July 3, 2009
UFC NEWS
Cote Almost 100%, Eager to Return
By Kelsey Mowatt

2009 has likely been a long and drawn out year in the life of Patrick Cote. After the 29 year-old-fighter climbed his way to the top of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s middleweight division, courtesy a 5 fight winning streak, a knee injury Cote incurred in the third round of his title fight with champion Anderson Silva last October, has sidelined the Canadian ever since.

“Not fully, but it’s doing very well,” said Cote, when asked whether or not his knee is fully recovered yet. “I’m starting to push a little bit harder and everything is going very well. I’m really happy.”

“I’ll be ready probably in October,” Cote added. “That’s the target.”

Cote earned his shot at Silva’s belt by working his way to a tightly contested Split Decision over Ricardo Almeida nearly one year ago, and after having faced the champion himself, he hopes to make his return against another notable competitor.

“I don’t have a name right now,” Cote told FCF. “I just want a good fight. I want to be in a good show and put on a good show for the fans. I think I’m able to put on a good show against anybody so I want a top guy right away. We’ll see what the UFC will give me.”

With other notable middleweights like Demian Maia, Nathan Marquardt, Dan Henderson, and Michael Bisping, among others, all getting ready for bouts this summer, depending on what transpires, there may not be a lot of big names available come October. Yushin Okami is another of the division’s more accomplished fighters, and although the injured knee which kept him out of UFC 98 may prevent him from returning this Fall, he’s a possible opponent that interests Cote.

“Yeah sure,” said Cote, when asked if he would be interested in fighting Okami. “He’s a really good fighter and he’s at the top of the middleweight division. So for sure. That would be a really interesting fight for me to come back for. If not him I’ll take another one.”

Anderson Silva will next face Forrest Griffin at UFC 101 on August 8th, a light-heavyweight bout that was put together, after the champion’s last two title defenses have not produced the highlight reel material fans have grown to expect. In addition, recently President Dana White conceded that the promotion might look outside of the organization (perhaps in Vitor Belfort’s direction) for the next challenger, further fueling debate as to whether or not the UFC has a viable contender within the organization.

“I’m 50-50,” said Cote, when asked if he agrees with the idea that Silva has cleaned out the division. “I’m not stupid. I know that Anderson is incredible and one of a kind in the world, but, nobody is unbeatable and he’s only human. In my last fight I don’t think I won the first two rounds but I was still there, still standing in the third round. I received his best punch I think and I was still there. Our game plan was perfect and we were exactly where we wanted to be. I don’t think he’s unbeatable but it will be very difficult to beat this guy.”

Cote was indeed the first fighter to take Silva into the third round since the Brazilian signed with the UFC, who when the two met, was on a 7 fight winning streak, and had stopped names like Rich Franklin, Dan Henderson and Nathan Marquardt in under ten minutes. Despite Cote’s resiliency in the fight, and the fact it came to an end because of an injury, there was little substantive discussion of a rematch afterwards.

“At the beginning yes,” Cote said, when asked if he was bothered by the fact that his performance at UFC 90 didn’t lead to a rematch. “Now I just want to come back and just fight. I want to get a title fight. I want to fight him again, even if he’s not the champion anymore; I want to finish this business. I don’t care if he knocks me out or if I win, I just want a real decision. I do this sport to be number one and bad luck happened last time. My goal is to have a rematch. I can sleep though; I’ve been able to pass over it.”

July 2, 2009
NY MMA NEWS

Despite a Floundering MMA Bill, New York Underground Fight Shows Live On
By Jim Genia

This time it was a boxing gym in the heart of Brooklyn, nestled deep within one of the city’s worst neighborhoods but packed with cheering fans, all of them gathered together for a Saturday afternoon of unsanctioned exhibition MMA bouts in a state seemingly forever on the cusp of legalizing the sport. In the ring for this event dubbed “Martial Arts Madness”, a 250-pound Muay Thai practitioner named Dale squares off against a 240-pound wrestler nicknamed “The Savage”. They wear shin pads and headgear, a nod to the exhibition-nature of the fights, but none of that matters in the roughly six seconds Dale needs to plant his shin against the Savage’s head and send him tumbling to the canvas. The wrestler lies there facedown for a while before the ringside medical attendant (really, one of the judges who’s a black belt in kung fu) can help him to his feet. The audience applauds, appreciative of what the promoter (who shall remain nameless) has orchestrated for their viewing pleasure. Then two more fighters enter the ring.

Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away in Albany, the State Senate has convened at the behest of Governor David Paterson. A senatorial coup weeks before has divided the legislative body along party lines, sending all pending bills into a frustrating kind of suspended animation where laws on taxes and gay marriage are frozen in time. A kind of suspended animation where the bill that would’ve allowed professional MMA back into New York State and brought the UFC to Madison Square Garden in early 2010 is now a bad case of “Crap, we were so damn close”.

And it was close. Just a month ago the MMA bill passed by a vote of 14-6 through the Assembly’s Tourism, Arts and Sports Development committee, where it had stalled last year. That hurdle was supposed to be the most daunting one, and once overcome, it should’ve been only a matter of getting a few more procedural thumbs-up in the Assembly and the Senate before the governor affixed his stamp of approval. Now, politics have turned the process on its head, with the stalemate in the Senate paralyzing everything. Time has run out on the legislative session.

