Random MMA-Boxing news

[Joey Asbo 45]

Strikeforce Champ Jake Shields appearing on TUF 11

 

Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Jake Shields (24-4-1) is making the move to UFC – not as a fighter, but as a coach for ‘The Ultimate Fighter: Season 11′ which will feature middleweight fighters from around the country competing to land a UFC contract.

 

Shields will serve as an assistant coach to MMA legend Chuck ‘Iceman’ Liddell (21-7-1) who will be managing a group of fighters opposite his long-time rival Tito ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ Ortiz (15-7-1). The next season of TUF is set to air March 31, 2010 at 10:00PM on SPIKE.

 

Currently Shields is still under contract with Strikeforce, but since he will not actually be fighting during his stint as a TUF coach there are no legal issues preventing the crossover. The champ is expected to defend his belt against Dan ‘Hollywood’ Henderson () in April, but no official word has been announced as of yet.

 

Credit: Fightscoops

 

Pretty cool. I think this kind of thing might be clamped down on in future, rather than just handing guys fight deals, they'll possibly move to exclusivity deals.

[DC 536]

The New York state budget includes expenses for "MMA legislation", which all but confirms that MMA will become legal in the state of New York within the year.

It'll be interesting to see if UFC can get a card held inside MSG.

[Guest John Hancock]

It's a relatively big story over here. Apparently, there's only one assemblyman who's really going to town against MMA, whilst the State Senator himself is very much in favour of it, and has specifically mentioned wanting to hold UFC shows within MSG. UFC is already HUGE in New York City, it would sell out in seconds.

[DC 536]

From UFC's perspective, getting a fight card held in Madison Square Garden would be a big deal. It's generally considered the home of wrestling and boxing (Las Vegas does have a decent argument with the latter) and, from stories I've read from various fighters, getting to work in The Garden was the pinnacle of their careers.

[Guest Jimmy Redman]

Thats different though. Lesnar vs Mir would sell loads of PPV's regardless of Brocks record beforehand.

 

This would be an argument if not for the fact that Hardy is going to sell loads of PPVs with GSP. Not as many as Brock/Mir, obviously, but predictions are its going to do big business because Hardy is a great heel.

[Guest Frank Botch]

Wes Sims has stepped in to fight Lashley this Saturday

 

Marquardt on GSP-Hardy:

"I think Georges is going to kill him," Marquardt told The Canadian Press on Friday.

"I think Dan Hardy's an up-and-comer guy, he's a young guy. He has a lot of potential. In my opinion, he's a good B-level fighter and I think Georges is going to destroy him.

"He's young, that's the thing. He could be a great fighter one day. But he's not there and he's getting his shot way too early."

 

It's been a slow couple of days..

[Guest Frank Botch]

This is from Heyman's site, Brock talking about his experiences in a Canadian hospital.

 

You can't undo a major surgery.

 

Brock Lesnar called yesterday. He's pissed. The Ultimate Fighting Heavyweight Champion of the World is being told he should talk fighting, not health care. "I'm not going to shut up about this," Brock stated, rather emphatically during our conversation, "I'm an American. I'm guaranteed the right to express my opinion. And I'm stating it loud and clear, because I experienced something that I want to talk about. If I was a recovering drug addict, people would want to hear my story. Well, I survived something, and I went through --first hand-- the problems in the health care system, and I want to talk about it."

 

Although the media has reported the story about Brock's decision to bolt out of the Canadian hospital in Manitoba and have his wife Rena drive at 100 MPH to get across the United States border, no one has explained just how close the current UFC Heavyweight Champion of the World was to being forced into retirement. No goodbye match. No farewell tour. Nothing. Just retirement. Boom, your career is over. Thank you, we appreciate all your hard work, hope you enjoy the royalty checks from the video game you're in. By the way, can you please return the title belt? And that's just the business/financial end of it. The personal toll would be enormous, too.

 

You can't undo a major surgery. If the doctors in Canada had decided to amputate one of Brock's arms or legs, the damage they would be doing to his career would be the same as the surgery they wanted to perform. "I entered the hospital around 4am on a Saturday morning," Brock recalls, "and I spent two nights there. No one talks about that. Their CT machine was broken, and they were waiting for a replacement. They could not take a picture of my stomach. If they would have had the ability to take the picture, they would have seen I had holes inside me. If I stayed at that Canadian hospital, at best I would have been retired and would have to wear a colostomy bag. At worst, I could have died."

