July 1, 2007
UWC RESULTS

The South Rises Again
Northern Florida and Georgia Fighters Welcome UFC Vets, Defeat Their Students
Prime Osborne Convention Center, Jacksonville, Florida
June 30th, 2007
Report and photos by Keith Mills

For fans that couldn’t wait for the 4th of July, there were plenty of fireworks at Ultimate Warrior Challenge’s second show in Jacksonville. The bar was set high for this show, not only because the first UWC sold out, but also due to their intent to expand or franchise into other states and possibly even the UK. Overall, UWC pulled off a good show with solid matchmaking, and are emerging as leaders in the Florida market, itself one of the most successful regions for MMA.

Readers may remember UWC’s first show was mainly known as the breakout show for Fit NHB from New Mexico, as they went 4-0 against up-and-comers from students of UFC vets. This show was a similar strategy with the UFC vets’ students matched this time against regional fighters. Fit NHB and Dean Lister again fielded up-and-comers, this time joined by one student of David Loiseau and one of Ken Shamrock, while fellow Floridian’s American Top Team sent one from their main academy in Southern Florida. On the receiving end of this invasion were fighters from nearby ATT affiliate Knockout Fitness, as well as relatively unknown teams such as Team Obake and Team Trauma.

Standout performances from a scouting point of view started early, with ATT/Knockout Fitness’ Matt Dorsten putting an end to the Fit NHB’s myth, which was generated at UWC 1, by defeating Marcus Foran. Tampa’s Chris Baten, late replacement for UFC vet Seth Petruzelli himself, overpowered Lion’s Den’s Herbert Goodman in the main event, while Team Obake’s Charley Blanchard had an equally impressive performance over BJJ black belt Beto Nunes from Brazil. Jonathan Brookins was undeterred looking across the cage to see not only David Loiseau, but also Dean Lister and Pride vet Denis Kang in the corner of Yves Jabouin. Brookins almost stole the show with a second round TKO.

Baten (top) pounding on Goodman

From a pure excitement point of view, the heaviest fighters of the night, Lister’s Canan Dunn and C .C. Corey’s Terry Cohens, defied convention, as both were not only strong but surprisingly fast with solid chins. Dunn came back from being knocked down to explode on Cohens in a burst of ground-and-pound that had the crowd on their feet. Cohens, however, returned to his feet, and again got through the standup defense of Dunn for a KO, all in 1:40. If Dunn can polish his standup defense he could be a hot commodity in the near future, but definitely keep an eye out for Cohens’ next fight.

Brookins (standing) vs. Jabouin

The one downside of this night was the ref stoppage in the Mahlow/Lapsley fight. The bout was close however a cut on the head of Mahlow looked like it might end the fight. Mahlow fought through the damage and attempted an armbar. According to Referee Jorge Alonso he asked Lapsley if he “had enough” during the submission attempt to which Lapsley replied “yes” so he ended the fight. According to Lapsley, he didn’t tap or indicate he wanted to quit. According to Mahlow, he was attempting an armbar and next thing he knew he was told to stop. According to matchmaker Chris Cordeiro, the armbar was not in place and Lapsley was not in danger. Whether one believes Alonso, as the Commission probably will, the rematch is likely to be a co-headliner on an upcoming show. All that remains is to see if this fight is overturned to a “no contest”, officially goes down as submission, or TKO for ref stoppage.

Polley rains down strikes on Sousa

Overall the show looked better than their first show with a brand new cage being the main change. Television cameras taped the entire night but as of this writing no further information is available regarding distribution. Look for a full report in an upcoming issue of Full Contact Fighter.

Jeremy May def. Shawn Gay 2:45 R1 by submission to strikes
Matt Dorsten def. Marcus Foran 4:25 R2 by rear choke
Danny Brykett def. Brandon Bledsoe 4:08 R1 by TKO
Lew Polley def. Tony Sousa 1:29 R2 by Kimura
John Skidmore def. John Morrison 1:19 R1 by KO
Terry Cohens def. Canan Dunn 1:40 R1 by KO
Charley Blanchard def. Beto Nunes 3:43 R1 by TKO
John Mahlow def. Anthony Lapsley 3:38 R3 by ref stoppage
Jonathan Brookins def. Yves Jabouin 3:35 R2 by TKO
Chris Baten def. Herbert Goodman 1:57 R2 by TKO

July 2, 2007
HERO'S ANNOUNCES LW GRAND-PRIX MATCH-UPS
K-1 Hero’s Confirms Opening Round Match-Ups for Lightweight Grand-Prix
By FCF Staff

The official K-1 Hero’s website has posted the opening round match-ups for the promotion’s upcoming July 16th, lightweight Grand-Prix. This year’s event, which will take place at Yokohama Arena, in Yokohama, Japan, will once again see several notable 155 lb. fighters compete. Last year’s tourney winner, Gesias “JZ” Calvacante (12-1-1) will return to the Hero’s ring to meet Chute Boxe’s Andre Dida (3-0-1). Since defeating Caol Uno in the Grand-Prix finals last fall, Calvacante has only fought once in MMA, stopping Nam Phan in the first round at K-1’s Dynamite USA card last month. In Dida’s last fight, the Brazilian fighter won by TKO over Hiroyuki Takaya at Hero’s “Olympia” event in March.

Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro (18-1) will look to make it 9 wins in a row when he takes on Kazuyuki Miyata (4-4). The Cage Rage star has not lost a fight since 2004 when he was defeated by Tatsuya Kawajiri in Shooto competition. Most recently, at his Hero’s debut in March, Ribeiro submitted Ryuki Ueyama with a first round arm-bar. Miyata has won his last two fights since suffering one of the sports more memorable KO’s last May, when “Kid” Yamamoto knocked Miyata out with a flying knee in just 4 seconds. The Japanese fighter has been impressive since the loss, defeating both Ian Schaffa and Kultar Gill.

On the 16th, Hideo Tokoro (18-11-1) will have a chance to avenge the TKO loss to Kultar “Black Mamba” Gill (8-6) he incurred last May, one that was also set up by a vicious knee. Since the defeat Tokoro has gone 4-1, defeating the likes of Royler Gracie and most recently, Brad Pickett. Gill has dropped his last 3 fights, losing to such notable fighters as the aforementioned Miyata and Caol Uno.

The final bout for the opening round of the Grand-Prix will pit Caol Uno (23-9-4) versus Katsuhiko Nagata (3-1). Uno defeated Gill and Ivan Menjivar on route to the tourney finals last year, before losing by Unanimous Decision to Calvacante. Most recently, Uno submitted Ali Ibrahim with an arm-bar at Hero’s “Olmypia” 2007. The former Olympic wrestling star Nagata, has won his last 2 bouts, including a Split Decision win over Isaiah Hill at last month’s Dynamite USA event.

Hero’s also confirmed two super-fights for the card; Alexandre “Pequeno” Nogueira (12-4-2) will take on Shuichiro Katsumura (8-6-3), while Bernard Ackah (2-0) will meet Yoon Dong Sik (1-4).

July 2, 2007
NEW EPISODE OF FCF RADIO: QUINTON JACKSON & JOE LAUZON

New episode of FCF Radio The latest edition of FCF Radio features segments with UFC Light-heavyweight Champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, and Season 5 Ultimate Fighter competitor, Joe Lauzon. Click here to listen/download

July 3, 2007
CSAC SUSPENDS BARONI
CSAC: Baroni Tests Positive for Steroids
By Kelsey Mowatt

Baroni

According to the California State Athletic Commission, Phil Baroni has tested positive for Boldenone Metabolite and Stanozolol Metabolite following his recent fight against Frank Shamrock on June 22nd. As a result of apparently testing positive for two commonly known anabolic steroids, the CSAC announced today that it has suspended Baroni for one year and fined the veteran fighter $2,500. His suspension is retroactive to the fight date, June 22nd.

“While we respect the process and intent of the test we are disappointed with the results as they are completely unexpected,” Baroni’s manager, Ken Pavia said in a statement released today. “Phil did not knowingly ingest these drugs which we are told are veterinary in nature.”

“We intend to exercise all rights that are afforded by the state commission and (CSAC Executive Officer) Armando Garcia.” Pavia furthered. “Phil Baroni feels that worse than any fine or suspension is the disgrace associated with the positive test to himself, his family and fans. As such he asks that judgement be withheld until all facts are in evidence.”

Other than Carter Williams, who according to the CSAC tested positive for cocaine and was subsequently suspended for one year and fined $1,000, all other competitors from the June 22nd, Strikeforce / Elite XC card have passed their post-fight drug test.

July 3, 2007
JZ
“JZ” Cavalcante: Looking to Repeat at Hero’s 2007 Lightweight Grand-Prix
By Kelsey Mowatt

Cavalcante

American Top Team lightweight Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante is looking to entrench his status as one of the world’s better 155 pound fighters by winning back-to-back Hero’s Grand-Prix tournaments. The K-1 Hero’s tourney begins July 16th in Yokohama, Japan, and once again, similarly to last year, is fielding another solid field of notable lightweight fighters. Along side the 2006 winner Cavalcante, Caol Uno, Kultar “Black Mamba” Gill, Vitor Ribeiro, Kazayuki Miyata, Hideo Tokoro, Katsuhiko Nagata, and Andre Dida are all slated to compete. The Chute Boxe fighter, Andre Dida (3-0-1), will be Cavalcante’s first round opponent, and the ATT fighter seems to be keenly aware of the up and coming fighter’s capabilities.

“Dida, he’s an aggressive guy,” Cavalcante tells FCF. “He always comes forward; he’s from Chute Boxe so he’s going to be good on his feet, good on the ground. I’ll just have to wait and see. I’m more experienced; in my mind I have the advantage. I’m pretty confident with everything that I do, striking, my jiu-jitsu, I’m confident with myself both physically and mentally.”

Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro (18-1) is certainly one of this year’s competitors that must be considered as one of the favorites. The former Shooto and Cage Rage star has not lost a bout since 2004, and has now won 9 straight.

“He’s one of the best guys in the weight class,” Cavalcante says in discussing Ribeiro. “He has a lot of experience, good skill, one of the fighters that probably could be in the finals. If someone beat him though I wouldn’t be too surprised, Miyata has good wrestling, Tokoro is really well rounded, Black Mamba has good knees, the tournament is really good, lots of great fighters, you can’t just worry about him.”

Cavalcante knocked out Hiroyuki Takaya, submitted Rani Yahya and finally, defeated Caol Uno by Unanimous Decision last October, to lay claim to the 2006 Grand-Prix crown. The win catapulted “JZ’s” name on to the world international stage, instantly bringing notoriety to the fighter who had until then, despite a solid record, remained for the most part under the radar. This year however, Cavalcante returns to the competition one of the tourney favorites, on account of his impressive performance last year in the Hero’s ring.

“People expect more from you when you have a belt,” Cavalcante concedes. “I’m training harder and smarter, more and more, I want to improve as a person not only in fighting, but in life as well. It’s nice in Hero’s though, they don’t really have a champion for this, so there’s not much pressure. This years a new year.”

Since winning the tournament last year, Cavalcante has competed twice, at K-1 Hero’s Dynamite USA last month he defeated Nam Phan by TKO in the first round. Most recently he fought K-1 star Masato at that promotion’s K-1 World Max 2007 on June 29th, losing to the Japanese fighter by Unanimous Decision in the kick-boxing affair.

“No, no injuries,” Cavalcante tells FCF in respect to his condition after competing just days ago. “A little bit of a black eye, but overall I feel pretty good, I’ll be ready to fight.”

July 3, 2007
ACROSS THE POND: BRITISH MMA NEWS
Across the Pond: British MMA News
By David West

Butlin out of FX3 this weekend

Ian Butlin has been forced to pull out of his scheduled match this weekend at FX3 in Reading, as his career continues to be stymied by injuries. In his place Aidon “Snake Hips” Marron will now take on Andre Winner. The headline fight between Alex Owen and Emanuel Fernandez is a clash of submission grapplers, with four of Fernandez wins coming by way of triangle choke. The more experienced Owen has twelve tap-outs in his impressive record of 21 wins and no losses. Owen’s FX3 featherweight World title is on the line but he looks likely to keep his belt unless Fernandez can pull off an upset.

Pickett coming out to fight at CR21

One-Punch headlines Contenders in August

With Cage Rage 22 just over a week away, the line-up for the promotions next feeder show in London is starting to shape up. Scheduled for August 18th at the Troxy nightclub in East London, the fight card is topped by the immensely popular Brad “One Punch” Pickett, who is coming off consecutive losses to Alex Owen at Cage Rage 21 and Hideo Tokoro at K-1 Hero’s Dynamite USA. Given that Pickett previously held the British featherweight title, he is hardly someone who needs to prove himself on the Contenders circuit, but his presence on the bill should guarantee a packed house. His opponent, Mark Chen, clamoured for a shot at Pickett when he held the belt, but was easily defeated by Robbie Olivier in an elimination bout at Cage Rage 17 in July 2006 before Olivier went on to dethrone Pickett. At 6-7-0 Chen has a patchy record and has tended to be too passive when on his back, although his one shot KO of Ricky Moore at FX3 in 2005 proved he has some power. Pickett will be the favorite going in to the match, having faced the higher level of opposition and at 10-4-0 he’s the more experienced man.

Cage Rage 21: Pickett (flying) vs. Owen

The show will mark the return of Matt Ewin, from Mark Weir’s Range Fighting team in Gloucester. At 16-8-1 Ewin has been around, having twice fought UFC rising star Martin Kampmann in addition to TUF4 winner Travis Lutter. Ewin likes to ground and pound so he’ll have his work cut out for him against Leo Negao, the 1998 World BJJ champion and multiple National BJJ champion in his native Brazil. Now based in London, Negao does not have much MMA experience, but he’ll be very dangerous when the fight hits the canvas, which is probably where both men will be happy to decide the contest.

Cage Rage Contenders 6 Current Fight Card

1. Mark Chen vs. Brad Pickett
2. Matt Ewin vs. Leo Negao
3. Jake Boswick vs. John Maguire
4. TBA vs. John Hathaway
5. Jared Farah vs. Scott Jansen
6. Jeff Hayes vs. Marvin Arnold
7. TBA vs. Luke Smith
8. Jody Cottham vs. John Haggerty
9. Jack Magee vs. Wesley Murch
10. Michael King vs. Mark Smith
11. TBA vs. Charlie Francis
12. TBA vs. Matthew Matin
13. Steven Dossett vs. James Elson
14. Mark Tucker vs. Steven Elliot

The Joker Returns at UFC 75

Jess “The Joker” Liaudin will make his second UFC appearance after tapping out Dennis Siver at UFC 70, when the promotion holds its third event in Britain on September 8th at the O2 Arena in London. Liaudin’s opponent will be undefeated 4-0 Anthony Johnson. Liaudin will be training with Team Quest in preparation for the match, so expect the London-based Frenchman to be on top form when the bell rings.

July 3, 2007
MONSON VS. SIMS
Global FC: Monson to Face Sims for Heavyweight Title
By FCF Staff

The Global Fighting Championships confirmed in a press release today that former UFC and Pride veteran Jeff Monson (22-6) will fight Wes Sims (19-9-1) at the promotion’s August 17th event. The bout, which will be for the Global FC heavyweight crown, will take place at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. This will mark the second time that these two fighters have been scheduled to fight, as earlier this year, Sims vs. Monson was originally slated for the Gracie Fighting Championship, until contractual reasons prevented Sims from competing. Eventually a shoulder injury to Monson also prevented the American Top Team athlete from competing at the event as well.

Sims has already fought 4 times this year, going 2-1 with one No Contest. Most recently at Full Contact Fight Series 12, he defeated Danny Long by TKO. Monson has only fought once in 2007, at Pride 34 in April, he submitted Kazuyuki Fujita with a rear-naked-choke. Prior to that, in 2006, Monson won 3 fights in a row competing in the UFC, before failing to win the UFC heavyweight title last November against former champion, Tim Sylvia. The coming months will be busy ones for Monson, as he is also scheduled to fight Pedro Rizzo at the September 1st, Art of War, Team USA vs. Team Brazil card.

Also scheduled for the Global FC, August 17th event; Mark Kerr (13-6) will take on Sean O’Haire (1-2), Edwin Dewees (34-10) will fight Maverick Harvey (10-3-1), and Eric Esch (10-3-1) is slated to fight Stefan Gamlin (0-3). According to the Global FC website, the card will have a total of 8 fights.

July 4, 2007
THE NORTHERN TOUCH


Hardcore Championship Fighting Announces Rodriguez vs. Waterman for July 21st Main Event

Hardcore Championship Fighting CEO Keith Crawford, confirmed to FCF this week, that the main event bout for the promotion’s upcoming July 21st event will see Ricco Rodriguez (25-6) take on Ron Waterman (13-5-2). The fight will take place in Edmonton, Alberta, at the River Cree Resort and Casino. According to Crawford, both fighters have signed their contracts, and the promotion has taken all the necessary and logistical steps to ensure the fight goes off. The main event fight will be a rubber match for the two fighters, as each fighter currently holds one win over the other. Waterman worked his way to a Unanimous Decision victory over the former UFC heavyweight champ at World Extreme Cagefighting 15 in August of 2005, before being stopped by Rodriguez for the TKO loss in their second fight, at the World Fighting Alliance 4 in August 2006.

Crawford also confirmed that Joe “Diesel” Riggs will take on Lethbridge’s Dan Chambers in another high profile bout for the event. The former UFC contender Riggs (25-9) has not fought since he lost by KO to Diego Sanchez last December. Prior to that, he submitted Jason Von Flue with a first round triangle-choke at UFC Fight Night 6 last August. Chambers (8-3) has been an extremely busy man in 2007, the Canadian Martial Arts Centre fighter has already fought 4 times, going 2-2. Most recently he stopped Jacob Macdonald in the first round for the TKO win at Ultimate Cage Wars on June 23rd. There is likely little doubt that Riggs will be the most experienced and most talented fighter Chambers has faced to date.

According to Crawford, former “Ultimate Fighter” competitor Solomon Hutcherson is slated to fight, as well as Sarah Kaufman.

The event will be taped and split up into several episodes for the Score Network, as well as it will be available on pay-per-view two weeks later on Viewers Choice and Bell. The card will have ten or 11 fights in total. HCF also plans on holding an event in Vancouver in August.

Holanda Says GSP Will Be Ready for Koscheck

In a FCF Radio appearance last week, Fabio Holanda discussed the progress of Georges St-Pierre has he prepares for his August 25th bout with Josh Koscheck at UFC 74. St.Pierre has returned to training with Holanda and Brazilian Top Team Canada once again, after departing from the team previously due to what Holanda described as “professional reasons.” Clearly GSP has had tremendous success under the tutelage of Holanda in the past, where his friend and training partner Patrick Cote also trains.

“He’s been training very hard,” Holanda said on FCF Radio. “I think he’s going to do very well against Koscheck. I think Koscheck is the worst match-up for him, but I don’t think he’s going to have a problem to beat him.”

Holanda is coming off a recent win at Maximum Fighting Championship 12 on June 22nd, where he stopped Shaun Krsya in the first round for the TKO win.

King of the Cage Canada, “Supremacy”

King of the Cage Canada will hold its “Supremacy” event, July 14th, at the Halifax Forum, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Headlining the card will be Jonathan Goulet vs. Corey Macdonald, and it will be interesting to see if Goulet is able to rebound from his recent armbar submission loss to Jason Day at UCW 8 on June 23rd. Other notable bouts for the card include Kevin Manderson vs. TJ Grant, Tim Thurston vs. Alex Sung, and Tim Skidmore vs. Shawn Marchand.

Upcoming Canadian Events

King of the Cage Canada, Supremacy: July 14th, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Hardcore Championship Fighting: July 21st, Edmonton, Alberta
Maximum Fighting Championships 13: August 24th, Edmonton, Alberta
Ultimate Cage Wars 9: September 7th, Winnipeg, Manitoba
TKO 30, Apocalypse: TBA

July 5, 2007
FRANCA'S COMEBACK

Hermes Franca: Comeback Road Continues On to UFC 73 “Stacked”
By Kelsey Mowatt

Hermes Franca will challenge UFC Lightweight Champion Sean Sherk Saturday night at UFC 73 “Stacked”, in a five round title bout that will mark the high point of a remarkable comeback story. With a middleweight championship bout between Anderson Silva and Nate Marquardt, a high profile light-heavyweight clash between Tito Ortiz and Rashad Evans, and former Pride heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira making his UFC debut, the “Rocky-esque” tale of Franca has been lost somewhat in the mix.

Franca

The former American Top Team fighter made it to the UFC in 2003 with a record of 5-0, and began to quickly entrench his status in the promotion’s lightweight division. At UFC 42 in April of that year, the jiu-jitsu instructor worked his way to a Unanimous Decision victory over Rich Crunkilton. At UFC 44 that September, Franca continued to impress, by knocking out Japanese star Caol Uno in the second round. By all indications, it appeared that the undefeated fighter was well on his way to a storied career.

But at UFC 46, in January of 2004, Franca was defeated for the first time in his career, dropping a Unanimous Decision loss to the up and coming Josh Thomson. A tightly contested Split Decision loss to Yves Edwards 2 months later at UFC 47, left Franca’s record at 8-2, and the fighter wound up exiting from the Zuffa promotion.

