(Video Post) All Access With Purebred Trained Fighter And XCC Featherweight Champ Forrest Cable

With Battle at the border 8 just around the corner, we recently got together with Purebred Trained fighter Forrest Cable to get an inside look at how training is coming along and find out what he's got planned down the road.

We have seen Forrest fight several times and every fight he looks better and better, being trained by his father Todd Cable at a very early age has amounted to alot of succes in the cage and is sure to bring this young star alot more in the future.

Now watch below for an all access with this talented fighter and see what his dad thinks of the match up. Good luck Forrest and Make sure to come out and support this local star.

.

Bellator Fighting Championships returns to Monroe, La., for Bellator 18 on May 13th

CHICAGO (March 31, 2010) — The Monroe Civic Center in Monroe, La., will play host to Bellator Fighting Championships again this spring when the promotion returns to Northern Louisiana for Bellator 18 on May 13th.

Tickets for the event go on sale Thursday, April 1st at Ticketmaster.com and at the Monroe Civic Center box office.

“We are thrilled to be returning to Monroe for our May 13th event,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “The Monroe Civic Center, the City of Monroe, Mayor Mayo and Keep Punching Entertainment were tremendous partners for us in Season 1 and we’re looking forward to putting on another exceptional show to a packed house in one of the loudest, most exciting venues we visited last year.”

The Main Event for the May 13th Monroe show will be a “Super Fight” matchup between reigning Bellator Middleweight Champion Hector Lombard and 19-1 former WEC Middleweight Champion Paulo Filho who, as recently as 14 months ago, was the No. 2-ranked middleweight in the world.

“When it comes to kicking the MMA business into high gear, Bjorn Rebney of Bellator has the right formula,” said Kerry Daigle of Keep Punching Entertainment. “Adding to that is the City of Monroe and the way they have wrapped their arms around this event to give this fair city exposure to more than 256 million viewers through FOX Sports Net, NBC, and Telemundo.

“The team of Keep Punching Entertainment, Bellator Fighting Championships, and the City of Monroe are a rare combination of talented and creative businesspeople who tap that indefinable trigger that will make this promotion a fun and memorable one.”

During Bellator’s highly successful first season, Bellator hosted one of its most well-received events at the Monroe Civic Center, drawing a near sell-out crowd to watch top fighters including eventual Lombard, featherweight Shad Lierley and middleweight Jared Hess.

The fight card for the May 13th event — which will be broadcast nationwide on FOX Sports Net and in highlight shows on NBC and Telemundo — will also include two semifinal matches in Bellator’s world championship tournaments as well as four local feature fights.

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at Facebook.com/Bellator.

UFC 115 in Vancouver may still have hope!!

There is an article on MMAJUNKIE right now talking about how Ratner will not give up the fight!!
A quote from Marc Ratner:
"We're certainly working hand in hand with the mayor's office and the city council, and hopefully we have what they want," Ratner said. "The fight is still going forward as we speak."


Here is a quote from mmajunkie's site make sure to click the link to read the whole article;

"However, UFC president Dana White today told Rogers Sportsnet that the promotion can't wait any longer to announce the event and is in the process of moving it to the U.S.


The UFC needs 60 to 70 days to mount an event in a new city, according to Ratner, which means the UFC still has time left before it's too late. But it's getting down to the wire.



Ratner said VAC's major impasse remains over legal liability in the event a lawsuit is filed against the city due to an injury or mishap during a fight. A rider added to the city's two-year pilot program after its passage this past December stated potential promoters need to provide a $12 million bond to protect against such an occurrence. The figure is more than double the usual bond required of promoters.



"The hold-up is (that) we need to be sure that nobody is going to sue the city," Dr. Kerry Jang, a Vancouver city councillor, said today. "We need to know we're free and clear of responsibility if there's a problem. So if we're going to hold these events, we'll hold them responsibly, and right now the province has not given us indemnity like the Quebec government gives Montreal.



"Until we get that, we're 100 percent responsible and can't take those risks."

Bellator Season 2 Tournament Preview Shows now airing on FOX Sports Net and at Bellator.com

CHICAGO, Ill. (March 31, 2010) — With just over one week remaining before the much-anticipated premiere of Bellator Season 2, fans looking for a sneak peak at all the action can tune in now to a series of four exciting new tournament preview shows airing on FOX Sports Net.

The four 30-minute-long shows will focus on each of Bellator’s Season 2 tournaments—featherweight, lightweight, welterweight and middleweight—and will air in high definition on each of FOX Sports Net’s 19 regional networks and on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Comcast SportsNet Bay Area and MSG Plus in the New York area.

Check your local listings for exact dates and times.

In addition, each of the shows can be viewed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at Bellator.com and on Bellator’s YouTube page, youtube.com/BellatorMMA.

“We are just one week away and my anticipation and excitement for these tournaments and these fights is tremendous,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Our preview shows will give fans a solid overview of what they can expect during our second season while introducing them to some of our most-talked-about new fighters and recapping some of the greatest moments from our first season. I encourage every MMA fan to check them out on FOX Sports Net or at Bellator.com”

Bellator Season 2 begins on Thursday, April 8th at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., and runs for 12 consecutive weeks. Each show will be broadcast live and in primetime on FOX Sports Net and during special highlight shows airing every Saturday night, late night, on NBC and Telemundo.

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator. Tickets are available at http://www.ticketmaster.com/.

TOP TRAINER AND MFC CHAMP Antonio "Mandingo" McKee: The "El Negro" Effect Hits the MFC

by Jeff Chan MFC Staff

Something’s going on at the Maximum Fighting Championship that’s making our competitors nervous. Maybe you caught a glimpse at MFC 20: Destined for Greatness or MFC 22: Payoff. Derrick Noble and Carlo Prater sure did. That something is Antonio "Mandingo" McKee, a ferocious fighter who’s been mowing through the ranks for over 10 years and is on a 7-year, 13-fight unbeaten streak. What the other MMA promotions don’t want you to know is that in Antonio McKee, the Maximum Fighting Championship has one of the best fighters in the world.

In the early 2000s, word was circulating through the MMA (then known as NHB, or "no holds barred") world about an aggressive fighter named Antonio McKee.

Nicknamed "Mandingo", McKee was an outstanding high school and college wrestler with a record of 112-0 who had been exposed to Brazilian jiu-jitsu by Francisco Bueno and was furthering his submissions training with early MMA participants Joe "Ghetto Man" Charles and Combat Grappling’s Tedd Williams.

McKee had a grand total of four days notice for his first fight on October 13, 1999. His opponent was MMA journeyman Shannon "The Cannon" Ritch, who at the time was 11-10. Mandingo won by submission from strikes and hasn’t slowed down.

His record? It depends who you ask. Some accounts list it as 24-3-2, but McKee maintains that it’s closer to 54-2-1. The point is that Antonio McKee has amassed a record that most fighters could only dream about.


What about the "Mandingo" moniker? "It means ‘intelligent warrior’", explains McKee. "You can call me that, but you could also call me ‘El Negro’ because I’m coming up to Canada like a storm. All those little bitches up there who think they’re tough... I want them to get a hold of the MFC. Mark Pavelich can line them up and I’ll whoop all of their asses. I’m on a knockout / tap out mission, man. I’m going to break arms and snap legs, so if I catch you in a submission, you better tap."

And how about the criticism that he isn’t an exciting fighter? That he’s just a wrestler who takes people down and then holds them there? Antonio’s quick to fire back: "Everyone wants to see people get hit in the head. Well that’s exactly what I do... I just do it on the ground. And I’m not holding nobody down there, it’s them holding onto me! I’m on top of them, trying to knock their liver out and they’re hangin’ on hoping the ref will stand us up again.

If you don’t like me on top of you, then just get up. I’m only 155 pounds, what’s your problem?"

So Antonio McKee is tactical stand-up fighter with an explosive takedown and a strong top game. Sound like any fighters you’ve heard of outside of the Maximum Fighting Championship? Maybe a highly popular and well-rounded fighter from Quebec? "Don’t talk to me about GSP", says McKee, "Did you see that last fight?

That was boring as hell! Pay attention and you’ll see that he’s been fighting more like me as time goes on. The only difference between us is that I’m better. And BJ Penn? I wish he could get released from his contract for just one fight so I could whoop his ass."

