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28 febbraio 2010

[MMA]: Sapp vs Conan

Despite repeated attempts, Bob Sapp has been unable to export his superstardom from Japan into the United States. His fights do not attract any sizable attention, and his film roles are nothing that would keep Brian Bosworth up at night.

But Lord knows the man tries: his latest coup appears to be a role in Lionsgate’s “Conan the Barbarian” retread, which might be intriguing given recent advances in visual effects -- or an unmitigated disaster given that most remakes stink like three-day old summer garbage. According to LatinoReview.com, Sapp will play Ukafa, a soldier jealous of his commander’s son; Jason Momoa will play the title character. And if we’re really lucky, Mickey Rourke will play Conan’s dad.

Lionsgate has been very good to fighters who enjoy wearing make-up: their straight-to-DVD features are a rich resource for MMA fighters looking to remain conscious during working hours. “Conan” will shoot in Bulgaria soon for a 2011 release.

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[Shooting Disco 11]: risultati (27/02/2010)

Gustman Promotions returned to Tokyo to hold their Shooting Disco 11 show on Saturday.

Flyweight Junji Sarumaru (5-2-0) won the main event, his third win in a row, taking down Hiroaki Yoshioka (6-10-2). In the Lightweight semi-main, Kohmei Okada (6-9-2) got the victory over Hidenori Nishino (6-10-2) using a rear naked choke under a minute into the second round. The 2010 Rookie Tournament had five first round fights taking place with Hiroshi Osato (1-0-0), Yusaku Inoue (1-0-0), Keita Ishibashi (3-0-1), Jun Nabeshima (1-0-0) and Yoshifumi Nakamura (1-0-0) all winning in their respected divisions.

Full Results after the jump.

Shooting Disco 11 - TORA,TORA,TORA!
Shinjuku FACE (Tokyo,JAPAN)
February 27,2010

Flyweight (-52kg) 3 × 5min. rounds
winner
Junji Sarumaru (Decision 3-0) Hiroaki Yoshioka
*30-25,30-25,30-26

Lightweight (-65kg) 2 × 5min. rounds
winner
Kohmei Okada (2R 0:54,rear naked choke) Hidenori Nishino

Bantamweight (-56kg) 2 × 5min. rounds
winner
"Nakashi" (1R 1:54,TKO) "Tobizaru No.2"
*TKO:arm injury.

Featherweight (-60kg) 2 × 5min. rounds
winner
Keita Kono (Decision 3-0) Haruo Ochi
*20-18,20-19,20-18

Lightweight (-65kg) 2 × 5min. rounds
winner
Yohei Suzuki (1R 1:13,KO) Yuji Inoue

Lightweight (-65kg) 2 × 5min. rounds
winner
Kosuke Kindaichi (2R 2:35,KO) Kenichiro Marui

Bantamweight (-56kg) 2 × 5min. rounds
(Rookie Tournament 2010:1st round)
winner
Hiroshi Osato (Decision 2-0) Akinobu Watanabe
*19-19,20-18,20-19

Middleweight (-76kg) 2 × 5min. rounds
(Rookie Tournament 2010:1st round)
winner
Yusaku Inoue (Decision 3-0) Taijiro Izeki
*20-17,20-17,20-17

Featherweight (-60kg) 2 × 5min. rounds
winner
Keita Ishibashi (Decision 3-0) Hiroaki Ijima
*20-18,20-18,20-18

Flyweight (-52kg) 2 × 5min. rounds
(Rookie Tournament 2010:1st round)
winner
Jun Nabeshima (Decision 2-0) Takafumi "Little" Ato
*20-18,19-19,20-18

Lightweight (-65kg) 2 × 5min. rounds
(Rookie Tournament 2010:1st round)
winner
Yoshifumi Nakamura (Decision 3-0) Takayuki Hirose
*19-16,19-17,19-15

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[DEEP 46]: LHW Tournament Opening Round Preview (28/02/2010)

DEEP 46 takes place this Sunday February 28th, 2010 from the Tokyo Korakuen Hall. It's a hefty card with 13 matches including the Featherweight and Middleweight champs in action along with the opening round of the DEEP Light-Heavyweight Tournament plus a host of standard fights. To also note, the DEEP blog had a post saying a big, historic announcement will be made at the show. There is some speculation that it could be something to do regarding Shinya Aoki fighting in the US, but we'll have to wait and see.

In the main event, DEEP Featherweight Champion Takafumi Otsuka (9-4-1) will face Grabaka's Takeshi Yamazaki (14-10-3) in a non-title fight. Otsuka beat Dokonjonosuke Mishima at DEEP 43 back in August to win the title. Before that he put in a valiant effort against DREAM Featherweight champ Bibiano Fernandes in the opening round of the Grand Prix last year. His opponent, Takeshi Yamazaki, picked up a win over Shoji Maruyama at DREAM.3 but is winless since in his last four fights. Yamazaki will be in tough against the champ but you can be sure he'll be hungry for a victory.

DEEP Middleweight Champion Riki Fukuda (15-4-0) will be in action against former pro-wrestler Hiromitsu Kanehara (18-22-2) in what is also a non-title match. Fukuda fought at DREAM.8 as a late replacement for Yoon Dong-Sik, where he defeated Murilo Rua by decision. He has an impressive 15-4 record. At DEEP 42 he defeated Yuichi Nakanishi by decision to win the DEEP Middleweight crown. Hiromitsu Kanehara holds notable wins over Masayuki Naruse, Wataru Sakata, Jeremy Horn and a knockout victory over Valentijn Overeem. He was undefeated in '09 with a 2-0-1 record.

Star-divide
DEEP will run an 8-man Light-Heavyweight Tournament to crown a Light-Heavyweight Champion. Ryuta Noji (8-5-0) who spent the last couple years in the HEAT promotion, won his DEEP debut over Ryan Goodman late last year. He will face veteran Katsuhisa Fujii (9-17-1) who will try and halt a dismal five fight loosing streak dating back to July 2007.

Minoru Kato (2-8-3) will meet Shunsuke Inoue (7-4-2) in another first round tournament match. Kato had a very busy 2009 but did not come away with any victories dropping to 0-3-3. One of these three draws came against his first upcoming round opponent, Shunsuke Inoue. Inoue also had eventful 2009 and found more success going 3-1-1. His only loss came at the hands of Ryo Kawamura this past December in Pancrase.

The French fighter Christian “Tonton” M’Pumbu (14-2-1) will make his DEEP debut when he faces Yuji Sakuragi (11-15-1) in the opening round. M’Pumbu has an impressive record with only two losses in seventeen appearances but his opponents have been less then top class. Yuji Sakuragi is coming off a victory in the main event of the WAFC - Impact League 2 show in Russia last October. Last year he defeated fellow tournament participant Minoru Kato at DEEP 41.

The final first round fight will see Brazilian Edison Mishio (2-1-0) return to DEEP after being absent from MMA for over a year. He will meet Yoshiyuki Nakanishi (5-1-0) who comes into the match on a two fight winning streak with his last win coming against Akim Assenine at M-1 Challenge 18.

There are a few notable non-tournament fights on the undercard, Club Barbarian fighter Yoshihiro "Barbaro44" Tomioka (14-7-6) meets Toshiaki Kitada (10-4-3). Hidehiko Hasegawa (18-12-6) put's his multi-fight win streak on the line against Shooto's Taisuke Okuno (8-4-2) and Eiji Ishikawa (18-15-2) will look for his fourth straight win in DEEP when he meets Shigetoshi Iwase (8-12-3).



DEEP 46 IMPACT
February 28, 2010 (Sun)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

Main Events:
13. FW: Takafumi Otsuka (9-4-1) vs. Takeshi Yamazaki (14-10-3)
12. MW: Riki Fukuda (15-4-0) vs Hiromitsu Kanehara (18-22-2)

DEEP Lightheavyweight Tournament Opening Round:
11. Ryuta Noji (8-5-0) vs. Katsuhisa Fujii (9-17-1)
10. Minoru Kato (2-8-3) vs. Shunsuke Inoue (7-4-2)
9. Christian “Tonton” M’Pumbu (14-2-1) vs. Yuji Sakuragi (11-15-1)
8. Edison Salman Mishio (2-1-0 vs. Yoshiyuki Nakanishi (5-1-0)

Non-Tournament Fights:
7. FW: Yoshihiro "Barbaro44" Tomioka (14-7-6) vs. Toshiaki Kitada (10-4-3)
6. WW: Hidehiko Hasegawa (18-12-6) vs. Taisuke Okuno (8-4-2)
5. WW: Eiji Ishikawa (18-15-2) vs. Shigetoshi Iwase (8-12-3)
4. BW: Hiroshi “Iron” Nakamura (9-3-5) vs. Isao Terada (7-9-4)
3. BW: Takashige "Crazy Hill" Hirukawa (2-1-0) vs. Yoshiki Harada (2-0-0)
2. WW: Yasushi Kitazaki (10-6-1) vs. Yuta Aoyama (0-1-1)

Future Fight:
1. 63kg: Hiroyuki Kobayashi (1-3-0) vs. Takahiro Masuda (1-2-0)

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[KL]: CAMPIONATI NAZIONALI ASSOLUTI KUNG FU - SANDA - LIGHT SANDA - TAIJI QUAN (21/03/2010 palazzetto di Fiano Romano (RM) ore 9.30)

Il 21 marzo 2010 presso il palazzetto di Fiano Romano (RM) si svolgeranno i Campionati Nazionali Assoluti KLMA per il settore delle discipline cinesi (Kung Fu, Sanda, Light Sanda, Taiji Quan).
Ultima gara di preparazione in vista della II^ KL World Cup che si terrà a Rimini dal 30 aprile al 02 maggio 2010.
L'affluenza si preannuncia imponente per queste nuove discipline che stanno ritagliandosi un ruolo importante nel "Mondo" Kombat League.
All'interno dell'articolo trovate tutte le indicazioni necessarie per iscrizioni e informazioni alberghiere etc.

