Props: Yahoo!Sports.com
Quoteworthy:
“Wrestling is his strength, but his overall ground game is very good. He’s super, super dangerous on the ground compared to other fighters of his experience level. But I’m going to be honest with you, his ground and pound is second to none. I’ve never seen anyone with his stopping power on the ground, and that’s comparing him to the best out there. I’ve seen him hit guys so hard, he’ll knock them unconscious. And he has power from positions you just can’t imagine.”
That’s the scouting report on Shane Carwin from top middleweight fighter Nate Marquardt. Carwin will make his Octagon debut against Christian Wellisch at UFC 84: “Ill Will” at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, next Saturday on May 24. In eight professional bouts he’s never fought longer than 131 seconds and has, collectively, spent just seven minutes and 20 seconds to finish all of his opponents. That’s average of 55 seconds per fight. Don’t blink … seriously.
Carina Damm (9-3) — one of newest female stars signed to an Elite XC contract — has tested positive for the steroid Nandrolone and has been suspended for one year and fined $2,500 by the California State Athletic Commision (CSAC).
Damm recently inked a three-fight deal with Elite XC.
This failed test comes from a post fight screening performed after her second round submission win over Sophie Bagherdai at Fatal Femmes Fighting 4: “Call of the Wild” on April 3.
She is a solid jiu-jitsu player who boasts five career submission wins.
Nandrolone is the same steroid for which then UFC Lightweight Champion Sean Sherk tested positive for after his UFC 73: “Stacked” win over Hermes Franca back in July 2007.
There has been lots of talk about natural levels of Nandrolone being higher in professional athletes than the average Joe (or Jane) and that the range of 2ng/ml - 6ng/ml is, in some cases, not accurate. That’s all up for debate.
Sherk’s positive test showed the level of Nandrolone in his system to be at 12ng/ml. That’s relatively close to the textbook natural level. His case had some room for argument … maybe.
Damm’s, however, does not. She showed a level of 37.9 ng/ml, which is off the charts.
She appears to be pretty talented, and it’s a shame for a gifted athlete to waste that talent by cheating. She’ll be eligible to fight again on April 3, 2009.
Finals are over at The State University of New York at Cortland (SUNY Cortland), which means that recent graduate Tamdan McCrory can resume his mixed martial arts career inside the Octagon.
“The Barncat” took a brief respite from competition to get his degree after falling victim to one of the most beautiful armbars in recent memory at UFC 78: “Validation,” losing to crafty veteran Akhiro Ghono in round two via submission back in November 2007.
He will return against The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 2 welterweight finalist, Luke Cummo, at UFC 87 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn., on August 9, according to FightTicker.com.
Cummo is also looking to bounce back from a loss after dropping a unanimous decision to Luigi Fioravanti at UFC 82: “Pride of a Champion” back in March. Prior to the defeat Cummo was on a two-fight win streak after losing back-to-back fights.
UFC 87 will feature the heavyweight tilt between Brock Lesnar and Mark Coleman, as well as the number one lightweight contender eliminator match between Kenny Florian and Roger Huerta.
“… I know there are a lot of people out there doing steroids, cheating and every time I run into one of them, I’m going to call them on it and then I’m going to beat the shit out of them.… It’s going to be a historic night because all the kids out there will realize that you can do it with just hard work alone … he wants to say he has heart and all this different shit, but you can’t confuse steroids with heart…. It’s two different things, a guy with heart is a guy doing it with blood, sweat and tears, waking up with the sore back, the sore body..… What would happen in the old days when you get caught with a couple of aces up your sleeve, they kill the guy right there and that’s why I say Sean Sherk is dead….”
– UFC Lightweight Champion, BJ Penn
“I think he needs to talk to a psychiatrist. That sounds pretty sick to me, but good luck. I’m sure there will be blood, both mine and his, so we’ll see what happens. I don’t know, that’s kind of a weird thing to say and I did hear that he said that. I was like, ‘What the hell is he talking about?’ What can you say. He’s got some issues, but I’m not going to let anything he says bother me.”
– Former UFC lightweight champion, Sean Sherk
In this week’s edition of the Friday Night Throwdown, it’s the final part of a three-part series that covers UFC 84: “Ill Will” at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 24.
And we’ve saved the best for last.
Of course, we’re finally going to touch on the main event of the evening and preview the UFC lightweight title fight between division champion, BJ Penn, and former 155-pound beltkeeper, Sean Sherk.
It’s no secret that these two men don’t like each other –- check out the war of words at the top of this column for proof of that. For weeks fans and others have referred to this showdown as a grudge match.
I see it more as war … let the games begin.
Continue reading ‘Friday Night Throwdown: UFC 84 fight preview part III’
(Thanks to MMAmania.com reader “Rylo” for the assist.)
The perks of winning the Strikeforce middleweight belt on March 29 just keep coming for Cung Le.
Donruss — a popular trading card company — has decided to include the champ as one of 30 fighters who will be featured in its new MMA edition titled “Ring Kings,” which is set for a mid-July release date.
Le will be showcased with an autographed card, a card that has a piece of his fighting shorts, as well as a regular action shot card.
His mixed martial arts accomplishments along with his extensive San Shou kick boxing background have also earned him a role in the upcoming live-action big screen version of the infamous fighting video game, “Tekken.”
It is scheduled to be released sometime next year and, remember, will also star UFC lightweight contender, Roger Huerta.
Le has also has been cast in an upcoming movie with Academy Award nominee Terrence Howard called “Fighting.”
