May 16, 2008
THE NORTHERN TOUCH: NEWS AND NOTES FROM CANADIAN MMA
Greer Hoping for Repeat Performance Against Quenneville
Featherweight Rematch Set for TKO 34
By Kelsey Mowatt

On June 7th, Montreal’s Bell Centre will once again be under the spotlight of Canadian MMA, as TKO will promote its 34th event, “Sims vs. Bosse.” In addition to the main event heavyweight clash between Wes Sims and Steve Bosse, the card will feature a featherweight rematch between British Columbian fighter Ben Greer (11-3) and Quebec veteran, Thierry Quenneville (11-7). Last August, at a King of the Cage Canada event in Edmonton, Greer submitted Quenneville in the second round.

“I was a little surprised actually,” Greer told FCF when asked for his initial reaction upon finding out he would be fighting Quenneville again. “The fact that I heard Thierry requested the fight, I felt like I beat him pretty good in the first one. So I’m surprised he wants to fight me again, but I guess that means he thinks he can beat me and he’s going to come out for this fight firing. I think at the moment as far as TKO goes he’s the best match-up right now for me.”

Since the loss to Greer, Quenneville has gone 1-1, losing to Brad Cardinal by submission at Ultimate Cage Wars 9 last September, and then most recently, Quenneville worked his way to a Unanimous Decision over Yoon Heo at TKO 31 in December. It will be interesting to see what each fighter brings to the table come June 7th, considering that their first encounter, was less than one year ago.

“The first time I fought him I actually fought him at 155lbs.,” said Greer. “He didn’t make weight for the fight. I also took that fight on a weeks notice and it was my first fight after breaking my ankle, I broke my ankle in January of 2007, so that was my first fight in 2007, so I’m just surprised after all that, that he still wants to fight me again. I think what he’s probably going to want to do is sprawl and brawl with me, probably keep me on my feet, and that’s what I’m used to. That’s what everyone seems to be trying to do with me these days, that’s the game plan Stephane Vigneault also had, and my game plan came out on top that day.”

Greer’s last fight also took place at TKO 31 in December, where the Universal Martial Arts fighter spoiled Vigneault’s first bout in nearly two years, by submitting the TKO veteran in the second round with a Kimura.

“It was a big win for me,” Greer responded when asked for his reflections on the bout. “Just being able to come back after getting my ass kicked by (Mark) Hominick, to get that loss off my back, and out of my mind. Also, against a guy like Stephane Vigneault who I’ve watched video on, I consider him to be one of the best 145lb. fighters in Canada.”

As Greer mentioned, the win over Vigneault set the B.C. fighter back on track, after being stopped by Mark Hominick at TKO 30 last September in the first round with strikes. The loss was Greer’s first in over three years, and ended an impressive, 9 fight winning streak.

“It was a fight that I basically put a lot on the line,” Greer told FCF. “I had been working for my Dad at the time full time, and I quit the job with my Dad to train full time, and I was in the best shape I could possibly be in for that fight. Mark caught me with some good shots, he’s an amazing fighter on his feet, and he was just the better fighter that night.”

Heading into his bout with Hominick, many viewed Greer as a huge underdog, due to the fact that the UFC veteran Hominick had defeated the likes of Yves Edwards and Jorge Gurgel. TKO promoter, Stephane Patry, reminded MMA observers at the time, that although Greer did not have the experience of the former TKO featherweight champ, he was one of the Nation’s more promising featherweight prospects.

“That’s awesome to hear that,” said Greer when asked about the high praise the TKO organization has sent his way. “Especially from a guy like Stephane, who has seen a lot of good fighters come through his organization, to be referred to as a good fighter is great. It would be nice to get a little bit more recognition and have the possibility to train a little more. At the moment, because I’m not a very well known fighter and don’t get paid a lot of money, I work full time, I actually go to school too, so I have a lot of things on the go.”

Patry is not the only person who has recognized Greer’s abilities, as other Canadian figures in the sport have also acknowledged that Greer’s career is one well worth monitoring. In fact, Greer might just be one or two key wins away from receiving a higher pay day, more recognition, or a title shot. In fact, TKO’s current featherweight champion, Hatsu Hioki, a man who defeated Hominick twice, might be just the kind of fighter Greer needs to beat, to get his name out there in international circles.

“I would love to have a title shot in TKO,” Greer said when asked about Hioki. “That would be awesome, Hatsu’s a pretty tough guy, I watched a couple of his fights against Hominick. That would be good; I’ve been working on my boxing religiously since I got knocked out by Hominick, so I think my stand-up is going to be a lot better then back in September.”

May 15, 2008
INTERNATIONAL FIGHT LEAGUE PREVIEW

Miller Among Others Ready to Take his Shot at IFL Gold
Mohegan Sun Arena Hosts Latest IFL Event Friday

By Derek Constable

Dan Miller’s not the type of fighter to boast or brag. His Dad always told him and his Brother “If people want to think something about you, let them think it about the way you do your job and not the way the way you run your mouth.” With that in mind, Miller was more than happy to sub for one of Renzo Gracie’s fighters in the 2007 IFL World Championship Semifinals even though he knew there would be no spot for him on the Pitbulls’ roster in the Finals regardless of the outcome.

Dan Miller

Miller still came to the ring and did his job to the best ability. He not only earned a victory but Submission-of-the-Night as he tapped out Dave Phillips in 1:30 from a standing guillotine choke. At 7-1, Miller was unbeaten as a Cage Fury Fighting Championship title holder and has yet to lose in as many as six fights since a split decision to Mike Massenzio.

His work speaks for itself.

“I just want to fight the toughest guys around,” he said. “I never want anyone to say, ‘Oh, Dan was supposed to win that fight,’ I want people to think, ‘Dan won that fight? That’s awesome!’ ”

Defeating current middleweight champion Ryan McGivern would certainly fit under those terms. He’s a Miletich guy with excellent cardio, who’s improved his punches tremendously the last few months, and is rumored to have developed quite the uppercut.

