[MMA]: la confusione tra Fedor Emelianenko, Josh Barnett, Alistair Overeem ed i pesi massimi non UFC

As most people have heard by now, Josh Barnett is the major heavyweight that DREAM is going to be booking for their late March show, but is still without an opponent. Tim Sylvia has turned down a fight with Josh Barnett and will instead fight Wes Sims in Canada because Ohio refuses to license the fight, and on top of that, he is apparently fighting Mariusz Pudzianowski in Massachusetts. Sylvia's road to recovery is apparently taking easy fights in hopes of being signed to UFC again. Antonio Silva was also called upon, but apparently has plans for Strikeforce in April against either Andrei Arlovski or Brett Rogers. So this is telling us the following; Sylvia is still a goof, Silva vs. either Andrei or Rogers is in discussion and Josh Barnett is potentially putting his career in the US on the line to fight in DREAM by crossing the CSAC who have refused him a license.

Then there is Fedor Emelianenko. According to some message board poster, Fedor is currently training for an upcoming fight, claimed to be in the US. It is not hard to believe that Fedor is training for an upcoming fight, but it is a tough sell that it is for a fight in the United States just yet. There is a chance that his camp believes things with Strikeforce, but according to sources within M-1, things look rather grim. According to M-1 Global, Strikeforce has not honored the contract that they signed with M-1 and the only way Fedor will fight in a Strikeforce cage again is if they sign a new contract. M-1 is looking for a partner and to have Strikeforce cards featuring Fedor to be fully co-promoted cards.

To put it bluntly, M-1 Global is looking at other potential partners right now if Strikeforce doesn't shape up. Generally speaking, that does not mean there is a healthy relationship with Strikeforce and that the chances of seeing Fedor fighting outside of Strikeforce have gone up. Now, is this just them trying to scare Strikeforce into conceding to their demands or are they seriously shopping Fedor and M-1 Global around is the question.

So where does the horse meat-eating Alistair Overeem fit into this equation? K-1 has listed him as a possible participant in the K-1 World Grand Prix in Yokohama, and this lines up with our previous reports of Alistair having one last K-1 bout in March or April. I've recently spoken to one of the most outspoken men in combat sports, Bas Boon, the manager of Golden Glory fighters like Alistair Overeem and Sem Schilt. Bas and his relationship with M-1 Global is no secret, they do not agree with each other, but both Boon and Finklestein have gone on record with HKL saying that they would do business with each other in regards to booking Overeem vs. Fedor. When prompted as to who GG has been in talks with for Overeem to fight and if it will be in K-1 or DREAM, he offered a very uncharacteristic response that he could not comment, as they were still negotiating. Bas Boon does not "no comment." That could mean a lot of thing, so take it as you will.

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[K-1]: WGP in Yokohama - Le Banner vs Karaev (03/04/2010)

Dutch sites are reporting that at the K-1 Yokohama event on April 3 we will see Jerome Le Banner v. Ruslan Karaev. Both men have been confirmed for the event by K-1, though not as opponents. Reports indicate that Le Banner will be training with Thom Harinck and Peter Aerts at Chakuriki Gym for the fight.

This is a very interesting fight between two men trying to hold on to their spots. An all-time great, Le Banner seems to be at the end of the line, putting in subpar performances in recent years, including a much discussed and derided showing against Semmy Schilt at the 2009 GP. Before that event he called the 2009 GP his last Grand Prix run. With a win here he may change his tune, but a loss could indeed finally end his GP dreams.

Karaev meanwhile was at one time one of THE hot young prospects in K-1, a name mentioned alongside Badr Hari as the future of the sport. However, inactivity in recent years, as well as some spotty performances have diminished his star. In 2009 he had a good win over Kyotaro, but was demolished by both Hari and Hesdy Gerges in fights that left many questioning Karaev's role in K-1 moving forward. More so than JLB, he desperately needs a strong win here to silence the skeptics.

No matter who wins, both men are sluggers who will look to engage. Hopefully both men will give it their all - if they do, expect a fast-paced exciting fight. But if either (or both) come in at less than their best, a potential fight of the night could turn into a lackluster decision. Let's hope for the former.

