Legacy Fighting Championship 9 - 12.16.2011

Legacy Fighting Championship 9
December 16th 2011 7PM PT / 10PM ET
Houston, Texas
Arena Theater
Live on HDNet - livestream: 1

Jorge "Macaco" Patino(Champion) vs. Mike Bronzoulis (welterweight title)
Larry Crowe vs. Jeff Rexroad
Steven Garcia vs. Cody Williams
Daniel Pineda (Champion) vs. Gilbert Jiminez (non-title fight)
Ricardo Talavera vs. John Harris
Rakim Cleveland vs. Derrick Lewis

Preliminaries
Frost Murphy vs. Chop Rucker
Jeremy Morris vs. Justin Murray
Randy Hauer vs. Jesus Rivera
Patrick Hutton vs. Noel Ligon
David Armas vs. Jeremy Mahon

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Satoshi Ishii headlines 'DREAM: New Year! 2011'

Fedor Emelianenko (32-4) is returning to Japan.

A long-rumored bout between the former PRIDE heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medalist Satoshi Ishii (4-1-1) is expected to headline a New Year's Eve event in Japan featuring two DREAM title bouts and the completion of the DREAM bantamweight tournament.

Sources close to the event today alerted MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) of the bout.

"DREAM: Fight for Japan: Genkidesuka!! Oomisoka!! 2011!" (also dubbed "DREAM: New Year! 2011") is set for Dec. 31 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

While domestic broadcast plans have yet to be announced, the event airs live stateside on HDNet.

A rumored bouts between Tim Sylvia and Brett Rogers could not be confirmed at the time of this writing, nor could a previously reported women's bout between Megumi Fujii and Karla Benitez.

Although longtime sponsor Fields is expected to support the New Year's Eve event, it's not clear who is promoting it. According to a source, the official title of the promoter is "the executive committee of Genkidesuka!! Oomisoka!! 2011!" DREAM, though, obviously is playing a significant role, at least from a talent perspective.

As earlier reported, DREAM lightweight champion Shinya Aoki (29-5) will defend his title against former Sengoku champ Satoru Kitaoka (29-10-9). Aoki returns after a submission win over former WEC champ Rob McCullough at DREAM.17 in September, which marked his sixth consecutive win following a decision loss to Strikeforce champ Gilbert Melendez at the CBS-televised "Strikeforce: Nashville." Kitaoka enjoys a four-fight streak that includes a decision win over UFC vet Willamy Freire at DREAM.17.

Additionally, DREAM featherweight champ Hiroyuki Takaya (16-9-1) attempts to defend his title a second time when he meets Takeshi "Lion" Inoue (21-5). After falling short to Robbie Peralta in his U.S. debut at "Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley," Takaya got back on the winning track at "DREAM: Japan GP Final," where he outpointed Kazuyuki Miyata. Inoue, meanwhile, knocked out UFC vet Caol Uno in his most recent appearance at DREAM.17, which brought his current win streak to three.

The final two rounds of this year's world bantamweight grand prix conclude with Bibiano Fernandes (9-3 MMA, 6-1 DREAM) vs. Rodolfo Marques Diniz (14-1 MMA, 1-0 DREAM) and Antonio Banuelos (19-7 MMA, 1-0 DREAM) vs. Masakazu Imanari (24-9-2 MMA, 4-2 DREAM).

Fernandes won his opening-round grand-prix bout via submission over Takafumi Otsuka. He looks for his ninth win in 10 fights when he takes on Diniz, who made a successful DREAM debut with an opening-round decision victory over Yusup Saadulaev. He's now won 11 consecutive fights.

Banuelos, a recent WEC and UFC fighter, earned a split-decision victory over Hideo Tokoro in the grand prix's opening round. He now meets Imanari, who looks for his fourth win in five fights (and ninth win in 11 fights) following an opening-round submission victory over Abel Cullum.

In a throwback to Japanese MMA events blending real and staged fights, a pro-wrestling match between PRIDE vet Kazuyuki Fujita and K-1 legend Peter Aerts will start the show.

The full card for "DREAM: Fight for Japan: Genkidesuka!! Oomisoka!! 2011!" includes:
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Satoshi Ishii
Champ Shinya Aoki vs. Satoru Kitaoka (for lightweight title)
Champ Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Takeshi "Lion" Inoue (for featherweight title)
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kazuyuki Miyata
Yuichiro Nagashima vs. Katsunori Kikuno (mixed-rules bout)
Rodolfo Marques Diniz vs. Bibiano Fernandes (bantamweight grand-prix semifinal)
Antonio Banuelos vs. Masakazu Imanari (bantamweight grand-prix semifinal)
Hideo Tokoro vs. Yusup Saadulaev (bantamweight grand-prix reserve match)
Ryo Chonan vs. Hayato Sakurai
Kazuyuki Fujita vs. Peter Aerts (pro-wrestling match)

mmajunkie.com

Jon Jones ESPN Interview

UFC Main Eventers! Training Shorinji Kempo @ Keio University

UFC 144 main eventers Frankie Edgar, Ben Henderson, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, and Ryan Bader visited the Keio University Shorinji Kempo department on the 29th to train with the students.