“I know he’s a really good wrestler and he’s got good hands, but I’ve been training really hard on my wrestling and my hands to go in there and take it to him,” Miller said. “I’m not going to change my game plan to win this fight. I’ll strike with him a little bit, feel him out and see what happens.”

At lightweight, Ryan Shultz has been seemingly invincible lately. He began his IFL career with two consecutive losses to the league’s best -- Chris Horodecki and Bart Palaszewski -- but one year later he avenged his loss to Horodecki and became the IFL Lightweight Champion.

They don’t call Shultz “The Lion” for nothing, but the champ should get all he can handle from opponent Deividas Taurosevicius, a former Lithuanian national rugby player whose only loss in his last seven bouts is to the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Frankie Edgar.

Both fighters have good standup and are dangerous on the ground, but Taurosevicius was able to succeed where Shultz had failed, when he submitted Palaszewski by arm bar at the 2007 IFL World Championship Finals (Shultz was KO’d in Rd2 by Palaszewski).

Both men will have to respect the other’s striking but look for this match to be won on the ground.

Miletich Fighting Systems will send Brad Imes after the IFL Heavyweight Title. At 12-4, Imes is most known for his submission ability and his losses have come against quality opponents like Rashad Evans, Dan Christison and Heath Herring.

Current champion Roy Nelson has also won many fights by submission, but as of late is finishing fights by TKO, and will likely look for the same type of result this Friday.

On the under card, Team Bombsquad and Team Prodigy will make their respective IFL debuts and a lightweight called “El Soldato”, should prove to be the hometown favorite of the evening, as Connecticut fighter Frank Latina finally gets his chance to fight at Mohegan Sun Casino.

A 31-year-old fighter from Middletown, Ct., Latina’s parents came to this country from Italy and worked like crazy to give him and his family a better life. Decades later, their son is professional fighter and living out his own dream.

“Like Sinatra sings, ‘My Way’ that’s how I always wanted to do it,” Latina said. “I also work third shift at a hospital so I can train in the afternoons. It’s not easy, but this is what I want so I had to do what it took to get me here.”

On Friday Latina will face John Franchi, a 25-year-old undefeated prospect out of Team Bombsquad with heavy hands and excellent jiu-jitsu. It’s a tall order for Latina to fill, but as someone who once walked into a main event on mere days notice to face UFC veteran Dan Lauzon, Latina isn’t sweating it.

“I feel better now at 31 than at 25,” he said. “To me, I feel no pressure from it, as a matter of fact its motivation for me.”

Latina was supposed to fight another hometown hero in Darryl MarcAurele at Mohegan Sun for the Global Fighting Championship’s inaugural event on … but after several fighters failed to pass their medical exams as well as weigh-ins -- Latina and MarcAurele were about the only fighters ready to go.

The event was cancelled and both fighters had to tell a sea of fans, “I’m sorry, but I’m not fighting tonight.”

“The whole GFC event would have been great for Darryl and I. He is a great fighter and coaches a very successful team (StrikeZone),” Latina said. “We both had a lot of our fans at that fight so it was disappointing for both of us. Things happen for a reason. Now with this shot at the IFL, I hope to make it happen for me. It’s going to be a great fight. I can’t wait! “

Main card:
IFL Heavyweight title: Roy Nelson vs. Brad Imes
IFL Middleweight title: Ryan McGivern vs. Dan Miller
IFL Lightweight title: Ryan Shultz vs. Deividas Taurosevicus

Under card:
205 - Lamont Lister vs. Aaron Stark
185 - Nick Calendrino vs. John Howard
155 - Josh Souder vs. Zac George
185 - Joey Guel vs. Matt Horwich
155 - Frank Latina vs. John Franchi
185 - Danillo Villafort vs. Mike Massenzio

Schultz (Top) Pounding John Gunderson in February

May 14, 2008
ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP NEWS
“Dooms” Day Confident in Victory Over Bisping
By Kelsey Mowatt

Jason “Dooms” Day continues to prepare for his upcoming, June 7th, UFC 85 clash with British star Michael Bisping, which will take place at the 02 Arena in London, England. The Canadian fighter, who has time and time again throughout his career stepped up to fight on short notice, apparently needed little time to mull over whether or not he’d fight Bisping when the UFC called. The former “Ultimate Fighter” winner Bisping had been scheduled to fight Chris Leben, until Leben was forced to withdraw from the bout, due to a recent 35 day prison sentence he was handed for violating his probation.

“There was no hesitation at all, I wanted this fight and was glad to take it,” Day told FCF. “A few of my buddies were joking that Leben was going to jail and that I would get the call and in the back of my head, I thought it was a good possibility too, it was not a huge surprise when they called.”

In Bisping, Day will not only face one of the promotion’s more notable fighters, but he will fight the middleweight on his home turf, in front of thousands of adoring fans. Although this is nothing new for Day, the Lethbridge fighter for instance took on Patrick Cote at TKO 29, in Montreal, Quebec’s Bell Centre, the spotlight on this fight will be much brighter.

“This fight is going to be insane,” said Day. “I have fought guys in their home towns before but in front of 2 or 3 thousand people. This is different; this is in front of his home country and ten times that many people. I don't believe I will be fazed by it though; I block the crowd out in my fights. In Montreal I did not realize how insane it was in there until I stood in the middle after I won and listened to them scream.”

Day is of course referring to his recent TKO victory over Alan Belcher at UFC 83 in Montreal on April 19th. Although Day’s UFC debut was not broadcast on the event’s PPV, word of his impressive performance seemed to spread fairly quickly over the internet. Despite the high grades he received from many for his win, there is little question that the 16-7 fighter will be the underdog, when he faces the 15-1 Bisping.

“I am under the radar on the everyday UFC fans mind,” Day concedes when asked if he thinks some might underestimate his abilities on June 7th. “But for those who saw my last fight I don’t think I will be underestimated. I am no longer the unknown factor when I step in the cage. I know Bisping has seen it and I don’t believe he will be taking me lightly at all.”

