Author: Dustin Filloy

Pacquiao Is Preparing for Mayweather by Sparring with a Former UFC Fighter

To even diehard MMA and boxing fans, the name Dashon Johnson may seem obscure or even irrelevant. 
But name recognition apparently holds little weight with WBO welterweight boxing champ Manny Pacquiao, who, according to a repor…

To even diehard MMA and boxing fans, the name Dashon Johnson may seem obscure or even irrelevant. 

But name recognition apparently holds little weight with WBO welterweight boxing champ Manny Pacquiao, who, according to a report from EsNews, as transcribed by MMA Mania, has enlisted Johnson’s help in preparation for the most significant fight of his storied career.

We’re less than a month away from Pac-Man’s long-awaited bout with WBA (super), WBC and The Ring welterweight champ Floyd Mayweather Jr., and Johnson represents one of Pacquiao’s few sparring partners.

Johnson talked about how his connection with Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Boxing Club in Los Angeles enabled him to land the coveted gig.

I used to train at Wild Card, obviously for a few years, and me and Freddie have a pretty good relationship, and I actually came to him and offered my assistance. At first it was a little shaky, but after actually going in there a few times he saw what I could bring to the table, and that’s when he decided to keep me in camp, and that’s why I’m here.

After winning his first nine pro MMA fights in the Xplode Fight Series organization, Johnson suffered back-to-back submission losses to Jake Matthews and Godofredo “Pepey” Castro in his only two appearances in the UFC.

Three weeks before his fight with Castro, Johnson violated his contract by accepting a pro boxing fight on two days’ notice. Johnson lost that fight via unanimous decision to Louis Rose and was subsequently released from the UFC less than two months later.

A 27-year-old California native, Johnson hasn’t competed in MMA since getting his walking papers from the UFC last October. He has dropped each of his last six pro boxing matches and holds a career boxing mark of 15-19-3.

“Honestly, it’s a dream come true,” Johnson said. “Watching Manny over the years and seeing him progress and him actually having me in camp for arguably the biggest fight in history, it’s honestly a blessing, and I couldn’t be more happy to be here.”

Johnson may have racked up nine straight wins in the Xplode Fight Series organization, but his experience there certainly didn’t prepare him for the UFC. None of his Xplode Fight Series opponents currently hold a winning record, and three of those foes were making their pro debuts against Johnson and haven’t competed since. His eight opponents from the Xplode Fight Series have compiled a combined record of 15-50, with 12 of those wins coming from one opponent, Brady Harrison.

Pacquiao, boxing’s first and only eight-division world champ, has amassed a career record of 57-5-2, with 38 knockouts. Mayweather, a five-division world champ, has piled up a career mark of 47-0 with 26 knockouts.

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MMA Fighter Ramin Zeynalov Dies After Bout in National Tournament in Azerbaijan

Less than 13 months after Booto Guylain died after a pro MMA fight in South Africa, Ramin Zeynalov suffered the same fate after competing in an amateur bout in Azerbaijan last week, according to a report from Bloody Elbow.
The 27-year-old Azerbaij…

Less than 13 months after Booto Guylain died after a pro MMA fight in South Africa, Ramin Zeynalov suffered the same fate after competing in an amateur bout in Azerbaijan last week, according to a report from Bloody Elbow.

The 27-year-old Azerbaijani fighter was rendered unconscious after getting slammed and mounted by an unknown opponent in what was a national tournament held at The Hovsan Olympic Complex. Zeynalov died from a brain hemorrhage sustained during the fight.

In this video of the bout, it appears that Zeynalov attempted to lock up an arm-in guillotine choke, only to get slammed hard to the mat by a double-leg takedown. The black belt in taekwondo seemed conscious for seconds after the slam, even making a last-ditch effort to pull off the guillotine as his opponent moved into the mount.

What happened next was unclear, to say the least.

