A battle between former UFC lightweight competitors Jens Pulver and Leonard Garcia has officially been added by World Extreme Cagefighting to the undercard of its Sept. 10 event featuring Urijah Faber defending his WEC featherweight title vs. Mike Thomas Brown.
The event, which will emanate from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Holly, Fla. will also featured WEC middleweight title defense by Paulo Filho against Chael Sonnen.
Other matches officially announced Wednesday by the WEC include former NCAA champion Jake Rosholt taking on American Top Team black belt Danillo Villefort, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone vs. “Razor” Rob McCullough, Rani Yayha vs. Yoshiro Maeda, Ed Ratcliff vs. Danny Castillo, Tim McKenzie vs. David Avellan, and former NCAA champion Johny Hendricks vs. Alex Serdyukov.
This could be the WEC’s deepest card in history from top-to-bottom.
I’m pleased to announce that Aggressive Athletics is the latest company to sponsor Andria Caplan for her upcoming Aug. 30 amateur MMA debut against Shannon Schade during Combat Sports Challenge 26in St. George, VA.
Aggressive Athletics specializes in clothing for combat sports and bodybuilding. Andria and I would personally like to thank Angie and everyone at Aggressive for all of their support. It’s greatly appreciated.
For more information on Aggressive Athletics, please click here.
The sponsorship is extremely crucial considering her fight was moved from Aug. 16 in Delaware to Aug. 30 in Virginia. For the Delaware show, our expenses were going to be relatively small considering that the weigh-ins were the day of the fight card and we were just going to drive from Philadelphia the same day. Now that we’re competing five hours away on a Pro-Am show with weigh-ins the day before, that requires additional expenses such as a multi-night hotel stay.
We still have several sponsorship opportunities remaining and if interested, you can e-mail me at: SCaplan8@comcast.net
And remember, if you’re in the Virginia area, make sure you check out CSC 26. It’s going to be a great show with Dwayne “Diesel” Shelton taking on Sedico Honorio in a 140 lbs. fight in the main event. Both are fighters that I believe have a good chance of fighting in the WEC within the next twelve months. Also on the card is a welterweight battle between LeVon Maynard and John Doyle. Don’t be surprised if the winner of the fight gets a shot with a major national promotion. FiveOuncesOfPain.com will be sponsoring both fighters for the bout.
You can click here for the full card and ticket information. We hope to see you there!
MMA Weeklyspoke with EliteXC vice president Jared Shaw and it looks like the long-awaited K.J. Noons vs. Nick Diaz title rematch could be in jeopardy. The promotion wanted to include the fight as part of their October show on CBS but it appears that Noons’ management has no interest in the bout:
According to EliteXC vice president Jared Shaw, the promotion has tried to make the fight happen and wants it to happen as part of the Oct. 4 event, but to no avail.
“Nick Diaz is the No. 1 contender. K.J. Noons should step up and be the champion that we think he is and take this fight. Nick Diaz will take this fight any place, anywhere,” Shaw told MMAWeekly.com. “(Noons’ management) won’t even return our calls.
“I don’t understand it. This fight on CBS is maximum exposure and the opportunity for maximum sponsorship dollars, way more than he could make on Showtime. At this point, I question his management.”
Take into consideration that Noon’s management is none other than Mark Dion, a guy who was fired by Brandon Vera after Dion was instrumental in Vera’s near year long absence from the UFC. Also, according to a recent interview with Fight Hype, it looks like Noons is wanting to get back into the boxing ring before he steps back inside the cage, being quoted as saying “Boxing is next unless something good comes up.”
I would think that national exposure on primetime on CBS in a high profile fight against a known commodity in Diaz would be considered as “something good,” but what do I know? I have defended Noons on several occasions because I think the stoppage in his first fight against Diaz was not only warranted but that Noons was on his way to winning that fight no matter what happened. However, if he’s legitimately dodging Diaz then he needs to be called out on it and that’s what it’s starting to look like. If Noons wants to continue to be the EliteXC lightweight champion then he’s going to have to defend against Diaz at one point or another. Why not do it on CBS?