"I’m the best fighter in the world at my weight. I’m callin’ out all the suckers who think they can fight at 155. Come and beat me so I’ll shut up. I’ll go sit on top of a rock and retire. The truth is though, man... once I pick them up and slam them and the punches start coming... they don’t want no more. Just look at their faces after I’m done. They’re split open, bleeding, all lumped up, and need stitches, and I look just like I did when I walked in."

Any closing comments or advice? "Don’t have any sex before your matches. I got some about four hours before the Carlo Prater fight and, man, my legs were gone. We all know we’re not supposed to do it, but for a horny guy like me...

it’s hard. I still threw a monkey wrench into Prater’s plans that night though."

When will we get to see Antonio "El Negro" McKee in the Maximum Fighting Championship again? Not soon enough for McKee, who says "if I don’t get a fight soon, maybe I’ll just come up there to beat up Mark Pavelich!" So keep an eye on the still-developing lineups for the upcoming Maximum Fighting Championship

events:

MFC 25: Vindication on May 7, 2010

MFC 26: Retribution on August 27, 2010

MFC 27: Breaking Point in December, 2010

Bellator Middleweight Champion Hector Lombard to face former WEC Champion Paulo Filho

CHICAGO, Ill. (March 30, 2010) — Bellator Fighting Championships announced today that its reigning middleweight champion, Hector Lombard, will fight a non-title “Super Fight” against former WEC Champion Paulo Filho at Bellator 18.

The fight will take place on Thursday, May 13th and will be televised live on FOX Sports Net and on highlight shows the following Saturday night, May 15th, on NBC and Telemundo. The venue for the event will be announced in the coming days.

This is the third Super Fight matchup to be announced by Bellator, along with the May 6th bout between current Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez and Josh Neer and the May 20th matchup of Bellator Featherweight Champion Joe Soto and Diego “The Octopus” Saraiva.

Filho, who boasts a career record of 19-1, was the consensus No.2-ranked middleweight in the world as recently as 14 months ago when he was the reigning WEC Middleweight Champion. He also has a perfect 7-0 record as a competitor in the PRIDE Fighting Championships in Japan. Recently, Filho has been busy winning three strait fights in the last eight months.


Lombard, 23-2, is a judo black belt who competed for the Cuban National Team during the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. He defeated Virgil Lozano, Damien Stelly and Jared Hess to win the first-ever Bellator Middleweight Championship belt last June and is a perfect 3-0 since.

“Our Super Fights are designed to test our champions against the best available fighters, said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Paulo’s won three fights in the last 8 months including an impressive submission victory over Melvin Manhoef in DREAM in July. When Paulo’s on his game, he is one of the most dangerous middleweights in the world. Just over a year ago he was ranked as one of the top 185 pounders on earth. Now, he’s back and winning frequently. And, whereas other top middleweights wanted nothing to do with Hector Lombard, Paulo and his team agreed to take this fight. As I have said frequently, I believe Hector Lombard is one of the top middleweights in the world and this fight could be a great test for Hector and a great fight for MMA fans.”

Lombard, who is currently training with American Top Team in Miami, said he’s looking forward to getting back in the cage.

“I think it’s a great fight for me,” he said. “Paulo is a big name in MMA and he’s a former champion, so it will be champion versus champion. I think I match up really well with him both on my feet and on the ground.”

For more information, visit Canadianprofighter.com, Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator. Tickets are available at http://www.ticketmaster.com/.

UFC 115 in Vancouver CANCELLED??!!

UFC 115 in VANCOUVER HAS BEEN CANCELLED!!

A sad day in Canadian MMA!  Canadianprofighter.com has learned through Showdown Joe that the UFC in Vancouver is a no-go.  The rumours have been swirling and Joe today confrimed it with me.  Just one day after talking with Chuck Liddell via Media Conference call, I learn that he is no longer fighting in our Great Country.  None of the reporters or Chuck had any apparent knowledge of this so this is breaking news.  Like most of you I hope that this turns around like it did last year in Montreal, but if our Country keeps screwing Dana around like this how much more can we expect for him to fight for us here in Ontario?  Canadianprofighter.com is going to Toronto on Thursday to talk with Showdown Joe about these very subjects.  Make sure to stay tuned this week from all the breaking news from Showdown Joe and Canadianprofighter.com this week!!

Money’s the man for Leites bout

Jesse Taylor signs contract to meet Brazilian standout at MFC 25

By MFC Staff

Fresh off signing a two-fight deal with the Maximum Fighting Championship, Jesse “JT Money” Taylor has garnered a spot in the main event for MFC 25: Vindication.

Taylor (14-5) will meet Thales Leites (16-3) in the headliner bout of the MFC’s upcoming show on Friday, May 7 at the Northlands Expo Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, and seen live throughout North America on HDNet Fights.

“This is a main-event matchup that could easily become a Fight of the Year candidate,” said MFC Owner/President Mark Pavelich. “I love Jesse Taylor’s aggressive nature and he is coming here with bad intentions on his mind. And Thales Leites has a new-found desire to showcase his raw power and talent.

“Neither one of these guys is going to sit back and let the fight come to him – they are going to step up and bring it. There is a title shot at stake here and both of these guys are coveting the MFC championship belt.”

Leites used solid takedown defense and took advantage of what opportunities were in front of him on his way to a unanimous decision victory over Dean Lister at MFC 23 back in December. That win ended a two-fight losing skid for the Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, native who holds career victories over such notables as Nate Marquardt, Drew McFedries, Pete Sell, and Jose Landis-Jons.

Taylor, who fights out of Murietta, California, has an impressive list of wins to his credit as well holding verdicts over Jason Day, Chris Camozzi, and Jesse Forbes. “JT Money” is a former reality show cast member and holds a decorated career in amateur wrestling including a Division I NCAA tournament appearance and honored twice as a junior college All-American.


The Leites-Taylor encounter tops a star-studded lineup for MFC 25: Vindication which includes:



Ryan Jimmo vs. Wilson Gouveia, light heavyweight



Dwayne Lewis vs. Emanuel Newton, light heavyweight



David Heath vs. Solomon Hutcherson, middleweight



Luigi Fioravanti vs. Pete Spratt, welterweight

Canadianprofighter.com taking place in the MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL FOR THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER: TEAM LIDDELL VS. TEAM ORTIZ

ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP®


CONFERENCE CALL FOR THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER: TEAM LIDDELL VS. TEAM ORTIZ

Las Vegas, NV– The Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) organization, in advance of the upcoming The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz on Wednesday, March 31st, will hold a media teleconference with former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell. The conference call will take place Monday, March 29 at 1:15pm PST/4:15 pm EST/9:15 pm GMT (UK).



WHO:

· CHUCK “THE ICEMAN” LIDDELL



WHAT: Chuck Liddell will be talking about his experience while coach opposite Tito Ortiz on “The Ultimate Fighter,” which premieres Wednesday, March 31st on Spike TV at 10:00 PM ET/PT.



WHEN: Monday, March 29 at 1:15pm PST/4:15 pm EST/9:15 pm GMT (UK).
Be sure to stay tuned to Canadianprofighter.com for what transpired.

Montreal 5-0; GSP Shuts out Hardy to retain Welterweight Title-Mark Bocek get robbed

By Thomas Gerbasi

NEWARK, March 27 –After a gutsy effort by Dan Hardy, England may still belong to him, but Georges St-Pierre has the rest of the world wrapped up as he defended his UFC welterweight championship for the fourth time with a shutout five round decision over his British challenger.  Mark Bocek another Canadian in Octagon action last night won 13 of the 15 minutes in the his fight last night but still somehow came away with a unanimous decision loss.
Scores were 29-28 for the HOMETOWN Miller.

Scores were 50-43, 50-44, and 50-45 for St-Pierre, who was hard on himself after yet another dominating performance.

“It’s a win, but I’m not really happy with myself,” said St-Pierre. “I made a lot of stupid mistakes.”

“I can see why he’s the champion,” said Hardy. “He’s a strong athlete, very skilled.”

Hardy had a smile on throughout the introductions and as referee Kevin Mulhall gave pre-fight instructions, but St-Pierre was all business, taking the Nottingham native to the canvas moments into the bout. St-Pierre quickly moved to side control, then took Hardy’s back as he tried to escape. Hardy was able to elude trouble on the mat, but as he escaped and got to his feet, St-Pierre made it a brief respite as he took ‘The Outlaw’ back down. With 1:30 left, St-Pierre got into the mount position before again taking Hardy’s back. A late armbar attempt by the champion appeared to spell the end, but the challenger gamely got free and back to his feet before the bell.