After knocking out Manny Reyes in 37 seconds at the Absolute Fighting Championships 10 in October of 2004, it appeared that Franca was back on track, unfortunately for him, the most tumultuous times of his career lay just ahead. Despite a solid performance in his highly anticipated rematch with Edwards at the Mixed Fighting Championships in February of 2005, Franca once again fell just short, dropping another Split Decision victory to his veteran opponent. A KO loss to Ray Cooper at Shooto Hawaii, followed by another Decision loss to Koutetsu Boku at K-1 Hero’s event in September of 2005, left his record at 10-5. Franca had lost 3 of his last 5 fights.

After a six month layoff from competition, Franca returned to action to face Gabe Ruediger at World Extreme Cagefighting 19 last March. The Millennia Jiu-Jitsu fighter had won 9 fights in a row and many believed Ruediger would offer Franca a considerable challenge. What transpired was a 36 second TKO win for Franca, setting in a motion an outstanding banner 2006 year for the fighter, many had given up on. Over the next 3 consecutive months, amidst a rather hectic schedule, Franca defeated Ryan Schultz, Toby Imada, and Brandon Olson, in impressive fashion, submitting or stopping all of them within the first round. By July, Franca’s return to the UFC had been secured.

At UFC 61 against Joe Jordan, Franca submitted his opponent in the third round with a triangle-choke to further what would end up being Full Contact Fighter’s 2006, Comeback Fighter of the Year, performance. Wins over Jamie Varner and Nathan Diaz at UFC 62 and WEC 24 in August and October, respectively, ran Franca’s 2006 record to 7-0. A banner year for the fighter, against notable opposition, MMA observers around the world had rarely witnessed.

Finally, at Ultimate Fight Night 9 this past January, Franca solidified his title shot. Taking on the highly regarded Miletich fighter, Spencer Fisher, many believed that Franca’s best chance at defeating the vaunted striker was to take the fight to the mat. At 3:30 of round 2, Franca once again shocked the world, by not necessarily defeating Fisher, but by stopping him with a barrage of strikes. Shortly after the bout, the Armory instructor dropped to his knees, begging UFC President Dana White for a chance to face the champion Sherk.

This Saturday, Franca will look to make the final chapter of his comeback tale a happy one, by defeating the 30-2-1 champion. Without question, Sherk will be one of the better fighters Franca has ever faced, and many are probably predicting that the champion will retain his belt. But regardless of what transpires at the Arco Arena this upcoming July 7th evening, the last few months of Franca’s career should not be forgotten any time soon.

July 6, 2007
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July 6, 2007
NEW EPISODE OF FCF RADIO: EDDIE ALVAREZ AND CHAEL SONNEN

New episode of FCF Radio This latest edition of FCF Radio features Eddie Alvarez and Chael Sonnen, who both will be competing on the upcoming July 14th, Bodog Fight card in Trenton, New Jersey. Click here to listen/download

July 6, 2007
UFC 73 PREVIEW

UFC 73 Preview: A Truly “Stacked” Card
By Steven Marrocco

The stars are clearly in alignment for UFC 73 this Saturday at the Arco Arena in Sacramento. Less than a month from a somewhat lackluster offering of fights at UFC 72 in Belfast, the fight card for “Stacked” is packed to the brim with fights that could be promoted as main events by themselves. While the evening may not have captured the interest of Liddell-centric casual fans--the event does not appear to be in danger of selling out—it’s a hardcore fans dream.

Anderson Silva vs. Nate Marquardt

Marquardt

The UFC hype machine tells us that Marquardt’s window of opportunity was illuminated in Silva’s last fight with Travis Lutter. Lutter, depleted from a massive weight cut, was still able to take the middleweight champ down with ease. Had Lutter not been so exhausted, we might have seen a TUF 4 sweep of the welterweight and middleweight championships.

What the hype-sters casually leave out is the severity of Silva’s knee injuries only two weeks prior to the fight. Fresh out of surgery, Silva had had one of his knees drained only days before the bout. Anyone who’s seen Silva fight in his pre-UFC days knows that when Silva is healthy, he is a sprawl-and-brawl dynamo. He will stay upright and make you pay for your shots with punches, kicks, and his ever-impressive Muay Thai work.

Still, Marquardt’s best chance lies in getting Silva to over-commit to a flurry of strikes, making his work on the ground all the more easier, as Marquardt’s wrestling far outmatches Silva on the ground. Another option, equally plausible, is for Marquardt to work the clinch, trapping Silva against the cage and inflicting his damage there.

Silva’s trump card, once again, is his striking ability. If he can overwhelm Marquardt early with his superior striking, or perhaps time a flying knee as Marquardt shoots in, the bout will end quickly. If he can’t tee off early, Marquardt will most likely clinch, take Silva down, and grind out a decision.

Tito Ortiz vs. Rashad Evans

It’s a brave new world for Rashad Evans. The normally humble, soft spoken Michigan has leapt into Ortiz’s world of bluster and bravado. Their shoving match at UFC 69 was the seed that grew into an internet war of words, inflating the already important fight. Ortiz’s cunning use of words has goaded Evans into playing ball, providing the hype that Ortiz can’t seem to function without.

The thing is, this fight doesn’t need it. It’s a must win for Ortiz, and he knows it. If Ortiz is to remain relevant in the light heavyweight division, he must defeat Evans. With Chuck Liddell out of the picture, he stands a chance at a title shot in 2008. A win over Evans, combined with a dispatch of a Pride import, could put him in front of either Quinton Jackson or Dan Henderson next year.

Evans has a little less to lose, having been on a slow, mostly linear rise to title contention. A win over Ortiz gives him the street cred that he and many of his TUF cohorts lack. Say what you will about Ortiz, he’s still one of the great competitors in the UFC’s history.

Both fighters have terrific wrestling skills, and the man who takes top position will most likely jump ahead on scorecards. Despite Evans’ highlight reel knockout of Sean Salmon, Ortiz will not be foolhardy to stay in the pocket long enough for Evans to set him up. Evans’ hands are still crisper than Ortiz, and could outpoint Ortiz with strikes.

However, like Marquardt, Evans’ edge lies in his clinch work. If Evans is able to avoid Tito’s double leg shot, he could press the action as the bout goes into later rounds, roughing Ortiz up with dirty boxing. Evans could then use that as a set up for a takedown, grinding Ortiz out with a dose of his own medicine.

Evans’ ability to defeat Ortiz lies entirely on whether he can stop Tito’s takedown attempts.

Hermes Franca vs. Sean Sherk

Sherk

After badly injuring his shoulder in his quest for the lightweight belt, Lightweight Champion Sean Sherk returns to the octagon for his first title defense. Challenger Hermes Franca dropped a few f-bombs on his way to imploring president Dana White for a shot. With his wish granted, we know this: when you speak the language of your audience, you get what you want.

Sherk is a Tasmanian devil inside the octagon. Only two of the best fighters in the world, Georges St. Pierre and Matt Hughes, have been able to stop his ground and pound assault. His double and single leg shots are among the best in the world. If he is able to execute these moves, Franca will fall much as past challenger Kenny Florian did.

Franca has two chances: knocking Sherk out with one of his winging hooks, or submitting him from the bottom. Anything can happen, but Sherk will most likely power through Franca’s many armbar attempts. Barring any pre-existing injury, Sherk should dominate this fight.

Heath Herring vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

It’s a blast from the past for Herring and Nogueira. These two talented heavyweights faced each other a little more than three years ago at Pride’s “Critical Countdown 2004”. Nogueira executed a beautiful Anaconda choke to tap Herring out in the second round.

A lot’s changed since those days. The Pride they flourished with no longer exists. Herring jumped ship not too long after the loss to Nogueira. Nogueira stayed with Pride, losing only to Josh Barnett and Fedor Emelianenko in the three years since.

It will be interesting to see how the Octagon plays a part in this fight. This is Nogueira’s first time in the cage, Herring’s third. If Herring is able to take Nogueira down, the Brazilian could be at an advantage for using his legs to climb out from under Herring or throw up an armbar submission. It could also be his demise if Herring is sharp enough to smother Nogueira and rain down elbows from the top.

It’s unknown whether Nogueira’s fallout with Brazilian Top Team has affected his focus for this fight. Herring knows all too well about the pressure placed upon Pride imports. If Nogueira falls prey to the “Pride curse”, Herring will undoubtedly provide a sympathetic audience.

Kenny Florian vs. Alvin Robinson

Florian is back on the pay per view trail after defeating a bizarrely uneven Dokonjonosuke Mishima in his last fight at UFC Fight Night 9. He faces newcomer Alvin Robinson, who has won all of his victories by submission, but also has standup skills as well. Robinson looks big for a lightweight, which might be a factor if this fight goes to the ground. Florian’s stand-up skills have improved light years from where they were, and could take Robinson out on his feet early on. Robinson’s hope is that Florian will roll the dice and play the ground game with him.

UFC 73 “Stacked” Undercard Fights:

Light Heavyweight: Stephan Bonnar vs. Mike Nickels

Lightweight: Diego Saravia vs. Jorge Gurgel

Welterweight: Chris Lytle vs. Jason Gilliam

Lightweight: Mark Bocek vs. Frank Edgar

July 6, 2007
STEELE CAGE PROMOTIONS DEBUT

“The Beastman” vs. Kimmons Headlines Steele Cage Promotions Debut Event Tomorrow
By FCF Staff

Eastman

Boxing Hall of Fame referee Richard Steele, will host his first foray into MMA promoting tomorrow night, July 7th, at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Coined, Steele Cage Promotions, the debut card will be headlined by a title fight for the International Fighting Organization's middleweight belt between Marvin “The Beastman” Eastman (13-7-1) and Rob Kimmons (14-2). Eastman is coming off a KO loss to Quinton Jackson at UFC 67 in February, and is 2-2-1 in his last five fights. Kimmons has been on a tear as of late, winning 8 fights in a row. Most recently he stopped Curt Bee in the first round at the American Bushido event on June 1st.

Meeting up for the IFO’s 145 lb. title will be Brandon Shelton (8-0) and Eric Payne (14-6). Shelton has not fought since February, where he competed twice at Caged Combat Championship Fight events, submitting Daniel Hemeterio with a knee bar and Rob Meehan with an armbar, two weeks apart. Payne is 4-1 in his last 5 fights, and has not competed in 2007 according to the FCF database. His last fight took place last November, where he worked his way to a Unanimous Decision victory over Luke Gwaltney.

The final title fight will be for the IFO super heavyweight belt, as Wes Sims (19-9-1) will take on Chris Guillen (9-6). This will be a rematch bout for the two fighters, as at Art of War 2 on May 11th; Sims dropped a Unanimous Decision victory to Guillen. Sims has fought since their first encounter while Guillen has not. At Full Contact Fight Series 12 on June 16th, Sims stopped Danny Long in the first round for the TKO win.

According to the Steele Cage Promotions official site there will also be 7 bouts on the under card. The card will also be taped and broadcast on HDNet, split into several episodes, premiering on July 13th.

July 8, 2007
UFC 73 RESULTS

Evans and Ortiz Draw; Title Holders Keep Their Prizes
By Steven Marrocco

Saturday, July 7th- Sacramento: For all the controversy that fence grabbing draws from fans of MMA, the cries of foul play were finally heeded. Former light-heavyweight champ Tito Ortiz proved he is still one of the top contenders in the division, while opponent Rashad Evans stifled the majority of Ortiz’s ground and pound specialty.

At the end of the fight, Evans lagged slightly behind in the scorecards, despite a spirited reversal in the final seconds of the bout. It was a short but obvious grab of the fence that drew a point away from Ortiz’s scorecard in the second. That one point gave judges the unpopular duty of handing down the UFC’s first Unanimous 28-28 Draw in over a half decade.

Immediately afterwards, both fighters promised a rematch, but the outcome was a sour ending to their much-hyped grudge match.

“We can do it again,” Ortiz said afterwards. “Rashad’s a great competitor, I trained my butt off for this fight. We’ll do it again.”

Evans, who dropped to the canvas in disbelief upon hearing the call, was equally adamant about a do-over. “I could feel him go weak,” Evans said. “I definitely felt I could have finished the fight if I had a little more time.”

In championship belt action, middleweight king Anderson Silva waited patiently through challenger Nate Marquardt’s early ground and pound attempts. It wasn’t long before “Big” John McCarthy stood the two up, as Marquardt was unable to capitalize on the position. As Marquardt shot in for another takedown, Silva quickly reversed him and planted several right hands directly on the Jackson Submission fighter’s chin. Marquardt quickly rolled into the fetal position, warranting the stoppage at 4:50 of the first.

There are two things the world now knows about lightweight champ Sean Sherk. One, he probably has indentation on his chin where challenger Hermes Franca’s knee bore into it on three separate occasions. Two, there is only one man in the world who is better at doing what he does: Matt Hughes. At lightweight, there will be few who can stop his onslaught.

On the verge of being knocked senseless in the second round, Sherk showed a champion’s fortitude in taking Franca down at will and smothering him in every imaginable position. Though Sherk didn’t inflict the damage he usually does from elbows and punches—Franca was adept at keeping the top of his head in the line of fire—he never gave Franca the chance to mount a solid offense.

Franca had one answer for Sherk’s shot, the flying knee. When it became clear that Sherk wasn’t going to let a silly thing like consciousness get in the way of his assault, Franca slowly withered. Sherk walked away with his first title defense, winning a Unanimous Decision from judges.

Former Pride heavyweight Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira made a successful debut in the Octagon, but he gave his supporters quite a scare in the first. Infatuated with his left high kick, opponent Heath Herring nearly scored the home run shot as he floored Nogueira with it midway through the first. It took Nogueira another round to clear the cobwebs from his head.

When he did, Nogueira dominated Herring with superior boxing skills and ground control. Herring seemed to give “Big Nog” the takedowns, reversing them on two occasions, but couldn’t capitalize from the top.

In the end, the Pride import won a Unanimous Decision.

UFC 73 Full Results:

Frank Edgar def. Mark Bocek at 4:55 of Rd. 1 by TKO (Strikes)

Chris Lytle def. Jason Gilliam at 2:15 of Rd. 1 by Submission (Triangle & Inverted Armbar)

Jorge Gurgel def. Diego Saravia at 5:00 of Rd. 3 by Unanimous Decision (30-27)

Stephan Bonnar def. Mike Nickels at 2:14 of Rd. 1 by Submission (Rear Naked Choke)

Antonio Nogueira def. Heath Herring at 5:00 of Rd. 3 by Unanimous Decision (29-28)

Sean Sherk def. Hermes Franca at 5:00 of Rd. 5 by Unanimous Decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46)

Rashad Evans vs. Tito Ortiz ruled a Unanimous Draw (28-28)

Anderson Silva def. Nate Marquardt at 4:50 of Rd. 1 by TKO (Strikes)

Kenny Florian def. Alvin Robinson at 4:30 of Rd. 1 by TKO (Strikes)

July 8, 2007
STEELE CAGE PROMOTIONS
“I’m Very Happy”: New MMA Promoter Richard Steele on Saturday’s Debut IFO Card
By Kelsey Mowatt

Boxing Hall of Fame referee Richard Steele and company, Steele Cage Promotions, held their first MMA venture last night, July 7th, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The first International Fighting Organization card was held at the Orleans Arena, and debuted to what, according to Steele, was an enthusiastic and supportive crowd. The card was headlined by a main event bout between Marvin Eastman and Rob Kimmons for the vacant, IFO middleweight title, as well as two other fights, featuring some notable participants for the new promotion’s featherweight and heavyweight belts.

“I’m very happy,” Steele tells FCF in discussing Steele Cage Promotions first event. “My phone’s been ringing of the hook all day, people really showing their appreciation, people were really excited about the card, they thought the card was a really professional card with some great fights. At the fights, after the fights at the after party, all the fans were telling me they really enjoyed the card and that makes me really happy.”

Eastman (14-7-1) worked his way to a Unanimous Decision win over his opponent Rob Kimmons, a nice rebound victory for “The Beastman” after being stopped by Quinton Jackson in his last fight at UFC 67 in February. The loss for Kimmons (14-3) was just his first in 8 fights.

“He won the fight,” Steele says in regards to Eastman winning the IFO middleweight belt. “But Rob was in the fight all the time, at some parts I thought he was going to take over. Eastman’s skill and ability was just too much for the kid, ya know? And his weight, the kid (Kimmons) came up to fight Eastman, he’s really a 170 pounder, he beefed himself up to 185 and put on a sensational show. I told him I’m definitely going to have him back as a 170 pounder.”

Chris Guillen (10-6) secured the IFO heavyweight belt when after two rounds, his opponent; Wes Sims (19-10-1) was unable to continue. The win for Guillen marks the second time in two months that he has defeated Sims, as at Art of War 2 on May 5th, he beat the UFC veteran via Unanimous Decision.

“Sims fight, you know, people thought that he’d do better,” Steele tells FCF in revisiting the heavyweight bout. “He just ran out of gas, he brought a lot of people with him but he just ran out of gas. Chris put a lot of pressure on him, put a lot of weight on him, and got him out of gas.”

The third title fight of the evening featured featherweights Eric Payne (15-6) and Brandon Shelton (8-1). Payne was riding a four fight winning streak coming into the bout, while Shelton, arrived in Las Vegas as an undefeated fighter in the professional ranks. In the end it would be Payne who would win the IFO featherweight title by submitting Shelton in the first round.

“Shelton was faster and more explosive,” says Steele. “But he got caught in one of those arm locks, I think it was an arm lock, that would make anybody give up you know? That’s what I like about Mixed Martial Arts; you don’t know who can win a fight on any given day. You make a wrong move and get caught up in some kind of choke hold or arm bar and you have to give up, you have to submit. That can happy any day or anytime. It makes the game really exciting.”

Steele also informed FCF that the IFO is planning on holding events on September 1st, 21st, and December 15th. There are also tentative plans for another event sometime this fall, in between the last September card and the December event.

July 9, 2007
WEC CONFIRMS: FILHO VS. DOERKSEN, CONDIT VS. LARSON

Two Title Fights Will Headline August 5th Card
By FCF Staff

The official World Extreme Cagefighting website confirmed today that the promotion’s upcoming August 5th, event, which will take place at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, will be headlined by 2 title fights. The first title bout will feature the WEC debut of two of the world’s more notable middleweight fighters in Paulo Filho (13-0) and Joe Doerksen (39-9). The highly regarded Filho has not competed since last November, when he defeated Kazuo Misaki, at Pride Bushido’s middleweight Grand-Prix. The Brazilian Top Team fighter comes to North America likely as the favorite to secure the WEC middleweight crown and is currently ranked 5th in the world by FCF. Doerksen however, continues to impress in his lengthy career, and has now won 7 straight since exiting the UFC in early 2006.

Filho	Doerksen

The second title fight will see WEC Welterweight Champion, Carlos Condit (20-4) look to defend his title against Brock Larson (22-1). In his last fight, Condit submitted Johnny Alessio at WEC 26 in March for his 5th consecutive victory. Larson, whose only career loss is to UFC contender, Jon Fitch, will likely be one of Condit’s toughest tests to date. The Minnesota fighter has won 9 straight, including a recent June 3rd, 27 second TKO of Kevin Knabjian at WEC 28.

The August 5th event will be broadcast live on the Versus Network, beginning at 9:00 PM ET / 6:00 PM PST.

July 9, 2007
UFC 73 FINAL NUMBERS
UFC 73 Attendance and Salary Numbers
By FCF Staff

The California State Athletic Commission has released the final attendance numbers and the fighter purses, for this past weekend’s UFC 73 “Stacked” event, which was held Saturday night, July 7th, at the Arco Arena in Sacramento California. According to the CSAC, UFC 73 drew a total attendance of 13,183, with 8,622 tickets being sold and 4,561 tickets being exempt or complimentary. The total capacity for the Arco Arena that night was 16,811, meaning that 3,628 tickets were neither sold nor given away. The total gross receipt for the event was $1, 551, 920.

All fighter salaries are a matter of public record in the U.S., as they are required by law to be submitted to the appropriate State governing body. The figures below are only the fighter purses and winning bonuses the UFC has disclosed to the CSAC for the Stacked event.

Based on the figures released by the CSAC, here are some of the more notable fighter purses from UFC 73;

Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira earned $200,000 Saturday night in defeating Heath Herring by Unanimous Decision. Nogueira was paid $100, 000 for competing plus an additional $100,000 for winning, while Herring made $70,000. UFC lightweight champ Sean Sherk made $28,000, $14,000 for fighting Hermes Franca and an additional $14,000 for defending his title. Franca was paid $14,000. Former Light-heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz received $210,000 while his opponent, Rashad Evans, made $16,000. Middleweight champ Anderson Silva received $45,000 for fighting Nate Marquardt, plus an additional $45,000 for winning, while Marquardt himself was paid $24,000 for showing. Former "Ultimate Fighter" star, Stephan Bonnar, took home $32,000, $16,000 for showing plus another $16,000 for defeating Mike Nickels, whose reported purse was $5,000.

