A special pre-sale ticket purchase opportunity will take place for “STRIKEFORCE Insider” e-newsletter subscribers (http://strikeforce.com/insider.html) beginning at 10 a.m. ET Monday, Dec. 7, and ending at 10 p.m. ET on Thursday, Dec. 10. ”STRIKEFORCE Insiders” will receive a special e-newsletter Friday, Dec. 4 with the pre-sale code.

Tickets officially go on-sale next Friday, Dec. 11 at the BankAtlantic Center ticket office as well as online at www.Ticketmaster.com or by phone at (800)745-3000.

Walker, the 1982 Heisman Trophy winner and two-time Pro Bowl competitor, will face an opponent to be announced in one of as many as five televised fights live on SHOWTIME® (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) bouts on the STRIKEFORCE card.

The 6-foot-1 inch, 220-pound former running back, who already holds a fifth degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and boasts additional training in the combat disciplines of Muay Thai and Kenpo, recently entered a 12-week MMA training camp at San Jose, California’s American Kickboxing Academy (AKA), which plays home to a host of the world’s greatest fighters, including STRIKEFORCE Lightweight Champion Josh “The Punk” Thomson and undefeated middleweight superstar Cung Le.

Walker, a 1999 College Hall of Fame inductee who was also selected to Sports Illustrated’s NCAA All-Century Team that year, has never been one to shy away from the road less traveled.

Walker, a born-again Christian, astonished the sports world by withdrawing from school to play professional ball in the newly formed United States Football League (USFL) rather than wait to enter the NFL draft after the graduation of his collegiate class, a rule maintained by the world’s largest professional football league at the time.

While the vast majority of football players typically follow an intensive weight room regimen, Walker relied on bodyweight exercise, conditioning, and calisthenics while maintaining very little body fat.

Walker was eventually drafted in 1985 by The Dallas Cowboys and established himself as a premiere running back in the league. In 1986, he was the driving force behind a historic trade that sent in to The Minnesota Vikings in exchange for five players and six draft picks.

In 12 NFL seasons with four different teams, he became the only player to gain 4,000 yards three different ways – rushing, receiving, and kickoff returns. He is one of six players to exceed 60 touchdowns rushing and 20 touchdowns receiving and is the only player in NFL history to register a 90 plus yard reception, a 90 plus yard run, and a 90 plus yard kickoff return, all in one season (1994).

Off the gridiron, Walker has achieved a handful of feats, including a seventh place finish in the 1992 Winter Olympics two-man bobsled competition. Now 47 years of age, the native of Wrightsville, Georgia will look to conquer a whole new world.

Diaz will make his first start since he submitted hard-hitting Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith with a rear naked choke in the third round (1:41) of their STRIKEFORCE: Lawler vs. Shields matchup at St. Louis, Missouri’s Scottrade Center on June 6, 2009. The 26 year old Diaz, a native of Stockton, California, will put a five fight win streak on the line.

Cyborg made history on Aug. 15, 2009 when the 24-year-old native of Brazil stopped superstar Gina Carano with a punishing barrage of strikes in the first round (4:59) of their meeting to become the first-ever STRIKEFORCE women’s champion. The long-awaited showdown between Carano and Cyborg also marked the first women’s main event in the history of any major MMA promotion.

Doors at BankAtlantic Center open at 7 p.m. The first non-televised, preliminary card fight will begin at 8 p.m.

STRIKEFORCE in March 2009 signed a multi-year agreement to stage live MMA events on the premium cable television network. The promotion made its live, primetime debut on CBS with the “Fedor vs. Rogers” mega-fight that it co-promoted with M-1 Global on Saturday, November 7 and generated 5.46 million viewers for the main event between the world’s number one heavyweight, Fedor Emelianenko, and superstar Brett “The Grim” Rogers.

While nothing has been made official at this time, rumors place the event on December 19 from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.