After his first round dominance, St-Pierre went back to what was already working in round two, taking Hardy down one minute into the second stanza. He effortlessly got into side control and took Hardy’s back again. Hardy was able to break free and get into St-Pierre’s guard, but the two decided to get back to their feet moments later. With his confidence unwavering, Hardy stood in the pocket with St-Pierre, even smiling when the champion nailed him in the face, but the inevitable takedown left the Brit again on the receiving end of punishment for the rest of the round.


St-Pierre grounded Hardy again in round three, this time posturing up to add some more muscle to his strikes. Hardy, not surprisingly, remained game – even trying to grab the Canadian’s arm for a submission attempt - but his odds of pulling off the upset victory were dwindling with each punch. With 90 seconds left, St-Pierre started working for the finish, but he was unable to break his foe.



Barely breathing heavy, St-Pierre opened the championship rounds with a quick takedown of his foe. Hardy’s attempts to get back to his feet were rebuffed, but he wouldn’t give in, even after a tight kimura attempt by St-Pierre that should have ended matters.

“One thing I have above all,” said Hardy. “I won’t quit, and I don’t give up.”

If the ground attack wasn’t enough, St-Pierre opened up the final five minutes with some thudding strikes that set up another takedown. Again, St-Pierre looked for the kimura, but Hardy wasn’t giving his arm up this time. Unfortunately, it was only a small battle won for Hardy, who, though lasting the distance, was simply unable to deal with the ground attack of St-Pierre.



“I wanted to avoid the fight where my opponent was strongest, and fight where he was at his weakest, but he’s a lot better than I thought he was,” said St-Pierre.

With the win, St-Pierre improves to 20-2; Hardy falls to 23-7 with 1 NC.

(fighter profile) MADY's Trained fighter Ali Mokdad

Another Great Mady's fighter is going to be fighting soon, in Walpole island Ontario on April 24th at Fighting Spirit's: FINISH EM!  His Name is Ali Mokdad and in his last fight showed incredible heart and skill beating a very tough opponent in Kalib Grummet, one of XCC's top fighters in the weight class check out the embedded clip and then read his profile!!




Name?

Ali Mokdad



Weight Class?
205/185 lbs.


How long have you been fighting MMA? And what is your backround?
3 years, (kickboxing background)


Where do you train? And what skill sets do you favour?

Mady's. ground and pound


What is your fight record?
6-0 amature, and 2-0 pro


 What was your best fight? and worst? and why?
2007 Shidokan karate semi final fight because it was a come back win
2007 Shidokan finals because I was knocked out


 What is your main skill set?
Stand up fighting


Which would you like to improve the most?
Technique and foot work




When and Where and Who is your next fight?
Wapole Island opponent TBA


What is your main training goal?
To improve and learn from every fight




What advice do you have for new fighters here in Canada?

Hard work and dedication




 Do you think Canada is producing the best fighters in the world? and why?
Yes because of the popularity of MMA in Canada




What is the biggest hurdle ahead of you in the ring/cage?
Myself




 What advice do you have for any up and comming fighters?
Diversify your training




Who is your favorite and least favorite fighter?
Favorite-Anderson Silva. Least favorite-Brock Lesner




Give us your thoughts on your Big win at XCC , do you plan on returning to XCC?

Tough fight and I could have fought better and ended it quicker. Yes.




Anyone in particular you would like to fight withing the next yr?
Whoever I have to go through




If you wern't gonna be a fighter what would you want to do?
Coaching




Any comments you would like to add?

Thanks for the exposure

(fighter profile)BAMA trained fighter and Battle at the Border winner Tommy McAvoy

 Battle at the Border is always a great event.  With such AMAZING teams as Adrenaline, Mady's Iriquois MMA, and of course future 135 pound star Tommy McCavoy's Gym BAMA.  Here is Tommy's Fighter profile and make sure to watch as he makes some big noise at 135 lbs.
Name?
 Tommy McAvoy

Weight Class?
My weight class is 135lbs


How long have you been fighting MMA? And what is your backround?
I have been training for 2 years and my first fight was in February 2010. Martial arts was brand new to me 2 years ago but I was always interested in its different styles. I grew up being very active playing hockey, baseball and football.


Where do you train? And what skill sets do you favour?
 I train at BAMA under Sanguebom and Mike "Hurricane" Hong in Burlington ON. At BAMA we truly mix it up with grappling wrestling and striking.


What is your fight record?
 My fight record is 1-0


What was your best fight? and worst? and why?
 Well, since I've only had one fight, I've got say it was my best because I came out strong and got a first round TKO.


What is your main skill set?
 I feel comfortable standing and on the ground but I think grappling is my strength right now.


Which would you like to improve the most?
 I will be focusing on improving my hands in the up coming months.


When and Where and Who is your next fight?
 I don't know when or who my next fight will be with. Although, I will be training consistently and improving my game until then.


What is your main training goal?
 I want to reach my mental and physical potential. I believe that it is a life-long journey and I've got many years ahead of me.


What advice do you have for new fighters here in Canada?
 Train consistently and dedicate yourself to the sport and to your goals. I still am learning what dedication really is.


Do you think Canada is producing the best fighters in the world? and why?

I can say we have a good talent pool in Canada. As for my personal experience; We train hard at BAMA and if everybody in Canada trains like we do then watch out.

What is the biggest hurdle ahead of you in the ring/cage?
 My next fight.





Who is your favorite and least favorite fighter?
I don't have a favorite fighter but I always check out Anderson Silva when he's in action.


Give us your thoughts on your big win at Battle at the Border, do you plan on returning?
 My fight at Battle at the Border was a great experience. I'm proud of my team, we all did very well. I hope to be back in the cage soon.


Anyone in particular you would like to fight withing the next yr?
I want to fight someone with a proven record in the next year.


If you wern't gonna be a fighter what would you want to do?
 I've got big plans for the future. Before I started training MMA I was training for acting and improv comedy. I love performing, in a cage on a stage or in front of a camera. I have friends in the indie film scene. One in particular who has suggested stunt school and I like the sound of that.


Any comments you would like to add?
I am excited for what the future holds and I am proud to be a part of team BAMA. I want to thank my coaches Clint "Sanguebom' Allert and Mike "Hurricane" Hong for their dedication to our team as well as everyone at BAMA.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with BAS RUTTEN and CHEIK KONGO manager DON CLOVIS

Every day when doing my job I meet new people, whether it be online, or it be in person.  There are alot of different people that I have contacted, but even more that have contacted me.  On Sunday the 21st of March 2010, when I got home from an Amazing trip from Montreal to see W1-BAD BLOOD, I received an email from another new contact.  This person was from Amsterdam in the Netherlands, so I thought I should check him out to see why he was interested in Canadian MMA.  This man was manager of such superstars as BAS RUTTEN, SEMMY SCHILT AND CHEIK KONGO among others.  He also was part of starting such organizations as K1, Pancrase, Rings and more amazing prize-fighting organizations,among many other things. I thought with such an interesting background I should get the opportunity for our viewers to get to know this man behind the scenes of such MMA greatness, his name is DON CLOVIS check out his exclusive interview with Canadianprofiighter through SKYPE.

[8:53:07 AM] canadianprofighter: Hi Don,


[8:53:16 AM] DON CLOVIS: hi Jason

[8:53:38 AM] canadianprofighter: Welcome to Canadianprofighter.com, How is the weather in Amsterdam?

[8:54:01 AM] DON CLOVIS: today sunny, very well, about 17 degrees, so good so far

[8:54:30 AM] canadianprofighter: Sounds beautiful, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

[8:54:56 AM] DON CLOVIS: wow, that will be very long, can write a book about it ..he

[8:55:32 AM] DON CLOVIS: I'm born in Lievin, small town about 1 hour from Paris France in December 15th 1946

[8:55:51 AM] canadianprofighter: and now you reside in Amsterdam?

[8:56:17 AM] DON CLOVIS: yes, I have resided in Amsterdam for 41 years now

[8:57:00 AM] DON CLOVIS: after (In France, I had a been rock'n'roll singer, I came to Amsterdam from music business in Amsterdam

[8:57:45 AM] DON CLOVIS: there I set up Records Company, and from a friend I came in contact with martial arts, around 1975 in Amsterdam

[8:59:04 AM] canadianprofighter: Very busy in the entertainment industry then. You had contacted Canadianprofighter.com for news and info’s, what is your interest in Canadian MMA and how does it differ from European or Japanese MMA?

