Weekly Mixed Martial Arts and Kickboxing News – 05/11/2013
By PDG Staff
ONE FC 9: Rise to Power – Tim Sylvia Returns
One of the most frightening figures the MMA world has ever witnessed in cage-fighting action is Tim “The Maine-iac” Sylvia. Towering at over two meters tall, this brute of a man poses a serious threat to every heavyweight fighter in the world. Apart from the fact that he could crush an ordinary man’s skull with his hand, Sylvia has fought 38 times, won the UFC Heavyweight Championship twice, knocked out 20 opponents and has fought the very best fighters in the world. Sylvia’s unusual combination of size and quickness has ushered in a new era of monstrous, weight cutting heavyweights who seek total domination of their smaller counterparts.
Tim Sylvia is a two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion and has faced the best fighters in the history of the division including Fedor Emelianenko, Randy Couture, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Andrei Arlovski, Frank Mir, and many more. He has 37 wins with 20 of them coming via knockout, and he’s always been a sight with his size tipping the scales at the heavyweight limit of 265 pounds. This is one giant battle with 530 pounds of power between these two heavyweights and it will be the first match of the night, surely setting the standard and excitement level for the rest of the card.
Lion Fight Signs Malaipet Sasiprapa to Exclusive Multi-Fight Deal
Scott Kent, CEO of Lion Fight Promotions, announced this week that he has signed Thai fighting legend and World Muay Thai Champion Malaipet Sasiprapa to an exclusive, multi-fight contract with his organization. Malaipet now competes only for Lion Fight and will return to the ring against Hakeem Dawodu at “Lion Fight 10” taking place Friday, July 26 live on AXS TV and from the Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
“Malaipet Sasiprapa is a legend and a champion and always a dangerous opponent in the ring,” said Kent. “With his devastating kicks and clinches, Malaipet Sasiprapa is what Muay Thai fighting is all about. Malaipet’s fights are as intense as they are thrilling, and I am honored to welcome him to the Lion Fight roster.”
“It is an honor to fight for Scott Kent and Lion Fight promotions and to be one of the guys bringing the sport of Muay Thai to fight fans in America,” said Sasiprapa. “With every event, Lion Fight continues to proves itself as the best organization in the sport. I’m excited for my next fight on July 26 and to show everyone watching on AXS TV that Muay Thai is the greatest stand up sport there is.”
Malaipet joins Kevin Ross and Tiffany Van Soest as the latest fighter to be signed to a long-term contract under Lion Fight. Kent is signing more top-ranked Muay Thai fighters to his organization and will make those announcements soon.
Full M-1 Challenge 39 Fight Card and Promo Video
The long-awaited debut of one the best heavyweights in the world Damian Grabowski, comeback of Russian middleweight star Vyacheslav Vasilevski, title fight between M-1 featherweight champion Marat Gafurov and ambitious young contender Alexey Nevzorov and the third M-1 heavyweight GP quarterfinal, Denis Smoldarev vs. Ibagim Ibragimov, all this and much more you can see at M-1 Challenge 39 tournament that will take place in Moscow at Crocus City arena on May 23rd.
M-1 Challenge 39
May 23, 2013
Crocus City Arena
Moscow, Russia
Fight Card:
Denis Smoldarev vs. Ibragim Ibragimov – M-1 Challenge heavyweight Grand Prix quarterfinal
Marat Gafurov vs. Alexey Nevzorov – M-1 Challenge featherweight title fight
Vyacheslav Vasilevski vs. Charles Andrade
Damian Grabowski vs. Tadas Rimkevicius
Dritan Barjamaj vs. Alexei Kudin
Anatoly Tokov vs. Magomed Ismailov
Nikolai Kaushansky vs. Fabricio Ze Machado
Ilya Doderkin vs. Islam Gugov
Vugar Bakhshiev vs. Bekbulat Magomedov
Zulfikar Usmanov vs. Ruslan Fomin
Ekhtigat Adakishiev vs. Maxim Makarov
UFC on FOX 8 – Fight Card Update
Inaugural UFC flyweight champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson will make his second title defense against surging contender John Moraga on Saturday, July 27 when the UFC heads back to KeyArena in Seattle, Washington. At only 26 years old, Johnson earned the division’s title last September with a win over Joseph Benavidez. Following a unanimous decision victory over John Dodson in January, he’s now set to take on Moraga, a two-time NCAA wrestling All-American at Arizona State University. The 29-year-old is currently riding a seven-fight win streak.
“Demetrious Johnson will defend the flyweight title in front of his hometown fans in Seattle, as he battles 12-1 contender John Moraga on July 27 at KeyArena,” UFC President Dana White said. “DJ has incredible speed and powerful takedowns, while Moraga is slick on the ground and was a standout wrestler at Arizona State. In addition to the main event, we’ve got Rory MacDonald vs. Jake Ellenberger, Robbie Lawler vs. Tarec Saffiedine and Miesha Tate vs. Liz Carmouche. This is a great card!”
