Issue 015

July 2006

Strikeforce Promotion to feature Overeem vs. Belfort; Griffin vs. Ludwig

Strikeforce has announced another stellar card for their next show, taking place in California in June. The original main event would have seen former PRIDE stars Kevin Randleman and Vitor Belfort fight, but due to an injury Randleman has had to pull out but has been replaced by another PRIDE star, Alistair Overeem. Belfort and Overeem faced one another before when they squared off in the first round of the PRIDE middleweight Grand Prix. Overeem was victorious when he submitted Belfort by guillotine choke, and now the ‘Phenom’ will look for revenge when he faces Overeem in on June 9th in San Jose.

Another top fight scheduled for the show will see highly rated prospect Tyson Griffin put his undefeated professional record on the line when he faces former K-1 and UFC fighter Duane “Bang” Ludwig. The last time fans saw Ludwig was when he stepped in on short notice to fight Canadian Jonathan Goulet in the UFC at Ultimate Fight Night earlier this year, where he won by knockout in only eleven seconds. This will definitely be the toughest test to date for Griffin, who prides himself on working to put a finish to every fight, and it is likely that this will be an hotly contested fight. 

Also on the card will be San Shou and K-1 star Cung Le in his 2nd professional MMA bout, current Strikeforce lightweight champion Clay Guida, and former WWE prospect Daniel Puder.

WFA Announces Huge Signings and First Event

YET ANOTHER organisation has stepped up to compete in the market of mixed martial arts in America, and it is the returning World Fighting Alliance. The WFA disappeared a few years ago but is back under new leadership. Their return show is set to take place on July 22nd in Los Angeles, California. 

The main event will feature former PRIDE superstar Quinton “Rampage” Jackson as he takes on Team Quest member Matt Lindland in a light heavyweight battle. Jackson has long been rumoured to leave PRIDE and come back to the United States for a possible showdown with UFC champion Chuck Liddell (who Jackson defeated in 2003). The WFA stepped in with an impressive offer to steal Jackson away from the UFC and PRIDE, and will showcase the always entertaining Rampage in a fight against Lindland, who will be fighting at 205lbs for only the 2nd time in his career.

Other fights announced for the show included Ricco Rodriguez vs Ron Waterman and Vernon “Tiger” White vs Lyoto Machida (featured in our Jungle Fight report on page 62). Lyoto is widely seen as one of best fighters unknown to American fans. He will likely get quite a bit of hype when fans discover that he is currently the only fighter to hold a victory over UFC middleweight champion, Rich Franklin, who he defeated by KO in K-1 HERO’s. 

Ultimate Fighter 4 To Feature Past Warriors of the Octagon?

RUMOURS have been flying as of late that the fourth instalment of the UFC’s hit show The Ultimate Fighter will feature fighters who have previously competed in the octagon and will get one more shot at earning their way back into the UFC by the way of featuring on reality television.

The middleweight and welterweight divisions are the likely candidates for the show. Names that have been floating around for possible contenders on the show include Tony Fryklund and Jorge Rivera in the 185lb weight division with Matt Serra, Jay Hieron, and Chris Lytle candidates for the 170lb weight class.

Matt Lindland was also named in early reports for the show, but he has since denied any involvement with the show. Former WFA welterweight champion Frank Trigg was on the short list of fighters rumoured for the show but his appearance is also very unlikely at this point due to his recent retirement. There will likely be announcement for the concept of the next season sometime this summer after season 3 ends.

James Thompson- soon to be in Muscle and Fitness?

JAMES ‘MEGA PUNK’ Thompson has signed a lucrative sponsorship deal with USN sports nutrition, a large supplements company. USN are known to advertise in various health and fitness magazines and one of them is the well-known Muscle and Fitness. 

James, known for his impressive 120kg physique, will certainly cut an interesting figure next to the many bodybuilders he will share the pages with, but the fact Thompson was approached by the company is another sign of how MMA is going ‘mainstream’. 

WCFC get 250,000 viewers on Sky Sports - sign 12 show deal 

THE WORLD Cage Fighting Championships, the promotion which staged the biggest tournament the UK has ever back in March, has exclusively revealed to Fighters Only that they have signed an 2-show deal with Sky Sports. 

Impressed by the 250,000 viewers their last broadcast pulled in, Sky has cut the new deal with WCFC, leading to further large-scale events in the UK. Promoter Danny Taylor commented how the success of their first event gave the bosses at Sky plenty of confidence in broadcasting future events. 

Rumours abound as to the WCFC’s next move. They have confirmed they will to continue to operate in Manchester, and that they will be running events in two venues in the city, one of which will be the MEN Arena. 

With their propensity to book big name fighters, we can be sure that their next event will see huge international names. Unofficial sources hinted at the return of the tournament format, with rumours of a possible 8-man heavyweight elimination event. 

Alex Reid coaching MMA in Thailand

CAGE RAGE star and former actor Alex ‘Reidernator’ Reid has recently left the UK to coach MMA in Thailand for 6 months. 

He will be teaching MMA at the Tiger Muay Thai camp in Phuket. A Muay Thai and MMA gym that caters for foreign travellers, the camp has impressive facilities including a full-size cage. 

Alex will one of the MMA coaches there until later this year, and will be looking to add further Muay Thai techniques to his renowned striking game. 

Daley courted by US promotion WFA

WELTERWEIGHT prospect Paul Daley (who fights for the British title on Cage Rage 17 on 1st July) has been approached by the WFA. Daley confirmed that his management were in talks with the organisation. He could possibly appear on the promotion in the autumn. 

Ross Pointon eliminated from TUF

Stoke-on-Trent based middleweight Ross Pointon has been eliminated from the UFC’s reality TV show The Ultimate Fighter. 

28-yr old Pointon was defeated by Kendall Grove, a jiu-jitsu practitioner from Hawaii. He lost by rear naked choke in the first round. Pointon, a member of Team Shamrock, was criticised by his team mates for not preparing for the fight properly. Eschewing their advice on cutting weight, Pointon was shown eating large amounts of ice cream and pizza the night before the fight. Known for his brawling style, Pointon was visibly upset upon being eliminated from the competition. 

Bisping through to semis

THE OTHER UK fighter to enter TUF, light heavyweight Mike Bisping, is through to the semi finals after winning his opening fight. Bisping, a champion in multiple UK promotions, defeated Kristian Rothaermel by TKO in the second round of their fight to advance through to semis. 

The Lancashire-based fighter, a member of Team Ortiz, is a hot favourite for the competition and has been featured heavily in the programme due to his outgoing personality and constant cracking of jokes.