Archived News Posts - 2009 Q1
Calvancante vs Kawajiri At Dream.9
Returning to competition after a lengthy layoff due to injury, former two-time K-1 HERO's 154-Pound Champion Gesias "JZ Calvan" Calvancante will take on Japanese standout Tatsuya "Crusher" Kawajiri in a featured bout at Dream.9 on May 26th.Calvancante was originally set to rematch DREAM Lightweight Champion Joachim "Hellboy" Hansen at K-1 Dynamite!! 2008, but that was cancelled when Hansen failed a medical exam. |
Carano Aims For August Return
With only one opponent in mind, former EliteXC star and women's MMA standout Gina "Conviction" Carano has announced her intentions to return to competition at a Strikeforce event in August, where she will battle Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos.The bout, which is regarded as the most highly-anticipated women's matchup in MMA, could serve as a (co-)main event for the August show, and will be Carano's toughest test to date. |
World Victory Road "Sengoku VII" Results
In one of the best events to take place in the past year, World Victory Road began their debut Featherweight Grand Prix in style at "Sengoku VII," which also featured a light heavyweight bout between Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal and Ryo Kawamura.Among the participants in the grand prix bouts, Nick Denis, Nam Phan, Masanori Kanehara and tournament favourite Hatsu Hioki were all victorious, while Michihiro Omigawa shocked the world. |
Parisyan Suspended For Nine Months
After testing positive for banned substances following his UFC 94 bout with Dong Hyun Kim, Karo Parisyan has been suspended for nine months and his victory in the fight has been overturned. He also faces a fine of $32,000 as part of the suspension.Parisyan (18-5-0, 1 ND) tested positive for Hydrocodone, Hydromorphone and Oxymorphone. Prior to the bout, he was given Percocet painkillers from a friend, which resulted in the failed drug test. |
Shields vs Lawler Set For Strikeforce
Moving up in weight for a new challenge, final EliteXC Welterweight Champion Jake Shields will battle heavy handed final EliteXC Middleweight Champion "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler on June 6th in Strikeforce. The event will air live on Showtime.Shields (22-4-1) was originally scheduled to face another power puncher, Joe "Diesel" Riggs, in May, but that fight is now off. Instead, he moves to middleweight to battle Lawler (16-4-0, 1 NC). |
TapouT Founder "Mask" Killed
The mixed martial arts community has suffered a great loss, as Charles "Mask" Lewis, one of the founders of the thriving TapouT clothing line, died in a car crash early Wednesday morning in Newport Beach, California. Lewis was 45 years old.One of the most universally liked and respected individuals in the industry, Lewis was instrumental in growing the TapouT brand from a grass-roots company to a hugely successful entity. |
Shamrock Suspended For Steroids
Less than one month after his quick victory over super heavyweight Ross Clifton, MMA legend Ken Shamrock has been suspended for one year after testing positive for a variety of steroids following the fight. Shamrock has announced plans to appeal.Shamrock's February 14th victory over Clifton, who looked to be woefully out of shape, was just his second win in nine fights, and the bout's outcome could be overturned. |
DREAM: Heiwa Dream.7 Results
Marking the start of their inaugural Featherweight Grand Prix, Dream.7 began the 2009 season in style for the DREAM promotion, and the event was headlined by a competitive battle between Masakazu "Ashikan Judan" Imanari and Atsushi Yamamoto.The night's comedy moment came in a catchweight bout between WAMMA Undisputed Lightweight Champion Shinya Aoki and David Gardner, where Gardner's waving to the crowd cost him dearly. |
UFC 96 Results & Recap
Culminating with a very competitive light heavyweight bout between Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and "The Dean of Mean" Keith Jardine, UFC 96 went off without a hitch, save for the complete and total embarrassment that was Pete Sell vs Matt Brown.The co-main event of the evening featured a brief slugfest between heavyweight powerhouses Shane Carwin and Gabriel "Napćo" Gonzaga, with Carwin recovering and knocking Gonzaga out. |
UFC 96 Predictions
The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Ohio tomorrow night for UFC 96, and MMARising.com looks over the card, which features title eliminator bouts pitting Shane Carwin against Gabriel Gonzaga and Quinton Jackson against Keith Jardine.The night also features a lightweight fight between Jim Miller and Gray Maynard, and one of the worst main card bouts in UFC history, as Matt Brown and Pete Sell battle to remain employed. |
World Extreme Cagefighting 39 Results
Culminating with what was expected to be a competitive WEC Featherweight Championship main event, WEC 39 instead concluded with a lopsided beating, as Mike Brown battered and bloodied Leonard Garcia, then submitted him in less than two minutes.The main card was marred by yet another horrendous performance from former WEC Lightweight Champion "Razor" Rob McCullough, who narrowly defeated Marcus "The Wrecking Ball" Hicks. |
Akiyama Signs With The UFC
Adding to its already growing stable of fighters out of Asia, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has announced the signing of former K-1 and DREAM star Yoshihiro Akiyama, who will make an immediate impact in the promotion's middleweight division.The talented and controversial judoka will make his UFC debut at UFC 100 on July 11th in Las Vegas against the ever-cocky Alan "The Talent" Belcher, who recently submitted Denis Kang. |
