Weekly Mixed Martial Arts & Kickboxing News – 06/01/2012
By PDG Staff
Kenny Florian Retires from the UFC and Fighting
Kenny “Ken-Flo” Florian announced his retirement this week from mixed martial arts and the UFC… as a fighter that is. Fans were notified by Dana White during the weigh-ins for The Ultimate Fighter Live Finale on Thursday.
Here are some of the quotes that Florian gave to UFC.com:
– “It was something I’ve been thinking about since November and it probably wasn’t until the last couple months where I really saw it (retirement) as a viable option. When you’ve fought as long as I have and trained as long as I have, you become what you do, and that’s all you know. It’s tough to do anything else, but in the end, I have so many things going on, from my gym back in Boston to the commentary and all that stuff, that I’m so lucky that I have all these other things in my life and I can still be a part of the sport that I love.”
– “What it came down to was that my back just wasn’t getting back to where it was, I was not able to train the way I was before, and it’s been going on for a while. I’ve dealt with injuries before and I’ve dealt with a back injury before, but with this new injury that I suffered in November, I just haven’t been the same since.”
– “I hope that everyone saw a guy who really dedicated his life to the sport and a guy who always worked really hard to evolve in every single fight and every single session, and to get better and hopefully take the sport to another level and that’s really what I aimed to do, to get the best out of myself and raise my level every time.”
– “I was a kid who was kind of lost and fighting found me and made me a better person, I think of a quote from Aristotle that said ‘you make war so you can find peace,’ and I think that’s something that happened with me. I’m in a great place in my life I think because of fighting somehow. I’ve never been happier in my life and I owe it to fighting.”
Kenny Florian was 14-6 in his mixed martial arts career and held notable wins over Clay Guida, Takanori Gomi, Joe Lauzon, Joe Stevenson, Roger Huerta, Din Thomas, and Sam Stout.
Bellator Signs Dynamic Canadian Lightweight Knockout Artist Guillaume DeLorenzi
The lightweight division just got stronger as Bellator Fighting Championships has signed Canadian knockout artist Guillaume DeLorenzi to a promotional agreement. DeLorenzi will make his Bellator debut later this year and already has his sights set on a future Bellator Lightweight Tournament.
“All I’m thinking about is collecting some victories and getting into the next lightweight tournament,” said DeLorenzi. “It’s a huge honor to be fighting with Bellator, and I want that belt.”
Entering Bellator with an impressive 9-1 record including a dominating victory over Bellator veteran Nordine Taleb, DeLorenzi trains under the well-respected Firas Zahabi and alongside Ivan Menjivar, Yves Jabouin and Thierry Quenneville. After suffering a devastating injury in 2010, DeLorenzi is eager to get back into the cage.
“I’ve been away from the MMA world for so long, it’s going to be great to get back into the cage and show the world what I’m capable of.”
“Our talent development team has been focused on Guillaume DeLorenzi for some time,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “He’s a dynamic fighter who has great potential in the coming years.”
Buakaw announces his Retirement
The following is from the Yokkao facebook page:
Buakaw announced his retirement from fighting after he was unable to reach an agreement with Mr. Pramuk Rojanathan of Por Pramuk camp over the new contract.
This afternoon, Buakaw met with Mr. Pramuk at the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) for another round of negotiations over his new contract after they failed to reach a conclusion at the previous meeting [on 22 May 2012]. Also present at today’s meeting were the Deputy Governor of SAT & the President of the Professional Boxing Association of Thailand.
Before the meeting began, Mr. Dej Jaikla, the Director-General of the Board of Boxing Sport, asked the media to leave the room. However, Mr. Pramuk asked that the media be allowed to stay.
Por Pramuk camp’s lawyer said that the camp was willing to drop their lawsuit against Mr. Teerawat Yioyim, Buakaw’s sports science trainer, provided that Buakaw accepted the new contract. The new contract specifies that [until 5 November 2018] income from fights will be divided 60:40 (60% to Buakaw, 40% to the camp), & all other income from activities such as (but not limited to) public appearances, advertising & sponsorship will be divided 75:25 (75% to Buakaw, 25% to the camp).**
However, Buakaw’s lawyer said that Buakaw should be entitled to 100% of his income from activities outside of the ring, & should not be made to share it with the camp. This is because Buakaw is already 30 years old & has at most a few years left in his career as a boxer.
