An older video has been resurfacing on message boards and websites around the internet, featuring a ridiculous leaping, spinning roundhouse kick to the face in a kickboxing fight. The fight featured Evgenji Alekseev and Vadim Masljanka, who touched ha…
An older video has been resurfacing on message boards and websites around the internet, featuring a ridiculous leaping, spinning roundhouse kick to the face in a kickboxing fight.
The fight featured Evgenji Alekseev and Vadim Masljanka, who touched hands just one second into the video.
They circled around the center of the ring, but the fight ended just seconds later after the unbelievable kick lands flush, knocking out the victim who fell helplessly into the corner of the ring, completely unconscious.
Fans cheered as the referee tended to the downed fighter whose head rested on the bottom turnbuckle.
With the recent highlight reel UFC front-kick knockouts by Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva, we may be seeing more of this unique, risky kind of striking in MMA.
Steven Seagal would be proud.
On second thought, Seagal probably created this kick back in the 70’s. He has quietly been teaching his “lethal stuff” to more people than just the fighters at Black House. Shh, don’t tell anyone.
Strikeforce middleweight contender Tim Kennedy has been busy over the past few days. Kennedy has officially called out the UFC’s Michael Bisping who made headlines with his antics against at UFC 127 where he landed an flagrant illegal knee to the jaw o…
Strikeforce middleweight contender Tim Kennedy has been busy over the past few days. Kennedy has officially called out the UFC’s Michael Bisping who made headlines with his antics against at UFC 127 where he landed an flagrant illegal knee to the jaw of Kennedy’s friend, Jorge Rivera.
Kennedy took to Twitter where he began a verbal lashing the U.K.’s most popular fighter on Tuesday, May 17.
@TimKennedyMMA: It is #disrespectful and unprofessional to illegally knee someone in the face while they have their knees on the ground @bisping
@TimKennedyMMA: #alliwantis little boys and girls to understand that cheating like @bisping doesn’t pay. Contrary to actual outcome of his last fight.
@TimKennedyMMA: #itshardwhen you want to fight the best but have to wait for them to step up. GIVE ME A FIGHT
Never one to be shy about returning trash talk, Bisping responded Wednesday to Kennedy’s tweets during an interview with MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani.
“It’s completely weird. He actually sent me a Tweet. It was directed to me, @bisping, ‘Bisping you’re an a**hole,’ or something, ‘You disrespected the sport and Jorge Rivera for the illegal knee.’ Normally, I never, ever respond to negative Tweets because, you know, all you’re doing is confirming to this person that you’ve actually read it and it may have gotten to you, so I never usually respond. But on this occasion, I thought, Here you’ve got another fellow professional of the sport that should know better, and he’s directing it at me. I’ve never met the guy, he doesn’t even fight in the UFC, and I just said, You know what, Tim Kennedy? Go f**k yourself. You’ve missed the train. That bandwagon left two months ago. I don’t know what his problem is. Again, he’s another one in a long list of people who’s trying to make a name off my back.”
Jorge Rivera and Kennedy’s Ranger Up business partner Nick Palmisciano spoke out in March about the UFC 127 situation, but according to the Ranger Up Facebook page, Tim Kennedy is prepared to let his fists do the talking.
”I will give my fight purse to charity if the UFC: Ultimate Fighting Championship lets me fight Bisping,” Kennedy stated.
Suggestions of a possible Bisping vs. Kennedy season of The Ultimate Fighter have been flooding in on Twitter, but nothing has been confirmed yet. Many other fighters have been calling out Bisping over the last few months, so Kennedy may have to get in line.
The biggest obstacle is likely the contract implications which are still somewhat of a mystery since Zuffa purchased Strikeforce. While fighters are technically under contract with Zuffa whether they are in the UFC or Strikeforce, UFC President Dana White has made it sound more complicated than that. No Strikeforce fighter has fought on a UFC card, or vice versa, since the merger.
But no other fighter has offered to give up his fight purse just for a chance to deliver another Dan Henderson-like knockout to the Brit, either.
The storylines in this potential fight are juicy and plentiful.
