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LIDDELL SIGNS TO FIGHT SHOGUN AT U.K. UFC Saturday, February 16, 2008 - by Jeff Cain & Damon Martin - MMAWeekly.com
Chuck Liddell is set to return to action on June 7 as the former light heavyweight champion has officially signed to face Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at an as of yet unofficially announced event in London, England. Liddell confirmed the fight to MMAWeekly.com on Saturday evening.
Earlier this month, MMAWeekly.com reported that Rua had signed a contract to fight “The Iceman” in May or June, and now Liddell has confirmed he has accepted the fight and signed the contract, although he stated the fight would take place June 7 as opposed to the previously reported June 14 date.
Liddell is coming off of a win over Rua’s former teammate, Wanderlei Silva, in December. With a win over “Shogun,” he may find himself back to No. 1 contender’s status in the 205-pound division.
After the purchase of Pride by Zuffa, the owners of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, there was much anticipation for Rua to make his debut in the Octagon, but his welcome was short-lived, as Forrest Griffin submitted him in his first fight in the Octagon.
The bout between Liddell and Rua is expected to be the main event on the card. Although no official announcement has been made by the UFC about the event, welterweight Marcus Davis previously stated to MMAWeekly.com that he believed he would also be on the same show in England.
SEAN SHERK TALKS TITLE AND B.J. PENN Saturday, January 26, 2008 - by Jeff Cain - MMAWeekly.com
Ultimate Fighting Championship Lightweight Champion BJ Penn and former UFC lightweight title holder Sean Sherk won't square off until May, but the war of words between the two has been heating up for months. Sherk feels he's still the champion and after comments made by Penn in his post-fight interview following his impressive win over Joe Stevenson at UFC 80, Sherk says, "Now it's personal."
In his UFC 80 in-octagon interview with Joe Rogan after defeating Joe Stevenson, BJ Penn commented, "Sean Sherk, you're dead." Needless to say the comments didn't set well with Sherk who immediately left his commentary position and entered the octagon.
"I thought it was a pretty classless thing to do, but what do you do? I guess that's just who BJ is, so I think it will add more to our fight when we fight later on this year," Sherk told MMAWeekly.
Sherk admitted Penn's statements got to him. "I was fired up for sure. I mean, I would rather fight any day of the week than sit on the outside and watch, so it was hard enough to watch, and then to be threatened afterward. It wasn't an easy thing to deal with. I was pretty fired up," said the 34 year-old former champion.
Sherk plans to use Penn's threat as motivation to prepare for their eventual showdown. Sherk said, "It definitely plays a big factor in the motivation because I train hard the way it is and I've never really fought someone that I had a personal issue with. Now I've got a personal issue with someone. He's attacking me personally. He's saying stuff about me that isn't true. Yeah it motivates me to train harder. I mean, I can't lose a fight to someone who is talking smack about me. That's just something I can't do, so I'm going to train my ass off and make sure I win this fight."
Although Penn is the current UFC lightweight champ, Sherk feels the belt still belongs to him. Stripped of the title due to a positive test for Nandrolone, a result Sherk disputes, he's eager for the opportunity to get the belt back .
"I still feel like the title still belongs to me. I think if you want to be the champ you've got to beat the champ. It's exciting to get back in there. It's been a long layoff. There's been a lot of stuff that has happened over the last few months. It'll be good to get everything behind me, just get my career back on track and get what I feel is rightfully mine."
While sitting cage-side commentating the bout between Penn and Stevenson in New Castle, England, Sherk was scouting Penn for strengths and weaknesses he may be able to expose when the two face off.
He said, "I see some things in the boxing area that maybe I can exploit. I see some things on the ground that I could exploit. You just train to the best of your potential. You surround yourself with the best trainers and training partners that you can and you prepare yourself for whatever can happen when you're in the cage fighting because anything can happen and the gameplan could change within the blink of an eye."
Sherk continued, "As far as a lightweight goes, I don't think anyone is going to give him the problems that I'm going to give him."