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[It's Showtime - K-1]: video highlight Amsterdam Arena

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[UFC 112]: Invincible - firmati 9 combattimenti (10/04/2010)

Two of the sport’s top light heavyweight prospects will go toe-to-toe at UFC 112 “Invincible” on April 10, when Phil Davis collides with Alexander Gustafsson at the Ferrari World Concert Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Nine matches are now official for the event.

Davis, a Harrisburg, Pa., native made his promotional debut at UFC 109 in February, when he cruised by former World Extreme Cagefighting light heavyweight champion Brian Stann in a unanimous decision. The undefeated 25-year-old Lloyd Irvin disciple was a four-time collegiate All-American wrestler at Penn State University, where he won a national title in 2008. Davis has stopped three of his first five mixed martial arts opponents inside one round.

Like Davis, the unbeaten Gustafsson opened many an eye in his first UFC appearance, as he knocked out EliteXC veteran Jared Hamman in just 41 seconds three months ago. The 23-year-old Swede has secured seven of his nine career wins by knockout or technical knockout and has gone the distance only once as a professional.

Meanwhile, the surging Terry Etim will meet Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Rafael dos Anjos in a featured lightweight tilt.

Etim will ride a four-fight winning streak into the match. The 24-year-old Liverpool, England, native last fought in November, when he submitted Shannon Gugerty with a second-round guillotine choke. A former Cage Gladiators lightweight champion, Etim has never been finished in 16 bouts and has scored 11 of his 14 career victories by submission. In fact, he has earned “Submission of the Night” honors in three of his seven Octagon appearances.

Dos Anjos, 25, has rattled off back-to-back wins since his unanimous decision defeat to the highly regarded Tyson Griffin in April. The one-time Fury Fighting Championship titleholder has not set foot in the cage since he outpointed Kyle Bradley in a unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 20 in Fairfax, Va.

The lightweight pairings at UFC 112 do not end there, as Paul Kelly will lock horns with the once-beaten Matt Veach on the undercard.

The 25-year-old Kelly has posted two wins in three fights but was victimized in a spectacular TKO loss to Dennis Siver at UFC 105 in November. A longtime friend and training partner of “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 3 winner Michael Bisping at the Wolfslair Academy, the former middleweight recently dropped anchor at Team Kaobon. Kelly’s list of notable victims includes fellow Englishman Paul Taylor, “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 8 quarter-finalist Roli Delgado and B.J. Penn protégé Troy Mandaloniz.

Based out of the H.I.T. Squad gym, Veach finds himself on the rebound for the first time following his second-round submission loss to the world-ranked Frankie Edgar at “The Ultimate Fighter 10” Finale in December. The 28-year-old Springfield, Ill., native wrestled collegiately at Eastern Illinois University. Only one of Veach’s 12 professional fights has reached the judges.

Two title bouts will headline UFC 112, as middleweight king Anderson Silva collides with Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Demian Maia and lightweight titleholder B.J. Penn answers the bell against the once-beaten Edgar. In addition, future hall of famer Matt Hughes will meet Renzo Gracie in a featured welterweight tilt.

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[Strikeforce]: il campione dei pesi massimi Alistair Overeem farà il suo ritorno?

After discussing Alistair Overeem's future again with his management, the only comment was that the next announcement we will hear about Alistair Overeem will come from Strikeforce. While the date and opponent have not been officially unveiled yet, the rumors right now are that Overeem will compete at DREAM.13 as well as Strikeforce in May. As for his opponent? The only solid guess right now is Neil Grove, who recently said he was fighting at DREAM.13. All signs are pointing for Alistair Overeem to fight in the United States again and very, very soon.

This of course could mean that Overeem will not participate on the K-1 World Grand Prix in Yokohama show if he is fighting at the DREAM event just days before and Strikeforce the next month. That of course will have to be ironed out in the coming weeks, as more of the fights for K-1 Yokohama and DREAM.13 start to filter out. The kickboxing world might have to wait for Ray Sefo vs. Alistair Overeem, which is a shame.

Although, K-1's Tanigawa does say on his twitter that Overeem will fight at 4/3 Yokohama and not DREAM.13. This has been a fun weekend for Alistair Overeem news. As always, grain of salt until there is a fight announced.