UFC fans got terrible news last week when it was learned that Brock Lesnar would be replaced by Shane Carwin after dropping out of his scheduled UFC 131 fight with Junior dos Santos due to another bout with diverticulitis.While Lesnar dropping out of t…
UFC fans got terrible news last week when it was learned that Brock Lesnar would be replaced by Shane Carwin after dropping out of his scheduled UFC 131 fight with Junior dos Santos due to another bout with diverticulitis.
While Lesnar dropping out of the fight will certainly hurt the buyrate bottom line for the UFC, one could make the case that the main event of UFC 131 is actually better now.
I know what you’re thinking—Shane Carwin lost to Brock Lesnar in his last fight, so how could Carwin vs. Dos Santos be better than Lesnar vs. Dos Santos? But remember, it’s not necessarily the rankings of the fighters that matter. As they always say, “styles make fights.”
At UFC 131, it will have been almost a year since the last time we saw Carwin step into a UFC cage. 12-0 at the time with all 12 wins coming by way of knockout or submission, Carwin was already the UFC interim heavyweight champion and looked to be on a warpath toward the official UFC heavyweight championship.
But it was Lesnar, who was coming off of his first bout with diverticulitis, who stopped the Colorado native’s undefeated streak in its tracks.
Now a year older and a year wiser, Carwin was scheduled to fight UFC newcomer Jon Olav Einemo at UFC 131 before the opportunity to fight Dos Santos arose. Though no fights in MMA are a slam-dunk, this certainly looked like an attempt to get Carwin back in the win column against a 35-year-old fighter with questionable standup skills.
Now lined up to face a fighter who mirrors his 12-1 career record, Carwin will need to significantly change his training regiment as he prepares for the event. Jon Olav Einemo is an absolute wizard on the ground while Junior dos Santos has spent about as little time on the ground in his MMA career as has anyone in the sport.
That said, Dos Santos poses a significantly bigger challenge in the standup game, as he may possess some of the best technical MMA boxing skills of any heavyweight. Dos Santos has won eight of his 12 fights by way of knockout, including memorable highlight-reel knockouts against Stefan Struve, Fabricio Werdum, Gilbert Yvel and Gabriel Gonzaga.
A member of the Black House MMA team, Junior dos Santos works regularly with the likes of Anderson Silva, Jose Aldo and Lyoto Machida, along with a host of other top talents in the world; many of whom are among the very best strikers in their divisions. Dos Santos is no exception.
Months ago, I would’ve laughed at anyone who suggested that training with Steven Seagal at Black House would be an advantage for Dos Santos, but two crazy front kicks to the face from Silva and Machida later, and I’d now be eating my words. It still seems crazy on the surface, but there may actually be some legitimacy to the hype.
Regardless, the UFC 131 main event will feature two big-time strikers who have the ability to knockout anyone in the sport, which could very well lead to a standup war the likes of which is rarely seen in MMA, with two fighters who may never even look to bring the fight to the ground.
While the jiu-jitsu fan in me wants to shake my fist at this kind of technique, I know that the overwhelming majority of fans are looking for the big knockout to tell their friends about the next day. They may cheer a beautiful transition on the ground or a nice submission, but those things are rarely remembered when fans talk about the “best fights ever.”
I’m always reminded of the standup war at The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale, when Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin fought in an epic battle to determine who would be the victor and earn himself a UFC contract. While Griffin won the fight, many fans will always remember this war as one that helped get them more excited about the sport, or even expose them to the sport in the first place.
It wasn’t the most technical battle and it was fought on the feet practically the entire time, but this fight is one that is still talked about now over six years after it happened.
Shane Carwin vs. Junior dos Santos is sure to be a more technical battle than that was, but it does have the potential to have the same type of impact for fans.
So don’t tune out just because Brock Lesnar’s name is no longer on the marquee. If Carwin has worked on his cardio enough to last the full three rounds without gassing like he did in the second round of his fight with Lesnar, we may actually be looking at a potential Fight of the Year candidate in the main event at UFC 131.
When former UFC and EliteXC fighter Kimbo Slice was released from his contract by the UFC, many believed that it spelled the end for his career in combat sports.But a recent interview with MMA Weekly Radio, former EliteXC executive Jared Shaw revealed …
When former UFC and EliteXC fighter Kimbo Slice was released from his contract by the UFC, many believed that it spelled the end for his career in combat sports.
