Fedor Knocks Out Ishii at Dream [Video]

Perhaps the demise of Fedor was overstated. People freaked out because he got caught by Werdum, steamrolled by Big Foot Silva and KO’d by Hendo. Bad losses? Yes. Still a viable heavyweight MMA fighter? Definitely.

I’d take Fedor over Werdum in a rematch, and he had Hendo rocked in their fight. Do I think he can come into the UFC and immediately contend? Probably not. But I still think there are plenty of fights for Fedor in the UFC.

Fedor took care of business for the second straight time with an impressive win over Olympic Judo gold medalist Satoshi Ishii at DREAM’s New Year’s Eve event in Japan. Here is the video.

Comprido: We’ll See Brock Lesnar at Full Potential

Rodrigo “Comprido” Medeiros is the world-renowned BJJ champion and leader of Team Brasa. He is also known for being the BJJ coach of UFC heavyweight Brock Lesnar. He recently spoke with Gracie Mag about Lesnar’s UFC 141 matchup with Alistair Overeem.

“Brock is in great shape. Undergoing surgery was the best decision he could have made. I believe we’ll be seeing Brock at full potential for the first time,” Comprido told reporter Nalty Junior.

“I’m truly excited about this fight. They’re two giants, two monsters on a collision course—I don’t think I’ve ever seen two guys as big and skillful as they are. If Alistair isn’t 100%, he’d best not show up, because Brock is super well prepared; I guarantee it,” added Comprido.

Lesnar will be making his first appearance in the Octagon since October of 2010, when he lost the belt to Cain Velasquez. Lesnar says that there isn’t a fighter he can’t take down in the UFC, and he’ll need to do that against Overeem. We’ve seen Lesnar utilize Comprido’s BJJ techniques before, especially in his comeback win against Shane Carwin at UFC 116. Will Lesnar break out another slick submission on Friday night? We’ll see.

Overeem: I’ll Beat Up Brock Lesnar

The wait is almost over for fans waiting to see the return of Brock Lesnar to the Octagon, as well as those who have been clamoring to see Alistair Overeem in the UFC.

In this clip, Overeem talks about how he is going to beat up the former UFC heavyweight champion, including his profession that he has more punching power than Cain Velasquez.

So who do you have in the battle of former Strikeforce champion Overeem and former UFC heavyweight champion Lesnar?

Dan Hardy Has Gone Entirely Bananas

Fight fans have always known that Dan Hardy had a big mouth that he could rarely back up. They also understood that his ramblings — along with his hairdo and over-demonstrativeness — were part of marketing himself and selling fights.

But now, Hardy has said some things so outlandish that you have to wonder if he’s gone completely bananas. He’s still trying to be a promoter and sell himself as an opponent people want to see. When you haven’t won in over two years and have dropped four straight fights, you have to try and generate interest. But Hardy called out UFC hall of famer Matt Hughes, and that speaks to his current level of derangement.

“I’ve mentioned Matt Hughes to Lorenzo [Fertitta],” Hardy told ESPN. “He’s been on a rough streak as well recently, he’ll look at me and see I’ve lost four fights and think he can outwrestle me.

“I also genuinely don’t like him. I need a fight to get up for and I’d take great pleasure in smashing him in the face. I won’t talk about why I don’t like him, it’s some knowledge I have about him away from the sport. Even students around where he lives bet against him.”

The fight would go like this: Hardy will get taken down within the first minute of the fight. From there Hughes will either pound him into a ref stoppage or take his back and choke him to sleep, since we know Hardy won’t tap. It would depend on Hughes’ mood that day, if he reads MMA stories on the internet and if he even knows who Dan Hardy is.

Hughes wasn’t the only legend that he insulted during the interview. He also took a swipe — albeit indirectly — at Royce Gracie. “Mind you at the same time, I don’t want somebody who’s on their way out of the sport. I don’t want to go calling out Royce Gracie! I would want Hughes to come to win,” Hardy said.

Royce Gracie should come back for one more fight and shut Hardy up once and for all. What has Dan Hardy done in the sport that he can speak this way? Hardy doesn’t want to fight ‘someone who’s on their way out of the sport’. Newsflash: The joke’s on you, Jack. You’re the one that’s on the way out. At least out of the UFC.