[9:00:23 AM] DON CLOVIS: In fact I was curious at the beginning, because I didn't know that Canada was very much involved with MMA, martial arts , so much , I thought that only USA, was involved so much

[9:01:28 AM] DON CLOVIS: than, through facebook, I discover CANADIAN PROFIGHTER, and read the info’s, and I like it,,..So, I contact CPF by e-mail, to receive your newsletters etc...

[9:01:32 AM] DON CLOVIS: WHY ???

[9:02:42 AM] DON CLOVIS: Because I'm very busy, I'm focus right now in Canada a lot, in the 80's I came in Canada, visited some Music friends and since that time one of my big dream was always to try to do something in Canada

[9:03:00 AM] DON CLOVIS: the peoples, are very friendly, and Canada very beautiful

[9:03:40 AM] DON CLOVIS: I been in contact 2 months ago, with Mr., ALBERT MADY, who is a great person, and very good sportsman,

[9:04:33 AM] DON CLOVIS: and after chat, talking, he brought me in Contact with another great man, in the sport, MICHAEL J JONES

[9:05:29 AM] DON CLOVIS: THEY WAS interesting to set up a new great MMA organisation named "EWFC " East West Fighting Championship

[9:05:48 AM] canadianprofighter: This is very true we have the best people in the world and most certainly the MOST passionate and educated MMA fans. Can you tell our viewers some of past accomplishments in MMA and Prizefighting promotion, like your involvement with K1?

[9:06:39 AM] DON CLOVIS: my first time in Japan, I was invited by a karate organisation named "DAIDO JUKU " from Mr. TAKESHI AZUMA...

[9:07:53 AM] DON CLOVIS: At that time, I was starting as Manager for BAS RUTTEN and SEMMY SHILT for Japan... I was before manager of Mr. ROB KAMAN, (CHAMP/LEGEND in Kickboxing,) and Ramon DEKKERS, another legend in Thai Boxing..

[9:08:15 AM] DON CLOVIS: SEMMY SCHILT his fight in karate rules, DAIDO JUKU...

[9:09:51 AM] DON CLOVIS: Than after few meetings, We left DAIDO JUKU, and I've been at first in contact with Mr. ISHII ...we discussed a few times in Tokyo and Osaka, and we signed a contract for 2 years for START the first event (who was named "K-2 GRAND PRIX

[9:10:24 AM] DON CLOVIS: "IT was on 19th, 12. 1993 the first event,,

[9:11:01 AM] DON CLOVIS: It was only 1 event as K-2, than we decide to start K-1, Mr. ISHII and I, founded the name K-1..

[9:11:30 AM] DON CLOVIS: BUT at the same time, I was also involved with free fight named "PANCRASE"in Japan..

[9:11:35 AM] canadianprofighter: What was your involvement with RINGS and Pancrase?

[9:11:45 AM] DON CLOVIS: there was my first experience in MMA

[9:12:52 AM] DON CLOVIS: BAS RUTTEN, SEMMY SCHILT, KEN and FRANK SHAMROCK, GUY MEZGER, MATT HUME, and also MAURICE SMITH WERE THE US and European stars

[9:13:06 AM] DON CLOVIS: but after few years BAS RUTTEN WAS NR 1 EVER

[9:13:21 AM] canadianprofighter: How do plan on using all this international experience to differentiate yourself from the other people in the Canadian MMA industry and what can we expect from you in the future?

[9:14:57 AM] DON CLOVIS: I have a lot of experience, a lots of connections worldwide, In entertainment business, so in Martial arts, (Thai and Kick Boxing,) But a lot in MMA...

[9:15:55 AM] DON CLOVIS: in "EWFC", I'm the European director, ( for European affairs), that mean that I will set up every European countries, a team of fighters..

[9:16:15 AM] DON CLOVIS: In Canada, I will be also involved with all Canadian and us team.

[9:17:33 AM] DON CLOVIS: because also great peoples are involved, as MAURICE SMITH, ALBERT MADY, JAMES LEE, But also mr MATT FLYNN, who was the founder of the "CAGE FIGHTING :"in USA..

[9:18:11 AM] canadianprofighter: It is clear that you are very well decorated and have a vast amount of experience and connection in the MMA world; we look forward to your involvement. With having managed so many important prizefighters and connections worldwide, are you still involved in fighter management?

[9:18:18 AM] DON CLOVIS: My plan is to growing in Canada with EWFC, and see possibilities, also with some others...

[9:19:33 AM] DON CLOVIS: yes, I still be manager for few great , good fighters in Europe, specially France , Holland, but will have also Germany, UK, Spain, Italy and Russia, But hope also do again in Japan

[9:19:50 AM] DON CLOVIS: but my first goal is to set up very well in Canada..

[9:20:19 AM] canadianprofighter: That is GREAT news for any Canadian fighters lucky enough to be signed by you.

[9:20:49 AM] DON CLOVIS: In Canada, I will also set up my company JOYTO FILMS LTD, because since few years I'm also in film industry, and I use great well-known name fighters in some of my action films

[9:21:06 AM] DON CLOVIS: so, the combination of Fighters, Music, in films is great

[9:21:15 AM] canadianprofighter: You have brought some of your clients into acting, what makes a good actor or stuntman? Can you tell us a little about your film career?

[9:22:01 AM] DON CLOVIS: yes, sure, i really hope that I/we can do exchange of fighters, USA/Canada/ Europe/Japan /Russia in future,

[9:23:28 AM] DON CLOVIS: UFC is also very hard busy now, to develop in Europe, ( just little bit and in Japan, ) I know.. But we are absolutely NOT under, not less, in fact fighters make the organisations as well, by the great performances in the rings. THEY make name and a good organisation

[9:24:25 AM] DON CLOVIS: about our film, see for example our Films in USA, "HONOR “with mu former Partner A.Birznek, ( also Canadian from Vancouver..

[9:25:00 AM] DON CLOVIS: Whern they ask me also to be involved, i got the choice of the fighters, and some cast in this martial arts film

[9:26:56 AM] canadianprofighter: What does it take to be a good actor or stuntman and why have you chosen mma fighters in the past?

[9:27:19 AM] DON CLOVIS: What I did, I thought to use great names, which will help to sale the films so I choose

[9:28:21 AM] DON CLOVIS: FUNAKI, fm Japan, to sale better in Japan, but also DON FRYE,( UFC) REMY BONJASKY ( K-1) RODDY PIPER, ( WRESTLING), 2 GRACIE'S ( bjj), ETC..ETC..

[9:29:02 AM] DON CLOVIS: It is difficult sometime for a fighter to be an Actor, but also for an actor to be a fighter in films

[9:29:45 AM] DON CLOVIS: BUT , for fighters in films, I use great fighters choreographs, and they learn the fighters to fight and act in films as well

[9:29:50 AM] canadianprofighter: That is awesome, I know of more than a few fighters who would like to work with you, let me know if you need anyone.

[9:30:11 AM] DON CLOVIS: for Stunts guys is different, bigger discipline, and need more experience

[9:30:47 AM] DON CLOVIS: ha-ha, Yes, I know, many fighters worldwide contacted me, But depends of few things..

[9:32:06 AM] DON CLOVIS: In films we use a lot of Kung fu style, because beautiful movements, and fighting style, for MMA and general martial arts, I mix the fight with KF and MMA, so you get different style of fight and great to see

[9:33:32 AM] DON CLOVIS: also depends also of the Investors and sponsors I get.. in this days, some private investors and private banks, they find out that invest in films is not dangerous, so risky than in real estates, obligations, CD , etc..Etc...

[9:33:50 AM] DON CLOVIS: in films in fact they get always money back, (generally, )

[9:34:37 AM] DON CLOVIS: and for their bank they get bigger audience who can see their names of screens, cinemas, TV, and films festival, so like free marketing

[9:34:48 AM] canadianprofighter: Sounds like you have some really good things happening for you there in Amsterdam!