 

Brock's not being over-dramatic. "They didn't have any state-of-the-art equipment, and I was in their facility," he exclaimed, "So first thing that Monday morning, when the doctors came in, and they still didn't have a way to take a picture of my stomach ...still didn't have a way to operate that CT machine ... my wife and I knew we had to get out of there."

 

Brock's wife drove him to The Med One Center in Bismarck, where Brock was under the care of Dr. Bruderer. "Paul, this is very important to me. That man definitely saved my career, and maybe even my life," Brock said, "they took the CT picture, got a proper diagnosis ... and came back with a plan based on the information they now had thanks to the state-of-the-art equipment."

 

Brock doesn't paint the picture of his Canadian experience as a bunch of rusty saws and roach-infested near-prison-cells, but his experience has left him concerned with the state of health care in the Great White North, and how that is a glimpse into the future of what Brock perceives to be the American Health Care Upheaval.

 

"I've paid plenty of taxes in Canada," Brock said, "So I have a right to talk about this. This is what happens with socialized medical care. I've paid into the system, and the system did not take care of me. It almost put me out for good. I think people should know about this. Hey, I love Canada. I've said that. I wasn't backing away from any controversy or being diplomatic when I said it. I love the hunting ... I love the people ... but what I experienced almost ended my career because the doctors were working under conditions where they were waiting on a machine part. At the Med One Center in Bismarck, I was diagnosed, and put on an I.V. for 11 days. I didn't eat for 11 days. They fed me intra-veinously."

 

Brock had a small procedure done, but the doctors wanted to perform a much bigger surgery, which would place the likelihood of Brock ever entering the Octagon again at slim. "I love fighting," Brock said with great passion today, "I didn't want to give it up."

 

So Brock went home, where he changed his entire lifestyle. A trip to the Lesnar Family Compound is a carnivore's dream. Brock has freezers (yes, plural) filled with meat from the animals he (and/or his wife) have shot with a hunting rifle or a bow and arrow. But the days of meat-and-potatoes farm boy wolfing down his XX-portions are over.

 

With the help, love, and support of his wife, Brock's diet changed dramatically. Since coming home from the hospital, he has incorporated fiber and natural medicines into his diet, coupled with the aggressive anti-biotic program the doctors prescribed for him. He's put back on 32 pounds, and has gotten back into the swing of things during his workouts.

 

 

Yes, he's working out. And yes, to anyone but Brock Lesnar, the workouts are awe-inspiring. To Brock, he's "slowly working" his way "back to normal workouts."

 

I saw some of his scaled-back workouts. The drive and determination of this monstrous athlete can't be overstated. To Brock, though, it's not just a matter of fighting his way back to defending his championship.

 

"This (health care) issue isn't going away," Brock declared, "and I'm not, either. I'm not some dumb meathead fighter. I have something to say. I still have my career today because of the United States Health Care System. Does it need some fixing? Absolutely. But the changes I'm hearing about don't sit well with me, and I'm exercising my rights by speaking my mind."

 

"And no one," the Ultimate Fighting Champion, perhaps the single baddest man on the entire planet said, "is going to stop me."

 

http:///heymanhustle.craveonline.com/articles/news/79770-paul-heyman-brock-lesnar-is-not-going-to-shut-up-about-health-care

[Guest JC]

I think Brock is just a victim of an era were should he have died - it would have just been another death of celebrity #23456.

 

Also after being rumoured to be on his death bed (like he says) and at best, he would live with retirement a formality, it seems people are (dare I say it) annoyed that he's recovering so quickly?

 

I don't know. To me it's a mix of both.

[Guest Jimmy Redman]

I think it was more that he used his life-threatening trip to hospital as a tool to go into the "Obama is a Communist" stuff, when one has nothing to do with the other.

[Guest ShaneMcCutcheon]

Strikeforce Miami this weekend, everyone should watch it (i'll be up streaming it online so if anyone not in america, does wanna watch and doesn't know where, drop me a pm that night). it'll be a super exciting show. lawler/manhoef has the potential to be a pretty crazy fight, and diaz/zaromskis will be well worth a watch too, as will Cyborg/Coenen and lashley and herschel walker's involvement will be fun. riggs/hieron, which should absolutely be on the main card, will be getting streamed on EA sports website and promises to be pretty awesome too.

 

Looking for a card that captures the matchmaking dichotomy of a certain San Jose, Calif.-based promotion? Look no further than Strikeforce “Miami” this Saturday at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla.

 

The most intriguing and perhaps most important bit of business features Nick Diaz going against Lithuanian head kick connoisseur Marius Zaromskis for the vacant Strikeforce welterweight title. Backing up that quality violence, Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos makes the first defense of her women’s middleweight championship, while Robbie Lawler and Melvin Manhoef lock horns in a full-scale recreation of “Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah.”