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[M-1]: selection 2010 eastern Europe middleweight tournament - risultati (26/02/2010)

Dream veteran Magomed Sultanakhmedov advanced in the M-1 Selection 2010 Eastern Europe middleweight tournament on Friday, as he knocked out Pavel Kusch 56 seconds into round three at the Yubileyniy Sports Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia.

The 25-year-old Sultankhamedov has won five straight fights, the last three of them by knockout. He set the tone early against the previously unbeaten Kusch, as he controlled the first round with superior grappling and striking. Sultankhamedov mounted Kusch near the end of the opening stanza and seized his back as the bell sounded. It was a sign of what was to come.

Kusch scored with a takedown early in round two but failed to keep his opponent grounded and met his demise less than a minute into the third.

Other middleweight winners were Dibir Zagirov (unanimous decision over Anatoly Lavrov), Alexei Belyaev (split decision over Gasan Imalatov) and Murad Magomedov (armbar submission against Ruslan Haskhanov).

Meanwhile, Alexander Sarnavskiy moved into the next round in the lightweight bracket, as he submitted Maxim Kuptsov with a rear-naked choke. The end came 4:03 into the first round.

An unbeaten 21-year-old, Sarnavskiy, after a brief stand-up exchange, dominated Kuptsov on the ground. He took his opponent’s back during a scramble, locked him in a body triangle and softened him with thudding punches from behind. Several minutes worth of punishment paid dividends, as Sarnavskiy, bleeding heavily from the nose, cinched a rear-naked choke and coaxed a back-handed tapout from Kuptsov.

Other lightweight victors were Karen Grigoryan (rear-naked choke submission against Magomed Magomedov), Arsen Ubaidulaev (unanimous decision over Yuri Saakyan) and Artiom Damkovsky (unanimous decision over Shamil Abdulkerimov).

Finally, Alihan Magomedov remained perfect as a professional and pressed on to the next round of the light heavyweight draw, as he submitted Ibragim Halilov with a rear-naked choke 44 seconds into the second period. It marked the first time Magomedov had been pushed into the second round.

Other light heavyweight winners were Rasul Magomedov (split decision over Ilya Malyukov), Shamil Tinagadjiev (rear-naked choke submission against Igor Savelyev) and Ratmir Teuvazhukov (triangle choke submission against Maxim Rozhkov).

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[DEEP 46]: risultati (28/02/2010)

DEEP 46 took place on Sunday from Korakuen Hall in Tokyo with a card highlighted by two main events and the opening round of the DEEP Light-Heavyweight Tournament. Some interesting announcement made at the show. The big announcement was that one of the best woman at 106 pounds, Miku Matsumoto is retiring. She leaves the ring as the DEEP Women's Lightweight (106-Pound) Champion with an impressive 23-4-0 record. Ryo Chonan addressed the crowd and talked about his upcoming fight with Andrews Nakahara in DREAM. Katsunori Kikuno announced his intent to protect Deep's house when he faces Cage Force champ Kuniyoshi Hironaka next month. Yuya Shirai announced himself that he'll be participating in Hidehiko Yoshida's farewell event, Astra. And finally, Bernard Ackah said that he broke his hands as he was suppose to participate in the tournament. Although he asked Saeki to let him fight on April's Deep card (perhaps as a reserve).

DEEP Featherweight Champion and one of Japan's most underrated talents, Takafumi Otsuka (10-4-1) took a 3-0 decision over Takeshi Yamazaki (14-11-3) in the first of two main events. After the match Otsuka said that he was hunting for the KO, but as it didn't come, he apologizes to the fans. He promises to start hunting for the ever elusive knockout victory this year, however.

DEEP Middleweight Champion Riki Fukuda (16-4-0) won his tune-up fight over Hiromitsu Kanehara (18-23-2) by 3-0 decision. Fukuda played a conservative game on the feet (but was still getting hit), catching kicks from a tired Kanehara to take him down and grind him up on the mat.