Ikuhisa Minowa vs Kendall Grove Targeted for ProElite 3

Former UFC middleweight Kendall Grove will meet Ikuhisa Minowa at ProElite 3 on Jan. 21 in Hawaii, MMAFighting.com has learned from sources close to the fighters. When contacted by MMAFighting.com, ProElite head of fight operations T. Jay Thompson would not confirm or deny the upcoming fight.

While not officially announced, ProElite 3 is scheduled to be held at the Neil S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, HI, site of ProElite 1.

According to sources close to the Japanese fighter, Minowa has signed a three-fight North American exclusive deal with ProElite. Read more

DREAM and OneFC Partner Up Plus Other HUGE News

There we have it - DREAM and OneFC have a partnership. Sources out of Japan confirmed with MMA-JAPAN that the two organizations have indeed agreed to a partnership. Here is the scope of it.... Continue Reading

Genki Desu Ka!! Omisoka! Fight Announcement

DREAM World BWGP Semi Final Matches
Bibano Fernades vs Radolfo Marques Diniz
Mazakazu Imanari vs Antonio Banuelos

Super Fights
"Lion" Takeshi Inoue vs Hiroyuki Takaya
Kazuyuki Miyata vs Tatsuya Kawajiri
Ryo Chonan vs Hayato "Mach" Sakurai

Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2011! Nagashima Vs. Bob Sapp

Cosplayer Yuichiro “Jienotsu” Nagashima vs. Bob Sapp has been booked for the December 2nd “Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2011″ event.

Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2011! Jerome Le Banner vs Josh Barnett

Jerome Le Banner vs. Josh Barnett will take place on the December 2nd “Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2011″ event.

The IGF vs. DREAM match-ups for NYE will probably start to be announced after this Bom-Ba-Ye event. There might be a IGF vs. DREAM “preliminary skirmish” on this event though.

The 56th Impact! Card Annoucments

New fights have been announced for the December 16th DEEP 56 IMPACT event.

DREAM veterans Yoshiro Maeda and Takafumi Otsuka will look to get back on the winning track.

20 year old Korean super prospect Doo Ho Choi will take on “The Endless Fighter” Mitsuhiro Ishida who makes his DEEP debut.

Shooto veteran Hideki Kadowaki also makes his DEEP debut against Isao Terada.

Hiroshi “Iron” Nakamura will face the durable Seiji Akao.

Motoki Miyazawa will battle Yoshitomo Watanabe and Mach Dojo’s Hideto Kondo will fight Yoichi Fukumoto.

Previously announced for the card is the DEEP Welterweight title fight between Yuya Shirai and Mizuto Hirota teammate Taisuke “Goten” Okuno.

Seichi Ikemoto, Yusaku Nakamura, and Yoshiki Harada are planned to participate on the card.

Legend FC 6 Weigh-In's; PPV Tonight!

Road FC 005! Night Of Champions

Road FC 005 will take place on December 3rd in Seoul, Jangchung Gymnasium and will contain the last two quarterfinals of the Road FC -84kg tournament.

Denis Kang will take on the tough as nails Shungo Oyama in one quarterfinal and Jong Dae Kim will take on Dool Hee Lee, who I believe is 4-0 at Middleweight, in the other.

In an awesome Lightweight super fight the heavy handed Ui Cheol Nam will take on world-class striker Vuyisile Colossa who you might remember from the first One FC event.

In a -88kg super fight Bernard Ackah, who lived in Korea while studying Taekwondo, will battle heavy-handed Jae Young Kim.

And in a Bantamweight super fight the experienced Kyung Ho Kang will face the young up-and-comer Min Jung Song.

Very good card thus far.

Road FC Young Guns 1 will take place the same day in the same arena, starting at 5:30 PM.

New Years 2011 Event Will Happen

Update :DREAM Event Producer Keiichi Sasahara tweeted that the first announcement of the 2011 DREAM NYE event is planned to take place next week.

Any questions regarding whether or not the 2011 New Years show would take place have been answered today, sources with the production outlet confirmed to MMA-JAPAN. The name, however, has yet to be decided upon. The words "DREAM New Years Eve" was the phrase used when speaking on the matter.

As you will recall, at the past DREAM event, it was referred to as Yarrenoka, the 2007 one off NYE event that preceded DREAM. It is rather certain that the show will NOT be called Dynamite!!

OneFC Announces Next 3 Shows

OneFC today announced their next three shows which look to start 2012 off with a bang. While returning to Singapore in March, they will also visit two new venues. This is part of their plan to take the promotion all through Asia as they look to expand their brand and grow their fighter base, effectively becoming the largest promotion in Asia.