Bisping also of course fought at UFC 83, and while making his UFC debut at 185lbs., he dominated Charles McCarthy en route to a first round TKO win. Over his last few fights, despite struggling against Matt Hamill and then Rashad Evans, Bisping has demonstrated that he is continuing to evolve as a fighter, and is far from being just a one dimensional striker.

“My gameplan is the same as it always is, get in there, fight and dominate wherever the fight may go,” Day said when asked about what sort of gameplan he might employ against Bisping. “We have not seen too much of his ground game so that is hard to compare to mine. I think we match up well on the feet and this fight could very well come down to conditioning, as I see it being a high paced aggressive fight all around. “

Day has also rounded out his game over the last few years, once more so regarded to be a ground specialist, the Canadian Martial Arts Center fighter has worked hard on his striking, skills that he utilized to finish Belcher off in April. Heading into his fight with Bisping, Day, who is also a former light-heavyweight turned middleweight, continues to train at his home base gym, Lethbridge’s Canadian Martial Arts Center.

“The only thing that I have changed is I am training my conditioning and strength on my lunch breaks now so I can separate it from technical work and sparring, and I seem to have more energy at night now,” Day told FCF. “I have the same core around me as always. Kenny Seaman is taking care of my conditioning, Justin Tavernini who I think is one of the best clinch and Muay Thai coaches in the country is working my stand up, Lee Mein is working my takedowns and ground game and I have all the CMC boys behind me, Dan Chambers, Jared Kilkenny, Jordan Mein have all stepped up to help me get ready.”

And as far as a prediction for the June 7th tilt?

“I think I know how to catch him standing, KO first round. If he gets it to the ground watch for some crazy ass submission!”

May 13, 2008
ELITE XC UPDATE

Carano and Young Sound Off About Saturday Night Fights
Shaw Says That Network Debut Is “Make Or Break”
By Steven Marrocco

Today, the females spearheading MMA’s network debut, Gina Carano and Kaitlin Young, held court at a teleconference for the media. Known for their exceptional stand-up capabilities, both fighters expected a great stylistic match-up, but didn’t rule out a fight on the ground.

“I think it’s one of the best match ups I’ve ever had,” Carano said. “I’m not going to just counter as a stand up fighter, I’m going to counter as a complete MMA fighter.”

Early on, it became clear that there was a large disparity in the amount of time the fighters had to prepare for the bout. Young reported that she had received word about the fight with 9 weeks to prepare, while Carano had a mere three weeks. A series regular on “American Gladiators,” Carano had completed filming the show’s episodes only a week ago. Asked to do a promotional tour for the show—Carano lamented its recent ratings plummet—she instead opted to get mentally prepared for the fight.

“I wish I would have had 9 weeks to focus on it like Katin did, but there’s no excuses,” she said. “I feel more mentally clear than I ever have in my life.”

Talk also centered around Carano’s weight cut, which was apparently in the range of 15 lbs. The female star has had trouble cutting weight in the past, looking severely faint at the weigh-ins for her last fight against Tonya Evinger at Elite XC’s “Uprising” last September. Carano tried to dispel any ideas that she’d have problems again, claiming she liked to cut weight.

“It can be very addicting,” she said. “You just get to this point of exhaustion and emptiness, and then this euphoric state passes over you.”

Carano also claims to be living at her gym, Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, hard at work on the upcoming fight. She says the fight will represent a nice departure from the play world of “American Gladiators.”

“I think it’s going to be pretty refreshing to get in there and get physical,” she said. “I’m better at fighting than I am at going any of these press conferences or entertainment things. At least when you’re in the cage, you know whose throwing the punches.”

Young is in the middle of finals at the University of Minnesota, and she too feels a tremendous obligation to represent female fighters. But it wasn’t hard to notice that the burden is not on her shoulders come May 31st.

“It would be huge for my career,” Young said of defeating Carano. “I’ve been lucky to put in a lot of time for this fight.”

As a public company, ProElite’s financial statements were recently released, disclosing $31.3 million in losses for the year 2007. Company auditors have expressed doubts over whether the company will be able to continue through the end of the year. Shaw admitted that May 31st needed to be a perfect night to ensure Elite XC’s future.

“I’m not embarrassed about our numbers,” Shaw said. “We’re losing money. We’ll probably lose more money, but that’s what start-ups do. There are very few companies that start from day one that make money. It’s about staying power. The UFC lost 35 million dollars before they ever went on Spike and got that push. Are we losing money? Yes, we’re losing money. Are we going to be here long term? Yes, we’re going to be here long term.”

“We’re number two to UFC. We’re Pepsi to Coke, Avis to Hertz, but it’s not always a bad place to be.”

Carano (L) After Weighing In For Her Fight With Evinger

May 12, 2008
ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP UPDATE
Nogueira and Mir Named TUF 8 Coaches
By FCF Staff

Spike Television and the Ultimate Fighting Championship confirmed today that former UFC heavyweight champ Frank Mir, and the promotion’s interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, will be the coaches for the eighth season of “The Ultimate Fighter” program. The next season of the reality show will premiere Wednesday, September 17th.

Mir

Today’s release also confirmed that TUF 8 will feature 2 different weight divisions, as has been the case in several previous seasons of the program, with lightweight and light-heavyweight fighters scheduled to compete.

Also in keeping with several prior editions of TUF, Spike confirmed today that Nogueira and Mir will fight upon the conclusion of TUF 8, at a yet to be announced, pay-per-view event. Nogueira (31-4-1) has gone 2-0 since he signed with the UFC; at UFC 73 he worked his way to a Unanimous Decision victory over Heath Herring, and most recently, he submitted Tim Sylvia with a third round guillotine choke at UFC 81 in February.

Mir (11-3) has won two straight since he was stopped by Brandon Vera in the first round at UFC 65 in November, 2006; most recently the Las Vegas fighter submitted Brock Lesnar with a first round kneebar at UFC 81.

Production for TUF 8 will begin in May with the entire season’s cast to be announced in September.

