Ricardo Mayorga: I will shock MMA fans and destroy Din Thomas

"I conquered the world in the boxing ring all the while I was puffing cigarettes and drinking beer. I won three world title belts and I stood toe-to-toe with so many legends, beating some of them. Vernon Forrest, God rest his soul, was a great boxer yet I beat him back twice. I cannot be denied as I am a force of nature. Now I will shock the MMA fans and I know so many of my fans from boxing will follow me as I expand my repertoire. They can't deny me in MMA and I will destroy Din Thomas. I am going to smash him the way I smashed all the big superstars of boxing. To me, a fight is a fight in a ring, in a cage or on the street. Fighting is my middle name."

Nicaraguan nightmare Ricardo Mayorga prepares for his mixed martial arts debut against well-traveled veteran Din Thomas at "Worlds Collide" under the Shine Fights banner on May 15, from the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, NC, live on pay-per-view.
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M-1: Fedor Emelianenko fighting Fabricio Werdum in May, off planned April CBS card

After weeks of doubt about the fighter's once-expected participation, Fedor Emelianenko will not, in fact, fight in April during Strikeforce's return to CBS airwaves.

According to a report from MMAFighting.com, M-1 officials today said at M-1 Selection Eastern European press conference that Emelianenko will fight Fabricio Werdum – but not until May.

Strikeforce officials have not confirmed plans for the April show, but as MMAjunkie.com (http://www.mmajunkie.com) reported on Wednesday, it could move to Showtime (or be delayed altogether) now that Emelianenko won't be involved.

As part of his contract with Strikeforce, Emelianenko's fights have to air on CBS rather than its premium-cable partner, Showtime, which has a fraction of the audience.

If it does go on, Strikeforce's April show is likely to take place April 17 in Nashville, Tenn., though Tennessee Athletic Commission Executive Director Jeff Mullen told MMAjunkie.com the organization hasn't officially requested the date. A long-expected bout between Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields and UFC veteran/recent signee Dan Henderson would likely take the event's headline slot, and a likely bout between Strikeforce 205-pound champ Gegard Mousasi and Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal could take the co-main-event slot.

Strikeforce Director of Communications Mike Afromowitz on Wednesday said the organization hopes to have the event details locked in by week's end.

As for Emelianenko's involvement, MMAjunkie.com reported on Wednesday that it had been downgraded from questionable to "unlikely." With M-1's confirmation that Emelianenko will fight in May, a recently rumored May DREAM meeting with Alistair Overeem now also would appear unlikely.

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Lesnar's camp responds to Mir

Finally, official statement has been released from Lesnar's camp relating Mir's death comments about Lesnar, where Mir wanted to break Lesnar's neck and wanted Lesnar to be the first person to die due to octagon related injuries. Lesnar's camp released this statement:

"Frank Mir wants murder? The beast is now even angrier than last time. It's okay, Frankie ‘The Stalker’ Mir could use another beatdown. Except this time, it will be more vicious. The Champion hopes Frank Mir makes it past Shane Carwin. Frank may never be able to fight again after the third fight is over. Expect the unexpected Mr. Submission Man, you may leave without an arm."

Frank Mir fights Shane Carwin at UFC 111 for the interm-heavyweight championship the winner of the fight gets a possible shot at Brock Lesnar unless they are too heavly injured during the fight. In that case Cain Velasquez will fight Brock Lesnar for the title.

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SHIELDS VS. HENDO...ITS OFFICIAL

It's been a long time coming, but now it's official.

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

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

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

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

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

Shields admits that the waiting game was tough because contract negotiations are something that have to be done, but now it's all over and he's happy to fight again soon.

"I really wanted the fight, the fans really wanted it, so I knew it was going to happen," he commented. "There was a few little things holding it back, but luckily everything's been worked out and I'm just happy the fight's happening, and I want to go out there and put on an exciting fight."

Even though Shields will enter the fight as the Strikeforce middleweight champion, Henderson brings with him a wealth of experience, and a resume of impressive wins. If the betting odds come out placing Henderson as the favorite, it's nothing new to Shields, and he'll happily play the underdog.

"I always prefer to be the underdog. Dan's a great fighter, he doesn’t have a lot of holes in his game, but I think he does have a few, and I'm going to go out there and try to exploit them," stated Shields.

The fight will likely either headline or co-headline the card in April, depending on what happens with Fedor Emelianenko, who is also rumored for the same show
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Yvel to meet Ben Rothwell, not Pat Barry, at UFC 115

Although initially expected to fight Pat Barry (5-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC), heavyweight Gilbert Yvel (36-14-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) instead will fight Ben Rothwell (30-7 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in June at UFC 115.

Sources close to the event today confirmed the change with MMAjunkie.com (http://www.mmajunkie.com) and said verbal agreements are in place for the bout.