February 11: Jakarta, Indonesia at Kelapa Gading Sports Mall
March 31: Singapore at the Singapore Indoor stadium
April 27: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at the Stadium Negara

Hiromitsu Kanehara's "U-SPIRITS" Update!

A little while ago we told you about this upcoming show and with the show only a few weeks away, we thought it was time for an update. Here's the updated card:

UPDATE: Kanehara also just announced Takaku Fuke vs Dan Severn!!

Wow, this couldn't be a more amazing card

Hiromitsu Kanehara Vs. Minoru Suzuki (not official)

Yoshiki Takahashi Vs. Yoshihiro Takayama

Tatsuaki Nakano Vs. Daijiro Matsui

Masahito Kakihara Vs. Masaaki Mochizuki

Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Osamu Nishimura Vs. Great Sasuke & Daisuke Ikeda

Billy Scott Vs. Daisuke Nakamura

Expect at least a few more matches as Kanehara and Minoru Suzuki are still missing so whether they will face each other or if Kanehara has a few more surprises up his sleeve (please Tamura) we'll have to wait and see.

All fights set for Legend Fighting Championships 6!

Jadamba Narantungalag, a name that many over look yet is a very talented fighter. Narantungalag will face Adrian Pang for the LegendFC lightweight championship. One of his most memorable wins was against JMMA standout Akihiro Gono who is rumored to be also actively seeking a different home to fight.

Legend Fighting Championship 6 is a very enticing card with fighters from around the globe competing. We are excited to be covering this organization and are looking forward to this event and the events to follow. For the full card, click here

New Big MMA Promotion In America Looking For Japanese Fighters ?

 IGF’s Simon Inoki tweeted today that another quite big scale MMA promotion in America will start in 2012 and they’re searching for Japanese fighters. He then wrote that interested Japanese fighters can contact him.  NOB

Download: Inoki Bom Ba Ye 2002

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Vladimir Kozlov Training MMA

UFC 140 Press Conference

It’s Back On December 2nd! INOKI BOM-BA-YE 2011

It was announced yesterday that INOKI BOM-BA-YE returns this winter on December 2nd at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Toyko, Japan. No fights were made official but Jerome Le Banner might defend his IGF championship at the event. Don’t know if it’s going to be only Pro-Wrestling or Pro-Wrestling mixed with MMA fights.

DREAM GP: Banuelos-Tokoro, Fernandes-Otsuka, Cullum-Imanari, Marques-Saadulaev

DREAM's world bantamweight grand prix is set, and a few surprise names made the cut.

DREAM officials announced the eight participants and pairing for September's opening round, and the matchups include Antonio Banuelos (18-7) vs. Hideo Tokoro (30-23-1), Bibiano Fernandes (8-3) vs. Takafumi Otuska (12-8-1), Masakazu Imanari (23-9-2) vs. Abel Cullum (18-5) and Rodolfo Marques (12-1) vs. Yusup Saadulaev (8-0-1). Continue Reading

Kawajiri makes featherweight debut against Hansen at DREAM.17

After stumbling to a 2-2 record in his past four fights at lightweight, "Crusher" will drop to 145 pounds to face "Hellboy."

DREAM officials recently announced the matchup, as Tatsuya Kawajiri (28-7-2 MMA, 8-2 DREAM) meets Joachim Hansen (22-10-1 MMA, 5-4 DREAM) at DREAM.17.

DREAM.17 takes place Sept. 24 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

No North-American broadcast plans have been announced for the show

The bout marks a rematch of sorts, as Kawajiri technically owns a victory over his foe. In a June 2006 meeting under the Shooto banner, a Hansen kick just eight seconds into the bout caught Kawajiri in the groin, resulting in a disqualification loss for the Norwegian scrapper.

A longtime staple of the Japanese MMA scene, Kawajiri made his U.S. debut this past April in a failed attempt to snatch the Strikeforce lightweight title away from Gilbert Melendez. Melendez dispatched of his Japanese opponent via first-round TKO.

It was the second failed lightweight title bid for Kawajiri in the past 13 months, as DREAM champ Shinya Aoki also earned a first-round submission win over the perennial contender.

Meanwhile, Hansen is also a former lightweight. In fact, the 32-year-old was actually DREAM's first lightweight champion. However, after losing the belt to Aoki in October 2009, Hansen promptly dropped to featherweight.

After falling short in his first two bouts in the new weightclass, Hansen has since racked up three-straight victories, including wins over Mitsuhiro Ishida, Sami Aziz and Hideo Tokoro.

Gerald Harris signs multi-fight deal with DREAM, could debut at September event

Gerald Harris (18-4 MMA, 0-0 DREAM) is bound for Japan.

The ex-UFC middleweight today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that he's signed a multi-fight contract with DREAM.

While Harris' debut for the promotion has yet to be determined, though DREAM representative Mike Kogan said today that there is "a very good chance" the fighter could appear on an as-yet-unannounced event, possibly DREAM.17, targeted for Sept. 25 at Saitama Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Harris is happy to have a promotion to call home.