May 11, 2008
ACROSS THE POND: BRITISH MMA NEWS

Cage Rage 26: Extreme Results
By David West

If Randy Couture is Captain America, Ian Freeman must be Captain Britain. Coming out of retirement at 40 to challenge Paul Cahoon for his old British light-heavyweight title, Freeman snubbed his nose at Father Time and gave Cahoon a lesson in ground and pound for three rounds to reclaim his belt. Despite being ten years the senior, Freeman looked in much better shape than the defending champion and as the fight progressed, his conditioning allowed him to maintain constant aggression and emphatically shut down Cahoon. There was some bravado from Cahoon in round one, responding to Freeman’s strikes on the ground by yelling at him for more, but Freeman was only too happy to oblige. Freeman’s superior wrestling let him escape whenever he was on the bottom before Cahoon could score and kept him in control when he was on top, denying Cahoon any chance to use his Muay Thai. With the crowd cheering him on, Freeman won all three rounds to put himself back on top of the British 205 pound division.

Freeman Pounding Cahoon

Che Mills won the vacant British welterweight belt by stopping Marius Zaromskis on a cut. Zaromskis found how Dangerous Mills is on the outside, taking some hard punches early in round one that opened up a cut under his right eye. Zaromskis responded by working in the clinches and taking the fight to the floor, but with a deep cut right on his tear duct he couldn’t continue after the first round.

Mills won’t have to look far for his first defence with Ross Pointon hollering “Where’s my belt?” after tapping out Ross Mason. Expectations of a kickboxing match were quickly dispelled as they hit the floor early. Mason attempted an arm bar from his back, Pointon responded with his own arm bar, then snatched a leg and furiously cranked on a heel hook that brought the tap out. Pointon’s ground game has improved beyond all recognition and he looks to be a major force in the British welterweight ranks in the future.

Pointon Applying the Painful Submission to Mason

Matt Ewin kept his British middleweight belt, using his trademark ground and pound style to rough up the very durable Mark Epstein in a tough three round battle. Epstein showed he’d done his homework by taking Ewin down to start round one, not waiting for Ewin to shoot. However, Ewin tied up well from his back and was adept at reversing and keeping top position throughout the match. He’s able to generate jarring power with his strikes on the floor and has the cardio to maintain continuous pressure that takes its toll mentally and physically on his opponents. Epstein gamely stayed the course and tried to turn the tide, but Ewin took the unanimous decision after dominating the wrestling and landing the heavier strikes.

Brad Pickett and Paul Reed had a thrilling back and forth battle for three rounds in a very competitive match. Reed made excellent use of his jab throughout the fight, opening a cut on Pickett’s eyebrow, and scored with knees when he caught Pickett in a head and arm hold, but Pickett staggered Reed with a hook thrown off his jab in round one and knocked him down with a flying knee in round three to cinch the majority decision in one of the best matches of the night.

Marc Goddard was out to avenge his submission defeat to Henrique “Chocolate” Nogueira in their light-heavyweight meeting, but had to settle for a draw. Noguiera was determined to take the fight to the canvas, but had to work very hard for every takedown and Goddard tied him up tight as a vice on the ground and never gave Nogueira any openings to set up strikes or submissions. Goddard scored one knockdown with an uppercut and was able to land some solid punches when on top of Nogueira, but the final result was a draw.

Harvey Harra looked ferocious in dismantling Gary Kelly. Harra picked his opponent apart in the standing exchanges; fluidly mixing kicks in with his fast hands before finishing with a triangle after a bloodied Kelly took him down. Hopefully we’ll see more of this impressive lightweight soon.

Pickett (l) and Reed Exchanging Strikes

Full Results

Ian Freeman def. Paul Cahoon by Unanimous Decision
Che Mills def. Marius Zaromskis by TKO (doctor stoppage – cut) after R1
James Zikic def. Rodney Glunder by Arm Bar 0:25 R3
Ross Pointon def. Ross Mason by Heel Hook 1:36 R1
Matt Ewin def. Mark Epstein def. Unanimous Decision
Marc Goddard DRAW Henrique Nogueira
Brad Pickett def. Paul Reed by Majority Decision
Popek Rak def. Kev Simms by TKO (referee stoppage – strikes) 1:12 R1
Chris Rice def. Edgelson Lue by TKO (referee stoppage – strikes) 1:35 R3
Harvey Harra def. Gary Kelly by Triangle 3:46 R1

May 11, 2008
DREAM 3 RESULTS
Alvarez Defeats Hansen in Thriller, Uno Upsets Ishida
By Kelsey Mowatt

The Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, hosted the third offering from the relatively new promotion Dream today, and although the card featured bouts from several weight divisions, the event’s main emphasis was the lightweights. Highlighting the card was the second round of the promotion’s Lightweight Grand-Prix which got underway on March 15th, with notable competitors like Eddie Alvarez, Joachim Hansen, Tatsuya Kawajiri, and Mitsuhiro Ishida all advancing to Sunday’s second round.

In one of the tournament’s most anticipated match-ups, up-and-coming American lightweight Eddie Alvarez, took on Norway’s highly regarded Joachim Hansen. Round one would unfold in the manner many MMA fans thought, as the two noted strikers were more than willing to test the other fighter’s abilities standing. Although Hansen demonstrated remarkable recovery abilities, the Pride veteran was floored, not once, but twice by hard right hooks from Alvarez. When Hansen did appear to land a telling blow, Alvarez fell back to his wrestling and took Hansen to the mat, leaving few doubts that the Philadelphia fighter won round one.

Alvarez

Round two saw more of the action take place on the mat, and Hansen had Alvarez on the defensive for much of it, with a series of submission attempts. Despite the fluidity of Hansen’s ground game, Alvarez remained composed, and nicely rolled out of several Kimura and armbar attempts. With one minute left in the bout Alvarez worked his way back to his feet and began his pursuit of Hansen once again. Seconds before the final bell sounded the American landed a high kick to the head of Hansen, one that if it had come from a fresher Alvarez earlier in the bout, might have ended the fight instantly. In the end, the judge’s awarded Alvarez the Unanimous Decision victory, sending the American lightweight on to the next round.