Husband to current Strikeforce 145 pound female champion and feared knockout artist in his own respect, Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos plans to make his 170 pound debut in December.

Chute Boxe trainer Rudimar Fedrigo recently revealed the date for both fighters to make their returns, along with Evangelista’s plans to cut down for his usual fighting weight of 185 pounds in a recent conversation with Tatame.com.

“He’ll finally debut at the 170 pounds category, in December, at Strikeforce,” confirmed Fedrigo. “He’ll fight, but hasn’t a chosen opponent yet, and then he’ll be back to Brazil to the end of the year. We’ll talk to the president of the event and know who’s gonna bet he opponents, but Cris and Cyborg will fight on the same event.”

*Photo courtesy of Esther Lin/Strikeforce

When Strikeforce rolls into San Jose on August 15th, the company’s card will feature a number of highly-skilled, widely-respected PRIDE and UFC veterans such as Alistair Overeem, Nick Diaz, Fabricio Werdum, and Josh Thomson. However, if the media turnout yesterday in New York City was any indication of things, the world will have its collective eyes set on two individuals who have never stepped inside the Octagon or been introduced via the scratchy stylings of Lenne Hardt.

Headliners Gina “Conviction” Carano and Cris “Cyborg” Santos participated in an open workout and meet-and-greet for fans at Madison Square Garden while later offering thoughts in a press conference about their upcoming clash on Showtime. While appreciative of the attention the event’s spotlight has brought them, both women seemed to be focused on the task at hand.

“I have the ultimate, utmost respect for Cyborg,” said Carano. “This is the toughest fight of my life. I am not into public speaking, but I am so humbled and blessed by this unbelievable turnout of media and fans. It feels so great the support that you have given Cyborg and I. (But) It is not just us. There are four title fights on this great card.”

Santos seemed to echo the always-humble postergirl’s sentiments, responding, “Like Gina, I am not into public speaking. I prefer to fight. I want to thank the media, Strikeforce, Showtime, and my fans. This is a great opportunity and this will be a very good fight for the fans and media.”

On the subject of preparation, Carano confirmed that she was again training with UFC Hall of Famer and multi-time champion Randy “The Natural” Couture in Las Vegas.

“Cyborg is very strong. That’s why I have reached out to (Couture) to support me. He has been a mentor to me. I need somebody like him to get me mentally and physically ready for the biggest fight of my career. He is a great backboard for me. Randy is training me to get ready for the toughest fight of my career. He is my head trainer and he will be in my corner.”

Also keeping things on the West Coast, the hard-hitting Brazilian stated she had been training in Huntington Beach with her husband and fellow MMA practitioner Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos.

“I think the one who makes the fewer mistakes will win this fight,” explained Cyborg. “I am expecting a war. I have been training a lot since my last fight. I am ready and very excited.”

Carano avoided predictions and concluded things by expressing her appreciation towards those who had made this opportunity possible.

“I have to thank all my trainers,”said Gina. “All of Las Vegas has come to my support. This has been an amazing journey. I am blessed and humbled at the same time. I want to thank Strikeforce and Showtime. It takes a lot of (guts) to put this on.”

Will Gina Carano suffer the first loss of her career or end up with her hand raised when things are said and done? Who will walk away the winner of this landmark main event bout as the first Women’s 145-Pound Champion in Strikeforce history? Tune in August 15th and find out!

Said an animated Carano in reference to her upcoming scrap with one of the most physically intimidating, aggressive fighters in women’s’ MMA, “I’m really excited to be coming back and to have a new home with Strikeforce. I’ve wanted this fight with ‘Cyborg’ for a long time and so have the fans so it was important to me that it happen in my first fight back. I’ve been training hard the last few months and come August 15th, I will be in the best shape of my life. This fight will absolutely deliver on all the hype.”

August 15th, 2009 will mark Carano’s second appearance under the Strikeforce banner. In 2006, and her third professional fight, she walked away the winner in a unanimous decision victory over Cung Le protégé Elaina Maxwell.