July 9, 2007
ACROSS THE POND: FX3 5 RESULTS

Across The Pond: British MMA News
By David West

Results from FX3 5
July 7th, Reading Berkshire

In the main event of the fifth FX3, Andre Winner out-pointed Aidan Marron to claim the vacant World lightweight title that became up for grabs, when previous champion Ollie Ellis, was kept out of action by injuries that prevented him from defending his belt. It was a cautious contest, with Winner wary of over-committing to his strikes in case Marron took him down. Throughout the fight Marron tried to pull guard to get the fight to the floor, but Winner would stand up and back off, forcing Marron back to standing. Winner never really put his punches together, throwing single right hands or jab-cross combinations, then backing away to avoid any counter, but he was the more aggressive of the two and took the decision after three rounds.

Winner (right) launching a punch at Marron

Britain’s Alex Owen proved unable to hang on to either his World featherweight belt or his undefeated record as he attempted to complete his first title defense against France’s Emmanuel Fernandez. Owen is a technically polished grappler, but Fernandez completely shut him down, taking him to the canvas and over-powering him throughout the first round. In the second, Fernandez countered a takedown attempt from Owen by taking his back and sinking in the rear naked choke that got the tap. Fernandez earned his new crown after a very impressive performance.

Fernandez with his new belt

Sami Berik pulled off an upset stoppage against two-time UFC veteran Dave Lee. After scrambling to get off the floor following a takedown from Lee, Berik caught him flush with one of his unorthodox left swings and Lee’s legs gave out underneath him. Berik missed his follow-up and Lee tried to bring him down, only to end up on the bottom against the cage with Berik slashing down furiously with both hands, giving referee Leon Roberts no choice but to jump in to save Lee.

Berik (top) finishing Lee

Paul Reed imposed his will on Wesley Felix in their lightweight fight. Reed scored several takedowns and was able to pass Felix’s guard easily, taking mount in both the first and second rounds. In the second, Reed got a solid high mount and pounded Felix mercilessly, prompting the referee to step in and halt the onslaught. Felix went the distance with Andre Winner at the last FX3; losing by a Split Decision in a very close contest, but Reed blew through Felix, suggesting he could give Winner a headache if he gets a crack at the new champion.

Reed (top) pounds on Felix

Full Results:

MMA

Andre Winner def. Aidan Marron by Unanimous Decision

Brian Adams def. Mark O’Toole by TKO (referee stoppage from strikes) 4:20 R3

Sami Berik def. Dave Lee by TKO (referee stoppage from strikes) 1:15 R1

Emmanuel Fernandez def. Alex Owen by Rear Naked Choke 2:23 R2

Paul Reed def. Wesley Felix by TKO (referee stoppage from strikes) 2:02 R2

Kev Simms def. Theo Theodouloa by Tap-Out to Strikes 1:36 R1

Brendan Flannigan def. Dion Oakes by Verbal Submission 4:41 R1

Tim Radcliffe def. Rocci Williams by TKO (referee stoppage from strikes) 2:42 R2

Simon Gill def. Matt Smith by Triangle 1:55 R1

Greg Knapp def. Rob Neesham by Rear Naked Choke 2:23 R1

Stuart Rickman def. Ed Howard by TKO (referee stoppage from strikes) 0:29 R1

Kickboxing

John Healey Draw Nathan Ward – Majority Draw after 4 rounds

Pete Mercer def. Marlon Thomas by KO 0:28 R1

Damien Hamilton def. Aaron Blackwell by Majority Decision after 3 rounds 
 

July 10, 2007
FCF SURVEY

Give Us Your Thoughts...

What are your thoughts on Randy Couture vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (UFC 74 Respect on August 25th)?  Who will win?  How will the fight play out? What will the impact be on the heavyweight division?     The results of the survey and some of the commentary we receive may appear in the upcoming issue of FCF.

Click here to take the survey

July 10, 2007
THE NORTHERN TOUCH


Hardcore Championship Fighting Confirms More Bouts for June 21st Card

Hardcore Championship Fighting confirmed more fights this week for the promotion’s upcoming “Unfinished Business” event, which will take place at the River Cree Resort and Casino, June 21st, in Edmonton, Alberta. Last week, HCF confirmed that Ricco Rodriguez would take on Ron Waterman in the card’s main event, while Joe Riggs would fight Lethbridge’s Dan Chambers in the semi-main event.

Several notable Canadian fighters have been added to the card, including Nabil Khatib (6-1), who will fight former “Ultimate Fighter” competitor, Solomon Hutcherson (7-4). Most recently, Khatib defeated Dan Chambers at Rumble in the Cage 24 on June 9th. Prior to that, he lost for the first time in his career, dropping a Unanimous Decision loss to Fritz Paul at Apex’s event last October. Hutcherson has only fought twice since leaving the TUF show, at the TUF Season 3 Finale last summer he was knocked-out by Luigi Fioravanti. On June 23rd of this year, Hutcherson returned to winning form, stopping Anthony Trotter with strikes at the MMA Big Show, “Domination”.

Rounding out the HCF card; one of Edmonton’s Team Sniper trainers, Mike Yackulic (4-2) will take on Capoeira stylist, Marcus Vinicius (3-3), Canadian Martial Arts Centre fighter Tim Tamaki (5-5) will fight Vancouver’s Len Tam (3-0), another CMAC fighter Jordan Mein (7-5 pro-am) is set to meet the Marcus Soares trained Dave Scholten (6-3), and Victor Valimaki’s brother Danny (3-0) will meet Chester Post (7-8-1).

Stout to Defend TKO Lightweight Title September 28th

TKO announced this week that the promotion’s next event will be held, September 28th, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec. “Apocalypse” will mark the 30th event for TKO and will be headlined by TKO Lightweight Champion Sam Stout (11-3-1) vs. Martin Grandmont (5-3). Stout is coming off a tough Split Decision loss to Spencer Fisher at Ultimate Fight Night 11 in June, but before that, the Team Tompkins defended his TKO title twice against Jay Estrada and Fabio Holanda at TKO 27, and 28 respectively. Grandmont has won two fights in a row, most recently at TKO 29 on June 1st; he worked his way to a Unanimous Decision victory over Bodog Fight veteran Tyler Jackson. Prior to that, Grandmont impressed many in his stoppage of Dave Pariseau with strikes, at TKO 28 in February.

The card will also feature a bout between Chris Clements (4-1) and Sean Pierson (5-3) for the TKO Welterweight title. Clements is yet another up and coming Team Tompkins fighter with a growing reputation for possessing formidable striking skills. At TKO 28, Clements stopped David Medd in less than 2 minutes for the TKO win, and he holds the infamous record for fastest KO in TKO history, a four second knock-out of Lautaro Tucas at TKO 25 last May. Pierson is one of the sports pioneers in Canada, after leaving MMA competition for nearly 4 years, Pierson recently returned to action at TKO Tournament 2007 in March, stopping Chester Post in the first round.

The promotion also announced that former TKO featherweight champ Mark Hominick is also scheduled to compete, as well as Stephan Dube, Steve Bosse, and Stephane Vigneault.

King of the Cage Canada: “Supremacy” This Weekend, Announces August 17th event.

King of the Cage Canada will hold its “Supremacy” event, this coming weekend July 14th, at the Halifax Forum, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Headlining the card will be Jonathan Goulet vs. Corey Macdonald, while other notable bouts for the card include Kevin Manderson vs. TJ Grant, Tim Thurston vs. Alex Sung, and Tim Skidmore vs. Shawn Marchand.

The Canadian promotion also has announced that on August 17th, the Edmonton Event Centre in West Edmonton Mall will host “Brawl in the Mall.” The card will be headlined by a Canadian heavyweight title bout between Tim Hague and Adriano Bernardo.

More Participants Confirmed for MFC 13

The Maximum Fighting Championship announced this week that up and coming Pro Camp fighter Ryan McGillivray (5-0) will fight at the promotion’s upcoming 13th event, scheduled for August 24th, in Edmonton, Alberta. Other competitors for the card have also been named, including Ryan Ford and Sean Wright.

The event’s main attraction will of course be the light-heavyweight title bout between champion and UFC veteran, Victor Valimaki (9-4), and the undefeated Roger Hollett (6-0).

Upcoming Canadian Events

King of the Cage Canada, Supremacy: July 14th, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Hardcore Championship Fighting: July 21st, Edmonton, Alberta
Maximum Fighting Championships 13: August 24th, Edmonton, Alberta
Ultimate Cage Wars 9: September 7th, Winnipeg, Manitoba
TKO 30, Apocalypse: September 28th, Montreal, Quebec

July 10, 2007
BODOG FIGHT:

LaRosa Heads to Bodog Fight Ring in Week 3 of “Paradise Lost”
By FCF Staff

One of MMA’s more notable woman fighters, Tara LaRosa (12-1), takes on Shayna Baszler (6-3) tonight in the third episode of Bodog Fight’s television fight series “Paradise Lost.” LaRosa has not lost a fight since 2003, when she was defeated by Jennifer Howe at Hook N’ Shoot, Absolute Fighting Championship 3. Since then, she has won 9 straight, including 2 prior victories in the Bodog ring, where LaRosa submitted both Amanda Buckner and Julia Berezekova last August and December respectively.

Bazler is 3-2 in her last five fights, and has faced Buckner twice, losing both times to the Bodog Fight vet. She also has another opponent in common with LaRosa, as both women have defeated Julie Kedzie. Most recently Bazler submitted Samantha Anderson at the Breakout event in March.

In men’s action, in what is being listed as a light-heavyweight fight on the official Bodog Fight site, Bobby Martinez (5-5, according to the FCF database) will take on Argentinean, Jiu-Jitsu specialist, Diego Visotzky (10-3-3, his record as posted on the Bodog Fight website).

Week 4 of Paradise lost will feature fights between Todd Carney and Sydney Machado, while Francis Carmont will face Todd Broadaway.

Bodog Fight’s Paradise Lost is broadcast on the ION Television Network Tuesday and Saturday nights, and can also be viewed via the promotion’s official website.

July 11, 2007
CAVALCANTE INJURED
“JZ” Cavalcante Off July 16th, K-1 Hero’s Card Due to Hand Injury
By Kelsey Mowatt

American Top Team confirmed to FCF this afternoon that Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante has been forced to withdraw from the upcoming, July 16th, opening round of the K-1 Hero’s lightweight Grand-Prix, due to a hand injury. The 12-1-1 Cavalcante won the 2006 version of the tournament, defeating Hiroyuki Takaya, Rani Yahya, and Caol Uno on route to his championship win. Most recently, Cavalcante fought the Japanese star Masato at the K-1 World Max 2007 event on June 29th, losing by Unanimous Decision in the kickboxing affair.

“His hand is hurt,” John Hartnett from American Top Team confirmed to FCF. “He re-injured his hand in his last fight with Masato, and the swelling was still pretty bad, so our Doctor recommended that he not fight, that he shouldn’t risk a more serious injury. It’s the same hand he’s injured before.”

June was a busy month for Cavalcante, as not only did he fight on June 29th at the K-1 World Max, but on June 2nd, at K-1 Hero’s debut on American soil, he stopped Nam Phan in the first round with strikes.

The opening round of the K-1 Hero’s lightweight Grand-Prix will feature several notable match-ups including Kazuyuki Miyata vs. Vitor Ribeiro, Kultar Gill vs. Hideo Tokoro, and Caol Uno vs. Katsuhiko Nagata. An opponent for Cavalcante’s original opponent, Andre Dida, has not yet been confirmed by Hero’s. Other fights for the card, outside the tournament bracket; include Bernard Ackah vs. Dong Sik Yoon and Alexandre Nogueira vs. Shuichiro Katsumura.

July 11, 2007
HARDCORE CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHTING UPDATE

Rodriguez vs. Waterman Pulled Off HCF, July 21st Card
By FCF Staff

Hardcore Championship Fighting promoter, Keith Crawford, informed FCF this afternoon that Ricco Rodriguez will not fight Ron Waterman on the July 21st, “Unfinished Business” card, in Edmonton, Alberta, as had been advertised. The fight was to be the card’s main event, which will take place at the River Cree Resort and Casino in Alberta’s capital city. According to Crawford, Canadian authorities have denied Rodriguez entrance into the country.

“Mr. Rodriguez’s bond to get into Canada has been revoked due to recent situations." said Crawford, which was the extent to which he cared to comment. As of last week, Crawford had maintained in correspondence with FCF that he believed all American fighters that were scheduled to compete on the card would be granted entry into Canada.

Rodriguez’s lawyer and agent, James C. Gallo, told FCF this afternoon that “I’m not an expert in Canadian law, but I’m unaware of any reason as to why Rodriguez would be precluded from leaving the U.S. to enter Canada.”

HCF is now searching for a replacement to fight Waterman. Some the event’s more notable bouts include UFC veteran Joe Riggs vs. Dan Chambers, and former “Ultimate Fighter” competitor, Solomon Hutcherson vs. Nabil Khatib. Other Canadian match-ups for the card include, Mike Yackulic taking on Marcus Vinicius, Tim Tamaki vs. Len Tam, and Jordan Mein fighting Dave Scholten.

July 12, 2007
FCF SURVEY

Give Us Your Thoughts...

What are your thoughts on Randy Couture vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (UFC 74 Respect on August 25th)?  Who will win?  How will the fight play out? What will the impact be on the heavyweight division?     The results of the survey and some of the commentary we receive may appear in the upcoming issue of FCF.

Click here to take the survey

July 12, 2007
PFC 3 UPDATE
Palace Fighting Championship Announces Bantamweight Title Bout
By FCF Staff

Palace Fighting Championship announced today, via a press release, that the promotion’s upcoming, July 19th event at Lemoore, California’s Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino, will feature a bantamweight title fight between David Espinosa (3-0) and Shawn Klarcyk (5-1). Espinosa has won both his fights competing in the PFC, defeating Nelson Ocampo and Ed Tomaselli at PFC 1 and 2 in January and March respectively. Klarcyk experienced defeat for the first time in his professional career in March, as at Gladiator Challenge 58, he was submitted by Brian Granados. Klarcyk, like his upcoming opponent Espinosa, also defeated Ed Tomaselli recently, submitting him with an arm bar at Gladiator Challenge 56 last November.

PF3 will also feature a title fight between Shawn Bias (11-4) and Aaron Maldonado (2-0) for the promotion’s vacant featherweight crown. The card’s main event will see Chris Botelho (4-2) take on welterweight fighter Josh McCartney (1-0).

July 12, 2007
REX RICHARDS

Rex Richards: Next Victim of the Tom Erikson Syndrome?
By Evan South

Tom Erikson syndrome- Defined as a syndrome where a fighter is consistently ducked or avoided and has trouble finding opponents. The next fighter who may suffer from this could be Rex Richards, a young super-heavyweight who is undefeated and incredibly dangerous.
How dangerous? His last fight at Strikeforce this past June lasted only 34 seconds.

“I sensed that I hurt him (opponent Ray Seraille) early on and that’s why I went straight for the attack” said Rex about the quick bout. “I threw a quick combo and a leg kick and I could see that it hurt him, I got him against the cage, the ref broke us up and I could see that I could maybe charge him with a couple punches and get him down and ended up knocking him out.”

Rex’s previous fight at Strikeforce last December also went quickly. Rex reflected on his last bout stating “I didn’t even throw a standing punch. I took the guy down, did a little ground and pound and went for the submission.” So far Rex’s 4 pro fights have lasted a total of approximately 5 and a half minutes. Does he worry these quick fights are not preparing him for a long drawn out war?

“That’s yet to be seen” replied Rex. “I train like I’m doing 12 rounds so I think I go into every fight prepared as far as cardio, technique, everything for the 5 minute rounds. That’s something we’re going to find out down the road, how I can continue and react to going the full rounds. I’m sure we’ll see that in the future. I think as hard as I train there will be no problem with that.”

Rex is already used to opponents changing regularly and this last fight was no exception. Concerning that situation Rex said “That’s part of the reason I went into that fight a little more pissed off than normal. I’m a creature of habit, I played football a long time, I watch film, I study. I didn’t have much detail on the previous guy I was going to fight, however I was training for a particular style and body type and it changed and that’s kind of the reason I went in there, took care of business, took a shower and went home.”

Rex mentioned playing football and is best known to some as a former lineman for the San Jose Sabercats. What would make someone go from a promising football career to the uncertain world of MMA? Rex answers “My football career was going very well, I was with a team I really enjoyed, but I decided MMA is going to be a bigger thing in my life. I’ve always enjoyed fighting more than football. This last football season I signed a Strikeforce contract and decided to do MMA full time. I see a lot of opportunity in MMA and just want to be involved in it. There is something in me that I always wanted and needed this as a career. If there was a big
UFC on and the Superbowl, I would be in the other room watching UFC.”

Regarding the aforementioned Tom Erikson syndrome Rex had the following thoughts: “I think I’m in a really weird place right now, I think I’m in a place where I need to make a big jump up in the fights. I’m also still in a bad position that I don’t know if any of these big name guys want to go out and risk a loss. I’m hungry, I consider myself a very athletic fighter. I think I have a lot to offer the super heavyweight category and maybe down the road the heavyweight division.”

Rex is 6' 5" and walks around 305lbs. Would he be willing and able to cut to heavyweight?

“If I could do it” answers Rex. “I don’t know if my frame will allow it. I haven’t been under 270 lbs since I was a junior in high school. I would make the cut if I knew something in particular was going to happen (as in a specific match up) and I could stop everything I was doing and concentrate on training to get prepared for that. I know I would be very explosive and very strong at heavyweight. That’s something I would like to consider down the road but right now it’s tough. I’ve got a really big, thick frame. It would be a battle to get to heavyweight but I think I could do it and I could be really strong at heavyweight.”

Currently surveying the super heavyweight field, Rex did mention a few names of who he would like to face. “I’d like to fight Brock Lesnar. I know not a whole lot of people want to get on him right now. Ron Waterman has been mentioned as a future fight maybe with another promotion I’m going to do some work with too.”

In relation to pay as part of stepping up in competition Rex had the following to say: “I’m not going to turn down a fight with any of those guys, but I’m not going to fight the #1 guy in the world for what a prelim guy is making. I’ve got to make a smart career choice.”

So what is next for Rex Richards? “Strikeforce will probably be my next fight but I have an open (non-exclusive) contract with them, so I can go fight for other companies as long as they can match what Strikeforce is paying me. I have 4 more fights left with Strikforce. Strikeforce was cool to offer that kind of contract to me. I’m just looking for big fights that will boost the career. I’m thinking about doing the Mundials in August in Los Angeles as a brown belt. I would like to win the brown belt division. I definitely want to get my next fight in by September.”

Rex closed by talking about the type of fighter he wants to be. “I like to finish my fights. I want to be exciting. I want to be that fighter the fans say they want to see again.”

With the birth of his first child (daughter Riley) this past April Rex summarized everything best by saying: “A lot of good things happening right now”. As long as that Erickson syndrome will stay at bay...

July 12, 2007
NEW EPISODE OF FCF RADIO: BROCK LARSON AND MONTE COX

New episode of FCF Radio This edition of FCF Radio features Brock Larson, who will be fighting Carlos Condit for the WEC welterweight title August 5th, and MMA promoter and agent, Monte Cox. Click here to listen/download

July 13, 2007
BODOGFIGHT

BodogFIGHT: Eddie Alvarez vs. Matt Lee Preview
By Jim Genia

When: July 14th
Where: Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, New Jersey.
What: BodogFIGHT: Eddie Alvarez vs. Matt Lee

Alvarez

The prodigal son returns. Revisiting to his old Garden State stomping grounds after a stunning TKO loss in St. Petersburg, Russia three months ago, welterweight superstar Eddie Alvarez wants redemption – and a chance to reclaim the 170-pound championship belt that was his. The kid’s got dynamite in his fists and an explosive, crowd-pleasing style, but the million dollar question is how his loss at the hands of Nick Thompson has affected him. Will Alvarez be gun-shy when he squares off against veteran striker Matt Lee? Or has his first (and only) taste of defeat made him hungrier? We’ll see on Saturday night, when Alvarez faces the first obstacle in his path to reclaiming the BodogFIGHT belt.

Here’s a look at the full card:

Main Event
WW: Eddie Alvarez vs. Matt Lee

BodogFIGHT Middleweight Championship
Trevor Prangley vs. Yuki Kondo

BodogFIGHT 135-pound Women’s Championship
Tara LaRosa vs. Kelly Kobold

Main Card
HW: Mark Burch vs. Yoshiki Takahashi
FW: Eben Oroz vs. David Love
MW: Chael Sonnen vs. Amar Suloev
LW: James “Binky” Jones vs. Nick Agallar
LW: Jorge Masvidal vs. Yves Edwards
HW: Brandon Lee Hinkle vs. Roman Zentsov
BW: Dan Hawley vs. Blair Tugman

July 13, 2007
NEW EPISODE OF FCF RADIO: JOE RIGGS AND NABIL KHATIB

New episode of FCF Radio The latest edition of FCF Radio features Joe Riggs and Nabil Khatib, who will be fighting Dan Chambers and Solomon Hutcherson respectively at the July 21st, Hardcore Championship Fighting card, in Edmonton, Alberta. Click here to listen/download

July 13, 2007
ACROSS THE POND: BRITISH MMA NEWS

 

Remedios Comes Out Of Retirement

Britain's Leigh Remedios was long considered the top 145-pound fighter in the country, until he announced his retirement in late 2005. He started his competitive career in Canada, making his debut at Raw Combat in Vancouver in July 1997. Remedios had seven fights in Canada before he returned to the UK, where he carried on fighting, making trips to the US to win the Hook'n'Shoot title before being one of the locals selected to represent Britain when the UFC came to the Royal Albert Hall in 2002. However, given the low profile and low pay cheques of MMA fighters at the time, Remedios decided to call it a day and devote his energy to his career in engineering and to raising a family. Now that the MMA boom is in full swing, he entered the cage at FX3 last weekend to issue a challenge to newly crowned featherweight champion Emanuel Fernandez, who accepted. Remedios should make his return to the cage in November against the very tough Frenchman. FCF caught up with the British Bulldog to find out why he's coming back.