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[MMA]: The MMA Show


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[KL]: "A NIGHT OF BANGKOK" MUAY THAI FULL RULES - RIUSCITA ORGANIZZAZIONE DI ANGELO VENIERO (21/02/2010 Sorrento)

Volare bassi e crescere insieme, questo è stato lo spirito che ha portato all'organizzazione di A NIGHT IN BANGKOK in Sorrento, grazie alla collaborazione fra i Team Naresuan sparsi per l'Italia (Cassino, Firenze, Napoli, Sorrento), Scorpion's Team, Team Selice-Barone, Pattaya Kombat Gym e Accademia MT Calabria, Warrior's Gym Viterbo.
Si è rivelato un successo sotto tutti i punti di vista, il pubblico ha gremito la tensostruttura sorrentina, i match sono stati spettacolari e la serata è scivolata via nei tempi e nei modi previsti.
La riunione è iniziata nel primo pomeriggio con la disputa di molti match a contatto leggero, che sono valsi per ladisputa del campionato regionale campania.
Alle 19 si è passati alla presentazione della serata e degli atleti che si sarebbero affrontati di lì a breve.
Di seguito, all'interno dell'articolo tutti i risultati con le foto.

RISULTATI

Opening match, K1 rules -81Kg
CATAPANO (team Selice-Barone) Sicilia (A.M.T. Calabria) 3° round KO
Torneo -57 Kg
1° Semif. RIZZA (Team Naresuan Cassino) Falanga (Team Naresuan
Napoli)

Torneo - 67 Kg
1° semif. MARESCA (Team Naresuan Sorrento) Guastaferro (Pattaya
Kombat Gym)
2° semif. MONTI (Team Naresuan Napoli) Botindari (Warrior's gym
Viterbo) 2° round KO

Torneo -71 Kg
1° semif. MILONE (Team Naresuan Sorrento) Minervino (A.M.T.
Calabria)
2° round KO
2° semif. CARAMANICO (Team Naresuan Firenze) Iannetta (Team
Naresuan
Cassino) 1° round KO

-54 Kg donne
GATTO (Team Naresuan Firenze) Liliana (Warrior's gym Viterbo) 1°
round KO

-75 Kg
SPAGNOLI (Warrior's gym Viterbo) Aversa (Team Naresuan Sorrento)

round TKO

-91 Kg
SALINES (Scorpion's Team) Ferrone (Team Naresuan Sorrento) 3° round
TKO

Finale -57 Kg
RIZZA (Team Naresuan Cassino) Rotondo (Team Naresuan Cassino)

Finale -67 Kg
MARESCA ((Team Naresuan Sorrento) Monti (Team Naresuan Napoli)

Finale -71 Kg
MILONE (Team Naresuan Sorrento) Caramanico (Team Naresuan Firenze)

-63.5 Kg 5 X 2
CERASUOLO (Team Naresuan Sorrento) Palazzetti (Warrior's gym
Viterbo)

Bilancio della serata estremamente positivo, il movimento anche in Campania sta crescendo e l'unità d'intenti fra i team sicuramente porterà buoni frutti per tutti i nostri atleti, dai dilettanti ai professionisti.
Un passo alla volta, con calma e professionalità, sempre sotto l'egidia FMTI/KL

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[BCN 6]: video e risultati (25/02/2010)

Amanda Nunes vs Ediene Gomes


Leandro Batata vs. Gustavo Labareda


Cristiano Marcello vs Emiliano Vatti


Danillo Villefort vs Cassiano Tytschyo


Felipe Arinelli vs Cesar Mutante


Glover Teixeira vs Joaquim Mamute Ferreira


Luiz Firmino vs Francisco Drinaldo


Thales Leites vs Rico Washington


Yuri Villefort vs Júlio Cesar Merenda


Results
* Middleweight bout: Thales Leites vs Rico Washington
Leites defeated Washington via submission (arm triangle choke) in round 1.

* Heavyweight bout: Glover Teixeira vs Joaquim "Mamute" Ferreira
Teixeira defeated Ferreira via TKO (corner stoppage) in round 2. Ferreira's corner threw in the towel.

* Welterweight bout: Danillo Villefort vs Cassiano Tytschyo
Villefort defeated Tytschyo via KO in round 1.

* Lightweight bout: Cristiano Marcello vs Emiliano Vatti
Marcello defeated Vatti via submission (armbar) in round 1.

* Lightweight bout: Francisco Drinaldo vs Luiz Firmino
Drinaldo defeated Firmino via submission (kneebar) in round 1.

* Welterweight bout: Yuri Villefort vs Julio Cesar Merenda
Villefort defeated Merena via unanimous decision after 3 rounds.

Sherdog.com Live Stream
* Lightweight bout: Leandro Batata vs Gustavo Sampaio Lebareda
Batata defeated Labared via unanimous decision after 3 rounds.

* Middleweight bout: Luiz Cesar vs Felipe Arinelli
Cesar defeated Arinelli via submission (arm triangle choke) in round 2.

* Women's Bantamweight bout: Ediene Gomes vs Amanda Nunes
Nunes defeated Gomes via TKO (punches) in round 2.

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[UFC 111]: St-Pierre vs Hardy - A ‘Rough’ Band of Brothers (27/03/2010)

UFC welterweight contender Dan Hardy pauses for a moment. The synonymous red Mohawk is overgrown and pasted across his forehead. His mind races back over seven years of stories before settling.

“Jimmy [Wallhead] got caught in an arm triangle once against Peter Angerer,” he says. “Peter Angerer was on the bottom, and Jimmy was stuck on his arm, so he couldn’t tap. He ended up having to tap with his feet, so we gave him the nickname Scuba Steve. We still get him with that one.”

Hardy breaks into a grin as Wallhead passes.

“You know who Scuba Steve is don’t you, Jimmy?” he asks.

Wallhead, a powerfully built welterweight with shorn bleached hair, shakes his head and stops. He shoots a knowing glare at Hardy before feigning a choke and cradling his stomach. Hardy knows immediately what he means.

“Jimmy’s talking about the time I got caught in a guillotine and s--t myself,” Hardy says. “It was in my second fight with Alexandre Izidro. I had no idea until after the fight. After about three minutes of the first round, I got caught in a guillotine for 26 seconds, and, at some point, I must have passed out. I came to and managed to squeeze my way out of it. I ended up fighting the rest of the fight and TKOing him at the end of the third.”

Almost any literature one reads regarding Team Rough House focuses on the intense camaraderie that binds the camp. Just moments before the pair traded embarrassing stories, Hardy and Wallhead engaged in a series of intense sparring rounds, with Wallhead relentless in his pursuit of the takedown and Hardy pinpoint and elusive with his striking. This potent combination of amity and competition between the fighters has propelled the team to recent success.

“Camp’s hard,” says Wallhead, in the early stages of his preparation for the forthcoming Bellator Fighting Championships welterweight tournament. “Fighting’s the fun part. Training’s horrible; you’re dieting, and you’re working out three times a day. You don’t want to do it, but having these guys around adds that competitiveness, as well. I never want Dan to beat me; Dan doesn’t want me to beat him. It’s not animosity, but we strive to push each other to the limits. We’re like a family. It’s a great support network, like a band of brothers.”

Andre Winner, an exciting lightweight prospect and finalist on “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 9, echoes the familial sentiment. He cites the shared experiences of the team as an important factor in the friendships that exist.

“We all come from similar sporting backgrounds and things like that, which adds a kind of unity,” Winner says. “We all had our troubles in the past and we’re all similar ages, which binds us all together and helps. We’re not just a team that turns up and gets together to train once or twice a day. Any of these guys could ring me at any time of the night and say, ‘Dre, I need your help.’ I’ll always be there for my team.”

Rough House clings to such ideals. Time is allocated primarily between the Liberty gym in Nottingham, England, for sparring, Leicester Shootfighters for grappling and the Leicester Tigers Rugby Club facility for conditioning. Often, fighters employ personal coaches to best suit their needs. They are a collective body bonded by common goals and fellowship, rather than a building or trainer. It has been that way from the very first meeting between Hardy and fellow world-ranked welterweight Paul Daley.

“I was fighting in amateur KSBO tournaments back in 2002-2003,” Hardy says. “We used to go to Nottingham University in the sports hall, and I remember, at those first few tournaments, I’d always see Paul Daley and Matt Howell there with their Rough House T-Shirts on. We got talking and got on really well.

“I had a disagreement with the guy I was training with at the time, so I decided to start working with Paul,” he adds. “Matt had university commitments, so it ended up being just me and Paul. When Paul started fighting professionally, I was his main training partner, and then I started fighting professionally, as well. We just sort of pick guys up along the way. A lot of guys have gravitated to us, and we’ve built a team just from working hard basically.”

While the initial premise of the team remains, facilities and organization have improved exponentially since that initial meeting between Daley and Hardy. Winner, a member of the team since 2004, has witnessed the growth firsthand.

“When we first got here, we were just like two, three guys booking up at the gym and training together, no real game plan to what we were doing, but now we’ve got a team,” Winner says. “We still train at a lot of different gyms, but we’re a lot more organized now. It’s come along with facilities and everything like that. We’ve still got loads to go, though. Hopefully, we’ll have a Rough House franchise one day.”

Currently, there appears to be a highly organic process to the introduction of new members. Chance encounters with unharnessed potential surround most stories of inclusion. “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 9 contestant and recent Ultimate Challenge MMA title contender Dean Amasinger joined Rough House following a curtailed stint in amateur rugby, encouraged to take up mixed martial arts after meeting Daley and Hardy at Nottingham University. Wallhead was first introduced to Hardy in the bathroom of a venue following his second MMA loss, and Winner decided to join the team after witnessing sessions between Daley and Hardy while enrolled in a weekly self defense class at Leicester Shootfighters.

