MMA Hot Stuff

Nominations for 2009 World MMA Awards closes on Wednesday

Who do you think was the BreakThrough Fighter of the Year? Best MMA Promotion? 

As a reminder, the nomination stage for the 2009 World MMA Awards closes this Wednesday (tomorrow), Sept. 30. 

The World MMA Awards, which is operated by Fighters Only magazine, is viewed as one of the most prestigious awards for the sport, awarding in 18 different MMA related categories

Nominees will be announced on Oct. 5, and final voting will then run until Dec. 5. Winners will be announced at a Dec. 30 "Oscars-style" black-tie ceremony, which streams live on Versus.com (and throughout January on Versus) from The Joint at The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. 

"Response to the World MMA Awards has been huge this year with thousands of fans worldwide taking part," Fighters Only CEO Rob Hewitt recently stated. "Nominations have been very diverse, and ... most of the categories are still wide open." 

The categories range from Fight of the Year to KO and Submission of the Year to Best MMA Brand and best MMA Media Source. MMA equipment manufactures also vie for a variety of categories. 

But before you place your vote I encourage you to take a minute and think about things. What makes someone the Best Fighter of the Year? Is it the number of wins? Is it the most vicious KnockOut? The biggest upset? Or is it because of heart and dedication?

Another category is Best MMA Journalist. I've thought a lot about this one (for obvious reasons). Always keep in mind the best Journalist may not be the one that breaks every 'story'... Sadly, fact checking has taken a back seat more often than not over being the first to the party. And then there are times the stories are known weeks before the story actually gets out but can't be discussed for confidential reasons. I personally take pride in the fact that while I consider many Fighters (UFC, WEC & Strikeforce) my personal friends, a lot of the information I hear I keep to myself. I'm so proud of what my friends have accomplished and there are times I know the information is just best left unsaid or unwritten. I want them to have time to train in private for a fight before it's publicly announced who their next opponent is. Who do you consider to be a Journalist that writes funny or interesting stories? Gives a different perspective than the 12 other sites that covered the same thing the day before.

So now that I've given you something to think about, please hurry and vote. 

Also, feel free to follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/MMAHotStuff

Chuck Liddell On Dancing With The Stars

We're in the final hours for the much anticipated debut of Chuck "the Iceman" Liddell as he dances his way across the television sets in front of more than 20 million viewers on Dancing With The Stars (on ABC). I think I've seen something like 45 seconds of the reality show, but now that one of MMA's legends has agreed to show the world what he's got as far as dancing skills go, I am definitely tuning in.

If you're not familiar with Dancing With The Stars, this is what you need to know. There are three judges and 16 professional dancers that have been coupled up with 16 celebrities to dance there way into the heart of the viewers at home, because we're the people that vote to keep them on the show. They each learn a routine and dance off against the other teams. Think American Idol but with teams, and well dancing. The outfits are as flashy as you'd expect. Sequins, unbuttoned shirts with some skin showing and lots of spray tans. 

We've all seen the competition between Chuck and Dana White about Chuck dropping weight. Not only did Chuck win the bet but his six pack is back. Dancing seems to agree with Chuck.  When asked about Chuck at the post fight conference for UFC 103 Dana said: "Chuck weighs like, 212. “He doesn’t weight 212 the week of a fight, so he’s taking this more seriously than he was taking the fight. I’m happy that he’s found something to focus on.”

When asked about tonight Chuck said "I'm ready for tonight but everyone I've seen looks good so I need everyone's votes!" 

If you are a Miami Dolphins fan like I am (or an Indianapolis Colts fan BOO), at least tivo Dancing With The Stars if you're watching Monday Night Football. And DON'T FORGET TO CALL IN and VOTE FOR CHUCK.

You can call between 8pm-midnight your local time zone. Vote for Chuck (and his dancing partner Anna) at 1-800-868-3402. Spread the word!

Chuck Liddell and dancing partner Anna - Photo: abc.go.com

Herschel Walker Signs With Strikeforce

I'm not overly surprised by this announced, given the fixture Herschel Walker has become at MMA events lately. And if you recall at the last Strikeforce event in San Jose when asked he said he'd get in there if people wanted him to. Well, apparently he got the message that some people would like to see this. I've been told that Herschel has been training in Martial Arts for years. And while one can argue he's extremely old for the sport, his athletic ability is not of the average man. I wish him the best of luck and I look forward to seeing his first fight. But mostly I look forward to Dana White's response to this news!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

FOOTBALL LEGEND

 

HERSCHEL WALKER SIGNS WITH STRIKEFORCE MMA

 

NEW YORK (September 21, 2009)--Former NFL and NCAA football superstar Herschel Walker will enter a new chapter in his career as a professional athlete when he makes his debut as a heavyweight in the world's fastest growing sport - mixed martial arts (MMA) - as part of a multi-fight contract he has signed with world championship promotion STRIKEFORCE.

