CSAC changes mind, UFC's Chael Sonnen free to apply for license after June 29

 

The California State Athletic Commission today reversed a decision to treat Chael Sonnen's indefinite suspension as a license revocation, which clears the way for the onetime middleweight contender to apply for a fight license in the state after his suspension runs its course on June 29 of this year.

On Thursday, CSAC Executive Director George Dodd told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that California Code of Regulations Title 4 Rule 399 was used as justification by CSAC legal advisers for classifying the suspension as a revocation.

Today, however, the CSAC announced there were errors made in the interpretation of that rule. Read More

Taiei Kin & Minowa Return! A Sol Kwon & Hibiki Clash

New fights have been announced for the June 5th HEAT18 event in Osaka, Japan.

3rd generation HEAT Welterweight champion and top Korean Lightweight A Sol Kwon relinquished his title to focus on Lightweight and aim at becoming the HEAT Lightweight champion. He will take on Shooto ROTY runner-up and 2011 Pancrase LWGP participant Hibiki Tamura. Tamura lost a close fight to ISAO in the quarterfinals of the Pancrase GP. This looks like a well-matched fight on paper.

The legendary Kin Taiei will return to take on Shin Nihon Kickboxing Federation’s 1st ranked Kuniyoshi in a HEAT Kick Rules Heavyweight fight.

Previously notable announced fights for the card are Minowaman making his MMA return against Carlos Toyota and Kazuma Sone vs. Mamoru Uoi.

KJ Noons vs Jorge Masvidal Set for 'SF: Overeem vs Werdum'

KJ Noons will meet Jorge Masvidal in a battle of lightweight contenders at Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum on June 18. Noons confirmed the news, which was first reported by MMA Junkie, to MMA Fighting on Wednesday.

Noons (9-2), the former EliteXC lightweight champion, is coming off a welterweight title loss to Nick Diaz in October. Prior to the loss, Noons had won his last six fights in a row.

Masvidal (21-6) won his Strikeforce debut in March, defeating Billy Evangelista via unanimous decision. The American Top Team veteran has also fought for BodogFight, Shark Fights and Bellator.

The June 18 card, which is headlined by Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum, will be televised on Showtime. The TV card is already set, and Noons was unclear where or if his fight would televised.

Da Silva-Yamaguchi, Gomez-Bittner Signed for TPF 10

A blockbuster flyweight scrap between Jussier da Silva and Mamoru Yamaguchi is set to go down on Aug. 5 at Tachi Palace Fights 10.

Sherdog.com on Wednesday confirmed the matchup with a source close to the bout, who also stated that Tachi Palace has signed Yamaguchi to a multi-fight contract that is exclusive in the United States.

The bout joins another pivotal 125-pound affair on the card, as TPF flyweight champion Darrell Montague defends his strap against surging WEC veteran Ian McCall at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, Calif. Additionally, former titleholder “Useless” Ulysses Gomez will square off with undefeated Drew Bittner. Continue Reading

Legend Fighting Championship 5 Returns in July!

The Asia-Pacific’s premier MMA organization returns with Legend Fighting Championship 5 in July, with event details to be formally announced on May 31. The card will feature two title fights, including the conclusion of the Bantamweight Tournament, and the first round of a four-man Featherweight Tournament.

Legend 5 will also take place in a new venue, and be broadcast in several new countries. We will post full details here following our press announcement, so stay tuned for more news and updates. Don’t forget to “Like” us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and sign up for our e-newsletter through our website.

Masakazu Imanari (The Grappling Dummy Featurette)

For a highlight on the Ashikan Judan view more

DREAM rep: Nelson out at DREAM, Clementi faces Aoki

Just hours after MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) learned that Shane Nelson had agreed to face Shinya Aoki (27-5 MMA, 11-2 DREAM) at DREAM.17, DREAM rep Mike Kogan announced via Twitter that Rich Clementi (40-19-1 MMA, 0-0 DREAM) will instead take on "Tobikan Judan."

Kogan said that verbal agreements are in place and contracts for the contest are expected to be finalized shortly.

Fight For Japan takes place May 29 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, and serves as a fundraiser following earthquakes and a tsunami that recently ravaged the country. HDNet is expected to air the show in North America.

Kogan could not immediately explain why Clementi was chosen for the matchup over Nelson, though a source close to the event indicated Aoki may have vetoed the opponent. Continue Reading

Lightweight Dynamo Maximo Blanco Signs With Strikeforce

Venezuelan dynamo Maximo Blanco is no longer a free agent.

A source close to Blanco has confirmed with Sherdog.com that the SRC veteran and former lightweight King of Pancrase has signed a four-fight deal with Strikeforce.

According to the source, the signing is the first concrete step toward not only competing stateside for the Pan-American freestyle wrestling bronze medalist, but also a permanent relocation to the United States. Currently, the 27-year-old's handlers are seeking an agreement for "Maxi" to train stateside before his debut in the cage. Read & view more here

Shane Nelson replaces McKee, faces Shinya Aoki at DREAM

Antonio McKee's loss will apparently be Shane Nelson's gain.

MMAjunkie.com today learned from sources close to the event that Nelson (13-5 MMA, 0-0 DREAM) has agreed to replace McKee (25-4-2 MMA, 0-0 DREAM) and face Shinya Aoki (27-5 MMA, 11-2 DREAM) at "DREAM : Fight for Japan."

DREAM takes place May 29 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, and serves as a fundraiser following earthquakes and a tsunami that recently ravaged the country. HDNet is expected to air the show in North America.

Bout agreements for the contest are expected to be finalized shortly.

