Weekly Mixed Martial Arts & K-1 News Recap – 11/11/2011
By PDG Staff
Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem – UFC Dec. 30th
Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar’s mission to reclaim the title resumes on Friday, Dec. 30 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas when he meets one of the best strikers of all-time – international superstar Alistair Overeem. The Ultimate Fighting Championship announced today that the top heavyweight powerhouses will collide in the five-round main event of the organization’s final card of 2011. What’s more, the winner will be crowned the number one contender and earn a title shot in the New Year.
“Brock Lesnar is 110 percent healthy and ready to get the world title back,” White said. “He asked for the toughest test we could find for him and there’s no doubt that Alistair Overeem fits the bill. He’s been a champion in other organizations and came to UFC to fight the best guys in the world. He wants to show everyone that he’s the number one heavyweight in the sport. This fight is the perfect fight to close out 2011.”
If that wasn’t enough, the night’s co-main event pits rising lightweight contender Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone against Nate Diaz in what could be one of the most dynamic 155-pound clashes in the sport’s history.
One of the most captivating figures in sports, Brock Lesnar returns to the Octagon for the first time in over a year after a career-threatening bout with diverticulitis. Healthy, motivated and inspired to regain the heavyweight title that he held for nearly two years, the 34-year-old former NCAA Division I national wrestling champion wants nothing more than a dominant victory on Dec. 30.
“I’m not in this just to be a contender,” Lesnar, who owns a 5-2 professional record, said. “I’m in it to be the champion. To get my belt back, it’s real simple: beat Overeem and beat whoever walks out with the title on November 12. And, that’s exactly what I’ll do.”
Alistair Overeem has held world titles all over the globe, but he believes his resume is incomplete without the most coveted championship in combat sports – UFC heavyweight gold. On Dec. 30, the 31-year-old kickboxer extraordinaire, who is 10-0 with one no contest in his last eleven bouts, will battle Lesnar for the right to fight for the UFC title. With wins over the likes of Fabricio Werdum, Vitor Belfort, Mark Hunt and Sergei Kharitonov in his 12-year career, “The Reem” seeks the biggest victory of his career in the final UFC event of 2011.
“This fight is going to be the most important fight of my career,” Overeem (35-11-1) said. “I have one important mission left in my career and that is to get the UFC gold around my waist. The winner of this fight gets a title shot, so beating Brock brings me one step closer to having the UFC belt. Our fight on Dec. 30 will be bigger than Godzilla versus King Kong!”
It’s Showtime 53 – News & Notes
The 53rd edition of It’s Showtime takes place tomorrow, which meant the weigh-ins took place today.
Under the watchful eye of a lot of press and enthusiastic fans, all fighters made weight in Santa Cruz, Tenerife, Spain. As we got to know him over the years, Murthel Groenhart once again took the stage for a mean staredown. Opposite of Groenhart it was Darryl Sichtman. Sichtman will make his It’s Showtime debut and while being considerably less experienced than Groenhart, Sichtman showed no fear. Trained and accompanied by Remy Bonjasky, he feels confident for his appearance tomorrow.
Just like in Madrid, the crowd welcomed every fighter with a big round of applause, showing kickboxing is very much alive in Spain.
As always on It’s Showtime, there is a world title on the line. Bonjasky’s second fighter on It’s Showtime, Danyo Ilunga from Germany, will defend his world title 95kg max when he faces the challenger, Loren Javier Jorge from Spain. Jorge made his It’s Showtime debut last June, when he dropped a decision in the heavyweight division against Tyrone Spong. Despite the loss, Jorge managed to go the distance with Spong, so Ilunga is warned for Jorge’s strong chin.
Tomorrow’s event will also mark the return of one of the very best pound-for-pound kickboxers in the world, Italy’s Giorgio ‘The Doctor’ Petrosyan. After suffering another hand injury, Petrosyan is now back in business and ready for action against Zeben Díaz.
Former It’s Showtime 61kg max world champion Sergio Wielzen will be trying to fight his way back to a title shot, and tomorrow he has to try to make the first step towards being ‘in the mix’, when squares off against Carlos Reyes.
It’s Showtime 53, presented by Street Culture, Fightclub Group & Canary Kickboxing Federation, will take place in Pabellón Santiago Martín on Tenerife, Spain.
The event starts at 9PM local time, which is 10PM Central European Time, and will be available live on internet Pay-Per-View. Visit www.showtimefights.com to order your stream (this service is not available in Spain).
Gina Carano Says Fighting Is Like Sex
Here is what Carano had to say to Bullet Magazine:
“I think that fighting is similar to sex in that people have to let their guards down—well, some people do and some people don’t. The secret is chemistry. When two people are attacking each other, that chemistry is definitely going to come out in an interesting way. When you fight someone, you share the experience with that one person, and you’re never going to have that experience with someone else—even in another fight. I always have this weird connection with them. It really is like we had sex. I’ll always know how many people I fought.”