In another all-star match-up between two of Japan’s more notable lightweight fighters, Mitsuhiro Ishida faced off against Caol Uno. Although Uno has had a long and successful career, many had Ishida as the favorite, in part, due to the fact he defeated top ten ranked Gilbert Melendez by Unanimous Decision at Yarennoka’s New Year’s Eve event.

For much of round one it appeared that an upset might be in the making, as Uno kept the renowned wrestler in Ishida at bay with kicks and punches, while stuffing several of his opponent’s takedown attempts. Finally as the round neared its end, Ishida was finally able to get Uno to the mat, eventually attempting a rear-naked-choke that Uno nicely defended.

In round two it wouldn’t take long for Uno to complete his upset bid. After failing to take Uno down with another shot from the outside, Ishida swung around to Uno’s back, however, the crafty veteran quickly reversed the position and took Ishida’s back instead. From there, Uno worked in a fight ending rear-naked-choke, serving notice to the MMA world that he has plenty of fight left in him.

In the other second round lightweight match-up, Tatsuya Kawajiri worked his way to Unanimous Decision victory over Luis Buscape, to advance to the tourney’s semi-finals. The winner of the June 15th bout between Shinya Aoki and Katsuhiko Nagata will determine the tournament’s last semi-finalist.

In a welterweight match-up featured on the card; Elite XC fighter Nick Diaz took on Japan’s Katsuya Inoue. In typical Diaz fashion, as soon as the opening bell sounded, the Stockton fighter began to stalk Inoue around the ring while landing punches to his opponent’s body and head. Despite the frenetic pace being set by Diaz, Inoue remained defiant, and landed several of his own shots in return. Eventually Diaz began to overwhelm Inoue as the opening round neared its end, and after several hard left-right combos to Inoue that dazed the Japanese fighter considerably, his corner threw in the towel to bring a halt to the action.

At middleweight, Jason “Mayhem” Miller took on Katsuyori Shibata, with the winner set to advance to the second round of Dream’s Middleweight Grand-Prix. After some early showboating from Miller and a fierce striking exchange to begin the bout, the American fighter took Shibata to the mat. From there Miller dominated the action, eventually securing the crucifix position, where he battered Shibata’s face with punches and knees. Although Shibata would eventually escape from the precarious position, Miller soon regained full mount, and after landing several hard right hands from above, the referee jumped in to save Shibata from any further punishment.

In an alternate bout for Dream’s Middleweight Grand-Prix; Melvin Manhoef took on Dae Won Kim. Although many would have expected Manhoef to dominate the action standing, it would be Kim early on who dazed the feared striker with a hard right hand. From there, although Kim promptly took Manhoef to the mat and began to work from sidemount, the Dutch fighter remained calm and eventually worked his way out from underneath. Now, with Manhoef working from above in sidemount, the Hero’s veteran landed a cracking right knee to the head of his opponent that dazed Kim considerably. Several follow up hammer fists from Manhoef gave the referee no choice but to stop the action at 4:08 of the first round.

Dream 3 Full Results

Eddie Alvarez def. Joachim Hansen by Unanimous Decision
Tatsuya Kawajiri def. Luis Buscape by Unanimous Decision
Caol Uno def. Mitsuhiro Ishida by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 1:38, R2
Nick Diaz def. Katsuya Inoue by TKO 6:45, R1
Daisuke Nakamura def. Bu Kyung Jung by KO 1:19, R2
Melvin Manhoef def. Dae Won Kim by TKO 4:08, R1
Jason Miller def. Katsuyori Shibata by TKO 6:57, R1
Takeshi Yamazaki def. Shoji Maruyama by Unanimous Decision

May 10, 2008
USFL: WAR IN THE WOODS III
McGreal Steals the Show, Olsen Doesn’t Disappoint

By Derek Constable

LEDYARD, Ct. -- Despite many changes to the fight card just days before fight night, the United States Fight League put on its best show to date on Friday, as the organization scheduled about a half dozen professional fights alongside four amateur bouts and three grappling exhibitions.

Brian Olsen, a veteran of World Extreme Cagefighting and native to New London, Ct., returned to fight in his home state after two shots North across the border to Canada where he competed in Ultimate Generation Combat 16 and 17.

Olsen was well received by the crowd and took care of business as he dismantled Fernando Perez with two solid takedowns and some heavy shots to body as well as the head. In under two minutes, Olsen pummeled Perez into submission, as he continuously attacked the head of his opponent from side mount. Perez could only manage to use a single arm as a shield while getting beat on his back and made it easy for the referee to call a stop to the action at 1:41of Round One and award the win to Olsen by technical knockout.

The fight of the night came in the featherweight division as the undefeated Pat McGreal took on Barrington Douse, a tough kid from Springfield who growled at McGreal from start to finish like an angry dog staring down the mailman.

On paper, McGreal looked to be the favorite -- a 4-0 fighter with excellent cardio and wins by both TKO as well as submission against an 0-2 fighter with not much of a reputation -- but Douse won over the crowd after a hard fought second round that ended with a strong arm bar attempt near the end of the round. McGreal made it through the final 10 seconds of Round Two but any longer and he may have entered Round Three with a broken arm.

In Round Three it was anyone’s game. Both fighters needed to finish strong and go for broke rather than play it safe and try to win on any scorecards. McGreal tried a flying knee to Douse’s midsection at the beginning of the final round, but it didn’t land quite where he wanted it to and the result instead was an illegal low blow.

Douse took a few moments to catch his wind and then came right back at McGreal with bad intentions, but the scrappy red-head from Team Bombsquad prevailed with a brilliant knockout by spinning back fist. McGreal connected with a heavy haymaker as soon as the fight resumed after the low blow, but Douse ate the shot and tried to chase McGreal into a corner with kicks and punches. McGreal instead circled left and delivered the most beautiful spinning back fist since Shonie Carter and Matt Serra.

“I’ve been fighting for awhile now and I’ve submitted a guy, I’ve won by TKO, but it’s an awesome feeling to get a win by a pure knockout,” McGreal said. “It feels really, really good.”