When an agreement could not be reached, the camp’s lawyer said that the camp would be happy to sell Buakaw off to another camp that is interested in buying him. This had been proposed by Major General Intharat Yodbangtoey (the mediator in the dispute between Buakaw & Por Pramuk camp) at the previous meeting on 22 May 2012.
Buakaw then said that since both parties could not agree, & that the outstanding issue now lies with him alone, all problems should come to an end if he retires. His family & his first muaythai teacher had never asked for money, & he has already repaid their kindness in full. Therefore, he would like to retire from boxing from now on. He will not fight again, & will not try to register [as a boxer with the Board of Boxing Sport] again under a different name. On hearing this, Mr. Pramuk & his son Mr. Teeraphat (Au) burst into applause lasting many minutes.
The Deputy Governor of the SAT said that it is most regrettable that an agreement could not be reached, & that things had to end this way. He said that it is bad for Thailand’s image that Mr. Pramuk & Mr. Teeraphat had clapped happily when Buakaw said that he would retire & not continue to fight & achieve success for the nation.
Mr. Pramuk retorted that he had clapped for joy not because Buakaw will retire but because all the problems he has had with Buakaw since March will come to an end.
Mr. Pramuk later said that he regrets that Buakaw will not continue to bring fame to Thailand, & claimed that the dispute had to end this way because of a ‘third party’. He thinks that this would not have happened if not for issues related to money, & that in the past, the careers of famous boxers have ended because of such problems. In any case, he is relieved that things have come to an end.
Buakaw said that it is regrettable that he has to retire even though he is still able to fight. However, he wanted to end this dispute once & for all. He had thought about it [the decision to retire] beforehand, & confirmed once again that there was no ‘third party’ behind his decision.
Buakaw also said that he has brought fame to the country all along, & it is better for him to retire when he is at the top, rather than to retire when his career is fading away.
When everything has been settled, Buakaw will not leave the muay thai scene totally, but return to his home in Surin province to train a new generation in muay thai at his Banchamek Gym. Many children have applied to join his gym, including the children of foreigners. When asked if he would consider becoming a promoter, he said that it is too early to think about it now.
Buakaw would like to apologize to all of his fans for his decision to retire, & assures everyone that this is not the last that they have seen of him. He would like to thank everyone & the whole country for their support & encouragement. In addition, he would like young fighters to view his case as an example, & hopes that this will be the last time such a case ever happens in the muay thai scene.
UFC 148: Silva vs. Sonnen II – Card Updated
With the announcement that Rich Franklin would fill in for the injured Vitor Belfort in the main event of UFC 147, middleweight Cung Le was left without an opponent for his UFC 148 main card bout.
The wait for another big name wasn’t long, though, as Canadian veteran Patrick Cote has been tapped to return to the UFC where he once fought Anderson Silva for the title to face Le.
“I M BACK !!!,” tweeted Cote, whose fans had launched a campaign in recent months to lobby for his return to the Octagon. “UFC 148 Las Vegas , July 7th vs the dangerous Cung Le ! Thanks everybody for the support !”
UFC 148: Silva vs. Sonnen II
July 7, 2012
MGM Grand Garden Arena
Las Vegas, Nevada
Anderson Silva (31-4) vs. Chael Sonnen (27-11-1)
Urijah Faber (26-5) vs. Renan Barão (28-1)
Forrest Griffin (18-7) vs. Tito Ortiz (16-10)
Cung Le (7-2) vs. Patrick Cote (17-7)
Dong Hyun Kim (6-1-1) vs. Demian Maia (15-4)
John Alessio (34-15) vs. Shane Roller (10-6)
Gleison Tibau (25-7) vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov (17-0)
Costa Philippou (10-2) vs. Riki Fukuda (18-5)
Melvin Guillard (29-10-2) vs. Fabricio Camoes (14-6-1)
Yoislandy Izquierdo (6-1) vs. Rafaello Oliveira (14-5)
Strikeforce Comes to Portland with Two Title Fights
The Rose Garden Arena in Portland, Ore will host Strikeforce when it returns to the Pacific Northwest with Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy announced for Saturday, July 14. Current Strikeforce middleweight champ Luke Rockhold will meet U.S. Army Green Beret and number one contender Tim Kennedy for a five-round bout live on SHOWTIME at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
The fight card will also feature a match for the vacant welterweight title when undefeated Tyron Woodley takes on perennial top contender Nate Marquardt. Additionally, two middleweight bouts are expected to round out the main card with veteran Keith Jardine set to take on submission specialist Roger Gracie and renowned striker Robbie Lawler scheduled to battle Kung Fu sensation Lorenz Larkin.