UFC 95 Results & Recap
The Ultimate Fighting Championship's televised broadcast of UFC 95 from London, England turned out to be one of the promotion's best events in quite some time, and culminated with Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez defeating Joe "Daddy" Stevenson.Knockouts were the story of the rest of the night at UFC 95, as Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy, Nate "The Great" Marquardt and newcomer Paulo Thiago all scored impressive stoppage victories. |
UFC 95 Predictions
With the Ultimate Fighting Championship's latest foray into London, England just one day away, MMARising.com looks over the intriguing UFC 95 card, which sees Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez facing Joe "Daddy" Stevenson in the night's main event.Other bouts include a potential slugfest between British star Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy and heavy hitting Rory Markham, and a middleweight fight between Nate Marquardt and Wilson Gouveia. |
More Dream.7 Fights Announced
In addition to the opening round of the first DREAM Featherweight Grand Prix, FEG has announced two more fights for Heiwa Dream.7, as Mitsuhiro Ishida will take on Daisuke Nakamura and WAMMA Lightweight Champion Shinya Aoki faces David Gardner.Ishida (17-4-1) rebounded from his disappointing loss to Caol Uno at Dream.3 with a win in Strikeforce, while Nakamura (19-9-0) has won eight straight fights, and 11 of his last 12. |
MFC 20: "Destined For Greatness" Results
Once again outdoing themselves, Maximum Fighting Championships put on an excellent event at MFC 20: "Destined For Greatness," which culminated with MFC Welterweight Champion Pat "Bam Bam" Healy defeating Ryan "The Real Deal" Ford again.In another main card title bout, Antonio "Mandingo" McKee used his wrestling to defeat Derrick "The Eraser" Noble for the newly-formed MFC Lightweight Championship in a lacklustre affair. |
Shields vs Riggs At Strikeforce
In another blockbuster fight for their upcoming April 11th event, Strikeforce has announced a welterweight contest pitting final EliteXC Welterweight Champion Jake Shields against former UFC star Joe "Diesel" Riggs, with major title implications.The bout's outcome is expected to determine one half of a future Strikeforce Welterweight Championship bout, as the promotion looks to establish new champions in each division. |
Shamrock vs Diaz Set
Adding to its already impressive April 11th card, Strikeforce has announced the signing of a 179-pound catchweight bout between legendary former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Frank Shamrock and former EliteXC and UFC contender Nick Diaz.Shamrock (23-9-2) last competed against Cung Le, where he suffered a broken arm in a Strikeforce Middleweight Championship loss. Diaz (18-7-0, 1 ND) defeated Thomas Denny last July in EliteXC. |
Parisyan Fails Drug Test
Ten days after his atrocious performance against Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 94, Karo Parisyan has further damaged his failing career by testing positive for three banned painkillers after the fight. An official complaint has been filed with the NSAC.A disciplinary hearing will follow, according to Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer, and it is likely that Parisyan will face a suspension and fine for his actions. |
Strikeforce Looks To Sign Carano
On the heels of the signing of vicious striker Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos, it has been announced that Santos's intended opponent in the former EliteXC promotion, female MMA postergirl Gina "Conviction" Carano, is also in talks with Strikeforce.Should Carano sign with the blossoming Strikeforce promotion, it could set the stage for the superfight with Santos, as both look to determine who is the top female in the 145-pound division. |
UFC Fight Night 17 Results
Just one week after UFC 94 saw all but two fights go to the judges, only one bout made it the distance at UFC Fight Night 17, with Anthony Johnson, Josh Neer, Cain Velasquez and Joe Lauzon all picking up stoppage victories on the main card.The main event of the evening saw Lauzon counter the aggression of Stephens by taking the fight to the ground, and a second-round armbar gave Lauzon a huge victory for his career. |
Strikeforce To Air On Showtime
Following the demise of EliteXC last year, Showtime and its parent CBS network have signed a deal with the California-based Strikeforce promotion, with up to 16 live events airing each year and the first show tentatively scheduled for April 11th.The deal, which has been in the works since December, is a monumental step forward for Strikeforce, and a number of huge fights are already in the works for the Showtime debut. |
Jewels: "Second Ring" Results
Though perhaps lacking in higher profile competitors, the second event from all-female Japanese promotion Jewels was a successful one, and culminated with Saori Ishioka knocking out MMA debutant Hanako Kobayashi in the night's final bout.Also on the card, former dominatrix Yuko "Hiroko" Yamanaka scored her second victory over Michiko Takeda with a second-round TKO win in a rematch from SmackGIRL in May of 2007. |
UFC 94 Results & Recap
