UFC President Dana White states "Tito Ortiz has pulled out of fight night due to getting stitches. 8-0 Phil Davis will be fighting lil Nog now and is pumped for this fight!"
UFC Fight Night 24 takes place March 26, 2011 at KeyArena in Seattle and airs live on Spike TV.
At amazing accomplishment for Davis whose first fight in the UFC was on April 10, 2010.
Davis (8-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) had been expected to fight Matt Hamill at April's UFC 129 event, then Jason Brilz when Hamill was pulled in favor of a UFC 130 matchup with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.
Davis, a former NCAA Division I national wrestling champion for Penn State, has made a smooth transition since his pro MMA debut in 2008. After signing with the UFC in early 2010, he extended his undefeated streak with decision wins over Brian Stann and Rodney Wallace and submission victories over Alexander Gustafsson and Tim Boetsch.
The recent win over Boetsch, which came via a modified hammerlock that Davis jokingly calls "the Mr. Wonderful" after his fighting nickname, earned him a "Submission of the Night" award.
Nogueira (19-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC), the twin brother of former UFC champ Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, recent suffered a unanimous-decision loss to Ryan Bader in a key UFC 119 bout. Prior to the defeat, the PRIDE vet owned a seven-fight win streak, which included UFC wins over Luiz Cane (which earned a "KO of the Night" bonus) and Jason Brilz ("Fight of the Night"). However his win over Brilz was controversial with many people thinking Brilz (the full-time firefighter) won that fight.
UFC President Dana White Thanks Hero! MMA Fighters Are Not Mere Gladiators Fighting To The Death. Support the Campaign to Allow Mixed Martial Arts in New York To Honor The Skill And Philosophy of Martial Artists!
MYFOXNY.COM
Over the weekend, Joe Lozito, a father of two young children, came face to face with Maksim Gelman, the Brooklyn man who is accused of going on a 28-hour stabbing and carjacking spree that left four people dead.
Lozito helped subdue Gelman on a subway car and almost died for his heroism; Gelman is accused of repeatedly slashing Lozito with a knife after saying he was going to kill Lozito.
Lozito said he learned the moves he used to take down Gelman by watching Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on television.
On Monday night, Lozito got a great surprise: A meeting with Dana White, the president of the UFC mixed martial arts (MMA) fight competition. VIP tickets to sit with the UFC President to watch Mauricio "Shogun" Rua vs Jon Jones in New Jersey.
Please take a minute out of your day if you live in New York and click here to contact your legislator. Tell them how important it is for MMA to finally be sanctioned in New York.
UFC Champion Cain Velasquez states "Fedor has been undersized from the beginning and still beating guys!" Velasquez thinks it is hard to predict but Overeem may win the Strikeforce Grand Prix Heavyweight Tournament. Cain's rotator cuff injury after beating Lesnar is recovering fine. Cain watched the Carwin fight against Lesnar to "pick his shots" and focus on precision striking. Cain's coach Dave Camarillo was crying after his win. See our earlier posts on how Cain's AKA teammate and Strkeforce Daniel Cormier & Razor Rob predicted UFC 121 in Anaheim.
(Thanks to MMA Junkie for another amazing interview!)
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M-1 Global's Reply To UFC President Dana White: "M-1 doesn't die. Here's M-1's smiley face!"
Stacking Welterweights at M-1 Challenge XXIII
Temirkhanov vs. Suarez and Nazarov vs. Abdulzhalilov
New York, NY (February 14, 2011) – M-1 Challenge XXIII’s undercard sits incredibly strong and the addition of two more awesome welterweight battles is proving that gluttony is a good thing. The stealth, nearly-perfect Arsen Temirkhanov faces undefeated Juan Manuel Suarez Montesdeoca and Alexei Nazarov returns to the 170-pound division against Ramazan Abdulzhalilov. Fans worldwide can catch the entire event from the Crocus City Arena in Moscow, Russia LIVE and for free on www.MMAFightingWords.blogspot.comstarting at 11:00am EST / 8:00am on Saturday March 5th.
“‘Stacked’ is the best word to describe M-1 Challenge XXIII,” says M-1 Global’s Director of Operations, Evgeni Kogan. “We couldn’t be more excited about the way 2011 is starting off for the M-1 Challenge series and this event has set an extremely high standard. The title contention picture in the light heavyweight, lightweight and welterweight divisions will be crystal clear at the night’s end and from there we forge head-on for our return to the USA.”
