RAY MERCER VS. TIM SYLVIA (Mercer goes off!) Press Conference
Posted on | June 13, 2009 | No Comments
Check out this press conference where Tim Sylvia says he wants to start a professional boxing career…and…
Ray Mercer says he is an “athlete.”
Tags: Boxing > Mixed Martial Arts > MMA > Ray Mercer > Tim Sylvia
HELLA HOLLI MARTIN REPORTING LIVE FROM UFC 99 IN GERMANY
Posted on | June 13, 2009 | 1 Comment
UFC 99 REPORT AND PLAY BY PLAY
By: Holli Martin
Cologne’s real name is Köln. If you didn’t know better, you would think you were walking the streets of Manhattan. The fabulous shopping is dwarfed only by the colossal Köln cathedral, the largest in Germany. And, the only thing more impressive and historical than this ancient landmark is the first ever mainland Europe UFC right in this very town.
Most of the fans attending are American soldiers. They are easily detected by their American English and occasional obnoxious behavior. However, the Europeans are represented, as well. They can be spotted in brand new UFC t-shirts, metro-cut jeans, trendy hair cuts, and a near lack of typical pre-fight enthusiasm.
While the UFC hasn’t reached it’s peak of popularity with the Germans, the seats not filled by Americans were occupied by Brits, Irish, and Eastern Europeans. Nevertheless, a few progressive Germans were in attendance.
MAIN CARD:
Rich Franklin Vs. Wanderlei Silva
Round one was mostly a clinic in circling and respecting with just enough action to keep the fight moving. Although, Wanderlei Silva took the advantage by way of fan vote after he walked to the octagon to what must be the German national anthem: techno music.
The action picked up in the second with both fighters engaging in bouts of meaningful flurries. Franklin earned the fans’ respect after rocking the Brazilian twice, then getting the takedown before the bell.
Wandi rallied the spectators behind him by waving his arms to encourage their cheers in the third. His gesture was rewarded with a roar of foot stomps and applause. In return, Silva took it to Franklin, but the American scored another takedown. With Franklin pinned behind Silva against the cage, neither fighter wanted to leave it to the judges, choosing to have a war of elbows and punches before the fight ended. The judges had their say with the former middleweight champ RICH FRANKLIN taking the win by UD.
Despite the decision loss, the crowd sent a clear message to Dana white that they wanted to see the “ax murderer” again.
Cheick Kongo Vs. Cain Velasquez
In repayment for a flash knock out, Cain Velasquez all but pantsed Cheick Kongo in an effort to take the Frenchman to the mat. The rest of the round consisted of Velasquez laying heavy ground and pound on his opponent, adding a few knees to the ribs for good measure.
Velasquez was caught with another flash KO in the second, but the round ended in déjà vous fashion.
The Third round was more of the same with Velasquez taking the unanimous decision.
On the plus side for Kongo, he now knows he needs a better ground coach.
Mirko Cro Cop Vs. Mostapha Al Turk
After walking out to Duran Duran’s “Wild Boys,” like only a true bad ass could, Mirko Cro Cop stalked Mostapha Al Turk, waiting for just the right moment.
Before the halfway point in the round, Cro Cop staggered Al Turk with punches, backing him against the cage. In an exchange of strikes, the Croation unintentionally poked a finger into the Londoner’s eye, causing him to turn his back and cover his face. Mirko swooped in, pounding on al Turk until the fight was stopped.
A crowd full of Croatian flag, t-shirt wearing fans roared as their hero took the win, apologizing for the eye poke.
Editor’s Note (By: Rich Bergeron): Cro Cop looked much better in this one, landing some really crisp shots to take Al Turk out. A poke in the eye unfortunately went un-noticed by the ref before Mirko pounded Al Turk against the fence to finish it, but judging by the way Cro Cop was landing left hooks at will, it looked to be only a matter of time before Cro Cop won by other means if the poke was never a factor. Still, considering the amount of punches from Mirko that landed solidly, the damage on Al Turk’s face was minimal. Mirko said he is feeling much better since his surgery 5 months ago and was “satisfied” with his performance against Al Turk. I would rather see him matched against someone with a bigger name and a better record.