Showcasing what was arguably their best main event fight on paper to date, the UFC's prized UFC 94 event instead ended with an extremely lopsided battle, as UFC Welterweight Champion Georges "Rush" St. Pierre easily defeated "The Prodigy" BJ Penn.In the night's co-main event, undefeated Brazilian light heavyweight star Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida shocked everyone by knocking out Thiago Silva at the very end of the first round. |
UFC 94 Predictions
UFC 94 airs live tomorrow night from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and MMARising.com looks over the card, which is headlined by one of the most highly anticipated rematches in UFC history, when Georges St. Pierre faces BJ Penn once again.Also on the main card, undefeated Brazilian standouts Lyoto Machida and Thiago Silva will battle to determine which fighter will move into title contention and which will first taste defeat. |
Franca Out Of UFC Fight Night 17
Just over one week before his scheduled bout with Joe Lauzon at UFC Fight Night 17, former #1 lightweight contender Hermes Franca has been forced to withdraw from the fight after tearing his ACL. Teammate Jeremy Stephens will take Franca's place.The injury to Franca's right knee took place during training for the fight with Lauzon, but Franca's trashtalking has all but ensured that a showdown with Lauzon will still occur in the future. |
World Extreme Cagefighting 38 Results
Following a night of explosive finishes and exciting fights, WEC 38 featured just a single blemish, as the WEC Lightweight Championship main event between Jamie "The Worm" Varner and Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone ended controversially in the fifth round.The main event, which saw Varner dominate the action for most of the first four rounds, went to the judges after an illegal knee from Cerrone left Varner unable to see in the final round. |
Affliction: "Day of Reckoning" Results
Putting on what was arguably the best second event from any MMA promotion to date, Affliction put its biggest stars in the spotlight at "Day of Reckoning," where WAMMA Unified Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko knocked out Andrei Arlovski.Also on the stacked card, former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett dominated Gilbert Yvel for a third-round stoppage, while Vitor Belfort quickly knocked out Matt Lindland. |
Shogun vs Liddell At UFC 97
After a dominant but uninspiring victory over the aging Mark Coleman at UFC 93, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua will look to establish himself among the top of the light heavyweight division once again when he battles Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell at UFC 97.Liddell, who has lost three of his last four fights - two by knockout - seems destined for an imminent retirement, but an impressive victory over Rua would at least keep his career alive. |
UFC 96 Main Event Set
Fresh off of his vicious knockout of old rival Wanderlei Silva at UFC 92, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson will be back in action at UFC 96 on March 7th, where he takes on "The Dean of Mean" Keith Jardine in the night's main event from Columbus, Ohio.Also on the card, former heavyweight contender Gabriel "Napćo" Gonzaga will face undefeated knockout artist Shane Carwin, and Dustin "McLovin" Hazelett battles Ben "Killa B" Saunders. |
UFC 93 Results & Recap
The Republic of Ireland got its first taste of live UFC action at UFC 93, but the card did not go well for the promotion and left many lingering questions. Dan Henderson won a gritty Split Decision over Rich Franklin in the night's main event bout.Elsewhere, it took Mauricio "Shogun" Rua nearly 15 minutes to finally stop a terribly fatigued Mark Coleman, while Denis Kang let another sure victory slip away with a single mistake. |
UFC 93 Predictions
The UFC's first venture into the Republic of Ireland is fast approaching, and MMARising.com looks over the card, which features a rematch between Mark Coleman and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and a battle between Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson.Also on the main card is a promised stand-up war that has Fight of the Year potential, as former boxers Chris "Lights Out" Lytle and "The Irish Hand Grenade" Marcus Davis look to steal the show. |
Quinton Jackson Pleads Guilty
Following his arrest last July on felony and misdemeanour counts relating to a high-speed chase with police in the Newport Beach area of California, former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson has pleaded guilty to the charges.The July 15th chase stemmed from a mental breakdown after Jackson's controversial loss to Forrest Griffin at UFC 86, and the popular star will be sentenced on January 7, 2010. |
Sengoku "No Ran 2009" Results
Beginning the new year with a pair of major title fight upsets, Sengoku crowned new Lightweight and Middleweight Champions at "No Ran 2009," as Jorge Santiago defeated Kazuo Misaki at the last moment, while Satoru Kitaoka shocked Takanori Gomi.Also on the card, Grabaka lead Sanae Kikuta edged out a Split Decision over Yoshida Dojo founder Hidehiko Yoshida, and Eiji Mistuoka secured a submission of Sergey Golyaev. |
K-1 "Premium Dynamite! 2008" Results
Twelve years in the making, the main event between Kazushi Sakuraba and Kiyoshi Tamura did not disappoint at K-1 "Premium Dynamite! 2008," but it was quick wins from Melvin Manhoef and Shinya Aoki that stole the show on New Year's Eve in Japan.In other action, Alistair "Demolition Man" Overeem continued his monumental rise by knocking out world-renowned kickboxer Badr Hari in a heavyweight kickboxing bout that shocked many. |
