MMA News Roundup: March 10 - April 20, 2008
MMA News Roundup: March 10 - April 20, 2008By Jon Sattler |
Now that he’s fulfilled his duties as an Olympic torchbearer, Fedor Emelianenko is finally ready to step back into the ring against a worthy opponent—and no, we’re not talking about South Korean beekeepers. (For more on Emelianenko's battle with big honey, check out "Fedor Emelianenko: The Two-Million Dollar Man" below.) The former PRIDE champ confirmed that he will be fighting fellow heavyweight Tim Sylvia, who the Ultimate Fighting Championship recently released from his contract. "[Sylvia] is a good fighter, a strong fighter, the former UFC heavyweight champion, which is important," Emelianenko says. "I am looking forward to fighting him and training hard for this fight." Sylvia had equally kind words for his opponent. "He’s ranked No. 1 in the world. I want to challenge myself, and I want to fight him," Sylvia says. "It’s the best fight out there for the both of us right now." It looks like we’re finally going to get our PRIDE vs. UFC: Clash of the Champions matchup—it just won’t be with Randy Couture. Update: Emelianenko's announcement about the upcoming fight may have been a bit premature. His manager, Vadim Finkelstein, says that the fighters still need to work out a few details. "At the moment, we can't certainly say the bout will take place come July because the contract is not signed," Finkelstein says. "However, both parties are involved in the negotiation process and we are about to break the finishing tape, although we haven't come to an agreement concerning every detail as of yet."
by Edward Pollard On March 29, the HP Pavilion in San Jose was yet again the location of a massive Strikeforce/EliteXC co-promotion, this time pitting Strikeforce’s middleweight champion Frank Shamrock against its most dangerous contender, world sanshou champion Cung Le. The crowd of 16,326 fans watched Le fight the kind of battle he always does: a kicking, punching, stand-up bout that Shamrock adopted for some personal reason. Only twice did he try to take the fight to the ground, and even then it was halfhearted. Apparently, he’d given his word to keep the fight standing. Was it a matter of pride or a wish to show his courage in the face of a superior opponent in that field? Le, who displayed amazing stamina and durability, was completely at home kicking Shamrock’s head, body and legs. In response, Shamrock threaded hard shots through Le’s more obvious spinning kick attempts and landed a number of painfully direct shots. But while Shamrock stayed light on his feet, he also absorbed more consistent punishment. Shamrock tried to use mental games to unsettle Le. He taunted, kept a running score on his fingers and even flashed his “I’m putting you to sleep” gesture at Le after the first round. Granted, Shamrock could have ended the fight at any time with the right combination, and he appeared to be headed for a come-from-behind finish as the third round came to a close, but Le’s vicious kicks had already done their damage. His arm broken at the wrist, Shamrock was unable to answer the fourth round bell and conceded the bout. While Shamrock’s attacks may have been less conspicuous than Le’s flashy kicks, they left their mark on the new middleweight champ. Le entered the post-event press conference with a noticeable limp, his body battered and his face cut and bruised from his opponent’s strikes. He noted being surprised that Shamrock deflected his high kicks with one arm because he teaches his students to always block with two arms. It must be tough choosing between blocking with both arms or protecting the other side of your head. Still, Le earned the belt in stunning fashion with crowd-pleasing backfists and a relentlessly accurate attack. His calm and focus allowed him to weather the crazy emotional storm in the packed arena and power his way to the top.
