Etiketter:
Pride,
Shine Fight
Upplagd av: Hoffa
Shine Fight announces Eduardo Pamplona vs. Nick Thompson for "Mayorga vs. Thomas"
The upstart Shine Fight organization today officially released the second matchup for its upcoming event "Worlds Collide: Mayorga vs. Thomas."
In a matchup previously reported, M-1 Challenge and IFL veteran Eduardo Pamplona (12-2) meets UFC, Strikeforce and EliteXC vet Nick Thompson (38-12-1).
The pair meets on the main card of "Worlds Collide: Mayorga vs. Thomas," which features a main event between former boxing champ Ricardo Mayorga and UFC vet Din Thomas and takes place May 15 at Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, N.C.
The main card of the event airs live on pay-per-view, which carries a $29.95 price tag.
A Brazilian welterweight, Pamplona's highest-profile fight in the U.S. to date was a February 2007 loss to Robbie Lawler under the IFL banner. Since that time, Pamplona has earned seven-straight wins for a variety of organizations in Brazil, Canada, South Korea and the U.S. Pamplona's past three fights were contested for M-1 Global.
A 34-year-old fighter with a Muay Thai base, Pamplona holds notable wins over Daniel Acacio, Jorge "Macaco" Patino and Jose "Pele" Landi-Jons.
"This fight with Thompson is a big fight for me," Pamplona stated in today's release. "He has many great victories on his record, and I believe it will be a great fight between us.
"I believe this fight will have a lot of movement. We both like to stand up and exchange. I believe we will stay on our feet."
While Thompson comes (38-12-1) to Shine Fight on the heels of a two-fight losing streak, the 28-year-old does own notable career wins over Eddie Alvarez, Ansar Chalangov, Paul Daley, Josh Neer and Mark Weir, among others.
Thompson had won 22 of his previous 24 contests before the current skid.
"Eduardo is a tough and exciting fighter," Thompson stated. "He is the kind of fighter you like to fight because there will be fireworks.
"While he has not had a loss in the last three years, I am confident that I am the better fighter and will stand victorious when the night is over."
With the official addition to the Shine Fights card, the event now includes:
* Ricardo Mayorga vs. Din Thomas
* Murilo "Ninja" Rua vs. Falaniko Vitale*
* Eduardo Pamplona vs. Nick Thompson
* Braulio Estima vs. Rick Hawn*
* Alexandre "Cacareco" Ferreira vs. Jamal Patterson*
* Luiz Azeredo vs. Luiz "Buscape" Firmino*
* Luciano Azevedo vs. TBA*
* Tim Boetsch vs. TBA*
* Danillo Villefort vs. TBA*
* - Not officially announced
Etiketter:
IFL,
WEC
Upplagd av: Hoffa
Lightweights Chris Horodecki vs. Ed Ratcliff targeted for WEC 49 in June
Lightweights Chris Horodecki (13-2 MMA, 0-1 WEC) and Ed Ratcliff (7-2 MMA, 3-2 WEC) have agreed to fight at the tentatively planned WEC 49 event in June, we have learned from sources close to the competitors.
Initial reports suggested WEC 49 could take place on June 20 at the Stampede Corral in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, though WEC officials declined to confirm the event. A source close to the show said the event is not official and that a date and venue are still being finalized.
If signed, the fight will likely take place on the televised portion of WEC 49.
The promotion struck a new broadcast deal this past December to air at least seven 2010 events with Canadian sports channel The Score. Events air stateside on the Versus channel.
The 22-year-old Chris Horodecki fell short in his promotional debut at WEC 45 this past December when Anthony Njokuani knocked him out with a head kick as he turned his back to reset his range.
As a breakout star of the now-defunct International Fight League, Horodecki amassed 11 consecutive victories, including wins over WEC veteran Bart Palaszewski and Bellator veteran Shad Lierley.