Will Kerr, the Untamed Welterweight Champion, added a new title belt to his collection after he defeated Ricardo Funch for the USFL Grappling Championship, 5-4, in the third match of the evening. As usual, Team Link of Ludlow, Ma., was on a tear taking two of the first three grappling exhibitions by submission. Alexandre Moreno defeated Josh Hesser by rear naked choke and Gabriel Santos defeated Julio Feliciano by arm triangle -- so it up to Kerr to sidetrack the train known as Team Link.

It was the only grappling contest to go the distance and as usual their were some different opinions from the corners on the scoring for takedowns, passes and submission attempts, but Kerr won by an extremely close margin and continues to showcase his own unique brand of grappling at each and every War in the Woods event.

He doesn’t quite approach his opponents as a jiu-jitsu guy or a wrestler, but as a grappler in the truest sense of the word -- he uses leverage, power and position to always stay in the optimal place for success.

Jon Jones who won his first three pro fights while fighting three weekends in a row, made it four wins in five weeks as he delivered yet another knockout in just his first month as a professional mixed martial artist. This week he faced Ryan “Big Country” Verrett, a native of Connecticut who requested no knees or elbows just hours before the fight and yet forgot about the rules himself long enough to hit Jones square in the groin with a low knee.

Jones took about a minute’s rest to recover and then decided if knees and elbows weren’t allowed he’d just finish Verrett the old fashioned way … with his own two hands.

He stalked Verrett for a few seconds after the low blow, ate a small leg kick, and then Jones let loose a right cross with the force of a teenager decapitating mailboxes with a Louisville slugger. Verrett fell to the floor immediately and just like he did in his pro debut, Jones threw his arms in the air out of pure joy and excitement.

Then with his hands raised in victory, he noticed Verrett begin to sit up and quickly snuffed out any desire ‘Big Country’ may have had left to compete. A left, a right and a one final left were thrown before the ref intervened and awarded Jones his fourth consecutive win in just five weeks.

WWIII had amateur knockouts, there were pro knockouts and two out of three grappling contests ended decisively by tapouts not decisions. It’s not easy to put together a winning fight card just days before an event, but the USFL has continued to prove that no matter what obstacles are thrown their way -- the show must go on. After all it doesn’t matter who didn’t show up or pass a physical exam, all that really matters is the talent that does make it in the ring on fight night.

Final results

Main Event

Brian Olsen def. Fernando Perez by TKO 1:41 R1.

Pros

Jon Jones def. Ryan Verrett by KO 2:58 R1.
Reggie Higgins def. Kym Sturdivant by Key Lock 1:21 R1.
Chris Simmons def. Matt Smith by Triangle 2:20 R1.
Pat McGreal def Barrington KO :42 R3.

Amateurs

Sean Cahill def. James Malvesti by Unanimous Decision [30-26, 30-27, 30-27].
Dan Conway def. Zack Mayo by Guillotine :31 R1.
TJ Hepburn def. Joe West by Armbar 2:48 R1.
Nick Sergicomi def. Mike Bryant by Americana 2:47 R1.

USFL Grappling Championship:
Will Kerr def. Ricardo Funch, 5-4. (1 x 5 min Rd.)

Grappling

Alexandre Moreno def. Josh Hesser by RNC 1:42 R1.
Gabriel Santos def. Julio Feliciano by Arm Triangle 3:27 R1.

May 10, 2008
RING OF COMBAT RESULTS
Catone Crowned Champ at Lou Neglia’s Ring of Combat 19
by Jim Genia

(May 9th, Tropicana Casino & Resort, Atlantic City) It was business as usual at Lou Neglia’s Ring of Combat 19, with crowd-pleasing knockouts, smooth submissions and hard-fought battles the order of the evening. Highlights of the night included:

Stanco rains down strikes on Berracol

• The face-punching party between Anthony LaDonna and Mike Medrano. In the end, LaDonna rocked Medrano good, but Medrano returned the favor with a dramatic knockout.
• Dave Branch’s dominant performance over the very tough Alexis Aquino. You have to be a real badass to finish Aquino, and with his sharp striking and solid clinch, a badass is apparently what Branch is.
• Constantinos Phillippou’s heavy hands, which he used to punish the heck out of Ricardo Romero. Romero took the split decision thanks to his wrestling, experience and heart, but Phillippou really took it to him.
• Nick Catone’s star performance over Mitch Whitesel. The two were pretty evenly matched in the wrestling department, so Catone turned up the heat with strikes to get the stoppage – and earn himself a championship belt.

Full results:

Anthony Morrisson (Rhino Fight Team-156lbs) vs. Eddie Fyvie (Spa City BJJ-155lbs)
Fyvie via triangle choke at 3:47 of Round One.

Joe Diamond (AC MMA-193lbs) vs. Bill Scott (BJJ Shore Academy/Ricardo Almeida-190lbs)
Scott via armbar at 1:54 of Round Two.

Anthony Vetro (Inazuma Te Ryu-198lbs) vs. “Crazy” Chris Schlesinger (Soca/Bellmore Kickboxing-188lbs)
Schlesinger via rear naked choke at :47 of Round Two.

Mike Medrano (Rhino Fight Team-171lbs) vs. Anthony LaDonna (Serra/Longo-170lbs)
Medrano via KO (punch) at 1:22 of Round Two.

Alexis Aquino (Rhino Fight Team-186lbs) vs. Dave Branch (Team Renzo/Insight-185lbs)
Branch via referee stoppage due to unanswered strikes at 3:29 of Round One.

Dom Stanco (Bellmore Kickboxing-175lbs) vs. Mark Berraciol (BJJ Shore Academy/Ricardo Almeida-174lbs)
Stanco via referee stoppage due to unanswered strikes at 3:21 of Round Two.

Doug Gordon (Team Rush/Elite BJJ-179lbs) vs. LeVon Maynard (Global Martial Arts-178lbs)
Gordon via referee stoppage due to unanswered strikes at 2:15 of Round One.

Ricardo Romero (Advanced Martial Arts-205lbs) vs. Constantinos Phillippou (Serra/Longo-205lbs)
Romero via split decision.