[9:35:05 AM] DON CLOVIS: ha,ha, yes, true, and when you know that everything I do, I do all alone at the basic, nobody with me, for 30 years I develop all my ideas, creations i think at home, than I develop with others

[9:35:57 AM] canadianprofighter: Well Don, we are just about out of time I should be letting you go. thanks a lot for taking the time to go over some things with us. Do you have any closing remarks for our fans as well as yours?

[9:37:05 AM] DON CLOVIS: oh, ok, WATCH UP Canada, I come there soon, and hope to see you all in our first event of "EWFC" on June 5th in Edmonton, fighters can always contact me , also through EWFC or my websites http://www.donclovis.com/ and http://www.joytofilms.com/ , or through http://www.canadianprofighter.com/ of course!

Dan Hardy: One Shot

By Elliot Worsell
From UFC.com

If fights were decided by polls, Dan ‘The Outlaw’ Hardy might be well-advised to give Saturday night a miss. Shoot a glance at the UFC.com homepage and you’ll discover that only 10% of UFC fans give Hardy a prayer of lifting the UFC welterweight championship this weekend. Stop and ask 100 people on the streets of New Jersey and only 10 will back ‘The Outlaw’ to pull off the upset against pound-for-pound superstar Georges St-Pierre in Newark.

Ask Hardy for his thoughts, and he’ll tell you that’s nine more punches than he’ll need to demolish GSP and change UFC history.

“Being considered the underdog in this fight is exactly the position I want to be in,” says Nottingham’s Hardy, who becomes the first Brit to compete for the belt at UFC 111.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way. When you step into a fight as a favourite it takes some of the excitement and drama away from it all. It almost takes my interest out of the fight.

“If I’m looking at moving forwards in my career and reaching the top, I’m going to need to be the underdog in a few fights. That just shows you are taking risks and are prepared to go up against the best fighters in the world. I should always be fighting guys that are considered better than me. The moment you fight guys that are worse than you, you might as well give up.”

Englishman Hardy is the sort of character that doesn’t mind seeing bad press, lopsided polls or ominous predictions. So long as he’s being talked about, the Nottingham hero has a reason to train, talk and run a red lick of paint through his mohawk. A master of self-promotion, Hardy was designed for events like Saturday night.

“I do like the attention these sort of fights bring,” Hardy says with a laugh. “I like being involved in big events that get people talking. If I’m putting this amount of work in when I’m training, I like for it to be for a good reason at the end of it. Knowing that everybody is going to be watching this fight makes it even easier for me to get motivated and to train hard.

“I know all eyes are on me for this fight and, rather than feel any added pressure, I just feel extra excited. If I don’t perform to my best, the whole world is going to see it – they’re going to see me fail to put up a good fight. It’s my job to ensure that everything is in place for me to do my job and shock the world on the night.”

Hardy pounds on his promotional drum with the same vigour as his opponent’s head. Hardy can talk a great fight and he can wax lyrical with a self-assuredness that makes believers out of non-believers. He’s a joy to listen to at pre-fight press conferences and when being interviewed. He belongs on the big stage.

However, while many UFC fans would admit to raising a smile as Hardy spits venom at prospective opponents, they’re still unsure whether he belongs in the Octagon with St-Pierre on Saturday night. Hardy knows this, of course. He’s read it.

“I like to read people’s thoughts on my fights,” says Hardy. “I enjoy keeping in touch with what the fans are saying by reading the various websites and forums. People are free to say whatever they like. Ultimately, it doesn’t affect me in any way, whether it’s positive or negative. I take everything I read with a pinch of salt and think it’s great that so many mixed martial arts fans are talking about this great sport.

“I don’t mind if they all think I’m going to lose. I’m confident in what I can do as a mixed martial artist and, to be honest, a lot of fans don’t know what goes on inside my head or how I train for a fight. They only have one perspective on me as a fighter, which is fine.”

Taken as purely a fighter in the UFC, Hardy’s resume to date is blemish-free and unquestionably impressive. Since making his UFC debut in October 2008, the loquacious Brit has won four UFC bouts in a row and beaten Mike Swick, Marcus Davis, Rory Markham and Akihiro Gono. He’s wiped the floor with each in the verbal smack-talking stakes and then duly backed up his boasts with fists and feet.

Despite out-talking and out-striking every welterweight that has crossed his path so far, Hardy admits to being disappointed with the performances pitched inside the Octagon to date.

“I don’t like having any of the decision wins I’ve got on my record,” says Hardy, who has been the full route three times in his UFC career. “I’m never pleased when a fight of mine goes to a decision. My job is to get inside the Octagon and beat somebody up. That is all I focus on before a fight. I never go into the Octagon with the intention of just doing enough to take a decision win.

“If a fight goes to a decision, I haven’t done my job properly. I don’t think it’s acceptable to go 15 or 25 minutes and then wait for the decision at the end of it all. I need to be stopping these guys, and the frustrating thing is, I know I have the ability to stop every one of them.”

Hardy was expected to lose to both Swick and Davis, and was deemed an even-bet with both Markham and Gono. He’s yet to enter a UFC bout as an overwhelming favourite. However, despite making a habitual mockery of pre-fight odds, Hardy doesn’t envisage a time when he’ll be backed heavily to win any fight.

“People will always underestimate me, until they step into the Octagon with me,” says the Team Rough House standout. “Even Mike Swick admitted that he was shocked at how good I was. He didn’t expect that going into the fight.

“The only time I’ll stop being considered the underdog is when I’ve got the belt around my waist and have reached the top. Even then, I’ll still probably be picked against in fights with guys like Thiago Alves and Jon Fitch. That’s just the way the world works. You’ve got to prove yourself against everybody over a long period of time. I know this and I’m more than ready to keep proving myself.”



Some fighters would collapse under the pressure of the underdog tag. Self-doubt would start to creep in and they’d begin to question whether the fans and critics were, in fact, correct in their predictions. This is where Hardy sets himself apart from most other fighters in the UFC, though. He gets just as much satisfaction from the negative and damning pre-fight comments as he does from the positively glowing reports. Don’t think for one minute Hardy envies the position pre-fight favourite St-Pierre is in right now.



“He (St-Pierre) knows what kind of pressure is on him,” adds Hardy, 23-6 (1 No Contest) in his mixed martial arts career. “He’s an 8/1 favourite to win this fight at the moment and I think that just piles more pressure on him. He’s expected to go in there and defeat me. He’s got to go into that Octagon with the whole world watching, and he’s got to beat me impressively. He can’t afford to have another off-night. He had one against Matt Serra, and we all know what happened there. He knows it can happen – it’s happened before – and he’ll be feeling that kind of pressure again this time around. I’m allowed to just go out there and enjoy myself.”



Admitting he needs to be “100% better” than he was last time out against Swick, don’t for one moment think Hardy isn’t feeling the pressure to perform. The Nottingham striker has high standards and fully believes he has the skill-set and mindset to become UFC welterweight champion. Anything less than a victory on Saturday night will be judged as a disappointment in the fiercely ambitious Hardy’s book.



“I know I can win the fight on my feet,” says Hardy. “I know I can knock him out standing. That’s my game through and through. Although everyone thinks GSP’s striking is wonderful, he’s only effective with his striking because he’s so good at wrestling. He uses his wrestling to set up strikes and create space. He’s not a particularly good striker. The longer this fight goes on its feet, the better chance I have of putting him to sleep.



“GSP and his fans will think he can hang on his feet with me, but they’ll quickly face reality once I’ve tagged him a few times and his legs have buckled. It’s then that he’ll realise he can’t hang with me on the feet.



“He’s fought great strikers like Thiago Alves in the past, but GSP simply controlled him with his wrestling. He was able to make Alves wary of getting taken down and that completely shut down Alves’ striking ability. GSP doesn’t have the footwork or the technical knowledge to actually stand with an opponent and control the fight on his feet. He needs to keep looking for takedowns and to control his opponent on the ground.”



St-Pierre’s recent title defences have been demonstrations in control and sheer dominance. When your advantages are as good as St-Pierre’s, you do everything in your power to make your opponent fight your type of fight. He did that masterfully against both Jon Fitch and then Thiago Alves, making his two top challengers look like run-of-the-mill contenders in the process. He perfected the art of making very good fighters look horribly ordinary.



While similarly impressed by GSP’s vice-like grip on the division, Hardy has a slightly different take on the champion’s recent showings.