"It's just dangerous to sign with an organization that's either new or trying to come back, or that's not stable," he said. "They're very stable" Read more from Harris and the resurgence of DREAM here.

Rashad Evans Training w/ Cosmo Alexandre & Tyrone Spong

In preparation for his August 7 fight against Tito Ortiz at UFC 133, Rashad Evans has stepped his training up a few notches, working on his striking with Tyrone Spong and Cosmo Alexandre. It's been said for a while that Cosmo will eventually make a foray into MMA and training with the "Blackzillians" at Imperial MMA is a great way to get prepared. Cosmo will be fighting Sakmongkol Sitchuchoke on August 20 under Muay Thai rules. As for Tyrone Spong, he's coming off a June 18 It's Showtime win over Loren Javier Jorge and at the moment he doesn't have anything coming up.

Enfusion Returns in August, Sahak & Roche Featured

Enfusion's brand of reality television, tournament-based kickboxing is set to return shortly, as the group's next tournament will be filming in Macedonia this August. Dubbed the Trial of the Gladiators, the season will feature eighteen 85 kg. kick boxers from around the world.

Although many of the fighters included in the eighteen man field have flown under the radar, Enfusion has assembled a respectable field in a kickboxing division which really has not been hashed out on the international level. For this seasons participants continue reading

Capital Punishment 4: Colossa Out, Mostafa Abdollahi In vs JWP

Capital Punishment 4: Colossa Out, Mostafa Abdollahi In vs JWP

Vuyisile Colossa is out of the headlining bout at Capital Punishment 4. Mostafa Abdollahi will replace Colossa against John Wayne Parr on July 30th.

Scheduled for July 30th in Canberra, Australia, Capital Punishment 4 has experienced a bit of a shake up as Vuyisile Colossa will no longer be facing John Wayne Parr in the event's feature bout.

While there has been some discussion of Colossa not making it to the event, the South African's inability to participate has now been confirmed. Read more

Sandro Motivated by Title Dream, Questionable Judging

At Bellator Fighting Championships 47, Marlon Sandro will take on Brazilian-based Argentinian Nazareno Malegarie, a fellow Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. However, the former Sengoku and Pancrase featherweight champion isn’t necessarily preparing to match his foe on the ground.

A Nova Uniao product under Andre Pederneiras’ command, Marlon Sandro doesn’t fear his opponent’s grappling game, nor does he believe that “Naza” will come to play “pure” jiu-jitsu.

“I’ve already seen some fights from Malegarie and I know he has a good BJJ background,” Sandro told Sherdog.com. “He comes from a good school, he’s a Thiago Tavares pupil, but I’m going to fight MMA, and wherever the fight goes, I’ll be ready.”

“I believe he will exchange a little and try to put me down,” continued the 34-year-old Sandro. “I’ve trained both on my feet and on the ground. I’m really confident that I’ll win.” Continue reading

John Wayne Parr: Blessed With Venom - Trailer

A new documentary on the life and career of John Wayne Parr is in the works and it's titled John Wayne Parr: Blessed With Venom. The first trailer has come out and from what we can see, this documentary is a must-watch. It doesn't have a release date yet but it is set to come out this year. If you want, read the full description:
“John Wayne Parr: Blessed With Venom” is a feature length documentary chronicling the life and career of Australian Muay Thai superstar and 7 times World Champion, John Wayne Parr. The film provides an intimate insight into Parr’s early years in Thailand where he endured rigorous training in primitive conditions, to the heights of awe-inspiring accomplishments all over the planet. We also get to see a very personal side to the Gunslinger as a husband and father of two. The true John Wayne Parr is revealed here. Champion, devoted family man and all round nice guy - a genuine hero with infinite courage to his legion of fans, respected by his opponents and dearly loved by his friends and family.

The documentary will also examine seminal fights in Parr’s career. From his bloody contests with Thai marvel Orono, which is considered the making of the Gunslinger’s legend, to his contemporary battles with Mike Zambidis, Lamsongkram and the three, all out wars with superstar Yodsanklai Fairtex. We bear witness as Parr comes back from 2 losses to ultimately defeating Yodsanklai in Melbourne – a blockbuster encounter between two giants of the sport – two modern day gladiators doing what they do best – trading bone crunching blows in the brutal world of Muay Thai Boxing.

You can also check out the official website, jwpblessedwithvenom.com.

Kikuno to Defend Lightweight Strap Against Hirota at Deep 55

Two of the top lightweights currently operating in Japan appear set to collide Aug. 26 at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.

Katsunori Kikuno, lightweight champion of Deep, will reportedly defend his belt against former Sengoku titleholder Mizuto Hirota at Deep “55 Impact.”

While only Hirota’s participation at the event has been made official, news of the matchup was tweeted Wednesday by Satoru Kitaoka, the man from whom Hirota took the Sengoku lightweight title in 2009.