Silva & Silva Pose with The Bulls’ Championship Trophies… sort of.

 

The Chicago Bulls’ championship run in the 90s is one of the most impressive accomplishments in all of sports.   Chicago is certainly proud of those teams.  Anderson Silva and Wanderlei Silva both have enjoyed hall of fame careers in mixed martial arts.   The two Silvas had chance to meet greatness… sort of.  We snapped this pic of “The Spider” and “The Axe Murderer” with the six Larry O’brien NBA championship trophies Michael Jordan & company won.  OK, it’s not really Anderson and Wandy, but their action figures instead.  However we thought MMA/UFC fans who also enjoy the NBA would appreciate the novelty of this picture.

As Chicago sports fans the crew at Chicago’s MMA are happy to see the Bulls and “The Association” put the lockout in the rearview mirror and move ahead with the 2012 season.   Let’s beat the Heat!

The Mexicutioner is Coming to Town

The UFC is coming to Chicago on for the UFC on Fox, and they’re bringing ‘The Mexicutioner’ with them.

MMA Weekly and other sources report that UFC heavyweight Joey Beltran will battle Strikeforce-import Lavar Johnson on January 28th at the United Center.

Both Beltran and Johnson love to stand and trade power shots, which makes for exciting fights. But they are both coming off losses, so we’ll have to see if they opt for more strategy than usual. Don’t count on it. Expect fireworks early and often, even at their own peril. Johnson will be making his UFC debut and has dropped his last two fights. Beltran has lost three of his last four bouts in the Octagon.

Beltran lost his last fight to Stipe Miocic at UFC 136 in Houston. He scored a TKO win over Aaron Rosa at UFC 131, and was involved in an epic brawl with Pat Barry at UFC Fight for the Troops in January.

Beltran stormed on to the UFC scene with two straight wins in 2010, knocking out Rolles Gracie and winning via decision against Tim Hague. Although he is a fan favorite, a loss to Johnson could signal the end of his UFC career. That would make him 1-4 in his last five fights, and the Strikeforce heavyweights are being folded into the UFC.

Johnson survived being shot to come back and make some noise in Strikeforce Challengers. He won his first three fights by knockout, with two coming in the first round. But since then he was submitted twice in a row, losing to Shane Del Rosario and Shawn Jordan.

In the end, as cliche as it sounds, the fans win with this matchup. Although they both badly need to get wins, these two aren’t coming here to play Party Poker. They’ll stand and bang until someone goes down for good. Let’s just hope that it doesn’t come at the expense of one of their jobs, because these two heavyweights are fun to watch.

Chael Sonnen Takes a Shot — at the Cubs?

UFC middleweight contender Chael Sonnen has a sharp tongue, with most of his ire usually reserved for Anderson Silva. But when Ray Flores and I caught up with him at the UFC press conference in Chicago, Sonnen even found some time to take a jab at everyone’s favorite punching bag — the Chicago Cubs.

Jens Pulver KO’d by Tim Elliott

Team Curran’s Jens Pulver was back in action over the weekend, fighting in Nebraska at Resurrection Fight Alliance. Pulver fought Tim Elliott in the main event on a card that included Gilbert Yvel, Justin McCully and James Krause. While those three fighters all left with victories, Pulver got knocked out in the second round by a vicious knee from Elliott.

Pulver tweeted out an apology saying, “Sorry to all who support me, I half assed the training and got wrecked deservedly so.” In another tweet he apologized to Team Curran. From reading his recent timeline, Pulver does not indicate that he will be retiring after this loss.

As for his opponent Tim Elliott, the win over Pulver moves him to 7-2-1. He has run off seven straight victories after starting his pro career 0-2-1.

Junie Browning On the Run, Fears for His Life in Thailand

This whole Junie Browning story is starting to become more bizarre than a hollywood movie script. The former UFC fighter was involved in a massive brawl in Phuket and hospitalized. He went on the lam in fear of his life and the Phuket Police are said to be on the hunt for him. He will not meet with them as he believes them to be corrupt. All we need is Jason Bourne and we have ourselves a box office smash.