“I’m hearing all kinds of things but the thoughts are that it’s unlikely to happen at this time and will have to wait until either September or, sadly, 2010,” said New York State Athletic Commission Chairwoman Melvina Lathan. “I’m not giving up,” she added – sentiments shared by some familiar with the machinations of Albany and confident that emergency sessions will have the errant legislators reconvening to actually get work done.

Ashley Pillsbury, the legislative director for the Office of Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi, a supporter of the Assembly’s version of the bill, was less optimistic. “The bill is currently pending in the Assembly Ways and Means committee, as well as in the Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation committee in the Senate,” she said. “Because we have adjourned our legislative session for this year, this bill will not be taken up until January of next year. I am hopeful that this bill can be passed at that time.”

Meanwhile, back in Brooklyn, a fighter with the moniker “Blackie Chan” earns a decision over a jiu-jitsu representative called “Chaos”. Plates of arroz con pollo are doled out during an intermission, and when the action resumes, a 145-pound warrior employs a pinpoint-accurate head-kick to send his now-unconscious opponent sailing through the ropes. The crowd cheers, and cheers some more when the fallen fighter returns to consciousness with a smile.

“We are the next generation of fighters, the next generation of promoters,” the man behind Martial Arts Madness says when he addresses the audience, and if the Senatorial mess in the State’s Capitol is of any indication, he’s correct. Within the next 30 days, two more unsanctioned events are scheduled to play out on Long Island, both unconnected to this one and with varying degrees of talent and success. But Albany is to thank for that. For New Yorkers hungry for homegrown MMA, the menu will consist of underground shows for quite some time.

July 2, 2009
UFC NEWS

UFC Announces 4 Grappling “Super Fights”
By FCF Staff

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has announced that the promotion’s upcoming Fan Expo will also feature 4 grappling “super fight” matches, which will take place July 10th at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, the day before the UFC 100 card.

The matches will include: Japanese veteran and one of the sport’s pioneers Rumina Sato against Palace Fighting Championship vet Ulysses Gomez, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World champion and WEC competitor Fredson Paixao against multiple Grapplers Quest winner Jeff Glover, as well UFC lightweight contender Joe Stevenson against BJJ black belt and accomplished grappling champion Bill Cooper.

Renowned jiu-jitsu practitioner and TUF 8 competitor Vinicius Magalhaes is also scheduled to compete, however, no opponent has yet been announced.

The bouts will be held in conjunction with that weekend’s Grapplers Quest Tournament.

Sato (Center) Will Face Gomez

July 2, 2009
JEFF LENTZ
The Unstoppable Jeff Lentz
By Jim Genia

He’s a vicious striker and ground-and-pound beast with a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, a background in karate and Japanese Jujitsu and an 8-1 record as an amateur, and in his four pro bouts he’s KO’d or TKO’d some of the toughest fighters around. His name is Jeff Lentz. And he’s unstoppable.

At Ring of Combat 25, Lentz needed only two minutes to send the dangerous Eddie Fyvie into dreamland – and just a week before that Lentz was taking out top 145-pounder Steve DeAngelis. Terminators aren’t built as resilient, and if the New Jersey fight circuit was oblivious to his presence before, they’re certainly aware of him now.

Nine years at Ocean County Martial Arts Studio has made the Forked River native tough, and two years within Rob Guarino’s Rhino Fight Team crucible plus Carmine Zocchi’s jiu-jitsu instruction has refined that toughness into a dangerous competitor. How did the 20-year-old lightweight come to mixed martial arts?

“I like individual sports,” says Lentz. “Something about individual sports got me hooked. I like wrestling but was never good at it. I was at [Ocean County Martial Arts Studio] doing karate tournaments and amateur kickboxing matches, and I got into grappling a little bit. One day my coach and his friend from a Tae Kwon Do school told me they were going to watch an amateur MMA event. They told me the rules and I was like, ‘Wow, that sounds like the coolest thing ever. Let me go try that.’ It was Joe Diamond’s ‘Cage of Vengeance’, and I got in touch with him through the Internet and he put me on the fight card. I won my first fight that night and kept going from there.”

As a pro, Lentz has defeated longtime veterans Jay Isip and Fyvie in Ring of Combat, and Gold Team Fighters representative Maciej Linke and Team Pellegrino star DeAngelis at Extreme Challenge. DeAngelis was Lentz’s lone visit to the featherweight class – a trip he’s ore than capable of, but prefers not to make. What prompted him to turn pro?

“I rely on my coach, Rob Guarino,” he says. “When I was about to turn 20-years-old, I turned to my coach and said, ‘When can I start making money? When can I start fighting pro?’ I was taking tough fights as an amateur and I didn’t think there was going to be much of a difference. Actually, I thought the pro rules were going to help me a lot. In my karate style, we use a lot of elbows and a lot of knees – kind of like Muay Thai. I love to throw head-kicks, I liked the pro rules better, and I was just waiting for Rob to okay me.”