Gina Carano is set to face off with Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos on August 15 for Strikeforce on a card that has been rumored for California.

The battle between the two top female fighter’s has been a long time coming ever since the days when EliteXC was building the fight up before the promotion’s eventual demise.

Carano hasn’t been seen in the cage since her October of 2008 bout with Kelly Kobold in which she dominated en route to a unanimous decision while Cyborg last fought in April when she stopped Hitomi Akano by TKO.

Also announced for the August 15 Strikeforce card is a lightweight championship rematch between Josh Thomson and Gilbert Melendez, and Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem is also set to make his return to the promotion against a yet to be determined opponent.

Though the two would later go on to face each other at the event per Akano’s willingness to compete, the fight found itself in jeopardy when Santos originally tipped the scale at 152 pounds and was unable to meet the weight requirement within the allotted time frame.

In an interview published today on CNNSI, Akano’s manger, Shu Hirata, stated Mrs. Santos requested to step on the scale without clothing after weighing in a second time at 150 pounds and was granted an opportunity to do so. Hirata goes on to say “Cyborg” and her husband remained alone with the scale while a male CSAC representative left to find a female member of the commission and Akano’s camp left to discuss strategy outside of the room. When the female CSAC representative returned and “Cyborg” had removed her clothing for another weigh-in, the scale read that she was six pounds lighter than what it had listed a few minutes earlier. After voicing his concern about the dramatic drop in weight over such a short period of time, Hirata sought an explanation from Santos’ camp and was told that it was due to her bikini being wet. Unsatisfied with their account of the situation, Hirata said he had the California State Athletic Commission re-calibrate the scale and weigh her again. After the adjustments were made it once again showed Santos weighing 150 pounds.

However, it appears as though there are conflicting stories about what exactly took place in San Jose. When contacted by FiveOuncesofPain.com seeking clarification on the issue of whether or not Santos (or her representatives) had ever been left alone with the scale, CSAC Executive Officer Bill Douglas stated, “The scale malfunction occurred in the presence of CSAC. A weight drop of that magnitude is unheard of which is why the scale was re-calibrated and reflected the correct weight. A female CSAC staff member was present at all times because of the fact that Akanoand Santos were both going to provide steroid samples and a male staff member could not collect the sample.”

FiveOuncesofPain.com will continue to monitor this story and update readers as new information becomes available.

Cyborg originally hit the scales at 152 pounds which placed her seven pounds over the bouts agreed weight, and six pounds above the weight classes normal absolute limit.

The California State Athletic Commission gave Santos until 11 pm ET to get her weight down to 149.5 pounds. Akano had weighed in at 143.5 for the bout and the CSAC would not all of for the fight to go forward until the gap in weight was no greater than six pounds.

Just past 11 pm ET Santos hit the scales at 150 pounds even, and even though she missed the mark by a half pound, the commission agreed to let the bout take place.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com was the first to report that Akano was originally declining on the bout following the second weigh in, but it seems as though there have seem some late night back and forth negotiations between Strikeforce and Akano and her camp that have managed to salvage the fight.

The bout will take place as planned, outside of the huge weight differential in Cyborg’s favor, this evening at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.

Photo: Tom Casino/Strikeforce

FiveOuncesOfPain.com is on the scene in San Jose where we have learned from Akano’s representatives that she is declining on the fight.

No official word as to whether the bout will proceed or not has been made as of yet. Stay tuned to FiveOuncesOfPain.com as we continue to provide you with the latest news on this unfolding development.

Santos had originally weighed in at 152 pounds for the scheduled 145 pound match up with Akano. She was given until 11 pm ET to get her weight down to 149.5 pounds. Akano weighed in at 143.5 pounds and the commission would not allow the fight to take place unless the weight differential was no greater than six pounds.

Cyborg will be fined 20% of her purse for the failure to make the contracted weight limit if the bout is to proceed. 10% of the deduction will go to Akano and the other 10% will go to to the CSAC.