While releasing his guillotine attempt, Zeynalov went limp after slowly losing consciousness. The bout’s referee, however, didn’t recognize Zeynalov‘s dire state until his foe unleashed a punch from the mount. But due to the video’s poor quality, it wasn’t evident whether Zeynalov‘s opponent actually landed the punch or pulled it back at the last instant.

Zeynalov‘s brother, Rahman, said his younger sibling didn’t inform his family of his plans to take the fight. Although he had no success, Rahman said he attempted to talk Ramin out of accepting the bout.

Ramin is the youngest brother in the family. He did not tell anyone that he had filed an application to participate in the fighting without rules. We found out about it by accident. Of course we started to dissuade him, saying that he had a family, he does not need, but he was not listening. He did not need the money, it was just his passion. He has a wonderful family, including his little daughter.

Rahman, a police officer in Azerbaijan, said the death of his brother is being investigated. He also said he harbors no ill will toward Ramin‘s unknown opponent. 

“I can not blame him for the death of (my) brother — he attacked him not with weapons; it was a battle, Rahman said.”

Bloody Elbow’s report didn’t specify whether the tournament was sanctioned. 

Guylain was the fourth MMA fighter to pass away due to injuries sustained during sanctioned MMA fights.

After suffering cerebral hemorrhages in their pro bouts, 30-year-old Michael Kirkham and 35-year-old Sam Vasquez both died. Thirty-year-old Tyrone Mims passed away after an amateur fight, although the cause of death in that case was never determined.  

In September 2013, former pro Leandro “Feijao” Souza died while attempting to cut weight prior to Shooto Brazil 43 in Rio de Janeiro. The Nova Uniao product apparently died from a stroke.

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Former ‘TUF’ Competitor Resurrects Life and Career by Helping Enslaved Pygmies

Justin Wren may have never ventured back into the realm of mixed martial arts had he not experienced an almost-kismet-like vision about the Congo in 2011.
But according to Yahoo Sports’ Kevin Iole, Wren followed what he thought was a plan from God to g…

Justin Wren may have never ventured back into the realm of mixed martial arts had he not experienced an almost-kismet-like vision about the Congo in 2011.

But according to Yahoo Sports’ Kevin Iole, Wren followed what he thought was a plan from God to go to the Congo to offer aid to a massive group of enslaved people who are known as the Pygmies. 

Four years removed from his first journey to the Congo, Wren has transformed himself from a lost athlete who struggled with drug and alcohol addiction to a humanitarian with a new and altruistic outlet to direct his energy. 

A former competitor on Season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter, the 27-year-old Wren not only created a foundation for the Pygmies that’s called “Fight for the Forgotten,” he also authored a book by the same name that’s slated to be published by Howard Books in September.

The 6’3″, 270-pound Wren also intends to fight again, and if he happens to garner any bonus money in the process, he plans to donate it all to the Pygmies. 

Wren explained to Iole how in 2011—at a major turning point in his life and MMA career—he had a prophetic daydream about the Congo after praying to God for answers about his future.

I just prayed hard. I said, ‘God, what do you want me to do? Do you want me to fight? Do you want me to do something else?’ I had the offer from Dream, and it was a good amount of money for me and it was a good matchup and all of that. As I prayed, I felt it was a no. And that’s when I had the vision.

I was dreaming even though I was awake, and I saw myself in the Congo. I didn’t know it was the Congo. I saw myself in the jungle and there were these hurting people. They were sick and they were enslaved and they were thirsty and people just hated them. They were withering away with their ribs out. I saw them coughing up their lungs. It messed me up because I thought I was a crazy person.

Wren’s issues with drug addiction stemmed from a gruesome elbow injury he suffered while wrestling at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado in 2005. After nearly six years of drug abuse, which included the use of opiates and cocaine, Wren got clean and found himself with a decision to make regarding his fighting career.

Wren entertained a tempting offer to compete for Dream, but before accepting the potentially lucrative deal from the former Japanese-based promotion, the Texas native decided to ask God for guidance. Wren’s plea to God didn’t lead him to Japan to continue his fighting career. Instead, it convinced him to travel to the Congo to offer help to the over 500,000 Pygmies who live there in extreme poverty.