“The Pacific Northwest is home to great MMA fans and we’re excited to bring an incredible event to Portland this July,” said Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker. “With Luke Rockhold versus Tim Kennedy for the middleweight title and undefeated Tyron Woodley against Nate Marquardt for the vacant welterweight crown, there’s no doubt that we’re bringing something special to the Rose Garden Arena. Having Keith Jardine, Robbie Lawler and Roger Gracie also on the card makes this one of the most stacked cards of the summer!”
Yodsanklai Fairtex wins WMC Middleweight World Title
Invicta FC 2: McMann vs. Baszler – Fight Card Announced
The highly-anticipated, star-studded sophomore Invicta Fighting Championships all-women’s Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event featuring a bantamweight (135 pounds) main event showdown between 2004 Olympic Wrestling Silver Medalist and undefeated MMA star Sara McMann (5-0) of Gaffney, SC. and battle-tested submission wizard Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler (14-6) of Sioux Falls, SD., has been officially announced.
In the bantamweight (135 pounds) co-main event of the 13-bout fight card that will take place at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kan. on Sat., July 28, Japanese Jiu-Jitsu black belt and Cesar Gracie-protégé Alexis Davis (11-5) of Colborne, Ontario Canada will take on former Smackgirl Champion Hitomi “Girlfight Monster” Akano (18-9) of Tokyo, Japan.
“With our second event, we are bringing in top competitors from all over the world in order to deliver a card stacked, from top to bottom, with some of the best matchups in the entire women’s field of MMA fighters,” said Invicta Fighting Championships President and Co-Founder Shannon Knapp.
In other main card action, U.S. Marine and rising bantamweight star Liz “Girl-rilla” Carmouche (6-2) of San Diego, Calif. will square off with St. Louis Park, Minnesota’s Kaitlin Young (7-5-1), who earned “Fight of the Night” honors at the inaugural Invicta event on April 28.
Hard-hitting KO artist Amanda Nunes (6-2) of Salvador, Bahia Brazil will make her Invicta debut against sensational finisher Milana Dudieva (8-1) of Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia Russia in a bantamweight battle.
Kelly Kobold (18-3-1) of St. Paul, Minn. will face off with streaking submission expert Vanessa Porto (14-4) of Sao Paulo, Brazil at bantamweight.
American prospects Barb “Little Warrior” Honchak (5-2) of East Moline, Ill. and undefeated Bethany Marshall (4-0) of Newport News, Va. will meet in a super flyweight (125 pounds) matchup.
Julia “The Jewel” Budd (2-2) of Port Moody, British Columbia Canada will face Elina Nilsson (2-2) of Gothenburg, Sweden at featherweight (145 pounds).
In the opening main card bout, Jiu-Jitsu champion and former high school wrestling star Carla Esparza (6-2) of Redondo Beach, Calif. will square off with Sarah “White Tiger” Schneider (6-5) of Kansas City, Mo. in a flyweight (115 pounds) tilt.
Bellator Adds Explosive Brazilian Bantamweight Rafael Silva to Expanding Roster
Bellator Fighting Championships has once again added a dynamic talent to its impressive roster with the addition of Brazilian finisher Rafael “Morcego” Silva. The 17-3 fighter joins a loaded Bantamweight division that includes reigning Bellator Bantamweight Champion Eduardo “Dudu” Dantas, Marcos Galvao, Zach Makovsky and fellow RFT teammate and Season 6 Bantamweight Tournament Finalist Luis Nogueira.
