is amazing. I think he is perfect for the role. If anybody can do it, he can — but I want to see him with a Mohawk! I hope everything works out for him — but you could see him back in the UFC. Dana’s a forgiving guy and I’m sure Rampage is too so I can see him fighting again. I hope this movie thing really works out for him though. He is a little burnt out but it’d be awesome to see him settle his differences with Rashad one day.”


BJ Penn comments on Rampage

Tito Ortiz vs Mark Coleman Off (Here's the story)

Tito Ortiz vs Mark Coleman has been officially cancelled. On Monday, Ortiz announced on his Twitter that Coleman pulled out of the fight. Without any explanation, (we later found out Coleman tore his MCL) Tito went on to call Coleman a sissie which did not mesh well with The Hammer's manager Mike DiSabato.

“Mark Coleman is not a talker, he is a fighter. He is a Hall of Famer who has fought a who’s who of great fighters. Tito says ’sissy’? Please. He can prove Coleman is a sissy on January 2nd if he wants, Coleman has already asked to push it back, but it is not in Mark’s hands as he will do what is good for the UFC and what his employer thinks is best for the promotion. I got to think if Tito really wants to fight Mark he can ask Joe Silva to give him Coleman on January 2nd.”

DiSabato should have stopped there and his point would have been clear but here's where he gets personal:
“The only thing Coleman is afraid of when it comes to Tito is contracting swine flu from that dirty ass d-bag," DiSabato stated. "We all know where he lays his head down at night. Tito wants to get personal with a legend? OK, let’s get personal – we can all go to our porn collections and watch what Tito sleeps with night after night.”

Jenna Jameson went on to respond to Disabato's comments with her own via twitter:

"I am sad to see that Mark Coleman must rely on his mouthpiece to do his cleanup work for dropping out. He feels that taking personal stabs at my character will help him get a payday with Tito."

And then,...

“I chuckle at the fact that Titos apponents are so desperate, that they need to say terrible things about me… go ice you knee, mark”

And then,...

“its a sad day in MMA, when a fighter and his “manager” attacks a new mommy in order to get attention. – wish him luck with rehab…” ... Hehe, I like this one.

DiSabato then called Fighters Only and apologized for his comments:

“When I said what I said, I was very emotional, it was me responding without thinking, and that’s not really my style. In retrospect I should not have made those comments. It is not my style to talk about another man’s wife like that and it is not something that we want associated with Mark Coleman. Those comments were mine and not Mark’s but it is still not the kind of thing this sport is about.”

Disabato then went on to mention they would love to reschedule the fight for January 2010.

Ortiz announces Coleman fight is off, calls Coleman a Sissie
Coleman's manager responds to Ortiz's comments
Jenna Jameson Responds
Coleman's manager retracts comments

Carlos Condit Returns to Greg Jackson's Camp

I'm very exited about this news as most will agree, Greg Jackson's camp out in Albuquerque, N.M. is by far one of the best MMA training camps. Carlos Condit is extremely well rounded and a threat to anyone in the welterweight division and now that he's got the guru, Greg Jackson, helping him with his game plans, I expect fireworks. The only thing to consider is, what happens if he makes it to a title shot? Greg Jackson also trains the welterweight champion George St-Pierre. Will teamate vs teamate finally happen in UFC? We'll see I guess.

Read full article,...

Rashad Evans vs Thiago Silva in Works for UFC 108

Looks like Rashad Evans will have his wish come true. Just last week Rashad mentioned to media that he would match up well with Thiago Silva and wanted to have that fight as a replacement opponent now that Rampage has retired from fighting (For now). Silva replied that he would take the fight with open arms if UFC were to offer it.

Now it seems to be coming into effect. Both fighters have apparently verbally agreed to meet at UFC 108 this coming Jan 2nd.10

Read more,..

Shogun vs Machida Video Previews

Alright, UFC 104 is coming soon. Click the links below for the PPV promo video's.