Horodecki sat on the bench for 14 months after the IFL's fall but returned to action this past June with a submission win over William Sriyapai at the "Ultimate Chaos" event in Mississippi.
Ratcliff, 27, fought in a knockdown, drag-out scrap with Donald Cerrone in the main draw of WEC 45. He won "Fight of the Night" honors despite a third-round submission loss. Prior to the setback, the karate stylist defeated Phil Cardella by unanimous decision at WEC 42.
MMAjunkie.com reported in January that WEC officials are targeting a summer debut in Canada. WEC vice president Peter Dropick specifically pointed to Calgary, which is Alberta's largest city with nearly 1 million residents, as the likely destination.
The WEC holds its 48th event and first-ever pay-per-view broadcast on April 24 at ARCO Arena in Sacramento, Calif. The promotion, which was purchased by the Ultimate Fighting Championship's parent company in late 2006, has never ventured outside of the U.S., though WEC officials previously stated both Canada and Mexico are likely areas for future expansion. Dropick said the WEC planned to target Calgary this year because the UFC planned to host shows in Montreal and Vancouver.
It was initially thought that WEC 47 headliners Brian Bowles and Dominick Cruz and co-headliners Miguel Torres and Joseph Benavidez could be ready to fight again come June, but both Bowles and new champ Cruz could be delayed by hand injuries suffered in their March 6 title fight. Torres, meanwhile, suffered a deep laceration in his loss to Benavidez and has been suspended indefinitely by the Ohio State Athletic Commission pending doctor's clearance.
Etiketter:
Affliction,
Pride,
UFC
Upplagd av: Hoffa
Video: UFC LIVE Vera vs. Jones Predictions
UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones is an upcoming mixed martial arts event to be held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on March 21, 2010 in Broomfield, Colorado at the 1stBank Center. This event will be the UFC's debut on Versus. The event will also be shown on a large number of international networks including Rogers Sportsnet in Canada, Televisa in Mexico, and ESPN in the UK. This will be the second time that the UFC has visited Broomfield, Colorado. UFC Fight Night 13 took place at the 1stBank Center (then named Broomfield Events Center)in 2008.
Official Fight Card
* Light Heavyweight bout: Brandon Vera vs. Jon Jones
* Heavyweight bout: Junior dos Santos vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
* Heavyweight bout: Cheick Kongo vs. Paul Buentello
* Middleweight bout: Alessio Sakara vs. James Irvin
Preliminary Card
* Lightweight bout: Clay Guida vs. Shannon Gugerty
* Light Heavyweight bout: Eliot Marshall vs. Vladimir Matyushenko
* Welterweight bout: John Howard vs. Daniel Roberts
* Heavyweight bout: Brendan Schaub vs. Chase Gormley
* Welterweight bout: Mike Pierce vs. Julio Paulino
* Light Heavyweight bout: Eric Schafer vs. Jason Brilz
Unannounced Match-ups
* Lightweight bout: Duane Ludwig vs. Darren Elkins
Etiketter:
Affliction,
Pride,
UFC
Upplagd av: Hoffa
Video: Countdown to UFC LIVE Vera vs Jones
UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones is an upcoming mixed martial arts event to be held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on March 21, 2010 in Broomfield, Colorado at the 1stBank Center. This event will be the UFC's debut on Versus. The event will also be shown on a large number of international networks including Rogers Sportsnet in Canada, Televisa in Mexico, and ESPN in the UK. This will be the second time that the UFC has visited Broomfield, Colorado. UFC Fight Night 13 took place at the 1stBank Center (then named Broomfield Events Center)in 2008.
Background
Brandon Vera was previously scheduled to fight Antônio Rogério Nogueira at UFC 109, but Nogueira was forced out of the bout with an ankle injury.
Junior dos Santos and Gabriel Gonzaga were originally set to fight at UFC 108, however Gonzaga suffered an injury that has prevented him from competing.
