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Strikeforce Champ Shields Near Deal With UFC

Tim — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 04:43:06 +0000

Current Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields is close to finalizing a deal with the UFC according to various reports. Shields has been in negotiations with the UFC since his last title defense in April against Dan Henderson.

UFC president Dana White has not hidden his desire to get Shields into his promotion, mouthing “He’s mine” while sitting next to Shields at the WEC 48 pay-per-view. Strikeforce initally expressed hope that Shields would resign with the organization, but sensing the inevitable, they released Shields from his contract on June 30th, leaving the UFC as Shields’ only suitor.

While he was the Strikeforce middleweight champion, Shields is a natural welterweight. He took fights at middleweight in Strikeforce because there weren’t many matchups for him at welterweight. He is expected to compete in the welterweight division in the UFC, and many reports indicate that the UFC is planning a fight between Shields and welterweight contender Martin Kampmann. Kampmann is 4-1 in his past five fights, with the only loss coming to Paul Daley at UFC 103.

Shields is 25-4-1 in his MMA career, and has notable victories over Henderson, Jason “Mayhem” Miller, Robbie Lawler, Paul Daley, Carlos Condit and Yushin Okami. Shields has won his past 14 fights, and would instantly become a top challenger to Georges St. Pierre’s welterweight title. The 31-year old Shields holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from Cesar Gracie, and also boasts a strong amateur wrestling background.

In his last contest against Dan Henderson, Shields came back from being rocked in the first round to dominate the fight en route to a unanimous decision victory over the former PRIDE welterweight and middleweight champion. After the fight, Shields and “Mayhem” Miller got into a shouting match which led to the brawl between Miller, Shields and his teammates at Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu which was captured live on CBS television.

Lesnar vs. Velasquez Slated for UFC 121 in Anaheim

Tim — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 22:35:42 +0000

After UFC president Dana White shot down rumors that UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar would next defend his title against Cain Velasquez at UFC 119 in Indianapolis, many wondered when the fight would take place. That speculation can end as White confirmed that Lesnar will face Velasquez at UFC 121 in Anaheim this October.

Lesnar and his wife are expecting their second child soon, and he was hesitant to jump right back into another training camp so quickly. The scheduled October fight will give the champion some time off with his family before he has to start another training camp.

The UFC was anxious to get the Lesnar/Velasquez fight signed due to the layoff that Velasquez has already had. He last fought at UFC 110 in February, where he was very impressive in stopping former champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in the 1st round via TKO. The win improved Velasquez’s record to 8-0, including a 6-0 run to begin his UFC career.

The Lesnar/Velasquez fight is an interesting contest on paper. Velasquez was an excellent wrestler at Arizona State, and was named an All-American after both his Junior and Senior seasons. He also has shown progressive improvements in his striking game, battering both Ben Rothwell and Nogueira in his last two outings. His conditioning was tested in a three-round unanimous decision win over Cheick Kongo at UFC 99, so he probably won’t gas out as quickly as Shane Carwin did.

Another difference between Velasquez and Carwin is their size. Whereas Carwin was almost as big as Lesnar when the two fought, Velasquez will come into the fight at a 20-25 lb disadvantage. He was asked about trying to get a little bigger before the Lesnar fight, but Velasquez maintains that his normal weight of 240-245 is his optimal fighting weight, and that he’s not concerned about a size differential in the title fight.

UFC 121 is scheduled to take place on October 23rd in Anaheim, CA.

Mir/Nogueira II To Headline UFC 119

Tim — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 04:12:00 +0000

The UFC has confirmed that a rematch between heavyweights Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira will headline UFC 119, scheduled to take place in Indianapolis, Indiana in September.

The two previously clashed at UFC 92 in December of 2008, where Mir shocked many by battering Nogueira over two rounds before getting the TKO victory. After the fight, Nogueira revealed he had been battling a nasty staph infection prior to the contest, and while showing respect to Mir for the victory, made it known that he would like a rematch down the line. It finally comes in late September.

It will be interesting to see how Mir comes into this contest. After his loss to Brock Lesnar at UFC 100, Mir decided that he needed to add bulk to compete with the bigger heavyweights. After weighing close to 245 for his fight with Nogueira, Mir came into recent fights against Cheick Kongo and Shane Carwin at close to 265 pounds. Despite the added bulk, Mir still looked noticably smaller than Carwin prior to the fight, and Carwin was able to use his superior strength to hold Mir against the cage while delivering punishing blows. Mir has said recently that he will likely try to shed most of the muscle mass he added in the past year, and will likely try to get back to around 245 pounds.

This fight is a must-win for both fighters to remain relevant in the UFC’s heavyweight division. Even the winner will have a hard time getting back in line for a title shot, but for the loser, the chance may never come around again.

