Weekly Mixed Martial Arts and Kickboxing News – 11/30/2012
By PDG Staff
UFC on Fox 5: Henderson vs. Diaz – Final Card Update
Heavyweight KO artist Lavar Johnson has been forced to withdraw from his December 8th bout with Brendan Schaub due to a pulled groin. Given the proximity of the Seattle date, no replacement bout will be inserted in the lineup, which will go on with 12 fights.
UFC on Fox 5
December 8, 2012
Key Arena
Seattle, Washington
Main Card (Fox):
Benson Henderson (17-2) vs. Nate Diaz (16-7) – UFC lightweight title bout
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (21-6) vs. Alexander Gustafsson (14-1)
Rory MacDonald (13-1) vs. BJ Penn (16-8-2)
Mike Swick (15-4) vs. Matt Brown (15-11)
Preliminary Card (FX):
Michael Chiesa (8-0) vs. Marcus LeVesseur (22-6)
Yves Edwards (41-18-1) vs. Jeremy Stephens (20-8)
Raphael Assuncao (18-4) vs. Mike Easton (13-1)
Ramsey Nijem (6-2) vs. Joe Proctor (8-1)
Daron Cruikshank (11-2) vs. Henry Martinez (9-2)
Dennis Siver (20-8) vs. Nam Phan (18-10)
Preliminary Card (Facebook):
Scott Jorgensen (13-6) vs. John Albert (7-3)
Tim Means (18-3-1) vs. Abel Trujillo (9-4)
ONE FC and Glory Sports International Join Forces
ONE Fighting Championship and GLORY Sports International have agreed on a fighter exchange program. ONE FC and GSI have entered into a mutually beneficial exclusive partnership in Asia, signifying another turning point for the sport of Mixed Martial Arts in Asia.
Both internationally recognized organizations have agreed to fighter exchanges. It means that any GSI MMA fighter will automatically be eligible to compete exclusively in Asia on ONE FC and any ONE FC fighter will automatically be eligible to compete in GSI MMA events which are currently held under the DREAM brand in Japan. Fighter exchanges are expected to happen with immediate effect. The fighter exchange program also covers ONE FC Network of other affiliate association and gyms across Asia.
CEO of ONE Fighting Championship Victor Cui stated, “It is an absolute pleasure to work with Glory Sports International. Our events will have even more exciting match-ups and the biggest winners are the fans of MMA around the world. ONE FC will continue to showcase the most exciting fights between the best fighters in Asia and having GSI as a partner will automatically create new opportunities for everyone involved and looking to associate with the fastest growing sport in the world.”
CEO of GLORY Sports International Marcus Luer stated, “GLORY Sports International and ONE Fighting Championship will cooperate to develop the sport of MMA in Asia – GSI through its DREAM brand in Japan and ONE FC with its events throughout Asia. We feel it is a mutually beneficial partnership and look forward to working with the ONE FC team.”
GLORY Sports International is presenting DREAM 18 & GLORY 4, a mega martial arts event in Tokyo on 31 December from the Saitama Super Arena. DREAM 18 will feature some of the top MMA fighters from Japan, Asia and around the world and GLORY 4 will be featuring the best heavyweight stand up fighters in the world in a 16-man single-elimination tournament. The two finalists will have to fight 4 times in the same night, something that never happened before. The winner will be crowned the GLORY Grand Slam Heavyweight Champion and takes home USD 400,000 of a total prize money of USD 600,000. DREAM 18 will see the resurgence of the DREAM brand with 8 top level MMA fights.
DREAM 18 and GLORY 4 Tokyo – New Year’s Eve Special Fight Card Update
‘GSI presents DREAM 18 and GLORY 4 Tokyo – New Year’s Eve Special’, will commence at 4 p.m. Tokyo time on Dec. 31 and roll through to a midnight grand finale. DREAM 18 will see an amazing line up of top Japanese and international MMA superstars.
GLORY 4 Tokyo will feature the best heavyweight kickboxers in the world battling it out in a16-man, single-elimination tournament. The winner of the one-night tournament will be crowned the GLORY Heavyweight Grand Slam Champion and receive a grand prize of US $400,000 – the biggest prize in the sport.
Among the superstar fighters that have accepted a place in the invitation-only line-up are Semmy Schilt, Daniel Ghita, Remy Bonjasky, Gokhan Saki, Peter Aerts and Errol Zimmerman. Sixteen world class fighters will enter, but only one can emerge victorious in what is the toughest tournament the fighting world has ever seen.
DREAM 18 and GLORY 4 Tokyo – New Year’s Eve Special
December 31, 2012
Saitama Super Arena
Tokyo, Japan
MMA Rules:
Tatsuya Kawajiri
Hiroyuki Takaya
Satoru Kitaoka
Phil Baroni vs. Hayato Sakurai
Shinya Aoki vs. Will Brooks
GLORY Grand Slam Tournament:
Semmy Schilt (39-6) vs. Brice Guidon (28-7)
Gokhan Saki (77-15) vs. Raomoru (-)
Daniel Ghita (44-7) vs. Fabiano ‘Cyclone’ Aoki (27-9)
Remy Bonjasky (77-14) vs. Filip Verlinden (38-6)
Peter Aerts (104-30-1) vs. Mourad Bouzidi (73-19)
Errol Zimmerman (76-16-1) vs. Jamal Ben Saddik (22-0)
Anderson ‘Braddock’ Silva (32-8-1) vs. Igor Jurkovic (44-5)
Sergei Kharitonov (22-7) vs. Rico Verhoeven (37-6-1)
UFC on Fuel TV 7 Confirmed for Feb. 16 in London
The Ultimate Fighting Championship organization has announced that it will return to England’s capital on Saturday 16th February, 2013. The event will be the fifth time the UFC has come to London since its conception in 1993, the first being back in July 2002 with UFC 38: Brawl at the Hall which was held at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall. Since that first event, there have been four events held at the 02 Arena, most recently with sell-out crowds to see UFC 120: Bisping vs. Akiyama. This will be the first time the UFC has ever brought a show to Wembley Arena, the iconic London venue that holds in excess of 10,000 people.