 

In addition to those compelling bouts, we have the professional mixed martial arts debut of former NFL running back and human push-up machine Herschel Walker, as well as World Wrestling Entertainment convert Bobby Lashley and his fight with Wes Sims on a week’s notice. This should be interesting.

 

Strikeforce Welterweight Championship

Nick Diaz vs. Marius Zaromskis

 

The Breakdown: The stateside debut of Zaromskis, Dream’s premier headhunter, coincides with Diaz’s return to the welterweight division after an extended run at 185 pounds. During that run, Diaz often relied on his rangy punch-and-judy boxing style to stymie knockout-minded opponents, but Zaromskis seems like a different breed of beast.

 

The most glaring flaw in Diaz’s striking remains his poor movement, which will leave him vulnerable against Zaromskis, who almost always attacks at an angle. Just as troubling, Zaromskis has the ability to use his punches to disguise the head kicks he often throws behind them. A sufficiently adrenaline-drunk Diaz will go Rocky Balboa on anyone, but Rocky never had to worry about Clubber Lang sneaking in a high kick.

 

Grappling remains the great equalizer in this fight, as Diaz’s underrated ground-and-pound has proven just as effective as his Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Zaromskis relies mostly on using half guard and butterfly guard to create scrambles and escape back to the feet. However, Diaz has not used his grappling consistently for some time, and, as the world saw in Zaromskis’ bout with Jason High at Dream 10, obliging Lithuania’s top Akuma fan for even a few moments serves as a one-way ticket to the canvas.

 

The X-Factor: Diaz has proven tough enough to get dinged on the feet a few times before eventually taking down Zaromskis and performing some surgical work. Though most assume Diaz can ground Zaromskis whenever he pleases, the recent improvements in Zaromskis’ takedown defense could contradict such assumptions.

 

Like all great strikers, Zaromskis understands how to use range to his advantage and manipulate opponents into thinking they have to strike with him. It does not take a PhD in kickboxing to goad Diaz into a brawl, and given his recent success going blow-for-blow, Diaz may be ripe for the kicking.

 

* * *

 

 

The Bottom Line: Diaz paid a heavy price for his Mickey Ward impersonation against Karl James Noons, and he has not made any discernible improvements in his technique since then. Some entertaining exchanges will pave the road for Diaz’s own doom, as Zaromskis continues his head kick KO tour by flattening the Stockton, Calif., native late in the first round.

 

Strikeforce Women’s Middleweight Championship

Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos vs. Marloes Coenen

 

The Breakdown: Coenen, Holland’s premier female export, has the potentially regrettable task of trying to pry the women’s middleweight championship away from a full-fledged mangler. The only way Coenen can manage that feat is by hitting a takedown and working a submission before Santos flies into a rage and turns her head into a goblet.

 

However, Santos has proven borderline impossible to move, let alone take down. Although Coenen has shown a fair deal of striking savvy before, she will find herself well out of her depth against Santos, who takes after the sadistic style of her husband, Evangelista. Consider it takedown or bust for Coenen.

 

The X-Factor: Not much technical panache exists in Santos’ style; she comes forward and swings until her opponent stops moving. Coenen can take advantage of that by simply waiting on her inevitable bull rush and diving for her legs. Most of Santos’ takedown defense consists of brute strength, but that same strength will not do her much good if she gets cornered into a grappling match.

 

* * *

 

 

The Bottom Line: It will take an awfully strong wrestler to beat Santos, and those are few and far between in women’s MMA. Another premeditated assault by Cyborg mercifully ends in the second round. Coenen’s face will bear the proof of Santos’ dominance.

 

Robbie Lawler vs. Melvin Manhoef

 

The Breakdown: If Lawler values his motor functions, he will set aside pride and testosterone and take down Manhoef as fast as he possibly can. While Lawler’s history of violence is spectacular in its own right, Manhoef exists in a different striking universe. Getting into exchanges with the Dutch knockout artist will end poorly for Lawler and anyone else not named Anderson Silva.

 

All that stand-up talent has served Manhoef well considering his takedown defense and grappling remain the banes of his career. Unless Lawler obliges him on the feet, he will end up on the mat with one of the more underrated ground-and-pound artists in the game. As usual, Manhoef’s success depends greatly on his opponent’s game plan.

 

The X-Factor: Lawler is capable of taking down Manhoef. However, debate abounds about whether or not he will even try to do so or if he will resort to striking if Manhoef manages to stop his first few attempts. Staying disciplined in the heat of battle has never been Lawler’s strong suit, and discipline may be the only thing that can win him this fight.