“He’s (St-Pierre) a lot more cautious now and is a lot more aware of the dangers of standing and trading with an opponent,” assesses Hardy. “He’s also now aware of how quickly a fight can change with one punch. If you look at his recent performances, you’ll see a man who is worried about stepping into range and trading punches with an opponent. He picks his shots very carefully, stays out of range and then shoots for the takedown. That’s the blueprint and he follows it to a tee.



“I know he won’t want to stand and trade punches with me, as that lets me into the fight and, to be honest, it would have disaster written all over it.”



Having followed and studied St-Pierre’s career for years now, Hardy notices changes in the great French-Canadian.



“I think he’s now more realistic about what he can and can’t do inside the Octagon,” offers Hardy. “The defeat to Serra has shaken him up and forced him to analyse his own strengths and weaknesses as a fighter. He’s aware of these problems now and, as a result, is a lot more careful and cautious when he fights. That’s what works for him. It makes for less interesting and slower paced fights, but it still takes a lot of skill and discipline on his part. He’s still going out there and winning fights.



“When he first came on the scene he was a lot more dynamic, explosive and impressive on the eye, but ultimately that may have been his undoing. Now he just sticks to what he’s good at.”



St-Pierre is incredibly good at exerting control inside the Octagon, whether via the threat of takedowns or the literal motion of takedowns. Once GSP decides to shoot, chances are you’re going down with him. Very few welterweights are blessed with the kind of takedown defence needed to argue with St-Pierre.



While Hardy concedes there’s a good chance he’ll be taken down at some stage on Saturday, he’s also ultra-confident in his ability to take St-Pierre down – with a devastating shot to the chin, or head.



“I’ll hurt him at some point in this fight,” stresses Hardy. “I’m 100% confident that he’ll get hurt at some stage in this fight. I don’t think I’ll even have to catch him clean on the chin. I may rock or stun him with something that glances off the top of his head. I’ve got the power to switch his lights out if I land clean. The kind of shots I caught Swick with will end up hurting GSP, too, if I land them. I won’t need to land flush to put him in trouble. He will have to be very wary of trading with me.



“I’m hitting harder than ever right now and I know that one shot can do the damage. It’s unfortunate for GSP that I’ve also now acquired the skills to put the combinations together and set up the shot.”



In victories over Swick and Davis, Hardy was able to set up numerous counter-punches by simply drawing leads and working off his opponent’s aggression. He wound up both in the build-up to the fight and aggravated, taunted and baited the pair on fight night. He crawled under their skin, worked his way inside their heads and stole their game-plans. The machine-like demeanour of St-Pierre may offer better resistance, however.


“There are definitely ways to get under St-Pierre’s skin, as there are with any opponent,” says Hardy. “I just don’t think I’ll need to get under GSP’s skin. The pressure and the demons are already there inside his head. A lot of psychological warfare for this fight will just happen automatically, because of the pressure GSP is under to win impressively. He’s at the top right now and that means he’s got a lot further to fall than the rest of us.

“GSP is a nice guy, but there’s a time and place to be a nice guy. I’m a nice guy to my family and my girlfriend, and all the time I’m not training. But when the time comes to train or fight, there’s no more reason to be nice. I respect St-Pierre, but I’m not going to be nice and courteous to him. This is a fight.

“When that Octagon door closes, it’s a whole different story altogether. That’s when my mean streak comes into play and I become pure evil. He’s very skilled and physically able, but I just don’t think he has that same mean streak. He’s very capable of out-pointing somebody and bettering his opponents within the rules of the sport, but I don’t see him as a guy who looks to hurt opponents or finish them off. That’s where me and him differ. He’ll be trying to win the fight and I’ll be trying to take his head off.”


Hardy has visualised taking St-Pierre’s head off for the past four months. Most fans and critics believe that’s his only chance to win. One shot. One punch. ‘The Outlaw’ reckons that’s all he requires.


“I see GSP coming out into the centre of the Octagon and moving around a little bit with the intention of throwing a few shots,” begins Hardy. “As soon as he steps into my range, I’m going to punch him with something clean and then his kickboxing game-plan will go out the window and he’ll start trying to push me up against the fence and clinch me.

“I’m sure he’ll take me down and I’ll end up on my back and I’ll probably have to eat a few shots. I know this and I’ve accepted it. I’ll get back up again, though, and at some point in the fight he’ll step in for a shot or to throw something and I’ll catch him with a punch, whether it’s clean or glancing. He’ll go down and that will be the end of the fight.”

Hardy believes he knows something that 90% of people don’t. He’s happy with it that way. On Saturday night, they’ll find out what it is.

Official UFC 111 weigh-in results GSP and HARDY come in at 170 Rory Markham over by 7 lbs

Mar-26-2010


Official UFC 111 Weigh-In Results

Below are the official weigh-in results for Saturday’s UFC 111 event. UFC 111, which is headlined by the UFC welterweight championship bout between Georges St-Pierre and Dan Hardy, and the interim UFC heavyweight title fight between Frank Mir and Shane Carwin, airs live on pay-per-view from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey beginning at 10pm ET / 7pm PT. Fans can also tune in to Spike TV at 9pm ET / 6pm PT to see live UFC 111 preliminary bouts.


Main Event – UFC Welterweight Championship

Georges St-Pierre (170) vs Dan Hardy (170)

Co-Main Event – Interim UFC Heavyweight Championship

Frank Mir (265) vs Shane Carwin (265)

Fabricio Camoes (155) VS Kurt Pellegrino (155)

Ben Saunders (169) VS Jon Fitch (171)

Mark Bocek (154) VS Jim Miller (155)



Prelims on Spike

Rory Markham (177*) VS Nate Diaz (171)

Matt Brown (170) VS Ricardo Almeida (170)



Undercard (may not be broadcast)

Tomasz Drwal (185) VS Rousimar Palhares (186)

Jared Hamman (205) VS Rodney Wallace (206)

Greg Soto (170) VS Matt Riddle (170)



* Markham came in overweight, but Diaz agreed to still take the fight

Bellator Featherweight Champion Joe Soto to square off in May 20 ‘Super Fight’ against UFC veteran Diego ‘The Octopus’ Saraiva

CHICAGO, Ill. (March 26, 2010) — Bellator Fighting Championships announced today that its reigning featherweight champion, Joe Soto, will square off in a non-title “Super Fight” with UFC veteran Diego “The Octopus” Saraiva under the Bellator banner this spring.

The fight will take place on Thursday, May 20th and will be televised live on FOX Sports Net and during Bellator’s Saturday-night highlight shows on NBC and Telemundo. The venue for the event will be announced shortly.

This is the second Super Fight matchup to be announced by Bellator, along with the May 6th bout between current Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez and UFC veteran Josh Neer. Bellator will also hold similar non-tournament, non-title fights for Bellator’s two other Season 1 champions—Hector Lombard and Lyman Good as each prepares to defend their titles from Bellator’s Season 2 tournament winners this fall.

Soto, a native of California’s Central Valley, was a virtual unknown in the MMA world before knocking off Ben Greer, Wilson Reis and Yahir Reyes to take home the first-ever Bellator Featherweight Championship belt last June. He recently improved his record to a perfect 8-0.

Saraiva, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, is a three-time UFC veteran at 155 lbs. He is now in the midst of a career renaissance since dropping down to the 145 weight class a little over one year ago and is a perfect 6-0 at featherweight.

“This is a great match-up between two extremely tough fighters – one who’s on his way up and one who’s in the midst of a great comeback,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Diego will be a great test for Joe as he prepares to defend his belt later this year. As a fan first and foremost, this should be a great fight to watch”

Soto, who broke the news of the fight during an in-studio appearance on HD Net’s “Inside MMA” on Thursday, said that he’s “excited to get back in the cage” against a seasoned competitor like Saraiva.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for Diego … He has almost 30 fights as a pro and is on a real hot streak since he dropped down to 145,” Soto said. “But I’m in the best shape of my career. I feel that I can compete with anybody at 145 right now. I’m looking forward to the fight.”

Saraiva, meanwhile, said that he’s been interested in fighting Soto since seeing him defeat Wilson Reis in last season’s Bellator featherweight semifinals.

“Joe’s a really tough wrestler – I was really impressed by him,” Saraiva said. “So I’m going to be trying to block the takedown and win the fight on my feet. I feel like I’ve found a new home at 145. At 155, I always was feeling like the little guy. Now, I’m more powerful and a lot faster too. I think Joe and I are going to give the Bellator fans a great show.”