Machida Talks about fighting Shogun

Extended Shogun vs Machida preview

Note: The UFC 104 preview show will air Oct 19th.09 on Spike. Here's the full card:

The full UFC 104 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD

• Champ Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (for light-heavyweight title)
• Ben Rothwell vs. Cain Velasquez
• Josh Neer vs. Gleison Tibau
• Spencer Fisher vs. Joe Stevenson
• Anthony Johnson vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida

PRELIMINARY CARD

• Yushin Okami vs. Chael Sonnen
• Patrick Barry vs. Antoni Hardonk
• Rob Kimmons vs. Jorge Rivera
• Ryan Bader vs. Eric Schafer
• Razak Al-Hassan vs. Kyle Kingsbury
• Stefan Struve vs. Chase Gormley

Thiago vs Evans a Big Possibility

Thiago Silva was recently called out by Rashad Evans as a possible opponent to replace Quinton "Rampage" Jackson in there Dececmber fight at UFC 107.

“I think I matchup really well with Thiago Silva. He’s a great striker, and I love his focus. He’s going to be a challenge, and that’s the kind of fight I want.”

Originally he was offered a fight with Randy Couture but declined as he felt it was a step down for him.

“That was a matchup that I didn’t think was good for me,” Evans recently told MMAFanHouse. “He’s 46 years old and coming off back-to-back losses as a heavyweight, and I feel like beating him wouldn’t move me up the rankings as a light heavyweight. Plus, I would have had to take that fight on short notice, in England, and it felt like I’m being punished because Rampage took a movie.

It all seems to be working out for Randy Couture as the UFC was able to lock in Couture vs Vera for UFC 105 instead which was lacking a main event fight.

Another plus to this who situation working out for the best is Thiago Silva was fast to respond that he is ready to fight anyone including Rashad Evans right now.

"Rashad is a former champion and a top-level fighter," Silva said. "I would love the opportunity to demonstrate that my skills are on that same level."

"I don't know what the UFC will want from me next, but I am already back training," Silva said. "I will be ready when they call."

A fight between Rashad Evans and Thiago Silva would be sick. I wouldn;t even know who has faster hands but I think Rashad's feet work is going to be a factor.

Read more, click here,...

And here too,...

MMA Awards, Vote for Who You Want to Nominate

The World MMA Awards, which is operated by Fighters Only magazine, has quickly become the preeminent awards program in the sport and allows voting in 18 different MMA-related categories.

As a reminder, the nomination stage for the 2009 World MMA Awards closes this Wednesday (tomorrow), Sept. 30.

Now click the link below and vote,.... DO ITTTTTTTTTTTTT (GSP, GSP, GSP, GSP...)

www.worldmmaawards.com

Herschel Walker Sign With Strikeforce, Says he can Beat Every TUF 10 Cast Members

Strikeforce has recently signed former NFL great Herschel Walker to make his MMA debut. He's a Taekwondo black belt but also 47 years old. He seems confident that his athleticism will help succeed in this sport and even called out Dana White to a fight after some harsh remarks from Dana himself.

Read more, click here,...

Click here for when Walker calls out Dana,...

Video: Chuck Liddell on DWTS

Check out Chuck Liddell's performance in his second week on Dancing With The Stars

Check out the video here,...

Tank Abbott vs Butterbean, DMX fighting MMA on Same Event

So many people are switching from their own sport to MMA but I never would have thought a rapper like DMX would do it too. Poster says it all.

Kimbo training at ATT, Willing to Drop to Light Heavyweight

“I’m training at American Top Team. I’m a hard puncher trying to learn the ground game. You can do a lot, but you can’t master anything in two years. In mixed martial arts, the more you roll the more you learn. It’s something I’m working on. I’m a heavyweight, but if the promoters want me to come down, heck yeah I’d give it a try.”


Read More,...

Dream Announces New Hexagonal Cage for DREAM 12.

On Tuesday, Fighting and Entertainment Group held a press conference at the Reversal MMA gym in Tokyo to officially announce the implementation of a hexagonal cage at DREAM 12. DREAM event producer, Keiichi Sasahara, unveiled a blueprint for the cage. At the time of press conference, the cage is still under construction and the blueprint serves as just that — a mere approximation of the overall look of the final product.