The bout marks the card’s third championship affair, as featherweight ace Koichiro Matsumoto will defend against returning Yoshida Dojo product Tatsunao Nagakura, while heavyweight titlist Kazuhisa Tazawa will clash with Georgian judoka Levan Razmadze. For more on the card read more

Filho vs. Ishii at AFC, Gracie and UFC-vets expected to battle at Brazil

Two and a half weeks after UFC Rio, Brazil may be the center of the MMA for one more night. At Manaus, Amazonas, promoters and matchmakers and working in silence to promote Amazon Forest Combat’s first edition, on September 14th, and TATAME learned some of the fighters that could fight at the event. Continue Reading

UFC 135 headliners Jones and Jackson visit Denver media

It was perhaps the simplest question during a gathering that at times was more frat party than media event.

But it produced the most meaningful exchange during a pre-event media tour ahead of UFC 135.

Asked by a fan how the fight would go – without getting into game plan, of course – light-heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones (13-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) was interrupted by Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (32-8 MMA, 7-2 UFC). Read More

Former Pride Grand Prix Champion Kazuo Misaki Signs w/ SF

At one time, Kazuo Misaki was a mainstay in the top ten of the middleweight division during his time with Pride Fighting Championships.

Now the Japanese fighter is making his move to welterweight and has signed an exclusive deal to compete in the welterweight division of Strikeforce.

Sources close to Misaki confirmed the signing to MMAWeekly.com on Thursday.

Just last week, Strikeforce official Scott Coker had teased signing a major veteran to their welterweight roster and Misaki fits the bill.

Misaki (24-11-2) has faced some of the toughest competition over the last several years, where he spent time in many different organizations but most prominently in Pride and Sengoku.

In 2006, Misaki was crowned the Pride Welterweight Grand Prix champion and picked up wins over Dan Henderson and Denis Kang to get there.

Over the last few years, Misaki has continued to battle away in Japan and has won his last two fights in a row with victories over Akira Shoji and Mike Seal.

While there has been no date given for his debut with Strikeforce, Misaki is expected to fight at 170lbs as opposed to middleweight where he’s spent the biggest part of his career in Japan.

Staredown of the day: JLB vs Barnett in IGF Finals!

K-1/MT/Kickboxing stud Jerome Le Banner will meet the ultra popular Josh Barnett in the IGF Finals on August 27th. Click here for the full IGF 16 Results

Jewels 15 Highlights

Highlights from the Jewels 15 event, fights included are
Megumi Fujii vs Mika Nagano , Seo Hee Ham vs VV Mei Yamaguchi &
Yuka Tsuji vs Saori Ishioka.

Hitomi "Girl Fight Monster" Akano bested Roxanne Modafferi in a much anticipated 3 round Battle.

BAMMA 7 LW & MW Titles on the line! Trigg vs Kong Headlining

The latest event from Britain's biggest MMA promotion BAMMA is penciled in for September 10th at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England. The main event will be a showdown for the BAMMA middleweight title between champion Tom "Kong" Watson and long-time veteran Frank Trigg, and the co-main event will see Strikeforce and Pride veteran Joey Villasenor drop to welterweight for the first time in his career to take on British veteran Che Mills. For more & the full card continue reading

Matsumoto’s Last Fight?! vs Nagakura @ The 55th Impact Plus More!

Two fights were announced for the August 26th DEEP 55 IMPACT event today.

DEEP Featherweight champion Koichiro Matsumoto will take on Yoshida Dojo’s Tatsunao Nagakura in a fight which he says will be his retirement fight whether he wins or not. It looks like he wants to aim at becoming a comedian (I think he has worked with it before).

The other announced fight is Ryuta Sakurai vs. Katsuyori Shibata.

Also on the card, the return of Mizuto Hirota and the JMMA debut of Amanda Lucas, daughter of George Lucas (yes the film maker George Lucas).

Fickett replaces Freire, Mizuno vs. Prangley added to "DREAM: Japan GP Final"

The July 16 "DREAM. Fight for Japan : Japan GP Final" event has undergone a couple changes.

UFC vet Drew Fickett (41-14 MMA, 0-0 DREAM) has replaced injured lightweight Willamy "Chiquerim" Freire (17-4 MMA, 0-0 DREAM) in a fight with Tatsuya Kawajiri (27-7-2 MMA, 7-1 DREAM). Additionally, Trevor Prangley (23-7-1 MMA, 0-0 DREAM) and Tatsuya Mizuno (8-7 MMA, 1-3 DREAM) have agreed to a light-heavyweight bout. For the full card read more

Thai Fight Extreme Japan Shapes Up!

Seven fights have been announced for the August 7th Thai Fight Extreme Japan event at Ariake Coloseum in Tokyo, Japan.

Buakaw Por. Pramuk will fight under full Muay Thai rules for the first time in front of the Japanese and he will do it against WBKF world champion and J-Network Super Welterweight champion Tomoaki Makino.