His toughest opponent thus far?

“I’m not going to take anything away from anybody,” he says. “Jay Isip had a good takedown, and he held me down and controlled me for the beginning of that fight. I knew I was going to catch him, it was just a matter of when. Maciej Linke, I didn’t know too much about him. I was real nervous because I knew he was a black belt in judo, a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Macaco, I knew he was going to be a tough guy who had a bunch of fights in Poland. That kind of ended quick so I really didn’t get to tell. But I’ll tell you right now Steve DeAngelis has one of the hardest chins of anyone I’ve ever fought. Steve DeAngelis is a warrior. He’s a tough guy. Eddie Fyvie, I was expecting more out of him. I would say Steve DeAngelis is the toughest fight I’ve had. I trained with him before and I knew it was going to be tough.”

Lentz is scheduled to face Matt McManmon at ROC 26 on September 11th, but before that he’ll step into the ring overseas for a kickboxing match on a “US vs. Romania” card in that Eastern European country. What is Lentz’s ultimate goal?

“The ultimate goal is to make as much money as possible but to be the best wouldn’t hurt,” he says. “Right now I’m just trying to move up. Whoever will take me, I’ll go there. Just trying to move up in the ranks here.”

Not only has Lentz succeeded in moving up, he’s seemed unstoppable doing it.

July 1, 2009
WEC NEWS

Curran Surprised but Eager to Fight Mizugaki
By Kelsey Mowatt

Since making his WEC debut in August, 2007, a successful one, a Unanimous Decision victory over Stephen Ledbetter, it’s been a tough and bumpy ride through the promotion for Jeff “Big Frog” Curran. The highly regarded veteran went on to face two of the world’s very best at 145lbs. in Urijah Faber and Mike Brown, and then, after Curran made the decision to drop down to bantamweight, rising prospect Joseph Benavidez was there to greet the former Pride competitor.

Although the three fight losing streak has likely been a tough pill to swallow for Curran, especially for a fighter who lost just twice from 2004 through almost all of 2007, the accomplished veteran arrived in the WEC looking to fight the world’s best. Up next, Curran will once again take on one of the promotion’s toughest in Takeya Mizugaki, the man who pushed WEC Bantamweight Champion Miguel Torres to his limits back in April.

“My initial reaction was I was just glad to get a shot,” Curran told FCF, when asked about how the August 9th bout came together. “I know I’ve had really good fights and I’m fighting the top guys but I’m still coming off three losses. I was a little shocked that they were giving me such a high level fight but at the same time, after talking about it with them, I’m on a higher pay scale; I’m one of the higher level guys in the organization so they need to use me for high level fights. I’m excited.”

“He proved himself with Torres you know?” Curran added while commenting on Mizugaki. “Some people thought that was his fight. The earlier part of the fight was his. Torres won the later part of the fight; somewhere in the middle the pace changed, but a lot of people think he won that fight.”

Mizugaki, who made is WEC debut as a replacement for the injured Brian Bowles, had won 5 straight fights competing in Japan, before surprising many around the MMA world with his memorable performance against Torres.

“I had heard about him but I didn’t know much about him,” Curran conceded when asked about whether or not he was surprised by Mizugaki that night. “Once I saw that he was fighting Torres I started researching it. Once I started researching it I realized I had heard his name before.”

“I honestly think he’s well balanced, he matches up well with me all around,” Curran said while assessing the Japanese bantamweight’s abilities. “He’s really composed. He’s not a wild guy, and he’s going to box with me if I want to box with him, which I think plays a little bit into my favor, especially if I can get into that groove where I’m boxing with him. I definitely think I have the advantage on the ground, so my biggest intention is to try to get a hold of him and try to school him in that department.”

When Curran announced that he was dropping down to 135, immediately discussions pertaining to a possible bout between him and the champion Torres, (who also lives and trains in the Chicago area) began circulating around the internet.

“I was always focused on Benavidez when the talk about Torres started,” said Curran, who now holds a professional record of 29-11-1. “When the talk about Miguel started the only reason that I really brought it up and played into it was because the fight was taking place on the local level. I felt like it brought that into it, so I’m not looking past Mizugaki, just like I didn’t look past Benavidez, but I definitely want to fight Torres. I’d like to fight him whether or not he’s champion. I just want to get a shot at him, and quite honestly, I’d like to get another shot at Urijah Faber. If I can get a on a winning streak I’d like to fight him at 135 or 145 it doesn’t matter. I definitely would like another shot at him.”

July 1, 2009
UFC NEWS

Another Request Granted for Belcher at UFC 100
By Matt Kaplan

Alan “The Talent” Belcher has been asking for it.

The colorful, 25-year-old middleweight and his trainer, famed kickboxer Duke Roufus, have been first in line to welcome some of the sport’s best middleweights to the UFC, and on July 11 at UFC 100, Belcher will take on perhaps his toughest opponent to date, Yoshihiro Akiyama (12-1). Ask and ye shall receive.

“Alan wants to fight the best to be the best. You can fiddle around with undercard status, or you can go for broke with the big fights,” says Roufus.

When the UFC signed Denis Kang last year, Belcher (14-5) and Roufus jumped at the chance to meet the former PRIDE star in the cage at UFC 93.

