Official MMA Thread - Page 27 - Cigar Asylum Cigar Forum

Originally Posted by Steelergar:
DREAM 10 is live at 3:00 a.m, set your tivo if you have HD net. It replays again on friday at 10:00 p.m and saturday at 4:00 p.m. keep an eye on welterweight galvo he is a bjj phenomenon and trains with anderson silva and he is only 23 years old.

Great card with great fights as always with Dream. Just finished watching them. I didn't think Paulo Filho would pull it off after getting rocked several times but it only takes one mistake by Manhoef and he exploits that mistake as good as anyone in the world. Sakurai vs Zarmoskis was an amazing fight too. A great stand-up brawl. TUF idiot Jesse Taylor got a win but not really when his opponent suffered a dislocated knee.

With the date now official for the second round of DREAM's open-weight "Super Hulk" tournament, the organization has now made the matchups official.

As was previously rumored, Hong Man Choi (2-2) meets Ikuhisa Minowa (42-30-8), while Gegard Mousasi (25-2-1) faces Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (6-4) at DREAM.11 on Oct. 6 in Kanagawa, Japan.

DREAM officials made the matchups official during Monday's DREAM.10 broadcast on HDNet.

The "Techno Goliath" earned his way to the semifinals with a 77-second shellacking of former baseball star Jose Canseco at May's DREAM.9. The 7-foot-2 super-heavyweight will enjoy a significant size advantage over "Minowaman," though that didn't matter much in "The Punk's" first-round matchup.

Minowa needed just 75 seconds to submit the massive Bob Sapp in his first-round contest. The 13-year-veteran has made a career of taking on all comers, and the bout with Choi, who is nearly twice Minowa's weight, will certainly maintain the "freak show" feel made famous in Japan.

Mousasi, who will first face Renato "Babalu" Sobral at the Aug. 1 event "Affliction: Trilogy," made his way to the "Super Hulk" semifinals with a 79-second submission win over Mark Hunt. Mousasi is currently on an impressive 12-fight win streak.

Sokoudjou broke out of a recent slump and earned a first-round win over kickboxer Jan Nortje in May. The explosive win ended in controversial fashion when Sokoudjou delivered a few hotly contested blows that some deemed unnecessary. Sokoudjou later apologized for the blows.

DREAM.11 will also feature the semifinals and finals of DREAM's current featherweight grand prix.
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I just finished watching the fights, jason high got brutally knocked out in the welterweight finals. They also announced shinya aoki vs hansen for the lightweight championship and souza vs jason miller rematch will probably happen as well.
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Rickson Gracie says Brock Lesnar has many holes in his game and he could submit Lesnar easier than Fedor.
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Originally Posted by Steelergar:
Rickson Gracie says Brock Lesnar has many holes in his game and he could submit Lesnar easier than Fedor.

He has holes, obviously, as he is still very young in the game but sorry, that's just laughable. :-) Fedor RULZ the world!

So much for Affliction being a major player. :-)

Affliction scraps 'Trilogy' card altogether

By Josh Gross, SI.com

In a matter of days Affliction Entertainment's "Trilogy" event when from promising the top heavyweight fight in mixed martial arts to being cancelled outright, multiple sources confirmed to SI.com Friday morning.

Affliction Entertainment vice president began making calls with the news Friday morning to fighters scheduled to appear on the Aug. 1 card, SI.com has learned.

The abrupt change comes in the wake of 31-year-old Josh Barnett testing positive for banned substances following a California State Athletic Commission pre-fight drug test.
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What a strange day in MMA. It now appears that Affliction and the UFC have come to terms with each other to let Affliction once again promote and sponsor UFC fighters. It is currently unknown as to what will happen with the contracts of the fighters on Affliction and if they were a part of negotiations. Dana White also posted on his Twitter that Tito Ortiz is back in the UFC as well.....
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Even wikipedia is saying affliction is defunct as of today. I would like to see Fedor in DREAM for a heavyweight tournament they will likely have soon. But Sengoku has Antonio Silva who experts say has the best chance to beat Fedor. They also have the guy that defeated Fedor in combat sambo last year making his mma a debut august 2nd and he expressed that he wants to face Fedor in mma. But than again Rickson gracie might come out of retirement and choke him out.
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FIGHTERS REELING AS AFFLICTION CLOSES MMA SHOP
Friday, July 24, 2009 - by Steven Marrocco - MMAWeekly.com

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http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/...9222&zoneid=13

Word from Afflictions rank-and-file fighters this morning was that no one was getting paid. A little over a week out from an expected payday at Affliction Trilogy, most are still floored over the events sudden cancellation early Friday.

Theres no words that can even describe it, said Jay Hieron, who was scheduled to face Paul Daley on the events undercard. Its still fresh for me. Ive already paid all my trainers. I trained my ass off for this fight. Affliction vice president Tom Atencio on Friday said the loss of co-main event fighter Josh Barnett proved an insurmountable hurdle for the young promotion to overcome, and that pulling the plug was the only option.

Until Thursday night, the MMA world was holding its breath over who would replace Barnett to face Fedor Emelianenko. The front runner, middleweight Vitor Belfort, had drawn mixed reviews from both fans and media, mainly because the match-up would deprive them of a main card showdown with Sengoku champ Jorge Santiago.