Makino comes from a Karate background and has built his Kick record to 11-3 since converting. He went 1-2 in his first three but has won ten out of his last eleven fights. He’s also very tall for the weight class at 187cm.

Yodsanklai Fairtex will clash with WMAF World Super Welterweight champion Yasuhito Shirasu. Shirasu has fought for a long time but in 2010 he only fought once and this fight will be his first of 2011.

The awesome Saiyok Pumpanmuang will battle former Japan number 1 ranked Lightweight Kou Suman.

Fabio Pinca will take on the young 20 year old NJKF Welterweight champion Yuya Yamato in a rematch. Yamato defeated Pinca via cut in a Thai Fight event in France last month.

Another awesome Thai Fighter, Sudsakorn Sor Klinmee, will face Japanese TOMOYUKI.

Silver Wolf’s Yuichi Yamazaki will take on Algerian Adele Kohoja.

As one of Japan's representatives MMA & Kickboxing star Akihiro Gono will take on the newly recently crowned It's Showtime 73 kg. champion Yohan Lidon.

Ikki's opponent is yet to be announced.

Yuichiro "Jienotsu" Nagashima is not the only Japanese K-1 fighter to move into the world of professional wrestling while K-1 is on a bit of a break, as K-1 Heavyweight Champion Kyotaro (Kenjiro Maeda) has made his way into professional wrestling as well. Need proof? Here he is sporting a green mohawk hitting a flying missile dropkick.

It's Showtime Fast & Furious 70MAX Tournament Match-Ups Set

Earlier today in, the draw for It's Showtime's Fast and Furious 70MAX Tournament took place in Brussels, Belgium. All 8 competitors were on hand to decide the quarter final match-ups. The following 4 quarter final match-ups were determined:

Artur Kyshenko vs. Gago Drago

Andy Souwer vs. Harut Grigorian

Murat Direkci vs. Chris Ngimbi

Giorgio Petrosyan vs. Chahid Oulad El Hadj

What's interesting about these match-ups is that 3 out of the 4 match-ups are rematches, and intriguing rematches at that. Drago and Kyshenko just fought this March, with Kyshenko picking up the win. It should be another good fight. Chris Ngimbi topped Murat Direkci in December to win the It's Showtime 70MAX World Title, albeit in controversial fashion where he didn't look that great himself. Last but not least, Giorgio Petrosyan and Chahid are coming off that No Contest from May, in which many people wanted to see more of.

Continue Reading

1st Flyweight King Of Pancrase GP Match Ups Announced

The match-ups for the August 7th 4-man 1st generation Flyweight King Of Pancrase tournament were announced on the 29th.

The most logical combination was chosen in Mitsuhisa Sunabe vs. Yoshihiro “Child” Matsunaga and Takuya Eizumi vs. Hiroyuki Abe Version 2.0. Sunabe and Abe are favorites, Matsunaga and Eizumi just fought, and Sunabe and Eizumi have fought in the past. The semifinals will take place at the August event, not the final.

UFC to host event in Japan "this year"

LAS VEGAS – The UFC could make its long-awaited return to Japan this year.

UFC president Dana White today said that plans are moving forward for for the organization to promote a show in the country, which hasn't hosted a UFC event since UFC 29 way back in 2000.

"The rumor is true," said White, who couldn't given any exact details on a date or host venue. "We're going to come to Japan, and probably soon."

Just how soon? Read More

Japan’s Number One FW Signs With UFC

FYI – guard-smashing savant Hatsu Hioki, a top-ranked featherweight, has been signed to the UFC roster. Welcome! NOB

Chael Sonnen's suspension ends today

After today, an asterisk gets taken off Chael Sonnen's name.

The onetime middleweight challenger's indefinite suspension from the California State Athletic Commission comes to an end today, and his manager said a meeting tomorrow in Las Vegas will determine the direction of his career. Read More

Zaromskis vs. Sakurai non-title fight added to DREAM 17

A rematch between welterweight champion Marius Zaromskis (14-6 MMA, 5-0 DREAM) and Hayato Sakurai (35-12-2 MMA, 4-4 DREAM) has been added to next month's "DREAM: Japan GP Final" event, officials today announced.The fight is slated as a non-title affair. "DREAM: Japan GP Final" is set for July 16 at Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo. For more & the full card continue reading

RINGS Is Back!! Revival In March Of 2012

Akira Maeda announced today that he is bringing RINGS back to life.

The return event is planned to take place in March of 2012 at Korakuen Hall. At first lighter weight classes will be the focus. Good fighters from The Outsider, ZST fighters who fought in The Outsider vs. ZST fights, fighters not belonging to any promotion, and fighters from other promotions could participate.

The aim is to eventually make a complete promotion with all weight classes involved. Fighters from Russia, Lithuania, and Australia will be scouted and invited like the old RINGS days.

The rules are not set yet but it will most likely not be KOK rules, expect a more modern rule-set.