FCF: You announced your retirement after beating Sami Berik in October 2005. What has tempted you to put the gloves back on now? Is it the chance to win the title?
Leigh Remedios: Well, I quit to return to full time work to start a family, as I earn much more as an engineer than as a fighter. However, recently MMA has started to blow up and promotions like FX3 and Cage Rage are paying purses that make it viable to have time off work to train. And yes, it's the title I want.

Click here to continue the article

July 13, 2007
KOTC SUPREMACY PREVIEW

King of the Cage: Supremacy Preview and Weigh-in Results
By Peter Parsons

King of the Cage will make its first foray into the Maritimes tomorrow night at the Halifax Forum. The weigh-ins were held today outdoors at the Boston Pizza in downtown Halifax.

The main event will feature 4-time UFC veteran Jonathan Goulet (18-8) of Victoriaville , Quebec as he takes on Corey MacDonald (5-1) of Kingston, Ontario. Goulet is coming off of a loss to Jason Day at Ultimate Cage Wars in Winnipeg last month and he knows that this is a must win for him. “I have to win this fight, I want my next fight to be in the UFC, but I must win this fight first,” said the birthday boy Goulet, who turned 28 today. The charismatic French-Canadian had a piece of birthday cake waiting for him when he stepped off the scales.

MacDonald (left) vs. Goulet

Corey MacDonald is coming off of a win over the highly regarded Rowan Cunningham at Extreme Cage Combat 5 here in Halifax, a fight in which MacDonald won the ECC welterweight title. Although both fighters have made their mark at welterweight, the pair will do battle tomorrow night as middleweights.

In the co-main event, local favorite TJ Grant (6-1) will take on veteran fighter Kevin Manderson (11-8-1) of Winnipeg, Manitoba. After winning the first 6 fights of his career in impressive fashion, Grant is looking to rebound from his first loss. He lost a unanimous decision to Gary Wright for the King of the Cage Canadian Welterweight title in Vernon, British Columbia in April. Out of Grant’s six wins, five have come by way of armbar submission.

Grant (left) vs. Manderson

Manderson, who has fought most of his career at lightweight, is also coming off of a loss, a second round submission loss to Jason Tatlow at UCW 7 in Winnipeg. Manderson, a fromer University of New Brunswick wrestling star, returns to the Maritimes for the first time in his MMA career.

In other feature action, welterweights Alex Sung (3-1), fighting out of Gagetown, New Brunswick will take on Tim Thurston (6-2) from Langley, BC. Sung, an officer in the Canadian military, is coming off of an impressive unanimous decision victory over BTT Canada fighter Nelson Riquelme at ECC 4 in December of last year.

Sung (left) vs. Thurston

Thurston is coming all the way from the West coast where in his last fight, he won a split decision over Sean Huffman at the King of the Cage event in Vernon, BC in April. Thurston brings a strong boxing background with him to the cage.

In a light-heavyweight headliner, John Cole (2-0) from Sudbury, Ontario will fight Pete Rogers (2-1) originally from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Cole, who has a karate background, made his MMA debut at King of the Cage: Freedom Fight in Hull, Quebec in January of this year, winning by first round TKO in just 22 seconds. He followed his successful debut up with a second round TKO at King of the Cage: Capital Chaos in March.

Rogers (left) vs. Cole

After making his MMA debut in a losing effort at ECC 1 against up and coming light-heavyweight sensation Roger Hollett, Rogers has rallied off two straight victories in the UCW promotion in Winnipeg. A member of the Canadian Armed Forces, Rogers returns to his home province looking for his third straight victory.

Goulet enjoys some birthday cake after the weigh-in

Today’s weigh-ins were overseen by the Nova Scotia Boxing Authority and were followed by a rules meeting. Of note, in Nova Scotia, if the fight is declared a draw after three rounds, the fighters will face off for a fourth and deciding round.

All fighters made weight for tomorrow nights fights at the Halifax Forum. Fights start at 7:00 pm with the doors opening at 6:00 pm.

King Of the Cage: Supremacy Weigh-in Results
Jonathan Goulet (184.4 lbs) vs. Corey MacDonald (183.8 lbs)
TJ Grant (168.6 lbs) vs. Kevin Manderson (168.8 lbs)
Tim Thurston (170.0 lbs) vs. Alex Sung (167.0 lbs)
Pete Rogers (205.4 lbs) vs. John Cole (205.6 lbs)
Shawn Marchand (185.6) vs. Tim Skidmore (180.8 lbs)
Josh Strickland (240.8) vs. Eric MacDonald (214.2 lbs)
Jeff Evely (169.0 lbs) vs. Stephane Lamarche (169.4 lbs)
Tony Legnaro (153.4) vs. Ryan McKenna (152.8)
Jon Christink (200.0 lbs) vs. Chris Currie (204.8 lbs)
Neil Walsh (141.8) vs. Vartan Pour Nick (143.8 lbs)
Matt Hamilton (155.2) vs. Justin Bougois (150.0 lbs)
Ian Dawe (142.8 lbs) vs. Chris Myra (140.8 lbs)
Todd Wood (161.6 lbs) vs. Brad Duguay (158.4 lbs)

July 13, 2007
PRANGLEY VS. KONDO

Prangley Guns for Bodog Fight Middleweight Crown Saturday
By Kelsey Mowatt

Less than 2 years ago, Trevor Prangley was viewed by many as one of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s more promising prospects. The athletic, South African wrestler headed to the Zuffa Octagon in June of 2004 with an 8-1 record, with notable wins over Chael Sonnen and Andrei Semenov already under his belt. Prangley’s only loss at the time was a Unanimous Decision loss to future light-heavyweight contender, Renato Sobral.

At UFC 48, in his UFC debut, Prangley submitted Curtis Stout in the second round with a neck-crank, a follow up win over Matt Horwich at Sport Fight 9 in March of 2005, left his record at 10-1. Then at UFC 54 in August later that year, Prangley worked his way to a Unanimous Decision victory over the highly regarded ground-specialist Travis Lutter, and many believed Prangley was well on his way to becoming one of the middleweight division’s top contenders.

For many, Prangley’s performance against Jeremy Horn at UFC 56 in November, 2005, only provided further evidence to the fact that he was indeed one of the division’s better fighters. Horn, was seen by most as a top ten 185 lb. fighter, and many believed, that if Prangley could defeat the veteran fighter, a title shot would not be too far around the corner. In what was a surprising verdict for many after the final bell sounded, Horn was awarded the Unanimous Decision victory, handing Prangley his second career loss. 4 months later at Ultimate Fight Night 4, a follow up, decision loss to Chael Sonnen lead to Prangley’s exit from the UFC.

“You know what, my last few fights in the UFC, no, I didn’t think they were going to be my last fights in the UFC. “ Prangley said in a FCF Radio appearance on June 5th. “My one with Chael was a disappointing fight, probably the most disappointing fight of my career. But my one with Horn, I thought it was a good fight, the UFC, for some reason, I was labeled as a boring fighter; they cut me right away after the Chael fight. I don’t miss it to be honest with you, I miss some of the exposure you get, but I’m happy where I’m at with all the Bodog guys.”

In the last year, since leaving the UFC, Prangley has gone 4-0, defeating Anthony Ruiz in Strikeforce while going 3-0 in Bodog Fight competition. After submitting Kyacey Uscola in Bodog Fight’s first television series, Prangley went on to defeat Andrei Semenov for a second time at Bodog Fight’s first pay-per-view event last December. Most recently, the stand-up skills that Prangley has continued to hone over the last few years via training with the American Kickboxing Academy were rather evident. In Prangley’s Season 3 Bodog Fight against Pierre Guillett, the UFC veteran wasted little time decimating his opponent with strikes for the first round TKO win.

Now, Saturday night, in Trenton, New Jersey, on account of his success competing for Bodog Fight, Prangley will face Yuki Kondo (46-19-6) for the promotion’s middleweight crown. It will be another chance for the South African fighter to support his claim that he is indeed one of the world’s better 185 lb. fighters.

“I was really happy about it,” Prangley said on FCF Radio, discussing his upcoming fight with Kondo. “I said, I don’t want to fight someone whose not worthy of a title shot, I don’t want to have a plastic title. If I beat Yuki Kondo, and I get that belt, I know that I deserve it, that I won it. It’s not some guy that beat some nobody and puts a belt around their waist, you know what I mean? I wanted to fight somebody tough, I wanted to fight a world class guy, I wanted to get my name out there. As far as I’m concerned, I’m the most under-rated, under-watched, 185 pound fighter out there. In my mind I’m in the top ten, and Yuki Kondo’s going to find out that out.”

July 13, 2007
HAWAII UPDATE

Hawaii Passes New MMA Regulation Bill
By FCF Staff

The State of Hawaii has enacted House Bill 1866 into law that will mean more regulations for the sport of MMA on the Pacific Islands, but will not see the creation of an athletic commission to oversee it. The bill, while adding more stringent guidelines and more fees for which MMA promoters must abide by, ensures that the sport will continue to be administered by the State Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA).

The new 1866 law will see the DCCA granted more power in overseeing several aspects of MMA. Currently, the State requires basic medical information in regards to a fighter's condition and has in place a fairly limited registration process. This new bill calls for mandatory neurological testing, criminal and financial background checks for fighters, disease and drug testing, entrenches formal rules for the sport, certified payment for athletes, and fighter licensing fees twice a year. The State will likely collect more revenue in the future, due to new fees based on minimum percentages of ticket sales, DVD and broadcasting revenues.

House Bill 1866 will go into effect on July 1st, 2009.

July 15, 2007
BODOGFIGHT RESULTS

Alvarez and Lee Go to War at BodogFIGHT Marathon
Report by Jim Genia - Photos by Tom DeFazio

LaRosa rains down strikes on Kobold

(July 14th, Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, New Jersey) Only a fraction of the arena was full, and the event stretched on for hours, but fans who came to see superstar Eddie Alvarez knock out the veteran Matt Lee were instead treated to a three-round punching and counter-punching war. BodogFIGHT’s first event on U.S. soil saw South African Trevor Prangley brutalize Japanese stud Yuki Kondo for the middleweight title, and Tara LaRosa survive Kelly Kobold’s ground-and-pound onslaught to snag the tap out with an armbar. Yet most came to see leather fly in the main event, and in that regard, they were not let down. Highlights of the night included:

• Jorge Masvidal’s sudden flash-knockout of Yves Edwards. One moment they’re trading punches, then… pow! A kick to the neck. Curiously, Masvidal appeared to have fractured his foot with the blow.
• The championship battle between top female fighters LaRosa and Kobold, which ended with a battered and bruised LaRosa employing superior submission skills against her game opponent.
• The determination of Lee. Alvarez tested his chin again and again, but Lee just would not go down. There was no question the Philadelphia bad boy had won when time ran out – but there was no questioning Lee’s heart, either.

Full results:

Main Event
Eddie Alvarez vs. Matt Lee
Alvarez via unanimous decision.

BodogFIGHT Middleweight Championship
Trevor Prangley vs. Yuki Kondo
Prangley via doctor stoppage (cut) after two rounds.

BodogFIGHT 135-pound Women’s Championship
Tara LaRosa vs. Kelly Kobold
LaRosa via armbar at 2:50 of R4.

Eddie Alvarez (right) vs. Matt Lee

Main Card

Mark Burch vs. Yoshiki Takahashi
Burch via KO (knee) at 3:45 of R1.

Eben Oroz vs. David Love
Love via split decision.

Chael Sonnen vs. Amar Suloev
Sonnen via ref stoppage due to strikes at 3:33 of R2.

James “Binky” Jones vs. Nick Agallar
Agallar via split decision.

Jorge Masvidal vs. Yves Edwards
Masvidal via ref stoppage due to strikes at 2:59 of R2.

Masvidal (right) trading with Edwards

Branden Lee Hinkle vs. Roman Zentsov
Hinkle via unanimous decision.

Dan Hawley vs. Blair Tugman
Tugman via unanimous decision.

July 15, 2007
CAGE RAGE 22: SPERRY, TEDORADZE VICTORIOUS

Across The Pond: British MMA News
By David West

Cage Rage 22: Hard As Hell Results
July 14th, Wembley Arena, London, England:

Eric “Butterbean” Esch came close to stopping Britain’s number one heavyweight, Tengiz Tedoradze, at the top of the bill on Cage Rage 22. Unable to get Butterbean down, Tedoradze chose to stand and trade, which almost cost him the fight when a right and a looping left from the former boxer landed clean on the jaw. Tedoradze’s legs went from under him and he hit the deck, but he managed to recover his wits before Butterbean could finish him. Following a scramble, Butterbean ended up on the bottom with Tedoradze standing over him. The British champion unloaded a series of big bombs on the massive American, who was unable to get off his back, forcing the referee to jump in at 4:26 of the opening round.

Esch trading with Tedoradze

James Thompson suffered another disastrous outing at Cage Rage. Thompson’s original opponent, Wesley “Cabbage” Correira, was injured just days before the fight. Kimo was booked as a replacement, but he failed to make it to London, so unknown British heavyweight Neil Grove stepped in at the eleventh hour. When the bell rang, Grove charged from his corner, swinging wild punches with total abandon and a haymaker right hand caught Thompson clean on the jaw, crashing him face first to the floor, out cold. It took just ten seconds. Thompson’s bad luck at the promotion continues unabated – he has been victorious in just one of four appearances at Cage Rage, despite racking up a series of big name wins in Japan.

Brazilian Top Team founder Mario Sperry made quick work of Lee Hasdell, the man known as the Godfather of British MMA, who started his competitive career in RINGS as far back as 1996. Sperry took Hasdell down from the bell, took his back, and choked him out in 1:39 without Hasdell landing a punch.

Sperry attacks Hasdell with a choke

Far and away the best match of the night was the welterweight slugfest between Marios Zaromskis and Ross Mason that was a highlight reel from start to finish. Both men were happy to trade toe-to-toe but it was Zaromskis’ brutal body kicks that turned the tide in his favor as the fight went on. He would throw a flurry of punches that brought Mason’s hands up, then sink a vicious kick into his torso. Mason was bloodied at the end of both the first and second rounds, but remained game and kept throwing his own shots. There was ground and pound from Zaromskis when they hit the canvas in round two, but as he came out for the third and final round, he looked like he might be spent. Mason started to outwork his opponent but then Zaromskis hit Mason with an explosive flying knee that snapped Mason’s head back and knocked him senseless, sending him crashing to the canvas after 2:03 of the third round.

“The Ultimate Fighter” season 3 alumni Ross Pointon, broke his five fight losing streak with a controlling performance against London’s Dean Bray. Pointon was clearly the superior grappler and made repeated attempts to secure a guillotine whenever Bray shot. The trick paid off in the second round, when Pointon squeezed hard on the submission and Bray reluctantly tapped out.


Full Results

Tengiz Tedoradze def. Eric “Butterbean” Esch by TKO (Referee stoppage – strikes) 4:26 R1

Dave Legeno def. Herb Dean by TKO (Dean did not come out for round 2)

Neil Grove def. James Thompson by KO 0:10 R1

Mario Sperry def. Lee Hasdell by Rear Naked Choke 1:39 R1

Gary Turner def. Edson Drago by TKO (injury – Drago could not come out for round 3)

Paul Cahoon def. Mark Epstein by Unanimous Decision

James McSweeney def. Mark Buchanan by TKO (Referee stoppage – strikes) 1:30 R1

Robbie Olivier def. Ronnie Mann by Unanimous Decision

Marios Zaromskis def. Ross Mason by KO 2:03 R3

Ross Pointon def. Dean Bray by Guillotine 2:10 R2

Michael Johnson def. Damien Riccio by TKO (Broken nose, Riccio could not come out for round 3)

Tom Watson def. Ed Smith by Unanimous Decision

July 15, 2007
KOTC CANADA SUPREMACY: GOULET, GRANT WIN

King of the Cage: Supremacy
Goulet Defeats MacDonald due to Injury; Grant Dominates Manderson
By Peter Parsons

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada – July 14 - King of the Cage made its first stop in Atlantic Canada a successful one, as an estimated crowd of 2,000 witnessed King of the Cage: Supremacy at the Halifax Forum. In the main event, 4-time UFC veteran Jonathan Goulet (19-8) of Victoriaville, Quebec, defeated Kingston Ontario’s Cory MacDonald (5-2) due to eye injury, when MacDonald was unable to continue after the first round. Goulet looked for the early takedown that MacDonald defended, ending up on top of Goulet in a scramble. MacDonald was very aggressive and rocked Goulet with some heavy punches on the ground, coming close to victory with a D’Arce and a guillotine choke attempt that appeared tight. Goulet weathered MacDonald’s early storm before sweeping MacDonald with approximately one minute left in the round.

“He rocked me at the beginning of the fight, but I think it’s the experience, I was able to recuperate and finish the round strong,” stated Goulet who scored with some ground and pound of his own within MacDonald’s guard to close out the round.

In between the first and second rounds, referee Ken Wood waved the fight off when MacDonald couldn’t continue due to an eye injury. It was later learned that MacDonald injured his eye in a freak accident while warming up prior to the fight. “I was pummelling with Scott (MacDonald’s trainer) here and he pulled away and he pulled the string on my jersey, it came back and hit me in the eye and ended up cutting my eye open back stage,” said a disappointed MacDonald who looked very explosive early on in the fight.

Cole attempting a leg lock on Rogers

In the co-main event Halifax’s own TJ Grant (7-1) awed his home town fans with a dominant performance over veteran fighter Kevin Manderson (11-9-1) from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Manderson immediately rushed Grant into the cage. Grant landed some great knees to the body and the head from the Thai clinch. Manderson absorbed the vicious blows by Grant and tried to get the fight to the mat, however in the ensuing scramble Grant got behind his opponent and executed a belly-to-back suplex. Grant pounded away and took Manderson’s back looking for the rear naked choke. Manderson was determined to make a fight out of it defending the choke well, ending up in Grant’s butterfly guard. Grant quickly swept Manderson and pounded away before getting his back again. This time Grant made no mistake and secured the rear naked choke at the 2:54 mark of the first round.

“I hit him hard in the body with some knees and then I grabbed his head and hit him in the chin, I thought I was going to put him out, but he has a hard head man. I hit him with punches on the ground and elbows, I’m surprised he took it, he’s tough,” said Grant post fight.

Sung victorious

Alex Sung (4-1) defeated Tim Thurston (6-3) by unanimous decision in one of the more technical fights of the night. Sung used his reach advantage well over Thurston, staying on the outside of Thurston’s punches and using effective leg kicks. “I didn’t want to box the boxer, I trained hard to tailor my stand up kickboxing to counter a boxer and I really think it worked out,” said Sung.

Much of the fight was spent in the clinch where both fighters neutralized each other as they pummelled for under-hooks. Sung scored on a few explosive double leg shots where he then went to work on the mat. The New Brunswick based fighter was looking to finish with a couple of guillotine attempts and a straight armbar from the mount that Thurston was able to withstand and end up in top position. Thurston was unable to capitalize from the top position, where he appeared tired, while his opponent was busy from the bottom striking and looking for submissions. In the end, Sung was awarded a well deserved unanimous decision.

John Cole (3-0) and Pete Rogers (2-2) was a battle of light-heavyweights. The pair came out swinging with the Sudbury, Ontario native, Cole appearing to have the slight advantage as he landed some nice leg kicks on Rogers. Cole secured the takedown where he got Rogers back in a scramble. Rogers defended the rear-naked-choke attempt well and turned himself into Cole’s guard. Cole immediately went for an armbar and then a triangle that Rogers postured out of. Cole continued to be the aggressor for the remainder of the round including a knee-bar attempt that Rogers escaped.

 In the second round Cole dropped Rogers with a knee and followed up with some vicious ground and pound for the ref stoppage at the 2:02 mark.

The action packed under-card was highlighted by Vartan Pour Nick’s striking display over Neil Walsh. Both fighters were making their MMA debuts, however Pour Nick has a wealth of kickboxing experience in his native Iran. The 145 pound fighter now resides in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia where he trains at Fit Plus alongside TJ Grant. Pour Nick was able to keep the fight standing and showcase his full arsenal of strikes including spinning back kicks and a spinning back fist that rocked a bloody Walsh. The overmatched Walsh, from Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, showed his toughness absorbing lots of punishment and losing a tremendous amount of blood in surviving the lopsided first round. It was much of the same in the second round before the fight was stopped at the 1:59 mark by doctor stoppage due to a cut.