The 1982 Heisman Trophy winner and two-time Pro Bowl competitor will begin a 12 week training camp next month at San Jose, California's American Kickboxing Academy (AKA), which plays home to a host of the world's greatest fighters, including STRIKEFORCE Lightweight Champion Josh "The Punk" Thomson.  The 6 foot 1 inch, 220 pound former running back, who already holds a fifth degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and boasts additional training in the combat disciplines of Muay Thai and Kenpo, will be trained by AKA co-owner and head trainer Bob Cook.

"I've been training for several years.  I would play college football games on Saturday and then compete in martial arts tournaments on Sunday after church I'm now looking forward to opening up another chapter in my life and to competing in MMA," said Walker, who recently was a contestant on the second hit season of Donald Trump's Celebrity Apprentice reality series on NBC.

"I flew to LA last month to watch Herschel train and was surprised to see his advanced wrestling and striking abilities," said STRIKEFORCE Founder and CEO Scott Coker, a martial arts promoter of over 25 years.  "He's got work ahead of him, but he's committed to training at one of the most notable gyms in the sport of MMA so it will be very interesting to watch him progress."

Walker, a 1999 College Hall of Fame inductee who was also selected to Sports Illustrated's NCAA All-Century Team that year, has never been one to shy away from the road less traveled.

Following his junior year at the University of Georgia where he had set the NCAA freshman rushing record en route to an undefeated season and Sugar Bowl championship victory over Notre Dame, Walker, a born-again Christian, astonished the sports world by withdrawing from school to play professional ball in the newly formed United States Football League (USFL) rather than wait to enter the NFL draft after the graduation of his collegiate class, a rule maintained by the world's largest professional football league at the time.

While the vast majority of football players typically follow an intensive weight room regimen, Walker relied on bodyweight exercise, conditioning, and calisthenics while maintaining very little body fat.

Walker was eventually drafted in 1985 by The Dallas Cowboys and established himself as a premiere running back in the league.  In 1986, he was the driving force behind a historic trade that sent in to The Minnesota Vikings in exchange for five players and six draft picks.

In 12 NFL seasons with four different teams, he became the only player to gain 4,000 yards three different ways - rushing, receiving, and kickoff returns.  He is one of six players to exceed 60 touchdowns rushing and 20 touchdowns receiving and is the only player in NFL history to register a 90 plus yard reception, a 90 plus yard run, and a 90 plus yard kickoff return, all in one season (1994).

Off the gridiron, Walker has achieved a handful of feats, including a seventh place finish in the 1992 Winter Olympics two-man bobsled competition.  He also nearly made the Olympic sprint relay team.

Now 47 years of age, Walker, a native of Wrightsville, Georgia, will look to conquer a whole new world.  It is a challenge he is extremely optimistic about.

"I will go in there and test myself against any 20 year old," said Walker.  "I know there will be naysayers and I'm fine with that.  I want to prove to people who sit on a couch and don't do anything but criticize other people that, if you're a true athlete or martial artist, you're not old until you can't get up and walk around anymore.  MMA fighters are said to be some of the best athletes in the world, my plan at the age of 47 is to show the world I am still one of the best athletes as well"

STRIKEFORCE in March 2009 signed a multi-year agreement to stage live MMA events on the premium cable television network.  Last week, STRIKEFORCE announced that it would make its live, primetime debut on CBS with its "Fedor vs. Rogers" mega-fight that it will co-promote with M-1 Global on Saturday, November 7.

About STRIKEFORCE

STRIKEFORCE (www.strikeforce.com <https://mail.svse.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.strikeforce.com/> ) is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its "Shamrock vs. Gracie" event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history.  The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose's HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265.  Since 1995, STRIKEFORCE has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts series with "Shamrock vs. Gracie."  In May 2008, West Coast Productions, the parent company of STRIKEFORCE, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose.