A bout between Clay Guida and Sean Sherk was in the works but Sherk suffered an undisclosed injury and was forced to pull out. Shannon Gugerty will step in as the replacement against Guida.
John Howard was originally scheduled to fight Anthony Johnson but Johnson was forced to withdraw from the bout with a knee injury. Daniel Roberts will now step in as Johnson's replacement.
Spencer Fisher was set to fight Duane Ludwig but was forced out of the bout due to an undisclosed injury. Darren Elkins has stepped in for the injured Fisher.
Rob Kimmons was forced to pull out of his bout with Mike Pierce from a leg injury. Julio Paulino is expected to be Kimmons' replacement.
Official Fight Card
* Light Heavyweight bout: United States Brandon Vera vs. United States Jon Jones
* Heavyweight bout: Brazil Junior dos Santos vs. Brazil Gabriel Gonzaga
* Heavyweight bout: France Cheick Kongo vs. United States Paul Buentello
* Middleweight bout:Italy Alessio Sakara vs.United States James Irvin
Preliminary Card
* Lightweight bout: United States Clay Guida vs. United States Shannon Gugerty
* Light Heavyweight bout: United States Eliot Marshall vs. Belarus Vladimir Matyushenko
* Welterweight bout: United States John Howard vs. United States Daniel Roberts
* Heavyweight bout: United States Brendan Schaub vs. United States Chase Gormley
* Welterweight bout: United States Mike Pierce vs. United States Julio Paulino
* Light Heavyweight bout: United States Eric Schafer vs. United States Jason Brilz
Unannounced Match-ups
* Lightweight bout: United States Duane Ludwig vs. United States Darren Elkins
Etiketter:
UFC
Upplagd av: Hoffa
Michael Bisping Talks Dan Hardys Chances Against GSP
A fellow country man of welterweight number one contender Dan Hardy, Michael Bisping talks to Fighters Only Magazine about Hardys chances against Georges St. Pierre on March 27th at UFC 111:
"Dan's in a great position. All the pressure is on GSP for this fight. I know Dan's a consummate professional and I know from the UK scene he's come up with a great game plan to bring the UFC welterweight title back to England. I will be up late, and cheering Dan on for sure. He knows he's the underdog, but every welterweight on the planet is the underdog against GSP right now. Dan is a very good striker, he has that edge over GSP, but Dan's best weapon is his belief in himself. He won't beat himself before the fight starts. And even if GSP starts taking him down and things don't go to plan, Dan won't crumble psychologically. He's not going to out-grapple GSP, we all know that. But he's got an advantage on the feet and he's a very hurtful puncher. GSP's real talent is his MMA, mixing it up, going from wrestling to BJJ, to striking and back again as fast as anyone in the sport. GSP isn't afraid to stand with anyone. I don't agree with this theory he won't stand with Dan, but of course it is in his best interest to take this to the ground where he has the advantage."
Etiketter:
UFC
Upplagd av: Hoffa
Dan Hardy And Georges St. Pierre Talk UFC Primetime
New York, NY, March 9, 2010 – In anticipation of their world welterweight title clash at UFC 111: ST-PIERRE vs. HARDY, UFC® champion Georges St-Pierre and challenger Dan Hardy will be featured on UFC Primetime®, a weekly, three part series premiering Wednesday, March 10 at 10:00 PM ET/PT on Spike TV.
In the first episode, Hardy boastfully speaks about his chances of dethroning the champion, St. Pierre.
“I know that I can give GSP hell when the times come. It’s so sweet stepping out into the Octagon on the other side saying, ‘I told you so.’
“All these GSP fans that are betting the house on him, when they wake up Sunday morning…they aren’t going to be too impressed with themselves.”
The confident champion St-Pierre countered by saying:
“I am the most confident guy I’ve ever been in my life, I got the knowledge, the experience of championship fights. I’ve got everything on my side.”
“One round I can strike with him and try to knock him out. The other one I can try to put him down and submit him. He doesn’t know what I can do to him. I can do it all.”