“Duke got on the horn immediately and started asking for that fight because he thought (Kang) was a good person for me to upset.” And that’s exactly what Belcher did, stunning much of the MMA world with a second-round submission win via guillotine choke.

The Arkansas-born middleweight knows that at UFC 100, he’ll be meeting one of MMA’s most dangerous, well-rounded 185-pounders in Akiyama.

“I expect him to perform his best; that’s what I gotta expect,” Belcher explains. “He’s explosive, a good grappler, a power puncher. I expect him to have an aggressive style… I’m expecting the best Akiyama.”

And the best Akiyama, Belcher feels, is as good as there is in the UFC: “I think that Akiyama comes in as the top contender right off the bat…In my opinion, I think that Denis Kang and Akiyama are top contenders in the middleweight division – in the whole world, not just the UFC.”

With all the fanfare and star power attached to UFC 100, Belcher understands how big the opportunity of performing on the main card is, and he acknowledges the extra motivation and excitement he has in picking up his third consecutive Octagon win.

“It puts a little more pressure on me, in a good way,” he says. “Any time I’m on the main card and I get to show my stuff, I want to show people… There will be new people watching, and it kinda looks like there are the best fighters in the UFC on this card, so it’s a good opportunity for me to fight really well and be looked at as a top contender in the division.”

“The (UFC middleweight) ranking isn’t really structured in mathematics, so it’s pretty much just who’s hot after just one fight, you know. It’s not like you have to put together these long undefeated things, and it’s only the undefeated, or top two, three guys or whatever who get a (title) shot,” he adds when asked about the UFC’s middleweight pecking order.

“Akiyama, I think I’m going to beat him, and then I’ll be top contender, or maybe I’ll have to fight the winner of Marquardt/Maia, and I feel that Marquardt has a good shot of winning that. I think he’s the toughest dude in the division.”

Roufus shares Belcher’s assessment of Marquardt but is impressed with how well Belcher’s overall game – as well as his mental preparation - has improved.

“The one thing a lot of people don’t realize about Alan is the growth he’s made in the last few years in his training,” Roufus says. “I think he’s definitely going to start surprising more and more people.”

“I’ve had my up and downs,” Belcher admits, “but now I’m hitting my stride and getting some momentum and going for that belt.”

June 30, 2009
WORLD VICTORY ROAD NEWS

Gono vs. Hornbuckle Added to Aug. 2nd Card
By FCF Staff

World Victory Road has announced that welterweight veterans Akihiro Gono and Dan Hornbuckle will square off at the promotion’s upcoming “Sengoku Ninth Battle” card, which will take place August 2nd in Saitama, Japan.

Gono (29-14-7) is coming off a stint in the UFC, where the Japanese defeated Tamdan McCrory, while losing to Dan Hardy and most recently Jon Fitch.

Hornbuckle (17-2) last competed on February 21st, when he KO’d Joe Alexander at a Total Fight Challenge event. His upcoming bout with Gono will mark the second time the American has fought on a Sengoku event, as Hornbuckle lost to Mike Pyle by first round submission, at the promotion’s second card last May.

“Sengoku Ninth Battle” will also feature the semi-finals (Hatsu Hioki vs. Masanori Kanehara and Marlon Sandro vs. Michihiro Omigawa) and finals of the promotion’s Featherweight Grand-Prix, as well as a lightweight title fight between champion Satoru Kitaoka and Mizuto Hirota.

June 30, 2009
WEC NEWS

Full Card Announced for WEC 42
By FCF Staff

World Extreme Cagefighting has announced the entire line-up for the promotion’s upcoming August 9th, “Torres vs. Bowles” event in Las Vegas, Nevada, which will of course be headlined with a bantamweight title fight between champion Miguel Torres and challenger Brian Bowles. In another of the card’s previously confirmed bouts, bantamweight Jeff Curran will square off with Takeya Mizugaki.

In another notable 135lb. match-up, Joseph Benavidez (10-0) will take on Dominic Cruz (13-1). Benavidez is coming off an impressive Unanimous Decision victory over Curran in April, while Cruz defeated Ivan Lopez by Technical Decision (Unanimous) that same night, to run his WEC record to 3-0.

At featherweight, veterans Leonard Garcia (12-4) and Jameel Massouh (21-5) will square off. Garcia is coming off a failed bid to win the WEC 145lb. belt in March, as champion Mike Brown submitted his fellow UFC vet in the first round. Massouh made his WEC debut in April, and lost by Unanimous Decision to Rafeal Assuncao.

Other bouts confirmed for the card include: at lightweight, Ricardo Lamas (6-0) will fight Danny Castillo (7-0), featherweight Fredson Paixao (8-3) will meet Cole Province (6-1), Marcus Hicks (8-2) will fight fellow lightweight Shane Roller (5-2), at 145lbs., Rani Yahya (14-4) is scheduled to fight Kenji Osawa (15-8-2), at lightweight, Phil Cardella (12-3) will take on Ed Ratcliff (6-1), and rounding out the action, undefeated lightweight Diego Nunes (12-0) will square off with Rafeal Dias (13-5-1).