Sean Sherk and BJ Penn were top ranked welterweights that never got to fight in that weight class. Sherk dropped down to lightweight and Penn returned to the division he once dominated making the match a possibility. When Penn obtained the vacant UFC lightweight title, the bout became set in stone.
Sherk commented, "That's the fight I've wanted for a long time. I'm finally getting it. It's been a long time coming and I can't wait to get it done."
Per Eklund vs. Sam Stout Round 1
An uneventful opening frame gets us started in Newcastle. Eklund looked for the takedown throughout the frame, with stout stuffing them all. Eklund landed a knee to the mid-section against the fencing before Stout was able to trip the Swede to the canvas. From the top position, Stout dropped some elbows down on Eklund's face. 10-9 for Stout.
Round 2
More of the same in the second. Stout showed great takedown defense as Eklund struggled to get close to the Canadian kickboxer. Stout, again took the top position in a scramble, where he landed an elbow. Eklund attempted an armbar from the bottom, but Stout had none of it and stood up. At the end of the round, the English crowd showered the cage with boos after 10 boring minutes in the Octagon. 10-9 for Stout.
Round 3
Different round, same story. Even though nothing solid connected, Stout looked crisp with his striking and continued to defend the takedown. A pretty disappointing performance by both fighters. 30-27 for Stout, and two judges agree, awarding all three frames to Stout. A lone judge saw it 29-27 for the Canadian.
SHAW TO WHITE: "LET HIM FIGHT OUR FIGHTERS" Friday, January 18, 2008 - by Damon Martin - MMAWeekly.com
The war of words between Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White and EliteXC live events president Gary Shaw continued on Wednesday when, during a media conference call, the feud was brought up and Shaw had strong words in response to what White said recently.
“All I'm saying is, and I've said it all along, there is a differentiator. If you fight for the UFC, you can't be bigger than Dana White and the UFC,” said Shaw.
“If you fight for EliteXC, as a fighter, you're bigger than Gary Shaw. It's about the fighter. It's not about me. Whether it's Kimbo, who was signed to us, or any other fighter. I believe we represent some of the greatest fighters in the world. I believe that Antonio ‘Big Foot’ Silva could knockout any heavyweight in the UFC.”
Speaking about Antonio Silva, Shaw also confirmed that he will fight on the Feb. 16 card facing Cage Rage heavyweight champion Gary Turner in a bout that could showcase two of the best up-and-coming big men in all of MMA.
Shaw also had some complementary things to say about the UFC and what its done for the sport of mixed martial arts, but was quick to point out the exclusivity they keep with their fighters.
“Now, I'm not disparaging the UFC. They have some great fighters and great fights. They have a good brand,” he stated. “They do a good job marketing their brand, but they don't own MMA. They don't own the space. They have a brand.
“You know what, if you hold up the belt there, all you are is the club champion. Until Dana White is willing to fight his fighters against other brands; all they are is club champions.”
The open challenge was extended to White and the UFC to put their fighters against the fighters from EliteXC, and while Shaw made a strong gesture, a co-promoted show between the two organizations will likely never happen.
“I extend the challenge and always have. It's like Kimbo; you want to fight him? Call us up, you can come in the cage and fight him,” said Shaw. “You want to fight Jake Shields, fight Jake Shields. We're proud of the people we represent. Robbie Lawler, I could go down the whole roster.”
Despite the challenges and compliments towards the UFC and their fighters, Shaw was quick to once again point both barrels at UFC president Dana White.
“For Dana White to try to convince the fans that he owns all of the best fighters in the world. To say that this is just a starting point for fighters and then they're going to go to UFC. He is full of (expletive),” said Shaw with conviction. “Let him fight our fighters.”
ZUFFA FILES SUIT AGAINST UFC CHAMP COUTURE Tuesday, January 15, 2008 - MMAWeekly.com
Lawyers for Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, filed a lawsuit was filed on Monday in Clark County, Nev. against current UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture for his comments made publicly against the company and also for allegedly breaching his contract with the UFC, as first reported by Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review Journal.
The saga between Couture and the UFC reaches back to October 2007 when Couture resigned from the organization, in all capacities, amidst an array of reasons given for his departure.