UFC 103 Predictions FROM A GIRL

UFC 103 has been a bit of a roller coaster and it hasn't even started. At least that's how it's felt to me. Due to injuries and strategic match up changes, we've seen a bit of a shuffle for this card. At one point we were expecting to see Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson fight for a second time within a year, as the main event. However it was announced at the end of July the main event had been changed to Rich Franklin vs Vitor Belfort at a catchweight of 195lbs. Not a negative move considering many people thought it was too soon for a rematch between Franklin and Henderson. And who doesn't want to see how Vitor does with his UFC return?

Also, at one point the card  we were going to see if Mike Swick could get past Martin Kampmann and move one step closer to being the number one centender and face Georges St Pierre. Unfortunately, during a sparring session with training partner Josh Koscheck, Mike had his legs swept out from under him and landed on his head/neck. He suffered what appears to be a minor concussion. While no return date or future opponenet has been named (I'm hoping Joe Silva matches him up against Matt Hughes!), we're hoping to see Mike return very soon. It's my opinion that he's on the right track to face the quality of competitors he deserves and I look forward to seeing his talents challenged. Please follow mike on twitter at twitter.com/officialswick 

With the fight starting in just hours, here are my predictions for the main card: (if you're a loyal reader you know, winners in green)

Rich Franklin vs Vitor Belfort: While I'm picking Vitor, I think we could possibly see one of two outcomes. Either Vitor comes out and knocks Rich out right off the bat (first round) or if these two exchange punch for punch and it lingers into the later rounds, I'd say Rich will probably win by points. Vitor has something to prove with his return to the UFC. I think that passion to prove himself, coupled with the fact he's been training with Randy Couture, this is going to go by quick TKO in the first. Either way, I wish Rich would stop fighting at catch weights. I mean I get why he does it (so he can fight often) but these catch weights aren't really moving him closer to being a contender in the 185lb weight class nor the 205 weight class. I love fighters that stay busy but as everyone knows I'm not a huge fan of catch weights.

Cro Cop vs Junior dos Santos: I flipped my original pick for this fight. I was going to pick Cro Cop but in reflecting on his return (again) to the UFC, I'm not impressed. However looking at dos Santos, his wins and who he has fought, I think he could win this fight. Oh and I'd like to say one thing to Cro Cop. PLEASE STICK TO ONE ORGANIZATION. Seriously. You'll grow a more loyal fan following if you just stay put.  I'm picking dos Santos KO in the first.

Martin Kampmann vs Paul Daley: Again, Paul Daley took this fight on pretty late notice due to Mike Swick's injury. Martin has a few inches on Daley and if you recall, he used to fight at Middleweight until he lost to Nate Marquardt at UFC 88. While I think they're both good strikers, I think Kampmann might be slightly better and also has better wrestling skills. I'm giving this to Kampmann by TKO in the second.

Josh Koscheck vs Frank Trigg: I don't think this is going to be even close. I expect Koscheck to OWN Trigg from the start of "Lets get it on". I think Josh's wrestling is just a lot better and I expect to see him take Frank down a lot. While Josh hasn't won many fights lately by submission I'm picking him to win by Submission (Choke) in the second.

Tyson Griffin vs Hermes Franca: I'm secretly most excited about this fight. Hermes has really good JJ but in my opinion, didn't look great against Frank Edgar (his first fight after his suspension). While most of Tyson's fights tend to go the distance, he's received Fight of the Night award something like 5 out of his last 7 fights. That's pretty impressive. With a solid win by Tyson it could put him on the track for a contender spot. Many people will debate me on this (and that's fine) but I think he's a gate keeper for the 155lbs weight class. One thing to note, this fight is at a catch weight of 159. I'm picking Griffin to win by Decision and I HOPE this fight gets Fight of the Night honors as well.

Agree or disagree I don't really care. As long as you have an opinion! 

UFC 103 Pay Per View Locations

The Ultimate Fighting Championship® presents the fight the entire mixed martial arts world is talking about when “The Phenom”, former UFC® light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort, makes his long-awaited return to the Octagon™ to face UFC superstar Rich “Ace” Franklin in the main event of UFC 103. Also featured on the biggest MMA event to ever hit Texas will be perhaps the most explosive heavyweight battle of the year when one of the sport’s most feared strikers, Mirko Cro Cop, takes on Brazilian knockout artist Junior Dos Santos.