Strikeforce Grand Prix Tournament Predictions Contest, get discounts & discuss combat sports www.facebook.com/MMAMaxim Antonio "Big Foot" Silva Hopes Fedor Emelianenko makes a comeback and does not retire! Strikeforce is considering using Fedor as an alternate fighter in the tournament.
At the outset of the weigh-in Friday, it was announced that the next two quarterfinal fights in the STRIKEFORCE World GrandPrix -- Heavyweight Tournament would take place on Saturday, April 9.
UFC President Dana White happily responds to Fedor's loss by using Twitter to state: "M1 = M done! What did I tell you Vadummy!!" and goes on Twitter attack with Fedor's fans. (referring to M-1 Global Executive Vadim Finkelstein. Zuffa negotiations with M-1 broke down when Zuffa refused to let M-1 co-promote with Zuffa as a requirement for Fedor to fight in the UFC.
"Strikeforce: Silva vs. Fedor" Medical Suspensions: Fedor Emelianenko out indefinitely
by Steven Marrocco on Feb 13, 2011 at 1:10 am ET
Fedor Emelianenko has been suspended indefinitely by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board following another shocking loss in his illustrious career.
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) requested and received the list of suspensions from the NJSACB.
"Strikeforce and M-1 Global: Silva vs. Fedor" took place Feb. 12 at IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J., and the night's main card aired live on Showtime and HDNet. The event hosted two quarterfinal matchups in the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix.
Emelianenko was declared unfit to continue by cageside doctors at the end of the second round of his quarterfinal tournament bout against Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva. After some initial confusion inside the cage, Silva was pronounced the victor in a huge upset. The former PRIDE heavyweight champion later said it may be time for retirement and thanked fans for their support.
Still, Emelianenko can be cleared to compete if no serious injuries are found in a CT scan of his head and facial bones. However, he is also suspended a minimum of 90 days for strikes to the head.
Fellow main-card loser Andrei Arlovski is suspended for 30 days following a first-round knockout at the hands of Sergei Kharitonov in the first quarterfinal tournament bout of the evening.
The full list of suspensions includes:
Fedor Emelianenko: suspended indefinitely pending CT scan of head and facial bones. Also suspended 90 days for head strikes
Andrei Arlovski: suspended 30 days for knockout
Chad Griggs: suspended 30 days for hematoma on ear
Gian Villante: suspended 30 days for precautionary reasons
Don Carlo-Clauss: suspended 30 days for laceration healing
Anthony Leone: suspended indefinitely pending clearance by ear, nose and throat doctor for damage to nose; also suspended 90 days for healing.
Strikeforce Press Release:
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (Feb. 13, 2011) – At the finish, even before the official announcement was rendered, Antonio “Big Foot’’ Silva walked across the cage, got down on his knees and bowed at the feet of Fedor Emelianenko.
“I told him he was No. 1, that he is still No. 1 and that he would always be No. 1,’’ Brazil’s Silva (16-2) said. “There will never be a fighter like him.’’
Silva, a near 5-1 underdog, turned the STRIKEFORCE World Grand Prix – Heavyweight Tournament and the Mixed Martial Arts world upside down Saturday by scoring a second-round TKO (doctor’s stoppage) over the legendary Russian to advance to the next round of the tournament.
Also proceeding in the three-stage, single-elimination tournament was Russian Sergei Kharitonov (18-4), of Pattaya,Thailand, who won his United States debut with a brutal, 2:49, first-round knockout over former UFC champion Andrei Arlovski (15-9), of Chicago in their quarterfinal before 11,287 at IZOD Center live on SHOWTIME®.
After a close first round in a STRIKEFORCE and M-1 Global main event, Silva dominated the second. At the conclusion of the round, Fedor’s face was swollen, badly bruised and he could not see out of his right eye. Moments later, the doctor halted the fight.
“I want to thank for you for your support,’’ said Fedor (31-3, 1 NC), a class act and sportsman win or lose. “Something was wrong from the beginning. I didn’t adjust. Maybe it is time to leave.’’
When pressed in the cage afterward by SHOWTIME announcer Gus Johnson whether this was indeed the last time he would fight, the revered Fedor said, “Yes, maybe this is last time, maybe it’s high time (to retire). I had a great, beautiful sporting life. Yes, maybe it’s time. Thank you very much for the support. Thank God for everything.’’