During the second of several trips to the Congo, Wren used the assistance of Shalom University to formulate strategies to aid the Pygmies in acquiring land, finding drinkable water and creating their own food.

Wren stayed in the Congo for over a year during his third trip there. In that time, the former Greco-Roman wrestling national champ assisted in buying nearly 2,500 acres of land. He also lent a hand in digging 13 wells.

For his inspirational efforts in the Congo, Wren earned an affectionate name from the Pygmies, Efeosa Mbuti MangBo. Efeosa translates to “the man who loves us,” and Mbuti MangBo translates to “the big Pygmy.”

Without a doubt, I’m a better man for this. I’ve seen up close what is important in life. Before, living the life of my dreams I’d had as a 13-year-old, being a UFC fighter, is what was important to me. That didn’t fulfill me and I spiraled downward and crashed and burned. Having these experiences, I see more clearly how precious life is, how precious every human life is.

There are bigger things to life than having my name known as a fighter. I feel like the addictions, the depression, all that stuff, I’m not naïve enough to say I’m above it. But I will say I have greater things to live for and to focus and pursue. I’m not doing this to help myself, but I see as I help others, it comes back to help me. So I feel like I’m a much better man now than I was when I went there for the first time.

Wren submitted UFC veteran Wes Sims with a first-round arm-triangle choke in the opening round of The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights (Season 10). He then dropped a controversial majority decision to eventual season winner Roy Nelson in the quarterfinals before falling via split decision to Jon Madsen at The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale. Wren notched three straight wins after falling to Madsen, each of which occurred outside of the UFC in 2010.

Wren attended Bishop Lynch High School in Dallas, where he was coached by former Olympic freestyle wrestling gold medalists Kendall Cross and Kenny Monday. Wren won back-to-back prep state championships in 2004 and 2005 at Bishop Lynch.

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Kurt Angle on Why He Chose Not to Be an MMA Fighter, Despite Offers from the UFC

For years, Kurt Angle teased the notion of attempting to see how far his wrestling prowess could take him in mixed martial arts.
But the thought never materialized on account of the fact that the former Olympic freestyle wrestling gold medalist didn’t …

For years, Kurt Angle teased the notion of attempting to see how far his wrestling prowess could take him in mixed martial arts.

But the thought never materialized on account of the fact that the former Olympic freestyle wrestling gold medalist didn’t want to give up pro wrestling.

Angle detailed the close calls he had to signing with some of the most prominent organizations in the sport, including the UFC, on last Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, per a report from MMA Fighting‘s Dave Meltzer:

I’ve had meetings with them all in MMA, World Series, Elite XC, twice with UFC. Whether it was the money or the timing wasn’t right, it didn’t happen. I considered going until I turned 42. I wouldn’t even think about doing it now, unfortunately. I don’t regret it. When I met with Dana White, he wanted me to quit wrestling entirely, but I had just signed with TNA. I met with Dana the same week and he said I needed to quit wrestling. I couldn’t tell (TNA owner) Dixie Carter I wanted to back out.

The 46-year-old Angle, a former WWF/WWE heavyweight champ, still competes as a pro wrestler. He’s signed with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he’s the company’s heavyweight champ.

Angle admitted that he’s in the twilight of his career, and if he continues to compete as a pro wrestler, it will have to be on a part-time basis.

As for MMA, Angle knows his small window to dabble has long since passed. However, Angle did say that if he would have picked MMA following his Olympic gold medal in 1996, he would have experienced the same type of success that he enjoyed in pro wrestling.

“I believe I’d have been as good in MMA as I was in pro wrestling, but I don’t regret it,” he said. “If the money was there in MMA when I came out of the Olympics, I’d have gone into MMA. But it wasn’t there until I was four years into my WWE career. But I love pro wrestling, so it wasn’t meant to be for me.”