Sasahara elaborated that a possibility remains that FEG may use different materials for its hexagonal cage than are typically used by other cage-based promotions. Also, while the blueprint shows the cage in white, the DREAM staff has been ruminating the optimal color for the cage in terms of spectator- and camera-friendliness: Some have objected that a black cage makes it difficult for the crowd to see the fight, while a white cage can potentially trigger glares off the camera, depending on the angle and brightness of the light.

In light of the newly formed alliance between DREAM and Strikeforce, DREAM staff has been seeking input from Strikeforce to design the cage. While DREAM 12 will see an adoption of the three five-minute rounds, no other rule changes are scheduled. Furthermore, DREAM plans to host just one caged fight card per year.

Read more...

Couture's vs Vera's

Strikeforce is showing more and more how smart they are and proving that they have what it takes to play with the big boys in MMA. Husband vs Husband and wife vs wif.... ex wife. I love it. UFC is promoting the RANDY Couture vs BRANDON Vera fight as a main event at UFC 105 this November and with Randy being such a big draw for PPV's and ticket sales, UFC will naturally do what they do best and market the hell out of this fight.

Although there has not been any confirmaton, Strikeforce is rumoured to be looking into booking a KIM Couture vs KERRY Vera fight 1 week after the Randy vs Brandon fight. Right away, the first thing that I started thinking about was how many people will be curious to watch this fight after ALLLLLLLL the marketing UFC will put into there husbands. Fans will want to see if the wive's, (Ex's included) can perform as much as the husbands, will a couples feud start,...

Strikeforce wont even need to market Kim and Kerry as much with all the publicity around "Couture vs Vera" that will be going around. Add to the fact this might be free on CBC.

I think this was a smart move on the part of strikeforce.

Click on me for more details

Dana White and Rashad Evans Comment on the Retirement of Rampage Jackson

Dana White spoke about his thoughts on Rampage retiring for a movie career. Odly enough, I see Dana White having a better argument in the matter, from what i've heard about Rampage and from past history, he's an extremely sensitive guy who seems to often make weird decisions. Remember the police car chase? That was all because he felt he needed to "save" his friend from God's rath.

My opinion, Rampage is messed up in his own little way and its finally gone and made him quit fighting. I give him until after he's done filming the movie and suddenly there will be news that he and Dana White kissed and made up and Rampage is back. In the end, weither he was influenced by Hollywood agents, or he really is going to make movies, or if it's all just a publicity stunt to help get a better contract, keep in mind Dana White and the UFC were the ones who bailed out Rampage from jail after his little incident (Twice), they bought out his contract with World Fighting Aliance which saved his career and the bailed him out of prison after a police car chase.......that was worth mentioning twice.

Rashad Evans has been quiet throughout most of the feud with Dana White and Quinton Rampage Jackson. When asked about what he thought about Rampage retiring, he mentioned he would fight him for free.

Click the links below for Dana White and Rashad Evans's comments.


http://mmamania.com/2009/09/23/ufc-quick-quote-rashad-evans-will-fight-rampage-jackson-for-free/

http://mmamania.com/2009/09/23/dana-white-rampage-jackson-is-a-grown-man-acting-like-a-baby/

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson Retires, sick of Dana White's Attitude

Wow, Speechless.

Something tells me this is a publicity stunt where Dana White will patch things up again. Perhaps Rampage is looking for leverage for a contract re-negotiation. Who knows but I'll beleive it when I hear confirmation from Dana White.

Click the link for the statement Rampage gave regarding his retirement. Also, the link below that, its to Rampage official web site where if you sign up, you can read his own blog where he announces his retirement.

http://mmamania.com/2009/09/22/quinton-rampage-jackson-im-done-fighting-im-hanging-it-up/

http://www.rampage-jackson.com/profiles/blog/list

With UFC looking to cut Frank Trigg, retirement is only other option

After waiting more than four years to make his return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, veteran fighter Frank Trigg will probably be dropped from the organization once again. And if that's the case, he's likely to retire from the sport.

Trigg, a former top UFC welterweight contender, suffered a first-round TKO loss to Josh Koscheck on the main card of this past weekend's UFC 103 event in Dallas.

