Issue 077
July 2011
All the head-turning information every MMA fan needs to know.
OVEREEM PREDICTS EXPLOSIVE SHOWDOWN WITH JONES
Alistair Overeem has his heart set on becoming the first unified heavyweight champion, after Zuffa’s buyout of Strikeforce opened the doors to crossover unification fights with the UFC.
And the giant Dutch striker says that only one man in the opposing organization would be a real threat to his ambitions – light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
The Dutchman, who is due to face Fabricio Werdum in the Strikeforce grand prix quarter-final in Dallas on June 18th, believes he sees reflections of his own career in the meteoric rise of ‘Bones’ Jones, and predicts fireworks between them in the future.
In an exclusive interview with FO Overeem says: “I can see parallels between me and Jon Jones. He’s also first a light heavyweight champion. He’s of course more advanced than I was at the time but it’s logical because the sport is ever evolving. The next generation after him will be even more advanced than he is at his age.
“He fights spectacularly and he’s got a lot of momentum so it’s going to be interesting to follow his career. Our styles are different in terms of striking, but if he would move to heavyweight it would be an honor to fight him. I’m sure it’d be a very exciting matchup. It’s far away, of course, but if the time comes I’d be ready. Everybody has weaknesses I can exploit. I’d do my homework.”
Firstly he has to get past Werdum just to progress into the GP semi-finals, but ‘The Reem’ believes his current course will prove he is the best heavyweight on the planet.
“I’ll win the Strikeforce heavyweight GP and I believe the winner will be set to take on the UFC’s heavyweight champion,” says Overeem. “In my opinion, the winner of the Strikeforce GP is the number one in the world but if I had to fight Cain [Velasquez] it’d be a very interesting matchup. I’d definitely be the aggressor and I’d be the one coming at him and hitting him harder. I always say I’m going for the knockout and he wouldn’t be any different. If that’s what the fans want to see then it’s what I want to see.”
One fight that doesn’t appeal to him though is a showdown with former UFC champion, Brock Lesnar. “I wanted to fight Brock when he was on top but to be honest, now he’s lost, I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but I think it would be an easy fight. I want a challenge. I want hard fights. He’s not in the shape he was say three fights ago. In his last two performances he hasn’t delivered. It may be because of his illness, I don’t know.”
NICK DIAZ CONSIDERS RETIRING from MMA TO PURSUE BOXING
Strikeforce welterweight king Nick Diaz has stunned the MMA world by announcing his plans to shun mixed martial arts and carve out a career in boxing.
The 170lb champ has “signed on the dotted line” to fight former world light middleweight boxing champion Fernando Vargas and is awaiting his response. During an interview for HDNet’s Inside MMA, Diaz said: “I don’t see much of a future in this sport for me, I honestly don’t. Especially if there’s not a whole s**tload of money going on. All I know is that my life’s a living hell, full of training, grueling exercise, training every day, cater to everybody else and not worry about myself.”
Cesar Gracie, Diaz’s head coach, stated: “We’ve actually signed on the dotted line for that fight ourselves, and we’re waiting for him now... We’ve signed for it. We’re looking at September, October for something like that and we’re just waiting for their camp now. It’s official right now. Nick’s next fight is going to be in the ring as a boxer, right.”
MICHAEL BISPING FIRST ON JASON MILLER’S UFC HITLIST
As the onslaught of ‘Bisping bashing’ continues, re-signed UFC middleweight Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller has become the latest fighter to target the fiery Brit.
While anticipation grows over a full unification between Strikeforce and the UFC, the recently relocated Miller revealed in an exclusive interview with Fighters Only that he’d like to, “do the fans a favor by punching Bisping in the face.”
Miller, who is known for his audacious smack talk and crowd-drawing ability, stated: “I want to beat Bisping up for everyone that hates him. Nobody likes that guy. I know they only built this guy up because he’s got a cute accent.”
With both fighters sporting a history of controversy, the fight is sure to draw huge interest from MMA fans worldwide as two of MMA’s biggest bad boys collide.
Miller is no stranger to controversy. In April 2010, during a Jake Shields post-fight interview after his victory over Dan Henderson during Strikeforce: Nashville, Miller burst into the cage and demanded a rematch with Shields.
‘Mayhem’ then found himself entangled in a bloody brawl with Shields, Gilbert Melendez, the Diaz brothers and other members of the Cesar Gracie jiu-jitsu camp and was subsequently suspended for three months.
Yet Miller insists that he’ll be on his best behavior should he face ‘The Count.’
Miller added: “If that’s a big fight I can win then we’ll be friends afterwards, I’ll buy us a pint. It’s all just business.”
WANDERLEI-LEBEN BOUT CONFIRMED
A long-awaited fight between heavy-handed UFC middleweights Wanderlei Silva and Chris Leben has finally been made. The bout is expected to go down at July’s UFC 132 in Las Vegas. The pair have been asking to square off ever since Leben stepped in for an injured Silva against Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116 and called out ‘The Axe Murderer’ after he claimed a triangle victory. Silva had been due to fight all-American Brian Stann until the Brazilian brawler turned down the matchup over concerns he’d be booed opposite a US military veteran.
