Tag: MMA

Paul Daley Wins Down Under at Impact FC 2

Things change pretty damn fast in the world of MMA- one moment you’re being heralded as a welterweight contender in the UFC, the next you’re getting canned for sucker punching a dude with hair you described as ‘fraggle-ish’. Now just who could we be talking about? There’s just so many guys who’ve been involved in […]

paul daley

Things change pretty damn fast in the world of MMA- one moment you’re being heralded as a welterweight contender in the UFC, the next you’re getting canned for sucker punching a dude with hair you described as ‘fraggle-ish’. Now just who could we be talking about? There’s just so many guys who’ve been involved in that scenario…

Now that you’re done rolling your eyes, we’ll move on to the latest news regarding ex-UFC welterweight Paul “Semtex” Daley, who fought Daniel Acacio on Impact FC’s second show last night in Sydney, Australia. No, Daley didn’t sh-t the bed as you may or may not have been hoping for; in the third round he opened up a large gash on Acacio’s head with an elbow, and after several follow up G-N-P strikes the Brazilian verbally tapped. If you think this means you might see Daley back in the UFC anytime soon…we’re thinking you might want to rethink that conclusion.

Just like Impact’s first event last week, this card also featured several notable fighters; yes even if some of them are no longer fighting under the big Zuffa lights. Case in point- accomplished middleweights Denis Kang and Paulo Filho fought to a  split draw, while “Shogun” Rua’s brother Murlio “Ninja” Rua, tapped out Jeremy May with a first round guillotine choke.

In the card’s main event, Ken Shamrock demonstrated rather effectively that he couldn’t check Pedro Rizzo’s leg kicks, and was stopped by the heavyweight in the first round.

Report: Jake Shields Signs With UFC; Debut Will Be at 170

Yes, there’s a very good chance that in your internet travels today, you will likely not come across a more predictable headline than above (save something similar to ‘What Lindsay Will Learn in Jail’). Okay, to be fair, while everyone and their clairvoyant dog expected Jake Shields to sign with the UFC (the chances rose […]

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Yes, there’s a very good chance that in your internet travels today, you will likely not come across a more predictable headline than above (save something similar to ‘What Lindsay Will Learn in Jail’). Okay, to be fair, while everyone and their clairvoyant dog expected Jake Shields to sign with the UFC (the chances rose to what? 99% or so after he was released by Strikeforce?) there had been some talk that he might consider staying at middleweight.

Well, according to a report on Graciefighter.com (which is run by Cesar Gracie– the dude that taught Shield’s much of his ‘that’s a wrap’ ground game), Shields has indeed finally inked a deal with the UFC.

Jake Shields will be debuting at the 170lbs weight division in the UFC. After careful consideration and consulting with UFC representatives it was determined Jake would be finally going back to his original fighting weight…Jake’s opponent is one of the UFC’s top contenders and will be announced shortly

Cool beans. As far as debuting at welterweight, really, for the time being, that seems like the best choice for both Shields and the UFC (Dana White never seemed too thrilled about the idea of the former Strikeforce champ remaining at 185). Shields is a natural welterweight, and although he’s taken out bigger dudes like Robbie Lawler and Dan Henderson, there are some beasts in the UFC middleweight division. In other words, why put a huge free agent acquisition where he can’t be his very best? That can come later if need be.

So, it will be interesting to see which ‘top contender’ Shields faces first. If he wins- does he roll into a bout with the winner of GSP/ Koscheck II?

Report: Fedor’s Next Opponent Still Uncertain; Fabricio Werdum Possibly Having Surgery

When Fabricio Werdum tapped out MMA deity Fedor Emelianenko on June 26th the foundations of the sport shook like it hasn’t in quite some time (other top-quake-contenders: Zuffa buying Pride? Randy Couture ‘retiring’ in 2007? Brock Lesnar being relatively civil after subbing Shane Carwin?) Not only did most people not see it coming, but it […]

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When Fabricio Werdum tapped out MMA deity Fedor Emelianenko on June 26th the foundations of the sport shook like it hasn’t in quite some time (other top-quake-contenders: Zuffa buying Pride? Randy Couture ‘retiring’ in 2007? Brock Lesnar being relatively civil after subbing Shane Carwin?) Not only did most people not see it coming, but it raised a ton of questions about Fedor’s immediate future.

Of course, it didn’t take long for both Fedor’s management (M-1) and Werdum himself, to talk about possibly doing an immediate rematch. Strikeforce’s Scott Coker didn’t seem to be too keen on that idea, and to the annoyance of some, talked about the possibility of doing Fedor / Overeem next. Well, according to a report from Super Lutas (thanks to MMA Mania for the translation), Werdum is considering undergoing surgery to repair an injured elbow he’s had for some time, stating “I might just get back next year.”

Next year? Looks like Coker should be able to green light Overeem / Fedor no problem now right? Not so fast. According to an updated report from BloodyElbow.com, the outlet contacted M-1’s Evgeni Kogani, who had this to say when asked about Werdum possibly going on the DL.

“(Werdum’s) gotta do what he’s gotta do. The re-match will be there, pre elbow surgery or post. That’s what the fans want and that’s what they will eventually get.”

When asked a follow up question about Fedor fighting Overeem, Kogani said they’d have to talk to their “partners”, with news on that coming “in a little while.” Soo… more drawn out negotiations to come or?