A former competitor on "The Ultimate Fighter 8," Nelson in December was released by the world's largest mixed martial arts promotion following a four-fight stint. Nelson rebounded from a two-fight losing streak in his first fight outside of the octagon with a submission win over Jai Bradney in Australia.

The exact reasons for McKee's withdrawal from the card remains unclear. McKee today said visa issues were to blame, though DREAM rep Mike Kogan said he wasn't buying the excuse. Read more here

Antonio McKee out of DREAM bout with Shinya Aoki? reason unclear (Updated)

Antonio McKee (25-4-2 MMA, 0-0 DREAM) today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that his announced "DREAM Fight for Japan" bout with Shinya Aoki (27-5 MMA, 11-2 DREAM) has fallen through because he was unable to obtain a visa.

HDNet first announced his withdrawal via Twitter, though the reason initially wasn't revealed.

However, a DREAM representative told MMAjunkie.com he isn't buying the fighter's excuse.

"There's a travel agent in L.A. since this morning ready to get all the paperwork processed and have his visa processed by Thursday," said DREAM rep Mike Kogan. "He would have had plenty of time. So if it's a visa issue, he can get it done. If it's not, then his people need to come up with a better excuse."

Fight For Japan takes place May 29 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, and serves as a fundraiser following earthquakes and a tsunami that recently ravaged the country. HDNet is expected to air the show in North America.

It's not clear if Aoki will remain on the card; as of Monday, officials hadn't announced the loss of McKee.

McKee, a former MFC champion and 41-year-old IFL vet, recently made his lone UFC appearance after posting a 15-fight unbeaten streak (14-0-1). However, he then suffered a split-decision defeat to Jacob Volkmann at UFC 125 in January and then received his promotional release. It was the California-based wrestler's first defeat in eight years. continue reading

Breaking: Hesdy Gerges is Back on for May 21st

Big news revolving around the world of It's Showtime again, as LiverKick.com confirmed with Simon Rutz this evening that Hesdy Gerges has once again been added to the May 21st Amsterdam card. Rutz then posted publicly on his Facebook that Gerges is innocent (at least that is what It's Showtime and everyone else believes) and that Gerges will be prepared for his fight on May 21.

This is the second time in a row that Hesdy Gerges has run into problems right before a fight, the last time in early March before he fought Daniel Ghita. So Hesdy Gerges vs. Chris Knowles is officially back on now, and hopefully Gerges will be as prepared as he was for Daniel Ghita just a few months ago. For the full card read more

Jeff Monson fills SDR's Spot Against Daniel Cormier

It looks like Dan Cormier will have a chance to shine on June 18 after all when Strikeforce stops in the Lone Star State.

Originally booked to face fellow undefeated heavyweight prospect Shane Del Rosario in Dallas at “Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum”, the former Olympic wrestler was recently left without an opponent when Del Rosario was forced to withdraw from the event due to injuries sustained in a car accident. However, rather than shelf Cormier for the immediate future too, Strikeforce has filled the opening Del Rosario’s condition created with former UFC title-contender Jeff Monson who will easily represent the American Kickboxing Academy product’s toughest test to date based on experience and in-ring accomplishment.

News of the match-up surfaced Sunday afternoon when Cormier took to Twitter to express how thrilled he was to take on someone with Monson’s reputation as a competitor.

“I’m so excited and honored to be stepping in the cage with a guy that helped to build the sport. Let’s give em show brother,” Cormier wrote on the social networking site.

Monson will enter the summer scrap with success in his last eight bouts including victories over Travis Fulton and Tony Lopez, as well as a decision over 20-3-1 Croatian Maro Perak a little over two weeks ago in his most recent outing. “The Snowman” holds an overall record of 42-11 with twenty-six submissions to his credit and wins over a number of respected adversaries including Ricco Rodriguez, Sergei Kharitonov, Kazuyuki Fujita, and Roy Nelson. Read more

Gesias Cavalcante vs. Justin Wilcox likely for "Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum"

A lightweight bout between Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante (15-4-1 MMA, 0-1 SF) and Justin Wilcox (11-3 MMA, 5-1 SF) is expected to be part of next month's "Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum" event.

A source close to the event told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) the bout is expected for the card MMAWeekly.com first reported it.

"Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum" takes place June 18 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, and the main card airs on Showtime. It's not clear if Cavalcante vs. Wilcox is targeted for the broadcast. For more including highlights continue reading

Vladimir Matyushenko vs Alexander Gustafsson On For 133

Two fighters that have been recent victims of rising UFC light heavyweight stars are set to square off at UFC 133 in Philadelphia.

The UFC on Saturday posted on its website that Vladimir Matyushenko would square off with Alexander Gustafsson at the Aug. 6 event when the promotion returns to the City of Brotherly Love.

Matyushenko (26-5) is riding high on a 20-second knockout victory over Jason Brilz at UFC 129 in Toronto. The win over Brilz was his second-straight since suffering a TKO defeat to current UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones in August.

Gustafsson (11-1) is also riding a two-fight streak submitting James Te-Huna at UFC 127 and Cyrille Diabate at UFC 120. Gustaffson, like Matyushenko, fell victim to another young talent in the 205-pound division in Phil Davis prior to his latest back-to-back successes. for highlights continue reading

Yamato Damashii Diaries w/ Enson Inoue & Dan Herbertson

In the wake of the March 11 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, former Shooto heavyweight champion and Pride veteran Enson Inoue has been on a one-man charity mission, traveling to northeast Japan to directly help those in need.

You can read all the "Yamato Damashii" diaries where Daniel Herbertson (MMA photographer & writer) follows around the MMA vet
Enson Inoue here. The video wrap-up is now out, for a HL as well click here

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