Cardella Elbowing Dias at GFC "Evolution"

June 29, 2009
ACROSS THE POND: BRITISH MMA NEWS

BAMMA: The Fighting Premiership
By David West
The Room By The River, London, England – Saturday 27th June 2009

There were some very good things about the first event from BAMMA, the new promotion backed by television production company Giant TV, but definitely some room for improvement. The focus was obviously on the TV broadcast, which went out on Sunday night, but it was occasionally to the detriment of the live event itself. With a modest nine fights on the card, the show somehow dragged on past midnight. In London, that meant many fans missed the last subway train home. Stranding your audience in the middle of the sprawling metropolis is not the best way to win their loyalty. Some decent entrance music to pump up the crowd and something to hold their attention between bouts would do wonders. Besides the disappointing and early end to the encounter between John Phillips and Denniston Sutherland, the night produced some real thrillers, highlighted by the donnybrook between Edgelson Lua and Che Mills which was an absolute barnstormer.

Top of the bill Tom “Kong” Watson (Jacksons MMA) gave John Maguire (Tsunami Gym) his first loss on British soil. Unable to close the distance for the takedown in the first half of round one, Maguire pretended to be badly rocked by a high kick from Watson, who promptly rushed in looking to finish only to be deftly taken down by the possum-playing Maguire. The Tsunami Gym fighter scored multiple takedowns in round two, going after a single leg time after time and forcing Watson to wrestle instead of punch. However in the third Watson took control when he landed a knee to the face just as Maguire changed levels to go for the single leg. Badly shaken for real this time, Maguire was forced to get back to his feet where Watson continued to punish him with his heavy hands. A barrage of punches dropped Maguire against the fence to give Watson the TKO. On any other night this would have been the pick of the litter, but it was just out shone by Mills and Lua.

Maguire (R) Grinning at Watson

Denniston Sutherland (Team Crossface) wanted no part of John Phillip’s (Grace-Barra) iron-fisted stand up and took the fight straight to the clinch. Phillips showed an improved ground game and they exchanged takedowns and positions on the floor. The end came abruptly when Phillips landed awkwardly from a takedown and dislocated his shoulder. Sutherland was free to sit up and unload so Phillips tapped out.

Fight of the night honours had to go to Che Mills (Trojan Free Fighters) and Edgelson Lua (DKK Fighters/Nova Forca) for their three round war of attrition. Mills had the height and reach advantages in the standing exchanges so Lua wisely forced the pace in the clinches and on the canvas. Mills took mount at the end of the first to land some hard shots, but Lua was still game for round two. Showing a much improved scramble, Lua escaped being mounted again in the second and came back to punish Mills with heavy slugs to the head from knee-on-belly and mount. By round three the pace was telling on Lua who found his early takedowns attempts stymied. Mills continued to land heavy shots whenever he was on top but there was no quit in Lua who hung tough until the final bell. Mills took the unanimous decision in one of the best contests in a UK cage this year.

Eugene Fadiora (Team Supreme) put on a kickboxing clinic against Nathan Champ (Olympians MMA), using his reach, hand speed and slick footwork to give Champ a very long night. Champ was bloodied by the end of the first and Fadiora kept the crimson tide flowing with his pinpoint precision. Knowing he was behind on points, Champ pressed bravely forwards in the third but Fadiora refused to be drawn into a brawl and was unmarked at the end of the contest to take the decision.

Lua Striking Mills

Abdul Mohamed (Wolfslair) came completely unstuck in similar fashion against Tim Radcliffe (Nova Forca). Famed for his wrestling and ground and pound, Mohamed never found either his range or his timing against Radcliffe. Mohamed’s takedowns were stuffed and when he finally managed to get his man down, Radcliffe’s slick jujitsu kept him out of danger and on the offensive. The key to the fight was Radcliffe’s tight southpaw striking to which Mohamed’s only response was a looping over-hand right that never found the mark. Battered and discouraged, Mohamed’s experience availed him naught as Radcliffe took the unanimous decision in his biggest win to date.

Zack Jones (Gracie-Barra) found his jujitsu was not enough to hold Francis Heagney (London Shootfighters) at bay when these two lightweights clashed. Heagney scored an early takedown, shrugged off an arm bar attempt and battered Jones until referee Grant Waterman was compelled to stop the onslaught at the 3:06 mark.

In the undercard Adam Stanton (Team Savage) made short work of Dan Movahedi (Team Titan), scoring a takedown straight off the bat before securing a north-south choke for the tap out.

Kes Kpokpogri (independent) outlasted Ben Craggy (Team Titan) over three rounds to take the judges’ nod. Kpokpogri scored a knockdown in the first by catching a wild swinging Craggy on the chin and stuffed his takedown attempts while chopping away with low kicks. Craggy came back strong in the second to unload from the mount but could not put his man away and punched himself out in the attempt. Kpokpogri did just enough striking in the third, when they were both fading, to get the win.

Radek Piechnik (Team Titan) had little trouble imposing his game plan on Spencer McMorris (independent) in the opening bout. From a takedown Piechnik moved to mount and punched with both hands until McMorris tapped out.