In the opening round of the DEEP Light-Heavyweight Tournament Ryuta Noji (9-5-0) defeated Katsuhisa Fujii (9-18-1) after dropping down punches forcing the ref to jump in. After congratulating Noji on his win, Fujii got on the mic and announced his retirement. Noji followed him on the mic and pays his respect to his Kyokushin peers and his "teacher," in particular. Yoshida Dojo's Shunsuke Inoue (8-4-2) won a 5-0 deicision over Minoru Kato (3-8-3). As Inoue was leaving he made his way to the VIP seats where none other than J-Rock president and former World Victory Road PR director Takahiro Kokuho is sitting. Inoue gets to his knees and bows deeply to Kokuho, who smiles paternally, pats him on the back, and shakes his hand. Christian “Tonton” M’Pumbu (15-2-1) defeated Yuji Sakuragi (11-16-1) with a TKO stop at 2:29 of the first round after a flurry of knees. Interestingly, Sengoku FW champ Masanori Kanehara was in Sakuragi's corner. In the opener of the tournament, Yoshiyuki Nakanishi (6-1-0) faced Outsider veteran Tomoaki Hata (3-1-1). In the last minute, Nakanishi passes to side, threatening with the keylock and locks it in. Hata taps at 4:30 of the first.

Deep 47 Impact will be held at Korakuen Hall on April 17, and is being billed as "DEEP LHW GP SEMI FINALS & FINALS, AND MATSUMOTO'S RETIREMENT COMMEMORATION EVENT. The winner of the tournament might just secure a birth in the DREAM tournament later this year.

RESULTS

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

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

DEEP Lightheavyweight Tournament Opening Round:
11. Ryuta Noji (8-5-0) Def. Katsuhisa Fujii (9-17-1) - R1 3:18 TKO
10. Shunsuke Inoue (7-4-2) Def. Minoru Kato (2-8-3) - 5-0 Decision
9. Christian “Tonton” M’Pumbu (14-2-1) Def. Yuji Sakuragi (11-15-1) - R1 2:29 TKO
8. Yoshiyuki Nakanishi (5-1-0) Def. Tomoaki Hata - R1 4:30 Armlock

Non-Tournament Fights:
7. FW: Yoshihiro "Barbaro44" Tomioka (14-7-6) Def. Toshiaki Kitada (10-4-3) - 2-0 Decision
6. WW: Taisuke Okuno (8-4-2) Def. Hidehiko Hasegawa (18-12-6) - R1 4:09 TKO
5. WW: Shigetoshi Iwase (8-12-3) Def. Eiji Ishikawa (18-15-2) - R1 2L07 Anaconda Choke
4. BW: Isao Terada (7-9-4) Def. Hiroshi “Iron” Nakamura (9-3-5) - R1 1:11 KO
3. BW: Yoshiki Harada (2-0-0) Def. Takashige "Crazy Hill" Hirukawa (2-1-0) - R1 2:23 TKO
2. WW: Yuta Watanabe Def. Yasushi Kitazaki (10-6-1) - 3-0 Decision

Future Fight:
1. 63kg: Hiroyuki Kobayashi (1-3-0) Def. Takahiro Masuda (1-2-0) - R1 3:15 TKO

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[K-1]: Andre Mannaart ritorna sul ring

Here's one for the true die-hard old school kickboxing fans: Dutch organization Fight 058 has announced that their next card will be headlined by the return to in-ring competition of Andre Mannaart as he faces fellow legend Jan Lomulder. The event will take place June 26, and is Fight 058's second ever show.

Modern fans may know the 49-year old Mannaart as one of the top trainers in the European kickboxing scene. Working out of Mejiro Gym in Amsterdam, Mannaart has trained a number of major champions including Remy Bonjasky and Andy Souwer. As a fighter, Mannaart was involved in some of the earliest K-1 shows, including an appearance at the 1994 K-1 Grand Prix where he was KO'd by defending champion Branko Cikatic. His last high profile fight was a victory in K-1 over Mitsuya Nagai in 1999, but even at that time he was essentially retired. As modern combat sports developed, Mannaart also tried his hand at MMA, going 0-3-1 including loses to Enson Inoue and Kiyoshi Tamura. An undeniable legend in the modern European kickboxing scene, Mannaart is truly a name every kickboxing fan should know.