UFC 115 is expected to take place June 12 at GM Place in Vancouver, British Columbia. The night's main card airs on pay-per-view.

With Barry no longer facing Yvel, Barry vs. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic is expected for UFC 115.

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Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic and Pat Barry agree to UFC 115

A pair of heavyweight strikers collide in June at UFC 115 now that Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (26-7-2 MMA, 3-3 UFC) and Pat Barry (5-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) have agreed to a matchup.

Sources close to the event today told MMAjunkie.com (http://www.mmajunkie.com) bout agreement should be distributed shortly and that the competitors were told it'll be part of the night's pay-per-view main card. MMAScrapsRadio.com first reported the fight earlier today.

Barry initially was expected to fight Gilbert Yvel (36-14-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) at the June 12 event.

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Mariusz Pudzianowski vs. Tim Sylvia set for April 23 in Boston

According to the bostonherald.com:

Also signed for the card are UFC veterans Rich Clementi, Yves Edwards and Houston Alexander.

"This will be the biggest card ever done, probably in the Northeast," said [promoter Corey] Fischer. "The UFC is coming here in August and they’re going to have a hard gate to beat. I think this fight card will be better than what they’re bringing."

"It’ll be on pay-per-view and shown live in Korea, Poland, Canada and about 14 other countries," said Fischer. "This will have more viewers than (the UFC’s) show."

As of now, Moosin will be the first big MMA organization to come to Boston. As announced earlier, Bellator Fighting Championships will head to the Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre on May 6 and the UFC makes its Massachusetts debut on August 28 at the TD Garden.

Big Tim will get beaten down again. This time by one of the world's strongest men and although he is new to mma, he is no joke in the ring.

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Oh my god RIP Tim....
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Oh hells yeah!

King Mo vs Mousasi set to rumble on CBS

It looks like the king will get the chance to add a new jewel to his crown in April.

Charismatic fighter Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal has signed on to fight for the Strikeforce light heavyweight title when he faces champion Gegard Mousasi on April 17 at the promotion's next major CBS card.

The fight was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the situation on Monday.

Since debuting in 2008, King Mo has taken the sport of MMA by storm, proclaiming he was destined for greatness and that he was happy to prove it against any and all comers. After dispatching of veterans like Travis Wiuff and Mike Whitehead, it looks like Lawal will now try to prove he's championship material.

Rapidly rising up the ranks as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport, Gegard Mousasi has made everyone take notice of his considerable skills and technique as he's gone undefeated for almost three years.

After conquering the middleweight division in Dream, Mousasi decided to move up to light heavyweight. Since that time he's beaten all of his opponents, including fighters like Renato "Babalu" Sobral and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou.

Recently leaving his management team of M-1, Mousasi is ready to once again prove he belongs with the best fighters in the world, and try to take some of the swagger out of the step of the always confident Lawal.

The bout between Mousasi and Lawal will serve as co-main event for the upcoming Strikeforce show in April, headlined by middleweight champ Jake Shields defending his title against Dan Henderson. MMAWeekly.com will have more news on this event in the coming days.



This has "fight of the year" written all over it, imo.
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Yes, the end of the world is near. Here is another sign...........................:-)

Toney signs with UFC

Sometimes trash talkers get what they want.

After berating UFC president Dana White on several media outlets in recent months, 41-year-old boxing champion James Toney (72-6 Boxing, 0-0 MMA) has reportedly signed a multi-fight agreement with the Las Vegas-based promotion.

The report was issued Tuesday by FiveOuncesOfPain.com citing sources close to negotiations, and MMAFighting.com's Mike Chiappetta has since confirmed the deal after speaking to White.

Toney, the current NABO and IBA heavyweight champion, pitched himself to White before cameras following UFC 108 in January and afterward blasted the UFC president for what he considered a "laughable" offer to fight in the octagon.

Ever since, Toney has taken every opportunity to challenge White for a contract.

"Dana White is a straight up ho!" Toney told Fighthype.com this past week. "He makes me a five-fight offer for chump change and said I can't box anymore if I accept it. He must have lost his damn mind."

It appears talks have brightened considerably since then.

At least one UFC fighter will welcome Toney into the cage.

"I think a lot of people would pay to see that," UFC heavyweight contender and "The Ultimate Fighter 10" winner Roy Nelson recently told Steve Cofield of Yahoo! Sports.

A timetable for Toney's debut is unknown at the time of this writing. Requests to the UFC for comment by MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) were not immediately answered.

The 41-year-old Toney's most recent fight was this past September when he defeated Matthew Greer by TKO in a boxing match. Prior to that, he defeated Fres Oquendo for the vacant NABO and IBA heavyweight belts.
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Toney can take a punch, but let's not hope that someone will standup with him! Put him on the ground and take him out of his element!