But a recent interview with MMA Weekly Radio, former EliteXC executive Jared Shaw revealed that the duo is actively working on a deal to have a boxing match against Minnesota Vikings defensive end Ray Edwards.
Edwards, who is currently a restricted free agent, has been training to box for quite some time and is set to make his debut this Saturday night against former kickboxer T.J. Gibson in Hinckley, MN.
“I’ll tell you right now on the air, I’ve called Mike Riley to get in touch with Ray Edwards’ people and I’ve made an open challenge to come fight Kimbo Slice. That fight I will deliver,” Shaw told MMAWeekly Radio.
“If Ray Edwards wants to step up and fight Kimbo Slice I will deliver that to the public,” Shaw continued.
“There’s two guys that come from athletic backgrounds, that haven’t been in the ring that many times, so let’s see two big boys bang it out. If Ray Edwards thinks he’s a great boxer, then maybe he thinks he can go through Kevin Ferguson very quickly.”
Not only would a fight between Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson and an elite-caliber NFL football player make a big splash in the media, it could also stir the pot again between Edwards’ Ambition MMA training partners and the former The Ultimate Fighter star.
Mike Riley, a coach at Ambition MMA, has also been training current Strikeforce star and Heavyweight Grand Prix contestant Brett Rogers for years. It was Rogers who publicly called out Slice in a post-fight press conference after an EliteXC event.
Though the two fighters’ careers have gone in very different directions since that night and a fight between them seems highly unlikely to ever materialize, the team members at Ambition MMA could get some satisfaction in seeing one of their own lay a beat down on Kimbo Slice.
Edwards signed a two-fight deal and hasn’t yet decided on a second opponent. But like many of his fellow NFL players, he will not be standing by idly while the Players Union and the league settle their differences.
“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do in my life,” Edwards told The Minneapolis Star-Tribune in April. “I can’t put my eggs all in one basket, waiting for the NFL to settle the lockout. You never know when this lockout is going to end.”
According to Shaw, Kimbo Slice hasn’t been taking much time off since leaving the UFC and remains open to the idea of a professional boxing fight against a fellow star like Ray Edwards.
“I’m always in contact with Kimbo and his camp, and they’re great,” Shaw boasted of his superstar.
“Kimbo’s enjoying his life post a lot of training years. The first time out in boxing it just wasn’t the right timing, he had some aches, he wanted to go shoot a film, ‘The Scorpion King,’ and we just left it open ended. I have good feelings that Kimbo Slice still wants to make an impact in the fight game. However, he can define his own impact.”
While neither Slice nor Edwards will likely develop into a contender for any high-level boxing championship, both men are entertainers and could bring in some serious headlines if this fight were to ever materialize.
“Some people will call it a circus, but you can call it whatever you want,” Shaw concluded. “It’s two guys who are willing to get in the ring and bang it out. I don’t really call that a circus.”
The next British Association of Mixed Martial Arts event, BAMMA 6, took a big hit last month when MMA legend Phil Baroni was forced out of his scheduled fight against English fighter Matt Ewin.But things turned around when it it was announced that fell…
The next British Association of Mixed Martial Arts event, BAMMA 6, took a big hit last month when MMA legend Phil Baroni was forced out of his scheduled fight against English fighter Matt Ewin.
But things turned around when it it was announced that fellow legend Ivan Salaverry would be taking his place.
It will be nearly three years since he last competed professionally, but Salaverry has been staying in shape since he retired following back-to-back UFC losses to Terry Martin and Rousimar Palhares. He has been working with other fighters in his own gym, located in Seattle, Wash.
“[My return] has been a slow process. I was rolling with guys who were 20, 25, and still doing it,” he explained in an interview with Bleacher Report. “My manager, Brett [Atchley], put it out there with BAMMA and worked things out and now here I am.”
“We’ve been talking about it for awhile. I always try to maintain a good camp, stay in shape, and be ready to take a fight, because you never know what’s going to happen.”
The timing may seem odd given how long he has been out of the sport, but the location of the event actually played a part in his return.
True to their name, BAMMA has grown to be a powerhouse in British MMA. BAMMA 6 will take place in London at historic Wembley Arena.
“I was always interested in fighting in Europe,” Salaverry admitted. “There’s so much growth in the sport in England, and I’ve never had a chance to fight in front of those fans before, so I think it’s a great opportunity for me.”