A clip of the show can be found here:
“UFC Primetime,” produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®), is a look into the lives of perhaps the world’s best pound for pound fighter, St-Pierre, and Hardy, the man looking to unseat him at the top of the welterweight ladder. As the two prepare for their meeting in late March, Spike TV will present three special weekly installments that will take viewers across the pond to Nottingham, England as Hardy trains with the rest of his Rough House team, and back to North America to Montreal to see how St-Pierre, one of the most beloved athletes in Canada, is preparing for his title defense. “UFC Primetime” delivers an extraordinary amount of access to two of mixed martial arts’ best, as they head into what could be the signature fight of 2010 at UFC 111.
Christopher Martello of Spike TV serves as executive in charge of production of UFC Primetime.
UFC 111 will air live on Pay-Per-View Saturday, March 27 from the Prudential Center, in Newark, NJ at 10:00 PM ET/ 7:00 PM PT.
Etiketter:
Boxing,
UFC
Upplagd av: Hoffa
James Toney Talks Randy Couture, Says He'll Knock Him Out
Last week Randy Couture tweeted that he wanted to welcome James Toney to the UFC and now, Toney has replied, saying he'll knock the former heavyweight and light heavyweight champion out:
"Randy Couture, he respects my game like I respect his game. He's the best at what he do in his sport; I'm the best at what I do in my sport. We gonna see who has the better style and everybody know it's James Toney. If he tries to throw blow for blow with me, he definitely gonna get knocked out. That's a given, you know what I'm saying? If he tries to take me to the ground, it ain't going to be easy… He's still gonna get knocked out. Either way, it's a lose-lose situation for him".
The quote is from an interview Toney did with Fight Hype, and has a feeling of promoting a possible Couture Vs. Toney match up written all over it. Couture seems to be the only MMA fighter under contract that has came right out and said he wanted to fight Toney, and "Lights Out" has said he'll fight whoever wants it.
Randy Couture is the godfather of MMA and is one of the UFCs big PPV draws. Toney is going to bring a crossover crowd from boxing with him when he debuts so Toney Vs. Couture has to have dollar signs in the eyes of UFC brass
Etiketter:
UFC
Upplagd av: Hoffa
UFC welterweight Matt Serra hosts Fight Club Q&A at UFC 111 in New Jersey
Former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra has been tapped for duty at this month's UFC 111 – sort of.
Serra has been confirmed as the UFC's guest at the UFC 111 Fight Club Q&A session, a fan-driven interview opportunity that accompanies every UFC event.
Serra will take the stage prior to the weigh-ins on Friday, March 26 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
Check-in for the Q&A begins at 12:30 p.m. ET, and the session with Serra runs from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET.
Serra is no stranger in the New Jersey area. A native and resident of nearby New York, the colorful welterweight runs a pair of Brazilian jiu-jitsu gyms in "The Empire State."
Serra has fought in the UFC since 2001. "The Terror's" most notable win was undoubtedly his 2007 upset of Georges St-Pierre. While St-Pierre avenged the loss in a 2008 rematch, Serra remains the only man to have beaten the current champ in his past 13 trips to the cage.
St-Pierre, of course, fights in UFC 111's main event against top contender Dan Hardy.
Serra delivered a "Knockout of the Night" win in his most recent outing, a knockout win over Frank Trigg at February's UFC 109. Serra was also involved in UFC 98's "Fight of the Night" when he lost a hotly contested decision to Matt Hughes.
The weigh-ins for UFC 111 begin at 4 p.m. ET.
