Issue 018

October 2006

Ortiz vs. Shamrock – again! 

A third fight between Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock is to take place in October on free-to-air television. 

After a controversial TKO stoppage in July put Ortiz as the winner, Shamrock has protested loudly that they still have unfinished business. 

While Ortiz initially reluctant to take a rematch, describing Shamrock as “history”, he has revealed that he will face Shamrock on October 10^th as the main event of an Ultimate Fight Night card. 

“UFC asked me to do a favour for all my fans and I did it. The last fight with Ken Shamrock ended at1:18 in the first round. I was very happy that I stopped Ken that quick, but everyone else wasn't. So you are going to see it again!” said Ortiz. 

“I could have waited until February to get my shot at the title but I wanted to make all of my fans happy. So I am taking a chance to fight him again for all of my fans. Let the punishment begin October 10th on Spike TV. I will shut him up once and for all!”

TUF defeats The Contender

Season two of The Contender premiered in the USA recently with an average audience of 1.2 million viewers. Broadcast on the popular ESPN network, this is the second series of the boxing reality TV show. 

In comparison The Ultimate Fighter series 3 (which was aired earlier this year) averaged 2.4 million viewers on the far smaller channel Spike TV. 

Season four of TUF has recently debuted and will be going head to head against The Contender in a battle between MMA and boxing. More details on viewing figures as we get them. 

Tank vs. Buentello

David ‘Tank’ Abbott has signed to fight Paul Buentello as the main event on Strikeforce’s October card. 

The event will take place at the Save Mart Centre in Fresno, California.  Strikeforce is the event that debuted earlier this year and claims the North American record for the largest crowd attendance at an MMA event. 

Abbot who returned to MMA in 2003 after a five year layoff remains popular with fans even though he has lost four of his last five fights.

Buentello, who has a record of 20-8-0 and fights out of the American Kickboxing Academy, is known as the ‘Head Hunter’, so a stand up brawl is to be expected. 

Marshall Zelaznik to lead UFC operations in Europe

The Ultimate Fighting Championship announced that the former vice president of programming from iN Demand Networks is to join Zuffa as the UK division president. 

Zelaznik will to begin the task of exporting and managing the UFC brand overseas to the United Kingdom and Europe. It has also been announced that Zuffa will form a new British Ltd. company and that Mr. Zelaznik will manage the day-to-day operations of the new entity.

“The Ultimate Fighting Championship is thrilled to have Marshall, one of the most respected and accomplished individuals in the cable industry, join our team at Zuffa,” said Dana White, UFC President. 

“I am excited to have Marshall on board and am looking forward to working closely with him to bring the world’s most exciting combat sport brand to the UK and Europe.”

Zelaznik is expected to open a UK office in October, and is looking forward to his time in Europe. “The UFC is the pre-eminent brand in the world of mixed martial arts, and I am confident we can bring the UFC experience to the UK and continental Europe for all the loyal fans that have shown great interest in the sport.”

UFR 7, Belfast

Ultimate Fighting Revolution 7, The Halloween Brawl, will take place in Belfast on October 30th.

The event will feature a 4-man tournament at -73Kg as well as a full card of super fights featuring some of the UK and Ireland’s top fighters.

Fighters already announced for the card include Tom Haddock, Hugh Fullerton and Emmet McNally, as well as Scottish MMA champion Dean Robertson.

Paul Daley to Pancrase August 27th

Paul ‘Semtex’ Daley will join an illustrious band of names when he makes his first Japanese MMA appearance on Pancrase, one of the world’s oldest MMA promotions. 

Daley, who will contest for the Cage Rage welterweight title later this year, will take on Japanese opponent Satoru Kitaoka, who is Pancrase’s number two ranked fighter in the –77kg category. With a record of 14-8-8, the 26-year-old Kitaoka will be one of Daley’s toughest challenges to date. 

FX3 takes over Extreme Brawl

The Freestyle Fighting Federation (FX3) has announced that Andy Jardine, the promoter of Extreme Brawl, approached FX3 and asked them to take over the Extreme Brawl brand.

Jardine has been promoting events since the late 90's but feels he wants to dedicate more of his time on his training, as he is eager to take on more fights.

Extreme Brawl is regarded as the pioneering MMA event in the UK, and was the launching platform for many top UK fighters including Ian Freeman, Mark Weir, Lee Murray and James Zikic.

The promotion will have their first show under the new banner of FX3 eXtreme Brawl on November 26th.

Find out more details at www.fx3.org.uk

Peter Irving deported from USA! 

Scheduled to be fighting on the show Valor Fighting, Peter Irving travelled from England to the USA on the morning of the foiled terrorist plot. 

Upon arriving in Los Angeles airport he was detained by customs and deported from the country. Now back in the UK, he told us of his time in jail in the US. 

“After enduring the shitty delays, the shitty 10 hour flight with no entertainment and the shitty food from U.S. airlines (the shittiest airline I've ever flown on) - I found myself detained in custody by U.S. homeland security.”

“I got packed in a tiny cell with standing room only for a few hours before a quick shower and strip search, then into the orange jumpsuit. After 30 hours awake straight I got upstairs on the wing with all the cop killers and got 30 minutes to kip down until they woke me up for roll call. The best bit was I got no phone call - that's right, locked up with no phone call.”

“So, I won't be fighting on Valor next weekend. And I don't know if I'll be on Shamrocks show and Invincible next month. It hangs in the balance. In the meantime I'll be regrouping back at Sor Thanikul, trying to get used to life on the outside again. I fear I have been institutionalised after doing all that hard time in the big house.”

CageWarriors champs Batten and Sexton fighting in Vegas in September

The CageWarriors featherweight and female champions Danny Batten and Rosi Sexton will make their Stateside debuts on September 15th when they fight on the World Pro Fighting Championships in Las Vegas.

Batten, who has previously fought in Japan at Zst, takes on Damacio Page (who is 7-1-0 and trains out

of the Jackson’s Submission Fighting camp). 

Sexton takes on Ginna Carano, a fighter out of respected Muay Thai trainer Master Toddy’s camp. 

More info: www.wpfight.com