Herschel Walker Signs with Strikeforce
Herschel Walker Signs with Strikeforce: "
“This isn’t a publicity stunt or a gimmick,” said Afromowitz. “Herschel Walker has tremendous athleticism, and he has always shown that off the gridiron. He’s accomplished a lot in his life and in the world of sports. His accomplishments speak for themselves, and we hope that his athleticism can transition into a successful MMA career.”
According to the report, Walker will “immediately enter an 8-to-12 week training camp with the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif.” before likely debuting with Strikeforce in 2010.
A running back at the University of Georgia, Walker won the 1982 Heisman Trophy and was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999. Walker then spent 12 seasons in the NFL from 1986 to 1997, going to the Pro Bowl in ‘87 and ‘88 and became one of the all-time leaders in total yardage in the league.
A sixth-degree black belt in tae kwon do, Walker announced during a November 2007 appearance on HDNet’s Inside MMA that he was planning his first MMA bout.
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Rampage Jackson is going to piss on Rashad Evans if he keeps on barking
Rampage Jackson is going to piss on Rashad Evans if he keeps on barking: "
The former light heavyweight champion is still ranting about a fight that now looks like it may never happen (legally):
“[Rashad] is probably happy as hell that I took this movie instead of whoopin’ his ass and he’s trying to play it up like he’s not. That’s all he is, he’s all talk. I did a show with the guy for six weeks, I know what he is. He’s all talk, it’s all show. If there wasn’t cameras or stuff around or nobody to grab his ass he wouldn’t do half the things that he did. Now he’s talking all hard, like he’s gonna hit me in the face? All he’s doing is really pissing me off more and more. I will go to Rashad’s house, knock on his door, drag his ugly ass out into the yard, let him play with his nipples first and knock him the fuck out. Like Rashad says, we’ll do the fight for free. I want him to put his money where his mouth is so I can knock his teeth out and give him some change, the boy needs a change, his mouth is too big but he ain’t nothing. The boy ain’t fought the people I’ve fought, he ain’t got the experience I’ve got. He’s barking up the wrong tree so he’s gonna get pissed on for real.”
Stick around to see how the drama continues to cascade. A golden shower appears incapable of dousing this fire anytime soon.
"UFC 108: Anderson Silva vs Vitor Belfort agree to fight in Las Vegas on Jan. 2
UFC 108: Anderson Silva vs Vitor Belfort agree to fight in Las Vegas on Jan. 2: "
Move over Dan Henderson and Nate Marquardt … it looks like Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has finally decided on the next middleweight contender to challenge its reigning division champion, Anderson Silva.
Los Angeles Times reports that former light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort has verbally agreed to saunter into “The Spider” web at UFC 108, which is scheduled to take place from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Jan. 2, 2010.
Henderson actually appeared to be the front runner to challenge Silva after his most recent — and emphatic — victory over Michael Bisping at UFC 100. Company president Dana White indicated that it was enough to earn him another crack at the Brazilian; however, his manager, Ed Soares, made the case that Henderson should take on Nate Marquardt first to determine a clear-cut contender.
That now appears to be the plan. And it’s likely that the recent addition of Belfort to the 185-pound roster had a lot to do with it.
“The Phenom” is coming off a first round destruction of former division champ Rich Franklin on Sept. 19 in Dallas. The stoppage — coupled with his two devastating knockout wins under the Affliction banner — were enough to convince White that “The Old Vitor” is back and ready to face his fellow countryman.
It’s a tall order, considering Silva hasn’t really lost in more than five years (sans a disqualification loss to Yushin Okami in 2006), and he’s essentially obliterated the middleweight division since entering the Zuffa fold in mid 2006.
In fact, he’s been so good that White and Co. have started to match him up against 205-pound fighters to give him more of a challenge. He passed with flying colors, sending former champion Forrest Griffin running for the hills and pasting James Irvin with a highlight-reel, fighting-ending combination.
Silva has not had a solid (perhaps trademark is a better term) performance in the middleweight division since he submitted Henderson at UFC 82: “Pride of a Champion” back in March 2008. He’s had two forgettable — albeit winning — fights against Patrick Cote and Thales Leites since that time.