King of the Cage: Supremacy was a 12 fight card that kept the boisterous Halifax crowd entertained from start to finish. The promotion plans to come back to Halifax in early ’08. “We look forward to coming back, I love Halifax, the people are very friendly and passionate, let’s look forward to some friendly violent fun in about 6 months or so,” said co-promoter Pete Rodley who was happy with the outcome of the fights.

King of the Cage: Supremacy Results
• Jonathan Goulet def. Corey MacDonald – TKO (Eye Injury) 5:00 R1
• TJ Grant def. Kevin Manderson – Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 2:54 R1
• Alex Sung def. Tim Thurston – Unanimous Decision
• John Cole def. Pete Rogers – TKO (Ref Stoppage) 2:02 R2
• Shawn Marchand def. Tim Skidmore – Submission (Rear Naked Choke) :40 R1
• Stephane Lamarche def. Jeff Evely – Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 4:22 R3
• Tony Legnaro def. Ryan McKenna – Majority Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28)
• Jon Christink def. Chris Currie – TKO (Ref Stoppage) 2:36 R1
• Vartan Pour Nick def. Neil Walsh – TKO (Doctor Stoppage – Cut) 1:59 R2
• Matt Hamilton def. Justin Bougois – Submission (Triangle Choke) R1
• Ian Dawe def. Chris Myra – TKO (Doctor Stoppage – Cut) R1
• Todd Wood def. Brad Duguay – Submission (Armbar) R1

July 16, 2007
K-1 HERO'S JULY 16TH GRAND-PRIX RESULTS
K-1 Hero’s Grand-Prix Opening Round Results
By Kelsey Mowatt and Antonio Carvalho

July 16th, Yokohama, Japan:

The Yokohama Arena hosted the opening round of K-1 Hero’s lightweight Grand-Prix today, and the annual event from the Japanese promotion once again featured several notable, 155 lb. fighters. There were few surprises in the first round, as Vitor Ribeiro and Caol Uno defeated their first round opponents, Kazuyuki Miyata and Katsuhiko Nagata respectively, while Canadian Kultar Gill, like he did in their first meeting last year, once more stopped Hideo Tokoro with strikes.

In some of the cards other more prominent match-ups, feared Dutch striker Melvin Manhoef knocked out Bernard Ackah, while former Shooto star, Alexandre Franca Nogueira, KO’ed Shuichiro Katsumura in their bout. Also on the card, Ralek Gracie was victorious in his fight with Katsuyori Shibata, submitting his opponent in the first round with an arm-bar.

Hero’s also announced that former Pancrase fighter, Masa Funaki, has decided to come out of retirement to compete for the organization. Funaki has not competed since 2000, when he was defeated by Rickson Gracie at the Colosseum event that year. During his lengthy career, Funaki went 38-11-1.

Here are the event’s full results:

Hiroki Ozaki vs. Ryo - Winner: Ryo (Unanimous Decision) Rd3

Main Card:

Alexandre Franca Nogueira vs. Shuichiro Katsumura - Winner: Nogueira (KO
punch) 1:55 Rd2

Andre Dida vs. Artur Umakhanov - Winner: Dida (TKO punches) 1:22 Rd1

Katsuyori Shibata vs. Ralek Gracie - Winner: Gracie (Submission, arm-bar) 3:50 Rd1

Middleweight Tournament:

Vitor `Shaolin`Ribeiro vs. Kazuyuki Miyata - Winner: Ribeiro (Submission, choke
arm-triangle) 1:54 Rd2

Hideo Tokoro vs. Kultar `Black Mamba` Gill - Winner: Gill (TKO punches) 4:47
Rd1

Caol Uno vs. Katsuhiko Nagata - Winner: Uno (Unanimous Decision) Rd3

Super Fights:

Melvin Manhoef vs. Bernard Ackah - Winner: Manhoef (KO punch) 2:13 Rd1

Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Taiei Kin - Winner: Kin (Decision) Extra Rd

July 16, 2007
UFC 75 UPDATE
UFC 75 to Be Broadcast On Spike TV
By FCF Staff

Spike Television announced today, via a press release, that UFC 75, “Champion vs. Champion”, will be broadcast on the network September 8th, beginning at 9:00PM EST/ PST. The same day, taped broadcast of the event, which will take place at the O2 Arena, in London, England, will be headlined by the light-heavyweight unification title bout between Pride 205 lb. champion Dan Henderson (22-5), and UFC champ, Quinton Jackson (24-6). The fight will mark the first time in MMA history that current UFC and Pride champions will fight, with the winner to retain both organization’s belts.

The announcement is good news for MMA fans in North America, who will now be able to watch the historic event for free. The card will also feature a heavyweight contender bout between Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic (22-5-2) and Cheick Kongo (9-3-1), while former “Ultimate Fighter” Season 3 competitors, Matt Hamill (3-0) and Michael Bisping (13-0), will do battle.

July 16, 2007
GRACIE APPEAL UPDATE
CSAC Report: Royce Gracie Not to Contest Suspension
By FCF Staff

The California State Athletic Commission released a statement today announcing that the deadline has come and gone for Royce Gracie to launch a formal appeal to challenge the fighter’s recent suspension and fine. According to the CSAC, due to the fact the organization did not receive any notice from Gracie that he intended on appealing his suspension and fine, both are now final. Last month the CSAC suspended Gracie for 1 year and fined the fighter $2,500, for apparently testing positive for the anabolic steroid, Nandrolone Metabolite. According to the CSAC, two different samples from Gracie tested positive for a level of 50 ng /mL of the substance, a level considered to be nearly ten times the norm found in a regular athlete after considerable activity.

The suspension and fine were handed down only days removed from Gracie’s Unanimous Decision victory over Kazushi Sakuraba at K-1 Hero’s Dynamite USA event on June 2nd.

July 17, 2007
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July 17, 2007
NEW EPISODE OF FCF RADIO: SHAWN TOMPKINS, BART PALASZEWSKI AND JONATHAN GOULET

New episode of FCF Radio The latest edition of FCF Radio is a busy one, with the highly regarded trainer Shawn Tompkins, IFL fighter Bart Palaszewski and UFC veteran Jonathan Goulet all guests on the program. Click here to listen/download

July 17, 2007
WEC UPDATE: CURRAN VS. LEDBETTER
Curran Looking Forward to WEC Debut vs. Ledbetter
By Kelsey Mowatt

One of the world’s more notable 145 lb fighters, Jeff Curran (30-8-1), will make his World Extreme Cagefighting debut August 5th, in Las Vegas, Nevada, against Stephen Ledbetter (combined pro-am, 10-0). The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Curran comes into the fight on a 5 fight winning streak, with his last loss coming to the highly regarded Hatsu Hioki last August in Pride. Most recently Curran defeated John Mahlow by Split Decision at King of the Cage, “Damage Control” on May 26th.

“I don’t really know much about him,” Curran tells FCF in regards to his August 5th opponent, Ledbetter. “I heard he’s out of the same gym that Forrest Griffin and Rory Singer got their start out of, the Hard Core Gym, that he’s a hard worker, a grinder, but I’m trying to make my way to Faber and I don’t think he’s going to be able to stop me.”

Curran is referring of course, to WEC 145 lb. champion, Urijah Faber, who has become regarded as not only one of the best featherweight fighters in North America, but the entire world. Zuffa has begun to market the likeable and charismatic champion a great deal it seems of late, as well as the WEC’s featherweight division.

“Let them build Faber up, it doesn’t matter to me at all,” says Curran. “If that’s the way they need to promote the division then that’s great, it’s understandable they’d do it with him. The potential market for the WEC is huge, every television station’s different, you could probably have a UFC card showing on Spike and the WEC on Versus the same night, and they both would do well. I think it’s great they’re promoting the two separately.”

The addition of Curran and the up and coming Ledbetter to the WEC 145 lb. division only furthers the amount of talent now residing in the promotion’s featherweight division. With Faber, Mark Hominick, Rani Yahya, Tommy Lee, Chance Farrar, Dominick Cruz, and most recently, Jens Pulver, Curran will have plenty of talented fighters to compete with.

“I think it’s awesome,” Curran says in discussing the fighters who have been signed with the WEC at 145 lbs. “It’s a little weird, with someone like Hominick who is my friend, there’s a chance they might try to put us up against each other if we both put some wins together, that would be tough. With someone like Jens, I don’t think we’d fight unless it was for the title because we both are with Monte (Cox, their manager).

Along with the Curran, Ledbetter bout, the upcoming August 5th, WEC card will see welterweight champion Carlos Condit meet Brock Larson, while Paulo Filho and Joe Doerksen will fight for the promotion’s vacant middleweight crown. The event will be held at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and will be broadcast on the Versus Network.

July 17, 2007
GLOBAL FC UPDATE

Global FC Confirms Guillen to Replace Sims vs. Monson
By FCF Staff

The Global Fighting Championship confirmed via a press release yesterday, that Wes Sims will no longer face Jeff Monson for the promotion’s heavyweight title on August 17th. On July 7th, at the International Fighting Organization’s premier event in Las Vegas, Sims was unable to continue after 2 rounds against his opponent, Chris Guillen. According to the Global FC release, Sims was injured during the fight.

To replace Sims in the upcoming title bout, which will take place at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut, Global FC has brought in the man who defeated Sims in Guillen (10-6). The fighter has defeated Sims twice in 2007, as on May 11th at Art of War 2, he worked his way to a Unanimous Decision victory over the UFC veteran. Guillen has gone 3-2 in his last five fights, and has been competing as a professional since 1997.

Despite his successes in 2007, Guillen will be the underdog when he faces the Pride and UFC veteran Monson (22-6) on the 17th. After failing to defeat Tim Sylvia for the UFC heavyweight crown at UFC 65 last November, Monson went on to submit Kazuyuki Fujita at Pride 34 in April. Monson is 4-1 in his last five fights, and his loss to Sylvia was his first in nearly 5 years. Monson is also scheduled to fight Pedro Rizzo on September 1st at Art of War 3.

According to the Global FC release, Edwin Dewees, Mark Kerr and Eric Esch are also scheduled to compete at the promotion's upcoming event.

July 18, 2007
THE NORTHERN TOUCH

MFC U.S. Bound in 2008

The Maximum Fighting Championship plans on promoting events in the United States sometime in 2008, the organization’s CEO, Mark Pavelich told FCF this week. The promotion has designs on holding an event in likely Orlando or Tamp Bay, Florida, next year, a move that would certainly demonstrate that the company has intentions on becoming a major MMA player in the U.S. as well.

The MFC continues to prepare for its upcoming, “Luck 13”, August 24th card, which will take place at the River Cree Resort and Casino in Edmonton, Alberta. The event will be headlined by a MFC light-heavyweight title bout between champion Victor Valimaki and Roger Hollett. Also slated to compete is Ryan McGillivray, whom, Pavelich informed FCF, he has been attempting to sign a UFC fighter to fight the up and coming Canadian.

Braidwood Signs with Pro Camp

Edmonton Eskimo, professional football player, Adam Braidwood, has signed with the Pro Camp team, according to its manager Pavelich. The 6’4, 265 lb. heavyweight made his MMA debut earlier this year at MFC 11 in February, where he stopped Ryan Jimmo in the first round with strikes. Braidwood, who is a defensive end with the Eskimo football club, will attempt to fight at least a few times during the Canadian Football League off season. The fighter has trained with Team Revolution in British Columbia, and will now also train with Pro Camp, a team that includes, Victor Valimaki, Fabio Holanda, Scott Junk, Ryan McGillivray, and Jason MacDonald. Pavelich also told FCF that he believes MacDonald’s next UFC fight might be in October.

River Cree Resort and Casino Forms Commission

The River Cree Resort and Casino in Edmonton, Alberta, announced this week that they have formed a Combative Sports Commission to oversee the resort's live combat events. Al MacKechnie, the former commissioner for the Edmonton Boxing and Wrestling Commission has been named chairman. The resort is located on the tribal lands of the Enoch Cree Nation, and will be hosting the July 21st, Hardcore Championship Fighting event, as well as MFC 13, on August 24th.

TKO Confirms More Participants for TKO 30 “Apocalypse”

TKO announced this week more competitors for the promotion’s upcoming September 28th event, which will take place at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec. Already slated for the card is a lightweight title bout between champion Sam Stout and Martin Grandmont, while Chris Clements and Sean Pierson will battle for the promotion’s vacant, welterweight belt. The promotion also confirmed this week that Team Revolution fighter, Tyler Jackson, will fight TKO lightweight veteran, Stephan Dube, while Yves Lemelin will fight Samuel Guillet in another 155 lb. bout. Also scheduled to compete are Steve Bosse and Stephane Vigneault.

Hardcore Fighting Championship Goes this Weekend

Edmonton, Alberta, is hosting yet another MMA event this weekend, as Hardcore Championship Fighting will promote its first event at the River Cree Resort and Casino. Headlining the card will be a middleweight match-up between UFC veteran Joe Riggs, and Canadian Martial Arts Centre fighter, Dan Chambers. Also scheduled for the card is another middleweight bout between Nabil Khatib and “Ultimate Fighter” participant, Solomon Hutcherson. Canadian match-ups for the night include Mike Yackulic vs. Marcus Vinicius, Tim Tamaki vs. Len Tam, Jordan Mein vs. David Scholten and Danny Valimaki vs. Chester Post.

KOTC Canada: “Brawl at the Mall”

King of the Cage Canada’s “Brawl at the Mall”, will take place August 17th, at the Edmonton Event’s Centre in West Edmonton Mall. In addition to the Canadian heavyweight title bout between Tim Hague and Adriano Bernardo, the promotion announced this week that Tim Thurston will take on Thierry Quenneville.

In case you missed it, at KOTC Canada's “Supremacy” event in Halifax this past weekend, Jonathan Goulet defeated Cory Macdonald by TKO, TJ Grant submitted Kevin Manderson, and Alex Sung worked his way to a Unanimous Decision victory over Thurston. Check the FCF site below for a full report.

Ultimate Generation Combat Update

Ultimate Generation Combat has announced that the promotion’s 19th event will take place November 10th, at Pierre-Charbonneau centre in Montreal. No bouts for the card have yet been announced.

July 18, 2007
UFC 74 UPDATE
UFC 74 Update: Aurelio vs. Guida, Mir vs. Hardonk Confirmed
By FCF Staff

The official Ultimate Fighting Championship website has confirmed two more bouts for the promotion’s upcoming, August 25th, UFC 74 card, that will take place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Former Pride competitor and American Top Team fighter, Marcus Aurelio (14-4) will take on UFC veteran, Clayton Guida (20-6). Aurelio is perhaps best known for his memorable battles with Takanori Gomi. Last April, Aurelio rendered the Japanese star unconscious with an arm-triangle choke, at a time when many considered Gomi to be the best lightweight fighter on the planet. Since that win, Aurelio has lost his last two fights, dropping decision losses to Mitsuhiro Ishida and then Gomi, in their highly anticipated rematch last November.

Guida is also coming off back to back losses against notable opposition. At Ultimate Fight Night 9 in January, Guida lost by Unanimous Decision to Din Thomas in what was an extremely competitive affair. Most recently, at UFC 72 in June, Guida lost by Split Decision to Tyson Griffin, in a bout that could have just as easily been scored in Guida’s favor.

Former UFC heavyweight champ, Frank Mir (9-3), will compete for the first time in nearly 10 months on August 25th, as he is scheduled to fight Antoni Hardonk (4-2). In Mir’s last bout at UFC 65 last November, he was quickly stopped by Brandon Vera with strikes in the first round. Prior to that, Mir worked his way to a Unanimous Decision victory over Dan Christison at UFC 61 last July.

The Dutch striker Hardonk, has gone 1-1 competing in the Zuffa Octagon, most recently at UFC Fight Night 10 in April he lost by Unanimous Decision to Justin McCully. Hardonk was impressive in his UFC debut last November, stopping Sherman Pendergarst with a rare TKO via a leg kick.

UFC 74 will be headlined by a heavyweight title bout between champion Randy Couture and Gabriel Gonzaga.

July 18, 2007
IFL SEMI-FINALS: SEVERAL NOTABLE FIGHTERS OUT DUE TO INJURY
IFL Confirms Final Rosters for August 2nd Semi-Finals Event
By FCF Staff

The International Fight League confirmed today via a press release, that several members of the final four teams that will partake in the league’s semi-finals event, August 2nd, in East Rutherford, New Jersey, have been injured. Yesterday, in a FCF Radio appearance, Anaconda’s head coach, Shawn Tompkins, confirmed that the club’s lightweight, Chris Horodecki, and welterweight, Jay Hieron, are both injured and as a result will not compete against the Silverbacks. Horodecki injured his hand in his last fight, a Unanimous Decision victory over Shad Lierley on June 1st, while Hieron, according to Tompkins, injured his rib this week training. Adam DiSabato (3-1) has been brought into replace Horodecki and face Silverback lightweight Bart Palaszewski, while Canadian welterweight, Chris Clements (4-1), instead of Hieron, will now face Rory Markham. The Silverbacks were already going to be without the services of their middleweight, Ryan McGivern, who is apparently getting married that weekend. Gerald Harris (4-1) is his replacement who will fight the Anaconda’s Benji Radach.

The other semi-final match-up between the Sabres and the Pitbulls has also been touched by injuries, as both the Pitbull’s and the Sabre’s middleweight fighters, Fabio Leopoldo and Kazuhiro Hamanaka, are out. Battling it out at the 185 pound bracket will now be Dan Miller (5-1) for Renzo Gracie’s club, and Dave Phillips (7-3) for Ken Yasuda’s Sabres.

July 19, 2007
NEW EPISODE OF FCF RADIO: GENE LEBELL

New episode of FCF Radio In this, our 100th episode of FCF Radio, we welcome martial arts legend, "Judo" Gene LeBell. Click here to listen/download

July 19, 2007
CSAC SUSPENDS SHERK AND FRANCA

CSAC Report: Sherk and Franca Fail Post UFC 73 Drug Tests
By FCF Staff

The California State Athletic Commission has announced today that both Hermes Franca and Sean Sherk have apparently tested positive for banned substances, in the aftermath of their July 7th, UFC 73 bout. According to the CSAC, UFC Lightweight Champion Sean Sherk has tested positive for Nandrolone Metabolite, a known anabolic steroid, and as a result has been suspended for one year and fined $2,500. The CSAC statement furthered;

“Normal levels of Nandrolone range from 2 ng/mL (average person) to 6 ng/mL (athlete engaged in rigorous activity). Mr. Sherk's reported level certified by the Director of Science and Technology from the laboratory that conducted the tests was 12 ng/mL. Both the "A" sample and "B" sample were tested and confirmed as positive.”

Sherk	Franca

Franca has also been suspended one year and fined $2,500 by the CSAC for apparently testing positive for Drostanolone, another known steroid. No further information regarding the official results were given.

At UFC 73, on July 7th, in Sacramento, California, Sherk defended his lightweight title by working his way to a five-round, Unanimous Decision over Franca.

July 19, 2007
STATEMENT FROM HERMES FRANCA
Franca Statement in Response to CSAC Suspension

The following statement was written by Hermes Franca and provided to Full Contact Fighter by his camp, in response to the fighter’s post-UFC 73, positive drug test with the California State Athletic Commission.

In the next few days, the results from the California Commission will be
released. The tests will show that I had a "banned substance" in my system.
I would like to apologize to my fans, the UFC, my students and family. I
offer only an explanation and not an excuse. I made a decision during a
difficult time in my training for the fight that I regret. About 8 weeks out
from the fight, I badly injured my ankle during a training session. For the
following week I had rested it, rehabbed it and tried to work around the
injury. It was obvious that I could not train as required. I contacted the
UFC and explained my injury and how I could not possibly train to the level
I thought I would need in order to be properly prepared for my fight. I
asked the UFC if we could push the fight out to the following UFC with the
chance that it could happen. They explained that they could not do that and
that the card had been set and it isnt as easy as just moving around a
fight. I totally understood their position. They asked me to keep them
informed should I not be able to fight.

I had not fought for 5 months. Fighting is literally how I put food on my
wife and childs table and how I pay my bills. As a fighter though, even at
this level, I live a simple life and I literally live from fight to fight.
Not getting a paycheck for another few months and losing my chance to fight
Sean for the title was overpowering. Fighting is the life I chose and I love
it. As a lightweight fighter, our purses are comparatively small. The public
sees the payouts. As lightweights, we do not pull down the money anything
near the bigger guys. Its just the way it is. I think Sean fought and
defended his title for less than $30,000. Its no ones fault, its just the
market. I love the sport, I love the people in the sport.

At this point I was desperate and needed anything I could to get my injury
as close to healing as possible and be able to recover from the daily
training regimen I was going thru. I made the shortsighted choice to
hopefully accelerate the healing process and allow me to keep training.
Under the pressure of literally not being able to pay next months bills I
made a choice. I had to fight and did whatever I could to do so.