"I think Trigg is one of those guys (like Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic)," White said after the conclusion of the UFC 103 post-fight press conference. "These (other) guys are young and explosive. There's just a whole other level of talent out there, man, and that's the way it works. That's the way this business is."

So, will he give it some thought before terminating the contract?

"I doubt it," White shrugged. "He got smoked tonight."

Trigg (19-7 MMA, 2-4 UFC), who suffered two title losses to....

Click on the link below to continue

http://mmajunkie.com/news/16262/with-ufc-planning-to-terminate-his-contract-frank-trigg-says-retirement-is-likely.mma

Tyson Griffin Talks Win Over Hermes Franca

Found this video online with Tyson Griffin talking about his win over Hermes Franca and how he now wants a top lightweight for his next fight.

Click the link below for the video.

http://mmamania.com/2009/09/21/tyson-griffin-video-talks-ufc-103-win-over-hermes-franca/

Cung Le Vacates Strikeforce Title

Quote:

“For me, potentially I have another project, and I know I’m not in fight shape right now, and I think I should vacate my title because it’s not fair to them who their livelihood is fighting for an interim title when I’m here running around making movies and doing something different. It does not mean that I’m retiring; I’m just doing it because I think it’s the right thing to do … because I’m not ready to step up in the next coming months and fight five-rounders. I definitely intend to return, and I know for a fact that I will return, but I can’t just jump back in and be able to go five rounds at peak level when I left (after) the fight with Frank (Shamrock).”

Click on the link below for more info.

http://mmamania.com/2009/09/21/cung-le-vacating-the-strikeforce-middleweight-title-is-the-right-thing-to-do/

Cro Cop Close to Calling it Quits

At UFC 103, Cro Cop suffered his 3rd loss in the octogon in what may have been his worst performance in his career. Throughout the entire fight, the most offence he did was pushing Junior Dos Santo away to help give himself enough room to run away from his heavy strikes. He did try to through a few high kicks but could never connect. Throughout the fight, Cro Cop was slipping and slidding all over the mat causing him to never get a clear shot on his opponent.

Judging from passed experience, you would think Dana White would have lashed out against Cro Cop for his performance however one thing you have to admit is Dana White is sympathetic to those he feels may be losing due to reaching the end of there careers.

"You get to a certain age where you remember what you used to be able to do, and you can see all the openings. You just can't pull the trigger. I think that's where he's at." Dana said. "It happens to the best of us. It takes nothing away from who he is or what he's accomplished. We just all get old." White continured. "I don't know; I've got to talk to him," White said. "I'm pretty sure that he would say that to me right now, anyway. Mirko and I have always had a pretty good relationship. We'll see what happens."

Cro Cop did not disagree with White going on to admit he was thinking about fighing rather then the fight while in the octogon and that he should have quit fighting after winning the grand pre in PRIDE.

I think White said it best that after a while and when your career has been established, you tend to lose that killer instinct. You don;t jump at the openings when they are there and you take less risks. I hate because I'm a huge Cro Cop fan but all good things come to an end.

Check the links below for more details.

http://mmajunkie.com/news/16253/lackluster-ufc-103-loss-for-cro-cop-could-be-filipovics-last-in-organization.mma

http://mmamania.com/2009/09/20/mirko-cro-cop-maybe-i-shouldve-quit-after-i-won-pride-fc-open-weight-grand-prix-in-2006/

Randy Couture vs Brandon Vera at UFC 105

UFC has been having a hard time finding a main event for UFC 105 November 14th.09 but seems like they found it. Randy Couture and Brandon Vera have apparently agreed to fight however no contracts have been signed yet. Couture had mentioned after his bout with Antonio Rodrigo Noguera that he intended to drop back down to light heavyweight and wanted to fight as soon as possible while he still felt good enough to compete with the younger fighters in the UFC.

Vera is 3-3 in his last 6 fights who has also fought at heavyweoght. Vera has always been known for his confidence and has stated he plans to one day hold the belt in both Light heavyweight and heavyweight. Surely having a victory over a man who HAS had both belts at one time or another would be a good start to eventually achieving his goal.