In the co-main event of the evening, Nogueira’s twin brother, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, will face off against Ryan Bader in a light heavyweight contest. Rogerio is coming off a surprisingly difficult split-decision win over Jason Brilz at UFC 114 in May. Bader is an impressive 11-0 in his career, and is 4-0 in the UFC. He most recently beat Keith Jardine via KO at UFC 110 in February. The winner of this contest will be in prime position for a future title shot.

Report: James Toney vs. Randy Couture Possible for UFC 118

Tim — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 05:03:09 +0000

According to MMA Junkie, heavyweight boxer James “Lights Out” Toney may make his MMA debut against former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Randy “The Natural” Couture at UFC 118 in Boston. The bout is not yet official, but according to the website, it is likely to serve as either the main event or the co-main event on the card.

Toney signed with the UFC last month, and immediately after the signing, Couture made it known that he would like to have the first crack at the boxing champ. Couture likely sees the bout as a good money-making opportunity as he is reportedly paid a percentage of Pay-per-view sales. A Couture/Toney matchup to go along with other rumored matchups for the card, including a lightweight title rematch between B.J. Penn and Frankie Edgar, would mean a huge payday for Couture.

To a lesser extent, Couture may also feel like he is defending the sport in general, as Toney has done a lot of trash-talking both before and after he signed with the UFC.

Couture last fought at UFC 109, defeating Mark Coleman by submission. The win was his second consecutive victory since he moved down to the light heavyweight division. There has been no word on what weight class this fight would be contested in, though my guess would be heavyweight. Toney weighed in at 217 for his last boxing match (a win over Matthew Greer last September), so he could conceivably cut down to the 205 pound light heavyweight limit.

Toney has compiled a 72-6 professional record in boxing, and has held titles in the middleweight, super middleweight, cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions. For his MMA career, he has been training with Juanito Ibarra, best known in MMA circles as the former trainer to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Jackson and Ibarra split in 2008 after a falling out.

UFC 118 will take place on August 28th at TD Garden in Boston.

UFC Signs Boxing Veteran James “Lights Out” Toney

Tim — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 06:34:41 +0000

After weeks of calling out, following around, and stalking Dana White, heavyweight boxer James “Lights Out” Toney has agreed to a contract with the UFC. The deal is rumored to be a multi-fight contract, but if the contract is similar to others issued by the UFC, the company has the right to terminate the deal after a loss.

White has been considering signing Toney for quite some time, and Toney has pressured White to do so numerous times. Toney confronted White after UFC 107 in December as well as after UFC 108 in January. A meeting between the two in February ended without an agreement in place, with Toney having this to say afterwards:

Dana White is a straight up ho! He makes me a 5-fight offer for chump change and said I can’t box anymore if I accept it. He must have lost his damn mind. I’m the best of both worlds. Anyone in either sport that wants to come see me, we can do this.

Either White upped the offer after that meeting, or Toney decided that “chump change” was good enough. Reports indicate that Toney will be allowed to continue his boxing career along with attempting a UFC career, so perhaps that was all that Toney was seeking.

Toney is still considered a heavyweight champion in boxing, though the titles he currently holds are considered lesser titles (NABO and IBA). The 41-year old heavyweight has a career 72-6-3 record, and last defeated Matthew Greer in September. In his career, Toney has also held titles in the 160, 168 and 190lb weight classes.

White has long been a boxing fan and had kind words to say about Toney in a statement today:

A lot of pro boxers have made a lot of noise about how they would do in mixed martial arts, but nobody on the level of a James Toney has been willing to back up his talk. He’s a legend whose boxing record speaks for itself, and he’s a guy who I’ve got a lot of respect for.

White added that he didn’t have any firm plans as of yet for Toney’s first fight, though late tonight one former UFC champion said that he would like to fight Toney. On Twitter, Randy Couture had this to say:

I hope I’m the first guy they call to fight tony !

That seems like an awfully stern test for someone who really hasn’t trained MMA, but if Toney truly wants to test himself against the best, perhaps a fight with Couture makes sense.

Demian Maia to Face Anderson Silva at UFC 112

Tim — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 03:15:56 +0000

According to UFC.com, Demian Maia will step in for the injured Vitor Belfort to take on Anderson Silva at UFC 112.

Maia, who won a unanimous decision over Dan Miller at UFC 109 last weekend, had been medically suspended until August 6th due to a cut he received in that fight. He could be cleared by a doctor earlier, but it is unclear whether he would be cleared to fight in April if the fight wasn’t taking place in Abu Dhabi, where there is no athletic commission..

Maia is 12-1 in his MMA career with the lone loss coming to Nate Marquardt, who KO’d Maia in the opening minute of their fight at UFC 102. He’s a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and is considered one of the most dangerous Jiu Jitsu practicioners in all of MMA. Maia won his first five contests in the UFC via submission, and won the Submission of the Night award four times in those five fights.

Forrest Griffin vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira Likely for UFC 113

Tim — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 05:40:53 +0000

Earlier reports indicated that a matchup of light heavyweights Forrest Griffin and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira would likely take place sometime this spring. Reports from today indicate that the fight will likely happen at UFC 113 in Montreal. Both fighters have agreed to the fight and are waiting to finalize the contracts.