Here is what Browning recently wrote in an e-mail to the Phuket Gazette.

I am writing this in regards to the events that happened this past Sunday night [December 11] in Karon and in the Patong Hospital following.

I am aware of previous allegations in my past that may lead people to believe that the way the event is being portrayed in the media is true. I came to Thailand to train jn MMA and rebuild my reputation and career as a professional athlete. My current physical condition and the reputation that is being built by corrupt media is fatal to my career.

I was in fact the victim in this case and it is important I am able to tell my side of the story and provide you with pictures and evidence to support it.

There was an attempt to end my life and I am begging for help from the US Embassy. My girlfriend and I have had our lives repeatedly threatened in the hours and days following the event.

Sunday night, we arrived at a small bar in Karon with two other females, one of whom was friends with the owner. It happened to be the birthday of the bar owner, Simon Wilson Menzies, so he was surrounded by a group of 12-15 of his closest friends who had been drinking in celebration previous to our arrival.

My girlfriend and I had a few drinks, and seeing we didn’t know anyone, had decided to leave to go home. We had contacted a cab and he was on his way to meet us. He would call when he arrived. A discussion via text message with one of the girls I had arrived with, resulted in MJ Castro and Simon Menzies confronting me in the street, MJ screaming and swinging her hands in front of my face.

I do not know why she was mad. Nothing that I had said involved her or her friends whatsoever. I assumed she was mad that we were leaving the party because we were on our way out to meet our cab. Without any notice I found myself in a physical altercation with Simon in the street.

I could tell from the moment he stepped in front of me, he was looking for a fight. At this point, it just involved me and Simon, my girlfriend was standing next to us. In only a few seconds, my girlfriend was thrown across the street and I had been hit from behind in the back of the head by a glass beer bottle.

I stood up looking for my attacker and found myself surrounded by a mob of people. It was no longer a man on man “bar brawl” but a fight for my survival. I was trying to defend myself in the street when at some point I fell back to the ground.

They [dragged] me back into the bar where they pummeled me with punches and kicks. It was me against everyone. For a second time I received a massive blow over the head with a thick glass mug that split my head open and made me fall to the floor.

I curled up in the fetal position, submissive, and I continued to be kicked and hit. My arms up covering my face I felt a slice to my forearm and another stab to my neck.

A Thai girl had a knife and was attacking my head with it. I must have lost consciousness from blood loss because the next thing I knew, my girlfriend had sprawled her body on top of mine to protect me from any more blows. She was screaming that it was “enough” and that the fight was over.

She was taking kicks in my place until a bystander grabbed me by the shoulders and [dragged] my body down the steps into the street.

All of my attackers remained standing in the bar unharmed. I was going in and out of consciousness, which I am assuming was from my head trauma, while the ambulance arrived and I was transported to the hospital. My girlfriend accompanied me in the emergency vehicle drenched in by blood and witnessed the paramedics revive me by CPR twice.

The man that originally attacked me, Simon Wilson Menzies, we later discovered had been arrested on a plane from Australia in April 2011, after being refused alcohol. The following article taken from ntnews.com.au explains those events and will allow you to take into consideration his character. (click here).

Once I arrived at the hospital, I was rolled into a large open room and my girlfriend was put in a wheelchair and checked for wounds. They thought she had been cut as well because of the amount of blood that covered her body. They showered her and threw her clothes in the trash.

When she was allowed to see me, she informed me that she had been kicked but was not injured and told me what she had experienced in the last moments of the fight and on the ambulance. She said she feared they had killed me and that I was lucky to be alive.

They began to assess my wounds and stitch up the three large gashes on my head. Without any consideration to my safety or the events that had just occurred, they placed both Menzies accompanied by MJ Castro, and the man who had attacked me with a mug, in the beds right beside me.

Needless to say, I became furious and again words were exchanged. As it escalated a second time into a physical fight, MJ attempted to intervene and was struck in the rumble. Security and Patong Police arrived and restrained all parties. I was taken into the waiting lobby on a stretcher in handcuffs in front of numerous people to finish giving me medical attention.

