Issue 014

June 2006

North America News

By Damon Martin

Ortiz Has Injured ACL/MCL; Fight With Shamrock In July In Doubt

After the first round of the fight between Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin, it seemed like the old Huntington Beach Bad Boy was back. His takedowns were quick and forceful. His ground and pound attack was absolutely unrelenting. He made a good fighter look very bad. And then, as the second round began, something seemed to go wrong.

 

As Tito came out from his corner and took the center of the octagon, he stepped lightly on his left knee, and after his first takedown was stopped by Griffin, it looked as if the former light heavyweight champion was losing steam. In reality, Ortiz was favoring a knee that had partial tears in both the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and his MCL (medial collateral ligament).

 


Now what the UFC is left with is yet another injured superstar that could be on the shelf for an undisclosed amount of time. Ortiz said in his post fight interview that he wasn’t sure if the knee would demand immediate surgery, but generally with two such tears in the knee, some sort of work would be needed to prevent further harm to the ligaments.  

 

If the knee surgery is minor, such as arthroscopic knee surgery to repair the ACL, an athlete’s turnaround time could run between 4-6 weeks, but in some cases could run as long as 12 weeks, depending on how well the knee reacts to the surgery.

 

The UFC was depending on a July pay-per-view match-up with Ken Shamrock to headline the show and follow up to the Ultimate Fighter 3 season finale.  The last fight between the two gave the UFC their biggest pay-per-view numbers at the time, and a rematch, regardless of either fighter’s ranking, is sure to be a big draw to both the hardcore and casual fan of the sport.

 

Ultimate Fighter 4: The Veterans Return???

With multiple seasons of the Ultimate Fighter show on the horizon, the UFC is starting to come up with new ideas to keep the show fresh and exciting and the latest word out of UFC headquarters is that season four will focus around fighters that have previously fought in the octagon, and will get one more shot at redemption by going through The Ultimate Fighter.

 

While no definite weight classes have been announced, a few different fighters have been popping up saying they have been offered a shot at the UFC’s flagship show, with a contract offered to the victor.

 


One prominent name that keeps appearing is former UFC middleweight contender, Matt Lindland, who was let go by the UFC after a controversy around his wearing a casino-sponsored t-shirt to one of the weigh-ins. While most believed that Lindland was let go due to his style clashing to that preferred by the upper brass at the UFC, if he is brought back through The Ultimate Fighter, he could well gain more fame than any he has previously experienced as a professional fighter.

 

UFC 60 Undercard Starts To Take Shape

With Hughes vs. Gracie less than a month away, the undercard hasn’t been officially announced yet from the UFC but a few fights are starting to filter through the grapevine as the anticipation builds for the debut event for MMA in Los Angeles, California.

 

Brandon Vera, who is starting to gain quite a bit of notoriety for his fast knockouts and brash style, is rumored to take on Assuerio Silva, last seen in a fight with now UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia at a recent Ultimate Fight Night event. Vera has stated on numerous occasions that he wants to win both the light heavyweight and heavyweight titles, and while he is on the smaller side for a heavyweight fighter, if he continues to win there is no doubt he will keep climbing the ladder for a title shot in the rather ravaged UFC heavyweight division.

 


Mike Swick has earned a reputation lately for finishing fights before they seem to get started but the former Ultimate Fighter reality star will get his first real test in the octagon if his opponent ends up being Joe “Diesel” Riggs, who apparently has given up on the 170lb weight class for the time being. Riggs is one of the heaviest hitters in the UFC and will likely gain even more power going back up to 185lbs.

 

Also rumored to be on the card are Alessio Sakara, Dean Lister, Spencer Fisher, Jason Chambers, and Melvin Guillard.



UK News

James Thompson in PRIDE open weight GP

Great Britain will have a flag flying high at the PRIDE 2006 Open Weight Grand Prix, as heavyweight hopeful James Thompson travels over to take part in PRIDE’s biggest tournament to date. A huge star in Japan, the fighter known as the Mega Punk will face Japanese wrestler Kazuyuki Fujita (12-4-0). 


Known as ‘Iron Head’, Fujita is a tough test for James, and the problem he poses is well-known to James camp. “This is a horrible fight for James, but its also a win-win situation,” says Charlie Joseph, James’ manager. “If James wins then great, but even if he puts up a good fight and loses, we’re sure that PRIDE will have him back. James is so popular in Japan, they really love him over there.” 


The tournament will see fighters from around the globe and from weight categories ranging from lightweight to heavyweight all competing for the title of PRIDE Open Weight Champion 2006. Other confirmed fighters include Hidehiko Yoshida, Josh Barnett, Alex Emelianenko, Cro Cop, Ikuhisa Minowa, Alistair Overeem and more, with further matches to be announced.   



Hassan fighting fit and back in action

As reported in last month’s issue of Fighters Only, Iranian fighter Hassan Muridi was taken to hospital with serious kidney and liver problems. Following medical treatment, he was discharged and is said to be recovering well. Muridi has been treated for similar problems in the past, and it is thought that a combination of anti-inflammatory drugs and the draining effects of cutting weight for a contest left him susceptible to this problem reoccurring. 


Positive media exposure shock! 

After weeks of bad press, mixed martial arts has enjoyed a turnaround of sorts with a series of positive articles in both national newspapers and popular magazines. 


Usually a conservative newspaper, the Daily Express devoted almost an entire page to the subject of the UFC and their recent exploits in attracting record crowds and the inclusion of UK participants in the reality TV show The Ultimate Fighter. 


One notable point aside from the positive spin by a writer traditionally associated with boxing (never usually a happy bedfellow of MMA) was that the page was in the sports section of the newspaper and not as a feature article in the front half. This points to a gradual acceptance of MMA as a legitimate sport by mainstream media, an could even mean that there is further coverage of the sport. 


Bill Bradshaw, Head of Sport at the Express said “We carried the feature chiefly because of the renewed push by UFC on British TV and we recognise there is a niche market for the sport.” He added that they recognise the inroads that MMA is making and will continue to monitor its progress in the UK. 


Getting in on the act were the lad’s mags Nuts and Loaded, who have signed a deal with Cage Rage to provide continued coverage. With TV channels Bravo, Eurosport and Men and Motors all regularly featuring MMA in their schedules, it seems MMA is finally achieving the long desired goal of continued media exposure. 


UK fighters travel to Sweden

‘Judo’ Jimmy Wallhead, rising welterweight star and member of Team RoughHouse is to travel to Sweden on May 6th to compete in the event known as European Vale Tudo. Facing Danish opponent Sunny Nielson (4-4-0), Wallhead goes into this contest with four straight wins behind him. This will be his first MMA fight outside of the UK. 


He is joined by the American Pierre Guillet, a resident of the UK and a team-mate of top UK featherweight Robbie Olivier. Making the drop the middleweight (185lbs) for the first time, Pierre will face Frenchman Laurent Bonafoux in his first fight since April 2005. Bonafoux was last in action at UK promotion FX3 in June of 2005, where he was successful in submitting his opponent. 

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