The San Jose-based fight company made the matchup official via a press release earlier this afternoon. According to Strikeforce officials, the bout will be three rounds of three minutes. It has not been determined whether the fight will be a part of Showtime’s telecast of the event.

Santos, 6-1, will be making her Strikeforce debut after having been idle following her unanimous decision victory over former pro wrestler Yoko Takahashi during EliteXC’s Oct. 4 “Heat” event in South Florida.

While fans will have to wait a little longer to see the Cyborg vs. Carano dream fight, Santos will have her hands full against a fighter widely regarded as a top ten competitor in the super bantamweight (135 pounds) division.

“I know Hitomi Akano is the best Japanese female fighter today, but I am prepared for any situation and will always be looking for the knockout,” said the 23-year-old Cyborg is quoted as saying in the release.

Akano comes from a judo background, which will offer quite the contrast to Cybrog’s Chute Boxe-brand of Muay Thai and jiu-jitsu.

“I am really looking forward to this fight because, compared to mine, Cyborg has got almost a completely opposite style. She is a striker and I am a grappler,” Akano is quoted as saying. “Regardless of where I fight, I believe in myself and my ability to fight my own game.”

Akano, 14-5, will also be making her Strikeforce debut and will be fighting on U.S. soil for just the second time in her career. A veteran of the now-defunct Japan-based Smackgirl promotion, Akano has won her last three fights and holds notable victories in her career of Megumi Yabushita, Debi Purcell, Molly Helsel, and Keiko “Tama Chan” Tamai.

All five of Akano’s career defeats have come against world class opponents such as Yabushita, Tara LaRosa, Vanessa Porto, Amanda Buckner, and Takayo Hashi.

In addition to Santos vs. Akano, Strikeforce’s April 11 event at the HP Pavilion will be headlined by a 179 pound catchweight bout between former Strikeforce middleweight champion Frank Shamrock and UFC and EliteXC veteran Nick Diaz.

Other bouts confirmed for the April 11 show include Josh Thomson defending his Strikeforce lightweight title vs. former champion Gilbert Melendez, a middleweight matchup between Scott Smith and Benji Radach, and a welterweight bout featuring former EliteXC 170 pound kingin Jake Shields and ex-UFC veteran Joe Riggs.

CagePlay.com is reporting that XMMA has signed Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos to a one-fight contract with her debut set to take place on February 27 at XMMA 7: Inferno.

Santos gained a great deal of notoriety earlier this year after joining the now-defunct EliteXC. During her short stint with the organization, she amassed a record of 2-0 with impressive victories over Yoko Takahashi and Shayna Baszler.

There was a great deal of talk regarding a future match between Gina “Conviction” Carano and Santos but the bout has been put on the back burner as Santos and Carano are both unable to sign long-term deals with fight promotions until their contractual obligations to currently doormat ProElite are taken care of. ]]> http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2008/12/29/report-cris-cyborg-to-return-on-february-7/feed/ 4 http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2008/11/14/dana-white-says-he-would-consider-promotiong-gina-carano-vs-cris-cyborg-fight/ http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2008/11/14/dana-white-says-he-would-consider-promotiong-gina-carano-vs-cris-cyborg-fight/#comments Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:00:28 +0000 Sam Caplan http://fiveouncesofpain.com/?p=8849 After repeated statements to the media indicating that he was not a fan of female MMA, it appears UFC president Dana White could be softening his stance.

During an interview with Jon Anik of ESPN.com’s “MMA Live,” White responded to a question about a proposed superfight between Gina Carano and Cris Cyborg by expressing a potential desire to promote the bout.

However, if White does a full 180 and promotes a female fight, do not expect it to take place under the UFC’s banner, but for it instead to be a part of its sister promotion, the WEC.

“I wouldn’t be opposed to it,” White responded when asked by Anik about promoting Carano vs. Cyborg. “And if I did do it, I’d probably do it in the WEC.”