 

* * *

 

 

The Bottom Line: Trusting Lawler to forego standing and banging with a willing opponent has proven foolhardy in the past. This fight ends quickly and brutally, as Lawler never gets the chance to change gears thanks to a hellacious flurry of first-round punches from Manhoef.

 

Bobby Lashley vs. Wes Sims

 

The Breakdown: After a small army of potential challengers disappeared as quickly as they were rumored, the always verbose Sims has stepped in to take on the hulking Lashley. Obvious comparisons to UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar aside, Lashley remains a legitimately talented prospect with a solid collegiate wrestling background.

 

Unless Lashley does something incomprehensibly dumb or Sims has somehow learned how to use his simian reach to his advantage, this fight looks like a lopsided wrestling meet. Sims’ pre- and post-fight interviews could turn into the most exciting aspects of this bout.

 

The X-Factor: It may be easy to discount Sims’ chances, but most of his failures have resulted from a simple lack of serious training. Flashes of talent abound throughout his career, and Lashley has not shown the sort of overwhelming dominance that makes him a shoo-in against anyone. What’s more, Lashley continues to split time between MMA and professional wrestling, which suggests he is an unfocused fighter waiting for a reality check.

 

* * *

 

 

The Bottom Line: Lashley is far too valuable a commodity for Strikeforce to put him in any real danger, and this matchup proves as much. Another ho-hum win for Lashley awaits, as he quickly puts Sims on the mat and pounds out a standard-issue technical knockout win.

 

Herschel Walker vs. Greg Nagy

 

The Breakdown: The idea of a 47-year-old former NFL running back entering mixed martial arts based on the strength of some tae kwon do experience sounds absurd on paper, but Walker seems committed where Jose Canseco and Johnnie Morton failed. So little is known about these combatants that it makes this fight difficult to handicap.

 

Up until now, Nagy was a completely unknown fighter, and his sudden ascension to Strikeforce has done little to change his state. While he certainly has the edge in actual MMA training, this sport has been littered with examples of matchmakers stacking the deck in favor of their would-be golden boys. In short, there are no certainties entering this fight.

 

The X-Factor: Getting tackled on a football field will prove a far cry from getting hit in the face inside a cage, and training in traditional tae kwon do will not prepare one for MMA competition, either. We have seen plenty of converts quickly fall apart the second a fist gets too close to their face. Worse yet, the beating Walker absorbed on the gridiron probably has not done wonders for his durability.

 

* * *

 

 

The Bottom Line: Flip a coin, consult an astrological table or just ask some random person on the street. This fight seems as unpredictable as they come, but logic leads one to believe Strikeforce has lined up an opponent Walker can handle.

 

 

Joe Riggs vs. Jay Hieron

 

Inexplicably left off the main card, this looks like the lone bright spot on an otherwise dreary undercard. Riggs has had a solid career, but his time as a legitimate contender is nearing an end. Meanwhile, Hieron has developed into one of Strikeforce’s premier welterweight assets. Accurate boxing and stout wrestling will keep Hieron firmly in control before he dispatches a gassed Riggs early in the third round.

 

Pablo Alfonso vs. Marcos da Matta

 

One of Strikeforce’s best prospects, da Matta, a man best known for his Brazilian jiu-jitsu game, will tackle a decent regional gatekeeper. The disparity in talent and skill will become obvious, as da Matta adds to his hype with a first-round submission win via rear-naked choke.

 

Michael Byrnes Jr. vs. Dave Zitanick

 

Two fighters with losing records battle it out on the undercard of a major Strikeforce card for reasons apparent to no one. Zitanick has more polish on his game than Byrnes, who has yet to taste victory. An uninspiring fight goes to Zitnik via unanimous decision.

 

Sabah Homasi vs. John Kelly

 

Two undefeated, albeit unknown, prospects meet, as Homasi and Kelly look to launch their careers at one another’s expense. Favor Kelly, who has the ground game to match Homasi and the striking to make him pay on the feet. One of the show’s better pairings ends with Kelly taking a late technical knockout win over an exhausted Homasi.

 

David Gomez vs. Craig Oxley

 

Because the world needed to see Oxley again, he has returned to look for his first win. Nearly a decade after his last fight, he meets Gomez in a matchup of little consequence. A useless bout ends with Gomez getting a cheap notch in his belt courtesy of a TKO in the second round.