Life is good when you’re a champion.
Le has proven to be very marketable and popular with his highlight reel kicks and stunning knockouts. He’s got the look and the talent to perhaps become one of Hollywood’s next big martial arts stars.
Look out.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz is expanding his crossover appeal once again by developing a reality show for friends and rivals who want to punch each other in the face.
The show, called “Anytown Beatdown,” pits two acquaintances against one another in a grudge match where they get to settle their differences in the cage. Ortiz will serve as trainer for both competitors, providing them with a crash course in mixed martial arts.
The Comcast-owned G4 network will air the pilot episode in an effort to expand its lineup from its usual video-game base. The show was originally planned to be called “Anytown Throwdown” and has already conducted open casting calls.
MMAmania.com first broke news of a potential Tito Ortiz-inspired reality show back in February. Since then, I had the chance to talk to Tito directly about the upcoming venture.
Here’s what he had to say:
“It was kind of just an idea that came about. Couple of Hollywood agents came to me, and they were pitching some stuff. A guy by the name of Randall Emmett, who’s a producer, he came up to me, and we talked about it. It’s pretty much getting two guys who have had hostility toward each other through their whole childhood and growing up and so forth, and they’ve always wanted to beat each other up, and they always wanted to get payback. I remember in high school getting in a fight with somebody, and the next day we were best friends after we fought. This is kind of like the same thing. We’re going to teach them how to fight, we’re going to train them, and they’re going to fight and square their differences in the Octagon.… We’ll go back and hear tales from each one of their families, maybe the whole town knows about the whole situation. We’ll get feedback on it. These guys hate each other so much, but … they’ve always talked; they’ve always wanted to squash this … We’re going to make that happen…. People always wanted to be MMA fighters, so we’re going to get them a chance to do it and see how tough they really are.”
If nothing else, “Anytown” is the latest example of Ortiz’s broad crossover appeal. Having appeared on “Celebrity Apprentice” earlier this season and playing the role of a bouncer in the upcoming Zombie Strippers!, “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” clearly has some of the biggest crossover potential of any MMA star in the sport today.
Dating the world’s most recognizable porn star doesn’t hurt either.
Ortiz is quite aware of his mainstream potential and wants to cash in while the getting’s good.
Here’s another snip from our exclusive conversation:
“Oh, for sure. I’m still young, I’m only 33 years old. I’m still a young guy. I still have a lot to learn — business-wise, of course, I’ll always have a lot to learn. Fighting-wise I’ll always have a lot to learn. These next four years of fighting are an important part of my life right now. After these four years of fighting are over, then I’ll get into the business stuff. I’ll start doing more movie films and other business opportunities that come about.”
More movie films indeed.
Producer Randall Emmett was most recently linked to Rambo and Day of the Dead. He is also serving as producer for the 2009 release Rambo V.
“Anytown” is the first television venture by the production company Emmett/Furla Films and was created by Randall Emmett and Brian Newberry. Ortiz will serve as executive producer, along with George Furla, Emmett, Newberry and Mike Malloy.
Props: Gary Shaw
“I have the media report about Tyson. I have had no discussions with Mike or anybody surrounding Mike. I know Mike. Yes, I would make that fight in a heartbeat…. For those that say things about Kimbo to me are haters because they should be cheer-leading him to lead the way and open more doors. I don’t think MMA has had as much excitement the last few years as Kimbo is now bringing to the table…. Let me remind everyone on this call that nobody cared who Mike Tyson fought. If you asked someone what they were doing Saturday night, they would say they were going to see Tyson. They didn’t say Tyson against anybody. If he beat up on somebody that wasn’t as good as him, people would say he’s the baddest man on the planet. Some of the questions on this call are about an aging Tyson who got knocked out in his last fight. But it’s still the aura of Tyson. That’s what Kimbo Slice brings. I’m proud to promote him and proud to know him. I’m proud to call him a friend. Everybody should be cheer-leading Kimbo because he is a reason, not the only reason, but a reason that CBS really looked up. The logo of CBS, that eye, they put that eye right on Kimbo Slice.”
Elite XC Live Events President Gary Shaw refutes recent claims in a conference call yesterday that a fight between Kimbo Slice and 41-year-old former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson is in the works. Slice has always talked about wanting to fight “Iron Mike;” however, he is way passed his prime and incredibly out of shape. Regardless, the return of Tyson would more than likely generate a ton of public interest (as always), especially if he’s matched up against a personality such as Slice. It’s for that reason that Shaw would book the fight in a “heartbeat.” It would be a complete sideshow … but a money-making sideshow at that. Slice has to first take care of James Thompson at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on May 31 during the network television debut of live mixed martial arts action on CBS.
Photo: mmaweekly.com
“Tito is a f—ing idiot. He’s one of the dumbest human beings I’ve ever met. Everything that comes out of his mouth makes no sense…. I put up with his s— when he was a good fighter. He’s not anymore…. He’s not in anybody’s Top 10. I have no interest whatsoever in being in the Tito Ortiz business…. I’ve never wanted to see anyone get their ass kicked worse than I want to see Tito get his kicked next Saturday night.”
– UFC President Dana White beat around the bush in a recent UFC 84: “Ill Will” conference call earlier this afternoon when Tito Ortiz was mentioned. White decided to remain tight-lipped about his thoughts on who he wants to win when Ortiz steps inside the Octagon for possibly the last time against Lyoto Machida at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 24. Perhaps closer to fight night we’ll get a better feel for what he really thinks about the match up and “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy.” Stay tuned.