Ronaldo “Jacare” Expecting Tim Kennedy to Look for Takedown

Although a lot of people may have been excited about the prospect of Strikeforce holding a tournament to fill its vacant middleweight championship (cue footage of Jake Shields walking into the sunset), any big fan has to be stoked about the promotion’s decision to roll with Ronado “Jacare” Souza vs. Tim Kennedy on August 21st […]

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Although a lot of people may have been excited about the prospect of Strikeforce holding a tournament to fill its vacant middleweight championship (cue footage of Jake Shields walking into the sunset), any big fan has to be stoked about the promotion’s decision to roll with Ronado “Jacare” Souza vs. Tim Kennedy on August 21st instead. Of Strikeforce’s commodities, both Kennedy and Jacare rank right up there, so it makes sense to have one of them as the 185lb. champ (especially with Dan Henderson’s decision to return to 205).

Jacare has continued to impress since the BJJ god decided to transition into MMA (we say an ADCC championship and 5 world titles grants him deity status), and aside from his ‘WTF just happened?’ up kick loss at the feet of Gegard Mousasi, the Brazilian has pretty much cruised through his opponents recently. Of course, Kennedy has also continued to rise up the middleweight ranks, and has wins over notable names like Trevor Prangley and Nick Thompson since signing with Strikeforce.

In a recent interview with Tatame.com, Jacare was asked for his thoughts on Kennedy, and it sounds like the Brazilian isn’t expecting his opponent to stay away from the ground game.

“For sure. I believe he’ll keep doing his game, he’ll try to bring me down, but I’ll be prepared to defend myself while standing and bring him down in order to use my Jiu-Jitsu to try to submit him.”

Jacare was also asked for his thoughts on the upcoming bout between Anderson Silva (his teammate) and Chael Sonnen; guess who he’s picking? To check out the entire interview head here.

Vladimir Matyushenko Has “Surprise” In Store for Jon Jones

When Vladimir Matyushenko was confirmed as Jon Jones’ next opponent for the August 1st, UFC on Versus card, it’s likely many fans had one of two responses- for post TUF fans their first reaction may have been ‘who the hell is Matyushenko?’, while old school observers might have had the words ‘sacrificial lamb’ run through […]

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When Vladimir Matyushenko was confirmed as Jon Jones’ next opponent for the August 1st, UFC on Versus card, it’s likely many fans had one of two responses- for post TUF fans their first reaction may have been ‘who the hell is Matyushenko?’, while old school observers might have had the words ‘sacrificial lamb’ run through their minds. After all, Jones has dominated everyone he has faced in the Octagon to date, and when you leave dudes like Brandon Vera and Matt Hamill broken and beaten, people are going to start talking. And talking they are.

Of course, Matyushenko is no slouch, and when you consider that the decorated wrestler has lost just once since 2003 (and that was to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira) one can understand why the UFC matched “The Janitor” up with Jones (that’s still a badass nickname). So, having said that, what are the betting lines showing? Well, the odds point to Matyushenko getting tossed big time; for example, BETUS has the fight at -600 for Jones and +400 for the decade plus vet (as does Bodog). In an interview with MMA Bay, however, Matyushenko isn’t buying into all this underdog talk, stating:

“I believe at the highest level of MMA there is no such thing as an underdog. I know I have all the tools to do my job and win any fight if I train properly for it.”… ‘My strategy will be a surprise for everyone.”

Huh. It will be interesting to see what the “surprise” is; if Matyushenko wins, someone with a ton of insight, expendable cash and possibly prophetic abilities, is going to get rich. To bet on the bout head here.

Report: Kimbo Slice vs. Mariusz Pudzianowski Possible for Moosin 2

If after watching Kimbo Slice get dominated by Matt Mitrione at UFC 113 in May, you thought the former Youtube star’s days in MMA were numbered, you probably could use some lessons in economics. If you said to yourself ‘there’s still some decent money to be made with Kimbo, especially if he takes on another dude who’s also […]

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If after watching Kimbo Slice get dominated by Matt Mitrione at UFC 113 in May, you thought the former Youtube star’s days in MMA were numbered, you probably could use some lessons in economics. If you said to yourself ‘there’s still some decent money to be made with Kimbo, especially if he takes on another dude who’s also more famous for his achievements outside the cage than in it,’ we’re guessing you got a C or higher in Marketing 101.

According to a report from MMA Fighting, the Moosin promotion is looking at pitting Kimbo against five time “World’s Strongest Man” Mariusz Pudzianowski, October 9th in Chicago. The 33 year-old fighter has gone 2-1 thus far in MMA, and like Slice, due to successes in his previous vocation, Pudzianowski hasn’t exactly had to fight for lunch money upon transitioning into MMA. You may recall that the former truck puller / log lifter is coming off a stoppage loss to Tim Sylvia in the main event of Moosin’s first card in May.

In other words, Moosin knows that people will tune in to see Slice vs. Pudzianowski, even though both men aren’t exactly regarded as ‘world class’ fighters…(we’d watch). The MMA Fighting story also includes a quote from Moosin promoter Corey Fischer, who despite their interest in putting together the Slice / Pudzianowski fight, stated it “is the furthest from being finished.”