Monday’s lawsuit is the latest move in this ever-evolving chess match between the organization and its recognized heavyweight champion.
"We are alleging numerous intentional torts, which have caused Zuffa and the UFC significant harm," said Donald J. Campbell, attorney for Zuffa, as stated to the Las Vegas Review Journal. "Based upon that harm we are seeking to address these matters before a court of law."
Multiple news conferences have been held by Couture and the UFC, battling over money that was paid, signing bonuses, and other compensatory matters.
Now, it appears that a judge will help to settle some of the disputes held between the UFC and its former employee, who is still under contract to the organization.
The lawsuit states that Couture’s comments about the company have caused “injurious falsehood and trade disparagement,” which in turn cost them significant money, while also alleging that Couture along with several unnamed participants conspired to do significant harm to the organization.
The heavyweight champ is also named in the lawsuit for breach of contract because of a stipulation that prevents him from engaging in anything that is in “direct or indirect competition” to the UFC for a period of 12 months following the expiration of his current deal with the promotion.
The article from the Las Vegas Review Journal also references the upcoming appearance by Couture’s Xtreme Couture team, which will compete for the International Fight League on Feb. 29 in Las Vegas at the Orleans Arena, as a direct violation of the non-compete portion of Couture’s contract.
UFC president Dana White recently announced that Tim Sylvia and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira will compete for the interim heavyweight title at UFC 81 on Feb. 2 in Las Vegas.
In an exclusive interview recently with MMAWeekly.com, White addressed Couture’s status as heavyweight champion, saying, “This is in the hands of the lawyers now. We gave him a half-million-dollar signing bonus to fight four fights for us. I think the honorable thing for him to do is to honor his contract and fight the winner of Nogueira and Sylvia.”
At the same time, White seemed resigned to the fact that it won’t be as simple as asking Couture to fight. “This thing shocked me, came out of nowhere. I never expected this. I tried to talk to Randy, tried to work this thing out. It’s in the lawyers hands now.”
MMAWeekly.com spoke to representatives at Randy Couture’s Xtreme Couture facility in Las Vegas, but they declined to comment on the lawsuit at this time.
FRANK SHAMROCK VS. CUNG LE ON MARCH 29 Friday, January 11, 2008 - by MMAWeekly.com
Frank Shamrock will defend his Strikeforce middleweight title against Cung Le on the second Strikeforce and EliteXC joint show scheduled for March 29 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. according to Dave Meltzer of Yahoo! Sports.
The event is expected to air live on Showtime and include two Strikeforce bouts, two EliteXC bouts, and one bout featuring a Strikeforce fighter against an EliteXC fighter. Meltzer stated that a news conference announcing the event is expected some time next week.
Shamrock last saw action when he defeated Phil Baroni in the main event of the first Strikeforce/EliteXC joint event on June 22, 2007. He choked Baroni unconscious towards the end of the second round.
Le has built a perfect record of 5-0 since venturing into mixed martial arts in early 2006. In his last bout, fighting for Strikeforce in November, he defeated Ultimate Fighter veteran Sam Morgan by TKO early in the third round.
Also expected to fight on the card are Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez and contender Josh Thomson. The bout had previously been announced for March 29 at Strikeforce’s November show in San Jose.
Melendez has since lost to Mitsuhiro Ishida on New Year’s Eve. It is not yet known if that will affect the status of his bout against Thomson.
EliteXC fighter Jake Shields is also expected to fight on the card.
BRANDON VERA LIKELY OUT UNTIL MAY Friday, January 11, 2008 - by Tom Hamlin - MMAWeekly.com
Brandon Vera has watched the tape over and over again. It’s the first exchange of the fight. He steps forward with a jab, meets Tim Sylvia’s oncoming face, and slides into the clinch.
“My thumb got caught and pulled back like a banana,” he says.
It was a trivial shot, but it quickly derailed him. He thought it was dislocated and tried to re-set the thumb mid-fight.
“I held my breath and pulled it real hard and it didn’t go back in,” he continues. “I finished the first round, went back to my coaches, who were like ‘(expletive) your left hand, you don’t need it! Use your right hand.’ I was like cool, I won’t use my left hand.”
