Issue 086

March 2012

UFC FLYWEIGHT TOURNAMENT KICKS OFF DIVISION IN MARCH

The long-teased UFC flyweight division will arrive in the promotion in March, with a four-man tournament deciding the first-ever UFC 125lb champion. The grand prix starts in Sydney, Australia, as part of the tentatively titled UFC on FX 2 on March 4th. Former bantamweight number-one contender Demetrious Johnson and WEC challenger Joseph Benavidez will drop down from 135lb and face UFC newcomers Ian McCall and Yasuhiro Urushitani respectively. Johnson will be looking for a fresh start at 125lb after losing a decision challenging for Dominick Cruz’s bantamweight belt. Meanwhile, Benavidez makes his 125lb debut having notched three back-to-back wins after failing to strip the WEC 135lb title from Dominck Cruz in 2010.

Tachi Palace Fights flyweight king McCall, currently on a four-fight win streak since leaving the WEC, will vacate his promotional title to enter the tournament, while Shooto 123lb champ Urushitani will also drop his belt and look to extend his five-fight win streak.

STRIKEFORCE WILL DROP HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION BY MID-YEAR

The Zuffa-owned Strikeforce promotion will entirely sever its heavyweight division by the middle of this year. The news came as part of the announcement that Strikeforce will remain on its televisual home of Showtime through 2012 thanks to a new deal. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker stated the final of the Strikeforce heavyweight tournament would play out with one consequent fight for the victor. Coker said: “We are going to focus on our other weight classes. We have a great lightweight division, welterweight, middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, and we are going to focus on the women’s divisions. What you will see happen with the tournament finals between Daniel Cormier and Josh Barnett is one more fight where the winner will fight a top-rated heavyweight and then we are going to go back to focusing on our other weight classes.” When asked if the one-bout top-rated heavyweight could involve a fighter crossing over from the UFC, Showtime Sports executive vice president Stephen Espinoza didn’t rule out the possibility. He said: “Right now nothing is determined, but we’re definitely going to have some dialogue with Sean [Shelby, UFC matchmaker], and everybody in Vegas to determine who that heavyweight will be.”

A lack of depth in the current Strikeforce plus-205lb pool was cited by UFC president Dana White, a prominent player in negotiations between Showtime and Zuffa, as a determining factor in the decision to drop the weight class. “You guys have heard me say for years, heavyweight divisions aren’t deep enough to create this huge division, so we’re going to focus on the strong divisions.”

Strikeforce has already conceded the contracts of many of its top heavyweights to the UFC. Fighters such as Fabricio Werdum, Shane Del Rosario and Chad Griggs already have bouts confirmed inside the Las Vegas promotion’s Octagon.

SIX DEGREES OF DAN SEVERN

Linking the legendary moustache-wearing UFC Hall of Famer to any fighter in six people or less.

‘Kid’ Yamamoto

1. Dan Severn fought and lost to Royce Gracie by triangle choke in the final of UFC 4 in December 1994.

2. Royce Gracie is the half brother of highly regarded jiu-jitsu master Rickson Gracie.

3. Rickson Gracie won the Vale Tudo Japan 95 tournament competing alongside Japanese legend Enson Inoue.

4. Enson Inoue was a long-time trainer of a young ‘Kid’ Yamamoto.

TITO ORTIZ PLANS RETIREMENT FIGHT FOR JULY

UFC legend Tito Ortiz has outlined his last-ever mixed martial arts bout will take place in July. The 36-year-old light heavyweight intends for his last fight to be held July 4th weekend, although an opponent has yet to be determined, he told Middle Easy. The 16-10-1 fighter said with the July UFC bout he’ll “be done – that’s it, time to walk away”. A former UFC light heavyweight champion, Ortiz says he’s keen to square off in a feud-settling battle with either Forrest Griffin, against whom he is 1-1, or Chuck ‘The Iceman’ Liddell, who owns two wins over the man formerly known as ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy.’

16

‘Minotauro’ Nogueira had 16 screws placed in his arm during surgery to repair a broken arm, sustained courtesy of a Frank Mir kimura

460,000

Viewership for Strikeforce: Melendez vs Masvidal on Showtime. Only 35,000 less than the final of the Super Six World Boxing Classic which aired immediately prior