His opponent is the 42 year old Jan Lomulder, another early name in the modern kickboxing citcuit. As a part of Thom Harinck's famed Chakuriki Gym, Lomulder also had an early K-1 appearance, losing to Adam Watt back in 1993. Perhaps his most notable fight came in MMA as Lomulder took part in the 1994 Vale Tudo Japan tournament, defeating Kenji Kawaguchi via vicious soccer kick before dropping out due to a broken hand.

Interestingly, this is actually a rematch between these two. Mannaart and Lomulder first met back in 1995 with Lomulder winning a five round decision. That fight is available in it's entirety on YouTube - click here for part 1.

While some may look at this as an irrelevant fight between two men who should be out of the ring, I see it as a great opportunity to see two true pioneers of modern kickboxing competing against each other one last time. I know there are many fans who will eagerly look forward to this, and I can't wait to enjoy seeing these men fight.

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[Strikeforce]: il ritorno su CBS (17/04/2010)

CBS will air its second Strikeforce event on April 17 from the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tenn., Sherdog.com has confirmed with the major broadcast network.

The network said it would likely announce its four-fight roster next week. However, at least one bout has been locked for the April 17 event, which will likely be followed up with a May 15 event in St. Louis, Mo., airing on Showtime.

Jake Shields will make his first title defense against Dan Henderson in a 185-pound championship bout. Henderson, a top-five ranked middleweight, left the UFC to sign a four-fight 16-month deal with Strikeforce last December.

Light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi is also expected to appear against Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal in a second championship bout offering.

Herschel Walker, who earned a third-round stoppage against Greg Nagy in his MMA debut at Strikeforce “Miami” on Jan. 30 in Sunrise, Fla., has been called to fight again on April 17, Sherdog.com has learned from multiple sources. The 47-year-old NFL veteran and 1982 Heisman Trophy winner garnered unprecedented media attention for the promotion and the sport in his debut bout.

Fedor Emelianenko, the world’s No. 1-ranked heavyweight, will not appear on the April card. Emelianenko’s proposed bout with Fabricio Werdum has been pushed to May. However, multiple sources are indicating that the stoic Russian could be absent from both events as his management attempts to re-tool terms of Emelianenko’s existing contract with Strikeforce.

Strikeforce “Fedor vs. Rogers” earned favorable ratings for CBS when it aired in its “Saturday Night Fights” slot on Nov. 7 from the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill.

The event reached 4.04 million homes to take the coveted Men 18-34 timeslot and peaked during the main event between Emelianenko and Rogers with 5.46 million viewers, making it the ninth most watched live fight in U.S. history.

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[MMA]: Arona sta recuperando dall'infortunio, spera di combattere negli Stati Uniti

Ricardo Arona is recovering from surgery and hopes to fight again this year, the Brazilian recently told Sherdog.com.

He injured his knee during his win over Marvin Eastman in September at Bitetti Combat 4.

“I injured a ligament in the first round, but at the end of the second round, when I put my foot on the Octagon grid, I must have (torn) my meniscus. From that point on I felt a really hard pain, but I returned in the third round and fought standing up until the bell rang,” said Arona, who had surgery two months ago.

The two-time ADCC submission wrestling champion is now planning a return to training and to the ring

“In July I’ll restart my MMA training,” Arona said. “I got some calls from two American events. I want to be fighting in October or November.”

In the meantime, Arona had some thoughts on the MMA scene. Considered Wanderlei Silva’s top rival during the days of Pride, he liked the former Chute Boxe representative’s recent performance against Michael Bisping at UFC 110.

“It was the first time I saw Wanderlei fighting for real, conscious and managing the result,” Arona said. “He showed a good evolution by studying his opponent’s game.”

Arona did not know that Demian Maia will be challenging Anderson Silva at UFC 112, but he was intrigued of the matchup when told it is set.

“Demian is going to be an excellent test for Anderson,” Arona said, “to show his jiu-jitsu skills and prove if he really has a high level on the ground.”

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[MMA]: Doggy Bag: Til futuro delle MMA

Everyone answers to somebody, so we, the staff at Sherdog.com, have decided to defer to our readers.