Mike Swick Vs. Ben Saunders
Ben Saunders made the first most of round one by charging at Mike Swick like a bully across a schoolyard, only to find himself on his back with Swick on top punching his face and attempting a Swickatine.
Round two saw a more even exchange until Swick threw a right hand, rocking his taller opponent. Seizing the opportunity, Swick went after Saunders, taking him to the ground and laying down 16 unanswered strikes before the beating was stopped, giving Swick the TKO victory.
SPENCER FISHER V. CAOL UNO
In polar opposition to Fisher’s usually exciting fights, tonight’s against Uno was a bit of snoozefest.
Evenly matched, each combatant canceled the other out with no clear front runner until Fisher knocked Uno to the mat in the third. Oddly, the Iowan didn’t capitalize.
Uno pinned Fisher at the close of the third, peppering him with punches and staying in brief control. Uno lost his hold just before the round ended. The judges apparently flipped a coin, awarding the win to Fisher by unanimous decision.
Editor’s note (By Rich Bergeron): Even though Joe Rogan seemed to think Uno’s last flurry of grounding and pounding might have won him the fight I think the fact that Fisher kept landing Muay Thai knees during clinches and landed the far better punches made all the difference.
Marcus Davis Vs. Dan Hardy
Davis kept the fight on the ground with the better BJJ skills in Round 1. Dan hardy connected once late in the first with a nice elbow, but Davis’s Jiu Jitsu was too dominant.
The second round saw Hardy dole out a flash knockout to the Irish hand grenade with a well-placed knee to the chin. Davis recovered immediately and nearly submitted the Brit. The round likely went to Hardy.
Both fighters came out strong in the third with Davis throwing an early overhand left, knocking down Hardy. Hardy opened a cut on Davis’ nose with a vicious elbow while both men were wrestling near the cage fence. When the ref stopped the fight to check on the cut, Davis looked wobbly standing up. Both went back to grappling near the fence until the ref stood them up for one last exchange. Nobody landed anything spectacular, so the fight went to the judges who arrived at a split decision win for hardy.
FINAL SCORE: 29-28 on all three cards, two for Hardy, one for Davis. Hardy wins and says the pre-fight stuff about Davis and his Irish Heritage being a “gimmick” was all psychological. Looks like it worked.
PRELIMINARIES:
Terry Etim Vs. Justin Buchholtz
After decidedly losing round one, round two found Terry Etim grinding off a machine gun like explosion of Muay Thai knees before submitting Justin Buchholtz with an impressive darse choke. Buchholtz who found his way into the second round for the first time in his ufc career, broke the Brit’s nose in round one with ground and pound punches but just couldn’t capitalize on the advantage it should have awarded him.
Paul Kelly Vs. Rolando Delgado
Despite his blackbelt from mcdojo, Delgado was not able to submit the Brit with the dizzying display of submission attempts which were clearly worked out in his garage.
After Three rounds, Paul Kelly took the decision win. It’s still a mystery why Kelly didn’t knock him out.
John Hathaway Vs. Rick Story
Excellent trade of strikes and sub attempts. The American Story showed the better ground skill but the Brit Hathaway took away the unanimous decision win.
Denis Stojnic Vs. Stefan Struve
Despite the copious amounts of blood pouring from Struve’s forehead caused by vicious strikes on the ground, courtesy of Stojnic, Struve pulled the W in the 3rd by rear naked choke.
Dennis Siver Vs. Dale Hartt
With all the national honor of an Olympian, Mannheim, Germany’s Dennis Siver powered his way through the first round. Despite a tough opponent in Dale Hartt, the German hooked a rear naked choke for win, drawing a roar of applause from local fans.
Paul Taylor Vs. Peter Sobotta
Newcomer Peter Sobotta’s kickboxing and BJJ were no match for England’s Paul Taylor. While Taylor couldn’t achieve a definitive ko or submission, he did walk away with his hand raised after a unanimous decision.