Now, there will be no match-ups to look forward to. According to a UFC official, Affliction is ceasing its fight operations to become an official UFC sponsor. For Hieron, its the second time hes had a major promotion roll up its tent and leave him in the lurch. I think Ive been through everything thats bad in this sport, he said. I dont know what I havent been through yet. I know everything happens for a reason I hope its a good reason.

Standard fight contracts rarely allow for compensation in light of a cancelled event. For all but the top-drawing fighters, a cancelled show means months of hard work out the door. The only recourse, it seems, is to look for another fight.

To tell you the truth, I dont know whats going to happen, said Paul Buentello, who was due to fight Gilbert Yvel on the main card. It took a lot of wind out of my sails.

Multiple sources have indicated to MMAWeekly.com that several managers are attempting to place their fighters on two upcoming cards: Carano vs. Cyborg, due for Aug. 15 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., and M-1 Globals Breakthrough, due for Aug. 28 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Afflictions deal with the UFC could mean work for some, but its unknown who will fold into the industry leading promotion and who will be a free agent. Most Affliction fighters were tied to non-exclusive three-fight deals, although many chose not to take fights in other promotions.

Strikeforce is entertaining either Jay Hieron or his originally scheduled opponent, Paul Daley, as a new opponent for Nick Diaz on Aug. 15. Diazs original opponent, Joe Riggs, withdrew from the fight on Friday morning.

Daley is game. I have trained so damned hard for this fight, probably the hardest ever and I am in great shape and now this happens. I still want a fight if they need someone to replace Riggs against Nick Diaz give me a call. It has also been tossed around that Affliction fighters Ben Rothwell or Gilbert Yvel are being considered to replace Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem, who had to withdraw from his title defense against Fabricio Werdum. A lot of fighters could still be out of work. One fighter places the blame squarely on Barnett.

Bottom line is, Josh Barnett should pay everybody, said Rothwell, who had drawn Chase Gormley for his undercard fight. He (expletive) up, bad.

But Rothwell and Buentello, both longtime veterans of the sport, agree that Affliction was not to blame for the cancellation.

They didnt do it, said Rothwell. They didnt make (Barnett) do the drug test.

Buentello said he would continue training until next week and decide what to do from there.

Right now, Im eating a big old helping of biscuits and gravy, he said. Im gonna be myself today and just relax. Take the day off.

Others werent so sure of their next step.

I dont just feel bad for myself, I feel bad for all the other fighters who arent going to make money, said Rothwell. I feel bad for Affliction. I feel for the fans. Everybody suffers.
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Crazy week in MMA. This my be the final chance the UFC has to try and land Fedor. Dana White said if they get Fedor that he'll get the title shot for his 1st fight, hard to argue, though I'd like to see him fight Randy one way or another. Sign him this week and everyone can start preparing for Brock vs Fedor.

It's a shame about Riggs, I wanted to see that rematch. Pretty sure Diaz would punish him, though.
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When (if) Clint Eastwood dies, Fedor will be the raddest man walking.
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Babalu/Mousasi Title at Strikeforce Confirmed

The first two pieces of the scrambled puzzle left by Affliction's recent demise have fallen into place as Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Renato "Babalu" Sobral (35-8) will defend his title against Gegard Mousasi (25-2-1) on Aug. 15.

Sobral and Mousasi, who were originally scheduled to meet at the now-canceled "Affliction: Trilogy," will instead step into the cage at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., on the main card of "Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg," which airs live on Showtime.

Mousasi will compete on the card with a new Strikeforce contract, Afromowitz said, and not as a loaned commodity from M-1.

Mousasi is currently riding a 12-fight win streak, including a successful run to DREAM's middleweight crown in 2008, as well as a current semifinalist in DREAM's open-weight "Super Hulk" tournament.

The new contract is not likely to affect Mousasi's position in DREAM's tournament, as the Japanese-based organization and Strikeforce have a history of working together to share talent.

Sobral will take a five-fight win streak into the contest, and the Brazilian has won 15 of his past 17 contests. "Babalu" earned Strikeforce's 205-pound belt with a TKO win over Bobby Southworth in November 2008.

While previously announced competitors Fabricio Werdum and Nick Diaz are still without opponents following the withdrawal of Alistair Overeem and Joe Riggs due to various ailments, Afromowitz said he was unable to make any other announcements at this time.

http://mmajunkie.com/news/15648/rena...-on-aug-15.mma

Frank Mir May Face Cheick Kongo At UFC 107

A heavyweight battle between Cheick Kongo and two-time former UFC champion Frank Mir may take place at UFC 107 in Memphis, Tennessee.

Kongo (14-5-1) dropped a convincing unanimous decision to Cain Velasquez at UFC 99 in his last outing. Mir last fought Brock Lesnar at UFC 100 a couple weeks back. Although Mir fought valiantly, he was simply overpowered by the massive undisputed heavyweight champion.