UFC® 103 FRANKLIN vs BELFORT - Saturday, September 19th, live on Pay-Per-View from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

American Airlines Center doors open at 4:50pm CENTRAL TIME
First bout is scheduled to begin at 5:20pm CT
First fight on television at 9pm CT (7pm PT / 10pm ET)

Pay Per View Locations after the jump:

Strikeforce to air Fedor VS Rogers on CBS

MMA RETURNS TO PRIMETIME ON CBS WITH

"STRIKEFORCE: FEDOR VS. ROGERS"

LIVE ON SATURDAY, NOV. 7

Fedor, the #1 Ranked MMA Heavyweight in the World, To Be Seen for the First Time by Broadcast Television Audience

The CBS Television Network will return to the mixed martial arts (MMA) cage with STRIKEFORCE: FEDOR VS. ROGERS, to be broadcast Saturday, Nov. 7 (9:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT).  SHOWTIME Sports® will produce the four-fight event with host Gus Johnson calling the action and MMA legend Frank Shamrock and Mauro Ranallo serving as color analysts.

In 2008, CBS aired the first live MMA fights on network television, with three successful events earning time period-winning ratings in all key young adult and young men demographics.  CBS's most recent broadcast in October 2008 ranked as the night's highest-rated program on both broadcast and cable in adults 18-34 and men 18-34, topping all other sports programming in those demographics, including the Major League Baseball playoffs and college football.

On Nov. 7, the world's Number One-ranked MMA heavyweight fighter, Fedor Emelianenko of Russia, will face undefeated American Brett Rogers of Minnesota in the marquee match up. The fight marks the first bout for the highly coveted Emelianenko since his promotional company M-1 Global signed an agreement with STRIKEFORCE to co-promote major events.

"There's no question this is a sport that is fast becoming a force in popularity and as a business," said Kelly Kahl, Senior Executive Vice President, Prime Time, CBS Television.  "We're excited to be the platform that will enable millions more to see the athlete regarded as the very best in his sport.  The Number One heavyweight on the most-watched network has a very nice ring to it."

Simply referred to as "Fedor" by fans around the world, the 6-foot, 235-pound Russian is one of the most dominant fighters in the sport.  He is a master of the Russian military combat system Sambo and boasts a record of 30 wins, one loss, no draws with 16 wins by submission, seven knockouts and seven decisions.  The 28-year-old Rogers (10-0) is a massive physical specimen standing 6-feet, 5-inches tall and weighing 265 pounds.  He possesses two of the heaviest hands in the sport of MMA, an attribute that has helped him knock out all 10 of his professional opponents.

"It is an honor to have the opportunity to bring the STRIKEFORCE brand to CBS," said Scott Coker, Founder and CEO of STRIKEFORCE.  "We are looking forward to bringing MMA back to the network and to having the world's No. 1 heavyweight-Fedor-compete for the first time on live network television against one of America's most promising young, undefeated stars-Brett Rogers."

Fight Night Predictions

I'm always doing these last minute. But just so I can get them done here they are!!!

Ryan Jensen vs Steve Steinbeiss - Predicted Winner Ryan by Submission (choke) 1st round 2nd minute

Brock Larson vs Mike Pierce - Predicted Winner Brock by Submission (choke) 1st round 4th minute

Jeremy Stephens vs Justin Buchholz - Predicted WInner Jeremy by TKO 2nd round 4th minute

CB Dollaway vs Jay Silva - Predicted Winner CB by Submission (choke) 1st round 3rd minute

Chris Wilson vs Mike Pyle - Predicted Winner Mike by Unanimous Decision

Steve Cantwell vs Brian Stann - Predicted WInner Brian by TKO 1st round 3rd minute

Nate Quarry vs Tim Credeur - Predicted Winner Nate by KO 3rd round 2nd minute

Carlos Condit vs Jake Ellenberger - Predicted Winner Jake by TKO 1st round 2nd minute

Gray Maynard vs Roger Huerta - Predicted Winner Roger by TKO 2nd round 3rd minute

Nate Diaz vs Melvin Guillard - Predicted Winner Nate by Submission (choke) 2nd round 1st minute

I'm mmahotstuff on fantasy.ufc.com

Don't forget to listen to MMAScraps Radio immediately following The Ultimate Fighter tonight (west coast time). 

UFC 103 Card Confirmed

We're all anxious to see the Rich Franklin vs Vitor Belfort at UFC 103 next Saturday Sept 19th taking place in Dallas Texas at the American Airlines Center. Today, the UFC officially confirmed the rest of the bouts for the card. Not only will the people attending the event see a pretty stacked card of great match ups but those at home can watch the main card as a PPV event as always and see the prelim bouts FREE on Spike!