Tags: Ben Saunders > Cain Velasquez > Caol Uno > Cheick Kongo > Cologne > Dale Hartt > Dan Hardy > Denis Siver > Denis Stojnic > fighting > Germany > Holli Martin > Justin Buchholz > Marcus Davis > Mike Swick > Mirko Cro Cop > Mixed Martial Arts > MMA > Mostapha Al Turk > Paul Kelly > Paul Taylor > Peter Sobotta > Rich Franklin > Roland Delgado > Spencer Fisher > Stefan Struve > Terry Etim > UFC > UFC 99 > Ultimate Fighting Championships > Wanderlei Silva
RESULTS FROM PLYMOUTH, MA BRAWL AT THE HALL BOXING SHOW
Posted on | June 12, 2009 | No Comments
Plymouth, Massachusetts
June 12, 2009 – “Brawl At The Hall”
PROFESSIONALS
HEAVYWEIGHTS
Jesse Barboza (1-0, 1 KO), Barnstable, MA WKO2 (3:00) Orion Sistrunk (5-25-1, 1 KO), Philadelphia, PA
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS
Chris Traietti (8-1, 5 KOs), Quincy, MA WTKO3 (2:45) Shawn Kirk (4-4, 2 KOs), Lexington, KY
Paul Gonsalves (1-0, 1 KO), Harwich, MA WTKO4 (2:27) Huston Crayton (0-5), Brockton, MA
SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHTS
Benny Lescarbeau (4-0, 3 KOs), Plymouth, MA WDEC4 (40-33, 39-34, 39-34) Norman Johnson (1-5, 0 KOs), Charlotte, NC
FEMALE MIDDLEWEIGHTS
Alexsandra Magdziak Lopes (1-1, 1 KO), Marshfield, MA WKO2 (1:27) Bessie Rowell (0-3), Macon, GA$
AMATEURS
160 Pounds: Rashane Doyle, South Boston, MA W3PTS Neil Sullivan, Worcester, MA. 154 Pounds: Keenan Moses, Providence, RI W3PTS Adam Medeiros, New Bedford, MA . 135 Pounds: Stephane Steeve, Winsor, VT W1RSC (0:55) Kate Nickles, Middleboro, Middleboro, MA . 125 Pounds: Anthony Marcele, Providence, RI W1RSC (0:53) Chris Wrigley, Middleboro, MA; Davon Shelton, Providence, RI W3PTS Michael B riggs, Worcester, MA..
Promoter: Classic Entertainment & Sports, Inc.
Tags: Benny Lescarbeau > Boxing > Brawl at the Hall > CES > Chris Traetti > Jimmy Burchfield > MA > Plymouth > Providence
JUSTICE WILL PREVAIL AS DEFENDER OF THE LAW, NICK THOMPSON, MEETS DEFENDER OF COUNTRY, TIM KENNEDY, FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2009, IN KENT, WASH.
Posted on | June 12, 2009 | No Comments
Six Questions With Thompson, Who Will Fight Kennedy at the ShoWare Center, First Non-Televised Bout Is 6 P.M. PT; Live on SHOWTIME® At 11 p.m. ET/PT
NEW YORK (June 12, 2009) — When you call Nick “The Goat” Thompson’s phone number and he doesn’t pick up this is what you hear: “You’ve reached the office of Nicholas Thompson, Attorney at Law, I’m away from my desk right now…”
Just two days after one of the biggest fights in his young MMA career—a nationally televised welterweight title bout against Jake Shields—Thompson took the Minnesota state bar exam and found out three months later (late 2008) that he had passed on his first attempt.
In a matchup with all kinds of storylines, Thompson (38-10-1) will try to lay down the law when he makes his Strikeforce debut in his 50th MMA fight against former Green Beret and Army Ranger Tim Kennedy (9-2) in one of the featured middleweight attractions on Strikeforce Challengers, Friday, June 19, at the ShoWare Center at Kent, Wash., live on SHOWTIME® (11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast).