Mirs camp says they have not yet been approached about the scrap, however they are definitely interested in taking the fight.

http://www.fightline.com/news/mma/20...ir/index.shtml
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Speaking of Carano...How do you guys feel about Women's MMA? Personally I think it's exactly like the WNBA: glad you're having fun, but I'm just not interested. Although I do like MMA quite a bit (and hate basketball) so I do still find myself watching if it's on...
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Originally Posted by ActionAndy:
Speaking of Carano...How do you guys feel about Women's MMA? Personally I think it's exactly like the WNBA: glad you're having fun, but I'm just not interested. Although I do like MMA quite a bit (and hate basketball) so I do still find myself watching if it's on...

I love it. When you get a couple of good bjj girls going, they can bend in all kinds of ways to get a sub. I've seen some amazing things. There are a handful of really great women fighters and I enjoy them as much as the men. Carano, Cyborg, Tara Larosa, Megumi Fujii, Rosi Sexton, Kelly Kobold, Carina Damm and a few more are all really good.
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Originally Posted by ActionAndy:
How do you guys feel about Women's MMA?

Ummm, no interest whatsoever. (nttawwt) I have not seen it, and would definitely change channels once I got past the "train wreck syndrome"... :-)
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Satoko Shinashi is another awesome fighter. Check this out. She is the real deal. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf9W9luyxHw

Not only is Gina Carano very good looking, she kicks arse!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ukc3W...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku4xU...eature=related
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Fertitta Still pursuing Fedor

"We want Fedor" . . . Most MMA organizations would utter these words regarding WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko, however they're much more powerful when spoken by UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta. "We want Fedor", Fertitta said of the Russian during a recent Q & A session for Fighter's Only Magazine. The following day, UFC president Dana White parlayed that sentiment by stating, "Eventually, Fedor's going to be here. I want Fedor. I want him to come to the UFC... We'll end up getting that deal done, and then we'll do Brock vs. Fedor, and it'll be a huge fight."

http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_r...pursuing-fedor
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The ONLY woman who I've ever followed in MMA/Thai was Lucia Rjiker. She fought like a friggen' man! She had so much balls, she even fought a former MALE champion in Thai fight. Yea, she was knocked out, but even to be game enough is amazing. 37-0, 25 KO. 4 World Titles.

She'd break Carano in half.
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Originally Posted by NCRadioMan:
Babalu/Mousasi Title at Strikeforce Confirmed

Frank Mir May Face Cheick Kongo At UFC 107

Not a Babalu fan, but glad to see this fight get held together. This should be good!

I will definitely be pulling for Mir in this fight. It'll probably get done; makes sense.

Originally Posted by :
How do you guys feel about Women's MMA?

I like it, as long as there are good fighters. My only knock on women fighters is they have more a tendency to stand toe-2-toe and trade punches. Not bad, but not good strategy. I'd be shocked if Gina mixed up the clinch and goes for a takedown to avoid Cyborg's big punches.
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Not sure what to believe.

Fedor Emelianenko, UFC finalizing deal

A long-awaited agreement between the Ultimate Fighting Championship and the man considered the world's best mixed martial arts fighter, Fedor Emelianenko, is expected to be announced by UFC President Dana White on Friday, a source with information about the negotiations told The Times today.

The source, who asked not to be identified because he's not authorized to speak publicly about the dealings, called negotiations between the UFC and Fedor "very civil" just days after Fedor's scheduled Affliction Trilogy fight Saturday against Josh Barnett was canceled.

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M-1 Global says Fedor, UFC not close to a deal

M-1 Global says Fedor, UFC not close to a deal Story Highlights
The news contradicts a recent report by the Los Angeles Times
Dana White was rumored to be close to signing Fedor to UFC

By Josh Gross, SI.com
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...nenko.Octagon/

Denying a published report Tuesday by the Los Angeles Times, M-1 Global officials told SI.com that Fedor Emelianenko and the Ultimate Fighting Championship are not close to finalizing a deal that would bring mixed martial arts' top heavyweight in the Octagon.

"I can give you a guarantee it's not accurate," said Apy Echteld of M-1 Global, a St. Petersburg, Russia-based promotion and management company of which Emelianenko is an equity stakeholder.

According to the Times' report -- which referenced an unnamed source unaffiliated with the UFC and "with information about the negotiations" -- UFC president Dana White was set to announce the signing of Emelianenko on Friday. The source also said negotiations between the top MMA promoter and the Russian champion's camp were "very civil," and that both groups were discussing details on the pending public announcement.

Echteld declined to comment on negotiations between M-1 Global and the UFC, which are rumored to be taking place Tuesday in Los Angeles. He pointed to a press conference Wednesday in Anaheim, Calif., for "important" news on Emelianenko's fate.

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http://www.fiveknuckles.com/mma-news...elianenko.html

A source close to Fedor Emelianenko's camp has exclusively informed FiveKnuckles.com, that rumors stating UFC President Dana White will announce the signing of Emelianenko at a press conference scheduled for this Friday are accurate.

The information was first broken by the LA Times.

Our source tells us that a fight between Emelianenko and Brock Lesnar is in preliminary discussions for UFC 103, which is set for Dallas, TX on Sept. 19 and would be for Lesnar's UFC heavyweight title.
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