UFC on Fox 8: Johnson vs. Moraga
July 27, 2013
KeyArena
Seattle, Washington
Demetrious Johnson (17-2-1) vs. John Moraga (13-1) – UFC flyweight championship bout
Liz Carmouche (8-3) vs. Miesha Tate (12-3)
Brendan Schaub (9-3) vs. Matt Mitrione (6-2)
Melvin Guillard (30-12-2) vs. Mac Danzig (21-10-1)
Rory MacDonald (14-1) vs. Jake Ellenberger (29-6)
Tarec Saffiedine (14-3) vs. Robbie Lawler (20-9-1)
Danny Castillo (15-5) vs. Bobby Green (20-5)
Julie Kedzie (16-11) vs. Germain de Randamie (3-2)
Spencer Fisher (24-9) vs. Yves Edwards (42-19-1)
Michael Chiesa (9-0) vs. Reza Madadi (13-3)
Ed Herman (20-9) vs. Trevor Smith (10-3)
Aaron Riley (30-13-1) vs. Justin Salas (10-4)
Yaotzin Meza (19-8) vs. John Albert (7-4)
Tyrone Spong Enters GLORY 9 New York Light Heavyweight, One-Night Tournament On June 22
Twenty-seven year-old martial arts fighting superstar Tyrone “King of the Ring” Spong (69-6-1 43 KOs) of Boca Raton, Fla. via Suriname will compete in the one-night, single-elimination GLORY 9 New York tournament featuring a lineup of the world’s top light heavyweight kickboxers, at Hammerstein Ballroom at Manhattan Center in New York City on Saturday, June 22, Glory Sports International announced this week.
In his last GLORY start on March 23, Spong, a member of the vaunted Blackzilians fight squad that boasts the likes of fellow martial arts fighting greats Rashad Evans, Alistair Overeem and Vitor Belfort, triggered a changing of the guard in the ring at ExCel Arena in London, England, decimating Remy “The Flying Gentleman” Bonjasky, a three-time champion of the old K-1 series and one of kickboxing’s greatest athletes of all time, with a vicious right hook in the second round (2:02) of their highly-anticipated main event showdown.
Also slated for battle in the star-studded, eight-man single-elimination tournament, are hard-hitting KO artist Brian Collette (19-1, 16 KOs) of Norfolk, Va.; developmental Road To GLORY USA light heavyweight tournament winner Dustin Jacoby (9-3, 7 KOs) of Arenzville, Illin.; four-time world champion Danyo Ilunga (51-4, 41 KOs) of Germany; Muay Thai sensation Filip Verlinden (40-9-1, 16 KOs) of Belgium; Aerts-protégé Mourad “The Silent Power” Bouzidi (75-20-2, 34 KOs) of Tunisia; world Muay Thai and Karate champion Steve McKinnon (42-5, 29 KOs) of Australia; and Michael Duut (38-3, 17 KOs) of The Netherlands.
In one of several Superfights also scheduled for the event, heavyweight superstar and former secret service agent Daniel “The Savage Samurai” Ghita (46-9, 35 KOs) of Romania will face Muay Thai champion Brice Guidon (28-8, 13 KOs) of France. In other Superfight action, hard-hitting “Bazooka” Joseph Valtellini (8-1, 7 KOs) of Toronto, Ontario Canada will square off with fellow rising star Francois Ambang (9-2, 4 KOs) of Mechanicsville, Va. in a welterweight (170 pounds/77 kilograms) matchup. Phil Nurse protégé Brett Hlavacek (8-1, 3 KOs) of New York, N.Y., the runner-up in the developmental Road To GLORY USA tournament on March 22, will face three-time Muay Thai titlist Paul Marfort (10-5, 4 KOs) of Orlando, Fla. at welterweight.
KSW 23 Set with Melvin Manhoef vs. Mamed Khalidov
Poland’s premiere mixed martial arts organization returns with KSW 23 on June 8 at Ergo Arena in Gdańsk/Sopot. The card which will broadcast on Pay-Per-View is headlined with a middleweight bout between Poland’s own Mamed Khalidov (26-4-2) taking on dangerous kick boxer Melvin Manhoef (27-10-1, 1 NC) of Holland. In co-main event action Polish heavyweight strong man Mariusz Pudzianowski (5-2, 1 NC) returns against an opponent still to be determined and UFC vet Kendall Grove (18-12, 1 NC) takes on Poland’s Michal Materla (18-3) for the vacant KSW middleweight title.