Akira Maeda also announced that It’s Showtime Japan representative director and legendary Kickboxer Toshio Fujiwara will work as a judge in RINGS. So expect RINGS and STJ to cooperate when it comes to the business side of things.

Car Accident Forces Riki Fukuda Out of UFC 133 Bout

UFC 133 fighter Riki Fukuda has been involved in a car accident and it has forced him out of his slot in Philadelphia against Renzo Gracie student Rafael ‘Sapo’ Natal.

Fukuda made the announcement via his Twitter account.

‘I had a car accident on (the) 16th of July,” Fukuda wrote. “I broke my left knee and it seems (to) require surgery.”

Fukuda was set to make his 2nd appearance in the UFC after his debut fight ended in controversial nature, losing by decision to former ‘Ultimate Fighter’ competitor Nick Ring. Most scoring the fight had Fukuda winning the bout after the 15 minute battle.

The UFC has yet to make an announcement about Fukuda’s injury or potential replacement for the bout. For the full UFC 133 card click here

Jason High vs. Quinn Mulhern promoted to Strikeforce Challengers 16 main card

An intriguing welterweight bout between Jason High (13-3 MMA, 0-0 SF) and Quinn Mulhern (15-1 MMA, 0-0 SF) has been promoted to the televised main card of Friday's Strikeforce Challengers 16 event.

High announced the news via Twitter.

As MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) reported this past week, the spot opened when a middleweight bout between Antwain Britt (11-5 MMA, 1-2 SF) and Danillo Villefort (13-3 MMA, 0-0 SF) was scratched due to injuries to both fighters.

Strikeforce Challengers 16 takes place June 24 at ShoWare Center in Kent, Wash. The main card airs on Showtime.

A 13-time King of the Cage veteran, Mulhern made his debut in 2007. He currently carries a seven-fight win streak that began after his lone career defeat, an October 2009 loss to UFC vet Michael "Joker" Guymon. Mulhern has fought the distance just twice in his 16-fight career, and 10 of his victories have come via submission.

In 2010, the Santa Fe Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu product fought six times, including three times in a seven-week span that included a TKO victory over longtime veteran Rich Clementi.

High most recently was seen on the HDNet-televised Titan Fighting Championship 16 event, where he submitted Strikeforce and Bellator vet Rudy Bears with a guillotine choke in 51 seconds. It undoubtedly was a relief to score a quick win after he took respected Japanese veteran Hayato Sakurai the distance at DREAM "Dynamite!! 2010" and scored a huge upset with a split-decision victory. For more & the full card continue reading

Inoki Genome! Super Stars Festival 2011

The big kakutogi press conference of the day wasn’t the DREAM one. Most people covered and tweeted about Antonio Inoki’s press conference where a big card named Inoki Genome ~Super Stars Festival 2011~ for August 27th was announced.

The event will take place at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo and 1000 victims of the Tohoku earthquake will be invited as audience, lodging and traveling expenses included.

As for participants of the event, the list currently includes Josh Barnett, Peter Aerts, Jerome Le Banner, Bob Sapp, Ray Sefo, Shunichi Suzukawa, Tatsumi Fujinami, Riki Choshu, and Bobby Lashley.

Josh Barnett & More Strike Force HWGP Open Work Outs

click here for more

DREAM Debuts! Eiji Mitsuoka Vs. Bruno Carvalho Set

Lightweight Eiji Mitsuoka has left World Victory Road's Sengoku event series for a contract with DREAM ahead of his promotional debut next month.

Officials today announced Mitsuoka (17-7-2 MMA, 0-0 DREAM) meets fellow promotional newcomer Bruno Carvalho (13-4 MMA, 0-0 DREAM) at "DREAM: Japan GP Final."

"DREAM: Japan GP Final" is slated for July 16 at Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo.

The card now has seven fights set and there should be around three more before the card is complete. For more & highlights click here

Hatsu Hioki Interview

Atsushi Out, Osawa vs Fujiwara & Duffee vs Gaston, added to D.17

Two new fights are official for next month's DREAM.17 event: heavyweights Todd Duffee (6-2 MMA, 0-1 DREAM) vs. Nick Gaston (5-0 MMA, 0-0 DREAM) and a Japan bantamweight grand-prix third-place fight of Kenji Osawa (17-10-2 MMA, 2-1 DREAM) vs. Keisuke Fujiwara (11-3-4 MMA, 1-0 DREAM). DREAM.17 is slated for July 16 at Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo. Read more

Ben Rothwell returns against Mark Hunt at UFC 135

In his first fight in 15 months due to a knee injury, Ben Rothwell (31-7 MMA, 1-1 UFC) meets fellow heavyweight Mark Hunt (6-7 MMA, 1-1 UFC) at UFC 135. Officials recently announced that verbal agreements are in place for the fight.
Although not officially announced, UFC 135 takes place Sept. 24 at Pepsi Center in Denver. The night's main card, including a likely Jon Jones vs. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson championship headliner, airs on pay-per-view.