 

Here's the rest of the 103 bouts!

MIRKO CRO COP vs. JUNIOR DOS SANTOS

MARTIN KAMPMANN vs. PAUL DALEY

JOSH KOSCHECK vs. FRANK TRIGG

TYSON GRIFFIN vs. HERMES FRANCA

EFRAIN ESCUDERO vs. COLE MILLER

DREW MCFEDRIES vs. TOMASZ DRWAL

JIM MILLER vs. STEVE LOPEZ

NIK LENTZ vs. RAFAELLO OLIVEIRA

RICK STORY vs. BRIAN FOSTER

ELIOT MARSHALL vs. JASON BRILZ

VLADIMIR MATYUSHENKO vs. IGOR POKRAJAC

ROBERT EMERSON vs. RAFAEL DOS ANJOS

 

LIVE FROM THE AMERICAN AIRLINES CENTER

 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2009

 

Las Vegas, NV (USA) – As the saying goes, everything’s bigger in Texas – including the fight cards. With the superfight between former middleweight champion Rich Franklin and Vitor Belfort already signed, the Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) is set to put on a record 13 fights for UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort, which is presented by TEQUILA CAZADORES, live from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on September 19.

 

Tickets for UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort are still on sale and are available at all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster.com, AmericanAirlinesCenter.com, American Airlines Center Box Office and by phone at 1-800-745-3000. Prices do not include service charges.

 

Mirko Cro Cop (fighting out of Zagreb, Croatia) has fought some of the best heavyweights in the world. The seasoned striker with 25 professional wins is coming off a TKO victory against Mostapha Al Turk in June, but the former PRIDE® Grand Prix champion could be facing one of his toughest challenges in recent memory when he takes on the dangerous Brazilian Junior Dos Santos (fighting out of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil). With two knockout wins in his first two UFC fights, no one has lasted longer than 80 seconds in the UFC against the 25-year-old. The 6-foot-4, 238-pound fighter will need to bring his sharpest standup game yet against the feared Croatian kickboxer.

 

Coming off the biggest win of his career, welterweight contender Martin Kampmann (fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) is fresh from an impressive split decision victory over former World Extreme Cagefighting® welterweight champion Carlos Condit in April. Since dropping down to the 170-pound weight class, the 27-year-old former Danish Thai boxing champion is a perfect 2-0 but will be pitted against the extremely explosive Paul Daley (fighting out of Nottingham, England). An exciting striker that has fought around the globe, Daley owns KO wins over UFC veterans John Alessio and Duane Ludwig and is making his UFC debut.

 

A former national college wrestling champion, Josh Koscheck (fighting out of Fresno, Calif.) has compiled 10 UFC wins in his career. The Waynesburg, Pennsylvania native has wins over Diego Sanchez, Chris Lytle and Dustin Hazelett, but he has never faced someone like returning UFC veteran Frank Trigg (fighting out of Las Vegas, NV.). One half of two memorable fights with then UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes, Trigg has the experience, wrestling background and Octagon savvy to give Koscheck the most difficult test of his career. With two UFC victories already on his resume`, Trigg makes his first trip back into the Octagon™ since 2005.

 

At only 25 years old, Tyson Griffin (fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) has already compiled six wins in the UFC. The powerful lightweight fighter holds victories over Clay Guida, Gleison Tibau and most recently a unanimous decision win against Rafael Dos Anjos in April. But now the Sacramento, California born mixed martial artist turns his attention to another tough Brazilian in Hermes Franca (fighting out of Miami, Fla.). The decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt holds two submission victories in the UFC and is coming off a unanimous decision win against his former jiu-jitsu instructor Marcus Aurelio at UFC 90.

 

Winner of the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter™, Efrain Escudero (fighting out of Tempe, Ariz.) remains undefeated (12-0) as a professional mixed martial artist and holds a win over Phillipe Nover in the show’s finale. Now the former All-American college wrestler and Mexico-born fighter will face the red-hot Cole Miller (fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.). The 25-year-old Augusta, Ga. native is coming off two consecutive submission victories, tapping out Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Jorge Gurgel and TUF 8’s Junie Browning in successive bouts. The 6-foot-1 lightweight has four total wins in the UFC, and he’ll be looking for number five on September 19^th.