Vera had broken his scaphoid, a cashew-sized bone that keeps the thumb from bending too far towards the wrist.
The searing pain in his digit prevented him from putting together any combinations, which prevented him from letting his kicks fly freely. He felt like a lame duck.
“I wanted to punch Tim so hard,” he says. “I should have just kept touching and moving, instead of trying to light him up early. He started hitting me; I couldn’t hit him back. I started throwing short elbows to try and catch him on his way in. I sucked. That was one of the most boring fights ever. I’m ashamed to have been a part of it.”
Vera wanted surgery immediately. His doctor told him he might have to stabilize the hand with a screw. When he woke up from the procedure, he had three.
The UFC wanted Vera to fight on its March 1 card in Columbus, Ohio, but he says May is the earliest he could re-emerge.
“The weekend after the fight, I still couldn’t pick up a plate of food,” he says. “We’re hoping for the best. I wish they would put me with Tim again, but it looks like I’m going to climb up the ladder again. I don’t care who they put me with, I’m banging. I’ll make sure not to punch so hard in the beginning; I’ll make sure I use up all the rounds.”
In the mean time, Vera makes the nine-mile bike ride every day to his Chula Vista gym, Alliance MMA, teaching classes to eager students. He works on the things he can. At home, he distracts himself with remote control racecars, watching his dog chase them around the house.
When asked about his thoughts on the upcoming heavyweight title fight between Silva and Minotauro Nogueira, he’s hesitant to talk about it. It still upsets him.
“It’s really hard to look at,” he says. “Coulda, shoulda, woulda been me, so it sucks.”
Vera is 30 and has five fights left on his UFC contract, so father time isn’t exactly knocking on his door, but like his previous layoff from the Octagon, the fight with Sylvia has been a forced lesson in patience.
MAIN EVENT FIGHTERS
-Chuck Liddell: $500,000 (20th fight in UFC; defeated Wanderlei Silva; no win bonus)
-Georges St-Pierre: $160,000 (11th; defeated Matt Hughes; includes win bonus of $80,000)
-Wanderlei Silva: $150,000 (4th fight in UFC; lost to Chuck Liddell; no win bonus)
-Matt Hughes: $100,000 (19th fight in UFC; lost to Georges St-Pierre; win bonus would have been $100,000)
MAIN CARD FIGHTERS
-Lyoto Machida: $60,000 (4th fight in UFC; defeated Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou; includes win bonus of $30,000)
-Eddie Sanchez: $46,000 (4th fight in UFC; defeated Soa Palelei; includes win bonus of $23,000)
-Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou: $40,000 (1st fight in UFC; lost to Lyoto Machida; win bonus would have been $40,000)
-Rich Clementi: $28,000 (6th fight in UFC; defeated Melvin Guillard; includes win bonus of $14,000)
-Melvin Guillard: $10,000 (6th fight in UFC; lost to Rich Clementi; win bonus would have been $10,000)
-Soa Palelei: $5,000 (1st fight in UFC; lost to Eddie Sanchez; win bonus would have been $5,000)
PRELIMINARY MATCH FIGHTERS
-Dean Lister: $22,000 (4th fight in UFC; defeated Jordan Radev; includes win bonus of $11,000)
-Manny Gamburyan: $20,000 (2nd fight in UFC; defeated Nate Mohr; includes win bonus of $10,000)
-James Irvin: $16,000 (6th fight in UFC; defeated Luis Cane; includes win bonus of $8,000)
-Roan Carneiro: $10,000 (3rd fight in UFC; defeated Tony DeSouza; includes win bonus of $5,000)
-Tony DeSouza: $7,000 (6th fight in UFC; lost to Roan Carneiro; win bonus would have been $7,000)
-Mark Bocek: $6,000 (2nd fight in UFC; defeated Doug Evans; includes win bonus of $3,000)
-Nate Mohr: $6,000 (3rd fight in UFC; lost to Manny Gamburyan; win bonus would have been $6,000)
-Luis Cane: $5,000 (1st fight in UFC; lost to James Irvin; win bonus would have been $5,000)
-Jordan Radev: $5,000 (2nd fight in UFC; lost to Dean Lister; win bonus would have been $5,000)
-Doug Evans: $3,000 (2nd fight in UFC; lost to Mark Bocek; win bonus would have been $3,000)
DISCLOSED FIGHTER PAYROLL: $1,199,000
XTREME COUTURE CAMP REPORT Saturday, January 05, 2008 - by Damon Martin - MMAWeekly.com
After building one of the most impressive teams of fighters in the world, Xtreme Couture closed out 2007 with a combined record of 59-14 in its first full year of operations. Now it looks forward to an even more successful 2008 with many of its members gearing up for a huge year ahead.
