KOREAN ZOMBIE SHIRT IS BACK!
March 31, 2011 by Matt
Chan Sung Jung performed the first ever “Twister” in the UFC over the weekend, and now his top-selling shirt is back in stock. Click the pic to check them out.
Korean Zombie by Tri-Coasta
ROUFUSPORT NAMED AMERICA’S TOP MMA GYM
March 30, 2011 by Matt
Versus.com put together a March Madness-like bracket filled with some of America’s best MMA gyms. Then it was up to the fans to vote, and Roufusport came out on top, crowned “America’s Top MMA Gym”.
Roufusport beat out Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in the finals for the honor. The Milwaukee-based fight gym also topped Grudge Training Center and American Top Team en route to capturing the title.
The other gyms in the tourney included Black House Team, American Kickboxing Academy, Xtreme Couture, Team Quest, Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts, Nova Uniao, Renzo Gracie Academy, and Tristar Gym.
Roufusport is home to MMA fighters such as UFC heavyweight star Pat “HD” Barry, UFC lightweight title contender Anthony “Showtime” Pettis, rising UFC lightweight star Erik Koch, and UFC featherweight and local product “Danny Boy” Downes.
Anthony Pettis will be at The Olympian Centre in the Stratford Square Mall for an autograph session on April 9th.
“We were very proud just to be considered amongst the best gyms in America, so to be named the best…it’s quite an honor”, Roufusport head trainer Duke Roufus said. “Congratulations are definitely in order to all the gyms in the contest.”
ANTHONY PETTIS AT THE OLYMPIAN CENTRE
March 29, 2011 by searstapper
WEC champion/UFC lightweight contender Anthony Pettis will be at The Olympian Centre in the Stratford Square Mall for an autograph session.
“Showtime” is scheduled to fight local product Clay Guida in the main event of the “The Ultimate Fighter 13″ finale at the Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas on June 4. Before that Pettis will be at the TOC on April 9 for a meet and greet. The event starts at 7pm. The Olympian Centre recently moved from its Lombard location to the Stratford Square Mall in Bloomingdale.
After the meet and greet you can also join Pettis for a viewing party of the Strikeforce: Daley vs. Diaz broadcast at Ballydoyle. There is a $5 cover to watch the fights.
For more information email info@theolympiancentre.com or head to the TOC’s website: http://www.theolympiancentre.com.
BROCK LESNAR ON LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON
March 29, 2011 by Matt
Need further proof that the UFC is going mainstream? Jon Jones was on “The Tonight Show” last week, and then Brock Lesnar visited with Jimmy Fallon. Here’s the video:
APFC: ULTIMATE SHOWDOWN RESULTS
March 29, 2011 by Matt
Results from American Predator Fighting Championship: Ultimate Showdown, Saturday, March 26, 2011 at the South Pointe Center in DeKalb, Illinois
Bradley Staton defeated Austin Allen via Tap Out RNC
1:00 Round 1
Tleubek Yeleussizov defeated John Merow via Tap Out Armbar
2:14 Round 1
Alex Perez defeated Dennis Sherman via TKO due to strikes
0:42 Round 2
Timothy Kallas defeated Nicholas Gaynor via Tap Out due to Guillotine Choke
0:53 Round 1
Cory Hall defeated Larie Bonds via TKO due to Strikes
0:19 Round 1
Jason Mattis defeated Juan Granillo via TKO Strikes
0:36 Round 1
Justin Gary defeated Jung Nguyen via Tap Out due to Arm Bar
2:30 Round 1
Scottie Fortner defeated Tiffany Braman via TKO due to Strikes
0:32 Round 1
Tyler Reece defeated Jason Belyew via Tap Out due to Standing RNC
0:45 Round 3
Stefan Ivanov defeated Steven Kozola via Unanimous Decision
29 – 28 All 3 Judges
Josh Estrada defeated Shawn Jackson via TKO due to Strikes
1:42 Round 1
NEW ROUND 5 FIGURES: ROGAN, BAS, JONES & MORE
March 28, 2011 by Matt
Round 5 President Damon Lau announced the release of the “Ultimate Collector” Series 6 featuring six figurines, representing a broad range of popular characters. Included in the Series are current fan favorites light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones, Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy, and Gray “The Bully” Maynard, plus a UFC 69 Championship Edition of Matt “The Terror” Serra. Series 6 will hit retail shelves in the Spring of 2011.
Also included in Series 6 arelimited edition figures of UFC play-by-play commentator Joe Rogan and UFC 20 heavyweight champion turned world-class trainer and broadcaster Bas “El Guapo” Rutten. The Rutten figure includes a replica of the classic Ultiman UFC championship belt he won at UFC 20, Rutten’s final fight in the UFC.
