Weekly Mixed Martial Arts & Kickboxing News – 01/06/2012 – Mega New Years! Edition
By PDG Staff
Cris “Cyborg” Santos Tests Positive for Anabolic Steroids
As many mixed martial arts fans have suspected for some time, Cris “Cyborg” Santos has been cheating and now she has been caught. The California State Athletic Commission has released the following statement:
The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) has suspended the license of Mixed Martial Arts fighter Cristiane Justino Santos, better known in MMA circles as Cris Cyborg, and has fined her $2,500 as the result of a positive test for a banned substance.
Santos’ December 16, 2011 drug test came back positive for stanozolol metabolites. CSAC learned of the test results December 23, 2011 and suspended Santos’s license, with the suspension applied retroactively to December 16, 2011. In accordance with Rule 368, the result of her last fight between Hiroko Yamanaka will be changed to a “No Decision”.
“Our primary concern is for the health and safety of fighters,” said CSAC Executive Officer George Dodd. “Anabolic agents and other banned substances put not only the users of those agents at risk, but their opponents as well. The commission simply will not tolerate their use.”
The use of certain substances, including anabolic steroids, is prohibited under the Commission’s regulations, and CSAC has among the toughest drug testing standards of any Athletic Commission in the country. It is the only commission that requires urine samples to be taken in the presence of a commission representative prior to a bout.
Santos’s provision of a urine sample was observed by a CSAC representative and the sample was sent to the World Anti-doping Agency test facility at the University of California, Los Angeles. Santos has the right to appeal the suspension of her license.
In response Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker released the following statement today regarding Cris “Cyborg” Santos:
“Strikeforce has not seen the test results regarding Ms. Santos. However, we have a consistent and strong stance against any use of performance-enhancing drugs. We also have a long history of supporting effective drug testing of athletes by authorized regulatory bodies. Therefore, we will closely monitor the matter and will work with the California State Athletic Commission regarding any information we may be asked to provide. We also recognize that Ms. Santos has administrative process rights under California law and we hope that she is not prejudged before she has the opportunity to exercise such rights.”
DARE Championship – Live January 7th
DARE is back on January 7 to start 2012 off with a bang! Continuing the tournament that began in 2011, DARE is ready to make its mark in the MMA world by putting $1 million dollars on the line for the winners’ of DARE’s 8 weight division. January 7 will feature 7 more Opening Round fights in Featherweight, Lightweight, Welterweight and Middleweight Divisions. With some of Asia’s top stars, including a PRIDE veteran and Muay Thai Legends competing in the original fight capital of the world, Bangkok, Thailand. See history made as another organization explodes onto the scene and becomes a major league player in the sport. Watch this momentous event on the www.GFL.tv – GFL Combat Sports Network.
One bout that is sure to pique the interest of MMA fans is the return to Pay-Per-View of one of PRIDE’s most endearing fighters. Daiju “TAKASE” Takase (9-13-2) battles Brandon “BK” Kesler (2-2) for a step closer to the DARE Champion bonus. Takase is probably best known for his victory over current UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva via triangle choke at PRIDE 26. It was a rude awakening for the future world champion as Takase’s ground game was light years ahead of Silva. Takase will look to impress again as he takes on the resilient American transplant, Kesler, now living in Bangkok, his adopted hometown. It will be a clash of styles as Kesler’s strengths include boxing and wrestling, while Takase is more of a submission specialist. For Kesler’s part, he might want to use his striking to put Takase away as a takedown could be a risky proposition for the American. Look for Takase to try and clinch early and get this bout down on the mat where he is at his best.
In one of the welterweight fight of DARE 1/12, Ammar “ROCK” Tchalabi (1-0) fights Andrea “CAPO” Signorini (1-0). Tchalabi is a veteran of several Muay Thai fights and brings the “science of the 8 limbs” into this bout. A member of the Phuket Top Team, Tchalabi has started to evolve his overall combat game by learning the ground aspect of MMA. His last bout was a submission victory which was a feather in the cap of the KO artist. Signorini has a background in Judo and won the bronze medal at the 2011 Thailand Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Open to go along with his years of competitive powerlifting. There is no doubt that if Signorini can get the fight to the mat he can submit Tchalabi or hold him down to win the bout.