Radcliffe Pounding Mohamed

Full Results

Tom Watson def. John Maguire by TKO 2:47 R3
Denniston Sutherland def. John Phillips by Tap Out To Strikes 3:22 R1
Che Mills def. Edgelson Lua by Unanimous Decision
Eugene Fadiora def. Nathan Champ by Unanimous Decision
Tim Radcliffe def. Abdul Mohamed by Unanimous Decision
Francis Heagney def. Zack Jones by TKO (Ref Stoppage – Strikes) 3:06 R1

Undercard
Adam Stanton def. Dan Movahedi by  Submission (North-South Choke) 1:08 R1
Kes Kpokpogri def. Ben Craggy by Unanimous Decision
Radek Piechnik def. Spencer McMorris by Tap Out To Strikes 1:57 R1

June 29, 2009
UFC NEWS
Miller: “This Could Easily Be the Fight of the Night”
Lightweight Looking Forward to UFC 100 Bout With Danzig
By Kelsey Mowatt

With the both the heavyweight and welterweight title on the line, in addition to a middleweight match-up between “Ultimate Fighter” coaches Dan Henderson and Michael Bisping, airtime to broadcast other tilts from the upcoming July 11th UFC 100 card will probably be at a minimum. (Other non-title fights which are scheduled for the main card include Jon Fitch vs. Paulo Thiago and Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Alan Belcher) Unfortunately, due to the time constraints, a notable lightweight tilt between AMA Fight Club stand-out Jim Miller and TUF winner Mac Danzig may remain in the ‘dark’, a fight that Miller believes, should be outstanding.

“We both have the ability to end this fight,” said Miller, when asked to make a prediction on his upcoming bout with Danzig. “I think if everything matches up well and the way I think it can, this could easily be the fight of the night. Who knows? The first person to make a mistake will probably go home the loser. I think it’s going to be a fun fight, tough fight, and a crowd pleaser.”

Miller (13-2) will head into his bout with Danzig having gone 2-1 thus far in the UFC, and after losing by Unanimous Decision to rising contender Gray Maynard back in March, he was thrilled to find out he would be competing against another notable competitor in Danzig.

“Joe Silva called up with the offer to fight Mac on the UFC 100 card,” said Miller, who defeated David Baron and Matt Wiman in his first 2 Octagon bouts. “I’ve always had a lot of respect for Mac, he’s a tough guy, and those are the kinds of guys I want to fight. Plus I jumped at the chance to be on this UFC 100 card.”

“Mac is dangerous everywhere,” Miller furthered. “When it comes to being well rounded, he’s probably going to be the most well rounded fighter I’ve had the opportunity to fight. I’ve gone against a lot of dangerous guys but I don’t think anyone has been able to put it together quite as well as he does. So it should be fun. It’s not an easy fight and those are the ones I like.”

After his successful run on “The Ultimate Fighter”, Danzig (18-6-1) went on to win his first 2 official UFC bouts, (defeating Tom Speer and Mark Bocek) before dropping back-to-back losses to Clay Guida and most recently Josh Neer.

“The biggest thing that I saw in his last two fights is that he fought guys that kept moving forward,” said Miller. “That’s the way I fight. I always try to keep putting pressure on and keep attacking. So I think that might help me get the win here.”

“My game-plan is usually to put people on the mat,” Miller added. “Even though I think he’s very well versed on the mat I think I still have an advantage there. So I’m going to try to get the win with my game at my pace.”

Of course, Miller is also coming off an aforementioned loss to Maynard, one that ended an 8 fight winning streak that dated back to November, 2006.

“I made a couple of mistakes in training,” Miller said, when asked to reflect on his last bout. “When I got in there my body and mind were trying to do two different things. I felt great going in there, but once I was in there it just didn’t come together.”

“He fought me really and I didn’t have my best night. Now I’m just going to try to continue to go out there and force Mac to fight the way I want to fight.”

June 28, 2009
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHTING 7

Bartlett Ends Echuaca With TKO
'Kattarmania' Comes to Wilmington

by Derek Constable

WILMINGTON, Ma. -- World Championship Fighting 7 didn't have any belt matches and failed to provide the same star studded autograph session it always had in the past, but promoter Joe Cavallaro and matchmaker Rick Caldwell filled well over half of the Shriners Aduitorium on June 27, thanks to a fightcard which featured as many as 14 bouts and a laundry list of results including everything from knockouts to an inverted Peruvian Necktie.

Light heavyweight Travis Bartlett picked up his second consecutive victory by knockout with a win over Guillermo Echuaca that took place just after the intermission. Bartlett worked his left jab the entire fight but put Eschuaca down with a strong right midway through the fight's opening rounds.

Bartlett got a breather about 90 seconds into the action when Echuaca accidently poked him in the eye during a strike. After taking a good two or three minute break and checking with the doctor, Bartlett came back at Echuaca on the hunt for a KO. Bartlett set up a TKO finish perfectly when he dropped his opponent with a straight punch, and then followed up with strikes while standing over him, until the ref called an end to the action 2:18 into the contest.

