DREAM.17 adds Shinya Aoki vs. Rob McCullough, Satoru Kitaoka vs. Willamy Freire
(mmajunkie.com)Two new bouts are official for next month's DREAM.17 event.
In a non-title fight, DREAM lightweight champ Shinya Aoki (28-5 MMA, 12-2 DREAM) takes on former WEC titleholder "Razor" Rob McCullough (19-7 MMA, 0-0 DREAM), and in another lightweight contest, ex-Sengoku champ Satoru Kitaoka (28-10-9 MMA, 0-0 DREAM) meets recent UFC fighter Willamy "Chiquerim" Freire (18-4 MMA, 0-0 DREAM).
DREAM.17 takes place Sept. 24 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
Yves Edwards vs. Rafaello Oliveira added to UFC on Versus 6
(mmajunkie.com)A pair of fighters looking to rebound from stoppage losses has been added to UFC on Versus 6 as Yves Edwards meets Rafaello Oliveira.
UFC officials today announced the new matchup.
UFC on Versus 6 takes place Oct. 1 at Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. The evening's main card, including a bantamweight title fight between current champ Dominick Cruz and top challenger Demetrious Johnson, airs on Versus.
Champ Eddie Alvarez vs. Michael Chandler headlines Bellator 54 on Oct. 15
(mmajunkie.com)Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez will put his title on the line against season-four tournament winner Michael Chandler at Bellator 54.
Bellator Fighting Championships officials today announced the official date for the booking, which Chandler earned by defeating Patricky Freire, Lloyd Woodard and Marcin Held during Bellator's recent 155-pound bracket.
The two now headline Bellator 54, which takes place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. The evening's main card airs on MTV2.
UFC President Dana White Talks Fedor Emelianenko and Being Unhappy With Recent Developments
(bloodyelbow.com)There seem to be two kinds of Dana White interviews these days, the by the numbers stuff about world dominance and the open and honest (or as honest as a promoter can be) interview. Sports Illustrated has the chance to sit down with Dana and they got one of those fantastic open interviews. There is plenty of great stuff in the interview including Dana making a vague statement that he is unhappy with some things going on behind the scenes:
SI.com: What are you looking at?
White: First of all, there're things going on that I'm unhappy with, here at the company, that we're going to fix and change over the next few months, and you're going to see us get back on track here in the next few months. As you start to get bigger and you start to expand into all these different places, and you're working on all these crazy deals, things start to get out of control. I'm going to get some more control around here in the next three months. And that includes my business as a whole, my actual office and employees and departments, right down to s--- that's going on with the fighters.
K-1 Sold to Japanese Real Estate Firm Barbizon
(mmafighting.com)K-1, the largest and most prestigious kickboxing promotion in the world, is no longer owned by Fighting and Entertainment Group and has been sold to Japanese real estate firm Barbizon Co,. Ltd.
Promotional group FEG and president Sadaharu Tanikawa have operated K-1 since September 2003 but the promotion has fallen upon hard times recently due to the rapid decline in the the sport's popularity in Japan and the questionable entertainment-centric direction that Tanikawa has steered K-1.
Vaughan Lee to Face Chris Cariaso at UFC 138
(bloodyelbow.com)The UFC has really been beefing up the bantamweight division in the last few days, and the trend continued today with the signing of Brit Vaughan Lee (11-6-1). And as usual, it didn't take long for them to apparently give their new signing an opponent. MMAHQ is reporting that Lee will be meeting Chris Cariaso at UFC 138 in Lee's hometown of Birmingham:
The signing of bantamweight Vaughan Lee (11-6-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) was today unveiled by the UFC, and sources close to the fight have revealed that he will make his organizational debut against WEC veteran Chris Cariaso (11-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) on November 5th.
Next Face of Women's MMA? Marloes Coenen, Miesha Tate Ready to Answer Call
(mmafighting.com)When Zuffa, parent company of the UFC, bought Strikeforce earlier this year, fans could practically hear the collective thud of hearts dropping into the stomachs of female fighters and fans of women's MMA.
After all, UFC and Zuffa president Dana White has been repeatedly adamant that he doesn't believe female MMA will ever realistically have a place in the UFC – largely because of his belief the talent pool of upper-echelon women's fighters is not deep enough to sufficiently fill out multiple divisions over a sustained period of time.
With Strikeforce under the Zuffa umbrella, the fear that the most well-known home for women's MMA could disappear into the ether with a possible future merger with the UFC is a real one. But it's one that women's 135-pound champion Marloes Coenen and her Saturday challenger, Miesha Tate, have no problem tackling head on.
Alistair Overeem Scheduled for Glory World Series Bout in October
(mmafighting.com)HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. -- It appears as though Alistair Overeem's next fight will not be for Strikeforce after all.
Glory World Series released a poster on Wednesday for their upcoming October event, and front and center was the Strikeforce heavyweight champion. MMA Fighting then confirmed with Martijn de Jong, Overeem's trainer at Golden Glory and Glory World Series promoter, that "The Reem" will in fact be fighting on the card.
"No opponent named yet but probably a MMA match," de Jong said.