Rothwell fights for the first time since UFC 115, where he scored a unanimous-decision victory over Gilbert Yvel. However, Rothwell tore his ACL during the fight and has been recovering ever since. Prior to his first UFC victory and subsequent injury layoff, he signed with the UFC on the strength of a 14-1 run in organizations such as the IFL and Affliction. However, in his octagon debut, he suffered a second-round TKO loss to now-champ Cain Velasquez.

Hunt, a New Zealand kickboxer, is a former PRIDE fighter who joined the UFC in 2010 (due to contractual requirements after the UFC purchased PRIDE). Hunt, who also owns a 30-13 kickboxing record, suffered a submission loss to Sean McCorkle in his octagon debut but rebounded at UFC 127 in February with a knockout win over Chris Tuchscherer. The victory snapped a six-fight losing streak. Read more

Choi Out! A Sol Kwon Vs. Barbaro44 @ 54th IMPACT

First the bad news. Ultra-talented Doo Ho Choi hasb suffered another injury and will not be able to face Barbaro44 at DEEP 54 Impact on the 24th.

The good news is that replacing him will be a man who is in a lot of blog posts these days, former HEAT Welterweight champion and recent Road FC signed A Sol Kwon. For the full card click here

Bantamweights "Kid" Yamamoto vs. Damacio Page UFC 135

A bantamweight bout between Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto (18-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) and Damacio Page (15-6 MMA, 0-1 UFC) is in the works for UFC 135.

UFC officials today announced that verbal agreements are in place for the September fight.

Although not officially announced, UFC 135 takes place Sept. 24 at Pepsi Center in Denver. The night's main card, including a likely Jon Jones vs. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson championship headliner, airs on pay-per-view. Read More

All Main Events to be 5 RND (Non-title) Fights & UFC Adds Flyweight Division!

"We're going to add the 125-pound weight division very soon," UFC president Dana White told reporters Thursday. "Like really soon."

He did not specify exactly when but said it would be before the end of the year.

All UFC Non-Title Main Events Will Be Five Round Fights Going Forward

UFC president Dana White made the official announcement on Thursday that any fight signed from this day forward as a main event would be a five-round fight, regardless of whether or not it’s for a title. Read more on both topics here

UFC's Kenny Florian Works with Cosmo Alexandre for 131

CosmoThis weekend former UFC Lightweight contender Kenny Florian will officially make the move to Featherweight. Florian’s move to Featherweight is the first of its kind since WEC’s Featherweight division was folded into the UFC, Jose Aldo being crowned as the first UFC Featherweight Champion. For fans, Florian almost immediately becomes a top contender for the Featherweight title, with Diego Nunes his first opponent. Continue reading here

Seo Hee Ham & V.V Mei Clash, Roxy vs Hitomi will finally happen!

Three fights were announced for the July 9th “Jewels 15th Ring” event today.

Our favorite Korean female fighter Seo Hee Ham will fight V.V Mei. Both of them have done good lately so this is definitely a top fight.

Hitomi Akano and Roxanne Modafferi were supposed to fight at the Sengoku Soul of Fight event on December 30th of 2010. However, the ring doctor entered the ring before the start of the fight and called it off since Modafferi had suffered some illness. Well, the fight will happen as it is signed and set for July 9th.

HIROKO will also fight at the event.

Legend FC 5! Wolverine’s Title Shot

Legend FC have announced several fights for their upcoming event on July 16th in Macau and as usual it looks great with a fun mix of nationalities and fighting styles.

Legend Welterweight champion Rod MacSwain will have his first title defense against Korean Myung Ho Bae. The two were supposed to have faced each other for the title at Legend FC 4 but Bae pulled out due to an injury and MacSwain defeated the replacing Hoon Kim to capture the title. I have always talked highly of Bae and think he has the potential to fight at a high level. I expect him to win this one.

Another Korean who I have written about for a while is 20 year old Nam Jin Jo. He will face Chinese Honggang Yao in the Legend Bantamweight tournament final. The winner of the fight will be crowned the first Legend Bantamweight champion. Yao defeated Michael Mortimer in the semifinal of the tournament, not a bad win for your first fight. Very interesting fight. Click here for more on LFC 5

HEAT 18 SPOILERS

MMA/Kick cage promotion HEAT held their 18th event yesterday in Osaka and the event featured a few very solid/interesting fights. Continue reading for results

Carano fails to receive medical clearance

Gina Carano's (7-1 MMA, 1-1 SF) return to action will have to wait.

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker today announced that Carano's "medical clearance was revoked," leaving her ineligible to compete in a previously announced June 18 contest with Sarah D'Alelio (4-1 MMA, 0-0 SF) at "Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum."

With the contest scrapped, a lightweight bout between K.J. Noons and Jorge Masvidal has been promoted to the evening's Showtime-broadcast main card. Read More