Despite having fought since all the way back in 1999, he has spent the majority of his career fighting in America, with only three fights in Japan and one in Canada.
The opportunity to fight in front of a new audience is something that interested him. His opponent at BAMMA 6, Matt Ewin, will be at home as he fights in front of his friends and family in England.
“From the videos that I’ve seen, he’s a strong fellow who has a good wrestling and grappling background,” Salaverry said of his foe.
“The Salaverry” has been consistently training since his retirement, but also conceded that he has changed his training over time.
“I think that a little rest and maintaining a good, smart regimen, has been good for me,” he explained. “I used to just use my strength, but now I work smarter, I’m better at certain things and I give my body rest. My techniques do the talking instead of brute strength.”
But even given Ewin’s expertise on the ground, Salaverry has not strayed far from his usual fight plan.
“All in all, I always train in a well-rounded way,” he added. “So I’ll be ready for whatever he throws at me.”
When Phil Baroni backed out of the fight and was replaced by Salaverry, the game plan changed for Matt Ewin. But the light trash-talking remained as the confident Brit told Full Mount that he planned to “Salaverry the Salaverry.”
“The Salaverry” is Ivan Salaverry’s nickname, but it is also the term used to describe a crucifix technique that he has used successfully many times in his career.
Though this kind of talk would get a reaction from most fighters, a veteran like Ivan Salaverry doesn’t let it get to him.
“Everybody’s got their different personalities. I don’t take anything personally,” he stated. “I don’t [talk trash] myself because, at the end of the day, we’re going to fight. I don’t need to say anything.”
Certainly a quick victory would be a nice welcome back to the sport for the legend, but surprisingly that’s not necessarily what he’s looking for.
“I want one of those epic fights that people remember,” he revealed. “I’m getting old and I want at least one more fight that people will look back at and say, ‘Remember when?’ “
Though he has not ruled out a possible return down the road to the UFC, Salaverry admits that some differences between himself and the company’s President, Dana White, could make it extremely difficult.
“I don’t want to close any doors. Nothing’s off the table. If the Dana and the UFC called me and wanted to work something out, I’d definitely look it over very closely,” he acknowledged.
“Fighting for them is a great honor, they’re the biggest show in town, or in the world for that matter, so turning something down from them wouldn’t really be a good move for me or for my fans. But I don’t expect Dana to come calling any time soon,” Salaverry laughed.
For now, the now 40-year-old Salaverry is content with where he is.
“At this point in my career, I’m just looking to take it one fight at a time,” he stated. “I’m not trying to say, ‘Hey, let’s do a 10-fight deal’ or something like that. It’s one fight at a time. I want to enjoy each fight and put forth my best effort for every fight that I have left in me.”
“Things with BAMMA have been great so far, and I think it’s a great place for me to be.”
The event takes place next Saturday at BAMMA 6 from Wembley Arena in London. Fans can stream the event live from BAMMA.tv.
I had the opportunity to speak with MMA legend, Frank Trigg, last week as he prepares for his fight against John Phillips at BAMMA 6 on May 21. A nearly 14-year veteran of the sport, Trigg has fought all over the world, but this is the first time that…
I had the opportunity to speak with MMA legend, Frank Trigg, last week as he prepares for his fight against John Phillips at BAMMA 6 on May 21.
A nearly 14-year veteran of the sport, Trigg has fought all over the world, but this is the first time that he will have the opportunity to fight in front of the rapidly expanding English fanbase.
“Yeah, this is the first time I’ve fought out there, but I’ve been out there plenty of times with my daughter, so I kind of know the area,” he told Bleacher Report MMA.
“I’m familiar with Wembley Arena.”
His opponent in the fight will be a man with one of the most interesting nicknames the sport: Welsh middleweight John “The White Mike Tyson” Phillips. Phillips is currently on a five fight win streak including a knockout victory over James Zikic at BAMMA 4 last September.
Fighting primarily in English promotions, the film on Phillips isn’t nearly as extensive as what can be found on Trigg, who has spent most of his career fighting at major events.
“Other than the fights on YouTube, I don’t know much about him. I’ve never met him or anything. I know he has a lot of power.”