Also competing on the card is a lightweight bout with Shane “RONIN” Wiggand (2-3) versus Marko “MAD DOG” Huusansaari (3-2) Wiggand is a black belt in Judo, while Huusansaari is a Muay Thai veteran. Both of these fighters have also been competing in the highly appreciated Lumpini Muay Thai stadium inBangkok and they will surely bring their best to the cage. There will also be three featherweight bouts including two Thai vs Thai fights with two local Amateur MMA Champions, Teerapak “EZ2DJ” Seatae versus Tondamrong “TDR” Panjabutra, and Mangthus “THE BEAST” Rewtawee versus Tanaphong “LANNA WARRIOR” Khunhankaew.
DARE 1/12 card also features a highly interesting featherweight fight between two highly credited grapplers, a BJJ Purple Belt Major “MAJOR” Overall (2-1) versus Submission Grappling specialist AJ “PYRO” Vaa (1-0) that will round out the card.
UFC on Fuel 1 – Card Updated
Welterweights Diego Sanchez and Jake Ellenberger go head-to-head in the main event, plus Stefan Struve and Dave Herman return to the Octagon for a heavyweight showdown! UFC on FUEL – Wednesday, February 15 – Live at the Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Nebraska.
UFC on Fuel 1
February 15, 2012
Century Link Center
Omaha, Nebraska
Fight Card:
Jake Ellenberger vs. Diego Sanchez
Stefan Struve vs. Dave Herman
Aaron Simpson vs. Ronny Markes
Jonathan Brookins vs. Rani Yahya
Ivan Menjivar vs. John Albert
Stipe Miocic vs. Philip De Fries
Lightweight and Welterweight Tournament Fields Nearly Complete for Bellator Season 6
As Bellator Fighting Championships prepares to make the jump to Friday nights, the tournament fields are beginning to take shape as the lightweight and welterweight tournament participants have been revealed. Bellator’s sixth season begins Friday, March 2nd LIVE on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX, with the preliminary fights being streamed LIVE and FREE around the world on Spike.com. Season 6 will feature tournaments in the bantamweight, featherweight, lightweight, welterweight and middleweight divisions.
Coming off a 50-second knockout victory over UFC veteran Kurt Pellegrino, Patricky Pitbull headlines an impressive group of 155 pounders looking to dethrone the newly crowned Bellator Lightweight Champion Michael Chandler. After a successful run at welterweight, former 2004 US Olympic judo team member Rick Hawn has made the drop to lightweight and has his sights set on capturing a guaranteed title shot and $100,000 payday. The tournament will also be full of newcomers as Ricardo Tirloni, Thiago Michael and J.J. Ambrose all make their Bellator tournament debuts and all come with high expectations. Joining Hawn in the weight drop is Brent Weedman, who will try his hand at lightweight after competing in the last two welterweight tournaments. Fan favorite Lloyd “Cupcake” Woodard is back with Bellator and looking to get back to his winning ways after suffering a unanimous decision loss at the hands of the current Bellator lightweight champion.
In a field that holds a combined 122-29-5 record, Bellator’s Season 6 Welterweight Tournament is loaded with talent hungry for a title shot against undefeated Bellator Welterweight Champion Ben Askren. Bellator newcomers and UFC veterans Brian Foster and War Machine will be looking to make strong first impressions, while Season 5 Welterweight Tournament Finalist Ben “Killa B” Saunders will be looking to finally secure his title shot. Bellator Season 2 Middleweight finalist and Season 5 semifinalist Bryan Baker has dropped down to welterweight and plans to stir up 170-pound class. David Rickels and Raul Amaya both bring identical 9-0 records into the tournament, while veterans Carlos Pereira and Karl Amoussou round out one of the deepest tournaments in Bellator history.
A full list of tournament participants is listed below:
Bellator Season Six Lightweight Tournament:
Patricky Pitbull
Thiago Michael
Ricardo Tirloni
Brent Weedman
Rick Hawn
J.J. Ambrose
Lloyd Woodard
TBA
Bellator Season Six Welterweight Tournament:
Ben Saunders
Brian Foster
Bryan Baker
Karl Amoussou
David Rickels
Raul Amaya
Carlos Pereira
War Machine
“The People’s Champ” Tito Ortiz expects to Retire July 4th
After more fights in the UFC than any other fighter, former Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz is planning his retirement from the sport of mixed martial arts. Here is what Ortiz had to say to MiddleEasy.com:
“After the fight against Nogueira, you know I got hit in the body, no broken ribs, so I was very stoked. A little bruised, my heart hurts more than I think my body does, but it’s one of those things that happen as a fighter. You know some win and some lose, just as long as I can walk away knowing that I learned something from it. July, hopefully Fourth of July weekend I will be fighting my last fight and I will be done. That’s it; it’s time to walk away. You know, Forrest, or I know everybody would like to see me against Chuck (Liddell) and, I don’t know. We will see what Lorenzo and Dana have to offer and see what they want to do. I’ll sit down with Lorenzo and Dana next week and let’s see, let’s make a fight, my last fight and let’s make a memorable one.”
