Random Fight News/Comments: 2011

[Guest Frank Botch]

Every other forum has a fresh new thread so...

 

Also now we have a place to make RANDOM comments. Which we needed!

[Guest TruSoul]

._. But...I don't know how to be....SQUIRREL.....wait what was I saying?

[Guest Frank Botch]

Fedor Emelianenko will return to the Strikeforce cage on Feb. 12, as he takes on Antonio Silva in a heavyweight main event from the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J.

 

Sources close to the negotiations informed Sherdog.com Sunday evening of the event’s date and location.

 

A match between former UFC heavyweight champions Andrei Arlovski and Josh Barnett is also said to be in the works for the February date. It remains to be seen how the New Jersey Athletic Control Board handles the licensing situation Barnett -- who allegedly tested positive for a performance enhancing substance prior to a scheduled bout with Emelianenko in the summer of 2009 -- is dealing with in California. His hearing before the California commission was pushed back at their Dec. 2 meeting.

 

As speculated, Strikeforce will indeed hold an eight-man heavyweight tournament in 2011, and Emelianenko-Silva and Arlovski-Barnett are set to serve as quarterfinal bouts. Though the remaining combatants could not be confirmed, a third quarterfinal matchup between Fabricio Werdum and Brett Rogers is expected to take place in Columbus, Ohio, on a planned March 5 event.

 

A fourth and final tournament bout is also set to take place on the March card. Semi-final and final bouts would then be held later in the year at to-be-announced events.

 

The promotion will also hold two alternate bouts in case injury sidelines competitors in the main draw. Potential contestants could include “Challengers” series standouts Lavar Johnson, Daniel Cormier and Shane del Rosario.

 

Regarded by many as the greatest heavyweight in the history of the sport, Emelianenko was shocked by Werdum, a heavy underdog, in June, losing for the first time in a decade. Though the sambo specialist floored the Brazilian early in the first period, his follow-up was a bit too aggressive. As Emelianenko attempted to finish the fight with his trademark ground-and-pound, the savvy jiu-jitsu black belt avoided the blows and caught the Russian in a textbook triangle choke. Emelianenko holds notable victories over Mirko Filopovic, Arlovski and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (twice).

 

Silva is fresh off a come-from-behind win over King of the Cage light heavyweight champion Mike Kyle on Dec. 4 in St. Louis. Taking the fight on just five days' notice, Kyle shocked spectators by landing a crisp right hand to the jaw of the heavily-favored Brazilian, knocking him to the mat. Though the American Kickboxing Academy product pounced with heavy punches and hammer fists, the mammoth Silva would not give up. Round two was all “Bigfoot,” as the former EliteXC champion lived up to his moniker by dropping brutish blows on Kyle's skull and forcing a referee stoppage.

 

I'm a tournament, and obviously a Fedor, mark so this is cool news.

[Guest Dusty Finish]

Aye, more tourneys are definitely required in the majors (although Bellator do a solid job on that score). However, Strikeforce matchmaking really is an unmitigated shambles.... they can't really be capitalising on Fabricio Werdum becoming the first man to legitimately stop Fedor by putting him in with Brett Rogers, a guy 0-2 in his last 2 fights. Clueless. Truly clueless. And how is it they seemingly can't get Alistair Overeem- their very own champion, no less- to fight under their banner? Fair enough, there are tourney slots still to be filled, but putting the bloke with the belt in a tourney of this nature would be equally absurd.

 

Come on Coker, sort yourself out.

[Guest Frank Botch]

Oh yeah can't argue with that, I've long since given up hope on them competing or anything. The ineptitude is part of the charm to me though(and the way FOTYC get buried in there).

 

Looks like Arlovski will actually fight Sergei Kharitonov, since I guess Josh can't get a license again or something like that.

 

Ben Henderson/Mark Bocek in Toronto, awesome fight.

[Guest Frank Botch]

And how is it they seemingly can't get Alistair Overeem- their very own champion, no less- to fight under their banner? Fair enough, there are tourney slots still to be filled, but putting the bloke with the belt in a tourney of this nature would be equally absurd.

 

Overeem/Werdum in the quater finals... http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/1/4/1913476/alistair-overeem-vs-fabricio-werdum-set-for-strikeforce-heavyweight

 

I want to see that fight but yeah, in a tournament? Doesn't make much sense.

 

Fedor vs Silva

Arlovski vs Kharitonov

Rogers vs Barnett

Overeem vs Werdum

[The Fury 65]

Highlights from Meltzer and Alvarez podcast. They may be slight changes needed to this as im typing off memory here but will check podcast again once im home from work.

 

-The Dynamite show on new years eve drew a 9.2 rating, which is extremely bad news. The Sakuraba fight was also not fully shown due to it being likely not being seen as suitable. They pretty much reflected on the main event and how it wasnt a solid main event fight that the card needed. They also talked about how japanese mma is not doing well at all with lack of world wide stars (they don't really see aoki as one cause he hasn't done well abroad and Ishii isn't quite there). They argue that the last proper star they produced was Sakuraba.