The results of the team have been incredible. Strengthened by the addition of TUF 9 alum Nick Osipczak and eventual lightweight winner Ross Pearson, the team has established a record of 11-1 inside the UFC; the lone loss came in a bout contested between Pearson and Winner in the lightweight final at “The Ultimate Fighter 9” Finale. Rough House has so far proven adept at transforming domestic prospects into international contenders, something sure to be tested in the coming months, with a number of high-profile matches slated for its members.

Hardy will become the first British fighter to challenge for a UFC title on March 27, when he squares off against Georges St. Pierre for the welterweight crown. Daley has been booked for a May 8 date with perennial welterweight contender Josh Koscheck at UFC 113. Meanwhile, Pearson and Winner are due another incremental increase in the caliber of their opposition on March 31, when they take on Dennis Siver and Cole Miller, respectively, at UFC Fight Night 21. And Nick Osipczak will travel to the United Arab Emirates for UFC 112 on April 10 to face Rick Story.

The plethora of talent pervading the camp is made all the more impressive and beneficial to the team when one considers that the majority of fighters involved currently occupy places of prominence in the 155- and 170-pound divisions. Hardy intends to make full use of that asset in preparation for his upcoming fight.

“Having so many top fighters in lower weight classes makes it easier to prepare for whoever we’ve got. It’s very difficult to go to another gym and to be treated like a training partner,” says Hardy, in the midst of an extended 14-week camp for the St. Pierre fight at UFC 111. “At the end of the day, it’s an individual sport, and you’re going to go to a gym and work with somebody that you’re in competition with. I know here I’m safe with these guys; they'll look after me, and they’ll push me.

“With the guys we’ve got in the team, we can piece together any skill set,” he adds. “We can all apply our skills directly to suit whatever opponent we’re fighting. Obviously, my next opponent is Georges St. Pierre, so I’ll have to bring in a couple of different guys, but I’ve managed to piece his skill set together with guys I’ve got around me, which is going to help me and make training sessions miserable.”

The dichotomy of having so many elite fighters in few weight classes, however, comes when team members converge at the pinnacle of a division and are called to fight one another. It is a request that will undoubtedly face Hardy and Daley, should they emerge unscathed from their next fights. Hardy, however, remains steadfast in his response.

“This feels like home, and the Rough House team is my family,” he says. “There’s a lot to be said for the time we’ve invested in one another. I’ve traveled with all the guys and cornered them, and they’ve done the same for me. There’s just no need for me to fight Paul. There are so many guys out there. The [American Kickboxing Academy] guys have managed to not fight each other up until this point; I don’t see why myself and Paul would ever have to fight. I have no desire to fight him, and I know he feels the same.

“Andre and Ross fought because they had no choice. It had to be done, but some things are more important than holding a belt,” he adds, his face straight and his eyes earnest as he pauses once more. “Not many, but some.”

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[Strikeforce]: challengers 6 - video, commento e risultati (26/02/2010)

Sarah Kaufman vs Takayo Hashi


Trevor Prangley vs Karl Ammousou


Luke Rockhold vs Paul Bradley


Sarah Kaufman pitched a shutout in the Strikeforce “Challengers 6” main event on Friday, as she captured the vacant welterweight championship in a unanimous decision victory against Takayo Hashi at the San Jose Civic Auditorium in San Jose, Calif.

Scores were 50-45 across the board, all in the unbeaten Kaufman’s favor. The five-round affair may have lacked the desired pyrotechnics, but it was an historic coronation nonetheless. The women’s welterweight division finally has a face.

“This was an awesome fight,” Kaufman said. “She put up a great fight. It was really hard to finish her because she was constantly moving.”

Emboldened by a considerable advantage standing, Kaufman set the tone for the match early, as she dropped Hashi twice inside the first five minutes. Straight lefts, counter right hands and the occasional leg kick were her weapons of choice, as the Canadian piled up the points on the scorecards.

Rounds two through five saw little change in the direction of the fight, as Hashi, a decorated grappler, seemed content to stand and exchange with the superior striker. Kaufman, perhaps wary of potential mistakes, eased her foot off the gas and settled into a comfortable pace. She controlled the distance with her jab, defended takedowns and let her hands and feet do the work. Hashi, who tried and failed to pull guard in the fourth and fifth rounds, was game but had no answer for Kaufman on the feet.

“It was really hard to get a lot of clean shots on her consecutively,” Kaufman said. “I would have loved to have finished the fight, but I couldn’t have done any more than I did.”

Undefeated through 11 professional bouts, Kaufman has gone the distance in each of her first three appearances under the Strikeforce banner. The defeat snapped the 32-year-old Hashi’s eight-fight winning streak, which dated back to her August 2005 submission loss to Hitomi Akano.

“I want to finish fights,” Kaufman said. “Some people are just really hard to finish.”

Luke Rockhold vs. Paul Bradley.
American Kickboxing Academy prospect Luke Rockhold did nothing to slow his ascent up the Strikeforce ranks, as he carved up Paul Bradley in a one-sided middleweight tilt. The finish came 2:24 into round one.

Bradley, a two-time collegiate All-American wrestler at the University of Iowa, never had a chance. Rockhold -- who held a five-inch reach and seven-inch height advantage on Bradley -- dropped the 26-year-old Minnesota Martial Arts Academy product twice with counter right hooks and put him away with a glancing head kick and a pair of brutal knees to the body against the cage.

“I was surprised,” Rockhold said. “I really thought he would come in harder for the takedown. I didn’t realize he was going to stand with me to that extent.”

The 24-year-old has rattled off six consecutive victories and figures to factor into the Strikeforce middleweight picture.

“I want to get some tough competition,” Rockhold said. “I think I’m ready. I’d like to move up.”

Prangley-Amoussou Ends in Eye Poke

The co-main event pitting UFC veteran Trevor Prangley against Karl Amoussou ended in a technical draw 4:14 into the opening round, when Prangley inadvertently poked his foe in the right eye. The 24-year-old Amoussou informed the cage-side doctor that he could not see, at which point the bout was halted.

Amoussou, one of Europe’s top exports, appeared to build an early lead, as he used his blinding hand speed to repeatedly tag Prangley with punches to the head. The 37-year-old South African’s offense was limited to some brief clinch work and a mid-round takedown.


Other Bouts
Tarec Saffiedine def. James Terry -- Unanimous Decision
Yancy Medeiros def. Raul Castillo -- Unanimous Decision
Wayne Phillips def. Eric Lawson -- Submission (Armbar) 4:27 R1

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[WEC 48]: Aldo vs Faber - il PPV potrebbe avere più di 15000 spettatori (24/04/2010)

It has all the signs of a landmark moment, and World Extreme Cagefighting General Manager Reed Harris has done little to slow the hype machine.

Harris thinks WEC 48 “Aldo vs. Faber” on April 24 could draw more than 15,000 fans to the Arco Arena in Sacramento, Calif. By comparison, the WEC’s most recent event in the Golden State’s capital city claimed an attendance of 10,027 last month.

“We had a record pre-sale,” Harris said during a Thursday teleconference. “Ticket sales are trending very well. I think there could be upwards of 15,000 or so there.”

WEC 48, which marks the promotion’s historic debut on pay-per-view, will feature a pair of five-round title bouts, including the ballyhooed headliner between featherweight champion Jose Aldo and former titleholder Urijah Faber.

Aldo, Sherdog’s 2009 “Fighter of the Year,” has not competed since November, when he blasted through American Top Team’s Mike Thomas Brown and captured 145-pound gold in a second-round technical knockout. Spawned by the Nova Uniao camp in Brazil, the 23-year-old will carry a nine-fight winning streak into his showdown with Faber. Aldo rose to the top of the featherweight division without much resistance, as he finished his first six foes inside the WEC, three of them inside one round.

Still the promotion’s most marketable commodity, Faber submitted Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Raphael Assuncao with a third-round rear-naked choke in the WEC 46 co-main event a month ago. The charismatic 30-year-old Californian has won 15 of his past 17 fights, losing only to Brown in that span.

Though the $44.95 price for the PPV remains a point of contention with some, Harris believes fans “will get their money’s worth” with the WEC 48 card, which includes a rematch between WEC lightweight champion Benson Henderson and Donald Cerrone. Still, it figures to sink or swim on the strength of the main event.

“In talking to the guys upstairs, [UFC President] Dana [White] and all them, they all believe this could be one of the best fights of the decade,” Harris said. “We’re very confident about it.”

All was not roses on the business front, as the dispute between the Versus network, which carries WEC events, and DirecTV rages on. It seems doubtful the debate will be settled in time for the promotion’s next show, which boasts a bantamweight title bout between undefeated champion Brian Bowles and the once-beaten Dominick Cruz on March 6.

“The last I heard, they were talking,” WEC Vice President Peter Dropick said. “I think I’ve been saying that for the last four [conference] calls. I haven’t been told that it wouldn’t happen [in time for WEC 47]. We’re hopeful it’s going to happen. There’s certainly some interesting programming coming up on Versus in the next month and a half.”

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[MFC 24]: Heat XC - risultati (26/02/2010)

Yves Edwards picked up his third straight win in his Maximum Fighting Championship debut, as he controlled fellow UFC veteran Derrick Noble en route to a first-round technical knockout in the MFC 24 “HeatXC” headliner on Friday at the River Cree Resort and Casino.

Fighting in Canada for the first time in his long career, Edwards had no problem heating up in the colder climate. After an initial feeling out process, the American Top Team standout connected with a straight right that sent Noble to the ground. Edwards trapped Noble in the corner and unloaded a barrage of punches, forcing the referee to call a halt to the action 4:41 into the first round.

“I just wanted to come out and feel him out,” Edwards said. “I thought I would be the faster guy, and I was right. I got his timing down, and I heard my corner telling me what to throw, and I landed it and it worked out.”

In the co-main event, Tom Watson put a devastating right head kick on Travis Galbraith and sent him crashing face-first to the mat.

After breaking apart from a clinch in the corner, Galbraith dropped his hand. Watson then came over the top and landed the fight-ending kick 1:56 into round one. An early candidate for “Knockout of the Year,” the win was Watson’s seventh straight.

