Fighters Only

Issue 130

July 2015

The sport’s strangest stories from around the globe.

Portland, Oregon

‘The Snake’ taps out quarry

Former middleweight title contender Nate Quarry may well have been cut from Zuffa’s Christmas card list when he was confirmed as one of the plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit against the UFC last year, but he shot back to the top of every fan’s favorite fighter poll when he returned to action in April.

The TUF 1 contestant, who retired from competition following his final UFC appearance in March 2010, featured in an ‘exhibition superfight’ against Jake ‘The Snake’ Beckmann at Full Contact Fighting Federation: Rumble at the Roseland event.

In taking the fight, ‘Rock’ helped the 19-year-old Down’s syndrome athlete’s dreams come true as he made his MMA debut against one of his heroes. And not only that, he tapped Quarry in the second round with a heel hook.

Afterwards, Quarry said: “Throughout my life I’ve been given the opportunity to live my dreams, so if I can help a young man not only live his dream, but to show his mother what it’s like for him to follow his dreams, I’ll do it.”

Johannesburg, South Africa

EFC signs up WADA in PED fight

Hot on the heels of the UFC’s public stance against PED cheats, leading African promotion Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC) announced its commitment to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code for testing.

A statement released on April 30th said: “As of today and going forward EFC officially falls under The South Africa Institute for Drug-Free Sport which enforces the WADA code.

“Although the organization was guided by WADA, EFC now officially follows the WADA code which is considered to be the strictest anti-doping code in world.”

EFC president, Cairo Howarth, added: “Athlete safety is our utmost concern, and this is another step forward as we strive to be the world leaders in MMA safety.

“As far as we know, at this stage we are the only MMA organization in the world to be part of WADA.”

Phoenix, Arizona

Kickstarter for MMA sitcom

Fans of shows featuring A-list celebrity cameos like Entourage and Extras, could be about to get their combat comedy fix if a recent Kickstarter campaign bares fruit.

Fighter turned writer Santino DeFranco has plans to produce On The Ropes, which he describes as “a ridiculous sitcom that takes place in a boxing gym and stars an actual bunch of professional boxers and MMA fighters.”

At time of going to print, just a small percentage of the $50,000 goal had been pledged. However, according to DeFranco, plenty of MMA’s leading lights had committed to the project.

UFC 135lb champ TJ Dillashaw is named in the pitch, along with Benson Henderson, Matt Mitrione, Efrain Escudero, Clay Guida, Miesha Tate, Felice Herrig and Bellator announcer Jason Chambers.

6-11th July

The 2015 IMMAF World Amateur Championships will take place in Las Vegas during International Fight Week in July, culminating with the finals during the UFC Fan Expo.