Bonnier/UFC Partner: Bonnier to Publish UFC Magazine
Bonnier Corp. and the Ultimate Fighting Championship have announced an agreement for Bonnier to begin producing the mixed martial arts organization’s official magazine. Launched in 2009, UFC Magazine quickly established itself as the premier source covering the sport and lifestyle of the UFC. This winter, the first issue of UFC Magazine published under Bonnier will be available and include a 2012 annual preview of the fastest-growing sports organization in the world. Hitting newsstands Dec. 27, UFC Magazine will continue to be led by Editor-in-Chief Seth Kelly and Publisher Larry Menkes.
“I couldn’t be more excited about this new agreement with Bonnier,” said Bryan Johnston, chief marketing officer for the UFC. “Our past partnership with Bonnier’s TransWorld titles have been such a success, it makes perfect sense to extend the relationship out through its parent company based in Stockholm, Sweden. The team at Bonnier is on par with our mission to grow this sport and they understand our commitment to social media and technology. With the ability to reach readers in 17 countries, Bonnier will help grow the UFC’s global distribution by utilizing its successful Mag+ tablet platform and long-standing history in publishing.”
Bonnier has become an industry pioneer for its approach to emerging digital platforms. Bonnier was one of the first to launch a magazine title on the iPad with Popular Science in April 2010 and has followed that up with aggressive R&D innovations.
“From my first introduction to Dana White and the UFC over two years ago, I was impressed by his passion for their sport and his company’s media prowess,” said TransWorld Media Group Publisher Liam Ferguson. “This partnership will leverage the strengths of our respective organizations to better serve our shared target demographic of young male enthusiasts, aged 16-34. I’m flattered that the UFC has chosen TransWorld, and our parent company Bonnier, as their partner to grow their print and digital magazine subscribers globally.”
Bonnier tapped Kelly, the editor who launched UFC Magazine for American Media, to return to his role as editor-in-chief. Kelly has left his position as editorial director at American Media to join Bonnier. He previously oversaw the editorial departments at UFC Magazine, Men’s Fitness and Muscle & Fitness.
“UFC Magazine is a very special project for me and I’m very happy to return to the title,” Kelly said. “Bonnier’s position within the industry and publishing capabilities will allow us to execute our plans for improving the print product and expand to online. I can’t wait to fire up the tablet edition in 2012. And yes, to all the fans out there, we’re going to have subscriptions.”
Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen II
During an appearance on Jim Rome’s radio show, White was asked point blank if Sonnen would indeed get the rematch he’s been seeking for months.
“It’s the fight that everybody wants to see, people want to see Chael vs. Anderson. Anderson is in this position where he feels like this guy is so disrespectful he doesn’t want to give him a shot, but Anderson will end up fighting Chael Sonnen, the answer is yes.”
Joe Warren set to defend Title Against Pat Curran
After a tournament run that included dominating victories over a trio of top competitors, Bellator Summer Series Featherweight Tournament Winner Pat Curran rightly earned his title shot and will take on reigning Featherweight Champion and self-proclaimed “Baddest Man on The Planet” Joe Warren early in 2012 LIVE on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX.
Originally, Patricio Pitbull was scheduled to face Joe Warren, as the explosive Brazilian secured his title shot with a Season 4 Featherweight Tournament win. But Pitbull suffered a hand injury, and just recently elected for surgery that will keep him out of the gym for 3 months. With the delay, Curran’s title shot has been moved up. Once healed, Pitbull will face the winner of the Curran-Warren Championship fight.
“The timing worked out here,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “To be able to temporarily lose a fighter such as Patricio Pitbull and then to be able to plug in another deserving title contender, Tournament winner and top five Featherweight in Pat Curran is a testament to the depth of our featherweight division.”
For Curran, the Crystal Lake, Illinois native and Season 2 Lightweight Tournament Winner enters the title fight looking to keep his tournament momentum intact. After an impressive Peruvian necktie submission victory over Luis Palomino in the quarterfinals, Curran collected a unanimous decision win over Ronnie Mann. With the victory, Curran secured a spot in the Featherweight Finals against Marlon Sandro, widely regarded as one of the Top 5 featherweights in the world. Curran pushed the pace early, and in the second round delivered a devastating, highlight-reel roundhouse kick to the head of Sandro that left the Brazilian down and out. Curran was awarded the knockout victory, but more importantly a guaranteed world title shot.
“This is going to be a great fight,” Curran said. “. I know I have a size advantage going in, but the pace is always high with Joe, and is obviously a great wrestler, so I’m expecting the best out of him.”
Warren enters the fight in unfamiliar territory as the Team Quest product is coming off his first career Bellator defeat as former Cuban Olympian Alexis Vila took Warren down in the quarterfinals of the Bellator Bantamweight Tournament. That fight is in the past, and the reigning Featherweight Champion is ready to get back into the Bellator cage.
“Everyone knows I’m a world champ at featherweight,” Warren said.”I’m defending my belt, so there is a lot a pride on the line. I thought I was the best bantamweight in that tournament, but I got caught with a shot. I’m excited to show Pat what it means to be in a war.”