The full "UFC 111: St-Pierre vs. Hardy" event includes:
MAIN CARD
Champ Georges St-Pierre vs. Dan Hardy (for welterweight title)
Shane Carwin vs. Frank Mir (for interim heavyweight title)
Jake Ellenberger vs. Ben Saunders
Thiago Alves vs. Jon Fitch
Mark Bocek vs. Jim Miller
PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)
Nate Diaz vs. Rory Markham
Ricardo Almeida vs. Matt Brown
PRELIMINARY CARD (Un-aired)
Fabricio Camoes vs. Kurt Pellegrino
Jared Hamman vs. Rodney Wallace
Tomasz Drwal vs. Rousimar Palhares
Matthew Riddle vs. Greg Soto
Etiketter:
Strikeforce
Upplagd av: Hoffa
Coker "honored" by Walker's fight, plans meeting to discuss second Strikeforce scrap
The opinions on 47-year-old former pro footballer Herschel Walker's recent MMA debut range from "amazing" to "disgraceful."
Count Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker among those who believe the Heisman Trophy winner was a good thing for the California-based promotion – even if he was admittedly unsure at first.
"I think the networks, at first, were apprehensive about Herschel, and so was I, honestly," Coker recently told. "I was very apprehensive, but getting to know Herschel, and seeing his commitment to training at AKA and just who he is as a person and a martial artist, it was an honor to have him come fight for us."
Walker earned a third-round TKO over the unheralded Greg Nagy at January's "Strikeforce: Miami" event. While Walker appeared a bit stiff in the standup department, he was able to utilize his wrestling skills, fend off submission attempts, and ground-and-pound his way to victory.
Working with the famed American Kickboxing Academy camp in preparation for the fight, Walker by all accounts put in the work needed to make it in mixed martial arts.
Coker believes the fact that an accomplished athlete like Walker, even at such an advanced age, wants to be involved in MMA proves the sport is quickly growing in popularity.
"When you look at [Walker's] history and his past accomplishments, he's probably one of the top two athletes of the century in the world," Coker said. "When a guy like that says, 'I want to be involved in mixed martial arts,' what does that say about our sport? That's a great statement."
One thing is certain: Walker's presence did wonders for the profile of Strikeforce. While the performances of Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz and middleweight slugger Robbie Lawler were the most talked about action on the night, it was Walker who garnered mainstream attention in the weeks leading up to the fight.
With multiple appearances on ESPN and appointments on a host of television and radio programs, Walker served as an ambassador for both Strikeforce and MMA – a role he handled quite well, indeed.
Coker said the attention was invaluable – and maybe even historic.
"You saw all the mainstream press that Herschel was able to deliver," Coker said. "It was probably more than Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz combined in the history of their careers.
"I don't think I've ever seen that kind of media surge for any fighter in the history of MMA that Herschel Walker delivered for our Strikeforce fight."
Much of the talk surrounding another appearance by Walker has centered around a potential matchup with former baseball star Jose Canseco. Thus far, Coker hasn't expressed much interest in making that fight, but that doesn't mean Walker won't be in the Strikeforce cage again soon.
"He's is a great guy, and we'll probably have a conversation with Herschel in the next couple weeks," Coker said. "We already had a brief conversation, and he's very happy with doing it – not just fighting, but he's like, 'I can't wait to get back and start training.' He wants to start training again."
Etiketter:
UFC
Upplagd av: Hoffa
Video: UFC Primetime St-Pierre vs Hardy (Hardy
A short snippet of Dan Hardy that includes a classic impression of his UFC 111 opponent, Georges St-Pierre. The premiere of UFC Primetime St-Pierre vs Hardy can be seen Tonight at 10pm ET/PT only on SPIKE. UFC 111: St-Pierre vs Hardy can be seen Live on Saturday, March 27th at 10pm ET/ 7pm PT on Pay-Per-View
onsdag 10 mars 2010
Etiketter:
UFC
Upplagd av: Hoffa
Martin Kampmann vs. Paulo Thiago in the works for UFC 115 in June
A welterweight matchup between Martin Kampmann and Paulo Thiago is currently in the works for UFC 115.
The potential bout was first reported by The Las Vegas Sun, and MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has since confirmed that both fighters have verbally agreed to the fight, and bout agreements are expected to be finalized shortly.
