Issue 062
May 2010
Movers and Shakers
Your monthly guide to what’s been going on in the world of MMA.
Massachusetts institutes double weigh-in
The Massachusetts State Athletic Commission has laid down a provision that will see a fighter weigh in twice prior to a fight. Their initial weigh-in must take place no more than 36 hours before fight time, with a second weigh-in on the night of the fight.
The rules will stipulate that at the second weigh-in fighters cannot measure more than 1.0625 of their bodyweight that was recorded in the first instance. This measure is to prevent potentially dangerous weight-cutting practices that see fighters cut water weight prior to a fight and rehydrate to far higher than the specified category come fight time.
In real terms, this means that a 135lb fighter must weigh no more than 143.4lb on fight night. A welterweight fighter of 170lb cannot exceed 180.6lb, while a light heavyweight of 205lb must not enter the cage weighing more than 217.8lb.
North Carolina has a similar rule in effect that prevents any fighter from entering the cage more than 13lb over their weight limit.
Life on the road with Clay Guida
Lightweight stand-out Clay Guida has given up the comfort of living in a house and gone to the drastic extreme of moving into a motor home!
Chicago-born Clay now trains with Greg Jackson in Albuquerque, New Mexico, yet his living arrangements are far from traditional. “I just pulled up on an Indian Reservation and I’m living out here in my RV,” he said. “I’ve completely dedicated myself to training.”
Guida bought a 40-foot long RV with the proceeds of his last fight, which in his own words looks like “Optimus Prime.”
Not only does Guida prefer to ‘camp out’ in his motor home, but the wrestler prefers to drive to his fights rather than fly, and even forgoes the hotel room the UFC books for him! “I just offered my tickets to another cornerman, whoever needs it. So that’s another reason I did it, to free up a flight – and I’ve got a big hotel room on wheels. I’ll be in the parking lot of the hotel we’re staying at. I’m comfortable with it – it’s got more to offer than a hotel room does.”
Dream to host light heavyweight Grand Prix
Renato ‘Babalu’ Sobral and Sokoudjou are two names tipped for the Dream’s upcoming light heavyweight tournament, which will kick off in May. Dream Middleweight Grand Prix winner Gegard Mousasi is expected to return to Japan for the tournament, which is expected to start on May 30. A venue has yet to be confirmed, but the event will air on HDNet in North America.
UFC to hit 100 million Asian TVs
The UFC has reached a long-term agreement with ASN, a 24-hour high-definition sports channel in Asia. ASN will deliver programs such as the UFC 112 event (featuring Anderson Silva vs Demian Maia), UFC ‘Unleashed’, as well as seasons of The Ultimate Fighter to countries and territories including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Macau, Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.
Paulo Thiago vs Martin Kampmann
A welterweight battle between the Brazilian supercop Paulo Thiago and the Danish technician Martin Kampmann is on the cards for UFC 115 in June. Thiago, a member of the elite SWAT-style police squad BOPE, is coming off a technical submission win over Mike Swick. Kampmann also won his last fight by submission when he tapped out Jacob Volkmann in January. The fight would likely take place on the undercard of the event that will feature the third meeting of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz.
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