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August 2009
World Extreme Cagefighting cancels Sept. 2 card in Youngstown
Citing the loss of main-event fighter Benson Henderson because of an injury, World Extreme Cagefighting recently canceled its Sept. 2 show, which was slated for the Covelli Center in Youngstown.
In the official announcement, WEC officials said the event will instead take place Oct. 10, though no location has been determined.
That doesn’t bode well for Ohio, which expected to host its first-ever WEC event. (The WEC is the UFC’s sister promotion, which airs on Versus and focuses on the sport’s lighter weight classes.)
The Dayton Daily News spoke to Ohio Athletic Commission executive director Bernie Profato just hours before the WEC announced the cancellation. At the time, Profato made no mention of a cancellation and said he planned to be in Youngstown next week for the nationally televised event.
Despite rumors of slow ticket sales and the potential loss of DirecTV as a broadcast partner on Sept. 1, WEC General Manager Reed Harris told MMAjunkie.com Radio on Tuesday neither factored into the decision.
Instead, Harris said, the loss of a headliner was the only reason. Henderson (9-1) was slated to fight fellow contender Donald Cerrone (10-1) for the WEC’s interim lightweight title. (Current champ Jamie Varner is sidelined with injuries.) And despite a 10-bout lineup and four-fight televised card, Versus and WEC officials felt the cancellation of Cerrone vs. Henderson was just too big of a loss and could doom ratings.
WEC officials first spoke about the possibility of making an Ohio debut in April. Officials, including Harris, pointed to Ohio’s strong MMA fan base (the state regulates more MMA shows than any other U.S. commission) and strong TV ratings for other WEC shows.
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UFC fighter Chuck Liddell joins ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars”
ABC today revealed the full cast for the upcoming ninth season of “Dancing with the Stars,” and for the first time in series history, a mixed-martial-arts fighter will be a contestant.
UFC hall-of-famer and former champion Chuck Liddell, perhaps the most popular and recognizable fighter in MMA history, is the trailblazer.
He’ll be the one with the Mohawk and head tattoos.
Liddell, though, isn’t the only athlete on this season of the show, which debuts Sept. 21 at 8 p.m. on ABC. Former NFL great Michael Irvin, Olympic gold-medalist swimmer Natalie Coughlin and professional snowboarder Louie Vito have also been acast.
Liddell, who’s legendary title reign coincided with the UFC’s emergence as a mainstream sport a few years ago, last fought at UFC 97 in April, when he suffered his fourth loss in a five-fight span. UFC president Dana White announced after the fight that Liddell was entering retirement. (But Liddell and his trainer, John Hackleman, haven’t ruled out a return in 2010.)
Liddell said he had been approached by the show’s producers about joining the competition prior to past seasons.
“They asked a couple different times, but it would be too much time to take off from training for fights,” Liddell told UFC.com. “Now I don’t have any fights coming up and I’m not training, so it’s something to do.
“I’m going to go out, be myself and show what kind of people we do have in this sport. I’m sure the reaction will be mixed (among fight fans). My friends are going to be excited, and I’ll never hear the end of it because they’ll make fun of me, but it should be fun and I think everyone will like it.”
The rest of the season-nine cast includes singer Aaron Carter, “Iron Chef America” host Mark Dacascos, politician Tom DeLay, singer Macy Gray, actor Ashley Hamilton, actress Melissa Joan Hart, model Kathy Ireland, model Joanna Krupa, actress Debi Mazar, singer Mya, reality star Kelly Osbourne and entertainer Donny Osmond.
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Jorge Gurgel to broadcast Sept. 4 Shine Fights event
Area mixed-martial-arts fighter and gym owner Jorge Gurgel, a native Brazilian, will enter the broadcast booth next month when he serves as the Portuguese-language commentator for the Sept. 4 Shine Fights card.
Shine Fights, a Columbus-based organization that debuted earlier this year, is featuring the famed American Top Team in the event, which takes place at the The James L. Knight Center in Miami, Fla. The “ATT vs. The World” event pits some of ATT’s top fighters against other competitors.