Bob Sapp Returns
On February 26th there will be a kickboxing gala in the Maaspoort in Den Bosch, The Nederland’s and Sapp will be making his second appearance of 2012 following a showdown later this month at It’s Showtime: Hari vs. Saki.
Here is the fight card so far for the February event:
Robin van Roosmalen vs Rachid Belani
Faldir Chabari vs Harut Grigorian
Bob Sapp vs. Volkan Duzgun
Hicham el Gaoi vs. Masoud Rahimi
Zakaria Sebbar vs. Pedro Sedarous
Maiki Karathanasis vs. Hakim Bouzambou
Fikri Amezian vs. Brain Douwens
Clyde Van Dam vs. Jamal Ben
Samir Omar vs. Zahraoui Baqi
Peter vs. Heesbeen Micho Giganovic
Hakan Aksoy vs. TBA
UFC on Fuel TV 2: Sweden Announced
The UFC will make its Scandinavian debut this spring as the second UFC on FUEL TV fight night has been slated for Saturday, April 14 in Stockholm, Sweden.
UFC on Fuel TV 2: Sweden
April 14, 2012
Ericsson Globe Arena
Stockholm, Sweden
Fight Card:
Brian Stann vs. Alessio Sakara
DaMarques Johnson vs. John Maguire
Papy Abedi vs. James Head
Besam Yousef vs. Simeon Thoresen
Magnus Cedenblad vs. Francis Carmont
Jorgen Kruth vs. Cyrille Diabaté
Paulo Thiago vs. Siyar Bahadurzada
Joe Schilling signs multi-fight deal with Lion Fight Promotions
WBC Interim World Light Heavyweight Muay Thai Champion Joe Schilling (12-1 (10 KO’s), one of America’s premiere American combatants, has signed a new multi-fight agreement with leading Las Vegas-based Muay Thai fight organization, Lion Fight Promotions.
The 27 year-old Los Angeles, Calif. resident will kick off his new contract when he squares off with top contender Simon Marcus (42-2-2 (24 KO’s) of Toronto, Ontario Canada in the main event of Lion Fight Promotions: Battle In The Desert 5, Live from The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on Sat., Feb. 25.
Ticket on-sale information for Battle In The Desert 5, Live from The Joint will be announced soon as will the remainder of the fight card.
“Lion Fight Promotions is taking the bull by the horns as far as bringing the sport of Muay Thai to mainstream America and making it a major sport here, so it’s the perfect home for me because Muay Thai is my life and I want to fight the best fighters out there on a big stage,” said the 6-foot-3 Schilling, who has been referred to as “Muay Thai’s version of Mike Tyson” for his merciless style of fighting in the ring.
“Joe Schilling is one of the best talents in the sport of Muay Thai today,” said Lion Fight Promotions President Scott Kent. “He’s explosive, brutal and he has a burning desire to become one of the all-time greats in our incredible sport. We’re excited to have him on board with Lion Fight Promotions for the long run and we’re looking forward to putting on some great shows with him.”
Schilling is coming off a stunning first round KO of former K-1 World Grand Prix tournament champion and decorated Muay Thai champion Kaoklai Kaennorsing of Bangkok, Thailand on Oct 21 at Club Nokia in Los Angeles. Schilling put Kaennorsing down for the first time just 25 seconds into the matchup with a powerful right hook to the head and, a second time with a straight right hand 42 seconds into the fight.
After recovering from the second knockdown, Kaennorsing did his best to tie up the aggressive Schilling, who found his mark once again at 2:46 of the first round, crumbling Kaennorsing with another hard right hand that prompted the referee to stop the fight and award Schilling his greatest victory to date.