USKBA Middleweight Championship
Nick Catone (BJJ Shore Academy/Ricardo Almeida-185lbs) vs. Mitch Whitesel (WreckRoom-185lbs)
Catone via referee stoppage due to unanswered strikes at 2:27 of Round One.

May 9, 2008
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May 9, 2008
ACROSS THE POND: BRITISH MMA NEWS

Cage Rage 26 – Extreme Preview
By David West

Tomorrow night the biggest name in British MMA will face the toughest test in a career that has hitherto gone from strength to strength. It’s not a fighter under pressure tomorrow, but Cage Rage itself. While the promotion has distinguished itself as Britain’s most successful domestic MMA brand, it has always been firmly rooted in London, but Cage Rage 26 will be the first Cage Rage show held in Birmingham, away from the familiar stomping grounds of Wembley. If that wasn’t enough, it will be the first event without Andy Geer, who has left the promotion in the hands of his co-founder Dave O’Donnell.

Freeman

The card is almost exclusively made up of British fighters – all three title fights on the bill are for British belts, headlined by the light-heavyweight title contest between Ian “The Machine” Freeman, coming out of another short-lived retirement, to face reigning champion Paul Cahoon. Both men hold decision wins over former champion Mark Epstein and both have fallen victim to the heavy hands of Melvin Manhoef. Freeman has the edge in experience and his ground and pound put Frank Mir to sleep back at UFC 38, so he’ll probably look for the takedown and try to finish Cahoon on the canvas. Cahoon’s lethal right hand was showcased when he dropped Elvis Sinosic with one Exocet missile of an overhand right at Cage Rage 24. Cahoon honed his Muay Thai skills training in Holland with Team Golden Glory so he’ll likely look to stay on his feet and make Freeman pay for every takedown attempt. Freeman looked in amazing shape when he was at the SENI Martial Arts Expo two weeks ago so this one should be explosive.

Fighting for the British welterweight title vacated by Paul Daley, Marius Zaromskis will look to avenge his defeat to Che Mills. A precise kickboxer who can throw brutal kicks with either leg, Zaromskis will have to find his way inside the taller Mills long reach. The cousin of Mark Weir, Mills has knockout power in his long arms and in their first encounter, at Contenders 2, he KO’d Zaromskis with a perfectly timed knee to the chin. While Zaromskis has improved considerably since, with highlight reel performances against Ross Mason and Damien Riccio, no one has been able to last a single round with Mills in his last five wins (discounting one no-contest). Mills has to be the favourite, leaving it up to Zaromskis to go for the upset win.

Holland’s Rodney Faverus has superb stand-up but like too many kickboxers, his ground game has never been the equal of his striking. His opponent tomorrow will be London’s James Zikic who is tough as old boots and has shown an inhuman ability to soak up abuse and come back slugging. Zikic has fought in MMA, boxing and K-1 so he’ll no doubt be only too happy to stand and trade with Faverus, but Zikic has never been big for the division and Faverus may be able to rough him up in the clinches. Coming off four losses Faverus needs the win, while a victory for Zikic could earn him a crack at the winner of Cahoon-Freeman for the British title.

Two popular welterweights clash when Ross Mason takes on Ross Pointon. Mason got back on track with a TKO of Henrique Santana after dropping three in a row, while Pointon was unlucky to get stopped on a nasty cut in his last fight against Marius Zaromskis. Pointon has showed a markedly improved skill set in all areas of his game in recent outings, but there must be a question mark hanging over him about whether he’ll get cut again. Mason has great Muay Thai and should be well matched with Pointon’s San Shou kickboxing background, but if Mason can re-open the scar tissue on Pointon’s forehead, Pointon may find his career facing another setback.

Pointon Will Face Mason at Cage Rage 26

Looking to claim his third Cage Rage title, Mark Epstein continues working his way down the weight divisions to challenge British middleweight champ Matt Ewin. Epstein throws big bombs and loves to let fly with his left hook, but stylistically he’ll have his hands full with Ewin, who will look for the takedown and work his ground and pound. Epstein will be fighting not just for the title, but for the pride of his team London Shootfighters. Ewin has made a habit of collecting the scalps of London Shootfighters’ members – he holds wins over Suley Mahmoud, Gaz Rorison, Sol Gilbert and Alex Reid. His style may not be spectacular, but he possesses great strength, prodigious cardio and will test Epstein’s resolve to the limit. Expect this one to become a test of wills that will go the distance with Ewin probably taking the nod.

After taking a break in 2006, Marc Goddard returned to action dropping down from heavyweight to light-heavyweight and disposed of his first two opponents in his comeback, Ivan Serati and Tony Bentley, by TKO. He’ll be out for revenge against the Wolfslair’s Henrique Nogueira who beat him by guillotine when they fought at Cage Warriors back in 2005. Goddard has looked revitalised since moving down to 205 but he’ll have to sprawl and brawl and stay wary of Nogueira’s submissions.

Popular featherweight Brad Pickett returns to Cage Rage to face Paul Reed, who is coming off his unsuccessful title bid against Emanuel Fernandez at FX3. Reed has tasty ground and pound, but Pickett is notoriously difficult to hold down. Reed’s biggest win to date was over BJJ black belt Alexandre Izidro, but Pickett’s much more well rounded than Izidro and he loves to throw punches in bunches. Pickett should be able to scramble out of danger on the floor and gradually wear down Reed with pressure on the feet.

Full Fight Card:

Ian Freeman vs. Paul Cahoon
Che Mills vs. Marius Zaromskis
Rodney Faverus vs. James Zikic
Ross Mason vs. Ross Pointon
Mark Epstein vs. Matt Ewin
Henrique Nogueira vs. Marc Goddard
Paul Reed vs. Brad Pickett
Kev Simms vs. Popek Rak
Roman Webber vs. Scott Fairclough
Chris Rice vs. Edgelson Lue
Harvey Harra vs. Gary Kelly

May 9, 2008
ADRENALINE UPDATE

Adrenaline Card Released
By Steven Marrocco

Adrenaline MMA, or the promotion formerly known as M-1 Global, released details on their inaugural card to be held June 14th at the Sears Centre in Chicago, Illinois. A Midwest-heavy line up leads the way for a main event showdown between Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Jeff Monson and Pride vet Mike Russow. Fans outside of Chicago will have to make the drive to the Windy City if they want to see the show, as the event is live only.