“My corner was telling me before the fight to be relaxed and wait for the mistake,” Watson said. “I saw that he was dropping his left hand, so I faked and threw the head kick, and it caught him a little bit better than I expected it to. Hopefully, this gets me a bigger fight and a bigger opponent for my next bout in the MFC.”

Meanwhile, Dwayne Lewis posted his seventh straight victory, as he stopped Ryan McClain on strikes midway through the second round. McClain, who replaced teammate David Heath on less than a week’s notice, had no answer for Lewis’ flurries. He cornered McClain and unloaded with a barrage of punches. McClain dropped to the ground and tried to roll away to escape the strikes, but Lewis followed him to the ground and forced the referee to intervene 2:08 into the second round.

The first-round fireworks did not end there.

Jesse Juarez came a long way from Torrance, Calif., for very little work, as he put away Nathan Gunn in just 11 seconds. Once the bell rang, Juarez came across the ring, and, when Gunn dropped his left hand, he came over the top with a right round kick that connected on the temple and ended the match before either man had broken a sweat. Gunn has found himself on the wrong end of highlight reel knockouts in two straight fights. Pete Spratt melted him at MFC 22 in October.

Finally, David Letourneau took a unanimous decision over the previously undefeated Nick Hrynchyshyn in an entertaining bout that left Hrynchyshyn’s blood all over the computers and notepads on press row. Letourneau was effective in getting his jab through Hrynchyshyn’s defenses and connected with numerous kicks to the ribs of the young prospect. Scores were 30-27 across the board.

Other Bouts
Dami Egbeyemi def. Paapa Inkumsah -- Split Decision
Garrett Nybakken def. Chris Barber -- Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) 2:30 R1
Zach Blaber def. Eric Chouinard -- Submission (Kimura) 1:17 R1

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[Strikeforce]: sulla Kaufman

Strikeforce's move from a regional to a national promotion has created a platform for some big 145-pound women’s fights in the last year, including a headlining title bout between Gina Carano and Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos last August. Undefeated Sarah Kaufman, who fights Takayo Hashi Friday for the promotion’s newly created 135-pound title in Fresno, Calif., is hoping there’s enough love to spread around.

“I did kind of feel like I got forgotten about a little bit,” Kaufman recently told the Sherdog Radio Network's “Beatdown” show. “They have kept (the 135-pound division) going, but there definitely isn't as much exposure there. Hopefully once this title is created and once we fight for it, the push is going to be there behind the 135ers as well.”

Kaufman, who showcased crisp striking in her back-to-back unanimous decision victories for Strikeforce last May and June, said she prepared for Hashi on three separate occasions since then waiting to get the final call from Strikeforce. It’s given Kaufman ample time to digest Hashi’s game.

“I've seen a few of her fights and its always kind of hard to know how she's going to come out especially being from a primarily grappling-based camp,” said Kaufman. “Sometimes that odd striking kind of throws you more for a loop than someone who has pretty basic striking. So I think that's always kind of a concern in terms of just being able to get around striking that's not what you're used to.”

Not only is Hashi's style difficult to get a handle on, she's not a well-established name in North America.

“I think that's a hard thing because Takayo Hashi is obviously a great opponent,” said Kaufman. “She's ranked number two in the division. But I understand entirely what you're saying. You're just kind of throwing someone in there, especially being from Japan, the public has never seen (her), and they probably don't know how to feel about her. I mean I don't even know how to feel about her. Especially not having seen her fight on a Strikeforce show you really don't know what to expect.”

Kaufman, a native of Victoria, British Columbia, believes both she and Hashi have a future in the promotion no matter what Friday’s result will be.

“Hopefully, it's not a you come in to fight and if you lose you disappear kind of thing,” Kaufman said. “I mean, hopefully you're put into the mix and you become one of the contenders and then people do get to know you. I just hope that we put on a good fight and in the end it doesn't matter that she's not that well known yet.”

Kaufman will be eight months removed when she re-enters the Strikeforce cage on Friday, but for the undefeated 24-year-old, that’s par for the course. “Last year I had three fights within 57 days which was great but prior to that I'd had a 13-month layoff. I'm kind of used to it,” she said. “I just like to do my thing and get in there. As soon as you're in there it feels the same. There's always that kind of nervous tension going on. I don't think it's anything more than any other fight.”

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[UFC]: prima occhiata al nuovo videogioco "UFC Undisputed" con Dana White

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27 febbraio 2010

[WEC 47]: Bowles vs Cruz - Torres un nuovo uomo dopo il match con Bowles (06/03/2010)

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[UFC 111]: St-Pierre vs Hardy - HD Trailer (27/03/2010)

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[UFC 110]: Nogueira vs Velasquez - Analisi di ESPN (21/02/2010)

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[Dream. 13]: conferenza stampa (22/03/2010)

DREAM held a press conference today to announce some upcoming matches for the March 22nd Yokohama Arena event DREAM.13.

As previously reported, Minowaman and Katsunori Kikuno will participate but there was no mention yet of Hideo Tokoro taking part.

Minowaman (44-30-8) will face American Jimmy Ambriz (14-12-1). Ambriz is no stranger to the Japanese fight scene were he has fought in New Japan Pro Wrestling and Pancrase. His only appearance in DREAM was a loss to Sergei Kharitonov at DREAM.6.

DEEP Lightweight champ Katsunori Kikuno (12-2-2) will battle Cage Force Lightweight champion Kuniyoshi Hironaka (16-6-0). Kikuno had been on a unbelievable streak going unbeaten in 11 fights dating back to early 2006 until he was stopped by Eddie Alvarez at DREAM.12. Hironaka will come into the fight winning 4 in a row with his last victory coming over the talented Korean Won Sik Park.

Former EliteXC Lightweight champion, K.J. Noons (7-2-0) will make his debut against Brazillian kick boxer Andre "Dida" Amado (6-3-1).

Ryo Chonan (16-10-0), who was confirmed to fight a few weeks back will meet Japanese-Brazilian Andrews Nakahara (2-1-0). Nakahara has an extensive Kyokushin karate background and was recently awarded a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Blue Belt. He made his MMA debut against Kazushi Sakuraba.

After the press conference, event producer Keiichi Sasahara said 3-4 fights have yet to be announced. So we can expect more matches to be added in the coming days/weeks.

You can checkout the fightcard on the DREAM website: click here

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[Dream. 13]: un "Big name" peso massimo sarà presente nella card. Che si tratti di Fedor? O di Arlovski? O qualcun altro? (22/03/2010)

M-1 speaks, Fedor will not fight until May, against Fabricio Werdum.

The much-maligned rumor mill involving Fedor Emelianenko's next fight will continue on until some company decides to step out of the shadows and announce him for their next card. Head Kick Legend did receive confirmation the other day that Emelianenko's camp is in negotiations for an upcoming bout, but suspiciously enough, no promotion was named. Normally, not a big deal, right? He has a contract with Strikeforce, they have a CBS card upcoming and possibly a PPV. Easy. The non-exclusive nature of the contract as well as Fedor and M-1's take has led to questions and speculation. Instead of Strikeforce putting the fire out, they remain silent and Sasahara from DREAM hasn't done anything to help in that matter, either.

At the DREAM presser, he went out of his way telling the press that Andre Dida vs. KJ Noons will be one of two bouts on the DREAM.13 card with a theme of Strikeforce vs. DREAM. The other fight, still unannounced will be a heavyweight showdown, featuring a DREAM heavyweight and a Strikeforce heavyweight. Innocent enough, right? The level of fighter Sasahara mentioned was a "Fedor-level" heavyweight, quoted in some Japanese news sources as "super-heavyweight" (not meaning heavy, like Bob Sapp, but a superstar).

So while there will be something more solid next week, put together the situation with what facts we already have. First of all, Fedor Emelianenko has not been announced for a Strikeforce card yet. K-1 has offered him a giant money contract in the past (if you don't believe me, I have actually seen it), K-1 can put far more money on the table and has a national television deal as long as they can prove a card worthy, as well as big money backers and sponsors. Fighters like Alistair Overeem have been hesitant to leave Japan as the money is just too good to pass up for much less in the United States. So is Fedor a possiblity? Until we hear otherwise, yes.

Speaking of Alistair Overeem, the chances of him being the Strikeforce fighter are very low, as he is the only real DREAM heavyweight of value, Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion or not. That means what we are most likely looking at here, is who will fight Alistair Overeem for the vacant DREAM Heavyweight Title (Tanigawa confirmed this earlier in the year, Overeem vs. X for the DREAM Heavyweight belt). Another name that shouldn't be crossed out to fight would be Andrei Arlovski. Arlovski has been working on getting a new contract with Strikeforce together in between his boxing exploits, and was actually handed a contract from FEG to fight Overeem on New Year's Eve before Golden Glory manager Bas Boon refused to sign the fight. Andrei's camp was furious, but the door could very well still be open, as he has been rumored to fight in DREAM early this year.

Another big name heavyweight that is without an upcoming fight is Tim Sylvia. Sylvia has been trying to make his DREAM debut since October now, and his fight next month has fallen apart twice now. Other names to think of are Brett Rogers, who has expressed interest in fighting Overeem and hasn't been booked yet or Antonio Silva.

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[WEC 47]: Bowles vs Cruz - video preview (06/03/2010)


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[MMA]: debutto di Mayorga previsto per il 15 maggio

Originally believed to be making his mixed martial arts debut in March, Ricardo Mayorga has sealed his commitment for May: according to a press release, the boxer known for a pugnacious attitude in and out of competition will fight Din Thomas May 15 for the Florida-based Shine Fights promotion in North Carolina. ($29.95 on pay per view, tickets available now -- do I get a commission for this?)

I expressed the same doubt over Mayorga fighting in MMA as I did when Mike Tyson, Floyd Mayweather, and a half-dozen other boxers made the same lap around press row. Most of the time, it’s just free ink on a slow news day. That some are now seriously considering this step is a bad, bad sign for their sport. If Mayorga, James Toney, and others are entertaining MMA-level paydays, we have little choice but to assume the seven-figure salaries that papered boxing in the 1990s are out the door.