Poor Dana, he let's Hendo go, cant sign Fedor or Mousasi................BUT he can Sign Sweat Boy?
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Welcome to the Asylum!

I love Toney and always have but this is not boxing and he is 41 years old. Anyone that he fights will take him down to ground. Even those that have no ground game would look like a bjj black belt against somebody that doesn't know anything about ground fighting. Maybe Dana signed him just to let him get beaten and to shut him up. I think alot of boxers think they can do well in mma after Mercer ko'd the goof, Big Tim.
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Thanks for the welcome! The majority of the boxers just see how many openings they would have against some of the MMA Pros. But they dont understand that they have to adjust their stance in order to stuff the take down attempt.
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Date: TONIGHT!
Event Type: Versus - Live Event
Location: Nationwide Arena, OH

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On Saturday, March 6, 2010, WEC heads to Columbus, Ohio with a stacked card headlined by a world bantamweight title fight between champion Brian Bowles and number one contender Dominick Cruz. What’s more, WEC’s first trip to Columbus features the return of former bantamweight champion Miguel Angel Torres, as well as the comeback of former UFC® lightweight titleholder Jens Pulver.

Bantamweight title fight
Brian Bowles Vs. Dominick Cruz

Miguel Angel Torres Vs. Joseph Benavidez
Jens Pulver Vs. Javier Vazquez
Deividas Taurosevicius Vs. LC Davis
Bart Palaszewski Vs. Karen Darabedyan

Undercard:

Fredson Paixao Vs. Courtney Buck
Leonard Garcia Vs. George Roop
Scott Jorgensen Vs. Chad George
Chad Mendes Vs. Erik Koch
Danny Castillo Vs. Anthony Pettis
Ricardo Lamas Vs. Bendy Casimir
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Wow, 2 major upsets................Cruz looked like a fictional character with his moves! The Gash on the forehead of Torres was skully.........


Jorgensen is a Cardio Beast!

Atleast my boy Bartimus from the IFL won.
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I watched this last night. Bowles, what a puss-vagina. I quit, because I think my hand might be broken. No you quit because you were getting your ass handed to you. Look at Faber, he had both hands broken, and still fought a few more rounds.

Don't get me wrong, I would never step into the octagon/ring.
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Yeah, I think he quit because he had no answer not the broken hand. Besides, turns out that Cruz sustained a broken hand and will be out 6 months. Never seen anything like the movement he was showing though, wow! Torres also had no answer.

Here is a pic of the gash he sustained before he tapped:

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James Toney is now certified delusional:


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Here it is stitched up. Actually looks worse with stitches in it.

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Sometimes I hate seeing things like this. Brings back memories. :-)

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All I know is there was a lot of ass kicking going on in the fight card! With UFC I think at the top and WEC getting better it makes Strike Force is becoming more of a joke! But I will still watch LOL
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Just a few on the SF Roster:

Heavyweight:

Alistair Overeem (Champion)
Fedor Emelienenko (The greatest MMA fighter of all time)
Brett Rogers
Bobby Lashley
Fabricio Werdum
Andrei Arlovski
Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva

Light Heavyweight:

Gerard Mousasi (Champion)
Kevin Randalman
Muhammed Lawal
Anthony Ruiz
Renato "Babalu" Sobral
Dan Henderson

Middleweight:

Jake Shields (champion)
Robbie Lawler
Kazuo Misaki
Jason Miller
Benji Radach
Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos
Anthony Ruiz
Matt Lindland

Welterweight:

Nick Diaz (champion)
Nick Thompson
Jay Heiron

Lightweight:

Gilbert Melendez (Champion)
Mitsuhiro Ishida
Josh Thomson
K.J. Noons

Hardly a joke. In fact, they are getting stronger and stronger. I still think Dream is the #1 promotion in the world.
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The fighters may not be a joke, but you can't tell me that last fight card they put out was a good one! Its one thing to have good fighters, but when you are making cards putting sub par fighters in the ring just to give a guy a win it totally sucks! And thats what they did with H Walker and the wrestler guy that both had their first MMA fights. Thats all I'm saying. If they want to put their best against their best in every fight on the card then they will be good. Just my opinion of course.
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You can't tell me UFC is putting out good cards. Mediocre at best. Oh, and Dana did the same thing (feeding a can) with Kimblo. And most likely will to the same for Toney. The guy Walker fought had 2 fights under his belt.

Dream cards are always great.
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2 fights don't make you a good fighter, I was talking about it being Walkers first. I think it just made Walker look bad, I would rather him get beat by a good fighter and giving great effort then see him beat a bad fighter. Do you really think Walker looked good? He was stiff as a board and moved really slow.

Yes I think UFC puts out good cards, almost all their fights are entertaining fights from top to bottom. Of course you can always get a fight that doesn't turn out so good but I do think they try harder to get better matched fighters against each other.
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