Tim Kennedy: If I beat Robbie Lawler this Saturday 'there's no question I should fight for the title'
(mmamania.com)American, mixed martial artist, soldier, patriot.
There are many words that define Strikeforce middleweight Tim Kennedy but there's one that's eluded him thus far: champion.
The Army Green Beret came up just short in his last title opportunity, losing a decision to Ronaldo Souza while fighting to fill Jake Shields' vacated Strikeforce middleweight title.
After an impressive rebounding submission against Melvin Manhoef this past March, the proud Texan has a tremendous test in front of him this Saturday night (July 30, 2011) as he's slated to battle "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler on the main card of Strikeforce: "Fedor vs. Henderson" in Chicago, Illinois.
Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva Joins Team Nogueira
(bloodyelbow.com)Antonio Silva has a new team. The former American Top Team standout left that camp a while ago and was working at Imperial Athletics with the likes of Rashad Evans and Jorge Santiago. Apparently he has decided to change it up and will join forces with one of the top teams in MMA - Team Nogueira.
"Jens Pulver: Driven" now available for rent and purchase through online retailers
(mmajunkie.com)"Jens Pulver: Driven," an intimate documentary focused on the life of one of MMA's most colorful and beloved figures, has been given a nationwide release.
Produced in 2010 following a public pledge drive for financial backing, the documentary focuses on Pulver's preparation for a WEC 47 bout with Javier Vazquez.
As Pulver looked to snap a four-fight losing streak in what he felt might be his final comeback fight, filmmaker Gregory Bayne was there to document the process and learn more about what made "Little Evil" one of early MMA's fan-favorites – including the tumultuous childhood that formed the former UFC champion's inner character.
UFC signs British bantamweight Vaughan Lee for UFC 138 appearance
(mmajunkie.com)British bantamweight Vaughan Lee (11-6-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is the latest addition to the UFC, and he'll debut at November's UFC 138 event.
UFC officials today announced that Lee has signed on for the card, which takes place on Nov. 5 at LG Arena at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England.
Lee's opponent was not disclosed.
Double E Pictures buys life story of UFC's Rich Franklin for "American Fighter" movie
(mmajunkie.com)If all goes well, former UFC champion Rich Franklin's life story will soon be the basis of a Hollywood feature film.
Eric Eisner today announced that his Double E Pictures has optioned Franklin's life story for a film and commissioned David Hollander to write a script and Mathew Cullen of Motion Theory to executive produce.
"I'm excited to see the story of my career as a fighter brought to the screen, and I feel confident that the team assembled will do a great job in telling this story," Franklin stated in today's official release.
According to today's press release, "American Fighter" will tell "the unlikely story of how Franklin, a family man and high school math teacher, taught himself mixed martial arts, quickly emerged as one of the dominant figures in the sport, and ultimately became champion of the UFC. The story also chronicles the rise of mixed martial arts as the fastest growing sport in the world and transformation into a billion-dollar industry."
UFC 133 headliner Rashad Evans appears Friday on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
(mmajunkie.com)With former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans' long-awaited return to action quickly approaching, the UFC 133 headliner is a featured guest on Friday evening's edition of NBC's "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon"
Evans is expected to discuss his Aug. 6 bout with fellow former champ Tito Ortiz, as well as the controversy and budding rivalries that have surrounded his recent layoff.
"Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" airs at 12:35 a.m. ET/PT.
UFC 133: Rashad Evans Working With Kickboxing World Champions to Prepare for Tito Ortiz
(bloodyelbow.com)Interesting photo here as Rashad Evans prepares for next weekend's UFC 133 main event against Tito Ortiz. To prepare for the fight, Evans has spent some time training with top ranked kickboxers Tyrone Spong and Cosmo Alexandre at Imperial MMA in Florida. For those unfamiliar with the names, both Spong and Alexandre are among the elite in kickboxing and Muay Thai, claiming multiple world title between them. Spong may be best known to MMA fans as Alistair Overeem's opponent at last year's K-1 Grand Prix, where he gave The Reem his toughest challenge of 2010.
I'll be very interested to see how this work impacts Evans, as in my eyes, it is a fantastic choice of training partners for him. Rashad's greatest strengths in MMA have always been his wrestling and his hands. His striking game is solid from the waist up, but has some gaps elsewhere, as he does not use many kicks, and could still improve his footwork at times. Working with two kickboxing experts may help tighten up that footwork, while expanding his striking repertoire to include kicks and knees. Meanwhile, both Spong and Cosmo are looking at making a transition to MMA, and working with a wrestler and excellent all around fighter like Evans will greatly benefit them.
Brett Rogers receives permission to contact family, returns to court in August
(mmajunkie.com)Former Strikeforce heavyweight Brett Rogers (11-3) isn't yet in the clear, but he is again able to see his family.
In a Monday ruling in Dakota County, Minn., judge Rex Stacey modified a previously-issued no-contact order, allowing Rogers to contact his wife, Tiuana Rogers, via phone, email and text, as well as allowing the heavyweight to speak with his children and to meet with his family for counseling.
Rogers' attorney, Murad M. Mohammad, believes the move is a positive sign as he and his client prepare for an Aug. 29 settlement conference.
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