At no point was I rude or uncooperative with either the medical staff or the police. Taken into consideration the severity of my wounds and my demeanor and my girlfriend’s statement, the police officer removed my handcuffs.

We were told by the officer that we should stay the night in the hospital to have my head monitored and would be able to go home with no charges the next morning. It was obvious to him that I was the victim.

The hospital staff was extremely kind, giving both my girlfriend and I clean clothes and beds to sleep on. I was hooked up to an IV and had arranged with friends to be picked up at 10am the next morning, after my wounds were reassessed.

My intentions were to file a police report in the morning and deal with this in a civil manner. Hours later, my phone began to ring with numerous reliable sources stating that we were not safe and we needed to leave now! They said that local Thais and mafia had a price on my head and were headed to the hospital and both my girlfriend’s and my life were at risk.

We were told to trust or talk to no one and to just leave. We are aware that the mafia is a real thing and took this very seriously. We panicked and decided that our best option was to escape in the middle of the night and hope we could make it home.

Our first thought was to get a hold of the police for protection, but were told that it was corrupt and that they would be of no assistance. My girlfriend pulled out my IV and jumped a fence to find a taxi to come pick me up.

When one arrived I jumped in and we headed home to pack. Two friends came banging on the door, which we didn’t answer for fear of who it might be. They continued to bang on the windows until we realized who it was.

We do not want to mention their names to protect them from being associated with the situation and any harm that may come to them. They said there was no time; that I needed to hide. They even mentioned that if my girlfriend was found, they would kill or harm her in an attempt to find me.

Being US citizens in a foreign country we were terrified and had to act quickly. With these threats in mind we made a plan. I went to hide while my girlfriend stayed behind to pack and arrange travel out of the city. Keep in mind, we left behind a house we have rented through May, a dog we left in a friend’s care, and numerous personal belongings. Approximately one hour later I was picked up by taxi and we headed out of Phuket. Four hours later we arrived in Krabi to stay the night in a hotel and figure out what to do.

The next day I received two separate phone calls from MJ Castro (which I was informed is not her real name) and Simon Menzies saying that we needed to pay several hundred thousand baht or they would continue to hunt us.

In addition, Facebook messages and phone calls flooded in from friends and acquaintances telling us we were in big trouble and needed to get back to the US quickly and, again, to speak to no one.

They instructed us to attempt to cross the Malaysian border and get on the first flight home. At this point we packed again and boarded a mini van to Hatyai. We booked a hotel and paid for two tickets on the 9am bus to Kuala Lumpur, still unsure of what we should do.

While in Hatyai, we contacted the US Embassy, still afraid to tell anyone of our location. We did not want to flee the situation, but needed to confide in people we could trust.

We were told not to use our phones or internet to avoid any chance of the wrong people discovering our location. I was contacted by a friend from the United States who had previously lived in Bangkok and was able to arrange transport from friends of his with protection to the US Embassy.

To this point I have been unable to seek the medical attention that I desperately need.

My vision in my right eye is impaired, I am in severe pain, I am going through fainting and dizzy spells, and have severe head trauma. We had to use the internet to try to figure out how to deal with it on our own.

My girlfriend has been dressing my wounds and at night sets an alarm every two hours to wake me up. She asks me simple questions and checks my eyes to make sure I am coherent and stable.

All we are asking for is help from people we can trust which brings us here now. We are victims of a viscous assault and attempt on our lives. We are seeking the assistance of the US Embassy and I want to clear my name of the wrong-doing I was accused of.

The story can get even stranger if in fact the US Embassy does get involved. And with Browning as the main character, no one can doubt that it will indeed get more strange soon.

UFC 141 Video Preview

“You don’t have to be from Stockton to be tough.” – Donald Cerrone

UFC 141 on December 30th features the return of Brock Lesnar, the UFC debut of Alistair Overeem, and a throwdown between Donald Cerrone and Nick Diaz.

Joe Rogan praises Brock Lesnar’s improving BJJ, which is accomplished through the tutelage of Comprido, Lesnar’s primary BJJ coach. Comprido commented on Facebook that Lesnar is in great shape for the Overeem fight, and he will be in his corner for the bout.

Here’s the extended UFC 141 preview video.

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