PRIDE veteran James Lee has reportedly pulled out of his UFC 88 fight vs. Tim Boetsch, according to MMAjunkie.com.
While the UFC has yet to make an official announcement, MMA Junkie indicated that Lee was scratched from the card last week after sustaining an arm injury.
A replacement also apparently already has been secured in former BodogFIGHT veteran Mike Patt. Patt is a UFC newcomer who likely earned a shot to debut for the promotion after having won seven of his past eight fights.
UFC 88 is scheduled to take place on Sept. 6 in Atlanta, GA at the Phillips Arena and will be headlined by a light heavyweight bout between former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell and the heavyweight winner from season two of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Rashad Evans.
Rumors have swept through the Internet in recent days that claimed a UFC lightweight bout between Kenny Florian and Joe Stevenson was on tap for a show later this year.
While bout agreements have yet to be signed, MMAWeekly.com reports that its sources have informed the site that both Florian and Stevenson have verbally agreed to the bout.
The proposed Florian vs. Stevenson matchup seems destined to be held on Nov. 15 during a yet-to-be announced UFC event expected to be titled “UFC 91” that will likely take place at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon.
In addition to being top lightweight title contenders, both Florian and Stevenson are alumni of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality television series on Spike TV.
Florian competed as a middleweight during the first season of TUF and made it to the finals against tournament winner Diego Sanchez. Since losing to Sanchez, Florian has gone on to win eight of nine fights in the UFC and most recently defeated Roger Huerta via unanimous decision at UFC 87 on Aug, 9.
Stevenson won the welterweight tournament for the second season of TUF, defeating Luke Cummo in the finals via unanimous decision. He has a lifetime record of 6-2 in the UFC and is 29-8 overall. At UFC 86 in July, Stevenson rebounded from a January loss against B.J. Penn for the then-vacant UFC lightweight title when he submitted American Top Team’s Gleison Tibau in the second round.
Strikeforce has announced that former UFC light heavyweight and middleweight competitor Terry Martin will debut for the San Jose-based promotion on Sept. 20 during its second-ever show at the famed Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Martin’s opponent will be up-and-coming 24-year old middleweight prospect Cory Devela.
Martin is 17-5, according to Sherdog’s fight finder, and most recently competed during Affliction’s inaugural show on July 19 in Anaheim, Calif. Competing against former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort during Belfort’s middleweight debut, Martin was knocked out at 3:12 of round 2.
A month prior, Martin was declared a winner via disqualification against Daiju Takase due to low blows during Adrenaline MMA’s first-ever show on June 14.
While in the UFC, Martin compiled a 2-4 record with victories over Jorge Rivera and Ivan Salaverry and notable losses to Chris Leben and James Irvin.
Officials with the Lemoore, California-based Palace Fighting Championship promotion have formally announced the signings of 18 new fighters to its roster. The new fighters include former IFL veterans Alex Schoenauer and John Gunderson as well former UFC veterans Gabe Ruediger, Lodune Sincaid, and Jason Von Flue.
The PFC started in the wake of Zuffa’s acquisition of World Extreme Cagefighting. After the WEC was acquired and moved its operations to Las Vegas, there was a void at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino, where the WEC used to run shows on a regular basis. The PFC now runs shows in the WEC’s absence and is considered one of the top regional promotions in the country.
A list of the fighters added to the PFC roster are listed below. Many of them after expected to debut at PFC 11 on Nov. 20. The promotion’s next show, PFC 10, is scheduled for Sept. 26 and will feature a welterweight battle between Phil Baroni and Olaf Alfonso.
Over the course of the next couple of weeks I am going to try to provide you, our loyal readers, with a preview of some of the fighters to look out for on this season of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir.
The first fighter to look out for is light heavyweight prospect Ryan “Darth” Bader. Bader was a three-time PAC 10 champion and a two-time All-American wrestler at Arizona State University. He was on a wrestling team at ASU with notable UFC fighters C.B. Dollaway and Cain Velasquez. He currently trains out of Arizona Combat Sports with the likes of Dollaway, Jamie Varner, Jesse Forbes, and Ray Steinbess and carries a 7-0 professional record coming into the show.