Silva showed little respect for the six-foot, 34-year-old Fedor during the fight, but he had nothing but praise afterward for a fighter once universally recognized as the baddest man on the planet, the biggest living legend in MMA and perhaps the greatest and most feared martial artist in history.
“He was a great, great champion. I hope he doesn’t retire,’’ said the 6-foot-4, 31-year-old Silva. “I got some great advice from Fabricio Werdum, who forced Fedor to tap out last year. “The game plan was to take him down and ground and pound.’’
The Grand Prix will continue with two more two quarterfinal matchups on Saturday, April 9, when STRIKEFORCE Heavyweight World Champion Alistair “The Demolition Man” Overeem (34-11, 1 NC) faces the only man to tap out Fedor, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist Fabricio Werdum (14-4-1), and hard-hitting Brett “The Grim” Rogers (11-2) meets former UFC champion Josh Barnett (29-5).
An exciting evening that included an announcement by Gina Carano that she was returning to MMA began with ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr. introducing all the tournament fighters, one by one, to the crowd. The fans roared as each came out, the cheers reaching a near-deafening crescendo when Fedor, the last of the eight, came out. But this would not be his night.
In other results on Saturday’s all-heavyweight televised portion of an event presented by Rockstar Energy Drink, undefeated Shane Del Rosario (11-0) of Irvine, Calif., submitted (arm-bar) Lavar “Big’’ Johnson (15-4) of Madera, Calif., at 4:31 in the first, Chad “The Grave Digger’’ Griggs (10-1) of Tucson, Ariz., won his fifth consecutive start, stopping GianVillante (7-2) of Bellmore, N.Y., at 2:49 in the opening round and Valentijn Overeem (29-25) of Amsterdam, Holland, won his STRIKEFORCE debut via submission (neck crank) over Ray “Sugarfoot’’ Sefo (2-1) at 1:37 in the first.
Going in, Kharitonov, a 6-foot-4, 30-year-old native of Moscow, Russia, was perhaps best known for being the last fighter to defeat current STRIKEFORCE Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem. Not so, anymore.
“Russia is the best,’’ Kharitonov said. “I know I’m going to win this tournament.’’
The promising 6-foot-4, 27-year-old Del Rosario has now won 10 of his 11 fights in the initial five minutes.
“I thought Lavar was going to come out and just try to bang,’’ said Del Rosario. “But he left his arm out and I went for it. This was my first time on the main STRIKEFORCE series so I had to look good.’’
The loss ended a seven-fight winning streak for the hard-hitting Johnson, who’d won all seven of the fights by TKO.
Griggs and Villante came out banging. The more-experienced Griggs, despite a cut on his left ear, scored two knockdowns. Villante survived the first knockdown, but Griggs dropped him again with a right hand, quickly followed with five consecutive punches and the fight was stopped. It was the seventh time Griggs has been victorious in the first round, and his ninth knockout in 10 wins.
A fulltime Tucson firefighter and paramedic, the 6-foot-1, 32-year-old Griggs was coming off a bloody, upset second-round TKO (retirement) over former pro wrestling superstar Bobby Lashley on Aug. 21, 2010, on SHOWTIME. “Give me some credit, I try to be an exciting fighter,’’ Griggs said. “Fans want to see people stand up and bang. It’s the power of the sideburns.”
The older brother of Alistair Overeem, Valentijn Overeem took down Sefo who seemed to land hard on his left shoulder. Shortly thereafter, Sefo tapped out from a neck crank. It was the third victory in a row for the 6-foot-3, 34-year-old Dutch Destroyer and member of Team Golden Glory, who won his last two fights in a combined time of 47 seconds.
“I had to go out there and have some fun, but be careful and fight my game,’’ Overeem said. “I knew Sefo didn’t want to go to the ground but I could have stood up with him, too.’’