Currently training with current UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar’s team, Thompson will be moving up in weight. “I figure if I can do it against the heavyweights then 185 shouldn’t be a problem,” he said.
The 27-year-old Thompson, from Minneapolis, Minn., graduated with not one, but two college degrees in economics and philosophy. He then went on to get his law degree from the University of Minnesota, a top 20 school. He is 2-0 with that law degree in hand and recently sat down and answered six quick questions.
QUESTION: How hard was it to focus on your fight against Shields knowing you had your bar exam just days away?
THOMPSON: “I don’t think I realized how stressed out I was about it until it was all said and done. I’ve had so many fights with so much going on because I was always fighting through law school and had so many exams it just became something I was used to. Now that I’m fighting and I don’t have all the stuff it’s only now that I realize just how much I was running around and spreading myself too thin. I think I’m more relaxed in training because now I have more time to go home and relax between training sessions. You’re still stressed out anytime you’re going to fight and it takes a lot of effort mentally but now I’m allowed a lot more recovery time than I had in the past.”
QUESTION: How do relax in your spare time?
THOMPSON: “I enjoy reading classic literature for pleasure. My wife (Molly) and I will just take a book and read it together. We read “A Tale of Two Cities”, “Howard’s End’’, “The Brothers Karamazov”.
QUESTION: You must get some strange looks in the gym when you pull out one of those books?
THOMPSON: “Every once in awhile, yeah, but actually the guys at the highest levels are very educated. Most people in the gym have read a lot of the books I’ve read. It’s kind of interesting but I went on a run with my buddy the other day and that’s what we talked about: “A Tale of Two Cities” because he had just read it. You would think that fighters aren’t that well educated but it seems to be the opposite in Mixed Martial Arts.”
QUESTION: What would you like to do with your law degree once your fighting days are over?
THOMPSON: “For me the law was the practical application of philosophy which is something I really enjoy. It’s one way you can really shape the country. If you look at the founders of our country and the people who signed the Declaration of Independence the majority of them were lawyers. As much as Congress and the Senate, I think the Supreme Court shapes the way the U.S. does policy. So I definitely see myself getting into politics. I really enjoy tax law, which most people hate. Right now I’m doing a lot of contract work for fighters, which is a natural fit for me and I am kind of managing some of the younger fighters so they won’t have to pay a lawyer. It’s something I really enjoy doing.”
QUESTION: You and your wife also have an interest in animals and have rescued several stray dogs, including a white German Shepherd that is blind and missing its teeth.
THOMPSON: “Yeah, my wife absolutely loves animals. She’s nuts about them. If an animal is hurt even in a cartoon she’ll start crying. We’ve got two dogs from the Humane Society; one was an abused dog. Eventually we’d like to get a bigger house out in the country and have a bunch of stray dogs running around.”
QUESTION: Your wife must have a tough time watching you fight?
THOMPSON: “Actually not. Because she’s almost eight months pregnant (expecting on July 20) with our first child, this will be only the third fight out of 50 that she’s missed. It’s very hard for her to watch me fight but not because I’m getting hurt. She knows that if I get a cut or something it doesn’t hurt. It’s more that she knows how hard I work to train for the fight and that the disappointment I feel after losing affects her more. That’s the hardest part for her.”
In the June 19 main event on SHOWTIME, , “Smokin” Joe Villasenor of Albuquerque, N.M., faces Evangelista “Cyborg” of Rondonopolis Mato Grosso, Brazil, in a clash of top-notch middleweights.
Other bouts on SHOWTIME: Cory “The One” Devela of Bonney Lake, Wash., faces Luke Rockhold of Santa Cruz, Calif. (middleweights), Sarah Kaufman of Victoria, Canada, takes on Shayna “The Queen Of Spades’’ Baszler of Sioux Falls, S.D., in a 135-pound women’s fight and Jorge Gurgel of Cincinnati, Ohio, will collide with Conor “Hurricane’’ Heun of Boulder, Colo., in a 155-pound scrap.
ShoWare Center doors will open for the Strikeforce Challengers event at 5:30 p.m. PT.