While still a rookie promotion, Shine Fights (run by Ohio State MBA grad Devin Price) has booked many notables, including Roan Carneiro, Luiz Firmino, Flavio Alvaro, Yves Edwards, Gideon Ray and Micah Miller. Most of the fighters have competed in the UFC and other top organizations.
An online feed of the event, which is available in both English and Portuguese, will be available for $14.95. However, if fans purchase the event during a pre-sale that begins Aug. 21, the cost is just $9.95.
Gurgel, a former UFC fighter who now fights for the organization’s biggest rival (Strikeforce), opened the JG MMA Academy in West Chester after attending Wright State University.
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UFC fighter Matt Brown hosts Saturday fundraiser in Jamestown
UFC fighter and Xenia native Matt Brown is hosting a pig-roast fundraiser in Jamestown on Saturday for the James Brown Medical Fund.
James Brown, Matt’s father, is struggling with acute myeloid leukemia, complicated by diabetes and heart failure from a recent chemotherapy session. His health insurance ended last year.
Saturday’s event, which is open to the public, includes a full slate of activities as well as an auction with UFC-related items, including some autographed by Brown and fellow UFC fighter Forrest Griffin.
The event takes place from noon to 10 p.m. at Morris’ Pond on Cottonwood Road with food (two pigs will be roasted), six live bands, kids games, pony rides, a cornhole tournament, bikini carwash and other activities. Alcoholic beverages will not be provided, so the event is BYOB. Attendees don’t need to bring anything, though everyone is welcome to bring a favorite dish to share with fellow partygoers.
Brown simply hopes the small-town event can bring some much-needed help to the family.
“It’s been tough,” said Brown, who learned his father was seriously ill just a week after a scheduled June bout with Anthony Johnson fell through. “It worked out well that the fight didn’t take place.”
Brown said his dad has always been proud of his fighting career, which included a successful stint on “The Ultimate Fighter 7” and a 3-1 record in the UFC.
“He was really happy I was doing something with my life besides going to jail and getting drunk everyday,” Brown said. “He was supportive … and saw the positive impact it had (on me).”
He’s now hoping the fight community can rally around his father, a former machine-shop owner who initially was told he had only two weeks to live. Now slowly doing better, though, the medical bills are starting to mount.
Donations can be made at the event or at any area Security National Bank or Huntington Bank. (Ask for the “James Brown Medical Fund.) Paypal donations can also be made to theimmortalmatt_brown@yahoo.com or at www.paypal.com.
Brown, who recently returned from his new home in Las Vegas to be with his father, said he continues to train and anticipates a return to the octagon this fall.
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Silva and Penn reign supreme at UFC 101
UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn made a successful title defense, and UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva moved up a weight class for a non-title victory at UFC 101.
The event took place Saturday, Aug. 8, in front of 17,411 fans at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia and aired on pay-per-view.
Penn, the night’s headliner, avoided takedowns and peppered top contender Kenny Florian with punches and elbows through the first three rounds of a scheduled five. However, it was Penn, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu prodigy, who decided to take the fight to the ground in the deciding fourth round.
That recommendation came from corner man and manager J.D. Penn, who told his younger brother to shake things up after the first three rounds proved some close.
“Give him a new look, a different look,” Penn said he was told by his brother.
After that first takedown, Penn quickly moved into a dominant ground position and then took Florian’s back. After surviving the first rear-naked-choke attempt, Florian (11-4) couldn’t escape the second and was forced to tap out at 3:54 of the fourth round.
Penn (14-5-1) has now won four of his past five fights; the lone loss came to Georges St. Pierre in January when Penn moved up a weight class and tried to become the first UFC fighter to hold two belts simultaneously.
While Penn failed to reach that milestone, Silva made a strong case for why he should get such an opportunity with his latest victory, a dominating first-round knockout of Forrest Griffin in UFC 101’s co-main event.
Silva won the middleweight title from Rich Franklin in 2006 and has dominated the division ever since. Last year he moved up a weight class to meet journeyman James Irvin; this time he met a legit challenger in former 205-pound title-holder Griffin.