$10,000
Amount Golden Glory fight team raised for the Red Cross disaster relief in Japan.
400
The UFC will release a 400-page encyclopedia in October covering the company’s 18-year existence.
HOT &. . .
55,000 plus Megadome shows
With UFC 129 breaking gate records, the only way is up for MMA.
The UFC heading back to Brazil
Some of the game’s greatest fighters competing in one of MMA’s homes? Priceless.
Chicken salad
As Brock loves to remind us all on TUF, he’s quickly turning “chicken shit into chicken salad”.
. . .COLD
Draws
15 (or 25) minutes wasted.
No Royce Gracie at Rio
Seriously, the UFC owes it to their first- ever tourney champ.
Pretenders
Just because you can always get your grandmother in a d’arce choke doesn’t mean you can be a backseat cornerman.
SCHAUB WANTS 'BIG NOG' IN RIO
‘Cro Cop’-conquering heavyweight Brendan Schaub has said Antonio ‘Minotauro’ Nogueira is on his wish list of future opponents. The former TUF contestant even stated he’d take on the only man to hold Pride and UFC heavyweight titles at August’s landmark Rio event. Schaub said: “That would be intense. When that was brought up or mentioned to me a lot of my teammates and coaches were like, ‘Man, I don’t know if I’d do that. Just to go out to Brazil and fight Nog in his hometown, I think it’s a huge risk.’ But I’ll be that guy if they want me to be that guy.”
THIAGO SILVA SUSPENDED OVER URINE SAMPLE
UFC light heavyweight Thiago Silva has been suspended from competition for one year after submitting an Internet-bought urine sample during a drugs test for his UFC 125 bout with Brandon Vera. Silva’s specimen was found to have a suspiciously low level of testosterone inconsistent with an average fighter’s sample. Consequent tests discovered the presence of a urine adulterant used to hide steroid use.
In a public statement, Silva admitted the use of a masking agent and to knowingly breaking the rules of the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). The American Top Team fighter explained that prior to the Vera fight he had a recurrence of a back injury suffered before a bout with Rashad Evans at UFC 108, stating: “After not fighting for a year, I made the decision to not pull out of the fight. I also decided that the only way I could continue with the fight was to take injections in my back and spine that contained substances prohibited by the Nevada Athletic Commission. I also made the decision to use a product to hide the presence of these substances in a urine test.” Silva added that he has passed drug tests on five prior occasions.
NSAC commissioner Keith Kizer stated that sample collection procedures for fights in Nevada may now have to be adjusted. “It might be a situation where inspectors have to go really close and look.”
1,395,500
Number of Twitter followers for UFC president Dana White (@danawhite).
239,667
Number of Twitter followers for the UFC (@ufc).
BELLATOR'S ASKREN SAYS LOSERS FIGHT FOR BONUSES
Undefeated Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren has blasted fighters who value fan excitement over winning a bout. Many pugilists opt to make their bouts as thrilling as possible in order to win fight-night bonuses or excite fans, often at the expense of winning their fight. The former Olympian said: “People [who fight for bonuses] are losers because, in my mind, a fight’s about winning, not about putting on a show. We’re not singers, we’re not actors, we are mixed martial artists or fighters or athletes – whichever way you want to do it – and that’s about winning.”
UFC VET THOMPSON RETIRES TO BE LAWYER
Bellator welterweight Nick Thompson is swapping braun for brains as he retires from MMA to become a lawyer.
The former UFC veteran boasts an MMA career of over 50 fights, yet decided to hang up his four-ounce gloves following his decision loss to Ben Askren in April to go pursue law at O’Flaherty Heim Egan & Birnbaum LTD.
Thompson said: “I realize that I can no longer compete at the level of guys like Ben... I’m grateful for the many wonderful people who supported me and am hopeful that I can give something back to the sport I love by coaching and/or representing the next crop of mixed martial arts superstars.”
ANDERSON SILVA DOESN’T WANT HIS SONS IN MMA
As most young boys look up to their fathers – particularly if they’re arguably the best MMA warrior on the planet – it’s easy to understand that Kalya Silva, son of UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, wants to grow up and be a fighter just like his daddy.
But ‘The Spider’ recently revealed he turns in his grave thinking about his son taking up MMA. “Sometimes I’m so scared,” said Silva. “No fight, please. You like to play soccer? Go to play soccer.
“My friends fight. My team, [and] my students. But sometimes, I’m, ‘Oh my God. No more [fighting].’ It’s crazy. Jesus. My sons, no.”
Yet with Silva showing his son the bright lights of UFC glory by letting him wear the belt in the Octagon following his win against Vitor Belfort at UFC 126, it seems Kalya won’t be taking up ballet any time soon.
$90,000
Despite chalking up a loss to Phil Davis at UFC Fight Night 24, Rogerio Nogueira took home a $90,000 pay cheque.
5
The age UFC welterweight Martin Kampmann estimated a judge would have to be to see he bested Diego Sanchez at UFC Live 3 in March. Sanchez won via unanimous decision.
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