In non-televised fights: Lyle “Fancy Pants’’ Beerbohm of Yelm, Wash., meets Duane “Bang” Ludwig of Denver, Colo. (lightweights), Dennis “Superman’’ Hallman of Yelm, Wash., faces Cedric “Spider Man’’ Marks (welterweights), Brian Caraway of Seattle throws down with Alex Zuniga, Landon Showalter takes on Travis “The Praying Mantis’’ Doerge (middleweights), Len Bentley of Irvine, Wash., confronts Marques Daniels and Steve Hadsel collides with Taylor Roberts.
Tickets for the Strikeforce Challengers event, priced from $32, are on sale at the ShoWare Center Box Office (253-856-6999 or 877-840-0457), online at ShoWareCenter.com, and at www.strikeforce.com.
Strikeforce’s MMA fight card at the Tacoma Dome on Feb. 28, 2008, produced the largest live gate in the history of any boxing, MMA, or kickboxing event in Washington State.
For information on SHOWTIME Sports, including exclusive video, photos and news links on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING and Strikeforce mixed martial arts telecasts, along with access to the SHOWTIME Sports Facebook® and Twitter® pages, please go to http://Sports.Sho.com.
About Strikeforce
Strikeforce is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history. The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265. Since 1995, Strikeforce has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.” In May 2008, West Coast Productions, the parent company of Strikeforce, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose.
Tags: Nick Thomnpson > Strikeforce > Tim Kennedy
RING OF FIRE NEWSLETTER (JUNE 12, 2009)
Posted on | June 12, 2009 | No Comments
CLICK HERE FOR THIS WEEK’S RING OF FIRE NEWSLETTER
Tags: Bromfield Event Center > Mixed Martial Arts > MMA > Ring of Fire
LOCAL MMA STARS DENNIS “SUPERMAN’’ HALLMAN, CORY “THE ONE” DEVELA, BRIAN CARAWAY, LEE BENTLEY, STEVE HADSEL, LANDON “THE SHOW’’ SHOWALTER TO HOLD OPEN PUBLIC WORKOUT
Posted on | June 12, 2009 | 1 Comment
******** FREE OPEN PUBLIC WORKOUT ********
Wednesday, June 17, Noon PT, at Vision Quest Sport and Fitness Center
WHO: “Cowboy Karate” Founder and Submission Specialist Dennis “Superman” Hallman
Popular, Fast-Rising Middleweight Cory Devela
Promising, Crowd-Pleasing Brian Caraway
Up-And-Coming Fan Favorite and Iraq war veteran Len Bentley
Talented, Unbeaten Steve Hadsel
Hard-Working, Determined Landon Showalter
WHAT: Two days before the highly anticipated Strikeforce Challengers MMA event at Kent’s ShoWare Center, Strikeforce will hold a free open public workout at Noon PT on Wednesday, June 17, at Vision Quest Sport and Fitness Center in Auburn, Wash.
The fighters will demonstrate a typical MMA workout, discuss MMA skills and competitive tactics and answer questions from the media.
Devela, of Bonney Lake, Wash., will be opposed by Luke Rockhold in one of the fights on Friday, June 19. Hallman of Yelm, Wash., faces Cedric Marks (welterweights); Caraway, of Seattle, throws down with Alex Zuniga, Showalter takes on Travis Doerge (middleweights); Bentley, fighting out of Olympia, Wash., confronts Marques Daniels and Hadsel collides with Taylor Roberts.
Doors for a stacked 11-bout Strikeforce fight card open at 5:30 p.m. PT on Friday, June 19. The first live bout will begin at 6 p.m. Tickets for the Strikeforce Challengers event, priced from $32, are on sale at the ShoWare Center Box Office (253 856-6999 or (877) 840-0457), online at ShoWareCenter.com and at www.strikeforce.com. The SHOWTIME® telecast begins at (11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast)
Strikeforce’s MMA fight card at the Tacoma Dome on Feb. 28, 2008, produced the largest live gate in the history of any boxing, MMA, or kickboxing event in Washington State.