Griffin and Nogueira both fought in November on the card of UFC 106. Griffin won a split-decision over Tito Ortiz in the main event, while Nogueira dominated and finished light heavyweight contender Luiz Cane in the first round. The fight was Nogueira’s first in the UFC after amassing a 17-3 record in promotions such as PRIDE and Affliction.

UFC 113 is scheduled to take place May 8th in Montreal, Canada, and features a main event rematch between Lyoto Machida and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua for the UFC light heavyweight championship. Also on the card is a matchup of top welterweights between Josh Koscheck and Paul Daley, and a rumored matchup of Kimbo Slice against Matt Mitrione.

Kimbo Slice vs. Matt Mitrione Likely for UFC 113

Tim — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 07:46:04 +0000

According to various reports, Kimbo Slice and Matt Mitrione have agreed to a heavyweight bout that will take place at UFC 113 in Montreal.

Both fighters were contestants on the 10th season of The Ultimate Fighter. Slice lost his first fight to the eventual winner of the show Roy Nelson, while Mitrione won his first fight over Scott Junk before being eliminated in the quarterfinals. Both fighters also fought on the show’s finale, with Slice winning a decision over Houston Alexander and Mitrione upsetting Marcus Jones via TKO.

Mitrione should have a size advantage in the fight, as he normally fights at 255-260 lbs, while Slice will probably come into the fight around 230. This fight should turn into the sloppy slugfest that the UFC hoped the Kimbo/Alexander fight would be. Mitrione should have the advantage, as he has more power and has shown a pretty good chin during his run on The Ultimate Fighter as well as in the fight with Jones.

Slice, for all the hype his street fights have gotten, doesn’t seem to have the power that you would expect. He tagged James Thompson numerous times during their fight in Elite XC and wasn’t able to do serious damage. He was also knocked out by a Seth Petruzelli jab in his last Elite XC appearance. He’ll have to hope he is the more technical and accurate striker, because the pure power advantage goes to Mitrione.

UFC 113 is scheduled to take place in Montreal, Canada on May 1st. The card will feature Lyoto Machida and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in a rematch of their UFC 104 fight, which ended with Machida winning a razor thin decision victory. Also rumored for the card is a welterweight fight between Paul Daley and Josh Koscheck, which will go a long way to determining a future challenger for welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre. There is some preliminary discussion of putting the grudge match between Rashad Evans and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson on the same card, though I believe it will eventually be moved to UFC 114, scheduled to take place in Las Vegas on May 29th.

Henderson Set To Take on Shields for Strikeforce Middleweight Title in April

Tim — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 05:32:00 +0000

On an appearance on ESPN’s MMA Live program today, former PRIDE and UFC fighter Dan Henderson said that his Strikeforce debut would come in April and that he would take on current Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields.

Henderson officially signed with Strikeforce on December 5th, 2009, after lengthy negotiations with the UFC fell through.

Shields claimed the vacant Strikeforce middleweight title by beating “Mayhem” Miller at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers in November. The Brazlilian Jiu Jitsu blackbelt is 24-4-1 in his career, though much of his career has been spent at welterweight.

Henderson is a former welterweight and middleweight champion for Pride, and also fought for the light heavyweight and middleweight titles in the UFC, though he lost the title challenges to Anderson Silva and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Henderson is 27-7 in his MMA career, with wins over Gilbert Yvel, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Babalu Sobral, Vitor Belfort, Wanderlei Silva and Rich Franklin. He should hold a significant size advantage over Shields in the title bout.

The next Strikeforce on CBS event is expected to take place on April 17th, though a location has not been announced. In addition to the Shields/Henderson fight, the card is expected to feature Fedor Emelianenko vs. Fabricio Werdum in the main event.

Here’s this week’s edition of MMA Live:

Roy Nelson vs. Stefan Struve Scheduled for UFC Fight Night 21

Tim — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 04:52:06 +0000

Although the fight has not been finalized, reports indicate that The Ultimate Fighter season 10 winner Roy Nelson will take on heavyweight prospect Stefan Struve at UFC Fight Night 21.

Nelson defeated Brendan Schaub in the show’s finale, winning by TKO in the 1st round. Nelson, a blackbelt in Brazlilian Jiu Jitsu, is 14-4 in his career and has fought for the IFL, Elite XC and now the UFC.

Meanwhile, since dropping his first UFC fight to Junior Dos Santos, the talented 21 year old Struve has racked up three straight wins. He last fought at UFC 106, defeating Paul Buentello in a majority decision. Struve has a background in kickboxing and also has shown good ground skills during his UFC run.

UFC Fight Night 21 is expected to take place on March 31st. 2010 in North Carolina. The broadcast will serve as the lead-in to the next season of The Ultimate Fighter, which features coaches Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell.

Photo courtesy: Justin Bowen/Las Vegas Sun