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator. Tickets are available at http://www.ticketmaster.com/.

Georges St-Pierre – The Element of Freedom

By Thomas Gerbasi
From UFC.com
Fear. It’s a taboo topic in the world of combat sports, one that is quickly whisked away with bravado, clichés, or a disdainful look.

A fighter might say, ‘‘Sure, I get nerves, everybody gets nerves." But to say the ‘F’ word? That’s a no-no.

So when asking UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre if he still gets some butterflies before his fights, you expect him to agree to pre-fight nerves, but the rest comes as a surprise.

“I’m afraid, like it’s the end of the world,” he says, almost chuckling that he would even be asked such a question. “Of course, I get nervous. I always have doubts, I’m always afraid, but that’s what makes someone courageous, when he does something when he’s afraid. When you do something when you’re not afraid, it’s not courage.”

Many would say that there is nothing more courageous than walking up those four steps and engaging in combat with an athlete who has trained to defeat you. So if St-Pierre’s logic is correct, every fighter must have some dose of fear in them before stepping into the Octagon. And he probably is right, but few have come out and said it so bluntly as the 170-pound king.

Maybe it’s because he is the best welterweight in the world, a champion who has avenged his two losses, beaten a who’s who of the sport, and done so in a fashion that his opponent this Saturday night, legitimate contender Dan Hardy, is a decided underdog entering the UFC 111 main event at Newark, New Jersey’s Prudential Center. So when you’re that good, you can afford to be honest and to speak your mind. Sure, he can admit to being afraid before a fight when he knows damn well that when that bell rings odds are that he’s going to give you a defeat you’d probably like to forget.

And while money and fame are nice, freedom is what everyone really wants, and St-Pierre admits that at 28 years old, he now has what he’s always wanted.

“The good thing is that I have freedom,” he said when asked what the best part of being Georges St-Pierre is. “I do whatever I want whenever I want. I like that freedom and the direct relation that the harder I train, the better the results are.”

Unfortunately for his opponents, he trains harder than most and when he says that he can do whatever he wants when he wants to do it, that doesn’t mean ordering a cheeseburger at all hours of the night, it may just refer to his performances in the Octagon.

But you won’t hear him say that; he remains humble and self-effacing to a fault, and even Hardy, a notorious subscriber to the art of mental and verbal warfare, hasn’t gone on the offensive at GSP like he has for previous fights. Has this surprised the champion?

“If he says bad things about me, I’m gonna answer, I’m not a victim,” he said. “But I always respect my opponents. It’s my mentality that to do this job you have to go through a lot of obstacles to reach where you are right now, and I have a lot of respect for that.”

St-Pierre also has a lot of respect for Hardy, in spite of what the oddsmakers may say.

“He’s the most dangerous guy that I’ve fought so far in my career because he’s underrated and he has nothing to lose,” said St-Pierre.

It’s a statement that the pride of Montreal has repeated throughout the lead-up to Saturday’s bout, but it has come under some scrutiny - not because of Hardy’s qualifications, but because the list of fighters on St-Pierre’s resume include BJ Penn, Matt Hughes, Jon Fitch, Thiago Alves, Matt Serra, Josh Koscheck, etc.

St-Pierre sticks to his guns though, and he has good reason to treat Hardy like King Kong.

“I just have to remember what happened to me when I fought Serra the first time,” he said. “I don’t want it to happen twice.”

The first fight with Serra is the lightning rod for all opponents of St-Pierre since that Texas night in April of 2007, and perhaps for the man himself. After getting stopped in the first round by the New Yorker and losing his belt, St-Pierre was devastated and he never forgot that feeling. So despite all his success – getting his belt back from Serra, beating Penn in their highly anticipated rematch, and turning back challengers Fitch and Alves in grueling five rounders – he won’t put himself on a pedestal.

“I’m never overconfident, I’m always afraid of losing,” he said. “There’s no such thing as an invincible man and everybody’s beatable.”

Opponents point to such talk, along with his honest assessment of his first loss to fighting hero Hughes in 2004, and the knockout defeat against Serra, as signs of weakness. But what seems to be forgotten are his gutsy effort in victory against Penn in their first fight when he was battered and bloodied for five minutes before roaring back to win, his grace under pressure when he faced and defeated the only man to knock him out – Serra – in front of over 20,000 Montreal fans, and his ability to tough out the win over Alves after tearing his right abductor muscle during the bout.

So perhaps the key to beating Georges St-Pierre isn’t focusing on what isn’t there, but on what is. Maybe Dan Hardy, despite his talk of GSP having a glass jaw and not being mentally tough, is focusing on the fighter in front of him and not on what ifs. If he does, he could become the first British fighter to win a UFC title. If not, you can be sure that St-Pierre is doing the right thing. He’s not thinking about the other contenders at 170 pounds, a run at Anderson Silva at 185 pounds, or trying out for the Canadian Olympic wrestling team.

“Only one fight at a time,” he said. “I just focus on Dan Hardy.”

It’s that simplicity, that singularity of purpose that is the greatest freedom. If you think St-Pierre wants to give that up, you’re gonna have to put up a helluva fight to rip it from his hands.

(Video Post) W-1 Bad Blood Promo Video 1

We recently travelled to Montreal, Quebec to catch the recent W-1 Bad Blood event. With a night of great fights, as well as meeting numerous stars in attendance, you will want to make sure you catch the next W-1 event coming on June the 19th.

Now here is a video clip of some of the action that went on, and a few of the people we encountered through out the night.

And stay tuned for more video clips, as well as more imformation regarding the air dates for these fights and the where abouts for the next big W1 event.

Thanks to Jack Bateman, it was a pleasure to be able to cover this great event!

Bellator Fighting Championships aligns with Engine Entertainment to distribute Bellator programming internationally

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – March 25, 2010 – The international production and distribution company Engine Entertainment has completed an agreement with Bellator Fighting Championships to handle the exclusive worldwide distribution (excluding US and Canada) for this first-of-its-kind mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion.

With its unique tournament format, Bellator allows fighters to control their own destiny by eliminating the subjectivity of matchmaking and replicating the objectivity of virtually every other professional sport. Guided by this concept, Bellator produces a unique, exciting, competitive and entertaining brand of MMA programming that is based on the most successful real-sports, objective competition format.

Bellator has taken the U.S. by storm since it debuted in April 2009 on ESPN Deportes. Due to the success of its first season, Bellator returns for its second and third seasons with one of the largest domestic television distribution alliances in fighting sports history, including 24 live events on Fox Sports Net (reaching 92 Million homes), with weekly highlight shows on both NBC (112 million homes) and Telemundo (62 Million homes) – bringing Bellator to virtually every home in the U.S.

In addition, Bellator will be broadcast across Canada through an alliance with The Score sports network.

Engine Entertainment is exclusively distributing the twenty-four 2010 season live events, plus all additional premium pay-per-view events that Bellator produces, worldwide (outside of the US and Canada) as well as the twelve previously aired 2009 Bellator Season 1 shows.

“With fighters from across the globe, Bellator has produced some of the most electrifying moments in MMA history,” said Chris Philp, Chief Executive, Engine Entertainment. “Bellator will thrill audiences in every country and we are excited to be distributing this successful nationally televised sports franchise worldwide.”

Said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney: “Bellator is very pleased to be working with Engine Entertainment—a dynamic and accomplished player in the highly competitive international programming sales industry. With some of the best fighters from every corner of the globe and a unique format that allows fighters to truly control their own destiny, we are confident that our real-sport format will enjoy success internationally that equals or exceeds the success we have had to date here in the U.S.”

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Canadian UFC star Mark Bocek Ready to Bring the Fire to Face Miller

Bocek Ready to Bring the Fire to Face Miller
From UFC.com
By Mike Russell

Mark Bocek spent his summer vacations in high school a little differently than most teenagers. Rather than hanging out with his friends on a beach or pool deck in his hometown in Woodbridge, Ontario, the Canadian-born jiu-jitsu wunderkind traveled the world to train with some of the best mixed martial artists on the planet.


Logging an exorbitant amount of air miles flying to Brazil to log time on the mats with Wagnney Fabiano and Marcelo Garcia, Portland, Oregon to grapple with Dan Henderson, Hilo, Hawaii to roll with BJ Penn, and back home to Toronto to work out with Carlos Newton, paid off for the teenager who was the first Canadian to be awarded his black belt in BJJ in 2005.