“The UFC has seen significant international growth with nearly a third of all the live events now held outside the USA. London is one of the world’s major capital cities and is a fitting host to kick off 2013 for the first of three European events taking place this year,” commented UFC’s Executive Vice President and Managing Director of EMEA, Garry Cook. “We work hard in Europe to keep UFC at the leading edge of MMA and as always our show will not disappoint our loyal followers.”
Wembley Arena is the capital’s second-largest arena, located opposite the legendary Wembley Stadium, home to England’s football team. The arena has had a vast range of renowned acts grace its stage, including everyone from The Beatles to the Spice Girls, The Rolling Stones to Beyoncé. In 2013 the UFC will sit alongside other great sporting events, such as the 1948 and 2012 Summer Olympics, hosted at the arena.
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Strikeforce OKC (The End of Strikeforce) – Fight Card Update
Strikeforce is trying save their last event as it heads to the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla., on Saturday, Jan. 12 with a revamped card and the return of Oklahoma State University star Daniel Cormier, all televised live on SHOWTIME. With Gilbert Melendez and Luke Rockhold out of the line-up with injuries, Strikeforce officials have been very busy this week trying put together a worthy show. The new fight card is as follows:
Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine
January 12, 2013
Chesapeake Energy Arena
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Nate Marquardt vs. Tarec Saffiedine – Strikeforce welterweight title bout
Daniel Cormier vs. Dion Staring
Josh Barnett vs. Nandor Guelmino
Gegard Mousasi vs. Mike Kyle
Lorenz Larkin vs. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza
Tim Kennedy vs. Trevor Smith
KJ Noons vs. Ryan Couture
Roger Gracie vs. Anthony Smith
Jorge Gurgel vs. Adriano Martins
Estevan Payan vs. Michael Bravo
UFC 156 – Super Bowl Weekend Fight Card Update
The biggest weekend in sports just got a little bigger. The Ultimate Fighting Championship announced today that it will be returning to the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Saturday, Feb. 2 with a featherweight title superfight between reigning champion Jose Aldo and former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.
Plus, former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem* returns to the Octagon to battle the heavy-handed Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, while former UFC light heavyweight champion “Suga” Rashad Evans meets Rogerio “Lil Nog” Nogueira in a pivotal 205-pound clash. An exciting welterweight bout will also take place, as Jon Fitch meets Demian Maia. Held on the same weekend as the biggest football game of the year, there’s no doubt that the UFC is bringing out its big guns on Feb. 2.
“Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar is a fight the fans have wanted to see for a long time and on Feb. 2, the superfight is going to happen,” UFC President Dana White said. “Our fights on Super Bowl weekend are always some of the biggest and best and this year will be no different. In addition to the Aldo vs. Edgar featherweight title fight, we’ve got Alistair Overeem vs. ‘Bigfoot’ Silva, Rashad Evans vs. ‘Lil Nog,’ and Jon Fitch taking on Demian Maia.”
*Overeem’s participation in the event is pending approval and licensing by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Kem Sitsongpeenong vs. Jordan Watson Announced for Yokkao Extreme 2013
This week Yokkao Boxing announced that Kem Sitsongpeenong and Jordan Watson will fight at one of the biggest Muay Thai and K-1 rules event in the world, Yokkao Extreme 2013 on Saturday the 26th January 2013 at the Forum d’Assago in Milan, Italy.
ROAD TO GLORY USA – The Search For America’s Next Martial Arts Stand Up Fighting Superstars Is On
GLORY, the world’s premier Stand Up Fighting league, has today announced that it will begin a search for the next generation of Martial Arts fighting superstars to compete in its upcoming ‘ROAD TO GLORY’ fight series.
The ROAD TO GLORY series of events will identify new Martial Arts fight talent from various countries who will compete under GLORY rules, with competitors in six different weight divisions battling each other for a chance to earn a one year GLORY contract and fight in prestigious one-night tournaments with prize money of up to US $600,000.
ROAD TO GLORY will kick off with six events in the U.S. over the first five months of 2013. Each ROAD TO GLORY USA event will be comprised of a one-night, single-elimination, eight-man tournament in one of GLORY’s six different weight divisions, with fighters who hail from The U.S., and possibly Mexico, Canada and Brazil. The total prize money for each of these ROAD TO GLORY USA tournaments will be US$ 34,000, with the winner taking home US $20,000.
The champion of each ROAD TO GLORY tournament will also be offered a one-year contract to fight in GLORY, the world’s biggest Stand Up Fighting stage that is home to the best martial arts fighters on the planet.
Fighters between the ages of 19 and 28 who wish to be considered for a place in the ROAD TO GLORY fight series must email their bios (**Bios must include height, fighting weight, date of birth, city and state or province where fighting out of, gym affiliation, complete professional fighting record (if applicable), complete amateur fighting record (if applicable) and a video file or link to an online video containing fight footage from one or more previous bouts, to GLORY Ambassador and fighter relations executive Cor Hemmers at cor@gloryworldseries.com.
GLORY’s six weight classes are as follows: flyweight (143 pounds), lightweight (154 pounds), welterweight (170 pounds), middleweight (187 pounds), light heavyweight (209 pounds), heavyweight (above 209 pounds). The dates and locations of the ROAD TO GLORY events will be announced shortly.
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