The Ultimate Fighter Season 14: Team Bisping vs. Team Miller – Episode 8 Recap
– Apparently the fighters have formed within three groups inside the TUF house; you have one group which includes Diego Brandao, John Dodson, Josh Ferguson, Marcus Brimage and Akira Corassani. Then you have the Casino group with T.J. Dillashaw, Dustin Neace, John “Prince” Albert, Bryan Caraway and Stephan Bass and last but not least the Bible group with Dennis Bermudez, Johnny Bedford and Dustin Pague.
– Akira continues his pranks as he shaves a chunk of hair off Bryan Caraway’s head while he sleeps.
– Mayhem Miller rides his bike to practice to avoid anymore pranks involving his car but Tiki Ghosn and Bisping attack Team Miller with fire extinguishers and a mariachi band making an absolute mess out of the locker rooms and the gym.
– Siyar Bahadurzada joins Team Miller for a training session to work with Dennis Bermudez as he prepares for Akira.
Fight #9 (FW): Dennis Bermudez (Team Miller) vs. Akira Corassani (Team Bisping) via Submission (Guillotine Choke) RD. 1
TEAM MILLER – 6
TEAM BISPING – 3
Legacy Fighting Championship 9: Bronzoulis vs. Patino
Legacy Fighting Championship (LFC), returns to the Houston Arena Theater in December with Legacy Fighting Championship 9. The main event will feature a must see welterweight title bout between two hard hitting Strikeforce veteran’s Mike “The Greek” Bronzoulis and Jorge “Macaco” Patino. The event will take place on Friday, December 16 in Houston, Texas and will air live on HDNet.
According to Legacy Promoter Mick Maynard, “We are very excited about the December 16th line-up. The title bout between Bronzoulis and Patino is just one of many well-matched bouts on the card. We recently signed several top-prospects to multi-fight deals. Our Legacy 9 card is stacked with elite talent. Fans will not be disappointed!”
Bronzoulis (13-3-1) fresh off of a third-round TKO victory over Chad Leonhardt at Strikeforce Challengers 18, has won five of his last six fights. The Houston based fighter recently vacated the Legacy welterweight title that now belongs to Patino. Bronzoulis clinched the championship belt in 2010 by defeating Jonathan Harris via TKO and was successful in his first and only Legacy title defense. Bronzoulis, who will make his return to Legacy Fighting Championship in December, plans to re-claim what is rightfully his, and does not plan on leaving the decision to the judges.
Bronzoulis will fight for the title by taking on Legacy’s newly crowned welterweight champion Jorge“Macaco” Patino (25-13-1), in what is expected to be a brutal battle from start to finish. Patino clinched the welterweight title at Legacy Fighting Championship 8 with a hard earned split-decision victory over Pete Spratt. This will be the 16 year veteran’s first title defense as Legacy’s welterweight champion. Will Patino emerge with his title intact or will Bronzoulis re-claim his championship status? Tune in on December 16 to find out!
Ryan McGillivray marks return at MFC Bitter Rivals in January
Coming off his appearance on The Ultimate Fighter: Season 14, “The Kid” has signed on to once again be a key figure in the Maximum Fighting Championship’s welterweight division. McGillivray (11-5-1) will make his return to the organization at MFC 32: Bitter Rivals taking place on Friday, January 27 at the Mayfield Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta.
“There were a lot of factors in my decision to be back in the MFC,” explained McGillivray, who has 12 fights in the MFC ring on his resume.
“I got tired of dealing with the people in other organizations. I just want to fight and the MFC is the best platform for me to do that.”
McGillivray’s opponent on the HDNet Fights card will be announced shortly, though the 25-year-old, who will be fighting in front of a partisan hometown crowd, already has his eye on a few names including those in the hunt for the MFC welterweight crown.
“You’re only as good as your last fight. Dhiego Lima and Sheldon Westcott are both doing very well, but come January I’m going to show where I belong amongst them,” noted McGillivray, who boasts nine victories via submission but is determined to show an improved overall attack.
“My stand-up has never been better. I was never known as a stand-up fighter. I’d look to take it to the ground. Now I think I’ve got a vastly underrated stand-up game.
“I learned a lot of tricks being on the show and training down at (Greg) Jackson’s. I think I’ve improved 10-fold.”
McGillivray, whose career began with a five-fight unbeaten run, has dropped just one of his last five bouts. While part of that success has come from those improved striking skills, a major element has been McGillivray’s change in mental approach. The ever-jovial personality is still there, but added in is a clearly much deeper desire to compete at an elite level.
“I’m fighting more desperately,” declared McGillivray. “Fighting has always been a part of my life, but it’s now become how I feed my daughter Peighton, pay my bills, and make my living. I think that says a lot. It’s become much more important to me.
“It’s my business and I want to increase my value. Fortunately it’s my life … it’s what I do for work and it’s what I love. It’s really given my life deeper meaning and I’m fighting with a lot more emotion.”