I still reserve the right to believe this only when I see it. But if Mayorga does make it to the ring, he would become easily the most accomplished boxer under the age of 40 to have his go at it. Whether this is brave or desperate is something I haven’t quite figured out yet.

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[MMA]: Stephen Neal sta considerando le MMA?

Conversations about Brock Lesnar occasionally drop in the name of Stephen Neal. Neal, a 6-foot-4, 305 lb. New England Patriots guard, was a two-time NCAA Division I champ who once beat Lesnar for that title in 1999. His MMA participation has been a what-if proposition. At 33, he flirts with middle age in combat sports.

But maybe Neal himself doesn’t think so: in an interview with CSN.com, his agent Neil Cornrich indicated that his client had several options when his free agency begins March 5. In addition to continuing with the Patriots or another team, Cornrich said, Neal could “perhaps after that take a chance at the UFC…Getting back involved in Olympic-style wrestling is definitely a consideration."

The latter comment is odd out of context with MMA, since the market for “Olympic-style wrestling” is non-existent without the addition of strikes. Cornrich could be talking just to talk, but a 2008 Boston Herald piece mentioned Neal had trained with Tito Ortiz; Lesnar himself thinks Neal would be a natural.

Is there a market for his interest? Neal was a standout wrestler, but doesn’t share Lesnar’s WWE fame or his ability to stare down a camera crew. If he were built up as Lesnar’s doppelganger, maybe there’s a hook there. But it’s unlikely he’d command a huge starting salary. If he did it, it’d be for the love of competition -- not for anything even approaching the four-year, $10 million deal that’s about to expire with the Patriots.

Maybe that would be enough. "I'd love to [get back into wrestling]," he told USA Today in 2005. "The weight class is 263 pounds, and I'd like to get my body back down to that weight. I don't know. I might be too old by then. I might be too beat up. But it's a dream."

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[MMA]: guardare dentro la mente di un lottatore

Boxing may be a brutally simple-minded task, but there’s a romanticism and grace to the sport that has lent itself well to prose. Hemingway, Norman Mailer, Joyce Carol Oates: these are writers who could compose shopping lists that would win awards, yet they turned their considerable skill toward the dissection of a blue-collar sport. Who could resist? Boxing is plainly a metaphor for the struggle in life. For an author, it’s honey.

The same has not held true for mixed martial arts, which strikes me as odd. As Mark Law wrote in his love letter to Judo, “Falling Hard,” grappling is certainly a better rehearsal for life than boxing. We’re far more likely to become entangled in problems, sweating and grimacing, than we are to knock them out of the ring. But the sum total of mixed-fight literature is comprised largely of garishly-ghostwritten “autobiographies” and academic histories. Great boxing literature resonates like a knife in the gut; MMA type includes Chuck Liddell waxing poetic about a chandelier of used condoms in his hotel room. I hope this depresses you.

Sam Sheridan is not, by any stretch, Hemingway -- which is probably a good thing, unless he’s looking forward to tragic middle age. But in tasking himself with peeling back the layers of a complex and multifaceted activity, he’s raising the bar for everyone else. His latest work, “A Fighter’s Mind,” is a companion piece of sorts to his “A Fighter’s Heart.” While the latter was mostly an examination of the physical trials, “Mind” attempts a deeper cut into the way a brain operates under threat of punishment. We know losses affect psyches, but how? And why? When does the ego become another opponent? How does the athlete who seems to know everything keep his mind open to more?

Sheridan isn’t content to ask these questions of fighters: he seeks exposition from chess players, wrestling coaches, and marathon runners. The ways in which these brains share intersect is surprising.

Fighting is like an animation cel: there’s one acrylic layer on top of the other. Your methodology is based on your opponent’s skills, his eye movement, his maturity -- and he’s reading you in the same manner. What goes on in a fight, the information in the margins, is almost overwhelming: Sheridan’s aptitude for spreading out those components, evaluating them one-by-one, is unique to his series.

There is still no “Sweet Science” for MMA, and no Oates to sharpen the sport in a way that could be called art. But Sheridan knows what kinds of questions will help get us there. If you want a better grip on a sport even some of its participants may not fully understand, his work is quickly becoming required reading.

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[UFC 110]: Nogueira vs Velasquez - Bonnar farà ricorso (21/02/2010)

Stephan Bonnar will appeal his controversial technical knockout loss to Krzysztof Soszynski from UFC 110 “Nogueira vs. Velasquez” on Feb. 20 at the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia, according to UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner.

The preliminary light heavyweight bout ended in a doctor’s stoppage 64 seconds into round three, after an inadvertent clash of heads split open Bonnar. Australian referee John Sharp ruled the cut had been caused by a legal strike, though replays appeared to show otherwise. Ratner said the final decision on Bonnar’s appeal lies solely with the New South Wales Combat Sports Authority, which regulated the event.

“It’s their commission,” he said. “They have a real commission. I’m going to help Stephan any way I can, but it’s their decision. The referee was asked if it was a head butt, and he said it was a strike or a punch. From his position, he did not see the head butt.”

Bonnar pressed on for some time after the cut. Drenched in blood, he was visibly upset with the cage-side doctor’s decision to halt the contest, which ultimately ended in his third consecutive defeat. Should the New South Wales Combat Sports Authority grant “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 1 runner-up’s appeal, changing the result from a loss to a no contest seems the most likely outcome.

“I understand the rules very well. I helped write them,” Ratner said. “The mistake that people are making is that this fight did not end on the accidental head butt. The judges would have had to score that [third] round, a partial round, and come to a technical decision. At the end of two rounds, it was a majority draw, but there was a lot of action in the first minute [of the third round]. No one can say how they would have scored it.”

Neither Bonnar -- who remains in Sydney -- nor representatives from the New South Wales Combat Sports Authority were immediately available for comment.

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[UFC 112]: Invincible - di più su Frankie Edgard (10/04/2010)

On not making the first-season cast of “The Ultimate Fighter”: ”I made the cuts, the pad work and the jiu-jitsu cut and I got in front of the Spike people and they didn't pick me. I think it was just personality or who knows? (They) didn't like people from New Jersey? I don't know.”

“I came back (to New Jersey) and I was definitely bummed, but when I got the call (to fight at UFC 67 in February 2007) I definitely think it was related to me being there and performing in front of Joe (Silva) and those guys and I think that opened the door for me.”

About his start: “I fought my first fight in the New York underground on two weeks’ notice. It was an unsanctioned event. No rules. No weight classes. It was just a 15-minute round. I jumped right into it. I found this local gym that I'm no longer with. It just happened to be close to my house, that's why I ended up going there. I was training with them. They knew I wanted to fight. They had ties in New York City and they said there was an underground (event) in two weeks. I said I wanted the fight and they said we’ll see what happens. I was doing well with guys that had been training for a while just because of my toughness and wrestling background. I conned them into letting me fight and I fought. It was pretty cool.”

“I pretty much train all the time. I feel like I was definitely behind the eight-ball starting a little late in this sport so I have to make up a lot of technique between each fight. As far as my fight camp goes, the hardcore training, the more focused training for my fight starts about right now.”

Is Penn a better fighter at 155 or 170 pounds? “He's still very competitive at 170 just because of how talented he is but if he has to go in his best position to be the best fighter it's 155.”

What he thought when he heard “Abu Dhabi”: “I was excited. I train under Ricardo (Almeida) and Renzo (Gracie) and those guys and they told me about Abu Dhabi and how much they enjoy being over there, so for me I knew it was going to be a great experience. When would anybody have a chance to go out to the Middle East? It's a good opportunity.”

Sounding Off on the “Jersey Shore”: “It's like a train wreck. You can't look away. For me it’s entertaining. I literally live right over the bridge from where they film that show. A lot of that stuff, a lot of those places I've been to growing up. So, it's pretty neat to watch.”

“I definitely won't consider myself one of those guys, but I definitely have some friends like that. I won't bring them around too often, but I definitely do.”

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[Boxe]: negli Stati Uniti spopola la boxe

Chi sostiene che la boxe americana è in crisi solo perchè non ci sono più pesi massimi statunitensi di valore dovrebbe fare un viaggio oltreoceano e scoprirebbe che la nobile arte non è mai stata tanto popolare.

Le palestre sono piene, nelle arene c’è quasi sempre il tutto esaurito e gli indici d’ascolto televisivi sono altissimi. Alla Gleason’s Gym di New York, che dal 1937 ha prodotto 132 campioni del mondo, hanno tanti pugili professionisti che li propongono anche agli organizzatori europei. Alla sfida tra Manny Pacquiao e Manuel Cotto, il 14 novembre 2009 a Las Vegas, hanno assistito 15.930 spettatori per un incasso di 8.847.550 dollari. Inoltre, 70 milioni di dollari sono arrivati dalla vendita di 1.250.000 collegamenti in pay-per-view (pagare per vedere). Il prezzo era 54,95 $, ma le immagini in alta definizione costavano 64,95 $. Il pay-per-view viene comprato non solo da privati cittadini, ma anche dagli sports bar che vogliono attirare clienti offrendo i più importanti eventi sportivi in diretta. Molte persone non possono permettersi di spendere 54,95 $ per guardare in televisione un combattimento di pugilato, allora vanno nel locale vicino casa e se la cavano con 10 $ per un paio di birre. Un collegamento venduto a un bar corrisponde, quindi, ad almeno una cinquantina di spettatori (alcuni bar tolgono i tavoli e riescono ad ospitare più di 100 persone).

In tutte le città gli sports bar sono il ritrovo degli appassionati di boxe, ma a New York c’è anche un ristorante che serve allo scopo: la ‘Portobello Pizzeria and Sicilian Kitchen’ nel quartiere di Tribeca. Il proprietario Anthony Catanzaro è molto amico dell’ex campione mondiale dei superleggeri Ibf Paul Malignaggi, collabora con l’organizzatore Lou Di Bella e riesce a far organizzare nel suo locale conferenze stampa ed altri eventi collegati al mondo della boxe.
In definitiva, negli Stati Uniti la nobile arte è ovunque.