Currently riding a nine fight win streak that includes seven finishes (5 KO’s, 2 submissions), the Luta Livre brown belt, who trains under the legendary Marcelo Brigadeiro, has compiled a dominating resume within Brazil, and is ready to showcase his skills with Bellator.
“Signing with Bellator is by far the best thing that ever happened to me,” Silva said. “It’s a chance of showing the world what I can do inside the cage. My manager always tells me how great of an atmosphere Bellator has and I can’t wait to be part of it.”
As a member of the renowned Renovacao Fight Team, Silva currently trains with fellow Bellator fighters Maiquel “Big Rig” Falcao, Ricardo Tirloni, Genair da Silva and the aforementioned Luis Nogueira.
“My goal is be the Bellator Bantamweight Champion and to serve as an example for all the poor children in the world so they can realize that they can have a great future in MMA.”
“Marcelo Brigadeiro’s RFT is developing a spectacular group of Brazilian fighters,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Rafael joins Big Rig, Ricardo, Genair and Luis who are all further establishing Luta Livre’s position in the MMA world.”
UFC on FX 4: Maynard vs. Guida – Card Updated
Rick Story now has his third opponent for the June 22 FX fight card in Atlantic City, as Papy Abedi has been forced to withdraw due to injury just three weeks after stepping up to fill in for Story’s original opponent, Rich Attonito. Story will now meet 9-1 Pit Elevated product Brock Jardine.
With Jimy Hettes also out due to injury, the door has opened for featherweight prospect Joey Gambino to enter the UFC division and face Steven Siler. Gambino remains undefeated thus far in his pro career but will be face his toughest test against the very experienced Siler.
For the second time in six months. Matthew Riddle has been forced out of a planned bout with Luis “Beicao” Ramos. An injury has sidelined Riddle, who was set to meet Ramos in Atlantic City. Ramos will now face durable veteran Matt “The Immortal” Brown instead.
Riddle and Ramos were originally slated to fight at UFC 141 in Las Vegas, but the fight was scratched after Riddle became sick the day of the event.
UFC on FX 4: Maynard vs. Guida
June 22, 2012
Revel
Atlantic City, N.J.
Gray Maynard (10-1-1) vs. Clay Guida (29-12)
Hatsu Hioki (26-4-2) vs. Ricardo Lamas (11-2)
Nick Catone (9-2) vs. Chris Camozzi (16-5)
Matt Brown (14-11) vs. Luis Ramos (19-7)
Rick Story (13-5) vs. Brock Jardine (9-1)
Dan Miller (13-6) vs. Ricardo Funch (8-3)
Brian Ebersole (49-14-1) vs. T.J. Waldburger (15-6)
Steven Siler (20-9) vs. Joey Gambino (9-0)
Ross Pearson (13-5) vs. Cub Swanson (16-5)
Sam Stout (17-7) vs. Spencer Fisher (24-8)
Bellator Featherweight Champion Pat Curran puts title on the line Against Patricio Pitbull at Bellator 73, August 24th
After capturing the Bellator Featherweight Championship with one of the most devastating knockouts in Bellator history, Pat Curran is set for his first title defense when he takes on Patricio Pitbull at Bellator 73 on August 24th. The event will take place LIVE on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX with the preliminary fights being streamed online at Spike.com.
“This will be an offensive clinic between two devastating finishers,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “Both Pat Curran and Patricio Pitbull can finish with relentless strikes or vicious submissions. This is a fight between two of the best Featherweights in MMA and will be a title fight to remember.”
Widely regarded as one of the top featherweights in the world, Curran’s road to the title was an impressive one. After an incredible Peruvian necktie submission victory over Luis Palomino in the Bellator Season 5 quarterfinals, Curran collected a unanimous decision win over Ronnie Mann. With the victory, Curran secured a spot in the Featherweight Finals against Marlon Sandro. Curran pushed the pace early, and in the second round delivered a devastating, highlight-reel roundhouse kick to the head of Sandro that earned the Crystal Lake, Ill. product his eventual title shot against Warren at Bellator 60. After two back and fourth rounds, Curran delivered a barrage of strikes that ended the fight in the third round and earned Curran the Bellator Featherweight Title.