FORREST GRIFFIN PREPARES FOR TUF 7; MIKE PYLE ON AS COACH
The Ultimate Fighting Championship recently announced Forrest Griffin and UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson as coaches for the seventh installment of the Ultimate Fighter. Now Griffin is gearing up for filming and a match-up with Jackson later this year.
One of Griffin’s coaches on the new season of the show will be former EliteXC welterweight Mike Pyle, who is known throughout Xtreme Couture as one of the toughest training partners and best instructors in the business.
Pyle will also be seen back in action soon, competing for Hardcore Championship Fighting in Canada. He faces Damir Mirenic in a middleweight match-up. John Alessio will also be featured on the same card taking on Derrick Noble.
JAY HIERON WINS IFL GOLD
At the International Fight League’s year-end show, Jay Hieron defeated Delson Heleno to become the first ever IFL welterweight champion.
Hieron is currently celebrating his win with friends and family on Long Island in New York. On the Xtreme Couture website blog, they will debut a new feature entitled “The Life and Times of Jay Hieron,” which will be an ongoing series following his life.
XTREME COUTURE FIGHTERS IN THE OCTAGON
Many of the top fighters from Xtreme Couture are preparing for upcoming bouts in the UFC, including Kendall Grove who will face off against veteran fighter Jorge Rivera, while Canadian Sam Stout will step in to fight Per Eklund at lightweight.
Tyson Griffin and Gray Maynard have traveled to Big Bear, Calif. to help friend Joe “Daddy” Stevenson in preparation for his upcoming lightweight title fight against B.J. Penn at UFC 80.
Both Griffin and Maynard are gearing up for their own respective fights, as Tyson will face Gleison Tibau at UFC 81 in February and Maynard faces Dennis Siver at the UFC Fight Night event on Jan. 23 in Las Vegas.
HEAVYWEIGHTS BUILDING AT XTREME COUTURE
Former Pride and Cage Rage heavyweight James “Colossus” Thompson recently joined Xtreme Couture and while he is currently home in England, he will be returning to the camp in Las Vegas soon and preparing for a scheduled bout on the next EliteXC card.
Jay White has also stepped up his training. With Randy Couture in his corner, he won his debut fight for HDNet Fights submitting Patrick Castillo in the first round of their match-up.
NEWS & NOTES FROM XTREME COUTURE
Xtreme Couture fighters have been seen in commentating roles lately as Phil Baroni worked color commentary for the IFO show on Dec. 28 and Frank Trigg was featured as color commentator for the HDNet broadcast of the Yarennoka show in Japan.
The Hollywood bug has also bitten many Xtreme Couture fighters, as Forrest Griffin was featured on Law & Order recently and now Mike Pyle, Stephan Bonnar, and Gray Maynard have all accepted roles in feature films.
Gina Carano is in Los Angeles currently filming the new season of American Gladiators, where she will appear as a gladiator named “Crush.”
Phil Friedman will return to action for his second MMA fight very soon, either for the IFO or Tuff-E-Nuff in February.
Mark Hominick recently picked up a win in the TKO promotion in Canada and will be heading back to the training camp in Las Vegas soon.
Elena “Baby Doll” Reid won her MMA debut in the IFO in December, while Dennis Davis defeated American Top Team fighter Reynaldo Duarte on the same card.
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