While not yet officially announced, UFC 115 is expected to take place June 12 at GM Place in Vancouver, British Columbia. The night's main card airs on pay-per-view.
After suffering a deep laceration in training, Kampmann recently was forced to withdraw from a planned UFC 111 bout with Ben Saunders.
"We had to literally tell him he couldn't fight Saunders like that," Kampmann's agent, Ken Pavia told. "He didn't want to pull out (of the fight)."
Kampmann, a former middleweight contender, looks to build on the momentum of a UFC 108 win over Jacob Volkmann in January. Although best known for his standup skills, Kampmann earned the win by submission, the sixth such victory of his career. Kampmann is now 3-1 in the UFC's 170-pound division; the lone loss came to Paul Daley this past September.
Meanwhile, Thiago (13-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) looks to build on the momentum of back-to-back UFC wins.
After shocking the world with a knockout win over Josh Koscheck in his UFC debut, Thiago then suffered a high-profile loss to Jon Fitch at UFC 100. The Brazilian, who moonlights as a special forces police officer, has since defeated Jacob Volkmann in a rather bland performance but then rebounded and submitted Mike Swick in a UFC 109 matchup that earned him the evening's "Submission of the Night" bonus.
Following Thiago's UFC 109 win over Swick, UFC president Dana White admitted he was impressed with the Brazilian's efforts.
"This guy just shot onto the scene," White said. "This guy's at the top of the 170-pound division; no doubt about it. He's a force to be reckoned with.
"Usually, when guys come into the UFC for the first time, they're real nervous, and this guy has got nerves of steel obviously because of what he does for a living. This is a hobby compared [to that]. We're very, very impressed with him." 
Etiketter:
UFC
Upplagd av: Hoffa
Jones, Vera focused on 205-pound division now, but heavyweight may be in future
Jon Jones (9-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) and Brandon Vera (11-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) could be headed up a division around the same time.
The light heavyweight headliners of UFC on Versus 1 spoke Tuesday to media about their March 21 fight, and both said a trip to the heavyweight division is not out of the question in two years, give or take.
It would be Vera's second run in the weight class since June 2008, when the UFC urged him to drop to 205 pounds after losses to Tim Sylvia and Fabricio Werdrum. Jones has served his young career at light heavyweight but said his still-growing frame may support a move up.
Both fighters are coming off controversial losses in their most recent performances, but are still considered to be in the top echelon of UFC light heavyweights. The winner of the March 21 fight could be on the road to a fight for the next title contender spot in the division.
Vera, once a red-hot prospect in the heavyweight division, is tagged as the more experienced competitor, while Jones rides a wave of hype as the "next big thing" among 205-pound fighters.
Size-wise, they're equals, but that may not always be the case.
The 22-year-old Jones, an upstate New York native, is the smallest of his siblings. His older brother, Arthur Jones, walks around at 300-plus pounds and enters the NFL draft this year as a veteran of Syracuse University. His younger brother, Chandler, tips the scales in the 250-pound range and is set to begin his Syracuse football career this fall.
Although he's the middle sibling, Jon Jones could have some growing to do.
"If he fills out like those guys, yeah," Ryan Ciotoli, Jones' manager and trainer, said regarding a possible move to heavyweight. "Right now, he's skinny, but you see a lot of guys fill out in their late 20's early 30's. I could see him putting on 20 or 30 pounds."
Ciotoli said Jones walks around at 210 pounds between fights but adds 10 pounds in camp.
"I've always been really skinny, but I'm growing every day, and I see myself getting stronger and (I'm) realizing my balance and realize what I can do with my body," Jones said.
With Vera, Jones is focused on what could be the biggest test of his career. The light heavyweight division is the obvious priority, but if he catches up to his brothers, it might be a different story.
"It's definitely something that I'm not counting out, especially being 22," Jones said. "By the time I'm 24, who knows what my body is going to do."
