Issue 074

April 2011

Jon Jones And Thiago Silva Have War of Words

UFC light heavyweight powerhouses Jon Jones and Thiago Silva have lashed out at each other following Silva’s “disrespectful” slapping during his bout with Brandon Vera. Jones spoke out via his Twitter account after the UFC 125 Silva-Vera fight where, in the third round, Silva opted to slap Vera on the sides of the head and drum a beat on his back mid fight. “Wow that slapping was so disrespectful,” wrote Jones. “I’d love to give [Silva] a slap in the face.” When asked later about Jones’ objections, Thiago Silva called ‘Bones’ a “moron” and maintained the slaps were to get Vera to create an opening. “I think I did my job. Who likes it, likes it, those who don’t, don’t,” closed the Brazilian. Jones countered by stating “losing alone is humiliating enough” and said: “It’s not something I would ever want done to me and it’s not something I would ever do to someone else.”

BJ Penn Training Boxing With Mayweather Snr 

Former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion BJ Penn has honed his boxing skills with Floyd Mayweather Snr, the father of notorious world-champion pugilist Floyd Mayweather Jr. Penn, who had been singled out by famed boxing trainer Freddie Roach as having the best boxing in MMA, sought out the famed coach to further improve his hand skills. Speaking to Fight Hype, Mayweather Snr said: “In his words, man, he told me, ‘I ain’t never seen some of this stuff you’re showing me, man.’ And that’s only after three days. BJ is learning fast, man. He’s a good guy.” The self-proclaimed ‘Greatest Trainer of All Time’, added: “If BJ throws his shots the way I got him throwing his shots, he will win.”

Kimbo Jumps To Japanese Pro Wrestling 

Former UFC and EliteXC star Kimbo Slice appears to have defected from boxing to Japanese professional wrestling. The street fighter sensation recently wrestled sumo bad bay Wakakirin in Inoki Genome Federation, the squared-circle company run by proto-MMA figure Antonio Inoki. Slice had begun training for a boxing career although was reported to have shown faltering interest in training. Wakakirin was thrown out of sumo due to cannabis possession and made his pro wrestling debut in December against Mark Coleman.

Coker Trying For Kawajiri-Melendez Bout

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker has expressed an interest in matching his promotion’s lightweight champion, Gilbert Melendez, against Japanese 155lb juggernaut Tatsuya Kawajiri. Melendez (18-2) beat highly rated Nippon star Shinya Aoki in the Strikeforce cage in April of last year, while Kawajiri (27-6-2) recently decisioned one of Strikeforce’s brightest stars at lightweight, Josh Thomson. Coker, speaking to Sherdog, signaled his desire to match the pair and added: “I know that Kawajiri wants to come fight here in America; we had some conversations [in Japan] before I left.” The bout would be a rematch of a 2006 showdown in Pride where the American walked away with the judges’ nod.

Matt Hughes: ‘UFC Is Paying GSP Too Much Money’ 

Welterweight warhorse Matt Hughes has blasted reigning UFC 170lb champ Georges St Pierre, saying the Canadian is purposely fighting reservedly in order to keep his belt. The former title holder wrote on his personal blog that he found the GSP-Koscheck fight boring “because GSP is on defense”. He explained: “Number one, he doesn’t want to lose the belt and, number two, I think the UFC is paying him too much money and he doesn’t want to lose that either.” Hughes added: “I don’t know what’s going on in his mind, but he just doesn’t seem like he wants to finish anybody.”