I hope my fans, students, the UFC and the public accept my sincere apology.
Whatever punishment is dictated by the California Athletic Commission I will
understand. I would like to get through this very difficult time and the
times ahead and get back to fighting. All the best to my fans and much
thanks to my family and friends that continue to support me during these
times.


Hermes Franca

July 19, 2007
CHRIS LIGUORI
UFC is Just One Chapter in Liguori’s Story
By Derek Constable

Liguori

In the world of mixed martial arts many people view an athlete’s debut in the Ultimate Fighting Championship as that fighter’s “big shot,” but for Chris “The Story” Liguori, it was merely a stepping stone. The night was Nov. 11, 2003, when a young fighter with little pro experience got his chance to throw-down at Mohegan Sun for UFC 45 on MMA’s biggest stage.

“It was a great feeling,” said Liguori. “It was one of the first fights for me outside of New Jersey. Matt Serra called my Dad and wanted to book a rematch between Pete ‘Drago’ Sell and me. At the time, we had similar records. We’d had a good fight, a little bit of a controversial one, and Serra being friends with Dana White, wanted the rematch to be in UFC.”

But somewhere between the phone call and fight night, Sell got injured and Keith Rockel stepped up. Liguori faced the challenge head-on, despite his change in opponent, but lost by guillotine choke at 3:29 of Round One. Since then, Liguori has amassed a quality record of 7-5, with many wins of his own by submission and is one of the No. 1 welterweight competitors on the Northeast scene right now.

“In my eyes, rattling off a couple losses made me want to prove myself,” Liguori said. “I had a little growing up to do in life and in the ring. I think it’s happened.”

Today, Liguori enters the cage each night a member of the Rhino Fight Team – an elite, New Jersey-based MMA school – which is also home to fighters like Jay Coleman, Jose Rodriguez, Kevin Roddy and Frankie Edgar. Liguori hooked up with Team Rhino shortly after his UFC debut when Pitt’s Pen, his former training team, began to fall apart.

“After my first couple fights, the gym started falling apart, training partners got hard to find ... I even trained for a couple fights myself, just hitting the bag with one of my buddies holding it,” Liguori said. Far from a “total” workout, Ligouri sought out a new team and brought his friend long-time friend Rodriguez along for the ride.

“Everyone brings something different to the table [at Rhino] and that’s what you need – diversity – to get the complete package,” he said. “Me and Frankie [Edgar] have good wars and [Kevin] Roddy is known as a Tae Kwon Do guy, but he’s got sick hands too.”

Liguori is as competitive as they come. After losing in the UFC, he made a decision right then and there if he couldn’t win at something he was giving his all to, then that particular sport or challenge must not be for him. Fortunately for him and his New Jersey fans, after upping his game and concentrating totally on the sport he loves, Liguori has found that MMA is right where he belongs.

CFFC 4: Liguori slamming Price

“I definitely don’t do it for the money; I’ll tell you that, at least not now. I’m constantly testing myself whether it’s in the gym or in life to see how good I am,” he said. “The feeling of losing is so bad, and the feeling of winning is so good, anybody that’s lost will tell you it’s better to win.”

So he hit the gym, put the right guys around him and trained extensively. At 24, Liguori considers himself a late bloomer in MMA with so many great competitors entering the game now at 18-19 years old, but in those few extra years he’s learned to never look past a fight and to always come prepared.

“For me, being 100 percent means studying tapes as well as killing yourself in the gym. You see my record – I only fight 3-4 times a year – that’s 6-8 weeks of dedication as far as my training goes,” he said. “I don’t take fights on short notice anymore and I train 5-6 days a week, twice a day. You have to be totally dedicated – that’s the only way you can be successful in anything.”

Liguori’s most recent success story took place at the Caged Fury Fighting Championships IV, where he dismantled Dorian Price in under a minute with a choke from side mount. Liguori came in primed and ready for a takedown and that’s just what he got, wrapping up Price’s legs and lifting him up for a big slam. From there Liguori moved effortlessly into full mount and applied a choke, which he then tightened by sliding into side control. Price tapped out at 0:55 of Round One and Liguori had his hand raised once more after another systematic defeat of an opponent.

“People want to see winners plain and simple. You got to win to get you where ever you’re going,” Liguori said.

Whether he’s fighting for Felix Martinez in the CFFC or in one New Jersey’s many other popular MMA organizations, this is one fighter who’s fun to watch.

“The best reason to come watch me fight is it’s going to be a fight the whole time, “he said. “I’ve got a willingness to go out there and mix it up with people. A lot of guys know that’s what a fight is, but don’t expect it for some reason and often get overwhelmed.”

July 19, 2007
UFC 74 UPDATE: SOBRAL VS. HEATH, HUERTA VS. CRANE

UFC 74 Update: More Bouts Confirmed
By FCF Staff

The Ultimate Fighting Championship confirmed two more bouts today for the promotion’s upcoming, UFC 74, August 25th card, which will take place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. In a light-heavyweight clash, former title contender Renato “Babalu” Sobral (27-8) will take on David Heath (9-1). Sobral will be hoping to end a two fight losing streak, after losing by TKO to former champion Chuck Liddell for a second time at UFC 62 last August, and then to Jason Lambert at UFC 68 in March. Prior to that, the Brazilian fighter won 10 bouts in a row, an impressive streak that included wins over such notable fighters as Mauricio Rua, Jeremy Horn and Trevor Prangley.

Heath is coming off his first professional career loss, as at UFC 70 in April, he was defeated by Lyoto Machida who won by Unanimous Decision. Heath has gone 2-1 so far competing in the UFC, with wins over Corey Walmsley at UFC 62, and Victor Valimaki at UFC Fight Night 8 last December.

Rising star Roger Huerta (18-1-1) will be back in the Octagon already, after stopping Douglas Evans at “”The Ultimate Fighter” Season 5 Finale on June 23rd. Huerta has won all four of his UFC fights now, defeating Jason Dent, John Halverson, Leonard Garcia, and the aforementioned Evans.

His opponent will be UFC newcomer, Alberto Crane (8-0), who will be fighting for the first time in over two years. Crane is probably best remembered for his successes competing in King of the Cage, where he put together wins over Javier Vasquez and John Mahlow.

July 20, 2007
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July 20, 2007
SHOWTIME AND ELITE XC ANNOUNCE SHOXC
Showtime and Elite XC Announce New Series, Premiere Event July 27th
By FCF Staff

Showtime Network and the Elite XC MMA promotion have announced that the two companies have once again formed a partnership to create the “ShoXC: Elite Challenger Series.” The series will feature the broadcast of Elite XC events on Showtime every Saturday night, (following the premiere) with competitors deemed to be “up-and-coming fighters.” The series debut event will be Friday, July 27th, at the Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez, California. The main-event bout will see KJ Noons (4-2) take on Edson Berto (12-3-1) in a lightweight clash. Noons is coming off a TKO loss to Charles Bennet at Elite XC’s debut event on February 10th, while Berto walked away a winner in his last bout, a submission victory over Victor Valenzuela at the Strikeforce-Elite XC event on June 22nd.

In a fight that will hope to unify the King of the Cage welterweight and Gladiator Challenge titles, KOTC champ Aaron Wetherspoon (4-2) will take on GC’s 170 lb. belt holder, Jeremiah Metcalf (4-2). Some of the other bouts confirmed for the card include Anthony Ruiz (12-11) vs. Jason Geris (4-2), Jan Finney (2-3) vs. Shayna Bazler (6-3) and Jefferson Silva (3-1) vs. Aaron Rosa (8-0).

The initial ShowXC broadcast is scheduled for two hours, beginning live at 11PM EST, and will show up to five fights according to the organization’s press release. The broadcast on the West Coast will also be at 11PM, however, will as a result, not be live. Mauro Ranallo and Stephen Quadros will handle the commentating duties.

July 20, 2007
TEAM TAKEDOWN
Team Takedown Makes its MMA Debut this Weekend at Masters of the Cage
By Kelsey Mowatt

One of mixed-martial-arts’ newest fight squads, Team Takedown, will see two of its fighters make their MMA debut this Saturday night in Oklahoma City. Fighting for the team will be light-heavyweight Jake Rosholt and middleweight Eric Bradley, who are fighting Dusty Miller (1-0) and Troy Allison (3-3) respectively. In Rosholt’s case, the MMA rookie will jump immediately into the spotlight, as he will fight Miller for the Masters of the Cage 205 lb. title in the main event of the promotion’s 15th card.

Despite the fact he is a relative new comer to the MMA ring, Rosholt comes into the bout with a storied background in collegiate wrestling. The former Oklahoma State University grappler is a 3-time NCAA champion and a 4-time All-American wrestling champion. In fact, all of Team Takedown’s fighters are experienced and well accomplished wrestlers, Bradley, who will join Rosholt at Masters of the Cage, was an All-American NCAA wrestler at Penn State, John Hendricks was a 4-time All-American at OSU and Shane Roller, was a 3-time NCAA / Big 12 Wrestling Champ. Clearly one can see a theme developing here.

According to Team Takedown’s recent press releases, the team has actively sought out and signed these NCAA wrestling champions in the hopes of preparing them for successful MMA careers. There is no questioning the fact that many wrestlers have been able to dominate MMA on account of their grappling background. One need only be a casual observer of the sport to see how former wrestling stars like Mark Coleman and Josh Koscheck, among dozens of others, were able to transfer into successful careers as MMA fighters on account of their wrestling base.

Wrestlers are well accustomed to a life-style that requires rigorous daily workouts, meticulous nutrition, and the fine art of cutting weight, a background that is extremely beneficial in preparing for MMA competition. Many wrestlers are also used to competing on a regular basis, in front of large crowds, something that also helps prepare them for life as a professional athlete. Clearly, as the evolution of MMA has also proven, wrestling ability on its own is not enough, advanced striking and submission skills are also required if any fighter hopes of becoming an elite MMA fighter today. Team Takedown is well aware of this and are of course training their athletes in all the skills required for MMA, in the case of Roller, they are sending the fighter to Guy Mezger’s Lion’s Den in Dallas, and then onto Randy Couture’s Xtreme Couture Gym, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Team Takedown sees a winning formula, and hopes to not only provide their athletes with extensive MMA training to round out their skills, but with business management as well. According to the Team’s recent statements, every fighter on the roster will also be supported with marketing and advertising ventures, including clothing lines and event appearances. It is a model which at least on the surface, appears to be one that could be utilized often in the future, with other athletes who appear to have a significant chance of becoming highly regarded fighters. With the recent boom in MMA, it is also extremely likely that even more former collegiate wrestling stars like Hendricks and Rosholt, will turn to MMA in the hopes of becoming well paid professional athletes.

Masters of the Cage 15 will take place at the Coca-Cola Bricktown Event Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Saturday night, July 21st. There are 10 professional bouts scheduled for the event.

July 21, 2007
LUTTER TO RETURN AT UFC 74
UFC 74 Update: Lutter vs. Jensen Confirmed
By FCF Staff

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s official website confirmed today that Season 4 “Ultimate Fighter” winner, Travis Lutter (9-4), will take on UFC newcomer Ryan Jensen (11-1) at UFC 74, August 25th. The bout will mark the first time Lutter has fought since February 3rd, when he tapped out to elbow strikes from middleweight champion Anderson Silva in the first round. Lutter captured headlines before the fight when he failed to make weight, making the bout a non-title affair. Prior to his bout with Silva, Lutter took home the TUF honors by submitting Patrick Cote with an armbar in the first round at that season 4 finale last November.

Jensen at one time trained with UFC 3 tourney winner, Steve Jennum, before winding up with Team Quest. Jensen has won 6 fights in a row and most recently he submitted Curtis Stout with a triangle-choke at Victory Fighting Championships 19 in May. Jensen’s only loss was to WEC contender Brock Larson at Extreme Challenge 63 in July of  2005.

The announcement rounds out the upcoming UFC 74 card to 9 fights. The event, which will be headlined by a heavyweight title bout between champion Randy Couture and Gabriel Gonzaga, will take place August 25th, at the Mandalay Bay Events Centre in Las Vegas, Nevada.

July 21, 2007
BODOGFIGHT
“Pele” Heads to BodogFight Ring in Week 5 of “Paradise Lost”
By FCF Staff

One of MMA’s greatest pioneer fighters, Jose “Pele” Landi-Jons, takes to the ring in week 5 of BodogFight’s television fight series, “Paradise Lost.” The fight, which airs Tuesday night, July 24th, on ION Television and the Fight Network, will see Pele (23-12) go up against Mitch McElroy (3-0). Pele will have a decided experience advantage over McElroy, as the Brazilian fighter began competing professionally in 1993. By the year 2001, Landi-Jons was considered by many to be one of the world’s best pound-for-pound fighters, holding victories over Matt Hughes and Pat Miletich. Few at the time would have believed that his KO victory over Hughes at Warriors War 1 in February of 2001 would be the last fight Pele would win until 2005. The Pride veteran was often competing against world class talent however, with losses coming to fighters like Renato Sobral and Carlos Newton. In his last 5 fights, Pele is 2-3, with two wins over Alexander Schlemenko and losses coming to UFC veterans Travis Lutter and Thales Leites. Most recently, he lost by Unanimous Decision to Eduardo Pamplona at Showfight 5 last November. In the hopes of re-invigorating his career, Pele headed north to Team Revolution in Langley, British Columbia, home of such notable fighters like Kalib Starnes and Kultar Gill.

McElroy, who hails from Florida, is described by the BodogFight site as having founded his own “unique fighting style” over 9 years of martial arts training. Most recently, he submitted Sean Kilgus with an armbar at Battle of Rome 1 in January.

In the other fight for episode 5 of Paradise Lost, Carina Damm (5-3-1) will take on Molly Helsel (4-4-1). Damm is coming off a loss to Rosi Sexton during filming of BodogFight’s second season in St.Petersburg last December, while Helsel in her last fight, drew with Canadian fighter Liz Posener at Unified Cage Fights 4.

July 22, 2007
HARDCORE CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHTING: RIGGS, HUTCHERSON WIN

Hardcore Championship Fighting
By Brendan Leier

July 21st, River Cree Resort and Casino, Edmonton, Alberta:

On Saturday night, the city of Edmonton, Alberta witnessed the birth of a new national MMA promotion, Hardcore Championship Fighting. With a mandate from television network The Score, to provide MMA content of outstanding quality, promoter Keith Crawford delivered with one of the most exciting MMA cards in recent memory. On a card headlining UFC veterans Joe “Diesel” Riggs and Solomon Hutcherson, the notable pugilists required little effort to win over the local fight fans, already riding a wave of inertia from the brilliant undercard.

“The fighter with the most at stake” award went to Joe Riggs as it was announced before the fight that if were to lose, he would not be invited back to the UFC. No Pressure. In what he referred to as a “tune-up” fight, coming off a serious back surgery, Riggs did as expected and dispatched a game Dan Chambers in the first round via a triangle-choke. It was clear that Riggs was not interested in testing his chin as he seized his first chance to catch a Chambers kick and begin to work his familiar ground and pound. Several eyebrows were raised, as was Riggs’ blood pressure, when Chambers managed to isolate Riggs’ arm in a very legitimate Kimura attempt, but the risk was mitigated and Riggs eventually secured a triangle-choke which he used to finish Chambers near the end of round 1.

Bongfeldt pounding Pierson	Riggs in Chambers' guard

The notorious Ultimate Fighter duo “Team Dagger” were reunited, in a match-up that saw UFC standout Kendall Grove corner “King” Solomon Hutcherson against the game Nabil Khatib, representing Montreal’s Canadian Top Team. The reality duo proved all-too-real for Khatib as he failed to ever stall Hutcheson’s aggressive agenda of abuse. The tone of the match was set early in the first, as Hutcherson executed a powerful double-underhook slam, setting the tone for when and where the fight would occur. The best response Khatib could offer was enough to force one restart per round, but the subsequent exchanges did nothing for his cause and every time left him looking to return the fight to the canvas. The campaign ended in the second round when Khatib verbally submitted in an effort to save an injured arm from Hutcherson’s vicious ground assault.

Solomon Hutcherson (left) exchanging with Nabil Khatib

KO of the night honors went to Vancouver fighter Marcus Vinicius, for his spectacular display of Brazilian Capoeira in his brutal KO victory over Edmonton’s Team Sniper chief Mike Yackulic. Fight of the night honors went to Canadian Martial Arts Centre’s Jesse Bongfeldt and Ontario fighter Sean Pierson. Both fighters showed incredible heart in the rapid back and forth battle that demonstrated the best aspects of athletic conditioning and both ground and standup fighting. The premier match saw Bongfeldt overcoming a nasty cut to stop Pierson in the second round. There is no doubt that the youthful fighters honored this evening represent a promising future for both Hardcore Championship Fighting as well as Canadian MMA.

Yackulic (standing) vs. Vinicius

The remainder of the card looked like this:

Dan Chambers vs. Joe "Diesel" Riggs, Winner, Rd 1 Submission (triangle-choke time n/a)

Nabil Khatib vs. Solomon Hutcherson, Winner, Rd 2 Verbal Submission 4:34

Jesse Bongfeldt, Winner, vs. Sean Pierson Rd 2 TKO 4:41

Marcus Vinicius, Winner, vs. Mike Yackulic Rd 1 KO1:51

Ryan Machan vs. Dave Scholten, Winner,Rd 1 Submission (rear-naked-choke)

Chester Post, vs. Danny Valimaki,Winner, Rd 1 5:00 Corner Stoppage

Chris Varano, vs. Andrew Buckland, Winner, Rd 1 TKO 2:30

Tim Tamaki vs. Len Tam, Winner, Rd 2 TKO 2:05

Adam Farr, Winner, vs. Vedran Ristic, Rd 2 TKO 1:25

Brad Cardinal, Winner, vs. Ryan Polutnik Rd 1 KO 3:27

July 23, 2007
STATEMENT FROM SEAN SHERK

Sherk Issues Statement: Denies Steroid Use

The following statement was released by Sean Sherk and his representatives, in regards to the recent suspension and fine handed down to the fighter by the California State Athletic Commission. Sherk has confirmed to the CSAC he intends on appealing their decision August 6th.

Sean Sherk Denies Doping Charges, Files Appeal With California State Athletic Commission

Brooklyn Center, MN (July 20, 2007)- Sean Sherk, the UFC Lightweight World Champion, has filed an appeal against the doping allegations of the California State Athletic Commission, and has retained Howard Jacobs of Los Angeles, California, to represent him in connection to those charges.

Mr. Sherk issued this statement:

"At the present time, I cannot explain the positive drug test in Sacramento, California . I know that I have never used any steroids or other banned substances, and I am investigating possible causes of the positive test with my attorney. I have never cheated, and all of my success has come from hard work and dedication to my sport."

July 23, 2007
CSAC CONFIRMS: SHERK, FRANCA AND BARONI TO APPEAL
CSAC Confirms: Sherk, Franca, Baroni to Appeal August 6th
By Kelsey Mowatt

The California State Athletic Commission confirmed today that Sean Sherk, Hermes Franca, and Phil Baroni, have all notified the CSAC they intend on appealing the recent fines and suspensions they were handed by the commission. The CSAC will hear their appeals August 6th, in Los Angeles, California.

Last week the CSAC suspended both Sean Sherk and Hermes Franca, who fought each other on July 7th for the UFC lightweight championship, for one year and fined them $2,500, for each apparently testing positive for known anabolic steroid agents. In the case of Franca, the fighter released a statement apologizing to the public and his fans, and discussed the fact that he had injured his ankle severely about 8 weeks before his fight with the champion Sherk. Franca also stated that he had hoped to push back the date of the fight, and when that did not materialize,

“I made the shortsighted choice to hopefully accelerate the healing process and allow me to keep training.” Franca said in his statement. “Under the pressure of literally not being able to pay next months bills I made a choice. I had to fight and did whatever I could to do so.”

The lightweight fighter marks the third UFC champion now to be suspended and fined for failing a post fight drug test. The UFC has already seen two of their heavyweight champions suspended for testing positive for banned substances, in Tim Sylvia and Josh Barnett.

According to the CSAC statement last week, Sherk’s test results revealed;

“Normal levels of Nandrolone range from 2 ng/mL (average person) to 6 ng/mL (athlete engaged in rigorous activity). Mr. Sherk's reported level certified by the Director of Science and Technology from the laboratory that conducted the tests was 12 ng/mL. Both the "A" sample and "B" sample were tested and confirmed as positive.”

In the case of Baroni, the fighter was also suspended one year and fined $2,500, for according to the CSAC, testing positive for Boldenone Metabolite and Stanozolol Metabolite. The suspension was handed down only days removed from Baroni’s June 22nd, Strikeforce fight with Frank Shamrock.

The CSCA also announced today that K-1 Hero’s fighter, Hong-Man Choi, will appeal the commission’s prior decision to deny him a license to compete.