Considered one of the few fighters capable of hanging with Silva (25-4), Griffin (16-6) instead was knocked down three times with pinpoint-accurate counter strikes, the final one leaving the former champ sprawled out on the octagon’s canvas.
The KO came at the 3:23 mark of the first round.
Silva has now won 11 consecutive fights and moves to 10-0 in the UFC. Now a legit contender in the 205-pound division, Silva has many options. UFC president Dana White expects his next bout to be a middleweight title fight (rematch) with Dan Henderson, but anything’s possible in the future.
“He gives us a lot of options,” White said.
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UFC 101 results live from Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA - The Dayton Daily News is on scene for tonight’s “UFC 101: Declaration” event at the Wachovia Center in Pennsylvania.
We’ll have live results from the preliminary and pay-per-view main cards beginning at 7:40 p.m.
Tonight’s Ultimate Fighting Championships event features two marquee matchups with UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn (13-5-1) facing top contender Kenny Florian (11-3) and UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva (24-4) moving to the light heavyweight division for a non-title fight with Forrest Griffin (16-5).
JESSE LENNOX (15-1) VS. DANILLO VILLEFORT (9-3)
Result - An exciting back-and-forth battle between two lesser-known welterweights ended with a whimper when an accidental head butt opened a cut on Danillo Villefort’s forehead and forced a TKO stoppage. Opponent Jesse Lennox, who accidentally butted heads with his opponent, had just escaped a deep armbar when the cut happened. Jesse Lennox def. Danillo Villefort via TKO (cut) - Round 3, 3:37.
GEORGE ROOP (9-6) VS. GEORGE SOTIROPOULUS (10-2)
Result - Despite a 16-month layoff, George Sotiropoulos had little trouble with George Roop and dominated all aspects of the fight. He ultimately secured a dominant top position and forced the tap out from a deep and dangerous kimura in the second round of the lightweight bout. George Sotiropoulos def. George Roop via submission (kimura) - Round 2, 1:59
DAN CRAMER (1-1) VS. MATTHEW RIDDLE (3-0)
Result - Despite just three pro fights between then, Matthew Riddle and Dan Cramer, veterans of the UFC’s reality series, fought like seasoned pros in an entertaining bout that ultimately went the distance. Riddle used a dominant top game, effective ground and pound and stellar conditioning to outlast his opponent for the win. Matthew Riddle def. Dan Cramer via unanimous decision (29-27, 30-26, 30-27)
THALES LEITES (14-3) VS. ALESSIO SAKARA (18-7)
Result - A dud of a fight actually resulted in both Thales Leites and Alessio Sakara being warned by the referee in the third round to step up the action. It did little good, though, and neither fighter did much of anything in a slow-paced and lackluster fight. Ultimately, the judges gave the decision to Sakara with scores of 29-28, 27-30, 29-28. Leites, who fought for the middleweight title just one fight ago, has now suffered back-to-back losses and faces a possible cut from the roster. Alessio Sakara def. Thales Leites via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28).
JOHN HOWARD (12-4) VS. TAMDAN MCCRORY (12-3)
Result - A fight expected to take “Fight of the Night” honors didn’t disappoint, though a split decision gave a sense of incompleteness. Ultimately, 5-foot-8 John Howard secured enough takedowns and maintained top position long enough to top towering 6-foot-4, 170-pound Tamdan McCrory. John Howard def. Tamdan McCrory via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
JOSH NEER (25-8-1) VS. KURT PELLEGRINO (20-4)
Result - Kurt Pellegrino continually scored takedowns and maintained dominant top position, even though he did little with it. Opponent Josh Neer had the clear advantage standing and avoided most damage from his back, but Pellegrino never gave him the time to put together any offense and scored the shutout decision victory. Kurt Pellegrino def. Josh Neer via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
RICARDO ALMEIDA (11-3) VS. KENDALL GROVE (12-6)
Result - Ground specialist Ricardo Almeida implemented the perfect game plan for his lanky opponent Kendall Grove. Almeida took the Muay Thai specialist off his feet and forced him to fight from his back, where Grove had no answer for his opponent’s stifling top game. Ricardo Almeida def. Kendall Grove via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 20-27).