I see this being a clintch game. Both love the clintch however utilise it differently. Couture tends to clintch then use the dirty boxing to set up his take downs where Vera likes to clintch to set up his big knees. I don;t see Vera being able to clintch and still give himself the room to strike whn he has a fighter like Couture pressed against him. Couture will keep the gap tight and either win by decision or Ref stoppage.

http://mmajunkie.com/news/16168/randy-couture-vs-brandon-vera-at-light-heavyweight-headlines-ufc-105.mma

Bob Sapp in and Gegard Moussassi out

Gegard Moussassi has dropped out of the super hulk tournament under the DREAM banner due to injury. Many suspect he suffered a shoulder injury during his exibition match against Fedor Emelianenko.

His replacement has been announced as Bob Sapp who will now face heavy striker Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (6-4) at DREAM.11 I see Sokoudjou winning this one by overwhelming him with strikes.

http://mmajunkie.com/news/16137/bob-sapp-to-fill-in-for-gegard-mousasi-at-dreams-super-hulk-semifinals.mma

Frank Mir and Cheik Kongo agree to fight at UFC 107

MMAWeekly.com has announced that source close to the web site have revealed that Frank Mir (12-4) and Cheik Kongo (14-5-1) have verbally agreed to fight at UFC 107. Frank Mir is coming off a loss to Brock Lesnar in their second fight to unify the heavyweight title. Cheik Kongo is also coming off a lose to Up-and-comer Cain Velasquez at UFC 99. Both are kinda desperate for wins however I don;t beleive they are in due or die territory with the UFC.

Considering how Kongo lost his last fight from being out wrestled and smothered the entire fight, I don't think this will be a good fight for him style wise. Frank Mir's bread and butter is his BJJ and Kongo has not been known for having a good ground game. The only chance I think he has is if he prays Mir decide to stand and trade with him which would be silly as Kongo is a world class kick boxer. Mir has improved in his stand up game and even mentioned in an interview he would be willing to stand and strike with Kongo. I think his knock out over Noguera has gotten to his head and he feels he has sufficient striking skills now. Let's hope Mir comes back to reality and takes the fight to the ground or we'll be seing Mir knocked out real fast.

http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=9546&zoneid=13

Little Noguera vs Luis Arthur Cane at UFC 106

Sherdog.com is reporting that both Antonio Rogerio Noguera (17-3) and Luis Arthur Cane (10-1) have verbally agreed to fight at UFC 106on November 21st.09. Rogerio Noguera is the twin brother of former UFC interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Noguera and this would be his UFC debut.

Luis Cane is a pretty sick fighter with a 3 fight win streak over Rameau Sokoudjou, Jason Lambert and Steve Cantwell. He's a good striker and his only loss was his own fault when he gave a knee to a downed James Irvin and knocked him out.

Noguera on the other hand is a slick Brizilain Jiu Jitsu fighter. He's fought and won against Dan Henderson, Stikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem (Twice) and Vladimir Matyushenko.

http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/nogueira-cane-slated-for-ufc-105-19635

Wilson Gouveia vs Alan Beltcher for UFC 107

UFC is working on finalizing a bout between Wilson Gouveia vs Alan Beltcher. Should be interesting fight considering both are stand up fighters however Gouveia shouold have the advantage on the ground.

Nothing finalized yet though.

http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=9551&zoneid=13

Cro Cop Determined to Get it Right

Found this good article on Yahoo-sports on Cro Cop. Its gives a good background on his success in Japan and where he stands now. Check it out, good read.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=dm-crocop091109&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Anderson and Wanderlei Now On Good Terms

Well, the feud that had two former training partners and friends become enemies is now over. At UFC 102, Wanderlei and Anderson Silva met for dinner after the show and settled their differences. I suppose we should be happy for them considering they are friends but a good grudge match would have been nice to see. I still see Anderson Silva being the better fighter.

http://www.tatame.com/2009/09/07/Anderson--Wanderlei-is-amazing

Wanderlei Silva gets face surgery and explains why

Click on the link below to see Silva talk about why he got face surgery and his future in fighting.

http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/mma.cfm?go=news.detail&gid=185960