July 23, 2007
PITBULLS MIDDLEWEIGHT DAN MILLER

July 24, 2007
NEW EPISODE OF FCF RADIO: BENJI RADACH, VLADIMIR MATYUSHENKO AND KULTAR GILL

New episode of FCF Radio This latest edition of FCF Radio features interviews with Benji Radach, Vladimir Matyushenko and Kultar "Black Mamba" Gill. Click here to listen/download

July 24, 2007
CHECK OUT WHAT'S IN THE CURRENT ISSUE OF FCF

Check out what's in the current issue of FCF... CFFC 5 - Kimbo gets his bread bodogFIGHT - Alvarez victorious, Prangley and LaRosa win titles as the promotion holds its first show on U.S. soil in New Jersey Poll: The Greatest Upsets in MMA Wanderlei Silva interview MO Team League - Brazil's newest MMA promotion UFC 73 - Ortiz and Evans draw, Sherk and Silva retain titles IFL Vegas - Pitbulls on their way to the playoffs, Lions hand Scorpions third-straight team loss TUF Finale - "The Prodigy" excels, Diaz is Lightweight Ultimate Fighter EliteXC Strikeforce: Shamrock Vs. Baroni - Shamrock dominates Baroni to take Strikeforce World Middleweight title Ultimate Warrior Challenge - The South rises again Ultimate Fight Night 11 - Fisher earns unanimous decision victory in rematch with Stout Cage Rage Contenders 5 UFC 72: Victory - Griffin and Franklin both victorious EFI: Trauma in the Cage Paulo Filho Vs. Anderson Silva - As their new friendship has ended the likelihood that they will battle in the ring, the fighters do verbal battle in the pages of FCF Black Friday - New Zealand gets ready to host first complete MMA event KOTC Canada: Supremacy - Goulet defeats MacDonald, Grant dominates Manderson FX3 Fight Night 5 In our monthly columns... Physical Therapist and Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach Paul La Bounty talks about Antioxidants: What You Don't Know Could Be Hurting you. In Matt Hume's techniques, Matt Hume & Caros Fodor demonstrate a Back mount Counter to Calf Crush. Frankie Edgar Biofile. Fight fans give their thoughts on Couture Vs. Gonzaga. Every issue of Full Contact Fighter is jam-packed with fight news from the U.S. to Brazil to Japan. FCF travels the globe to bring the fights to you. Get yours today! Click here to order securely online with your credit card or print off the order form & mail it in with your payment

July 24, 2007
UFC 75 UPDATE
UFC 75 Update: Siver to Face Kotani
By FCF Staff

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has confirmed another fight for the promotions, upcoming, September 8th event that will be held at the O2 Arena, in London, England. Adding to the card’s international theme, Germany’s Dennis Siver (10-4) will take on Japan’s Naoyuki Kotani (17-6-4) in a lightweight bout. Both fighters are coming off losses in their UFC debuts. At UFC 70 in April, Siver was submitted by Jesse Liaudin in the first round with an armbar. Prior to that, Siver had won 3 fights in a row, competing in the World Freefight Challenge and Cage Warriors promotions. The fighter, who will be dropping down from welterweight for his fight with Kotani, has been fighting professionally since 2004.

Kotani will be the more experienced of the two in terms of MMA ring experience, having fought nearly 30 times now in a career that began in 2000. All 6 of his losses have come against quite notable fighters in Roger Huerta, Luiz Azeredo, Yves Edwards, Marcus Aurelio, Rich Clementi, and Thiago Tavares, Kotani’s opponent for his UFC debut at Fight Night 10 in April. The veteran fighter has competed in the ZST, Rings and Pride organizations, and is 3-1-1 in his last five fights.

UFC 75 will be headlined by the light-heavyweight unification title bout UFC champion Quinton Jackson and Pride champ Dan Henderson. Also confirmed for the card is a bout between Mirko Filipovic and Cheick Kongo, while Michael Bisping will take on Matt Hamill.

July 24, 2007
MANNY TAPIA

Manny Tapia- Up and Coming Fighter to Challenge Beebe for WEC Flyweight Crown

By Peter Parsons

Undefeated at 9-0-1, Manny Tapia is already one of the top North American fighters in the unheralded flyweight (135 lbs) division, a weight class that, in the past, hasn’t received the exposure it deserves. However, with Zuffa’s purchase of the World Extreme Cagefighting organization, the 135 pound division is now on the map and the 26 year old Tapia hopes to emerge at the top of the heap in a very competitive flyweight division.

Tapia made his pro debut in December of ’03 at King of the Cage 31, defeating Manuel Sawyze by first round rear-naked-choke. Tapia recalls beginning his fight career at his walk around weight, “I started off at 145 and when they came out with 135, I was like man I walk around at 144 or 45 so I knew I could easily make 135.”

Tapia went on to become the flyweight champion of King of the Cage, the promotion where he fought all of his fights up until his last bout, a second round TKO over Brandon Foxworth at WEC 27 in May of this year.  “WEC called me and I wasn’t under contract with King of the Cage and decided to go with WEC, they showed me the numbers and I got to go where the money’s at.  If I’m going to do it, I might as well get paid more for it.”

Tapia is very thankful to fight under the Zuffa banner in the WEC. “I thank all them, Zuffa, they’re just doing it man, they’re doing it big.  I felt privileged, I just felt very very honored to be invited to fight for the WEC.  I’m just honored to be in the same circle as some of the fighters that are In the WEC, you know you got guys like Urijah (Faber) in there, he’s the man, I mean he’s a bad boy.  Just to fight for the WEC I feel honored, it’s an honor.”

Tapia boxed and wrestled as a kid in Southern California where he had his eye on MMA. “I started to watch MMA when I was younger and from the first time I watched it, I just said that I wanted to do it.  I just wanted to fight once and never fight again. I got lucky in my first fight, I won and it just took off from there,” said the humble Tapia.

“I started training for MMA 7 years ago. I started out with Millenia Jiu-Jitsu back in 2000,” recalled Tapia. Manny still trains with the likes of Romie Aram and Javier Vazquez at Millenia Jiu-Jitsu in Rancho Cucamonga, California, a short 20 minute drive from his home in Chino .

Unfortunately, Tapia isn’t able to train full time at this point. “I work 6 hours a day and I attend some classes at the college, so I got a full load. If I’m lucky, I train two to three hours a day.”

Surprisingly,Tapia only plans to fight two or three more years depending on how his body holds up. That could all change if the fighters continue to get paid more money. “I don’t really like to fight, but it’s paying a lot better than it was paying before, so you never know,” said the 26 year old of the possibility of prolonging his fight career past two or three years. However Tapia isn’t looking past the immediate future which is the most important fight of his career. “I’m fighting Chase Beebe for the WEC flyweight title on September 5.”

Tapia has a lot of respect for the current WEC flyweight champ Chase Beebe. “Chase, he’s a little bit bigger then me and probably a little bit stronger, he’s a great wrestler, he’s not afraid to stand up, Chase is a well rounded guy, it doesn’t matter what situation he’s in he’s comfortable, which I’m the same way.”

Tapia continued discussing how he sees himself matching up with the current champ, “I know he takes everybody down and I got to respect that. In the standup department I’m not afraid to bang with anybody, you know, I’ve been boxing for a while and I’m not afraid to get hit.  I don’t want a boring fight, I want to put on the fight of the night, I want people standing up cheering, I just want to go out there and put on a show. Whether it’s me getting knocked out or him getting knocked out, hopefully more him then me,” Manny laughed. “I know he’s a really great wrestler and I respect that, he’s a great grappler and has a great ground-and-pound game, I just got to be aware.”

If Manny Tapia were in any other weight division, we wouldn’t be talking about him as an up and coming fighter. On September 5, he will be fighting Chase Beebe for the top 135 pound title in North America , the WEC World Flyweight title. It’s a fight that North American fans can watch live on the Versus Network in the and on The Sports Network (TSN) in Canada . “I tell people to get ready for a war, we both fight almost the same, I think it’s going to be a great fight and I know Chase is going to push me to my limit,” said Tapia as he looks forward to the biggest challenge of his young MMA career.

July 25, 2007
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July 25, 2007
UFC 76 KNOCK-OUT UPDATE

UFC Confirms Liddell vs. Jardine and Rua vs. Griffin

By Kelsey Mowatt

The Ultimate Fighting Championship officially confirmed two bouts today for UFC 76 “Knock-Out”, which will take place at the Honda Center, September 22^nd, in Anaheim, California . The announcement confirms what has often been a point of discussion over the last few weeks throughout the MMA world, that Chuck Liddell will fight Keith Jardine, while Mauricio “Shogun” Rua will make his UFC debut against Forrest Griffin.

In the case of Liddell vs. Jardine, both men will be looking to rebound from recent losses. In what is now well documented history, Liddell (20-4) lost his UFC light-heavyweight crown to Quinton Jackson at UFC 71 in May, the first loss for the “Iceman” in nearly four years. Houston Alexander shocked the MMA world when he stopped Jardine (12-4-1) in the first round at that same UFC 71 event. Jardine had defeated the highly regarded Wilson Gouveia and Forrest Griffin in his previous 2 fights, and is considered by many to be one of the light-heavyweight division’s most promising fighters.

“Shogun” Rua (16-2) is according to the FCF rankings, the number one, 205 lb. fighter on the planet. The Chute Boxe star has defeated the likes of Quinton Jackson, Ricardo Arona and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Other than his 2006 loss to Mark Coleman, which was on account of an elbow injury, the Brazilian fighter has only been defeated by Renato Sobral, a loss that occurred in 2003.

Griffin (14-4) is coming off a dominant, Unanimous Decision performance against Hector Ramirez at UFC 72 last month. Other than his TKO loss to Jardine, Griffin has pressed every fighter he has encountered in the UFC, including former champ Tito Ortiz, whom he dropped a Split Decision loss to at UFC 59 last spring. That said, Griffin will likely be considered the under-dog once again when he faces Shogun, September 22^nd.

July 25, 2007
IFL WORLD GRAND-PRIX UPDATE

IFL Confirms Grand-Prix Fights

By FCF Staff

The International Fight League announced today the fights and dates for the promotion’s upcoming 2007 World Grand-Prix. The event will be a step away from team competition for the league, as instead, the winner of each individual fight will move on to the tournament’s next round. The semi-finals (first round) will be held November 3^rd, at the Sears Centre in Chicago, Illinois, with the finals taking place December 2^nd, at the Mohegan Suns Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut .

The athletes that were selected to compete in the tournament were the top four fighters in each of the IFL’s 5 weight classes. This was determined by the fighter’s records during this year’s team competition. According to the IFL release;

“In the event of a tie, competitors with the fastest finishes or best strength of victories earned the higher seeds.  The winners then defend their individual belts throughout the 2008 IFL season (dates and locations TBA).”

Based on the level of talent on both the Anacondas and Silverback squads, it should be of little surprise that both teams have the most fighters competing in the tournament, with 4 and 3 respectively. The Dragons, Sabres and Lions have two fighters participating, while the rest of the IFL clubs all are sending one fighter.

Here are the opening round match-ups for the semi-finals November 3^rd.

Lightweight (155 lb.)

No.1 Wagnney Fabiano, Dragons (3-0 IFL 2007, 7-1 overall) vs. No.4 John Gunderson, Lions (2-1, 15-4)

No.2 Chris Horodecki, Anacondas (3-0,10-0) vs. No.3 Bart Palaszewski, Silverbacks (2-1, 27-8)

Alternate: Shad Lierley, Tiger Sharks (2-1, 2-1)

Welterweight (170 lb.)

No.1 Delson Heleno, Pitbulls (3-0,11-2) vs. No.4 Mark Miller, Red Bears (2-1, 8-2,)

No.2 Antonio McKee, Sabres (3-0, 20-3-2) vs. No.3 Jay Hieron, Anacondas (2-1,12-4)

Alternate: Pat Healy, Lions (2-1,18-12)

Middleweight (185 lb.)

No.1 Benji Radach, Anacondas (3-0,15-3) vs. No.4 Brent Beauparlant, Dragons (2-1, 6-4)

No.2 Matt Horwich, Wolfpack (2-1,19-9-1) vs. No.3 Brian Foster, Razorclaws (2-1, 9-11)

Alternate: Fabio Leopoldo, Pitbulls (2-1, 5-2)

Light Heavyweight (205 lb.)

No.1 Vladimir Matyushenko, Sabres (3-0,18-3) vs. No.4 Alex Schoenauer, Anacondas (2-1,12-7)

No.2 Mike Whitehead, Scorpions (2-0,19-4) vs. No.3 Mike Ciesnolevicz, Silverbacks (2-0,12-2)

Alternate: Jamal Patterson, Pitbulls (1-0, 3-1)

Heavyweight (265 lb.)

No.1 Ben Rothwell, Silverbacks (3-0, 22-5) vs. No.4 Roy Nelson, Lions (2-1, 8-2)

No.2 Antoine Jaoude, Condors (3-0, 7-2) vs. No.3 Reese Andy, Tiger Sharks (3-0, 7-1)

Alternate: Bryan Vetell, Pitbulls (1-1,2-2)

The IFL’s semi-finals for team competition are scheduled for August 2^nd, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Anacondas are facing the Silverbacks while the Sabres are taking on the Pitbulls.

July 26, 2007
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July 26, 2007
NEW EPISODE OF FCF RADIO: RENZO GRACIE AND TRAVIS LUTTER

New episode of FCF Radio In this episode of FCF Radio we talk with the Pitbulls Head Coach, Renzo Gracie about the upcoming IFL Semi-Finals, and Travis Lutter, who will be competing at UFC 74 against Ryan Jensen. Click here to listen/download

July 26, 2007
EXTREME CHALLENGE 81 PREVIEW

Extreme Challenge 81 Preview
By Jim Genia

When: July 28th
Where: South Mountain Arena, West Orange, New Jersey.
What: Extreme Challenge 81

Boetsch

Tim Boetsch has cut a swath through the light-heavyweight division since he made his Garden State debut last year, and the wrestler-turned-MMA fighter will put his Extreme Challenge Northeast Championship belt on the line this Saturday when he faces tough striker Brendan Barrett. Expect some leather to be thrown in that bout – as well as the Joe Camacho/Jim Bova and Carlos Moreno/Marcos da Silva match-ups. In fact, fans of beatdowns and sudden knockouts are strongly advised not blink during any of these fights.
Here’s a look at the full card:

Extreme Challenge Northeast Lightweight Championship
Joe Camacho (NJ Pride) vs. Jim Bova (Anthracite Combat Club)

Extreme Challenge Northeast Light-Heavyweight Championship
Brendan Barrett (Rhino Fight Team) vs. Tim Boetsch (Ramsey BJJ)

Main Card

HW: Carlos Moreno (Rhino Fight Team) vs. Marcos da Silva (Team Olivera)
HW: Anderson DeCastro (Rhino Fight Team) vs. Chris Volo (Team Renzo/AMA)
LW: Wilson Reis (Daddis FC/Godai JJ) vs. Baba Shigamashu (Rhino Fight Team)
WW: Julio Cruz (Team Renzo) vs. Matt Makowski (Daddis FC)
LW: Lester Caslow (Rhino Fight Team) vs. Mike Murray (Jerry Jones/Ironhorse)
WW: Marcello Olivera (Team Renzo) vs. Charlie Brenneman (Cambria Martial Arts)
MW: Andrew Riddles (Team Renzo/Almeida) vs. Bryce Harrell (KOA)
LW: Dominic Tafuri (Edson Carvalho) vs. Ryan McCarthy (Pitts Penn)
LW: Vasilica Goian (TS-MMA) vs. Andrew Montanez (Emerson Souza)

July 26, 2007
UFC 75: CHAMPION VS. CHAMPION UPDATE
UFC 75 Card Continuing to Take Form
By FCF Staff

The Ultimate Fighting Championship confirmed more bouts today for the promotion’s upcoming, “Champion vs. Champion” event, which will take place at the 02 Arena, September 8th, in London, England. In a light-heavyweight clash, Houston Alexander (7-1) will hope to build on his shocking TKO stoppage of Keith Jardine at UFC 71 in May, against noted striker Alessio Sakara (11-5). The Italian born Sakara got back on the winning track in his last fight at UFC 70 in April, by stopping Canadian light-heavyweight Victor Valimaki in the first round. Prior to that, Sakara had lost two fights in a row, against Dean Lister and Drew McFedries in May and November last year.

Marcus Davis (12-4) will return to the United Kingdom to face off against British welterweight, Paul Taylor (8-2-1). In Davis’s last fight at UFC 72 in June, the fighter thrilled the Irish contingent attending in Belfast by knocking out Jason Tan in the first round. UFC 75 will mark Taylor’s second appearance in the Octagon, as at UFC 70, he stopped Ediberto Crocota for the TKO win in the third round.

Zuffa’s next venture in the U.K. will have plenty of homegrown talent on it, as another British fighter in Jesse Liaudin (9-8) has also been confirmed for the card. The welterweight will take on Anthony Johnson (3-0), who was impressive in his last bout and UFC debut, a bewildering 13 second KO win over Chad Reiner at UFC Fight Night 11 in June. Liaudin is also coming off a successful debut in the Octagon, an armbar submission victory over Denis Siver at UFC 70.

The UFC has now confirmed 7 bouts for the UFC 75 card, which will be headlined by the light-heavyweight title unification bout between UFC champ, Quinton Jackson and Pride belt holder, Dan Henderson.

July 26, 2007
GLOBAL FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP UPDATE
Dewees to Face Harvey for Global Fighting Championship Middleweight Crown
By FCF

The Global Fighting Championship has announced that “Ultimate Fighter” Season 4 competitor, Edwin Dewees (34-10), will fight Maverick Harvey (10-3-1) for the promotion’s 185 lb. title, August 17th, at the Mohegan Sun Arena, in Uncasville, Connecticut. The middleweight bout will be one of two title fights scheduled for the card, as Global FC previously announced that Jeff Monson will take on Chris Guillen for the organization’s heavyweight belt.

Dewees is 2-3 in his last five fights, defeating Leo Sylvest, and Buckley Acosta, while losing to Chris Leben, Art Santore, and most recently to Jorge Rivera, at the TUF 4 Finale last November. Despite his 3 losses in the UFC, the veteran fighter holds notable victories over Drew Fickett and Homer Moore. Dewees, who will turn 25 in August, began competing professionally in 2000.

Harvey is also coming off back to back losses, losing to Givanildo Santana and Falaniko Vitale in June, 2006, and this past March, respectively. Prior to that Harvey won 9 straight, a streak that included two wins over Shannon Ritch. Harvey does not have as many fights on his record compared to Dewees; however, the fighter began competing over 10 years ago in 1996.

Also confirmed for the August 17th card is Pride veteran Mark Kerr taking on Sean O’Haire, while Eric “Butterbean” Esch will fight Stefan Gamlin.

July 27, 2007
SHOXC PREVIEW
ShoXC Weigh-In Results, Wetherspoon Out Due to Injury
By FCF Staff

The Chumash Casino Resort, in Santa Ynez, California, will host Elite XC’s and Showtime’s latest venture tonight, “ShoXC: Elite Challenger Series”, the first in a series of MMA cards that will be broadcast regularly on the cable network. The premiere broadcast will begin tonight at 11PM (PST/EST, delayed on the West Coast) with future telecasts to be shown on Saturdays.

Word came yesterday from Elite XC that Aaron Wetherspoon is injured and will not be able to fight Gladiator Challenge 170 lb. champ Jeremiah Metcalf (4-2) as scheduled. The Gladiator Challenge Middleweight Champion, Jaime Jara (14-4), has been brought in to replace Wetherspoon and will now face Metcalf. Due to the short notice, Jara was not required to make 170 and weighed in at 176 lbs. yesterday.

“I took this fight on two days’ notice but it won’t matter because I am always in the gym, always training anyway. I am very excited to get the chance to fight on Showtime.” Jara said in the Elite XC pre-fight press release. “He sees himself as a fast guy. So do I. Let’s see if I can slow him down a little.’’

Headlining the event will be Edson Berto (12-3-1) taking on KJ Noons (4-2) at 155 lbs, and according to the official weigh-in results Elite XC released, both fighters weighed in on the mark.

“This is a weird weekend for my family and me. My brother is boxing Friday night and I am fighting MMA the same night. My father, who is my fulltime trainer, is with me.” Berto stated in the press release.” This is going to be an exciting fight; a very good fight for both of us. But it is not going to be an easy. I am confident, of course. Noons is a very good fighter with a good all-around background. He got caught with a lucky punch last time. But I have to win. I came too far too lose.’’

Here is tonight’s ShoXC line-up with yesterday’s weigh in results.

Showtime Broadcast  11PM PST/ EST
Lee Gibson (154.5 lb.s) vs. Muhsin Corbbrey (155)
Jefferson Silva (205) vs. Aaron Rosa (204)
Chris David (135) vs. Scott Jorgenson (135)
Jaime Jara (176) vs. Jeremiah Metcalf (174.5)
Edson Berto (155) vs. KJ Noons (155)

Internet Coverage on Pro Elite begins
Shayna Bazler (138) vs. Jan Finney (140)
Josh Neal (185) vs. Eric Beondo (185)
Anthony Rubalcava (204) vs. Drew Montgomery (205)
John Reedy (153.5) vs. Brian Cobb (154.5)
Anthony Ruiz (202.75) vs. Jason Geris (205)

July 27, 2007
THE NORTHERN TOUCH

UCW Announces Several Bouts for the “September to Remember” Card

Ultimate Cage Wars promoter, Krzysztof Soszynski, announced this week several fights that will take place at the organizations next, “September to Remember” card. The event will of course take place in September, on the 7th, at the Winnipeg Convention Center, in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Jesse Bongfeldt (10-4) will look to continue impressing, as he is scheduled to fight Daniel Grandmaison (3-3). Last weekend, Bongfeldt stopped Sean Pierson in the second round for the TKO victory at Hardcore Championship Fighting’s event in Edmonton. The Lethbridge fighter is now 4-1 in his last five fights, holding wins over Pierson, Sean Huffman, Jason St.Louis and Elmer Waterhen. Bongfeldt’s only loss since 2005 is to UFC vet, Jonathan Goulet, who defeated him earlier this year in March.