In the main event on SHOWTIME, “Smokin” Joe Villasenor of Albuquerque, N.M., faces Evangelista “Cyborg” of Rondonopolis Mato Grosso, Brazil, in a clash of determined, top-notch middleweights. Tim Kennedy meets “Nick “The Goat’’ Thompson (middleweights), Sarah Kaufman of Victoria, Canada, takes on Shayna Baszler of Sioux Falls, S.D., in a women’s fight at 135 pounds and Jorge Gurgel of Cincinnati, Ohio, will collide with Conor Heun of Boulder, Colo., in a 155-pound scrap.
WHEN: Wednesday, June 17, at Noon PT.
WHERE: Vision Quest Sport and Fitness Center
1101 Supermall Way, Auburn, Wash., (253) 333-7771
Tags: “Nick “The Goat’’ Thompson > “Smokin” Joe Villasenor > Albuquerque > Boulder > Brazil > Canada > Cincinnati > Colorado > Conor Heun > Evangelista Cyborg > Jorge Gurgel > middleweights > NM > Ohio > Rondonopolis Mato Grosso > S.D. > Sarah Kaufman > Shayna Baszler > Sioux Falls > Strikeforce > Tim Kennedy > Victoria > women’s fight
ASHANTI “THE BOSS” JORDAN TO MAKE TV DEBUT TONIGHT ON ESPN 2 “FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS”
Posted on | June 12, 2009 | No Comments
San Jose California (June 12, 2009) – Golden Boy Promotions undefeated heavyweight prospect, Ashanti “The Boss” Jordan (9-0, 7 KO’s), makes his TV debut tonight on ESPN 2 “Friday Night Fights” when he faces Andrae Carthron in a six round bout at the HP Pavilion in San Jose.
Jordan, recognized as a complete fighter with power in both hands is ready for the spotlight. “I’m excited to be fighting on TV for the first time,” said Jordan. “I’ve done all the proper training for this fight and I’ll be ready to go. This is my time to shine on national television.” Ashanti weighed in at 222.6 while Carthron tipped the scales at 213.6.
Tickets, priced at $100.00, $75.00, $50.00 and $25.00, are on sale now at the HP Pavilion Ticket Office, all Ticketmaster locations, by phone at 800-745-3000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com. For more information visit www.goldenboypromotions.com.
DANNY “SWIFT” GARCIA READY TO SHINE ON ESPN 2 “FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS”
Posted on | June 12, 2009 | No Comments

San Jose California (June 12, 2009) – Philadelphia’s undefeated Jr. Welterweight prospect, Danny “Swift” Garcia (12-0, 7 KO’s), is prepared to bring fans to their feet tonight June 12, 2009 on ESPN 2 “Friday Night Fights”. Garcia, Golden Boy Promotions rising star, will be the co-feature to Robert Guerrero as he squares off against Pavel Miranda in a scheduled eight round bout.
“I’m very appreciative that Shelly Finkel and Golden Boy Promotions have faith in my skills to be the co-feature on ESPN 2 “Friday Night Fights,” said Garcia. “I’ve been waiting patiently for the opportunity to shine on national television and this is my chance to show the fans in attendance and watching that I’m force to be reckoned with in the Jr. Welterweight division. I’m a hungry Philadelphia fighter that has dreams of becoming a world champion. All the hard work in the gym is going to will pay off tonight in San Jose.”
After knocking out seven of his first eight opponents, Garcia’s gone the distance in his last four fights, gaining valuable experience against stiff opposition. Miranda (16-3, 8 KO’s) will be a step up for Garcia as he seeks win number thirteen.
Tickets, priced at $100.00, $75.00, $50.00 and $25.00, are on sale now at the HP Pavilion Ticket Office, all Ticketmaster locations, by phone at 800-745-3000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com. For more information visit www.goldenboypromotions.com.
Tags: Boxing > Danny Garcia > Friday Night Fights > Golden Boy Promotions > junior welterweight > Pavel Miranda > Shelly Finkel