The Feb. 25 fight with Marcus will mark Schilling’s second career fight with Lion Fight Promotions. Last Aug. 20, Schilling captured the WBC USA light heavyweight title by scoring a brutal first round (2:38) KO on Brandon Banda with a straight left knee strike to the jaw that rendered Banda unconscious on the canvas.
“I’m not going to outpoint (Marcus). I’m going to knock him out. That’s what I do,” said Schilling.
Schilling, a native of Dayton, Ohio, comes from the school of hard knocks. Raised by a single mother, Schilling, the youngest of three boys, was expelled from four different schools before reaching high school when he suddenly discovered his passion that would give him direction and focus – martial arts, namely Muay Thai style kickboxing.
Not long after being kicked out of his home at age 17, Schilling acted on his dream of relocating to California. He touched down in Los Angeles where he found a Muay Thai trainer in Mark Komuro.
Together, Schilling and Komuro eventually converted a former jail in Lincoln Heights, a lower income section of Los Angeles, into a Muay Thai gym and named their training camp “The Yard,” after the outdoor location in jailhouses where prisoners do assigned work.
UFC on FOX 2: Evans vs. Davis – Final Card
January 28, 2012
United Center
Chicago, Illinois
Main Card:
Phil Davis vs. Rashad Evans
Mark Munoz vs. Chael Sonnen
Michael Bisping vs. Demian Maia
Preliminary Card:
Johnny Bedford vs. Mitch Gagnon
Evan Dunham vs. Nik Lentz
Michael Johnson vs. Shane Roller
Jon Olav Einemo vs. Mike Russow
George Roop vs. Cub Swanson
Charles Oliveira vs. Eric Wisely
Joey Beltran vs. Lavar Johnson
Chris Camozzi vs. Dustin Jacoby
Brock Lesnar Retires following loss to Alistair Overeem
After getting crushed last Friday night at UFC 141 by Alistair Overeem, Brock Lesnar called it quits on his brief but everlasting mixed martial arts career. The former WWE champion and former UFC Heavyweight Champion leaves the sport with a 5-3 record that may not look all that impressive but the combined record of the opponents he faced is 123-51 and that only includes MMA fights. That list also includes four former UFC champions, a Strikeforce champion, a Dream champion and the winner of the K-1 World Grand Prix.
Here is what the cross-promotional star had to say following his loss at UFC 141:
“This is the last time you’ll see me in the octagon, I’ve had a really difficult couple of years with my disease, and I’m going to officially say tonight is the last time, I promised my wife and my kids if I won this fight, I would get a title shot, and that would be my last fight, but if I lost tonight … you’ve been great.”
UFC 141 Fight Night Bonuses, Fighter Salaries & Medical Suspensions
UFC 141 Fight Night Bonuses:
– Fight of the Night: Nate Diaz and Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone
– Knockout of the Night: Johny Hendricks
– There were no submissions on the UFC 141 fight card, so no Submission of the Night bonus was awarded.
Total bonuses for UFC 141 was $225,000.00
UFC 141 Fighter Salaries:
– Alistair Overeem: $385,714.28 (includes $121,428.57 win bonus) def. Brock Lesnar: $400,000 (flat rate; no win bonus)
– Nate Diaz: $74,000 (includes $37,000 win bonus) def. Donald Cerrone: $30,000
– Johny Hendricks: $52,000 (includes $26,000 win bonus) def. Jon Fitch: $60,000 ($60,000 win bonus)
– Alexander Gustafsson: $32,000 (includes $16,000 win bonus) def. Vladimir Matyushenko: $40,000
– Jim Hettes: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) def. Nam Phan: $8,000
– Ross Pearson: $40,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus) def. Junior Assuncao: $8,000
– Danny Castillo: $38,000 (includes $19,000 win bonus) def. Anthony Njokuani: $12,000
– Dong Hyun Kim: $82,000 (includes $41,000 win bonus) def. Sean Pierson: $8,000
– Jacob Volkmann: $32,000 (includes $16,000 win bonus) def. Efrain Escudero: $10,000
– Luis Ramos vs. Matt Riddle was cancelled (Both fighters were Paid)
– Diego Nunes: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus) def. Manny Gamburyan: $18,000
Total Disclosed Fighter Payroll: $1,369,714.28
UFC 141 Medical Suspensions:
– Brock Lesnar – Must have abdominal injury cleared by a doctor or no contest until June 6. (Not that it matters since he retired.)