 

Hayder Hassan vs. Ryan Keenan

 

While Hassan has looked thoroughly flawed in his short MMA career, Keenan has developed into a decent mid-range prospect. In other words, Keenan has some real upside, and Hassan’s ceiling remains considerably lower. A mismatch through and through, Keenan comes out of it smelling like roses with an easy second-round submission win.

[Guest Dusty Finish]

Not worthy of it's own thread, but......

 

.... is it just me, or is the UFC Heavyweight Division in the upcoming 6 months or so the most exciting thing going at the moment?

 

I know Lesnar always causes a bit of a stir around these parts, he's good to go now and will be fighting the winner of Mir vs Carwin (which is a very intriguing fight in its own right), and Nogueira vs Velasquez in imminent. Suddenly, no-one is sleeping on Dos Santos any more, and it's Gonzaga next for him on the Versus 1 debut.

 

Gilbert Yvel vs Pat Barry was announced last week, which should be a cracking stand-up war, and this week Roy Nelson vs Stefan Struve has been made official, while Todd Duffee vs Mike Russow is all but. Not that it's in any way important as far as the top end goes, but Rothwell vs Cro Cop is in the pipeline..... oh, and Rolles Gracie makes his debut this Saturday.

 

Who'd have thought that heavyweight, so long talent-starved and anorexic, would be such a mouth watering prospect?

[Guest JC]

Totally with you. I can't wait for the next load of cards.

 

Some people might not care for the Brock/Mir rubber match but I for one am very intrigued to see how Mir will fare against Brock.

 

Brock of course will possibly be better or worse than before.

 

Big Nog versus Cain should be an excellent fight.

[Paul 584]

Brock of course will possibly be better or worse than before.

 

:lol

 

Dont go out on a limb dude.

[Guest JC]

The grammar nazi inside me is fuming.

[Guest Frank Botch]

Fight Night 21 card

 

Kenny Florian vs. Takanori Gomi

Roy Nelson vs. Stefan Struve

Nate Quarry vs. Jorge Rivera

Lucio Linhares vs. Yushin Okami

Cole Miller vs. Andre Winner

Ross Pearson vs. Dennis Siver

Gleison Tibau vs. Caol Uno

 

Current card for WEC's first PPV

 

Jose Aldo vs. Urijah Faber (for featherweight title)

Benson Henderson vs. Donald Cerrone (for lightweight title)

Mike Brown vs. Manny Gamburyan

 

Top two fights should be great.

[Joey Asbo 45]

I think the WEC card is looking great to be honest.

 

..Also Florian vs. Gomi should be on PPV

[Guest Frank Botch]

Well this sucks:

 

Vitor Belfort has withdrawn from a headlining title bout against middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 112 on April 10 in Abu Dhabi.

 

Tatame.com was the first to report that Belfort, a former UFC light heavyweight champion, had sustained a shoulder injury that jeopardized his participation in the bout. UFC President Dana White has since confirmed Belfort’s withdrawal with Yahoo Sports.

 

Chael Sonnen, named the No. 1 middleweight contender following his shutout unanimous decision against Nate Marquardt at UFC 109 last Saturday in Las Vegas, was issued 30-day “no contact” medical suspension issued by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Sonnen sustained a sizable cut on his forehead from a Marquardt elbow during the second round of the 185-pound contest which required stitches.

 

UFC 112 will still feature a lightweight title bout between B.J. Penn and Frankie Edgar, as well as a featured welterweight matchup between former champion Matt Hughes and Renzo Gracie.

 

Zuffa, the UFC’s parent company, recently sold a 10-percent stake to Flash Entertainment, an Abu Dhabi-based event management company that specializes in concerts, cultural and sport events and more.

 

From Sherdog.

[The Fury 65]

and incase no one has heard, mark coleman, frank trigg and tim hague have all been released from the ufc.

[Guest Frank Botch]

Demian Maia will replace Belfort at UFC 112.

 

Couture may fight Rich Franklin in June.

 

Mousasi is done with M-1.

[Guest Dusty Finish]

Well, there goes precisely 50% of M-1's bankable assets!

 

Everyone should know I'm a passionate lover of the sexy jits' above all else, and have been crowing about Maia since he started MMA, but Anderson is a horrible, horrible match-up for him, stylistically. Demian's best (only real?) chance of victory will be to pull guard- I don't think his shooting is strong enough to get the fight to ground, and even if it was can't see him sweeping a guy who trains daily with Jacare & the Nogueira brothers. In order to pull guard he'll have to somehow get inside Silva's colossal range without getting picked off; should he get there, he'll be susceptible to the Thai Clinch. Sorry, Dem, can't see it.