“The Doggy Bag” gives you the opportunity to speak about what’s on your mind from time to time.

Our reporters, columnists, radio hosts, and editors will chime in with our answers and thoughts, so keep the emails coming.

This week, readers weigh in on the future blueprint to MMA success, the UFC's use of a minor-league system, the rise of George Sotiropoulos and the outlook of Tito Ortiz against the best at 205.

Also, Jason Probst brews up a fresh batch of Probst Blue Ribbon for the thirsty fans.

With Cain Velasquez's pummeling of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, it has me contemplating the future of MMA's sportsmen. Velasquez, Jon Jones, Phil Davis, Shane Carwin and even Brock Lesnar. What do they all have in common? All are all elite college wrestlers that have made a seamless transition to vale tudo. Are we looking at the blueprint to tomorrow's champions? Which current (or recently graduated) wrestlers should we be on the lookout for?
--Arthur

Jordan Breen, FightFinder Czar: Firstly, while they were accomplished on the JUCO and Division II level, let us not lump Jones and Carwin together with two D1 national champions (Davis and Lesnar) and a guy (Velasquez) who might have been one if not for Steve Mocco and Cole Konrad. This may seem pedantic, but it's how we end up with Goldbergian flattery with no sense of context.

More importantly, I fail to see what’s new about this. Athletes with top-notch wrestling backgrounds have been filling up the MMA ranks for a well over a decade at this point in time. If anything is new, it is simply the volume of wrestlers getting into the sport, which is just a response to MMA's new-found status as a legitimate moneymaker.

It’s hard to single out every single former collegiate wrestler to pay attention to. After all, a junior-college champ like Jones gets almost no attention, while a D2 champ like Carwin would get only marginally more if anything, but that obviously doesn't impact their potential in a cage. But, as for the well-known D1 standouts, Ben Askren has gotten a ton of attention. Twice a D1 runner-up, twice a national champ, twice the Dan Hodge trophy winner for the most outstanding wrestler in the nation. He's one of the best collegiate wrestlers ever, and represented the U.S. in Beijing. His transition to MMA hasn't been super seamless, but he'll have a chance to show he can be an elite welterweight in Bellator's fantastic forthcoming welterweight tournament in April.

Another Dan Hodge award winner, Eric Larkin, who won his national title in 2003 for Arizona State, has unsurprisingly hooked up with Arizona Combat Sports to start his MMA career. Former Brock Lesnar conqueror, two-time national champ and Dan Hodge winner Stephen Neal -- who went on to win Super Bowls with the New England Patriots -- now wants to get into the cage, as well.

Cole Konrad is a training partner for Lesnar, but actually has two national heavyweight titles to Lesnar's one. Heavyweights are at a premium in MMA, and wrestling is a huge well to draw from, as we've seen.

This is just a small sampling of the elite D1 talent embarking on fledgling MMA careers. However, the coming years will bring drastically more talent into the sport. Plenty more NCAA champs -- like Jake Herbert and Brent Metcalf, to name just two -- may end up in the cage sooner rather than later, depending on how their attempts to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics shake out. The London qualifiers will be a major factor in who, when and where a lot of these wrestlers get into MMA.

However, it's important to remember that hardware at the D1 level isn't everything. Muhammed Lawal, one of MMA's brightest prospects, never got a D1 national title, but went on to be an elite, top-ranked international freestyle wrestler, which is a far greater accomplishment. Fellow Strikeforce signee Daniel Cormier only got as close as D1 runner-up at Oklahoma State, but went on to represent the United States at the Athens and Beijing Games. Joe Warren never won a national title at Michigan, but went on to win a world championship, and would have took a medal in Beijing if not for his pot-smoking proclivities.

Urijah Faber pupil Chad Mendes faltered his senior year and took a runner-up after being ranked numero uno all year, but it hasn't stopped him from looking like a future perennially elite featherweight. Meanwhile, a prospect like Tyron Woodley only got as far as All-American status, but his game translates perfectly to MMA and has him looking like a surefire top-10 welterweight.