It’s safe to say that the promotion is looking to Belfort to bring the excitement back to the middleweight division … win, lose or draw.
UFC 108 is expected to serve as the promotion’s traditional “year-end” event because the Christmas holiday falls on the last weekend of 2009. No other potential match ups are known at this time; however, UFC typically likes to go out with a bang so expect more goodness in the near future.
"TapouT Duo Talks Nationwide Tour, Herschel Walker, Going Mainstream
TapouT Duo Talks Nationwide Tour, Herschel Walker, Going Mainstream: "
Filed under: MMA Videos, FanHouse Exclusive
Punkass and Skyscrape, the eccentric TapouT duo, have embarked on a nationwide tour to promote their popular MMA apparel line. Amazingly, 12 years after the clothing line was launched from the back of a car, it's more popular than ever, and dare I say, mainstream. FanHouse recently spoke to them in New York about the tour, dealing with the recent death of their partner, Charles 'Mask' Lewis Jr., sponsoring Herschel Walker in his new career and much more. Check out the video interview below. (Some language is NSFW).
TapouT Duo Talks Nationwide Tour, Herschel Walker, Going Mainstream originally appeared on Fanhouse MMA Blog on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Arreola Steals the Show at Weigh-In
Arreola Steals the Show at Weigh-In: "
Filed under: WBC, Boxing Video, HBO, FanHouse Exclusive
Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.
Undefeated heavyweight Cristobal Arreola is more than ready to take on the world champion Vitali Klitschko, but for some reason everyone keeps thinking he is overweight. In this FanHouse exclusive, we see how Arreola got a good laugh out of his haters. Also in this video, we find out what nickname Arreola would give Klitschko. Check out the video after the jump.
Arreola Steals the Show at Weigh-In originally appeared on Fanhouse Boxing Blog on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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UFC Ultimate Fighter James McSweeney Vs. Wes Shivers: Is Dana White On LSD, Are The Judges On Crack, Or Both?
After UFC Ultimate Fighter Wes Shivers lost in a decision to James McSweeney on Spike Tv, I’m beginning to wonder if MMA is going lose credibilty in some of its decisions. If Dana White doesn’t come out and say something about this decision, I am going to start losing respect for him. I know, big loss for Dana. I know what his response would be: don’t let it go to the judges scorecards. Fine. But White needs to seriously question what fight those judges were watching. I imagine Dana will do some behind the scenes shuffling either by speaking to the judges or getting some new ones. If he does nothing after that travesty, then he seriously needs to consider retiring or resigning.
I mean, if me and 20 other Twitterers can sit home on our couch and plainly see that Shivers got robbed, and White does nothing, then…what the heck?
Ok, I’ll give McSweeney credit. I even thought he was going to do much better than he did before the fight. But McSweeney was literally running from Shivers during the fight. Talk about octagon control–were the refs sleeping?
On the feet, Shivers caught McSweeney a couple times, but it was tough for him because Sweeney was so fast running away. Shivers almost pulled off a Kimora on the ground in the first round before letting him up.
Shivers also had McSweeney on the ground for most of the 2nd round before getting reversed. In the last minute, McSweeney did catch Shivers with a punch and a knee that buckled him. But after going down, Shivers was able to reverse to back on top before the end of the fight.
So McSweeney wins after a few leg kicks and for catching Shivers in the last 30 seconds? Shivers couldn’t have been that hurt because he finished the fight on top. He even had McSweeney in full mount at one point.
I’m sorry Dana White. If you don’t come out and say something, I lose mad credibility for you here. At least say the judges stayed out too late the night before. Maybe they will say something at the beginning of the next show on the fight recap. I’ve seen some questionable decisions, but there is no way Shivers loses that. A draw maybe–but even that’s a stretch. And 2 judges had Shivers losing 20-18! I know Shivers was gassed, but McSweeney RAN from him–I’d be gassed chasing him too.
Dana, dude, do something. If a bunch of amateurs think the fix is in, you have to respond. By doing nothing, you are admitting the judges totally screwed up and you are not able to do anything about it. That would not only bring White’s credibility into question, but the UFC as well as all of MMA. What do you think?