Saul Almeida and Dan O'Keefe looked evenly matched; both tall, skinny fighters with few fights under their belts, but Almeida delivered the most entertaining finish of the night when he forced O'Keefe to tap by inverted Peruvian Necktie.

He set up the submission on the ground as both of them were facing each other and about to return to their feet. Almeida locked his hands together after he hooked O'Keefe's head and trapped a single arm. He then stepped over his opponent and fell to one side forcing a tap almost immediately before O'Keefe or the crowd could figure out just what had happened.

Almeida Applying the Peruvian Neck Tie

John Benoit was back in the WCF ring to add to his nearly perfect record of 7-1, but while he defeated Damien Trites by Majority Decision, he couldn't keep himself from falling out of the ring. Benoit made it through the ropes three times in the opening round and twice more in the second.

He broke Trites nose with a devastating jab that he set up well with a right leg kick. Each time he pulled off the combination he caused Trites to fall forward and right in line with powerful jab. The move was very effective carried him through from start to finish. Benoit won all rounds with two of three judges, but tied Trites on one official's scorecard resulting in a win by Majority Decision.

Dan Keefe earned a win by decision over Woody Weatherby in the main event and no one drew more fan support than Calvin Kattar, an up and coming lightweight striker whose only loss came at the hands of Binky Jones on the Elite XC undercard for CBS in 2008. Five of Kattar's seven wins have come by TKO, but at WCF7 he finished Rodrigo Almeida with a guillotine choke which he applied while defending a single leg takedown after an impressive sprawl to begin the first round.

His fans all came dressed in bright yellow "Kattarmania" t-shirts and Kattar himself even entered the ring to Hulk Hogan's old theme music "Real American." The fight was short at 2:16 but Kattar lived up to the hype and hopefully will be back for WCF8.

WCF has always been the event to attend in Massachusetts when looking to rub elbows with talent from the Ultimate Fighting Championship, but this most recent event proved the organization can fill their seats just by giving the fans what matters most; good fights plenty of beautiful girls to walk us through ... round by round.

Keefe Shooting in on Weatherby

WCF 7Results

Dan Keefe def. Woody Weatherby by Unanimous Decision.
Calvin Kattar def. Rodrigo Almeida by Submission (Guillotine Choke) 2:16 R1.
Greg Rebello def. Jerry Spiegel by Unanimous Decision.
Tom Moreau def. Don Carlo Clauss by Majority Decision.
John Benoit def. Damien Trites by Majority Decision.
Elias Rivera def. Scott Rehm by Submission (Heel Hook) 2:30 R1.
Travis Bartlett def. Guillermo Echuaca by TKO 2:18 R1.
Saul Almeida def. Dan O'Keefe by Submission (Inverted Peruvian Necktie) 1:16 R1.
Nick Evangelous def. Matt McKusker by TKO 2:14 R1.
Aniss Alhajjajy def. Aaron Petrucelli by Majority Decision.
Marcos Escalante def. John Walsh by Submission (Rear-Naked-Choke) 1:24 R2.
Zack Burhans def. Jeff Silva by Unanimous Decision.
Nelson Gaipo def. Ryan White by TKO 1:07 R1.
Noah Wiseman def. Steve Beck by Submission(Rear-Naked-Choke) R1.

The Ring Girls Sharing a Moment With one of the Competitors

June 28, 2009
ULTIMATE CHAOS
Lashley Stops Sapp in Round One
Yvel KO’s Rizzo, Horodecki Submits Sriyapai
By FCF Staff

Yvel

Heavyweight prospect Bobby Lashley preserved his unblemished MMA record at last night’s Ultimate Chaos event in Biloxi, Mississippi, as the former professional wrestler tapped out Bobby Sapp in the first round with strikes. With the win, Lashley’s record now stands at 4-0, while the Pride veteran Sapp’s falls to 10-5-1.

In other notable action from the event: in a heavyweight bout between two well travelled veterans, Gilbert Yvel KO’d Pedro Rizzo in round one, Canadian lightweight stand-out Chris Horodecki submitted former Muay Thai champion William Sriyapai in the opening round, Javier Vasquez caught Mark Kergosien with a first round guillotine choke and Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio defeated Randy Heddrick, when he was unable to continue after the second round.

Ultimate Chaos Main Card Results

Bobby Lashley def. Bobby Sapp by Submission (Strikes) 3:17, R1.
Gilbert Yvel def. Pedro Rizzo by KO 2:10, R1.
Javier Vasquez def. Mark Kergosien by Submission (Guillotine Choke) 0:59, R1.
Chris Horodecki def. Sriyapai by Submission (Rear-Naked-Choke) 4:02, R1.
Waachiim Spiritwolf def. Brett Cooper by KO 3:41, R1.
Tom Atencio def. Randy Hedderick by TKO (Stoppage) 5:00 R2.
Brandon Harder def. John Harris by Submission (Arm-Triangle) 4:31, R2.
James Orso def. Danny Abbadi by Unanimous Decision
Colin McKee def. Lance Thompson by Submission (Strikes) 4:16, R1