 

With all four of his UFC wins coming via KO/TKO, Drew McFedries (fighting out of Bettendorf, Iowa) has the power and the talent to put anyone’s lights out. It took the Ames, Iowa born fighter only 37 seconds to take Xavier Foupa-Pokam out in his last fight at UFC 98 and the talented middleweight will need every bit of his standup skill when he mixes it up with the aggressive Tomasz Drwal (fighting out of San Diego, Calif. / Krakow, Poland). The heavy-handed 27-year-old is coming off of two knockout victories, including a devastating TKO win over Mike Ciesnolevicz in June. Drwal, who has a 16-2 record, will look for his third UFC win in 2009.

 

Jim Miller (fighting out of Whippany, N.J.) has impressed many during his time in the UFC. Winner of three of his four UFC fights, the Sparta, New Jersey native earned a unanimous decision win against the experienced Mac Danzig at UFC 100 in July. Now the lightweight with the 14-2 pro record faces UFC newcomer Steve Lopez (fighting out of South Bend, Ind.). A national qualifier as a college wrestler, the 25-year-old Lopez holds a 12-1 record and makes his UFC debut on September 19.

 

Two fighters that are making their UFC debuts, Nik Lentz (fighting out of Eden Prairie, Minn.) and Rafaello Oliveira (fighting out of Knoxville, Tenn. / Janja, Brazil) are looking to put on a show in their respective premieres. Lentz, an El Paso, Texas native, wrestled at the University of Minnesota, where he is one semester away from graduating in Pre-Med. Lentz puts his 18-3-1 career mark against Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Rafaello Oliveira. Riding a three-fight win streak, the 9-1 Oliveira has three wins by submission and three by TKO.

 

Heading into his second UFC fight, Rick Story (Vancouver, Wash.) is coming off a three-round battle with John Hathaway. The 25-year-old welterweight holds a 7-3 pro record and is looking for his first UFC win when he takes on Sallisaw, Oklahoma’s Brian Foster (fighting out of Granite City, Ill.). With an impressive 14-3 pro record, Foster has eight wins by KO/TKO, four by submission and is making his UFC debut.

 

Making plenty of noise in the ultra-stacked light heavyweight division is Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Eliot Marshall (fighting out of Boulder, Colo.). With back-to-back wins against Jules Bruchez and Vinny Magalhaes, the Franklinville, N.J. native is a perfect 2-0 in the UFC and 7-2 overall. Marshall looks for his third UFC win when he faces Jason Brilz (fighting out of Omaha, Neb.). The Bismarck, North Dakota fighter also has wins in his two UFC fights, including a unanimous decision victory against Tim Boetsch in March.

 

Making his return to the Octagon after six years, Vladimir Matyushenko (fighting out of El Segundo, Calif.) is back and has won nine of his last 10 fights. The 22-4 Belarusian holds seven wins by submission and seven by TKO and is looking to shake up the light heavyweight division when he returns to face Igor Pokrajac (fighting out of Zagreb, Croatia). A protégé of Mirko Cro Cop, Pokrajac is on an eight-fight win streak and brings a 21-5 record into his UFC debut.

 

A veteran of four UFC fights, lightweight Rob Emerson (fighting out of Irvine, Calif.) is remembered for his 12 second TKO victory against the aggressive Manny Gamburyan. Now the 28-year-old from Huntington, California looks for his third UFC win when he takes on Rafael Dos Anjos (fighting out of Rio de Janeiro). The 24-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion last fought Tyson Griffin in a three-round battle that turned many heads. Now Dos Anjos heads into his third UFC match against the experienced Emerson.

 

About The Ultimate Fighting Championship®

The Ultimate Fighting Championship® is the world’s leading professional mixed martial arts organization and offers the premier series of MMA sports events. Owned and operated by Zuffa™, LLC, and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., UFC® produces over twelve live pay-per-view events annually that are distributed residentially through North American cable and satellite providers including iNDEMAND Networks, DIRECTV, DISH Network, TVN Entertainment, BellTV, SaskTel Max™, Shaw Pay-Per-View, Viewers Choice, and WOWOW in Japan, and Premiere Combate and SporTV in Brazil, and via the Internet worldwide on Yahoo! Sports, and commercially through Joe Hand Promotions in the U.S. and Canadastar in Canada.  In addition to its North American distribution, UFC programming is distributed in over 100 countries and territories throughout the world.