With Bader’s strong wrestling credentials he certainly looks like he could contend for the light heavyweight contract on this season of TUF. As you can see in the video below, his striking needs work but his wrestling is pretty explosive. And though his striking may not be very clean just yet, it does appear that his punches have good power on them. Even if Bader doesn’t win the contract or make the finals it’s possible, unless something freakish occurs, that we could see him emerge as a fighter who stays with the UFC after the show is over.
Bryan Alvarez of Figure 4 Online reported during the site’s daily update on Tuesday that the UFC appears likely to return to Montreal at the Bell Centre on Dec. 5 with current UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre a possible headliner.
Alvarez adds that the site will have more news on the situation tomorrow, as the recent news has not yet been made official by the UFC.
St. Pierre has stated in recent radio interviews that he does not intend to return until early-2009 after fighting frequently the past 12 months. However, if UFC officials want to do a card in Montreal in early December and they want St. Pierre on it, they could try to convince him to take a fight on that date.
The news of a possible Dec. 5 is intriguing, as the UFC has shows planned for November and on Dec. 27.
UFC officials have been rumored to be working on a possible main event involving Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Wanderlei Silva for a Nov. show that could take place in Portland, Ore. It should be noted that the availability for both fighters is still uncertain. Jackson has legal issues that must be addressed with and Silva specifically requested that the UFC not schedule him for a fight before December.
Nothing has been announced officially for the Dec. 27 show, which tentatively planned to take place in Las Vegas. However, it is expected that UFC interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira will take on Frank Mir. Chuck Liddell could also be in action if he’s able to defeat Rashad Evans next month and does so without sustaining a serious injury. It’s unclear whether Liddell would fight UFC heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin or if he would be matched up against current UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
Update: The report has been removed from the website and no retraction has been issued. BloodyElbow.com states that it contacted Dave Meltzer, who indicated their reporting was based on a local report in Montreal and that they were unable to confirm it.
MMAWeekly.com is reporting that Canadian middleweight Jason “Dooms” Day has withdrawn from his scheduled September 6th bout with Jason “The Punisher” Lambert. According to the report, Day suffered an elbow and biceps injury that will require him to undergo a MRI and keep him out of the fight.
Sherdog.com is now reporting that Day’s replacement will be fellow Canadian Jason “The Athlete” MacDonald.
MacDonald, a native of Pictou County, Nova Scotia, possesses a UFC record of 4-3 with victories over Ed Herman, Chris Leben, Rory Singer, and Joe Doerksen. MacDonald’s most recent outing came at UFC 87: Seek and Destroy where he fell victim to the ground game of Demian Maia after three grueling rounds.
Jason Lambert is looking to test his hand at 185 pounds after spending the majority of his career in the light heavyweight division. Lambert has gone 4-3 in the UFC with victories over Renato “Babalu” Sobral, Branden Lee Hinkle, Terry Martin, and Rob MacDonald.
UFC 88: Breakthrough is scheduled for Saturday, September 6, 2008 at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. The card will be headlined by a light heavyweight bout featuring former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell and Rashad Evans.
Former NCAA champion Mark Munoz will not be able to fight as previously scheduled during the WEC’s next scheduled show on Wednesday, Sept. 10 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla.
According to MMA Weekly, the former Oklahoma State competitor if off the card vs. Steve Steinbeiss due to an undisclosed injury.
Steinbess, who trains out of Trevor and Todd Lally’s Arizona Combat Sports, could remain on the card against a new opponent.
The WEC’s Sept. 10 event, to be televised on VERSUS starting at 9 p.m. ET, will feature two title fights involving WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber taking on Mike Thomas Brown and WEC middleweight champion Paulo Filho squaring off against Chael Sonnen. Former NCAA champions Jake Rosholt and Johny Hendricks are scheduled to make their debuts as well.
Michael David Smith over at MMA FanHouse asked UFC welterweight contender Thiago Alves what his current weight was and Alves responded that he’s walking around at 200lbs.
“Right now I’m about 200,” Alves said. “That’s 30 pounds over my weight division, but it won’t be a problem for me to make weight.”