Angle convened with UFC President Dana White on more than one occasion to discuss potential deals. During his second meeting with White, which took place in 2008, Angle said White talked about the idea of having Angle join the cast of The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights, which included Kimbo Slice and Roy Nelson. That season of TUF was coached by Rashad Evans and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Angle said:

The second time I met with Dana, I took the physical. He wanted me to do The Ultimate Fighter with Kimbo. He was great. He was willing to pay me a good bit of money to be on the show. But he wanted me ready in four-and-a-half weeks. It just wasn’t in the cards. I think it would have been great TV. He was willing to sign me to a six-fight deal after the show, but he wanted me on the show. But it wasn’t going to happen in four-and-a-half weeks.

Angle not only turned down White’s offer to compete on TUF, but he also walked away from a potentially lucrative deal to fight an old pro wrestling rival, former American Kickboxing Academy student Daniel Puder.

Angle said he was interested in fighting Puder in the Octagon, but said he decided to turn the deal down because he had just signed with TNA Wrestling days earlier.

An accomplished actor who has landed several roles in motion pictures and television shows, Angle made his name as an amateur wrestler. After winning a high school state championship in Pennsylvania, Angle won a pair of NCAA Division I titles at Clarion University. He then defeated Iran’s Abbas Jadidi to win the gold medal at the Summer Olympic Games in 1996 in Atlanta.

Angle’s younger brother, Mark, was also a top-flight amateur wrestler, reaching All-American status in three straight seasons from 1998 to 2000 at Clarion.

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Cris “Cyborg” Justino Gets Vulgar with Ronda Rousey’s Mother

For years, UFC women’s bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey and Invicta FC featherweight linchpin Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino have engaged in a heated war of words.
The feud has run so deep that it spawned another series of arguments between Cyborg and …

For years, UFC women’s bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey and Invicta FC featherweight linchpin Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino have engaged in a heated war of words.

The feud has run so deep that it spawned another series of arguments between Cyborg and Rousey‘s mother, AnnMaria De Mars. Now, after months of verbal jousting, the duo recently brought their quarrel to a boiling point.

Cyborg delivered the latest blow in her back-and-forth dispute with De Mars with this NSFW post through her account on The Underground, a discussion board for MMA enthusiasts:

Honda mom look like Kim Kardashian mom. She give interview for what? She want to be TMZ superstar? I missed weight 1 time in 10 years. I don’t know where she read this but I can guarantee I make 140lbs. Cat Zingano was world Champion 125 before going up in weight to test herself, same thing Pacquiao is doing against Mayweather. Honda would rather fight girls she know she can beat in the first round because the last time she challenge herself she only take home a Bronze medal. Maybe we can ask Dana to give the loser of our fight a medal so she feel better about herself.

In another portion of her post, Cyborg predicted that if she ever got her opportunity against Rousey, the night would end with De Mars crying in the crowd.

I don’t need my mom to give interview about how I will break some movie stars nose! Honda look p—y. Before she talk about me but now she quiet and her mom defend her. Everybody knows the time is coming. Ms. Housey please sit front row our fight and you will cry. Watch Joanna Jedrzejczyk last fight this is perfect example of how To stop takedown. I don’t want your belt, I want your soul. #ChampionVsChampion.

The always vocal De Mars, who is the first American to capture a gold medal at the World Judo Championships, has thrown verbal jabs at Cyborg on numerous occasions.

Minutes after Rousey defended her bantamweight belt for the fifth straight time at UFC 184, De Mars once again voiced her opinion on the debate of whether or not Rousey should meet Cyborg at a catchweight above 135 pounds.

Maybe Cyborg should cut 10 pounds if she thinks she’s so good, because you know what? I cut weight all the time. I won the U.S. National Championships at 48 kilos, which is 106 pounds, and I won it at 56 kilos, which is 123 pounds. So don’t give me that bulls–t about, ‘I couldn’t have babies if I cut weight,’ because I had four of them. 

