If GSP gets past Penn and things work out in the LW division, hopefully we get the rematch of this fight. If you've never seen it, watch it:
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Inside the mind of Rampage
Josh Gross, SI.com |
 In his last bout, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (black trunks) lost his light heavyweight title to Forrest Griffin at UFC 86. AP | ||
On July 15, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, the former UFC light heavyweight champion, lived up to his nickname. But not in a positive light.
After treating the 55 Freeway near Newport Beach, Calif., as a demolition derby, crashing into multiple cars with his raised Ford truck (which had his image emblazoned on the side), Jackson soon found himself behind prison bars.
"I was very scared for him," said a source close to Jackson who asked not to be identified.
Rampage's seismic shift from an idolized mixed martial artist began after he relinquished his title on points to Forrest Griffin UFC 86 on July 5. The decision to fire Juanito Ibarra, his trainer, manager and occasionally spiritual mentor, came shortly thereafter. A lack of food and sleep compounded unsettling behavior, and TMZ photos of Jackson face down in the street at the rear of his Bigfoot-inspired truck -- its left front tire shredded -- documented the result of a dangerous chase with police
Word of Jackson's arrest spread quickly, and within hours, Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White flew in from Las Vegas with $25,000 cash in hand. Finding a bail bondsman, Ibarra, who has ignored repeated attempts for comment since the incident, also appeared ready to bail Rampage out of jail.
Upon Jackson's release, the plan was to make the switch from a Costa Mesa jail cell to a psychiatric hospital bed. He refused help, and no one was going to convince him otherwise. The only place he was headed was home.
Rampage demanded silence when he wasn't offering words of faith. He spoke of a "wolf in sheep's clothing" and people aligned with the devil.
"Mentally he wasn't there," said the source. "It was almost as if he was possessed. He heard voices. He thought he was a God."
Talk amongst people in the house turned to the need for medical help. At first, they tried convincing Rampage to head for the hospital. That failed, tempers flared and police, thankfully, intervened. Several hours later, the fighter was under psychiatric hold.
"He went very easy" with police, said the source.
Three days later, rested and nourished, Rampage was reunited with friends.
"He would still make comments that were slightly weird," said Jackson's longtime associate. "You could tell that he wasn't all the way there, but each day you could tell he was better."
Against lawyers' advice, Jackson has gone out several times. Fan requests for autographs at a local mall have been happily fulfilled. His only other trips are to outpatient treatment, which he attends daily.
"He knows what he went through," said the source. "He knew he had an emotional breakdown that led to a mental breakdown. Not eating and not sleeping kind of helped with that."
In 2004, Jackson experienced a similar incident when he claimed he was touched by Jesus in a dream, scaring him enough to bolt from his apartment with his son D'Angelo in tow. That night he was born again.
Jackson, a Memphis native, was hardly a modest man. With his MMA success, family and friends wondered how he was going to deal with a life that now demanded giving so much to something other than himself?
In reality, the answer could have applied to D'Angelo, born from a relationship during his wrestling days at Lassen Community College in Northern California. And his faith.
The pressure to live an evangelical life weighed heavy. Jackson became celibate and focused his mental and physical energy on training for his Oct. 31, 2004 fight against Wanderlei Silva, the PRIDE 205-pound champion who had previously caved in Jackson's head with over 20 consecutive knees roughly a year prior.
While the first month of balancing his new-found faith with everyday life was a cakewalk, the same could not be said for the second month. After reading on the Internet that fasting would keep the devil away, Jackson abstained from food for three days, ingesting only water and keeping details of his diet secretive.
What Jackson didn't realize was his fast had depleted his body and virtually killed any chance of defeating Silva. An inspired opening round gave way to fatigue in the second for Jackson, while Silva, not needing any kind of edge to begin with, brutally beat Rampage until he was unconscious and lay motionless between ropes.
But the loss in the ring did nothing to quell Rampage's relationship with the higher power. Rather, news that his father, who had abandoned him when he was 10 years old and was also born again, provided additional proof that everything happens for a reason. The loss to Silva was, therefore, easier to deal with, and the backdrop for Jackson's future relationship with Ibarra slowly unfolded.