Saturday’s thrilling event will re-air as follows: DAY CHANNEL
Wednesday, Feb. 16, at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT SHO EXTREME
The telecast also will be available On Demand beginning Tuesday, Feb. 15, and running through Feb. 28. Gus Johnson called the action on SHOWTIME with Mauro Ranallo andMMA legend Frank Shamrock serving as expert analysts. Upcoming STRIKEFORCE Events on SHOWTIME: Friday, Feb. 18 — Undefeated lightweight Lyle “Fancy Pants” Beerbohm (15-0) will face dangerous veteran Pat “Bam Bam’’ Healy (25-17) in the main event on STRIKEFORCE Challengers at Cedar Park Center in the Austin, Tex. suburb of Cedar Park at 11 p.m. ET/PT(delayed on the West Coast). Other televised bouts: Ryan Couturevs. Lee Higgins (2-0), lightweights; Bryan Travers (14-2) vs. Carlo “Neo’’ Prater (25-10-1), at a catch weight of 160 pounds and Erik “Bad’’ Apple (10-2) vs. Ryan Larson (5-2), welterweights. Saturday, March 5, World Championship Doubleheader – Dan Henderson (26-8) challenges defending champion Rafael “Feijao’’ Cavalcante (10-2) for the STRIKEFORCE World Light Heavyweight (205 pounds) Championship at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, at10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). In a second world title fight, Marloes “Rumina’’Coenen (18-4) risks her STRIKEFORCE lightweight title for a first time against No. 1 135-pound contender, Miesha “Takedown’’ Tate (11-2), of Tacoma, Wash. Also, American military hero Tim Kennedy (12-3) vs. Melvin “No Mercy’’ Manhoef (24-8-1), middleweights; and undefeated Billy Evangelista (11-0) vs. Jorge Masvidal (20-6), lightweights. The event, STRIKEFORCE’s first in the state of Ohio, will take place in conjunction with The Arnold Sports Festival, the nation’s largest health and fitness exposition founded by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Fedor Emelianenko with Mauro Ranallo at the Pre-Fight Broadcast Interview Video Below.
Fedor Emelianenko is greeted by Mauro Ranallo who states Fedor "looks tighter" and Frank Shamrock at the Pre-Fight broadcast interview. How funny would it have been if Fedor responded "I bet you say that to all the fighters?" Mauro has commented for Fedor’s fights since 2003.
In Saturday’s main event, Fedor Emelianenko (31-2, 1 NC) returns to action against Antonio “Big Foot” Silva (15-2) in a STRIKEFORCE and M-1 GLOBAL co-promoted event. The opening quarterfinal on the telecast will match former world champion Andrei Arlovski (15-8) against Russian star Sergei Kharitonov (16-4), the last fighter to defeat STRIKEFORCE and DREAM Heavyweight World Champion Alistair “The Demolition Man” Overeem.
At the outset of the weigh-in Friday, it was announced that the next two quarterfinal fights in the STRIKEFORCE World GrandPrix -- Heavyweight Tournament would take place on Saturday, April 9.
State Your Predictions Here or on www.Facebook.com/MMAMaxim To Win Our Shirt Giveaway. [No purchase required but we must get about 156 more fans to achieve 3,000 Facebook fans for this giveaway]
Source: Thanks To The Underground
The official weigh-in event for Strikeforce: "Fedor vs. Silva" starts today (Feb. 11, 2011) at 5 p.m. ET, from the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, NJ.
"Fedor vs. Silva" is the start of the Strikeforce's upcoming wheavyweight orld grand prix heavyweight tournament, featuring a main event and quarterfinal match-up between former PRIDE Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko and former Elite XC Heavyweight Champion Antonio Silva.
Main event:
265 lbs.: Fedor Emelianenko (230 lbs) vs. Antonio Silva (264 lbs)
We made Fedor smile with basic Russian when we met him! Which Vodka should we drink to toast to you Fedor?
Main card (Televised):
265 lbs.: Andrei Arlovski (242 lbs) vs. Sergei Kharitonov (250 lbs)
265 lbs.: Shane del Rosario (248 lbs) vs. Lavar Johnson (243 lbs)
265 lbs.: Valentijn Overeem (239 lbs) vs. Ray Sefo (249 lbs)
265 lbs.: Chad Griggs (229 lbs) vs. Gian Villante (227 lbs). Lamb Chops on the BBQ!
Under card (May not be broadcast):
155 lbs.: John Cholish (155.75) vs. Marc Stevens (156.5)^
145 lbs.: Josh LaBerge (145.75) vs. Anthony Leone (146.2)*^
145 lbs.: Jason McLean (145.5) vs. Kevin Roddy (145.75)
170 lbs.: Igor Gracie (170.75) vs. John Salgado (170)
170 lbs.: Don Carlo-Clauss (170.4) vs. Sam Oropeza (169.75)
^ - Stevens weighed one-half pound over the contracted limit, but Cholish elected to accept the matchup
^^ - Leone has been give one hour to lose the remaining two-tenths of a pound