June 26, 2009
NEW EPISODE OF FCF RADIO: UFC 99/TUF FINALE REVIEW

On this episode of Full Contact Fighter Radio, co-host James Kellaris returns to join Jeff "Wombat" Meszaros for a semi-thrilling discussion of the latest MMA news. First, it's time to shamefully gloat as they recall how accurate their predictions were for UFC 99, where Rich Franklin spanked Wanderlei Silva, just like both of them thought he would. After wandering badly off topic at least twice, Jeff and James return to discuss the results of The Ultimate Fighter: USA vs. U.K. where Diego Sanchez won a split decision over Clay Guida in the main event. Will Sanchez get a title shot? Should Guida take a fight where the loser has to cut his hair? Was Gleison Tibau vs. Melvin Guillard the worst train-robbery of a judges’ decision in the history of MMA? These are just a few of the hot topics that hit the fan. Finally, it's time to badly spread rumors about Dana White, Tim Sylvia and the spat that the UFC president is having with the mohawk-ed former heavyweight champ, who recently got KO'd by Ray Mercer in less time than it takes to boil an egg. Hot gravy and killer bees! Tune in and find out how these seemingly unrelated topics make their way into the broadcast, or hide in your cave of cowardice and be blind to the light of wonder that only FCF Radio provides. Click here to listen/download

June 26, 2009
NEWS UPDATE

Report: Misaki Pleads Guilty to Obstruction of Justice
By FCF Staff

Notable middleweight competitor Kazuo Misaki pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in a Tokyo court Thursday, according to a report today by The Mainichi Daily News, and as a result, the 33 year-old-fighter was "sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for three years."

The report states that the charges stemmed from an incident where allegedly “Misaki was pulled over by police on March 19 for using a mobile phone while driving. He then suddenly sped off, accidentally hitting his car's wing mirror against an officer's left wrist.”

Misaki is currently scheduled to fight Kazuhiro Nakamura at World Victory Road’s upcoming August 2nd Sengoku card, although the fighter’s recent sentencing, could put the bout in jeopardy.

The Japanese fighter (21-9-2) has not fought since January, when he was submitted by Jorge Santiago in the fifth and final round of their memorable Sengoku “No Ran” bout. Prior to that, Misaki had won 3 straight, a streak which included a TKO victory over Joe Riggs at Strikeforce’s second Playboy Mansion card last September.

June 25, 2009
DREAM NEWS
Fernandes Talks Imanari, Warren and Dream
By Kelsey Mowatt

Less than a month removed from his Unanimous Decision victory over Masakazu Imanari, in the quarter finals of Dream’s featherweight grand-prix on May 26th, Bibiano Fernandes has now turned his attention to the tourney’s semi-finals, which will take place in September. According to Fernandes, he has been told he will face accomplished wrestler turned MMA fighter, Joe Warren, in the semis, leaving Hiroyuki Takaya to fight Hideo Tokoro in the other semifinal.

“He’s a good fighter,” said Fernandes. “He looked good against (Norifumi) Yamamoto and good against the other guy (Chase) Beebe, he’s a tough guy. But for me it doesn’t matter the guy, for me it doesn’t matter who I fight, I go there and fight. He has wrestling, okay, I have wrestling too. But he doesn’t have something that I have; he doesn’t have jiu-jitsu. This I know.”

Fernandes mentions Warren’s win over Yamamoto, a Split Decision nod over one of Japan’s more highly regarded fighters, in just the American’s second MMA bout.

“It was good, but really Yamamoto has had a lot of injuries, a lot of problems,” said the Revolution fighter, when asked for his thoughts on Warren’s performance against the respected veteran. “I like to watch that fight to see what Joe is doing here, what he is doing in the fight. But for sure Joe was strong and hungry; he went in and won the fight.”

With Fernandes’ win over Imanari, the former 5 time jiu-jitsu world champion ran his winning streak in MMA to 4, extending his overall record to 5-2. The Brazilian earned his bout with Imanari, by defeating Takafumi Otsuka by Unanimous Decision, at the tourney’s opening round back in March.

“I went there for the win,” said Fernandes while commentingon the Imanari fight; a bout which saw the renowned leg locks expert continually try to draw Fernandes into a grappling match. “I didn’t go there to play a game. I knew Imanari is very good, so I didn’t go to fight his fight. I wanted to make him fight my fight. He wanted to play with my mind, to make me make a mistake, but I didn’t do that. I knew he had very flexible and strong legs, so I said, okay, I kicked his legs a little bit, punched him a bit; I make him fight my fight. He’s a dangerous guy you know what I mean?”

With Warren apparently waiting in the wings, and then either Tokoro or Takaya up next, clearly Fernandes has a lot of work in front of him before he can lay claim to Dream’s featherweight crown. Despite the challenges ahead, however, the 29 year-old-fighter is remaining extremely confident.

“Right now I fight for Dream,” Fernandes said when asked about his immediate future. “I want to win, and if win the belt I think I need to stay with Dream for 2 more fights, or 3 more fights, I don’t know yet. For now, if I win this fight I stay for Dream. I like Japan, I like fighting in Japan, but some things could change right? It’s tough, for right now, my opinion I’d like to stay in Japan.”

Stay tuned for a complete story on Bibiano Fernandes in the next edition of Full Contact Fighter.