In talking with Jackson about leading his promising career, Ibarra preached his faith as if he was leading a congregation. His gospel-like tune continued to play throughout their time together, as each training camp featured religious themes were displayed prominently around the gym. Ibarra's "son" believed in himself again, and pieces appeared to fall into place when Jackson defeated Chuck Liddell for a second time May of last year.
The victory, Rampage would tell me in a rambling late-night call from Ireland a month later, was already decided.
"Ya'll don't see how it was just perfect timing?" he asked. "Ya'll don't see that it was written? Ya'll can't see that that was planned? That that was destiny? Ya'll don't see that cause ya'll don't have the eyes that I have. You don't know what God stored in me. I'm God's street soldier. No matter what happens I will always be God's street soldier, and I always know he's going to take care of me. And everything's going to be OK."
Everything, save the pact between Jackson and Ibarra. With defeat as the impetus, Jackson responded to rough terrain by relieving the trainer of his duties, though "bottom line, somehow, someway it all involves money," said the fighter's friend.
As an Aug. 15 court date approaches for the 30-year-old father of four, a search for a new representation is underway. And, though he is only two weeks removed from an incident that allegedly sent pedestrians scurrying for their lives, the UFC is said to be interested in a November return for Rampage with a third fight against Silva.
His appearance in the cage will depend primarily on his mental state. But, as Jackson says himself, everything happens for a reason.
Monday, July 28, 2008
UFC 89 to air via tape delay on Spike TV
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Jul 28, 2008 at 11:42 am ET
As expected executives from the cable station today officially announced that UFC 89, an event that takes place Oct. 18 at The NIA in Birmingham, England, will air on Spike TV.The broadcast kicks off via tape delay at 9 p.m. PT/ET -- a five-hour delay on the U.S. East Coast.
The event is headlined by a fight between "The Ultimate Fighter 3" winner and British fighter Michael Bisping vs. Chris Leben.
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) reported last week that Spike TV and the UFC were close to a deal to air the event. The official announcement came Saturday.
Although UFC 89's main event has been criticized, the UFC put together an intriguing main card for the fight that includes light-heavyweight fights of Lyoto Machida vs. Thiago Silva and Keith Jardine vs. Brandon Vera.
UFC 89 is the latest special booking for Spike TV. In addition to a handful of contracted UFC Fight Night and The Ultimate Fighter Finale events each year, Spike TV and the UFC occasionally negotiate for additional broadcasts. Such past events have included UFC 75 and "Ortiz vs. Shamrock III: The Final Chapter."
However, while overseas pay-per-view events air live, the overseas Spike TV events usually air via tape delay.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Anderson Silva vs Patrick Cote UFC 90 title fight set for Chicago October 25
That's right. With Okami injured, they're putting Patrick Cote in against Silva. Although Cote has had some great success lately, KOing a few guys and getting past a tough BJJ fighter most recently, I don't think he's a worthy opponent for The Spider and this is an EASY bet. I don't really understand this fight since I think there are a few other guys who'd be a better match up, but there's really nobody but Bisping I can think of off the top of my head who has had the exposure and success in the MW division besides Cote. Anyway, this is going down on October 25, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Cote is very confident which makes for better hype.
Cote is very confident which makes for better hype.
Here’s a snip from the Canadian:
So, on Oct. 25th Cote has the chance to become the next Matt Serra but, more than likely, he'll be the next clip in the highlight reel for Silva.‘‘I’m telling all my friends to bet on me because they’re going to make a lot of money…. This guy will need 10 punches to my face to knock me out, and I’ll just need one. I have a good chance. He won’t exchange with me, and I’m not scared of him.”
Friday, July 25, 2008
Two GREAT Match-Ups Planned
Props: mmamania.com
Middleweight Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts, Dean Lister (11-5) and Thales Leites (14-1), will each look to climb another rung in the 185-pound division when the two meet at UFC Fight Night 15 at the Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Neb., on September 17, according to InTheGuard.tv.
The “Bogeyman” slapped on a first round, fight-ending guillotine choke to submit veteran Jeremy Horn at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 7 Finale last month. Prior to the win, Lister returned from a severe biceps injury to outpoint Jordan Radev on all three judges scorecards at UFC 79: “Nemesis.”
