It’s the weekend and that can mean only one thing. That’s right, you lucky, lucky people; we’ve sifted through the biggest, best and in some cases bizzarest MMA news stories of the last seven days so that you don’t have to. Sit back, relax, and enjoy your face off!
By Brad Wharton
Saturday:
Saturday was a mixed bag for fans of MMA’s ‘Little Engine That Could(nt)’, Strikeforce. On the one hand, the California-based promotion finally announced that Sarah Kaufmann would face Marloes Coenen on October 9th, a card which would also feature a middleweight clash between Matt Lindland and Luke Rockhold. So, no 185lb tournament after all then. It wasn’t all peaches and cream though, as welterweight contender Jay Hieron revealed that he had finally been released by the promotion after months of misuse and sitting on the shelf. Oh, and they possibly, at some point, might be back on CBS. Maybe.
Elsewhere on Saturday, the UFC confirmed the long-speculated rumour that newcomer Paul Sass would be making his Octagon debut at UFC 120 against Mark Holst. Now before you erupt into a chorus of “Who’s that guy?†it’s worth noting that Liverpudlian Sass is so proficient at the Triangle Choke (he tapped his first seven straight opponents with the move – a record in MMA) that it’s slowly but surely becoming known as the Sass-angle in the north of England. That’s gangsta.
Sunday:
Back to Strikeforce, and Sunday saw the fallout from their latest effort gently seeping into our delicate, hungover brains. None were feeling the Sunday morning headaches more than Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker though, after watching two of his most marketable stars crushed in battle. Steve Davies was on hand with a complete rundown of the action.
As if to prove that it never rains but it pours, news also broke on Sunday that none of the fighters on hand the previous night were drug tested, giving rise to speculation that the promotion intentionally avoided the procedure. No, we’re not suggesting for a second that any of the Strikeforce roster are on steroids, but if they’d painted Bobby Lashley green and stuck some dodgy purple shorts and a wig on him, they could have saved a fortune on CGI for the last Incredible Hulk movie…
Speaking of former WWE star Lashley, early reports (a.k.a. his distraught wife on twitter) of his serious condition were thankfully proven false, with the news that severe dehydration was the cause of his overnight stay in hospital. Still, not a good night for the California promotion, as was summed up in the rather quite good Sunday Supplement, which saw yours truly deem them “hard to defendâ€.
Rampage Jackson won the “Twitter Trash-Talk of the Week†award after dubbing the defeated King Mo Lawal a “nipple ring wearing b**tchâ€. Oh, and Jorge Santiago defended his Sengoku Middleweight Championship in what was hands-down the fight of the year so far. Find it. Watch it. Now.
Monday:
Fallout from the weekend’s Strikeforce show continued on Monday, as a storm brewed around the use of Oxygen sprays by King Mo Lawal and KJ Noons. In other Strikeforce-related news, gamers will be glad to know that EA Sports have released the middleweight cast of characters for their upcoming MMA game, featuring a number of Strikeforce’s finest. No Sakuraba though…boo EA, boo.
What’s the best way to earn yourself a four-fight UFC contract? Apparently getting your skull caved in by Jon ‘Bones’ Jones is one option, as Vladimir Matyushenko found out on Monday. Speaking of people who have recently been on the sharp end of a beating from ‘Bones’, despite having three metal plates and six screws in his face courtesy of the surging prospect, Brandon Vera still doesn’t believe the hype. Riiiight.
Monday ended with some bad news for anyone hoping to see Fedor compete in Strikeforce this year; according to the latest from his management, the Russian demigod will next see action on New Years Eve in Japan.
Tuesday:
It seems Randy isn’t the only member of the Couture family with a fight coming up. Following his successful pro debut earlier this month, Ryan will be back in the cage this November. Another fighter expecting a November return is Vitor Belfort, however it won’t be against Chael Sonnen, or on the UFC’s next Germany card as rumoured.