Vera, meanwhile, sees a move to heavyweight means as the pursuit of a long-held dream in his fight career – to be the first UFC fighter to simultaneously hold two titles in two different weight classes.
"I'm still on track for that," Vera said, adding later, '"I'm not going to retire until I get to that goal where I reach for the stars."
Like Jones, Vera said he has a long way to go in the light heavyweight division before he can entertain thoughts of jumping weight classes, but it's in the back of his mind nonetheless.
And Vera isn't concerned about being an undersized heavyweight among the massive fighters who now populate the division. He'd bulk up with his diet and a weight training regimen.
"I don't give a damn how much weight they cut, or how big the guys get, or how strong they look," he said.
But before he does that, he has to derail the Jones hype train.
"I don't see that happening for at least another year or maybe two years," Vera said. "I still have a lot of work to do at the 205 division. I can't bounce back and forth; I know that now. There's no way I could bounce back and forth and perform the way I want to perform."
Etiketter:
UFC
Upplagd av: Hoffa
Alessio Sakara vs. James Irvin promoted, completes UFC on Versus 1 main card
A potential slugfest between Alessio Sakara (14-7 MMA, 5-4 UFC) and James Irvin (14-5 MMA, 4-4 UFC) has been promoted to main-card status at UFC on Versus 1 and brings to four the number of televised bouts for the event.
UFC on Versus 1 takes place Sunday March 21 at the 1STBANK Center in Broomfield, Colo.
It's the first UFC card televised live on the cable channel, and light heavyweights Brandon Vera and Jon Jones fight in the evening's main event.
Irvin has been absent from the octagon since July 2008, when current UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva knocked him out in 61 seconds in the promotion's first stab at counter-promotion, UFC Fight Night 14, which countered Affliction Entertainment's debut event.
Irvin's career to date has been plagued by injuries. This past May, he was forced to withdraw from a fight at UFC 98 against Drew McFedries due to a knee injury. Then, three months later, he re-injured the knee in preparation for a fight against Wilson Gouveia at UFC 102 and was benched until early this year. Irvin lost in his octagon debut at UFC 51 but later sealed his spot in highlight-reel heaven when he knocked out Terry Martin with a vicious flying knee at UFC 54.
Sakara, meanwhile, is recently mended from an undisclosed injury that forced him to withdraw from a scheduled fight with Rousimar Palhares at The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale this past December. Prior to that, the Italian put together his first consecutive UFC wins by besting Thales Leites on points at UFC 101 and knocking out Joe Vedepo by head kick at UFC Fight Night 15. The American Top Team fighter looks to make it three in a row when he meets Irvin.
The full UFC on Versus 1 card now includes:
MAIN CARD
Jon Jones vs. Brandon Vera
Junior Dos Santos vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
Paul Buentello vs. Cheick Kongo
James Irvin vs. Alessio Sakara
PRELIMINARY CARD
Shannon Gugerty vs. Clay Guida
Eliot Marshall vs. Vladimir Matyushenko
John Howard vs. Daniel Roberts
Chase Gormley vs. Brendan Schaub
Julio Paulino vs. Mike Pierce
Jason Brilz vs. Eric Schafer
Darren Elkins vs. Duane "Bang" Ludwig*
* - Not officially announced
tisdag 9 mars 2010
Etiketter:
Pride,
UFC
Upplagd av: Hoffa
Anderson Silva says he was never friends with Vitor Belfort
They may not be fighting at UFC 112 anymore with Vitor Belfort out due to injury, but that hasn't stopped Anderson Silva from talking a little smack about his old training partner:
“First thing, he (Belfort) was never my friend. Second, a fight is fight. I’m here to fight and whoever is better prepared will win and one of us will lose. I’d be upset if I had to face Rodrigo, Rogerio, Feijao, Lyoto or even Wanderlei or Shogun, but Vitor? He’s just another opponent like everyone else."