He has quietly won four of five bouts inside the Octagon.
Leites can say the same thing; however, his performances have not been so quiet. Since losing his promotional debut back in 2006, the Brazilian has rattled of four straight wins. And that includes a controversial split decision win of perennial contender, Nathan Marquardt, at UFC 85: “Bedlam” last month.
He will likely be the favorite heading into this bout, considering his ground game is equal to if not better than Lister’s and his stand up is more refined. Regardless, it should be a technical battle with the loser being the first man to make a mistake.
To check out the latest UFC Fight Night 15 card and rumors click here.
Lightweight submission specialists Thiago Tavares (13-2) and Kurt Pellegrino (15-4) will tangle at UFC 88: “Breakthrough” at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Ga. on September 6.
It’s a match up between two 155-pound fighters who up until recently were in the title hunt. However, recent losses for both fighters have temporarily dashed those hopes, making this showdown super important for the winner — it will get him back in the mix much faster.
After bursting on the UFC scene with two straight wins, Tavares created quite a buzz — he was being touted as a possible threat to the champion. However, he has since come back down to Earth, losing two of his last three fights. And the last one — a knockout defeat courtesy of Matt Wiman at UFC 85: “Bedlam” last month — was a huge setback.
Pellegrino was dominating his last fight against Nate Diaz at UFC Fight Night 13 back in April; however, he made one small mistake and the resilient Diaz was able to capitalize and lock in a fight-ending triangle choke in the second round. It was a bitter pill to swallow — he was really putting it on Diaz prior to the stoppage.
“Batman” really needs a win here. He has historically rebounded from a loss with a win. The only problem is that lately he has been inconsistent (Loss, win, win, loss, win, loss).
This match up will top the preliminary festivities, which means that there is no guarantee it will air on the pay-per-view (PPV) broadcast. To check out the rest of the UFC 88 card and rumors click here.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Fedor vs. Andrei Arlovski for Affliction 2
Fedor Emelianenko will face off against Andrei Arlovski Oct. 11. AP photos
Anyone who saw the Affliction card last Sat. night (I watched it online later) saw two dominating, scratch that, three dominating performances from heavyweights: Fedor, Arlovski and Barnett. Well, Barnett has fought and lost to Fedor before, but Arlovski hasn't, and Arlovski is such a dynamic, quick HW that I immediately thought, "Hey, why don't they match up the Russian (Fedor) with the Belarussian. In my opinion, Andrei could at least threaten Fedor, although I don't see anyone defeating "The Last Emperor" any time soon. He's just too good! In fact, I easily put Fedor as best PNPnder in the world followed by Anderson Silva and then Georges St. Pierre. Other contenders for the holy grail of rankings IMHO include BJ Penn and Uriah Faber to name just two. Check out Sherdog's rankings here. I'll likely post about them soon and discuss the implications.I am going to pick Fedor in this battle but I can imagine him losing IF he were to catch a quick punch and get KO'd, but if what Fedor has been doing to people lately is any indication of the outcome of this fight, I say Fedor r. 1 submission.