Grandmaison is coming off a win over Francis Flibotte at Ultimate Generation Combat 17 in March; however, many would likely consider it to be quite an upset if he were to get past Bongfeldt. The Canadian Martial Arts Center veteran has had over 20 fights now competing both professionally and in amateur.

One of Winnipeg’s more traveled fighters; Kevin Manderson (11-9-1) will take on another of the cities fighters in Lindsey Hawkes (1-1). Manderson is 2-3 in his last five fights, most recently he was submitted by TJ Grant at King of the Cage Canada’s “Supremacy” card on July 14th. Hawkes was victorious in his last fight, a Split Decision win over Rory McDonnell at UCW 8 in June.

Here is the line-up for UCW’s September to Remember card thus far, the records posted below are the fighter’s professional records according to the FCF database.

Lindsey Hawkes (1-1) vs. Kevin Manderson (11-9-1)
Jesse Bongfeldt (10-4) vs. Dan Grandmaison (3-3)
Steve Taylor (1-2) vs. Gus Doyon (1-0)
Jordan Mein (1-4) vs. Garrett Vernoy (0-1)
Aaron Basso (1-2) vs. Dave De Lorenzi
Ryan Brigham (2-0) vs. Andre Burkovsky
Marhaile Wedderburn (1-2) vs. Jamie MacDonald

Canadians to Compete in IFL Semi-Finals August 2nd

Soszynski is a busy man right now, as he continues to get ready for his highly anticipated rematch with Ben Rothwell, at next weeks IFL Semi-Finals event on August 2nd. Last week, Shawn Tompkins confirmed on FCF Radio, that the Anaconda’s Chris Horodecki would in fact miss the match against the Silverbacks due to his injured hand, thus removing the high profile rematch between the Canadian lightweight and Bart Palaszewski. Harris Sarmiento has been brought into to replace Horodecki for the Anaconda’s 155 lb. spot.

The other Canadian fighter that will see action in the IFL semis will be Chris Clements, who will take on Rory Markham. Clements (4-1) has showed a lot of promise early into his career, but will likely face his toughest test to date in the 11-2, Miletich fighter. Clements is also scheduled to fight Sean Pierson at TKO 30, September 28th, for the promotion’s vacant, welterweight belt.

Day’s Future Still Uncertain

According to the official Rumble in the Cage website, Jason “Dooms” Day (12-7) is in discussion with World Extreme Cagefighting to possibly fight for the promotion this fall. Day is coming off an armbar submission victory over Jonathan Goulet at UCW 8 in June, a nice rebound win for the CMAC fighter, who was stopped by Patrick Cote at TKO 29. According to the article on the RITC site, Day is also still hoping for an opportunity in the UFC. Goulet will be heading back to the UFC in September to fight Mike Swick at UFC Fight Night 11.

Doerksen Goes For WEC Middleweight Crown Next Sunday

Just a reminder that one of Canada’s more notable fighters, Joe Doerksen (39-9), will take on Paulo Filho (13-0) next Sunday, August 5th, for the vacant World Extreme Cagefighting middleweight crown. The bout will take place at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Upcoming Canadian MMA Schedule:

King of the Cage Canada, “Brawl at the Mall”, August 17th: Edmonton Events Centre, West Edmonton Mall, Edmonton, Alberta
Maximum Fighting Championship 13, “Lucky 13”, August 24th: River Cree Resort and Casino, Edmonton, Alberta
Ultimate Cage Wars, “September to Remember”, September 7th: Winnipeg Convention Center, Winnipeg, Manitoba
TKO 30, “Apocalypse”, September 28th: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec
Ultimate Generation Combat, “TKO Night”: Pierre-Charbonneau Centre, Montreal, Quebec

July 27, 2007
WEC UPDATE
WEC Posts Final Card for August 5th Event
By FCF Staff

The official World Extreme Cagefighting website has posted the rest of the fight card for the promotion’s upcoming event, next Sunday, August 5th, at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card will be headlined by two title fights, as WEC Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit (20-4) will face Brock Larson (22-1), while Paulo Filho (13-0) will take on Joe Doerksen (39-9) for the promotion’s vacant 185 lb. belt.

Here is the rest of the August 5th WEC card;

At 145 lbs., Jeff Curran (30-8-1), who previously confirmed to FCF that he would be making his WEC debut next Sunday, will take on Stephen Ledbetter (4-0), lightweights Jamie Varner (12-3) and Sherron Leggett (13-3) will do battle, Japanese middleweight Hiromitsu Miura (7-3) is scheduled to fight Fernando Gonzalez (11-4), at 135 lbs., Antonio Banuelos (13-4) is set to meet Justin Robbins (9-2-1), Logan Clark (9-0) will fight middleweight Eric Schambari (6-0), and UFC veteran Tiki Ghosn (7-6), will fight 185 lb. fighter Blas Avena (4-1, pro-am record combined). Light-heavyweight Steve Cantwell is also scheduled to compete, however, no opponent has of yet been confirmed.

July 28, 2007
SHOXC RESULTS
Noons and Jara Victorious in ShoXC: Elite Challenger Series Premiere
By FCF Staff

July 27th, 2007
Santa Ynez, California

The Chumash Casino and Resort in Santa Ynez, hosted the first ever ShoXC: Elite Challenger Series event last night, the first in a new series of fight cards by Elite XC that will be broadcast on the Showtime Cable network. In the main event, KJ Noons extended his record to 5-2 by knocking out Edson Berto in the third round. The loss for Berto drops his record to 12-4-1.

In the cards other co-feature, Jaime Jara knocked out Jeremiah Metcalf in the first round to win the Gladiator Challenge welterweight belt. Jara, who can now lay claim to the remarkable feat of winning four different Gladiator Challenge championships (heavyweight, light-heavyweight, middleweight and welterweight), now sees his record sit at 15-4 while Metcalf’s falls to 4-3.

In the rest of the action from last night’s ShoXC broadcast;

Scott Jorgensen defeated Chris David by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28), Aaron Rosa stopped Jefferson Silva for the first round TKO win, and Muhsin Corbbrey worked his way to a Unanimous Decision win over Lee Gibson (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).

And in the five bouts that were streamed live on the Pro Elite website after the Showtime broadcast;

Shayna Baszler submitted Jan Finney in the first round with an armbar, Josh Neal KO’ed Eric Biondo in Round 1, Anthony Ruiz stopped Jason Geris for the first round TKO win, Tony Rubalcava also scored a first round TKO victory over Drew Montgomery, and Brian Cobb submitted John Reedy in round one with a rear-naked-choke.

Elite XC’s next event on Showtime will be September 15th. Scheduled to compete at the Hawaii card are Elite XC Middleweight Champion Murilo “Ninja” Rua, Jake Shields, Nick Diaz and Gina Carano.

July 29, 2007
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July 29, 2007
EXTREME CHALLENGE RESULTS

Barrett and Getto Have “No Fear” at Extreme Challenge 81
Report by Jim Genia – Photos by Tom DeFazio

(July 28th, West Orange, New Jersey) If you came to the South Mountain Arena tonight expecting to see a champ crush another unlucky opponent, or to see a star up-and-comer destroy a last-minute replacement, you would’ve been sorely disappointed. Extreme Challenge 81: “No Fear” featured light-heavyweight stud Tim Boetsch defending his title and lightweight monster Joe Camacho vying for the 155-pound belt – with Boetsch pulling out the win via guillotine after being thoroughly dominated by the game Brendan Barrett, and Camacho falling to Mark Getto’s tenacious submission skills. Clearly, it was Barrett and Getto who had no fear. Highlights of the event included:

• Matt Makowski’s dangerous Muay Thai, which he used to overwhelm jiu-jitsu black belt Julio Cruz en route to the ref-stoppage victory.
• Getto’s calm under fire, which enabled him to weather Camacho’s storm and turn the tables with a bout-ending rear naked choke.
• Barrett’s inspired performance against Boetsch, which saw the Rhino Fight Team rep dominate on the feet and on the ground. Credit goes to the champ, though, for nailing the guillotine when Barrett left his neck exposed.

Boetsch (bottom) chokes Barrett into submission

Full results:

Getto

Extreme Challenge Northeast Light-Heavyweight Championship
Brendan Barrett (Rhino Fight Team-205lbs) vs. Tim Boetsch (Ramsey BJJ-205lbs)
Boetsch via guillotine at 3:00 of R2 – Boetsch retains his belt

Extreme Challenge Northeast Lightweight Championship
Mark Getto (Advanced Fighting Systems-155lbs) vs. Joe Camacho (NJ Pride-153lbs)
Getto via rear naked choke at 3:07 of R1 – Getto is the new lightweight champ.

Ryan McCarthy (Pitts Penn-154lbs) vs. Dominic Tafuri (Team Carvalho-154lbs)
Tafuri via rear naked choke at 3:26 of R1

Marcos da Silva (Team Olivera-204lbs) vs. Carlos Moreno (Rhino Fight Team-243lbs)
Moreno via KO at 0:36 of R1

Matt Makowski (Daddis FC-169lbs) vs. Julio Cruz (Team Renzo-171lbs)
Makowski via ref stoppage due to unanswered strikes at 1:10 of R2

Chris Volo (Team Renzo/AMA-261lbs) vs. Anderson DeCastro (Rhino Fight Team-261lbs)
Volo via head/arm choke at 1:05 of R1

Charlie Brenneman (Cambria Martial Arts-171lbs) vs. Marcello Olivera (Team Renzo-170lbs)
Brenneman via unanimous decision

Mike Murray (Jerry Jones/Ironhorse-148lbs) vs. Lester Caslow (Rhino Fight Team-150lbs)
Caslow via ref stoppage due to strikes at 3:36 of R2

Wilson Reis (Daddis FC/Godai JJ-148lbs) vs. Baba Shegeyasu (Rhino Fight Team-151lbs)
Reis via unanimous decision

July 30, 2007
BODOGFIGHT: PARADISE LOST

Semenov Looks to End Losing Streak

Fight Airs Tomorrow Night on Week 6 of BodogFight's "Paradise Lost"
By FCF Staff

One of Russia’s more notable veteran fighters, Andrei Semenov, will head to the BodogFight ring in week 6 of the promotion’s television fight series “Paradise Lost”, to face British fighter, Matt Ewin. The Pride and UFC veteran Semenov (25-9-2) has lost 4 straight fights against Denis Kang, Trevor Prangley, Gregory Bouchelaghem, and most recently, to Jorge Santiago at BodogFight’s “Clash of Nations” event in April. In fact, Semenov’s last win came against his upcoming opponent Ewin in 2004, when the Russian defeated Ewin by Unanimous Decision at M-1’s December event of that year. Despite the recent slide, Semenov’s record boasts of wins over Martin Kampmann, Curtis Stout and Ricardo Almeida, not to mention the fact, that he has competed in some of the sports most storied events over his 9 year career, including the World Vale Tudo Championship in 2000.

Ewin (16-8-1) will clearly be looking to avenge his Decision loss to Semenov and went into this bout on a two fight winning streak. Most recently, at Cage Rage 19 last December, Ewin submitted Alan McCauly in the first round with a rear-naked-choke. The British fighter is 3-2 in his last five fights, with losses coming to Martin Kampmann and Thiago Goncalves.

In heavyweight action, undefeated, up-and-comer Mario Rinaldi (5-0) will take to the ring to fight another promising fighter in Roy Nelson (8-2). Rinaldi has gone 2-0 competing for Bodog, most recently he worked his way to a Unanimous Decision victory over Sergei Kaznovski at the promotion’s first PPV event last December. Nelson is coming off a Unanimous Decision win over Shane Ott in International Fight League action, June 16th. The Nevada Lion member also took Ben Rothwell to the distance in April, losing to the highly regarded Silverback heavyweight by Split Decision.

In the third fight scheduled for episode 6 of Paradise Lost, Dave Love (8-7-1) is scheduled to fight Japanese featherweight Atsuhiro Tsuboi (3-7-1). Love is coming off a Split Decision victory over Eban Oroz at BodogFight’s “Alvarez vs. Lee” event on July 14th, while Tsuboi fought to a Draw in his last fight with Tomohiko Hori at Heat 3 in March.

Paradise Lost was filmed in Costa Rica earlier this year, with each fight result not being revealed until its broadcast. The show is aired Tuesday and Saturday nights on the ION Network and Fight Network, as well as available for download at the BodogFight website.

July 31, 2007
NEW EPISODE OF FCF RADIO: RORY MARKHAM AND ALEX SCHOENAUER

New episode of FCF Radio The latest edition of FCF Radio features interviews with Rory Markham and Alex Schoenauer, who both are competing in this Thursday's International Fight League Semifinals. Click here to listen/download

July 31, 2007
THOMAS VS. FISHER, SWICK VS. GOULET CONFIRMED

Spike Announces September 19th UFC Fight Night Line-Up
By FCF Staff

The Spike television network confirmed via a press release today, the line-up for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s next “Fight Night” event, which will be held at The Pearl, at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, September 19th. As with all the UFC Fight Nights, the card will be broadcast on the Spike network beginning at 9PM EST/PST.

Din Thomas (23-6) will meet Spencer Fisher (20-3) in a lightweight battle which will likely have serious title shot implications riding on the fight. Since competing in season 4 of “The Ultimate Fighter”, Thomas has won three fights in a row in his return to the UFC Octagon, most recently he submitted Jeremy Stephens with an armbar at UFC 71 in May. Fisher has gone 5-2 in the UFC, defeating Thiago Alves, Dan Lauzon, Aaron Riley, Matt Wiman and most recently Sam Stout, to avenge his Split Decision loss to the Canadian fighter last March.

In a middleweight battle, Chris Leben (11-5) will look to get back on the winning track against Terry Martin (16-2). Leben, who won his first five fights in the UFC, has now lost 3 of his last 4. Most recently he dropped a Unanimous Decision loss to Kalib Starnes at UFC 71, in what was an extremely competitive bout. Martin has looked impressive fighting at 185 lbs., defeating Jorge Rivera and Ivan Salaverry at UFC 67 and 71 respectively, since dropping down from light-heavyweight.

TUF 5 winner, Nathan Diaz (6-2) will face Cleuder “Junior” Assuncao (5-2) in another lightweight bout scheduled for the card. Diaz is coming off a TKO stoppage due to injury over Manny Gamburyan at the TUF Finale in June, while Assuncao in his last bout submitted David Lee with a rear-naked-choke at UFC 70, in April.

Mike Swick (9-2) will make his UFC welterweight debut against Canadian Jonathan Goulet (19-8). After dominating his opposition in his first five fights competing in the UFC middleweight division, Swick made the decision to drop down to 170 lbs. after he was overpowered for much of his bout with Yushin Okami at UFC 69 in February. The Unanimous Decision loss to Okami was Swicks first since 2004. Goulet is 3-2 in his last five fights; most recently he defeated Corey MacDonald at King of the Cage Canada’s “Supremacy” event last month. In Goulet’s last UFC performance at Fight Night 6 last August, he tapped out due to strikes against welterweight contender Josh Koscheck.

Nate Quarry (7-2) will return to the UFC Octagon for the first time in nearly two years to fight Pete Sell (7-3). Quarry, was viciously knocked out by former middleweight champ Rich Franklin in his last bout at UFC 56 in November of 2005. Prior to that he stopped Sell in the first round for the TKO win at Ultimate Fight Night 1 in August of that year. Sell did not appear to agree with the stoppage at the time, and will now have his chance to avenge the loss. The TUF 4 alumnus has dropped his last two fights to Scott Smith and Thales Leites, after defeating Landon Showalter at Ring of Combat last April.

TUF 5 competitors Gray Maynard and Cole Miller are also both scheduled to compete. Maynard (2-0) will meet Joe Veres (3-1), while Miller (12-2) will take on Leonard Garcia (10-2).

July 31, 2007
UNDER THE RADAR?

Three Bouts Worth Catching Outside of this Month's Brightest Spotlights
By Kelsey Mowatt

The month of August is going to be a busy one for MMA fans, with several prominent shows coming up there is plenty of world class action right around the corner. Of course this week alone, fans can look forward to the International Fight League’s Semi-Finals event in New Jersey and the World Extreme Cagefighting card Sunday, which will feature two title bouts with Carlos Condit fighting Brock Larson, and Paulo Filho taking on Joe Doerksen. August 25th at UFC 74, most fans are likely not going to miss “The Natural” Randy Couture’s title defense against Gabriel Gonzaga, or the compelling welterweight match-up that same night between Georges St.Pierre and Josh Koscheck. Clearly, August is going to be an interesting month.

But outside the sport’s bright spotlights of the IFL and UFC, there are plenty of other interesting bouts this month that avid MMA fans would well advised to check out if able. Whether it’s heading out to the show in person, waiting patiently for the delayed pay-per-view or DVD release, the three fights listed below promise to be fantastic bouts.

August 5th, King of the Cage, “Collision Course”
Soboba Casino - San Jacinto, California

Clayton French vs. Buddy Clinton

The reigning KOTC lightweight champ, Clay French (11-2), will look to erase any doubts regarding his last win over Buddy Clinton (9-4), when he faces the veteran fighter once again this weekend. The bout will mark the second time the two have fought in less than three months, as on May 26th, French worked his way to a Split Decision win to retain his 155 lb. title. Anytime a Split Decision is rendered, the usual call for a rematch is made, and fans attending the show in San Jacinto could be in for another competitive bout.

French won the KOTC belt by defeating the former long time incumbent Mac Danzig on January 19th. French became the first man to defeat Danzig in nearly 4 years. Since the championship win, the Pride veteran French has won two more bouts, the aforementioned victory over Clinton, as well as a TKO stoppage of Dom Bjerke at Courage Fighting Championships in April. His opponent Clinton has been competing since 1999, and is 3-2 in his last five fights. If ever the term “submission artist” should be applied to a fighter, Clinton’s record certainly makes a strong case for it, as all 9 of his victories have come way of tap-outs.

August 7th, BodogFight, “Paradise Lost”
Costa Rica
ION Network, Fight Network, Official Site

Chael Sonnen vs. Tim McKenzie

Now this bout occurred earlier this year during the filming of BodogFight’s current television fight series, “Paradise Lost,” but fans will finally have a chance to see the episode with the fight next Tuesday night. Chael Sonnen (18-8-1) may be one of the sport’s more under-rated practitioners, holding wins over Jason Lambert, Renato Sobral, and Trevor Prangley. Most recently the Team Quest veteran stopped Pride veteran Amar Suloev with strikes in the second round at BodogFight’s Alvarez vs. Lee event in July. Sonnen is 7-3 in his last 10 fights, with his losses during that stretch coming to quite notable fighters in Sobral, Jeremy Horn and Terry Martin.

Tim McKenzie (8-3) went 6-0 to begin his professional career, until he lost to Pride veteran Alex Stiebling in 2004 at WEC 10. Since that bout he has gone 2-2, with losses coming to UFC and Pride veterans, Scott Smith and Akihiro Gono. Most recently, at WEC 19 in March, McKenzie stopped current WEC 205 lb. champion Doug Marshall in the first round with strikes, handing Marhshall one of his two career defeats.

August 24th, Maximum Fighting Championship, “Lucky 13”
River Cree Resort and Casino - Edmonton, Alberta

Victor Valimaki vs. Roger Hollett

This fight features two of Canada’s better light-heavyweight fighters, with the current Maximum Fighting Championship title holder and UFC vet Victor Valimaki (9-4), taking on the up-and-coming, and undefeated, Roger Hollett (6-0). It is a classic West vs. East match-up, as Hollett will travel from his native Nova Scotia to battle Valimaki in front of his hometown Edmonton supporters.

Valimaki went on a tear when he returned to MMA competition in 2005 after a three year lay-off, winning five fights in a row. The streak included victories over MMA vets, Dan Severn and Vernon White, as well as an impressive TKO stoppage of another top Canadian prospect, Jason Day. At his UFC debut last December, Valimaki fell short against David Heath, losing by Split Decision. His last fight against Alessio Sakara at UFC 70 in April was a disappointing one, as the noted striker stopped Valimaki in the first round.

Hollett will be in for his toughest test to date when he faces Valimaki on the 24th. Without question, Hollett has shown incredible promise, winning all 6 of his fights in the first round. Most recently in June he knocked out MFC vet Shane Biever in 15 seconds, and before that, the Maritime’s fighter stopped Ricardeau Francois in just 20 seconds. Despite the impressive results, none of Hollett’s opponents to date have the experience, or likely the skill level, that Valimaki will bring to the table.