That’s a drastic change from how White responded to questions about Carano in the days following reports that ProElite had executed massive layoffs in anticipation of a potential shutdown.

“I think Gina Carano is a talented fighter, I think she’s a star,” White was quoted as saying during a post-UFC 90 press conference. “She should have been the main event (on Oct. 4). My thing with women fighting is that there’s just not enough good women out there to create a whole division. Could I do some one off fights here and there, yeah, but that’s not really what we do.”

Gina Carano vs. Kelly Kobold

Cris Santos vs. Yoko Takahashi

Gina Carano vs. Kelly Kobold

Cris Santos vs. Yoko Takahashi

Gina Carano vs. Kelly Kobold

Cris Santos vs. Yoko Takahashi

Gina Carano vs. Kelly Kobold

Cris Santos vs. Yoko Takahashi

Photos: Esther Lin/Combatlifestyle.com

FiveOuncesOfPain.com learned of the news while speaking with EliteXC Vice President Jared Shaw on Monday.

Shaw indicated that as of now, the Cyborg vs. Takahashi matchup is not guaranteed to make the CBS telecast, which is only guaranteed to show bouts between Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock, Gina Carano vs. Kelly Kobald-Gavin, Jake Shields vs. Paul Daley, and Murilo “Ninja” Rua vs. Benji Radach.

As of now, the plan is to show the Cyborg vs. Takahashi matchup in its entirety on a tape-delay basis if time permits. If time does not permit, EliteXC is hopeful that CBS will be able to air highlights of the fight.

Regardless of what form the fight airs in, Shaw believes the Cyborg vs. Takahashi matchup is great incentive for fight fans planning to attend the show in Ft. Lauderdale at the BankAtlantic Arena to show up early in order to catch the preliminary portion of the card.

EliteXC’s next ShoXC event has been scheduled for August 15 at the Table Mountain Casino in Friant, Calif., located just outside of Fresno.

The news was confirmed to FiveOuncesOfPain.com earlier this afternoon by EliteXC Vice President Jared Shaw.

According to Shaw, already scheduled for the card is a rematch between light heavyweight fighters Poai Suganuma and Jared Hamman. The two fought previously at the Table Mountain Casino on April 5. Hamman suffered his first loss as a pro after being rocked by a flying knee delivered by Suganuma. The fight was stopped amidst a chorus of boos, with many Hamman supporters feeling that the fight was halted early.

In addition to Suganuma vs. Hamman II, Shaw indicated that striking specialist Cyrille Diabate will make his EliteXC debut in a light heavyweight encounter against ShoXC veteran Jaime Fletcher.

Another high-profile debut is planned, with standout welterweight Judoka Hector Lombard scheduled for the card as well. Shaw indicated that EliteXC has a specific opponent in mind and that the promotion is in the process of finalizing a contract with the proposed fighter.

Two other matches are scheduled for the televised portion of the show as well, with female fighter Debi Purcell considered a likely candidate to be featured in one of the bouts

The card is subject to change but right now it’s looking like the main event that was leaked on the Underground forum between Javier Vazquez vs. J.C. Pennington will indeed be happening.

Undercard matches on Showtime are expected to include the return of Aaron Rosa, who made a strong impression during the first ShoXC when he took out the more heralded Jefferson Silva. Rosa, with a perfect 9-0 record, will be taking on another undefeated fighter, 8-0 Jared Hamman.

Showing even more of a commitment to women’s MMA, Showtime will be televising a female match not involving Gina Carano. Shayna Baszler, who defeated Jan Finney during the non-televised portion of the first ShoXC, will be taking on Jennifer Tate. A win by Baszler could put her a step closer to a match with Carano.

Muhsin Corbbrey, who won his ShoXC debut via decision over the rugged Lee Gibson at the first ShoXC, will also be back on the card in a match against Bobby McMasters.

Kaleo Kwan is also slated to fight Malaipet.