Mirko Cro Cop: ‘Maybe I should’ve quit after I won’ Pride FC Open Weight Grand Prix in 2006
Mirko Cro Cop: ‘Maybe I should’ve quit after I won’ Pride FC Open Weight Grand Prix in 2006: "
Props: Jutarnji.hr (translation via BigOddsMike.com)
Quoteworthy:
“Maybe the ones who have said that I’m done are right. Obviously, I can’t break my mental block in the Octagon. Besides, I’ve been training like a spartan for 20 years now — my body is worn out. The years caught up to me, I’ve been worn out…. [Junior dos Santos] won that fight and would have won it by decision. Simply put, he is younger, more hungry, more aggressive. He wanted to win a lot more…. The mat was slippery like glass. I almost fell down trying to do the left high kick. But I’m not looking for an alibi. This was not the performance the public would pay for. I don’t feel the hunger anymore. I started playing it safe, I’m not ready to take risks. I would like to thank everybody that supported me and stood by me and everyone who helped me to prepare for this fight. I’ve been living a military life for 20 years now. Getting up at 6 a.m. and having physically challenging task up to 8 p.m. I want a normal life. I’m entering a cage and thinking about fishing in Privlaka. You can’t win that way. Maybe I should’ve quit after I won the open weight grand prix.”
Legendary mixed martial arts fighter, Mirko Cro Cop, reflects on his submission (verbal) loss to Junior dos Santos at UFC 103: “Franklin vs. Belfort” from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, on Sept. 19. He was beaten to the punch, and pretty much beat up, in what essentially turned out to be a striking match for two-plus rounds. The Croatian waved off the Brazilian in the third after eating a brutal knee to the face that wiped out his vision. It marked his third loss inside the Octagon in five attempts — a far cry from the world beater who was scalping his opponents just three years ago under the Pride FC banner. In fact, he has not defeated a top-level fighter he made Josh Barnett quit at “Final Conflict Absolute,” which earned him the Pride FC 2006 Open Weight Grand Prix Championship. Prior to the loss to dos Santos, Cro Cop signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC, saying he wanted to compete as often as possible and make one final run at heavyweight glory. It’s too early to tell, but could these remarks signal the end of the road of Cro Cop’s long and distinguished professional career, which dates back to the mid 1990s?
"Diaz, Stephens, Quarry, and Credeur Earn UFN 19 “Fight Night” Bonuses
Diaz, Stephens, Quarry, and Credeur Earn UFN 19 “Fight Night” Bonuses: "
Diaz took home “Submission of the Night” for his main event guillotine of Guillard, Stephens received “Knockout of the Night” for his stoppage of Justin Buchholz due to cuts on the preliminary card, while Quarry and Credeur earned “Fight of the Night” for their three-round war the kicked off the event’s Spike TV-broadcast.
Click here for more UFC Fight Night 19 coverage.
Pictured: Nate Quarry
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UFC 103: “Franklin vs. Belfort” Video Preview
UFC 103: “Franklin vs. Belfort” Video Preview: "
In this extended video preview courtesy of the UFC, Saturday’s 195 lb catchweight mega-fight between former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin and former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort is profiled along with an anticipated heavyweight matchup between Mirko Cro Cop and Junior Dos Santos.
Post from MMA on Tap
"Kevin Burns vs. TJ Grant Added to Rumored UFC 107 Card
Kevin Burns vs. TJ Grant Added to Rumored UFC 107 Card: "
Burns (7-3) dropped to 2-2 inside the Octagon following back-to-back losses to Anthony Johnson last December and Chris Lytle in June, while Grant suffered a decision loss to Dong Hyun Kim in July following an April victory over Ryo Chonan in his UFC debut.
UFC 107 is headlined by lightweight champ BJ Penn vs. Diego Sanchez and also include Kenny Florian vs. Clay Guida and Cheick Kongo vs. Frank Mir.
UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez Coverage
Pictured: Kevin Burns
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- Quote of the Day: Anthony Johnson To Appeal TKO Loss To Kevin Burns
- Rule Changes Possible Following Johnson-Burns Decision
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