 

Ultimate Fighting Championship®, Ultimate Fighting®, UFC®, The Ultimate Fighter®, Submission®, As Real As It Gets®, Zuffa® , The Octagon™ and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks, registered service marks, trademarks, trade dress and/or service marks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC and licensed to its affiliated entities and other licensees in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other marks referenced herein may be the property of Zuffa, LLC, its affiliates or other respective owners.

 

UFC 103: FRANKLIN vs. BELFORT MEDIA CALL

Hey everyone! Here are my notes from the UFC 103 Media Call, featuring Rich Franklin, Virot Belfort, Mirko Cro Cop, and Junior Dos Santos. This should be a great event!

• Main Event is Franklin VS Belfort at a catch-weight of 195

• Co-Main Event is Cro Cop VS Dos Santos

• Franklin states that fighting at 195 was not his idea. It was requested by Vitor. At this time since Franklin is not in the title hunt at 205, he's willing to fight at 195 if the UFC has exciting fights for him and the fans want to see it.

• Vitor is training out of Extreme Couture in Las Vegas, and is planning on fighting at 185 in the UFC. He's weighting 195 right now, and 185 is his weight class.

• Vitor states that he is honored to be fighting Franklin and believes he was a great champion and is a legend in the UFC. He's happy to be back in the UFC where he started his career.
• Vitor has learned from all the experiences in his life, good or bad, and is at a very content and happy place in his life right now.
• Cro Cop has followed Dos Santos' career and believes he is one of the "young lions" of the heavyweight division. He is looking forward to this fight and believes it will be a very tough fight.
• Cro Cop is looking forward to being very active in the UFC. He expects to fight again in the beginning of January, 2010. Needing a few weeks off after a fight, and 10 to 11 weeks to train.
• Franklin's focus right now is fighting, and not acting. Asked about pursuing his acting career, he chuckled. Apparently during his downtime Franklin enjoys playing the drums.
• Franklin's interest right now is in putting on exciting fights for the fans. He feels eventually he'll make his way back to a title run, and it will be a great "Cinderella story" for his career before retirement, but right now he's interested in focusing on exciting fights.
• Vitor sees the middleweight division as being very tough, but that is the weight he's going to fight at.
• Cro Cop feels much better in the cage now, and has a cage to train in at his gym. He feels like he's back to the old Cro Cop and is excited.
• Cro Cop does not want to comment on any rumors of him possibly wanting to fight anywhere else. He's clearly wanting to stay with the UFC, and is happy to be there.
• Franklin speaks about what it's like to be recognized now and have to sign more autographs. He states that there are days he wants to be left alone, and on those days he tries to stay out of the public eye. Ultimately he knows the fans pay his salary, and he knows what it's like to be a fan and looking up to a sports figure, so he always tries his best to be available to the fans.
• Vitor makes a good point stating that the fans never know if you've had a bad day, so you must always treat your fans well and realize they pay your salary. He learned this valuable lesson from his old soccer coach in Brazil, who was a popular sports figure.
• When asked about the rumors that he was going to PRIDE after his last fight, Cro Cop states that he was free to go where ever he wanted after his last fight, and he wanted to fight in the UFC. He stated that any true fighter today should want to fight in the UFC because it is the best organization in the world, and the true global organization.
• Cro Cop was asked what he thought about Fedor's decision to go to Strikeforce, and stated that he "really doesn't understand his attitude". He knows the UFC offered him the best possible deal today, but he does not know Fedor's reasoning. He doesn't think Fedor is afraid, but he does not know. He respects his wishes, but would definitely like to see him in the UFC.
• Franklin was asked if he would go back down to 185 if Silva were to lose or vacate the title. He answered that he thought it would feel like, or be perceived that he dodged a bullet, and he doesn't want fans to think that.
• Franklin thinks that Vitor possesses the same threats he did when he was in the UFC before, his explosiveness and power. He knows he must push his game plan and not let Vitor get his game plan going.
• Cro Cop believes that if he wins his next two fights, the third will be a title shot. But of course everything will be up to Dana and what the UFC wants.
• Cro Cop is happy to be back in the UFC because it's the only real global promotion, and presents the greatest challenges for him.
• Franklin does feel that there is some unfinished business with Henderson, and wants to fight him again, but also understands that there was not a great amount of fan interest in that fight / re-match, so he understands the need to switch to Vitor.

Dana White Talks Kimbo Slice

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