Now that he's parted ways with M-1 Global, Fedor Emelianenko is looking to become the highest paid mixed martial artist on the planet. "[Fedor] wants $2 million per fight," says Gary Shaw, EliteXC live events president. "We keep going back and forth, but he has to fight soon. It's been almost two years." While it's true that he defeated the 7-foot-2-inch, 350 pound Choi Hong-man in December 2007, it's been two years since Emelianenko's fought a top-tier opponent—unless you count South Korean beekeepers. In one of the most bizarre legal complaints in MMA history, Emelianenko is seeking 1.55 billion won ($1.56 million) in compensation from a South Korean beekeepers' association for using his image without consent in a TV commercial. In the ad, the former PRIDE champion drinks from a honey jar and tells the camera, "Seonyu Honey is good." Emelianenko's agency says, "The defendants damaged Fedor's image by producing commercials that do not fit his powerful image and were made with shoddy footage." Instead of arguing whether the commercial is befitting a champion of his stature, we'll let you be the judge. Shamrock, Strikeforce Coming to Late Night
Jerry Petry, the executive vice president of NBC Universal Television, explains this development. "Mixed martial arts has exploded onto the sports scene. Its athletes are tremendous competitors and the sport is one of the fastest growing in the world," he says. "As a leader in this arena, Strikeforce will be able to deliver some of the finest and most intense action ever seen on broadcast TV." Strikeforce on NBC will air Saturday nights at 2 a.m. ET following Poker After Dark. In other late-night news, Strikeforce middleweight champion Frank Shamrock will be appearing in a skit on Jimmy Kimmel Live! this Friday, March 28. But don’t worry; we can guarantee Shamrock will be well rested for his title fight with fellow Black Belt Hall of Fame member Cung Le on Saturday. Shamrock recently revealed why he always looks so relaxed before a bout: "The day before the fight I sleep all day and wake up about 5 p.m. and have a massage."
In the May 2008 issue of Black Belt, columnist Stephen Quadros gives his definitive list for the 10 most impressive mixed martial artists in the world. Figuring out who’s the best is never easy, so in a recent poll we asked our readers who they’d include on their list. Here are your picks for the top 10 MMA fighters: 1. Georges St.-Pierre 2. Randy Couture 3. Anderson Silva 4. Quinton Jackson / Chuck Liddell (tie) 5. B.J. Penn 6. Fedor Emelianenko / Matt Hughes (tie) 7. Urijah Faber / Bas Rutten (tie) 8. Frank Shamrock / Wanderlei Silva (tie) 9. Forrest Griffin / Ken Shamrock (tie) 10. Mirko Filipovic / Rich Franklin / Dan Henderson / Roger Huerta (four-way tie) Want to know how your list compares with his? Check out the May 2008 issue of Black Belt to find out.
Undefeated kickboxer and mixed-martial artist Cung Le will face fellow Black Belt Hall of Fame member and Strikeforce middleweight champion Frank Shamrock for the title on Saturday, March 29, at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. After a brief training session at his new gym in Milpitas, California, Le sat down with the media to discuss his game plan for the upcoming fight, the NBC-Strikeforce rumors, and cracking his rival’s skull. On the pending NBC-Strikeforce deal: “I believe I will be on network TV very soon. There is a deal [with Strikeforce] that I can’t speak about, so I am going to keep my mouth shut, but watch out—here we come.” On the importance of the match: “This is my biggest fight ever in my whole career, whether it’s an amateur fight to a professional fight. This is the biggest.” On Shamrock’s game: “Frank is well rounded on the ground. I think where Frank is very dangerous is in the transition in the scramble, and if I eliminate that, then I eliminate a big part of Frank’s game. I can’t wait to crack Frank upside his head with my shin. My job is to look sharp picking Frank apart. I definitely see a lot of holes in his game and I’m looking at exploiting them.” Our readers agree with Le's take on the fight. In a recent Black Belt poll, 63 percent of voters think Le will win.
What happens when you mix Black Entertainment Television with mixed martial arts? We're about to find out. The Iron Ring—BET's new MMA reality show—brings professional fighters like boxing champ Floyd Mayweather and UFC veterans Shonie Carter and Roberto Traven together with hip-hop icons like Nelly, Ludacris and Lil Jon to manage MMA teams. "The other MMA shows don't have the same celebrity involvement like we do," says BET programming chief Reggie Hudlin. "We have the celebrity owners, the legends as trainers and the fact that we give [a shot to] all these young fighters who normally would not have one." Produced by UFC co-founders Campbell McLaren and David Isaac, The Iron Ring premieres March 18 at 11 p.m. ET/PT. MMA Rumor Mill Strikeforce is coming to NBC. (confirmed) Roy Jones Jr. wants to fight Anderson Silva. (confirmed) The UFC’s negotiating with Fedor Emelianenko ... And Randy Couture would return to fight him. Before They Were Fighters As a sport, mixed martial arts is still in its infancy. There’s no clear path from the cradle to the cage, so Most MMA stars held day jobs before entering the octagon. Want to know who was in the Army and who worked at UPS? Take our quiz to find out.
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