"Monson is far more than just a veteran," said Adrenaline CEO Monte Cox. "He has fought in every major event in the world and competed for countless titles, including the UFC heavyweight title. He comes into the event having won 18 of his last 20 bouts and is looking to prove Russow is not yet ready for the big time.

Monson

"Russow, on the other hand, has been crushing opposition and has been tested twice in major events... losing to then No. 6 ranked Sergei Kharitonov in Pride, then crushing Roman Zentzov in Japan's Yarennoka event last New Years Eve. He's ready to show he should be considered among the world's best."

The announcement comes seven months after the promotion stutter stepped while trying to keep their crown jewel, Fedor Emelianenko, only to become mired in disagreement with the Russian wing of M-1 over the cost of the Russian star. In late March, the CEO Monte Cox and his partners in Sibling Sports finally severed ties with Emelianenko, and the promotion downscaled its original plans for free TV and pay per view.

Cox now appears to be spearheading operations of the company, with several fighters on his management roster appearing in the show, including Russow. His latest well-publicized signing, Tim Sylvia, will be appearing against none other than Emelianenko at new-kid-on-the block Affliction’s first show on July 19th in Anaheim, California.

In addition to Russow and Monson, UFC vet and Chicago native Terry Martin will take on PRIDE and fellow UFC vet Daiju Takase. Martin is coming off his first pro boxing victory over Ricardo Upchirch. Takase was last knocked out by Hector Lombard in an Australian event in early 2006. Other fighters of note scheduled to appear are King of the Cage Lightweight Champion Clay French, Jeff Cox, Kerry Schall, and IFL vets Bart Palaszewski, Rory Markham, and Mark Miller.

May 9, 2008
PALACE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP UPDATE
Several Titles Change Hands at PFC 8
By FCF Staff

Leemore, California, hosted Palace Fighting Championship 8 last night, the promotion’s second event in the last two weeks. The PFC 8 card featured 4 title fights in addition to 8 preliminary bouts.

In the main event, Diego Saraiva was unable to defend his PFC lightweight championship as the UFC veteran lost by Unanimous Decision to Brian Cobb. With the win, Cobb’s record improves to 12-4 while Saraiva’s drops to 11-7-1.

Nate Loughran submitted PFC middleweight champ Kenny Ento in the second round to lay claim to the promotion’s 185lb. belt. With the victory, Loughran extends his perfect record to 8-0 while Ento’s falls to 9-4.

And in another bout that saw a PFC belt change hands, Jorge Evangelista defeated Art Arciniega by Unanimous Decision to become the promotion’s featherweight champion. The loss, which is Arciniega’s first, drops the former champion’s record to 6-1 while Evangelista’s improves to 7-2-1.

In the last title fight of the evening, Shawn Klarcyk (8-2) became the PFC Interim Bantamweight Champion by submitting Jason Georgianna (7-3) in the second round. The interim title bout was set up after PFC Bantamweight champ Rolando Velasco was unable to defend his title against Klarcyk due to an injury.

Some of the results from the preliminary bouts included; IFL veteran Devin Cole stopped Vince Lucero in the first round for the TKO win, Pride vet Olaf Alfonso KO’ed Chris Solomon just 28 seconds into round one, and former “Ultimate Fighter” competitor Lodune Sincaid, earned his 13th career victory, by submitting Rafeal Del Real in the first round.

PFC 8 Results

PFC Featherweight Title Fight
Jorge Evangelista defeated Art Arciniega by Unanimous Decision.

PFC Middleweight Title Fight
Nate Loughran submitted Kenny Ento at 2:30 of Rd.2.

PFC Interim Bantamweight Title Fight
Shawn Klarcyk (8-2) submitted Jason Georgianna (7-3) at 57 seconds of Rd.2.

PFC Lightweight Title Fight
Brian Cobb (12-4) defeated Diego Saraiva (11-7-1) by Unanimous Decision.

Sergio Cortez defeated Poppies Martinez by stoppage due to an injury at 2:57 of Rd.1
Devin Cole defeated Vince Lucero by TKO at 1:17 of Rd.1.
Olaf Alfonso knocked out Chris Solomon at 28 seconds of Rd.1.
Casey Olson submitted Sergio Quinones at 46 seconds of Rd.1.
Dustin Akabari defeated Cody Canterbury by TKO at 1:37 of Rd.1.
Lodune Sincaid submitted Rafael Del Real at 1:03 of Rd.1.
Joseph Benavidez submitted Maurice Eazel at 1:02 of Rd.1.
Dan Russom defeated Thonglor Armatsena by Majority Decision.

May 9, 2008
NEWS UPDATE

Hardcore Championship Fighting Ceases Operations
By Kelsey Mowatt

Hardcore Championship Fighting CEO, Keith Crawford, confirmed to FCF this afternoon that the Canadian company will no longer be promoting events. The news comes as somewhat of a surprise, due to the fact that according to several reports, which were confirmed by Crawford, the sale of the promotion had been imminent. Crawford informed FCF that the Canadian sports network, The Score, had been the potential buyer.

Although Crawford would not comment on details surrounding why the relatively new promotion has ceased operations, he did confirm that he will be moving forward with his own event. Former HCF partner, Dave Houshiar, is also going to apparently continue to promote, and will be starting up his own organization.

HCF made several headlines during its short tenure, having notable fighters like Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Gegard Mousasi and Aleksander Emelianenko compete on its cards. At HCF’s last event on March 29th, David Loiseau worked his way to a Unanimous Decision victory over Todd Gouwenberg in the card’s main event.

Loiseau (Top) During his Mar. 29th Bout with Gouwenberg

May 8, 2008
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