The limited edition figures will be sold exclusively on round5mma.com and will be available for pre-order on April 11th.
“We have been getting tons of requests from fans through Facebook and Round5MMA.com for all of these guys, “ said Lau, “We are thrilled that we could release such a diverse range of figures this Spring”
Fans can view an image of early sculpts of the new series at http://www.round5mma.com/blog/
“’The Ultimate Collector’ Series 6 is our most innovative, varied release to date,” said Lau. “From active contenders, current and former champions, to Hall of Famers we’ve got something for every collector in Series 6. I am proud to offer a Series that pays homage to the current superstars in the sport and some of the UFC’s greatest moments.”
As with previous “Ultimate Collector” items, Series 6 will be presented in stylish, UFC-themed packaging that includes action shots from the Octagon as well as a short bio.
For a list of retailers carrying Ultimate Collector Series 6 and all Round 5 products go to: www.round5mma.com.
CYRUS WASHINGTON AKA “BLACK DYNAMITE”
March 27, 2011 by searstapper
Cyrus Washington has fought Muay Thai internationally (Thailand, China, Europe) and has also tried MMA. The Michigan native came to BIMA Chicago in North Suburban Highland Park to coach a seminar. Chicago’s MMA talked to him after the seminar.
BELLATOR 38: RICHARD HALE’S INVERTED TRIANGLE
March 27, 2011 by Matt
Bellator continues to deliver some of the most exciting finishes in MMA. Bellator 38 featured another inverted triangle sub, this time from Richard Hale against Nik Fekete.
Very similar to Toby Imada’s inverted triangle submission of Jorge Masvidal at Bellator 5.
IS THIS THE END OF DAN HARDY?
March 27, 2011 by Matt
Dan Hardy was manhandled for three rounds at UFC Fight Night 24 and lost a unanimous decision to Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, 30-27 on all cards. That’s three bad losses in a row for “The Outlaw”. Will Hardy keep his job in the UFC, and if so is he relevant in the welterweight division?
For other fighters, three straight poor performances might cinch their dismissal from the UFC. But the cocky Hardy is a character, and more importantly still a draw. Unfortunately for Hardy, these days the best parts of his game all come before the fight.
Hardy still excels at pre-fight chatter, although he toned it down for this bout. His introduction by Bruce Buffer is always entertaining, and Hardy showed excellent timing in flashing his “England” mouthguard in sync with Buffer’s call. The hair continues to look great. But other than that Hardy hasn’t brought much into the Octagon for quite some time.
He hasn’t won since November of 2009 when he defeated Mike Swick. Hardy had three wins before the Swick fight. None of those fighters — Marcus Davis, Rory Markham and Akihiro Gono — are currently on the UFC roster. And his last three fights have been lacking, both in excitement and execution.
Hardy showed grit in not submitting to GSP, but never mounted any offense in that fight. Condit beat Hardy at his own strength, brutally knocking him out near the end of round one in their fight. And last night against Johnson, Hardy’s offense was non-existent. Check out the FightMetric report:
Hardy landed just 10 strikes in the fight, only two of them significant. He exhibited little movement, which made him an easy target for Johnson’s takedowns. Hardy was repeatedly taken to the ground by Johnson, and could not doing anything on his back. He kept trying for a Kimura, but he was never truly in position to execute the hold. Instead it served as a way to defend the ground and pound from Johnson, which did enable him to survive at times.
In fact, at this point in his career the best part of Hardy’s game is his submission defense, powered by his grit and determination. Johnson had Hardy in an arm triangle and a neck crank, but Hardy did not tap in either instance.
So while Hardy is likely to remain on the UFC roster, his relevance to the promotion has decreased to a regional draw. He’s not a contender and not even a gatekeeper right now. If you run through the welterweight division there really isn’t a fight that stands out or makes sense for Hardy right now.
Hardy told MMA Junkie, “I’ve kind of put myself in a situation and mindset where I’m fighting for my job. That’s the worst place that I could possibly be in for my opponents because they’re going to get everything that I’ve got and a little bit more … I’m going to prove that I belong in the UFC and I’m staying in the UFC.”
It will be interesting to see who he gets next, if anyone.
BIMA CHICAGO CYRUS WASHINGTON SEMINAR SATURDAY
March 25, 2011 by Matt
Cyrus Washington aka “Black Dynamite” is one of the most accomplished American kickboxers. Washington has trained and fought out of Tiger Muay Thai and MMA in Phuket, Thailand. In February of 2010, Washington beat Harlee Por Pramuk to win the PK-1 Championship Belt at Patong Boxing Stadium.
Washington is coming to BIMA Chicago for a one-day seminar on Saturday, March 26th. Details below on the flyer.