Not only did the experiences make for bar-raising “How I Spent My Summer Vacation,” reports; they also lit a fire under Bocek to work hard to round out his already superlative ground game to prepare himself for his boyhood dream of competing alongside his elite training partners in MMA and one day making it to the UFC.
Making quick work of his first four opponents (none of them made it out of the first round without tapping out or throwing in the towel), Bocek was offered and agreed to a UFC contract in 2006. Some felt he needed more time in the cage to add seasoning before he made the leap to the bigger stage of the UFC, especially since in his four fights that spanned his three-year MMA career, he had only actually competed for just over thirteen minutes. Add to that the fact that he didn’t actually belong to a fight team or camp outside of his jiu-jitsu affiliation with Nova Uniao, and those who were singing Bocek’s praises in the Great White North began to wonder if it was too soon. Regardless what people on the outside thought, Bocek felt he was ready and he jumped at the opportunity.

Unfortunately, he landed in quicksand.

In his first fight, he faced off opposite tough New Jersey-based wrestler Frankie Edgar at UFC 73 in Sacramento, CA. Walking to the cage, Bocek, who spent the three weeks prior to fight at Greg Jackson’s gym in Albuquerque, began to doubt himself – something he had never done before. As the bell rang, he quickly realized that he wasn’t in Kansas any more. When the whirlwind subsided, he was the one who wouldn’t make it out of the first round this time around. Although Edgar’s blows made him feel like a house had been dropped on him, the loss made him feel as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.



“It was only my fifth fight and it was strange, but I just didn’t feel the confidence that I felt fighting in Canada. Not to take anything away from Frankie [Edgar], but I just didn’t feel confident. I don’t think I did what I was capable of,” Bocek recalls. “Looking back, losing that fight made me reexamine and change a few things, so it was a good experience. I think I put a lot of pressure on myself to win because of the expectations people had of me.”



Deducing that his self-doubt before and during the Edgar bout stemmed from a lack of confidence in his preparedness for the fight from the training he put in at Jackson’s, Bocek got in touch with Henderson to inquire about joining his recently opened branch of Team Quest in Temecula, CA. He was given the green light by the former PRIDE middleweight and welterweight champ who had also recently inked a deal with the UFC and he became a member of the storied team that was established by Henderson, Matt Lindland and Randy Couture.



Despite winning his next fight over Doug Evans at UFC 79, Bocek says he still felt like something was missing in his training and that he just didn’t have the confidence he had in himself that he used to. He would give Team Quest one more try before he decided whether or not to move on.



Considering it was to be in Quebec – the Canadian province where he had rattled off his first four wins as the perennial crowd favorite, he figured his confidence would be his greatest asset against Mac Danzig at UFC 79.

He was wrong.



After eating a flush knee to the face, the blood that flowed from the ensuing gash over his right eye, combined with a swelling contusion that an earlier Danzig knee created under his left eye, impaired Bocek’s vision to the point that he could barely see, let alone try to defend Danzig’s relentless onslaught of lead jabs which seemingly landed at will. After the ringside doctor inspected the bloody wound and okayed Bocek to continue, with less than a minute left in the bout, Danzig shocked the Canadian crowd and his opponent by taking the exhausted and battered submission artist down, flattening him out and submitting him.



The loss reignited the fire in Bocek that burned inside him as he traveled the globe as a teenager to train with and learn from the best in the sport. He knew something – or things - had to change and he set the wheels in motion to ensure that he would be ready for his next and subsequent fights.



The first thing he did was visit a sports psychologist to get to the bottom of why, after realizing his dream of fighting in the UFC, his confidence seemed to be at an all-time low. He quickly realized that the reason for his nervousness before his fights had less to do with his confidence in his ability than it did the pressure he put on himself to win.



“Before the Evans, Edgar and Danzig fights – I would tell myself ‘This is life or death,’ or ‘What am I going to do if I lose this fight,’ and I found that putting that kind of pressure on myself held me back from doing what I was capable of. I kind of choked. I froze up when I started to think about what would happen if I lost. Those fights weren’t fun for me,” he says. “Even the Evans fight I wasn’t happy with. Sure it was a win, but I don’t think I showed my full jiu-jitsu skills and my striking was off. I fought to not lose instead of to win. I kind of held on and blanketed him. I didn’t even try to pass the guard, which is something I don’t even do in training. I’ve loosened up a lot. Now I just try to go out and have a good time out there every time; the rest will take care of itself.”

Next, with the help of longtime friend Marcelo Garcia, he set up a trip to Coconut Creek, FL to meet, and train with, the coaches and members of American Top Team to see if he and the team meshed well together. They did, and after two or three days at the gym, Bocek earned the respect of coach Ricardo Liborio, et al, and was invited to join the renowned team.

The consummate traveler had finally found his home and a team he believed in.



“Everyone was really nice and treated me really well during that week and I just felt like I was accepted here. I spent three weeks at Jackson’s and I was at Team Quest for a couple of fights, but I felt something was missing at both camps. I just didn’t feel like I was part of their teams. Neither of them was too deep in the lightweight division and I felt that something was lacking with both of their strength and conditioning programs,” Bocek explains. “I didn’t have any experts to help me cut weight or to give me advice on how to recover from it. Now at ATT, I have experts in every area and really deep training partners within my weight class. They’re really good at making jiu-jitsu guys into fighters. Most of the guys on the team came from a jiu-jitsu background except for maybe Thiago Alves. They train really, really hard, but the main emphasis at the gym is to help each other. I feel really comfortable here. There are no easy days in the gym. I feel comfortable going into fights training here.”



As his comfort level increased with the more time he spent at ATT, his confidence soared and the pressure he put on himself leveled out, which made training and competing fun again, like it had been when he was tapping out opponents left and right back when he first began fighting in Canada. Appropriately dubbed “Fire” or its Portuguese equivalent, “Fogo” by his Brazilian teammates in Florida because of his flaming red head of hair and his burning desire to compete and win, Bocek not only had a new team and attitude; he also had a new identity.

“Ever since the Robinson fight, when I first started with ATT, I started changing my attitude towards fighting. I was just getting too nervous before my fights. I talked to a lot of fighters and after talking to my sports psychologist about it, the consensus was that putting a lot less pressure on myself and treating the fight like a training session was the best approach and it’s been working perfectly for me. The butterflies never really go away, but that’s more excitement than nervousness. I just keep it in my mind that I’m doing this because I enjoy it. When I’m having fun, I perform my best, so that’s how I approach every fight now.”



Finishing his next three opponents in identical fashion, Bocek choked out fellow BJJ black belts Alvin Robinson and David Bielkheden at UFCs 91 and 97, respectively, and gave Joe “The Southside Strangler” Brammer a taste of his own medicine at December’s Ultimate Fighter Season 10 Finale. With the wins he proved to his critics and himself that the changes he made were working. Although he nearly fell into one of his old habits prior to his last fight, he was able to regain his composure and take control of the situation, and ultimately the fight.

“Walking out to the cage for my last fight I was extremely nervous. I kept telling myself ‘It’s just a training session. It’s just a training session,’ and things kind of worked out well. That’s generally what I do now when my nerves start to get the best of me. I tell myself ‘This is fun; I’m enjoying myself,’ and ‘This is just another training session at ATT where I’m going to go one hundred percent.’”

Bocek’s next pseudo-training session comes Saturday night when he takes on dangerous, yet durable wrestler and BJJ brown belt Jim Miller at UFC 111 in his opponent’s home state of New Jersey. Bocek is looking at Miller as the door to the stairwell that leads to the upper floor of the UFC’s lightweight division and says he just needs to find the key to get past him.

“I know beating an ‘A’ level guy like Miller puts me right up there with the best in the division. My goal is to get in the ‘A’ class and then it’s going to be really tough fights from there – the Tyson Griffins, the Gray Maynards, the Kenny Florians – top tier opponents. I’m expecting a very motivated Jim Miller on March 27,” Bocek says. “In Miller, I see a guy with good cardio and he’s a grinder. He decisions a lot of people, except for in his last fight. I don’t know what he’s going to do against me. He’s a brown belt in jiu-jitsu and he’s been really confident with his jiu-jitsu lately. He may try to sprawl and brawl, but you never know for sure. I’m ready for anything. I’m going to go in there and throw a few punches and see what happens.”