JOHNNY HENDRICKS (6-0) VS. AMIR SADOLLAH (2-1)
Result - It wasn’t popular with the fans, but referee Dan Miragliotta ultimately made the right call. Johnny Hendricks tagged fellow welterweight Amir Sadollah with a right hand to the chin. The fighter dropped to his knees, and Hendricks continued with a series of shots to force the TKO stoppage. Sadollah immediately sprung to his feet, but all Miragliotta could see was a downed fighter who wasn’t defending himself. Johnny Hendricks def. Amir Sadollah via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 0:29.
SHANE NELSON (13-4) VS. AARON RILEY (28-11-1)
Result - After their initial meeting at UFC 96 in Columbus ended in a controversial early-stoppage TKO win for Shane Nelson, Aaron Riley enacted his revenge at UFC 101 with a dominant three-round decision victory. The lightweight controlled all three rounds of the fight and beat Nelson standing and on the mat for the clear-cut, but largely uninspired, victory. Aaron Riley def. Shane Nelson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
FORREST GRIFFIN (16-6) VS. ANDERSON SILVA (25-4)
Result - After two lackluster title defenses, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva moved up a weight class for a non-title fight with former champ Forrest Griffin. Seen as one of the few guys who could challenge Silva, Griffin instead was embarrassed by the Brazilian phenom. Silva toyed with his opponent, avoided punches with nothing more than head movement (with his hands at his sign) and dropped Griffin on three occasions with impeccably timed and placed counter-shots. Anderson Silva def. Forrest Griffin via knockout (punch) - Round 1, 3:23.
CHAMP B.J. PENN (13-5-1) VS. KENNY FLORIAN (11-3)
Result - Top lightweight contender Kenny Florian took 155-pound champion B.J. Penn deeper into their scheduled five-round fight than most expected. And although he tried repeatedly, and unsuccessfully, for a takedown through the first four rounds of the fight, it was Penn’s takedown that ultimately spelled disaster for Florian. Penn used the takedown to move into a dominant top position, and when Florian gave up his back, it was a matter of seconds until Penn locked in the fight-ending rear-naked choke. B.J. Penn def. Kenny Florian via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 4, 3:54 (to defend lightweight title).
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Frank Shamrock could return to the UFC
He was undoubtedly one of the biggest stars as “ultimate fighting” slowly transformed into the sport of mixed martial arts and crept into the mainstream.
But after butting heads with the UFC’s current ownership, Shamrock, a reigning title-holder, announced his retirement and left the UFC — only to continue his career with other promotions.
However, UFC president Dana White said the 36-year-old fighter could return to the octagon in the near future.
During a question-and-answer session with the UFC’s fan club this past Thursday, Aug. 7, White said it was a possibility.
White recently made up with and re-signed superstar Tito Ortiz, who planned to leave the organization after fulfilling the terms of his UFC contract last year. He also smoothed over a public-relations disaster with Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, whom White thought was reneging on a verbal agreement to extend his contract. Both fighters are back on the UFC’s roster, and Shamrock could join the group.
“I made up with Tito,” White said. “Maybe I could make up with Frank.”
Shamrock was arguably the most prolific fighter of the 1990s, and before leaving the UFC, he became the organization’s first light-heavyweight champion and made a (since-broken) record four title defenses. He also held the middleweight title with Strikeforce, one of the UFC’s biggest rivals, up until a year ago. Although his best days are probably past Shamrock, the adoptive brother of fellow UFC vet Ken Shamrock, he could still hang with some of the top fighters in the UFC’s current 185-pound weight class.
However, after going undefeated (11-0-1) from 1997 to 2006, Shamrock (23-10-2) is just 1-3 in his past four fights with losses to Renzo Gracie, Cung Le and Nick Diaz.
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Champion Penn, challenger Florian and others make weight for UFC 101
PHILADELPHIA - Official weigh-ins for “UFC 101: Declaration” went off without a hitch today as all 22 competitors, including UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn (13-5-1) and fellow headliner Kenny Florian (11-3), made weight for the show.