 

-K-1's future is still fairly bleak, they need cash and has been rumours they may not last the year depending on circumstances.

 

-They're not too sure if the Sonnen fight with Akiyama will go ahead because of his court case (as seen in the other thread) but both alvarez and meltzer believe any sennate run for him in the future is all but over.

 

-They confirmed the heavyweight gp from strikeforce (alvarez really did bad matching up the right card here). Interesting point they mentioned here about alistair overeem as he's barely fought for the promotion but if he's doing this gp, then they'll have to consider the k-1 schedule as he may likely end up there as well.

[Guest Springsteen]

Dereck Chisora's world heavyweight title challenge against Wladimir Klitschko has been re-arranged for April 30.

 

Klitschko, the IBF and WBO champion, had been due to defend his belts against Chisora on December 11 in Germany until a stomach injury forced the Ukrainian to pull out just three days before the fight.

 

It was confirmed on Wednesday that the fight will go ahead in the spring, with Germany remaining the venue for the bout.

 

"This news is a fantastic late Christmas present," British and Commonwealth champion Chisora said.

 

"I always believed that I would fight Klitschko, and my faith has been repaid. I was a bit worried that he might try and fight an easier touch, but I think I've earned my opportunity.

 

"I was gutted when Wladimir pulled out of our fight just a couple of days beforehand. But now I've got another chance to take his titles away.

 

"He's a great world champion, but his time at the top is well and truly up.

 

"My promoter Frank Warren has done a great job in getting me this opportunity because there was no guarantee Wladimir would fight me again after he got injured."

 

The news leaves WBA champion David Haye's future unclear. Chisora's fellow Londoner has been in protracted negotiations with Klitschko over a unification bout.

 

Credit : Sky Sports.

 

EDIT : Darn wrong thread.

[Guest John Hancock]

AYa3cowP-Jw

 

Nice try Vince, but that seems like a pretty clear cut answer.

[Guest The GS]

Could Brock buy himself out of the contract with UFC? Like he's guaranteed 2 million, if not more by doing Wrestlemania.

[Guest John Hancock]

UFC could just refuse to let him buy himself out, and if he went to WWE without everything totally sorted, UFC would sue the balls off them.

[Guest Frank Botch]

Get that man a Twix, good that it's finally settled. Or not, I'm sure people are still going to talk about it happening even now.

 

Vera and McKee have joined Baroni on the released list.

 

http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2011/01/06/brandon-vera-issued-release-after-lopsided-loss-to-thiago-silva/

 

http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2011/01/05/antonio-mckee-handed-walking-papers-after-ufc-125-loss/

[The Fury 65]

not surprised by the cuts, you can also add marcus davis to the cut list as well

[Guest Frank Botch]

Alves/Story and Struve/Browne both at UFC 130. Also rumours that Edgar/Maynard will main event that card. Also saw Mir/Nelson mentioned in one place but the article didn't have any explanation about Nelson's contract deal so I don't know how reliable they are.

 

HTM makes some good points here. Probably NSFW, I'm not even sure how that works.

 

[YOUTUBE]7By-1S2bbb8[/YOUTUBE]

[Guest John Hancock]

Damn, he sounds SO much like Lawler in his accent.

 

Pro-wrestlings hinting that MMA is fixed or fake is starting to get boring though.

[ShaolinHandLock 73]

Damn, he sounds SO much like Lawler in his accent.

 

Aren't they cousins or something?

[Guest Dusty Finish]

Zuffa have a gone a bit lower-key James Toney on McKee, for me. "Okay, you made that much noise, we relented and gave you a shot- fought one, lost one... goodbye!" It's not like he was completely overwhelmed- the guy lost by split decision, surely he was worth one more fight. The other releases are varying levels of justified.

 

The mouthwatering fights at 205lbs are stacking up nicely: Rampage vs Thiago Silva is in the works for UFC 130. Also (and I can't wait for this one), they're pulling the trigger on Phil Davis and giving him Matt Hammil. That there is a genuine test of how good Davis is right now.

[Guest John Hancock]

Aren't they cousins or something?

 

Yeah, I think so. I know they're related in some way.

[Guest Frank Botch]

Glad they didn't fall for Toney's nonsense and book Rampage to fight him, Silva fight should be awesome. MMAjunkie have confirmed Mir/Nelson for that show too, his contract issues ''have been resolved.'' Okay then. Looking like a stacked card with Edgar/Maynard almost sure to be on there too

 

Yeah, I think so. I know they're related in some way

 

Yeah they're cousins but they pretty much hate each other, HTM always used to mock Lawler's...legal issues in his shoots.

 

[YOUTUBE]q-ShP8M9ZI0[/YOUTUBE]

 

Can't find one of his solo shoots, he only takes one shot at him in this but it's a cool clip if you ever wondered about the size of Virgils penis. And I think eveyone has wondered about that at one time or another.

[Guest Frank Botch]

Garcia/Phan rematch and Waldburger/Hallman set for UFN 24.

 

Also:

 

http://i56.tinypic.com/119x8w1.gif

Edited January 12, 2011 by Frank Botch