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26 febbraio 2010

[K-1]: WGP in Yokohama - Peter Aerts vs Kyotaro per il titolo Heavyweight

Let's face it, Peter Aerts might have seen his best days being behind him now, with our first ever K-1 World Grand Prix without Mr. K-1 behind us, it is time to look to the future, but what sort of future is without Peter Aerts? K-1 is still trying to figure out what to do with Aerts, and in the same vein they are trying to figure out what to do with their non-GP titles and their current Heavyweight Champion, Kyotaro.

So it was decided at the K-1 World Grand Prix Yokohama Kyotaro will defend the K-1 Heavyweight Championship against Peter Aerts. K-1 has proven a bit gun shy when it comes to handling championships that are not based on tournaments alone, as Badr Hari held this championship and did not do much with it, was stripped of it, and Kyotaro won a tournament, thus winning the title. The big problem is, Kyotaro was kicked out of the World Grand Prix by Ruslan Karaev last year, then fought Tyrone Spong at the Grand Prix Final in a Superfight with no sign of the title. Of course Spong defeated Kyotaro and we all wonder what the point of that title was.

The other announcements that were made were what fighters will participate, and impressive line-up of; Semmy Schilt, Badr Hari, Remy Bonjasky, Alistair Overeem, Jerome Le Banner, Errol Zimmerman, Ruslan Karaev and of course, Melvin Manhoef. The mysterious next FEG bout of Alistair Overeem might finally be decided, as it is doubtful that K-1 will make him fight on a DREAM card and mere days later have him fight in K-1. On top of that, well, look at those names and no matter how you slice it, there is no way that this will be anything but a blockbuster event.

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[UFC 112]: Invincible - Edgard parla di Penn (10/04/2010)

Frankie Edgar isn’t fooling himself. The 28-year-old New Jersey native knows he has his work cut out for him when he challenges UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn at UFC 112 on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.

Penn’s last opponent, Diego Sanchez, mentally fortified himself for “The Prodigy” using Tony Robbins’ school of motivation. Edgar – who’s delivered some of the fastest-paced tumbles in the Octagon against the likes of Tyson Griffin, Spencer Fisher, and Sean Sherk -- has taken a pragmatic approach against one of the world’s regarded pound-for-pound fighters.

“In my eyes he's one of if not the most skilled fighter in the UFC,” Edgar told the Sherdog Radio Network's “Savage Dog Show” recently. “He could do it all. He's probably one of the most well rounded. From standup to the ground, his takedown defense is second to none. His flexibility, balance, all that stuff, he's going to be a tough nut to crack. I'm going to have my hands full for sure.”

Penn, the first non-Brazilian to win the black belt division at the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship in 2000, is as formidable a threat on his feet as he is on the canvas. And as Edgar is quick to point out, Penn’s rarely paralleled takedown defense often allows the Hawaiian-born fighter to decide where he wants to take the fight.

“I think it's just his balance, his athleticism and his flexibility I think those three things make him just a b---- to take down,” said Edgar. “A lot of guys try to sit on his leg and it ends up bad for them because they end up eating some heavy shots.”

Edgar, who’s won “Fight of the Night” honors for three of his eight UFC appearances, knows he hasn’t faced anyone with Penn’s near-perfect arsenal. In fact, when asked to find someone on his resume that at all compares with the lightweight champion, Edgar couldn't do it. Only when Jim Miller's name was brought up did Edgar agree with the comparison.

“I would say that would probably be the closest because of his wrestling ability, his striking and his submission and how offensive he is submission-wise,” Edgar said. “It's nice that I get to train with him now so it worked out for me.”

Along with Miller, Edgar is training under Ricardo Almeida and Renzo Gracie in the tri-state area. Part of the preparation also includes studying fight tape.

“I definitely watch video. I don't get too caught up in it though because I feel like that's almost psyching yourself out,” he said. “I'd rather have my team, my coaches look at it, tell me what they think and I will sit down and watch it with them, but I'm not a big video guy. I don't sit with the remote and hit rewind every 10 seconds through the video.”

Edgar’s understated prediction for the biggest fight of his career?

“It's going to be in the desert,” said Edgar, who plans to arrive in Abu Dhabi at least 10 days early to acclimate to the outdoor venue. “It's going to be hot, so we'll probably be sweating a lot. I predict a lot of sweat. How about that?”

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[Strikeforce]: Fedor non affronterà Overeem a meno che non risulti pulito ai test anti doping

Rumors about a possible Fedor Emelianenko v. Alistair Overeem fight in 2010 seem to have been squashed earlier today when M-1 announced that Fedor would face Fabricio Werdum in May. However, Overeem still looms large over Fedor, both as one of the toughest non-UFC HWs Fedor has not yet defeated, and as (theoretically) the champion of Strikeforce. Dutch site Mixfight.nl decided to get in touch with Fedor's management regarding a fight with Overeem; M-1's Apy Echteld said that they were interested in fighting Overeem, however they would not fight unless Overeem was drug tested leading up to the fight. In response, Martijn de Jong from Overeem's team expressed his belief that Fedor deserves a shot at this Strikeforce title, and that they look forward to a potential fight.

While there is a strong possibility of Fedor v. Overeem later in the year, this drug testing could indeed throw a Pacquaio/Mayweather-style monkeywrench into the fight. We'll have to see how that plays out.

In the meantime, Overeem is rumored for the K-1 Yokohama event, and now Dutch sites are reporting that he may be facing Brett Rogers on an upcoming Strikeforce event. Again, we'll have to wait and see, but if we do get Fedor v. Werdum and Overeem v. Rogers this spring with the two winners meeting later in 2010, it certainly would be a tremendous year for Strikeforce's previously spotty heavyweight division.

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[KL]: video ricordo Galà di Porretta (11/07/2009)

Video dell'ottimo galà targato Kombat League svoltosi a Porretta a luglio dell'anno scorso che ha visto uscire vittoriosi i due atleti della Rainbox Team Bologna Cristian e K1!
buona visione

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[Dream / K-1]: After a Lull, K-1 Will Murder Us With Shows in March and April; K-1 Grand Prix in Yokohama Announced

K-1 Dynamite!! 2009 was the last we officially saw of FEG, as I write this we are rounding out February without even the K-1 MAX Japan tournament having unfolded yet (usually this happens in late February). FEG's schedule in Japan for March and April is absolutely breakneck now, as starting on March 22nd, FEG will hold around one show a week for the next three weeks! Two and a half months of inactivity will be followed up with cramming in as many shows as possible into a three week span.

DREAM.13
Things kick off for FEG in Japan on the 22nd with DREAM.13 from the Yokohama Arena, and of course in typical FEG fashion, not much is known about the card other than the DREAM Featherweight Championship being defended, as Bibiano Fernandes takes on the former DREAM Lightweight Champion, Joachim "Hellboy" Hansen. Murilo "Ninja" Rua, Eddie Alvarez, Ryo Chonan, Katsunori Kikuno, Minowaman, Andrews Nakahara, Hideo Tokoro and Marius Zaromskis are all slated to appear, with the rumor being Zaromskis defending the DREAM Welterweight Championship against Kiyoshi Tamura.

World MAX Japan
Next up on the 27th, the K-1 World MAX Japan tournament is set in the Super Saitama Community Arena, and unlike the other shows, this one has a fight card! Tournament brackets are set up and with fighters like Taishin Kohiruimaki, Yuya Yamamoto, Yuichiro Nagashima, Yasuhiro Kido and HINATA. This show also features the rise of the 63kgs division, featuring Takehiro Murahama, Kazuhisa Watanabe and DJ Taiki. The main event of the show will be 2009 World MAX Champion Giorgio Petrosyan against Yoshihiro Sato.

World Grand Prix in Yokohama
K-1 circles back to the Yokohama arena on April 3rd for the K-1 World Grand Prix in Yokohama. No fights have been announced for this show yet, but their first offering in Japan will look to be a strong one, with of course the rumor that Alistair Overeem will fight one more K-1 fight and that this will be the show.

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[Bellator]: finalizzati i partecipanti al torneo dei pesi welter

Bellator Fighting Championships on Wednesday added the final two pieces to its Season 2 welterweight tournament, as the promotion announced it had acquired the services of International Fight League veteran Brett Cooper and UFC exile Ryan Thomas.

Cooper and Thomas join 2008 Olympian Ben Askren, unbeaten Arizona Combat Sports prospect Jacob McClintock, Sengoku veteran Dan Horbuckle, Jim Wallhead, Sean Pierson and Steve Carl in the eight-man competition.

“Cooper and Thomas are two great additions to our world-class welterweight tournament,” Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney said in a release. “Cooper’s power presents big problems for anyone he fights, and Thomas has the potential to upset anyone in our 170-pound division.”

Cooper has won seven of his last eight fights. A protégé of Maximum Fighting Championships lightweight titleholder Antonio McKee, he last competed in October, when he knocked out the previously unbeaten Sergio Moraes at Jungle Fight 15 in Brazil. Victories against current UFC welterweight Rory Markham, Strikeforce veteran Conor Heun and “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 2 semi-finalist Jason Von Flue buoy Cooper’s resume.

The 25-year-old Thomas has never gone the distance in 13 professional bouts. He has not competed since he submitted King of the Cage veteran Ryan Stout with a first-round armbar at War in the Yard show in August. Thomas was pruned from the UFC roster following back-to-back submission losses to Ben Saunders and Matt Brown in 2008.

First-round matchups for the welterweight tournament, which will establish a number one contender for undefeated Bellator champion Lyman Good, will be announced next week.

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[UFC]: Frank Mir’s Killer Quote

Evidence we’ve officially entered the Nanny State era in MMA: Frank Mir was forced to apologize Tuesday for remarks he made last week on wanting to have Brock Lesnar become the sport’s first “Octagon-related death.”

