Issue 057

December 2009

Your monthly guide to what’s been going on in the world of MMA.

Wanderlei wants Vitor rematch 

The first meeting of Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort in the Octagon in 1998 produced one of the most memorable knockout moments in MMA history, and Silva is keen to erase that memory with a rematch.  

“I really want this fight. I believe the first did not happen the way I wanted. I was taken by surprise and it will not happen again, because I’m much more experienced now,” said Silva, 11 years after that first fight, held on UFC: Ultimate Brazil. “When it happens, I will prepare to be at my best, because he is a tough guy and I want to give the big show that everyone expects of me.”  

Also, Silva believes that should Vitor Belfort face middleweight champion Anderson Silva he is likely to lose. “I believe Anderson will smash Belfort. This is an interesting fight. Belfort has good boxing and is a good athlete, but everyone knows he is psychologically weak, and I believe he will shake when he enters the Octagon with Anderson.”  



Fedor gets married 

Russian heavyweight superstar Fedor Emelianenko has married for the second time in his home town of Stary Oskol. The low-key wedding ceremony, which took place in a Russian Orthodox church, saw Fedor marry a woman identified only as Marina. This is Fedor’s second marriage; he has a daughter named Masha to his first wife, Oksana, who he married in 1999.  



Alistair Overeem: Fedor’s ‘biggest fan’ 

Dutch heavyweight Alistair Overeem has said that he is dying to get Fedor’s autograph – on a contract for a 2010 fight! “I’ve always admired Fedor,” said Overeem. “There was a time when I didn’t want anything rather than a chance to meet him, just once, shake his hand, take a picture with him and get a signature, of course. Things sure do change, don’t they? I still want his signature... on the dotted line of a contract signing up for a fight anytime within the next year.”  

Strikeforce heavyweight champion Overeem is regarded as one of the best strikers in the heavyweight division. He regularly competes in kickboxing promotion K-1, and has wins over top fighters such as Peter Aerts and Badr Hari. In MMA, Overeem has wins over Vitor Belfort (twice), Paul Buentello, Mark Hunt, and Fedor’s former training partner Sergei Kharitonov.  

Condit joins Team Jackson 

Former WEC welterweight champion Carlos Condit has joined Greg Jackson’s team in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He says “personal circumstances” have prompted a return to Albuquerque, where he used to live, from Arizona, where he was briefly a member of the Arizona Combat Sports team.  

“I had some family stuff going on back in Albuquerque, and the move back home was the best thing for me and my family right now,” said Condit. “I learned a lot while training at Arizona Combat Sports. I feel that my wrestling definitely improved out there. There were a lot of great guys to train with, and it helped me step up my game, but, as I said before, my personal circumstances have changed and I needed to come back home to Albuquerque. It’s just lucky for me that one of the best camps in the world is out here.”   

The Fighters Only World MMA Awards

Voting is now underway for the winners of the 2009 World MMA Awards! Voting is now open across the 18 categories, and it is YOU who will decide the winners!  

Think Lyoto Machida’s KO of Rashad Evans trumps that of Anderson Silva vs Forrest Griffin? Would you prefer to see GSP walk away with fighter of the year, or Brock Lesnar? The Fighters Only World MMA Awards are 100% fan driven, meaning it is YOU who decides who will go down in history.  

Vote online at the website www.worldmmaawards.com, and choose who will walk away with the prestigious awards at our year-end awards ceremony, which will take place at The Joint in The Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel and Casino on December 30. One of Las Vegas’ premiere venues, this intimate 4,000-seat venue houses a state-of-the-art sound system and a surrounding worthy of such a prestigious event.  

The glitzy Oscar-style event will see stars of the MMA world attend, and fans around the world will be able to watch it live on the Versus website (www.versus.com). It will be broadcast on the Versus TV network one week later.  

For those who want to experience it live, a very limited number of tickets for the exclusive live event will go on sale to the general public. If you want to experience a night of MMA history with some of the sport’s biggest stars, you can buy your place in history by going to www.ticketmaster.com.  

The 2009 World MMA Awards will eclipse the previous year’s. Keep checking Fighters Only and www.worldmmaawards.com for details on the full extent and reach of this groundbreaking venture.  

Nominations have been collected over the last two and a half months. Fans around the world have been busy naming their favorites for each of the 18 categories. Now that nominations have closed, we’ve listed the five finalists in each award category on our website. To the right is a brief list of some of the fighters who are in with a chance of winning one of the six hotly contested awards. Fans have until Dec 5 to vote for the finalists they want to see win. To have your say log on and vote now at www.worldmmaawards.com!  

AND THE FINALISTS ARE...

(in alphabetical order by surname)

Fighter of the Year

  • Mike Thomas Brown
  • Brock Lesnar
  • Lyoto Machida 
  • Anderson Silva
  • Georges St Pierre

Fight of the Year

  • Mike Thomas Brown vs Urijah Faber, WEC 41
  • Rich Franklin vs Wanderlei Silva, UFC 99
  • Brock Lesnar vs Frank Mir, UFC 100
  • Antonio ‘Minotauro’ Nogueira vs Randy Couture, UFC 102
  • Diego Sanchez vs Clay Guida, TUF 9 Finale

KO of the Year

  • Rashad Evans vs Chuck Liddell, UFC 88
  • Dan Henderson vs Mike Bisping, UFC 100
  • Lyoto Machida vs Rashad Evans, UFC 98
  • Nate Marquardt vs Demian Maia UFC 102 
  • Anderson Silva vs.Forrest Griffin, UFC 101

Submission of the Year

  • Terry Etim vs Justin Buchholtz, UFC 99
  • Dustin Hazelett vs Tamden McCrory, UFC 91
  • Toby Imada vs Jorge Masvidal, Bellator Fighting Championship 4
  • Demian Maia vs Chael Sonnen, UFC 95
  • BJ Penn vs Kenny Florian, UFC 101

Breakthrough Fighter of the Year

  • Shane Carwin
  • Dan Hardy
  • Jon Jones
  • Brock Lesnar
  • Cain Velasquez

European Fighter of the Year

  • Mike Bisping
  • Fedor Emelianenko
  • Terry Etim
  • Dan Hardy
  • Gegard Mousasi

The World MMA Awards Categories 

  • Fighter of the.Year
  • Fight of the Year
  • KO of the Year
  • Submission of the Year
  • Best Promotion
  • Leading Man of the Year
  • European Fighter of the Year
  • Breakthrough Fighter of the Year
  • Female Fighter of the Year
  • Coach of the Year
  • Ring Girl of the Year
  • Gym of the Year
  • Best MMA Brand
  • Best Overall MMA Clothing Manufacturer
  • Best MMA Shorts Manufacturer
  • Best MMA Glove Manufacturer
  • Best MMA Media Source
  • Best MMA Journalist
...