Issue 026

June 2007

Serra shocks St Pierre for WW Title

Matt Serra shocked the MMA world on the 7^th April by defeating UFC welterweight champion Georges St Pierre in a first round upset. 

St Pierre looked to be a dead cert going into the fight, having convincingly won his last six fights and destroying the former champion Matt Hughes with a second TKO. 

In contrast, Serra had earned his title shot by winning the fourth series of The Ultimate Fighter reality TV show. Prior to defeating Chris Lytle by split decision in the TUF finale he had been inactive since 2005 (when he had lost to Karo Parisyan). 

St Pierre had a size advantage over Serra and started out well, but approximately three minutes into the contest Serra landed a series of hooks that rocked the titleholder. 

French Canadian St Pierre survived for a few more seconds, but was saved by the referee after Serra knocked him down after pursuing him from one side of the cage to the other. 

Serra now holds the 170lb title and leaves the welterweight division in near anarchy. Former champion Matt Hughes is rumoured to be first in line for a shot, having had a rematch clause in his contract following his loss to St Pierre (or a shot at the titleholder). 

St Pierre was humble in defeat, simply admitting that Serra was the better man on the evening. “What happened is my worst nightmare," said St-Pierre. "When you lose a fight, you go through different steps, like anger, but you have to accept what happened. Matt Serra is a great fighter. I didn't take him lightly. I have no excuse.”

Serra, from Long Island, New York, was widely expected to lose to St Pierre, but after that fight simply stated, “Nobody's invincible in this game.” 

Sanchez loses winning streak

Josh Koscheck impressed critics as he stuck and moved his way to a points victory over previously undefeated welterweight contender Diego Sanchez. 

Jabbing and moving, the former wrestler showed much-improved stand up ability in controlling the distance and taking Sanchez’s timing away. Using high hicks and straight punches, he continuously evaded any attempts at counter striking from the BJJ black belt. 

Frustrated, Sanchez had no answer for Koscheck’s gameplan. While the victory was well-earned, it did little to please the crowd, who booed throughout the 15 minute fight. 

Koscheck, 9-1-0, is now expected to face former champion St Pierre in what would be his biggest test to date. A meeting at UFC 74 has been rumoured. 

Lorenzo Fertitta buys PRIDE for $70m

Ending months of speculation and rumours Lorenzo Fertita, one of the two brothers who own Zuffa LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championships, has confirmed that they have made an offer to buy ailing Japanese MMA promotion PRIDE Fighting Championships. 

A press conference in Tokyo saw Fertita and UFC president Dana White join Dream Stage Entertainment president Nobuyuki Sakikibara on stage to deliver the news to journalists. 

The exact figure Fertita paid for PRIDE was not disclosed, but insiders have said the amount is less than $70million. 

"We have been talking to Pride for probably about 11 months," Lorenzo Fertitta said. "It's been a long, drawn-out process but we finally were able to put the two brands together."

A new company titled Pride FC Worldwide Holdings LLC has been created to oversee the promotion, and the buyout will mean that all PRIDE assets, including its trademarks, video library and valuable roster of fighters will be available. 

This does not mean that Zuffa automatically have access to any fighter they wish – fighters are still contracted to PRIDE, and Dana White would shed no light on the murky situation, merely stating “We’re still working it out.” 

Fertita seemed more optimistic though, saying "We will be able to literally put on the fights that everyone wants to see. It will allow us to put on some of the biggest fights ever." 

The purchase of PRIDE FC and the creation of Pride FC Worldwide is the latest acquisition for the owners of the UFC, who earlier this year bought feeder promotion the WEC and ailing competitor the WFA. 

Pride Lightweight Grand Prix postponed

Pride have cancelled their upcoming lightweight Grand Prix due to the company’s sale. The event had been scheduled to take place on May 20th, but the Pride FC Worldwide owner Lorenzo Fertitta said in a press release that it was too soon to the sale for the GP to take place. 

"We are still in the state of transition with only a month away from May 20th,” Fertitta said. “This is our very first PRIDE show under the new organization, and to make it a memorable event for all the fans, it does not give us sufficient time to prepare our promotion and production."

No official date has yet been announced for the Grand-Prix’s opening round. 