Although she had planned to drop to 135 pounds for the first time in her career at Invicta FC 10 in December, Cyborg scrapped the plan when she suffered an ankle injury prior to the fight. Three days after her latest win, which ran her record to 13-1-1 and 3-0 in Invicta FC, Cyborg tweeted a picture of herself on a scale. The scale read that she weighed 175 pounds. 

Cyborg, the last Strikeforce women’s featherweight champ, defended her Invicta FC belt for the first time when she TKO’d Charmaine Tweet at Invicta FC 11 on Feb. 26 in Los Angeles. Cyborg won the inaugural featherweight title by TKO’ing Marloes Coenen at Invicta FC 6 in July 2013. She suffered her lone loss in her pro debut, a submission (kneebar) setback to Erica Paes at Show Fight 2 in May 2005.

Rousey, on the other hand, holds a pro mark of 11-0, which includes nine wins by armbar, eight of those coming in the first round. In her last bout, Rousey needed just 14 seconds to slap on a straight armbar that forced a tap from the previously unbeaten Cat Zingano at UFC 184.

The only foe who’s taken her out of the first round is Miesha Tate, whom Rousey finished in each of their two meetings.

De Mars went by the last name Burns during her years as a judoka. De Mars won the World Judo Championships at 56 kilos in 1984 in Vienna, Austria.

 

Quotes obtained from De Mars firsthand.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov: ‘Dos Anjos Smashes Pettis in Striking and on the Ground’

Even though he came up short in their only fight, top-ranked UFC lightweight Rafael dos Anjos evidently earned the respect of second-ranked Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC on Fox 11 in April 2014.
As for Anthony Pettis, Nurmagomedov doesn’t seem to hol…

Even though he came up short in their only fight, top-ranked UFC lightweight Rafael dos Anjos evidently earned the respect of second-ranked Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC on Fox 11 in April 2014.

As for Anthony Pettis, Nurmagomedov doesn’t seem to hold the same reverence for the UFC lightweight linchpin. 

During a March interview with MMAFighting.com‘s Marc Raimondi, Nurmagomedov offered his prediction on the lightweight title bout between Pettis and dos Anjos that will unfold at UFC 185 on Saturday.

“I think [dos Anjos] smashes [Pettis] in striking and I think he smashes him on the ground,” Nurmagomedov said. “This is my opinion. I don’t know why, but I think he’ll smash him.”

Nurmagomedov handed dos Anjos his last setback when he racked up six takedowns en route to a unanimous-decision win at UFC on Fox 11. Since the loss, the Brazilian has reeled off three straight wins, two of which ended by form of KO-TKO.

Nurmagomedov suffered a torn right meniscus following his win over dos Anjos and hasn’t competed since. 

Aside from his loss to Nurmagomedov, dos Anjos has looked virtually unstoppable in his last nine fights, winning eight times in that span, including five times by unanimous decision. The 30-year-old longtime Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt confidently echoed the sentiments of Nurmagomedov at a media scrum prior to UFC 184 on Feb. 28.

“For sure man,” dos Anjos said when asked if he believes he has an edge in grappling over Pettis. “I think I can beat him anywhere. I think I’m a dangerous fighter that hits hard, and I’m going to prove to everyone why I’m getting this chance. I think I can beat him on the ground or knock him out. I have a lot of confidence in what I got, so on that day on March 14, it’s going to come down to who makes a mistake, and I won’t be that guy.”

Nurmagomedov, who’s slated to face third-ranked Donald Cerrone on a stacked UFC 187 card in May, made sure to clarify that his win over dos Anjos didn’t come easy.

“Dos Anjos is no easy man,” Nurmagomedov said. “A lot of people watch and think I beat him easy, but it was not easy. It was no easy fight. I beat him, but nobody beat him like me.”

After losing his UFC debut in 2011 to Clay Guida, the 28-year-old Pettis has won five straight fights, including two by KO and two by submission. Odds Shark has deemed the former WEC lightweight champ a 3.5-1 favorite (-350) to top dos Anjos (+250).

 

Bleacher Report obtained the quote from Rafael dos Anjos firsthand.

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