Invicta FC 5: All Angles with Bec Hyatt
Fight Master: Bellator MMA – Cast and Show Details Announced
32 Fighters. Four Coaches (Randy Couture, Greg Jackson, Frank Shamrock, and Joe Warren). One Goal. Now here are the men who will compete for a spot in the Bellator MMA welterweight tournament. The Fight Master athletes choose which camp to train with and which opponent they want to fight next. The 32 fighters will partake in qualifying bouts over the first three episodes of the series. The finale will be telecast live on Spike with the winner moving on to an upcoming tournament. “Fight Master: Bellator MMA” premieres Wednesday June 19 at 10/9c on Spike!
The inaugural Fight Master: Bellator MMA includes Marcus Aurelio (6-2), Nick Barnes (5-0), Eric Bradley (5-1), Mike Bronzoulis (15-5-1), Frank Carrillo (6-3), Darryl Cobb (6-6), Christopher Curtis (7-2), Evan Cutts (5-1), Mike Dubois (3-0), Tom Gallicchio (16-8), Ismael Gonzalez (11-10), Gareth Joseph (9-5), Chris Lozano (9-3), AJ Matthews (5-2), Rob Mills (8-2), Steve Montgomery (3-1), Chip Moraza-Pollard (7-4), Brett Nakamura (6-1), Jason Norwood (12-3), Dom O’Grady (15-5-1), Jacob Ortiz (8-4), Josh Quayhagen (6-1), Joe Riggs (39-14), Eric Scallan (11-4), Cristiano Souza (5-0), Brendan Tierney (10-5), Bryan Travers (13-3), Andy Uhrich (8-3), Tim Welch (8-4), Cole Williams (5-1), Joe Williams (7-1) and Artenas Young (9-5).
Nick Newell Refuses to Defend vs. Holtzman, Stripped of XFC Title
XFC president John Prisco discusses Nick Newell’s unwillingness to defend title:
“I am Extremely disappointed. I’ve never had a champion refuse to defend his title. Signed fighters in our organization have put in the time, effort, and literally blood/sweat/& tears. We have some very talented Lightweights and every guy on the roster knows from the beginning they’re going to have to fight the top fighters in the division to get their crack at the belt. Hell, many of the guys in our organization have similar XFC records to Nick Newell. They have paid the price to get to this point in their career. So for Nick to deny Scott Holtzman, or any of those that earn their shot, the same opportunity that he was given, is disrespectful in my eyes. It’s always been our motto, if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. How can that happen, if your Champion will not defend his title. That’s not a true Champion.
Listen, when Nick came to us at the XFC Tryouts, his biggest complaint was that no one would take a fight against him. Everyone was telling him, it’s a no-win situation taking the fight. If you beat him, you beat a guy with half an arm…. and if you lose, you just lost to a guy with half an arm. He knew by signing with our promotion that he was going to be guaranteed fights, as our fighters fight the person I put in front of them. Nick built his name on fighters who were willing to step up and fight him. And now, the opportunity he received, he is not willing to extend to Scott, even though they both carry the same XFC record (4-0). To me, that’s hypocritical and I have zero respect and no room for any individual that acts like that in my organization.
I think Nick knows what I believe. He was going to lose. Nick knows he can’t defend himself when someone like Scott puts him on his back. I believe Scott is one of the most talented 155ers on the planet. He’s training on the west coast right now with Benson Henderson for that very reason. In my eyes, I saw the fight going 1st round stoppage – Holtzman by ground and pound.”
UFC Applauds House Passage of MMA Bill
Lorenzo Fertitta, The Ultimate Fighting Championship Chairman & CEO, applauded the Connecticut General Assembly’s House of Representatives for passing HB-5277 today by an overwhelming 117-26 vote. The bill would legalize mixed martial arts and add Connecticut to the list of 48 states where MMA is currently legal. He said MMA fans must now turn their attention to the Senate and urge the leadership to allow a vote on the bill.
“I want to thank the House members who supported this bill. It’s the right thing to do for the thousands of Connecticut MMA and UFC fans, for economic development in the state and for jobs,” Fertitta said. “We will now turn our attention to the Senate and urge the leadership to permit the bill to be voted upon. We are confident that if Senators are allowed to vote on the bill, it will pass with strong bipartisan support.”
HB-5277 is sponsored by Rep. Charles Clemons (124th District) and Senator Andres Ayala (23rd District), along with more than 34 additional co-sponsors – including nine Senators, Democrats and Republicans.
Luke Rockhold: “The 1st Round With Vitor Is Hell”
From the PunchDrunkGamer Forums:
* The Ultimate Fighter Brasil 2 – Discussion, Rumors & Results
* K-1 WGP 2013 Qualifying Tournaments *Updates and Results*
* More UFC Fighters Hit The Unemployment Line
* BAMMA USA Releases Fight Card for ‘Badbeat 9’ on May 31
* Shane Carwin is officially retired
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