“This fight with Patricio is one I’ve been looking forward to for a while,” Curran said. “This will be my first title defense, and I just want to get back in the cage and keep developing as a fighter. Pitbull is an outstanding fighter, so this should be a great fight.”
For Pitbull, the explosive Brazilian has been away from the cage for over a year after suffering a broken hand that kept the 17-1 striker out of action. After collecting his title shot with a dominating run through the Bellator Season 4 Featherweight Tournament, to say Pitbull is eager to get back in the cage would be an understatement.
“I’m very happy and relieved this fight is finally happening,” said Pitbull. “I’ve been through a lot with my hand injury and can’t wait to get back in the cage. I’m 100 percent now and all I want is to fulfill my dream of getting the belt and pay tribute to my late teacher Bruno Gouvea. He’s the reason I’m here today and he’ll be with me in spirit cageside watching his work pay off. All is can say is Pat better be ready. I’ve never been so motivated for a fight, and I’ve never wanted the belt so much.”
UFC Vets Parisyan, Grove Ready and Hungry for ShoFight 20
The sport of mixed martial arts is tough. There is no disputing that. Fighters experience ups and downs, wins and losses, and make sacrifices to be the very best they can be. Staying committed when you’re winning can be easy. It’s when losses come that combat athletes find out how committed they really are to the fight game.
Two fighters in such a position are former UFC stalwarts Karo “The Heat’ Parisyan and Kendall “Da Spyder” Grove. On June 16th in Springfield, Missouri, both will tangle with ultra-tough opponents, as Parisyan will battle fellow UFC vet John Gunderson, and Grove will lock horns with UFC/Strikeforce vet Terry Martin. The winner of the Parisyan-Gunderson tilt will be awarded the first ShoFIGHT welterweight belt, while either Grove or Martin will go home with ShoFIGHT middleweight strap. In short, it’s a big fight for all the competitors involved.
Karo Parisyan (20-8-0-1) has been fighting professionally since 1999, and has faced many top welterweights during his time in MMA, including Sean Sherk, Antonio McKee, Georges St-Pierre, Shonie Carter, Nick Diaz, Chris Lytle, Matt Serra, Nick Thompson, Diego Sanchez, Ryo Chonan, Thiago Alves, Dong Hyun Kim, and Dennis Hallman. Few in the fight game can boast such a resume. At one point, he was right on the cusp of a UFC title shot, but after some tough losses, he is looking to right the ship and get back to the top of the mountain. Fighting in the main event of ShoFIGHT 20 provides “The Heat” with the opportunity to do just that.
Kendall Grove (14-10-0-1) grew up in Hawaii, and is the prototypical Island boy: a scrapper who is afraid of no man. The 6’6” middleweight made his pro debut in 2003, and soared to heights few reach in the fight game when he won the 3rd season of the UFC’s Ultimate Fighter competition. Over the next few years, Grove became a mainstay in the UFC, gathering victories over Ed Herman, Alan Belcher, the late Evan Tanner, Jason Day, Jake Rosholt, and Goran Reljic during his time with the promotion. However, he also suffered several setbacks, and was released in 2011 after two straight losses. Since that time, he has downed both Joe Riggs and Ikuhisa Minowa, but then lost to fellow UFC vet Jay Silva in February. Now, he’ll look to get back in the win column against UFC/Strikeforce vet Terry Martin with the gold on the line.
ShoFIGHT, one of the top rising MMA promotions in North America, will bring ShoFIGHT 20 to the O’Reilly Family Events Center in Springfield, Missouri on Saturday, June 16th. The event will host twenty UFC, PRIDE, Strikeforce, and Bellator veterans, including Parisyan, Grove, Gunderson, Martin, Lyle “Fancy Pants” Beerbohm, Marcus Aurelio, Shonie Carter, Drew Fickett, Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett, Aaron Rosa, Matt Lucas, and others.
Playboy Covergirl Brittney Palmer
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