Ultimately, it comes down to whether or not the mentality, physical skills and wrestling style of a particular athlete line up well with MMA. The positive part is that with MMA now being a viable and financially secure future for wrestlers, the well has gotten infinitely deeper from which to draw out the real stars.

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[WCF 9]: risultati e commento (27/02/2010)

Rick Hawn, one of the highest-level judokas on the American MMA circuit, showed a well-rounded game in keeping his winning streak alive Friday in the main event of World Championship Fighting 9.

The 33-year-old welterweight, who represented the United States in the 2004 Olympics, notched a workmanlike unanimous decision over Tom Gallicchio of New York’s Team Bombsquad.

Hawn sported a black gi on his way to the ring and a tattoo of the Olympic rings on one of his rib cages. He was especially effective in holding top position and showed some boldness with his hands.

To start the fight, Hawn moved in and out and fired off a hard leg kick followed with an inside punch combination before clinching up and bringing Gallicchio to the corner. After a reset, Hawn floored Gallicchio with a one-arm shoulder throw -- called Ippon Seoinage in judo -- and dropped punches, opening a cut above Gallicchio’s hairline.

“It was just a judo reaction, just muscle memory,” Hawn said of the throw.

In the second, Hawn used a back heel trip to get the fight to the floor, pass guard and threaten with an Americana and short elbows. He took some punches in the third before using a high kick attempt to get the fight back into his world.

Hawn earned 30-27 scores across the board for his sixth professional victory.

“I think I lived up to the expectations of a main event,” said Hawn, who trains under Mark DellaGrotte and four-time Olympic judo player Jimmy Pedro and who also holds a judo win over Karo Parisyan. “(Gallicchio’s) a tough kid. It was a good fight. (MMA) is a different game altogether. There’s more risk out there in being injured. But at the same time, I know how to prepare for stuff like this. I totally worked my striking a little more. My stance was a little different.”

Hawn confirmed after the fight that he has signed to face Abu Dhabi Combat Club submission wrestling champion Braulio Estima on the May 15 Shine Fight pay-per-view card in North Carolina. He said he hopes to hone his striking to keep the fight vertical against the debuting Estima.

Hawn’s win capped a WCF 9 lineup before some 3,200 fans at the Aleppo Shriners Auditorium in Wilmington, Mass.

The card is among the last MMA events that won’t be sanctioned in Massachusetts and not adhere entirely to the unified rules of mixed martial arts (most fights are two rounds, for instance). The state approved regulations for MMA in December, and the new state athletic commission will be activated under the law on Monday. The sport has mostly been self-regulated in the state for six years.

The evening’s co-headliner was cancelled when WEC veteran Mike Campbell dropped out of his fight with Marc Stevens due to a knee injury. That put Renzo Gracie New Hampshire product and WCF fixture John Benoit in the co-main event position against Noah Weisman.

Benoit hit a high-crotch slam in the corner and fended off a triangle attempt while holding top control for much of the lightweight fight’s first round. In the second he used a standing kimura to drag the fight to the ground and then controlled the top as his leg bled from an apparent shin collision.

In the end Benoit bounced back from a submission loss in September to earn the 20-18 nod on all judges’ scorecards.

“We went over everything that could possibly happen,” Benoit said. “There was nothing he could do to me that wasn’t done to me in training camp.”

The fight broke a string of eight consecutive first-round finishes. Among them were former WCF title challenger Dan Bonnell, who put away Cesario de Souza with an overhand right at :32 shortly after touching gloves with him. De Souza seemed to complain that a head clash left him woozy and prone to the KO.

Other Results:

Stephen Stengel def. Mike Zichelle -- Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) 1:09 R1
Jamie Campbell def. Andrew Nelson -- TKO 1:21 R1
Matt Martin def. Peter Cole -- Submission (Triangle) 1:40 R1
Carlos Lovato def. Jerry Spiegel -- TKO 3:15 R1
Robby Roberts def. Buster Crandell -- Submission (Armbar) 2:08 R1
Joel Ly def. Steve Beck -- Submission (Triangle Choke) 3:19 R1
Nelson Gaipou def. Matt Johnson -- Submission (Triangle Choke) 0:35 R1

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