Again: a man who concusses people for a living apologized because he said something offensive. Charles Bronson would vomit.

“I would like to apologize to Brock Lesnar, his family, the UFC and the UFC fans for my stupid remarks,” read Mir’s press release. “I respect Brock, all the other fighters, and the sport of mixed martial arts. I’m sorry that I stepped out of line."

As other sites have pointed out, the hollow threat of homicide is as old and as synonymous with fight sport as hand wraps and cups. Mir’s comments were obnoxious, but they were specifically engineered to get a fan buzz going. (Fans of violent activities are generally not a pacifist lot: you should recall that Zaire’s famous chant of, “Ali, Boom Bye Yae” when Muhammad fought George Foreman translates to, “Ali, kill him.”)

But, oh, does it get better. Informed of Mir’s shocking -- shocking! -- attempt to promote himself using insincere hyperbole, UFC President Dana White doffed his righteous-indignant cap and declared Mir an “idiot” while labeling the entire incident “unprofessional.”

White calling someone on their public relations conduct is like Bill Buckner calling someone uncoordinated. It may be true, but you sure as hell don’t need to near it from him. By reacting with ridiculous stoicism, White is lending gravity to Mir’s comments that would never have existed otherwise; in apologizing, Mir is implying he did something wrong.

He didn’t. The comments were tasteless, particularly in light of Lesnar’s recent hospitalization for a serious condition, but it’s nothing that hasn’t been uttered thousands of times in thousands of different ways by thousands of fighters. White can act as appalled as he likes, but if these two fight a third time, he’s not going to turn down the revenue out of principle.

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[Shine Fights 3]: Worlds Collide - l'ex campione di Boxe Mayorga sarà nel main event (15/05/2010)

American Top Team’s Din Thomas will meet former two-division boxing champion Ricardo Mayorga in the Shine Fights 3 “Worlds Collide” headliner on May 15 at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, N.C. The promotion on Wednesday greenlit the match and the event, which will air live on pay-per-view.

Thomas has rattled off three straight wins since being cut by the UFC in wake of his April 2008 decision loss to Josh Neer. The 33-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt has delivered 21 of his 25 career victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission. A semi-finalist on Season 4 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Thomas owns wins over one-time UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra, former UFC lightweight king Jens Pulver, former two-division Deep titleholder Dokonjonosuke Mishima and former Strikeforce lightweight champion Clay Guida.

Mayorga -- perhaps best known for his victories against the late Vernon Forrest in 2003 -- holds a 28-7-1, 1 NC record as a professional boxer. The 36-year-old Nicaraguan last fought in September 2008, when he suffered a 12th-round knockout at the hands of Shane Mosley in Carson, Calif. He has never before competed in mixed martial arts.

A matchup between former EliteXC middleweight champion Murilo “Ninja” Rua and UFC veteran Falaniko Vitale will likely appear on the Shine Fights 3 lineup, as well. The promotion also has former Bodog Fight champion Nick Thompson and Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Braulio Estima under contract.

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[UFC on Versus 1]: Vera vs Jones - l'imbattuto Roberts rimpiazza Johnson (21/03/2010)

Unbeaten newcomer Daniel Roberts will face off with John Howard in a preliminary welterweight match at UFC on Versus 1 on March 21 at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colo. Roberts replaces Anthony Johnson, who sustained a knee injury while training.

Roberts, an All-American wrestler at Bacone College in Oklahoma, struck Anthony Macias into submission last month at an event co-promoted by the 5150 Combat League and Xtreme Fighting League. The 29-year-old carries with him extensive jiu-jitsu experience and has delivered seven of his nine wins by submission.

Spawned by the Ring of Combat promotion, Howard will carry a six-fight winning streak into the bout. Behind on the scorecards, the 26-year-old former electrician knocked out veteran Dennis Hallman with five seconds left in their bout at “The Ultimate Fighter 10” Finale in December. The Boston-based Howard has not lost since being outpointed by one-time International Fight League middleweight champion Dan Miller in 2007.

A light heavyweight showdown pitting Brandon Vera against Jon Jones will headline the 11-bout event, which will serve as the UFC’s debut on the Versus network. In addition, Junior dos Santos will take on Gabriel Gonzaga in a pivotal heavyweight duel.

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[MMA]: Ich-Ni-San.. Uhh, Seriously? Inoki Might Run Another NYE Show

One of the lessons to be learned from the past few years in Japan was Antonio Inoki should not be trusted when it comes to running a large-scale Mixed Martial Arts show, period. Horror stories of television networks being upset, investors (read: yakuza) not being pleased, sponsors bailing on the show and nobody getting paid from the last Inoki Bom-Be-Ye event.

So of course, to celebrate Inoki's involvement in the martial arts world for 50 years, Inoki might be scheming up a new show to rival K-1's Dynamite!! event. NightmareOfBattle posted this alarming news earlier.

Tokyo Sports reported yesterday that Antonio Inoki will make his NYE revival this year. The reason is that this year is the 50th anniversary of his debut. The article calls it Inoki Matsuri Fukkatsu (Inoki Festival Revival/Resurrection/Rebirth). If the event is held on December 31st it will go head-to-head with Dynamite!! and it could be an all-out war.

Tokyo Sports isn’t always the most reliable source though. However, I doubt Inoki wouldn’t do anything special for his 50th anniversary.


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[UFN 21]: Florian vs Gomi - aggiunto Torres-Volkmann (31/03/2010)

Brazilian prospect Ronys Torres will take on Jacob Volkmann in a lightweight duel at UFC Fight Night 21 on March 31 at the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, N.C. Nine matches are now official for the event, which marks the promotion’s first stop in The Queen City in some 15 years.

Spawned by the revered Nova Uniao camp, Torres has secured 12 of his 14 career wins by knockout, technical knockout or submission. His unanimous decision loss to Melvin Guillard at UFC 109 spoiled his promotional debut and snapped the 24-year-old Brazilian’s eight-fight winning streak. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, Torres cut his teeth inside the Jungle Fight and Shooto circuits.

Volkmann, a Minnesota Martial Arts Academy product who runs his own chiropractic practice, remains winless in two appearances inside the Octagon. The 29-year-old Fergus Falls, Minn., native has not competed since he succumbed to a modified guillotine choke from Martin Kampmann at UFC 108 last month. More than half (six) of the former Victory Fighting Championship welterweight titleholder’s nine career wins have come by submission. Volkmann was a three-time collegiate All-American wrestler at the University of Minnesota.

A pivotal lightweight matchup between Kenny Florian and former Pride Fighting Championships titleholder Takanori Gomi will headline UFC Fight Night 21, along with a heavyweight showdown pairing “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 10 winner Roy Nelson with the 6-foot-11 Stefan Struve.

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[Boxe]: Panthers Club Lauri

A Riazzino belle vittorie per Esposito e Marchetta, impegnati nel sottoclou del match per il titolo svizzero dei superwelter.
Varca la frontiera con risultati interessanti il Panthers Club Lauri di Varese. La scuderia del maestro Augusto Lauri è stata infatti impegnata con alcuni pugili in Svizzera, sabato scorso, a Riazzino, dove era in programma il titolo nazionale dei superwelter tra Gashi e Turelli terminato per la cronaca in parità dopo un bellissimo combattimento.
Sul ring ticinese sono saliti nel sottoclou anche i varesini Michele Esposito e Alessandro Marchetta (nella foto) che hanno sfoderato prestazioni di ottimo livello vincendo ai punti rispettivamente Federico Leone (Folgore Lugano) e Bruno Tavares, talento della Svizzera francese.

«I ragazzi di Lauri sono convincenti» hanno titolato anche i giornali d'oltre frontiera per commentare i risultati delle due pantere varesine. Meno bene è andata a un'altra portacolori del club di Augusto Lauri, la campionessa tricolore Jennifer Corti, che a Basilea è stata superata ai punti dalla quattro volte campionessa olandese Nouchka Fontjn dopo un match intenso ed equilibrato.
Tornando infine alla serata di Riazzino vanno segnalate le sconfitte del debuttante Moro, portacolori della Thunder Boxe battuto da Berisha e del giovane albanese con colori varesini Alfonc Cunaj che è stato squalificato dopo aver condotto l'incontro con Gadhev, atleta di Wintertour.

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25 febbraio 2010

[MMA]: 3 incontri da non perdere questa settimana

A rare respite from the UFC’s relentless campaign to take over the universe gives some of the world’s more underappreciated promotions a chance to shine. This week has a hearty serving of violence in extremis, and I’ve got the full breakdown of the fights any fight fan worth his forum post count can’t afford to miss.

So get your knowledge on in a big way with a thorough outline of how you’ll be spending the next few days. Failure to comply will deny you the opportunity to send me a fresh round of hate mail for my picks, so just follow me on this one.


Paulo Filho vs. Yuki Sasaki -- Bitetti Combat 6

Half the excitement of a Paulo Filho fight is wondering if he’ll even bother showing up. It’s a sad turn of events for a man once regarded as one of the sport’s premier middleweights, but lost in the miasma of chaos surrounding his career is the fact that he’s gone 3-0 since leaving the WEC.

A win over sturdy Japanese veteran Yuki Sasaki on Thursday could be another step in the right direction for Filho. Then again the drama that accompanied the abrupt news of Filho’s withdrawal and subsequent return to the card may have been the killing blow to his chances of returning to a major league MMA promotion.

With that said, Filho is undoubtedly the better fighter on paper. His elite jiu-jitsu skills and underrated judo throws make it virtually impossible to keep him from working his suffocating top control. Unfortunately, no amount of paper in the world can properly document the inner workings of Filho’s head, and that is what makes this fight so appealing.

Sasaki may not be some all-universe prospect, but he’s got a world of experience and isn’t about to be scared by fighting on Filho’s home turf. If Filho doesn’t have his marbles firmly in hand, Sasaki will be all too happy to show the Brazilian enigma why being of sound mind is a big part of making it as a professional face-smasher.