With all 13 of his wins coming by way of strikes, the nickname may be appropriate, but Trigg isn’t scared to stand and bang with the knockout artist.
“His nickname is ‘The White Mike Tyson,’ but I’ve been training with guys who have power, too.”
A member of Randy Couture’s Xtreme Couture gym, Trigg has the benefit of training with some of the very best the sport has to offer. But what makes the gym even more interesting is the surprising number of left-handed fighters who have been able to train with Trigg in preparation for this fight against the left-handed slugger Phillips.
“Martin Kampmann has been training with me as a lefty, and he hits really hard. Obviously Vitor Belfort…” Trigg explained.
“More than the average number, for sure. We actually have a bunch of guys at Xtreme Couture who are left handed. It’s about one out of every seven people that is truly left-handed, so to have as many guys to train with that are left-handed as we do has been great.”
Not only will fighting a fellow lefty be an interesting change-of-pace for “Twinkle Toes,” but a move up to 185 pounds is something that could yield even more success.
After making a two-fight run in the UFC as a welterweight, Trigg feels confident as he makes a permanent move to middleweight.
“The biggest mistake I ever made in my career was trying to come back to the UFC at 170 and fight the top guys right away,” he conceded.
“Physically, I wasn’t ready for it. I had retired for something like nine months and I ballooned up to 210 pounds, which is huge for me.
Trigg lost both fights by way of first round knockout, to Josh Koscheck and Matt Serra.
“I had a huge Tito Ortiz head and everything,” he laughed. “But when I came back, I tried to go down to 170 and I should’ve just fought at 185. I should’ve started slow, not fought on TV, tried to build myself back up physically. But I said, ‘Put me on TV, let me fight the best guys’ and it didn’t work out.”
Now nearing the end of his career, Trigg is looking to enjoy what he’s doing before fading off into the sunset on what has been a memorable career.
“I think I’ll enjoy fighting until I’m in my 80’s. But enjoying it and being able to do it are two completely different things, you know?”
“I can keep fighting, but I don’t want to be the guy who goes out on four knockout losses in a row or fights until his 50’s like Dan Severn,” Trigg asserted.
“That guy was fighting at UFC 1. He’s a legend in the sport and now he’s fighting at these tiny local shows all around the country, probably only making a few thousand dollars for each fight, and it’s just like, ‘Why?’ I want to go out on my own terms, like Randy Couture did.”
But with the understanding that his career is likely nearing its end, Trigg has lined up a number of opportunities outside of competition that will keep him happy going forward.
In addition to his work as an MMA commentator, Trigg also has his own clothing line and assists as a nutrition and workout expert. In fact, he recently alluded to the possibility of creating a “video cookbook for men” on his Twitter account, @FrankTrigg.
But it may be his adventure in the pro wrestling ring that could yield the highest payout for the current MMA star.
While fighters like Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley have made the transition from pro wrestling to MMA, it isn’t often that an American fighter is successful in a somewhat long-term run in an American wrestling promotion.
A long time friend of wrestling superstar Kurt Angle, Trigg joined Total Nonstop Action (TNA) wrestling in 2008, aligning himself with Angle in the process. While his first run in the entertainment arena wasn’t wildly successful, there is certainly a base to begin with and he does seem to have a genuine love for pro wrestling.
“I’d definitely consider going back to pro wrestling in the future,” he admitted.
“It’s just such a different mindset. In pro wrestling, the outcomes are pre-determined and they’re working together for a common outcome. But what I’ve been training for my whole life is totally different. I’m trying to bring you to a place you don’t want to be, so it’s just a lot different.”
“I’d have to train probably for a year or two straight before I ever could make it as a regular character on TV and keep up with the guys. I have a lot of respect for everything they do.”
Certainly a person as determined as Frank Trigg will be successful in whatever he chooses to do down the road, but for right now, it’s all about living in the moment for the New York native and current Las Vegas occupant.
If there is one more run left in his body, we may see it this weekend when Frank Trigg battles John Phillips at BAMMA 6.
Those interested in ordering this weekend’s BAMMA 6 event can head over to BAMMA.tv, where the live streaming will take place, beginning at 11am PT, 2pm ET.
An older video has been resurfacing on message boards and websites around the internet, featuring a ridiculous leaping, spinning roundhouse kick to the face in a kickboxing fight.