BodogFIGHT is back!

The MMA TV series BodogFIGHT is back with a new season, starting April 17^th. 

Going back to Costa Rica, the setting for the first series, BodogFIGHT features 32 MMA fighters from around the world. 

The third instalment in the BodogFIGHT series, ‘Costa Rica Combat’ begins Tuesday April 17th on ION Television, with episodes available to download for free the next day from the Bodog website. 

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legend Royce Gracie, Josh Barnett, Phil Baroni and Denis Kang help present the action, as fighters from across the weight categories (including women fighters) meet in the ring. 

All episodes of the series are available worldwide through video streaming on BodogFIGHT.com. Fans also have access to previews, recaps, behind-the-scenes exclusives, fighter bios and additional footage.

Featuring fighters such as Jake Shields, Trevor Prangley, Moise Rimbon and Fighters Only’s very own Rosi Sexton, each episode of the series contains two fights, and is guaranteed to provide plenty of action. 

Serra and Hughes to coach TUF 6

UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra will meet head on with rival Matt Hughes in the sixth series of The Ultimate Fighter. 

Following on from the fifth series (which features lightweights) the sixth series will focus on 16 fighters from the welterweight class. 

Coaches Serra and Hughes will then fight at the end of the series in a live finale for the title. Neither fighter will compete until the series is over. 

“We’re raising the stakes for season six of The Ultimate Fighter,” said Dana White. “Matt Serra and Matt Hughes do not like each other at all. It should be a wild ride.” 

Serra defeated former champion Georges St Pierre with a shock performance to snatch the title away from the French Canadian. Hughes was the former champion and lost the title to St Pierre in a one-sided contest. 

The sixth series is currently in production and will premiere in the Autumn of this year. 

UFC 72 to take place in Belfast

The UFC will host their 72nd show in Belfast in Northern Ireland, it has been announced. 

To be held in the Odyssey Arena, the event will see a middleweight clash take place between former champion Rich Franklin and dangerous Danish kickboxer Martin Kampmann. 

Also featuring on the card will be light heavyweight Forrest Griffin, in action against Los Angeles-based fighter Hector Ramirez. Canadian Jason MacDonald will fight TUF 3 competitor Rory Singer, and Tyson Griffin will face Clay Guida. Ore matches are expected to be announced shortly. 

“We are very excited to bring the UFC to Northern Ireland,” said UFC president Dana White. “We are ready to come right back and have another blockbuster event in Europe. UFC 72 will be one of many record-setting events, our London office is already working on more fights for 2007, and a regular series of fights for 2008. Our goal is to bring the best fights with the best fighters to all of our UFC fans, whether they are based in Nevada or Northern Ireland.”

Rich Franklin held the middleweight title until he was defeated by Brazilian Muay Thai specialist Anderson Silva. “This fight is crucial, I am sure my next fight will be a title shot if I secure a victory in Belfast,” said Franklin. “I believe Kampmann and I will be a great match-up for the fans. We both like to stand, so this fight will not be anything less than exciting.”

Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann (12-1-0) came to the UFC in 2006 with a reputation as a fierce stand-up fighter. Kampmann has had three consecutive wins in the Octagon since making his debut last year. “I have a lot of respect for Rich Franklin, but I’m going to train hard and I’m going to finish the fight by knockout or submission,” said Kampmann. “This going to be a good fight – it’s going to be a war.”

‘DYNAMITE!!’ to Debut in LA

Fighting Entertainment Group (FEG) and ProElite (the promotional team behind EliteXC) have announced they will hold the first-ever American “K-1 Dynamite” event. Dubbed “Dynamite!!’ the event will be on pay-per-view and will take place on the 2^nd of June. 

The giant Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum will be host to the event, which will feature the MMA debut of former WWE wrestler Brock Lesnar. Also on the fight card will be Royce Gracie, in action against former American Football player Johnnie Morton. 

“Dynamite!! USA promises to be one of the most exciting MMA events in history, and FEG is extremely excited to bring our production to this legendary Los Angeles venue,” said Mr. Tanikawa, CEO of FEG. “Mixed martial arts has shown tremendous growth in recent years and events like this show that we are looking to raise the bar in making it one of the more popular sports in the US.”