UFC President Dana White gave Alves a smirk when I asked the question, as if to say, “You knew this was coming up.” Alves said that the only reason he failed to make weight at UFC 85 was that he sprained his ankle 10 days before the fight and wasn’t able to do the cardio routine he usually does in the days leading up to the weigh-in.
Stupid ankles. Prior to his last bout, a dominating victory over Matt Hughes at UFC 85, Alves weighed in at 174lbs. and that fact led some to believe the weight advantage was the reason he won the match.
Alves next fights at UFC 90 in October against Diego Sanchez and everyone will be keeping a close eye on the weigh-ins. Especially considering a win would put Alves at the top of the welterweight contenders list but he’s not getting a title shot until he proves to the UFC that he can make the weight consistently. Outside of pulling out of a main event the day before, the UFC’s most hair-pulling situations involve people not making title fight weights.
Watch the latest episode on HDNet’s Inside MMA on FiveOuncesofPain.com. This week’s guest panel is UFC’s Martin Kampmann, UFC’s Amir Sadollah, and columnist Gary Herman.
Check out more mixed martial arts video in our Video page!
World Victory Road has announced that heavyweight prospect Roger Gracie has been added to its Sengoku 5 card on Sept. 28 at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan.
Gracie, one of the best pure heavyweight grapplers on the competitive circuit, is 2-0 in his brief MMA career. He debuted in 2006 with a first round submission of Ron Waterman during BodogFIGHT’s “USA vs. Russia” event. Gracie then returned to action this past May during Sengoku 2, where he submitted Yuki Kondo with a rear naked choke at 2:40 of round 1.
Gracie’s opponent for Sengoku 5 has yet to be named.
The promotion has also announced that Yuki Sasaki has been added to a Middleweight Grand Prix field that already includes Jorge Santiago, Kazuhiro Nakamura, Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos, and Siyar Bahadurzada.
Also added to the card in separate bouts were Jorge Masvidal and Xande Ribeiro. Masvidal had been rumored as a challenger to Josh Thomson and Thomson’s Strikeforce lightweight title during the San Jose-based promotion’s Sept. 20 show at the Playboy Mansion. It’s unlikely that Masvidal will be fighting for Strikeforce on that date in light of Sengoku’s announcement.
MMARated.com is reporting that UFC welterweight competitor Mike Swick will be added to UFC 90, which is scheduled to take place on Oct. 25 in Rosemont, Ill. at the Allstate Arena.
UFC President Dana White reportedly made the announcement regarding Swick during the promotion’s press conference on Monday at the Millennium Park in Chicago.
White offered no indication about who Swick will be fighting on the card.
UFC 90 will be headlined by UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva defending his middleweight title against Patrick Cote. According to MMA Rated, White stated during the presser that Silva could move back to light heavyweight for his next fight if he’s able to get past Cote. A future catchweight bout between Silva and current UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre was mentioned as a possibility as well.
The card will also feature a welterweight fight between Diego Sanchez and Thiago Alves. White also apparently stated on the record that the winner will receive a future title shot.
After jumping from $2.50 per share to $8.00 a share on Friday, ProElite’s stock (PELE.PK) fell $5.25 from $8.00 to $2.75 per share on Monday. The volume for the day was just 3,000 shares, making it likely that just one investor sold his or her shares in the company.
In other company-related news, according to ProElite’s 8-K extension request submitted to the Securities Exchange Committee, the company will be filing its second quarter report today. We’ll have more details once the report becomes available.
Michael David Smith of AOL Fanhouse was putting in work today at the UFC 90 press conference and was able to catch up with not only Patrick Cote, but also WEC’s current bantamweight champion, Miguel Torres. Torres touches on a number of topics, including a possible title defense against Manny Tapia on December 3 and a future fight between he and Urijah Faber at 145 lbs.
A battle between former UFC lightweight competitors Jens Pulver and Leonard Garcia has officially been added by World Extreme Cagefighting to the undercard of its Sept. 10 event featuring Urijah Faber defending his WEC featherweight title vs. Mike Thomas Brown.
MMARated.com is reporting
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