The popular opinion is that even if Filho manages another impressive win, he’s simply screwed up one time too many to ever make it back to the bright lights and big stage. To anyone who follows that line of thought, please remember that Junie Allen Browning got two fights in the UFC despite displaying the mannerisms of a cartoonish sociopath. The idea of Filho returning to his old self should be enough to get all of you hyped up on “Paulao” restarting his grappling train of pain.

If rooting on Filho doesn’t make you want to cancel your Thursday plans, there’s always dusting off your vintage Pancrase T-shirt and pretending that Sasaki was your favorite fighter back in the day. Just keep dropping references to Team Grabaka and try not to confuse Sasaki with Sanae Kikuta.


Derrick Noble vs. Yves Edwards -- MFC 24

Possibly the illest option on this weekend’s platter features UFC expatriates Derrick Noble and Yves Edwards in a lightweight bout Friday that could decide the next man to challenge incumbent MFC lightweight champion and resident wrestle-saurus Antonio McKee. Considering both fighters are on the back end of their careers, the chance to hold a title again could be the reviving elixir they so desperately need.

The MFC lightweight title was once within reach for Noble, but a loss to McKee sent him tumbling down the ranks and now he has to take on one of the few fighters in the division who can handle his slick striking game. Anyone who saw Noble’s crackling fight with Thiago Alves at UFC 59 knows how nasty Noble can get on the feet, but he often leaves himself open to counters by going into “HULK SMASH!” mode.

Rocking the defensive skills of a kamikaze is no way to approach Edwards, who also has the submission savvy to turn Noble into human origami. The trade-off here is that Noble has the power to starch the Bahamian thug-jitsu impresario, who has never been known for having an adamantium chin.

One way or another, this is your striking special of the weekend, as the idea of both men making it to a judges’ decision is about as likely as democrats and republicans making nice for more than two seconds. The smart money is on Edwards’ reach and superb timing, but if Noble can get inside on him, this fight takes on a completely different dimension.

While Edwards’ clinch game was once a feared part of his repertoire, he’s no longer a clinical killer from up close, which only makes Noble’s job easier. How Edwards uses his reach to dictate distance will be key. He can ill afford getting into a phone booth with Noble and letting the chips fall where they may.

As anyone who has been following MMA for any period of time knows, no one is quite sure what thug-jitsu is, but it sure does work and Edwards has a justified reputation for delivering violence in unhealthy doses. Noble brings equal amounts of violent goodness to the fistic buffet, so make sure your Friday evening is clear of any worldly demands.


Sarah Kaufman vs. Takayo Hashi -- Strikeforce Challengers 6

The long-awaited bout between undefeated American TKO machine Sarah Kaufman and Japanese grappling guru Takaya Hashi finally comes to fruition Friday, and it will crown the first Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion. A major bit of female fistic history and a quality scrap to boot should have the lot of you plunking down the extra change for that Showtime subscription.

The fight itself comes down to a classic style clash. Hashi’s ADCC-proven ground game will depend on her ability to take down Kaufman before the striking-centric American can turn her brains to mush. Not exactly the most aesthetically pleasing image, but MMA has never been about appearances.

While Hashi certainly has the game to tap Kaufman out, top-shelf wrestling seems to be the main component missing from Hashi’s game. That’s bad news considering her striking just isn’t good enough to survive more than a few moments on the feet with Kaufman, who will be in headhunting mode from the opening bell.

How Hashi will adapt to facing someone with big-time KO power and the game to make it sing is what will decide her chances. By the same token, Kaufman will be in for a serious test if she ends up on the mat with the bantamweight division’s resident grapple-god.

For anyone legitimately interested in feMMA or just looking to see something other than Cristiane Santos turning her opponents into chum, this is a can’t-miss fight of the highest order. It’s not every day you get to see a sport take a huge leap forward, and while Don King did his best to ruin the legitimacy of female combat sports, fighters like Kaufman and Hashi could go a long way toward making the public forget about those dark days.

Game-changing possibilities aside, this is still one of the best fights you could put together in feMMA today. If that doesn’t capture your imagination, I’m going to have to ask you to start watching curling so you can be reminded just how good MMA has been to you.

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[Strikeforce on CBS]: firmato Dan Henderson vs Jake Shields, ancora nulla per Fedor (17/04/2010)

Strikeforce has been sort of slow in announcing their upcoming CBS card and rumors have been running rampant with no sign in them stopping any time soon. Strikeforce stands silent over the past few weeks as obscure MMA podcasts were getting scoops on Fedor Emelianenko not fighting on CBS and this show happening in Memphis. MMAWeekly had the interview that finally officially broke the news.

Dan Henderson and Jake Shields have agreed to meet in Strikeforce with the middleweight title on the line in April. Shields confirmed the bout when speaking to MMAWeekly on Tuesday night.

"It's a go now. We finally worked it out a few days ago," he said about the fight with Henderson. "It's a done deal, it's been agreed upon by both parties as far as I know, and I think it's set to go."

As recently as six weeks ago when Shields left to help out as assistant coach on the eleventh season of "The Ultimate Fighter," a deal had still not been sealed for the fight to happen.

Now, both Shields and Henderson have a deal in place to put the two middleweights in the cage together in April, although according to the current Strikeforce champion, while a date and venue have been given to the fighters, the actual broadcast has yet to be determined.

"I have a date (and) venue, but they told me to hold that back," said Shields. "Hopefully CBS. I think it's CBS. There's a slight possibility of Showtime because they're still (working it out). I don't know the rest of the card or any of that yet. But me and Dan's on, and I'm hoping it's on CBS."

Of course as Kid Nate aptly pointed out, Strikeforce has not been fighting any of these rumors, nor have they been making any announcements. This fight announcement came from a fighter... C'mon, Strikeforce.

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[K-1]: Gokhan Saki in azione questo fine settimana, video del suo ultimo match (27/02/2010)

This coming Saturday, February 27, KickboxTV presents an Thai Boxe event headlined by K-1 star Gokhan Saki as he faces Dutch Muay Thai stylist Utley Meriana. The event comes from Schiedam in The Netherlands, and will be streaming live at www.kickboxtv.nl.

This will be Saki's second relatively low profile fight in a row, as his last outing was a win over Dennis Stolzenbach at a smaller show in The Netherlands. I'd say these kind of fights are perfect for Saki right now. After a huge breakout year in 2008, Saki hit some roadblocks in 2009, first in an upset loss to Kyotaro, followed by an injury against Pavel Zhuravlev that put him on the sidelines for a number of months. His return fight was a loss to Peter Aerts before getting back in the win column against Stolzenbach. From the Aerts fight it seemed clear Saki needed a bit more time to get over the injury and shake off the ring rust - fights where he can get back to his top form away from the high profile of a major K-1 event are the perfect place to do so.

His opponent is Utley "The Easy Killer" Meriana, a Dutch fighter out of the Silent Dragon camp. Like Saki, Meriana typically fights around 95 kg. Largely unknown outside of the Netherlands, Meriana is a decently well-regarded fighter, though he is facing a big step up in competition here. For more on Meriana, check out one of his fights on YouTube here.

Here is the video of his last fight

Gokhan Saki vs Dennis Stolzenbach (23/01/2010)

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[BCN 6]: i giochi di testa di Paulo Filho (25/02/2010)

It was not that long ago Paulo Filho was considered one of the most durable and difficult opponents at 185 lbs. A smothering style and capable defense made him hard to damage: in a ten-year fight career, he has lost only once, a decision dropped to Chael Sonnen in the WEC following rumored issues with substance abuse.

Filho followed up that 2008 defeat with three straight wins, but indications of past problems returning have cropped up again with news that he dropped out, then back in, against Yuki Sasaki in a Brazilian event this Thursday.

At his worst, Filho was alleged to have serious issues with painkiller and/or sleeping pill dependency, addictions that takes considerable time and effort to beat. Erratic behavior over the fall -- he pulled himself out of a fight in Dream -- would indicate he still has personal issues to resolve.

Filho, like Mark Kerr before him, might be serving as a warning beacon for other athletes who push their bodies so strenuously that the only answer to climbing out of bed in the morning is chemical assistance. Perhaps Filho’s personality would have led him in this direction if not for fighting; perhaps fighting left him with few options. Either way, his situation points to a serious need for promoters and athletic commissions to address the mental health of fighters as seriously as they scrutinize their physical status. It’s not as important -- it’s more important.

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[UFC]: Frank Mir chiede scusa per i commenti sulla "morte" di Brock Lesnar

Frank Mir’s mouth has him in hot water with UFC President Dana White.

In a recent interview with WXDX-FM, Mir said he wanted UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar “to be the first person that dies due to Octagon-related injuries.” The UFC has long touted its clean history of no fatalities or major injuries despite the inherent brutality of mixed martial arts.

Mir has fought Lesnar twice, handing the monstrous heavyweight his first and only defeat as a professional at UFC 81 in February 2008. Lesnar avenged the loss a little more than a year later, when he battered Mir en route to a one-sided second-round technical knockout at UFC 100.

Scheduled to face the undefeated Shane Carwin for the interim heavyweight championship at UFC 111 “St. Pierre vs. Hardy” on March 27 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., Mir could soon find himself in position for a third match with Lesnar, who continues to recover from a career-threatening intestinal disorder. Mir, who also serves as a color analyst for World Extreme Cagefighting, issued a public apology on Tuesday in wake of the controversial interview.

“I would like to apologize to Brock Lesnar, his family, the UFC and the UFC fans for my stupid remarks,” he said in a statement released on UFC.com. “I respect Brock, all the other fighters and the sport of mixed martial arts. I’m sorry that I stepped out of line.”

White, meanwhile, denounced Mir’s comments.

“I was disappointed by Frank Mir’s comments,” White said. “Frank’s been with the UFC a long time; he’s a two-time heavyweight champion and a commentator for the WEC. I think his emotions are running high right now; he has a big fight coming up next month, and he’s still upset about his loss to Lesnar. He’s been talked to; he regrets what he said, and he won’t be saying anything like that again.”

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