UFC 101 takes place Saturday, Aug. 8, at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia and airs on pay-per-view (10 p.m.).
The event, expected to sell out, has already produced the largest live gate of any combat sport in Pennsylvania history. More than 14,000 tickets worth more than $3 million had already been sold a month ago.
The state only recently began regulating mixed martial arts, but Pennsylvania has hosted some truly epic boxing events, including a 1927 Jack Dempsey vs. Gene Tunney bout that drew a staggering live attendance of 120,557, which still stands as a combat-sports record.
On the heels of its milestone UFC 100 show last month, the UFC now pits Penn, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu prodigy, against Florian, the well-rounded Muay Thai fighter who’s been one of the sport’s most improved fighters since appearing on the first season of the UFC’s reality series, “The Ultimate Fighter.”
The top-heavy card also features an intriguing non-title bout between middleweight champ Anderson Silva (24-4) and challenger Forrest Griffin (16-5). With Silva decimating the 185-pound division, UFC officials booked the seemingly invincible fighter in a non-title fight in the light-heavyweight division. Griffin is a nearly four-to-one underdog, according to the oddsmakers, but his size and strength and willingness to engage could present Silva his first legit challenge since his two bouts with former champ Rich Franklin a couple years ago.
We’ll have live updates from those two fights and the rest of the UFC 101 card here on DaytonDailyNews.com beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.
The full weigh-in results included:
MAIN CARD
Champ B.J. Penn (155) vs. Kenny Florian (155)
Champ Anderson Silva (205) vs. Forrest Griffin (205)
Ricardo Almeida (185) vs. Kendall Grove (185.5)
Josh Neer (155.5) vs. Kurt Pellegrino (154.5)
Johny Hendricks (171) vs. Amir Sadollah (166.5)
PRELIMINARY CARD
Shane Nelson (156) vs. Aaron Riley (154)
John Howard (169.5) vs. Tamdan McCrory (170)
Thales Leites (185) vs. Alessio Sakara (185.5)
Dan Cramer (169.5) vs. Matthew Riddle (170)
George Roop (154) vs. George Sotiropoulos (155)
Jesse Lennox (171) vs. Danillo Villefort (170.25)
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Strikeforce, not UFC, signs top heavyweight fighter Fedor Emelianenko
After negotiations fell apart (again) with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, top-ranked heavyweight fighter Fedor Emelianenko (30-1) has signed with the UFC’s biggest rival, Strikeforce.
Strikeforce today confirmed Emelianenko has been signed to a three-fight deal, though financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Emelianenko is expected to debut this fall, most likely in the main event of a Showtime-televised event in October.
Emelianenko, a former longtime champion of the popular but now-defunct PRIDE Fighting Championships, owns a 24-fight win streak and has beaten two former UFC champions (Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski) in his two most recent bouts.
Solely to blame for the UFC negotiations falling apart is Emelianenko’s manager’s demands that any UFC events featuring Emelianenko must be co-promoted with his own organization, M-1 Global. Vadim Finkelchtein, president and co-owner of M-1, and UFC President Dana White both said the UFC’s unwillingness to co-promote with the company ruined a potential deal.
In a July 31 media call, White cited many reasons no to co-promote, including the company’s unwillingness to let an unproven promotion piggyback off the UFC’s success. He also mentioned that UFC co-owners Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta hold gaming licenses in Nevada and have to be especially careful with whom they go into business.
However, the UFC this time relented on other demands that tripped up previous negotiations with the UFC, including giving permission for Emelianenko to compete in Sambo, a traditional martial art popular in Russia. But it wasn’t good enough.
Strikeforce, a California-based organization that’s one of the few financially successful MMA promotions besides the UFC, offered to co-promote with M-1, which secured the deal.
Emelianenko had been slotted to fight Josh Barnett on Aug. 1 at “Affliction: Trilogy.” However, after Barnett was denied a license due to a failed drug test (anabolic steroid), Affliction first canceled the show and then announced it was ceasing promotional operations altogether.
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