Fedor's record FYI:
Result  | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win |  Tim Sylvia | Submission (rear naked choke) | Affliction: Banned | 19 July 2008 | 1 | 0:36 | Anaheim, California, United States |
| Win |  Hong-Man Choi | Submission (armbar) | Yarennoka! | 31 December 2007 | 1 | 1:54 |  Saitama, Japan |
| Win | Matt Lindland | Submission (armbar) | BodogFIGHT - Clash of the Nations | 14 April 2007 | 1 | 2:58 |  St. Petersburg, Russia |
| Win |  Mark Hunt | Submission (kimura) | PRIDE Shockwave 2006 | 31 December 2006 | 1 | 8:16 | Saitama, Japan |
| Win | Mark Coleman | Submission (armbar) | PRIDE 32: The Real Deal | 21 October 2006 | 2 | 1:15 | Las Vegas, United States |
| Win |  Zuluzinho | Submission (strikes) | PRIDE Shockwave 2005 | 31 December 2005 | 1 | 0:26 | Saitama, Japan |
| Win |  Mirko Filipović | Decision (unanimous) | PRIDE Final Conflict 2005 | 28 August 2005 | 3 | 5:00 | Saitama, Japan |
| Win | Tsuyoshi Kohsaka | TKO (doctor stoppage) | PRIDE Bushido 6 | 3 April 2005 | 1 | 10:00 | Yokohama, Japan |
| Win | Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira | Decision (unanimous) | PRIDE Shockwave 2004 | 31 December 2004 | 3 | 5:00 | Saitama, Japan |
| NC | Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira | No contest (accidental headbutt) | PRIDE Final Conflict 2004 | 15 August 2004 | 1 | 3:52 | Saitama, Japan |
| Win | Naoya Ogawa | Submission (armbar) | PRIDE Final Conflict 2004 | August 15, 2004 | 1 | 0:54 | Saitinokiama, Japan |
| Win | Kevin Randleman | Submission (kimura) | PRIDE Critical Countdown 2004 | 20 June 2004 | 1 | 1:33 | Saitama, Japan |
| Win | Mark Coleman | Submission (armbar) | PRIDE Total Elimination 2004 | 25 April 2004 | 1 | 2:11 | Saitama, Japan |
| Win | Yuji Nagata | TKO (punches) | Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2003 | 31 December 2003 | 1 | 1:02 | Kobe, Japan |
| Win |  Gary Goodridge | TKO (strikes) | PRIDE Total Elimination 2003 | 10 August 2003 | 1 | 1:09 | Saitama, Japan |
| Win | Kazuyuki Fujita | Submission (rear naked choke) | PRIDE 26: Bad to the Bone | 8 June 2003 | 1 | 4:17 | Tokyo, Japan |
| Win |  Egidijus Valavicius | Submission (kimura) | RINGS Lithuania - Bushido Rings 7: Adrenalinas | 5 April 2003 | 2 | 1:11 | Vilnius, Lithuania |
| Win | Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira | Decision (unanimous) | PRIDE 25: Body Blow | 16 March 2003 | 3 | 5:00 | Yokohama, Japan |
| Win | Heath Herring | TKO (doctor stoppage) | PRIDE 23: Championship Chaos 2 | 24 November 2002 | 1 | 10:00 | Tokyo, Japan |
| Win |  Semmy Schilt | Decision (unanimous) | PRIDE 21: Demolition | 23 June 2002 | 3 | 5:00 | Saitama, Japan |
| Win |  Chris Haseman | TKO (lost points) | RINGS - World Title Series Grand Final | 15 February 2002 | 1 | 2:50 | Kanagawa, Japan |
| Win |  Lee Hasdell | Submission (guillotine choke) | RINGS - World Title Series 5 | 21 December 2001 | 1 | 4:10 | Kanagawa, Japan |
| Win | Ryushi Yanagisawa | Decision (unanimous) | RINGS - World Title Series 4 | 20 October 2001 | 3 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan |
| Win | Renato Sobral | Decision (unanimous) | RINGS - 10th Anniversary | 11 August 2001 | 2 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan |
| Win | Kerry Schall | Submission (armbar) | RINGS - World Title Series 1 | 20 April 2001 | 1 | 1:47 | Tokyo, Japan |
| Win |  Mihail Apostolov | Submission (rear naked choke) | RINGS Russia - Russia vs. Bulgaria | 6 April 2001 | 1 | 1:03 | Ekaterinburg, Russia |
| Loss | Tsuyoshi Kohsaka | TKO (cut) | RINGS - King of Kings 2000 Block B | 22 December 2000 | 1 | 0:17 | Osaka, Japan |
| Win | Ricardo Arona | Decision (unanimous) | RINGS - King of Kings 2000 Block B | December 22, 2000 | 3 | 5:00 | Osaka, Japan |
| Win | Hiroya Takada | KO (punches) | RINGS - Battle Genesis Vol. 6 | 5 September 2000 | 1 | 0:12 | Tokyo, Japan |
| Win |  Levon Lagvilava | Submission (choke) | RINGS - Russia vs. Georgia | 16 August 2000 | 1 | 7:24 | Tula, Russia |
| Win[7] | Martin Lazarev | Submission (guillotine choke) | RINGS - ? | 2000[1] | 1 | 2:24 | Ekaterinburg, Russia |
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