– Alistair Overeem – Suspended until Feb. 14 with no contact prior to Jan. 30 due to cuts on right eye.
– Nate Diaz – Suspended until June 28, unless cleared by an ophthalmologist. Minimum suspension until Jan. 30 with no contact prior to Jan. 21 due to right eye injury.
– Donald Cerrone – Suspended until Feb. 14 with no contact prior to Jan. 30 due to a cut on his lower lip.
– Jon Fitch – Suspended until Feb. 29 with no contact prior to Feb. 14.
– Vladimir Matyushenko – Suspended until June 28, unless his left knee is cleared by an orthopedic doctor. Minimum suspension until Feb. 14 with no contact prior to Jan. 30.
– Alexander Gustafsson – Suspended until Jan. 30 with no contact prior to Jan. 21 due to right tibia contusion.
– Nam Phan – Suspended until Feb. 29 with no contact prior to Feb. 14 due to a cut on his right eyebrow.
– Junior Assuncao – Suspended until Jan. 30 with no contact prior to Jan. 21 due to a cut on his right cheek.
– Dong Hyun Kim – Suspended until Jan. 30 with no contact prior to Jan. 21 due to left foot contusion.
– Manny Gamburyan – Suspended until June 28 unless he has his right shoulder x-rayed and cleared by an orthopedic doctor. Minimum suspension until Jan. 30 with no contact prior to Jan. 21.
– Diego Nunes – Suspended until Feb. 14 with no contact prior to Jan. 30 due to a cut on his left eye.
UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit – Card Updated
UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Mandalay Bay Events Center
Las Vegas, NV
Main Card:
UFC Welterweight Interim Title Bout:
Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit
Roy Nelson vs. Fabricio Werdum
Josh Koscheck vs. Mike Pierce
Renan Barao vs. Scott Jorgensen
Ed Herman vs. Clifford Starks
Preliminary Bouts:
Rafael ‘Sapo’ Natal vs. Michael Kuiper
Dustin Poirier vs. Max Hollaway
Alex Caceres vs. Edwin Figueroa
Matt Riddle vs. Jorge Lopez
Mayhem Miller talks about Bisping loss and Dana White
Jason “Mayhem” Miller recently to his website/blog to address fans, haters and UFC President Dana White regarding his performance against Michael Bisping at the Ultimate Fighter Finale:
“As someone who goes to my website, you are well aware that I lost my recent fight. I am very disappointed about it, but have used the past couple weeks to reflect on everything and have come to some conclusions.
Dana White was right. He made some disparaging comments about my performance, and I agree with him. I displayed the worst of everything that night in the octagon. I was tense in round one and I locked up after that. I didn’t perform to my potential, and I take full responsibility for it. That wasn’t a UFC caliber performance, and I’m not happy about it- I won’t, however, write a worthless diatribe on myself, because that is not constructive. I elect instead to take this misstep and make something positive out of it.
We are all the custodians of our own destinies, and we must all try to do the absolute best with what we have to work with- sometimes you will have great successes and other times colossal failure, but if you don’t try time and time again, you will be left on your couch with nothing but a bucket of “What-ifs.” You have no choice in this life but to push forward and try to do the best you can.
My challenge to you, and myself, is to continue to press on and make the most of your adventure here on earth. At the end of your life you want to be sure that you’ve made your best effort to make a collection of epic stories. Some sorrowful ones, some happy ones and some downright amazing, but the challenge for you is to find and make the most of each of these adventures.
I made a lot of mistakes in this story- during the camp, during the fight- but the key to living life is learning from your mistakes and making positive change. I feel very positive right now, and I hope you feel the same way, I would be absolutely nothing without persistence and positive thinking, and if there is anything i want you to take from my blog it is that mentality. I will continue on this amazing journey, looking to make the most epic stories that I can.
Currently I’m in Holland, working on my kickboxing with Siyar Badaharzada and one of the greatest MMA trainers in the world, Martijn De Jong as well as teaching here in Europe.
I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you support me through good times and bad- but I can say that I will put every bit of effort I can muster to succeed in every area of my life, and I hope you’ll be right there to watch.”
Post your comments directly below! You can also discuss the latest MMA & Video Game News in the PunchDrunkGamer Forums and don’t forget to Follow PDG on Twitter @PunchDrunkGamer and Like the PDG Official Facebook Page!