In what will hopefully be the last week of James Toney-related MMA insanity, the boxer’s MMA coach believes that his man will score a KO in the first round. Wishful thinking: Keeping the delusional hopeful since the dawn of time. Speaking of wishful thinking, it seems that an immediate rematch between Chael Sonnen and Anderson Silva is one wish that has come true for MMA fans, according to the man with the plan, Dana White.
Wednesday:
Wednesday kicked things into high-gear as Steve Davies started the build up to UFC 118 with the most in-depth preview of the prelims on the internet, fact. Then, for reasons best known to himself, Brad Wharton decided to argue that Fabricio Werdum is (sort of) the UFC champion.
The news continued to flow like fine wine throughout the day. Firstly, we learned that Japanese Judo Juggernaut Yoshihiro Akiyama has been training with Greg Jackson ahead of his UFC 120 clash with Michael Bisping. Does that mean we can expect a risk-free, excitement-free performance in London this October? Only time will tell… Also in the news on Wednesday was Dana White, confirming what many suspected; that the winner of Saturday’s co-co-main event between Grey Maynard and Kenny Florian will indeed receive a title shot at 155lbs.
Quote of the week goes to Marcus Davies: “I’d still be living in a barn with a crazy sniper if I didn’t have mixed martial arts.†Nope, we haven’t a clue either.
Thursday:
With the build up to UFC 118 reaching full steam, Steve Davies was back once again like a Renegade Master, breaking down Saturday’s main card bouts as only he knows how. In related news, James Toney was talking to anyone who would listen to him about how “…there’s nothing left to be said†ahead of his UFC 118 debut. Erm…shut up then? To nicely round out the day’s UFC 118 news, why not check out this highlight video of the pre-event press conference? Go on, treat yourself!
Strikeforce’s ‘uncrowned champion’ Fabricio Werdum revealed that he had indeed gone under the knife, effectively nixing a 2010 clash with actual champ Alistair Overeem, or a rematch with Fedor Emelianenko. Meanwhile, Overeem doesn’t want to fight ‘The Last Russian Emperor’ due in-part to M-1’s drug-testing demands. The rapidly expanding Dutchman really doesn’t make it easy for himself…
From the “Oh no he di-ent†files, Kimbo Slice, a man with little to no technique who relied on strength and athleticism to get by in MMA, has left the sport for boxing, where he will most likely be decapitated. Kimbo feels that he will “be a problem in the heavyweight divisionâ€. The only problem we can foresee is how they will match him up against anyone worth paying for without getting him killed. Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out Kevin!
Finally, some good and bad news. Bad: Killjoys at the Canadian Medical Association want to ban MMA…Boo! Good: UFC Primetime will return in October for Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez…Yay!
Friday:
It’s time for that Friday feeling once again, which can only mean one thing; that another weekend of first-class fights and second-class hangovers awaits MMA fans world-wide. Tim Sylvia popped up to give his much-sort after opinion on UFC 118’s main event. Somehow we think that if Randy Couture is going to take advice on how to beat a boxer in their 40’s from anyone, it won’t be Big Timmeh.
MMA Bay’s very own Doctor, Michael Pepper, sifted through the MMABay Mailbag with a surgeon’s hand, tackling the week’s big issues as sent in by the loyal passengers on the good ship MMABay. James Toney was at the forefront once again, this time getting into an on-camera altercation with Ariel Helwani. Just a couple more days, and it’ll all be over…
Finally, to end the week as we started it, we turn to Strikeforce. After accidentally revealing the planned main event of their upcoming October 9th date on Showtime, Scott Coker and co finally confirmed that Nick Diaz would face long-time rival KJ Noons for a second time. Let’s just hope they keep Noons’ dad off the sauce and out of the cage this time… According to Cecar Gracie, Strikeforce never offered his camp a fight between Diaz and ‘Mayhem’ Miller, proving that engaging in a post-match fist-fight doesn’t always get you what you want.
Well, that’s all folks. This weekend will finally bring a conclusion to the James Toney saga and we’ll find out if Frankie Edgar’s UFC 112 win over BJ Penn was a fluke or a changing of the guard at 155lbs. Something tells me that win or lose, there will be certain people with a lot to say next week…and you know exactly where to read all about it.
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