Melvin Manhoef: Scary Striker

Walter sent me this. Wow. This guy's got power. Roids? I don't know. But he'd be a nice addition to the already stacked LHW division.


Info:

Manhoef was born in Paramaribo, Suriname. When he was three years old his family moved to Rotterdam. Manhoef was involved in soccer during his youth, and was introduced to Muay Thai by his younger brother, Moreno. He soon joined Choku Gym in Zaandam and started training.^{[citation needed]} At 18, he had his first fight, which he won by decision. He made his comeback in September 2001, as part of Chakuriki Gym, in Amsterdam. He made his K-1 debut against Remy Bonjasky in K-1 Holland GP 2002 in Arnhem, Netherlands. Melvin lost the fight by unanimous decision.

In 2004, Manhoef entered the Cage Rage promotion in London. After beating Fabio Piamonte he became the World champion. He successfully defended his title for almost two years, until re-entering the K-1 fighting circuit's, MMA affiliate HERO'S in 2006. He won his first fight at Hero's 4 against Shungo Oyama by technical knockout in first round.

His last kickboxing bouts were in K-1 against Ruslan Karaev, and Remy Bonjasky. Manhoef beat Karaev via knockout, but was KO'd by Bonjasky via 3rd round head kick.

Melvin has switched his main focus to MMA over the past couple of years. He lost to Dong-sik Yoon by submission armbar in K-1 Dynamite!! USA, he defeated Bernard Ackah at K-1 HERO'S 9, and also recently got a TKO win against Fabio Silva, a Chute Boxe fighter, by TKO in K-1 Hero's Middleweight GP Final.

In his latest fight he fought Kazushi Sakuraba at DREAM.4. Manhoef and Sakuraba circled the ring for the first minute of the fight, before Manhoef dropped Sakuraba with a hard right head kick and finished him via TKO (hammerfists) at 90 seconds into Round 1. With the win, Melvin has advanced to the semifinal round of the DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix.

22 Wins (21 (T)KO's, 1 decisions), 4 Losses, 1 Draw
Date	Result	Opponent	Event	Method	Round	Time
06/15/2008	Win	Kazushi Sakuraba	DREAM.4	TKO (Strikes)	1	1:30
05/11/2008	Win	Dae Won Kim	DREAM.3	TKO (Knees and Punches)	1	4:08
12/31/2007	Win	Yosuke Nishijima	K-1 PREMIUM 2007 Dynamite!!	TKO (Punches)	1	1:49
09/17/2007	Win	Fabio Silva	K-1 Hero's Middleweight GP Final	TKO (Strikes)	1
07/16/2007	Win	Bernard Ackah	K-1 Hero's 9	KO (Strikes)	1	2:13
06/02/2007	Loss	Dong Sik Yoon	K-1 Dynamite!! USA	Submission (Armbar)	2	1:17
03/12/2007	Win	Yoshiki Takahashi	K-1 Heros 8, Japan	TKO (Punches)	1	2:36
10/09/2006	Loss	Yoshihiro Akiyama	K-1 Heros 7, Japan	Submission (Armbar)	1	1:58
10/09/2006	Win	Shungo Oyama	K-1 Heros 7, Japan	TKO (Strikes)	1	1:04
08/05/2006	Win	Crosley Gracie	K-1 Heros 6, Japan	TKO (Strikes)	1	9:12
07/01/2006	Win	Ian Freeman	CR 17 - Ultimate Challenge, England	KO (Punches)	1	0:17
03/15/2006	Win	Shungo Oyama	K-1 Heros 4, Japan	TKO (Cut)	1	2:51
02/04/2006	Win	Evangelista Santos	CR 15 - Adrenalin Rush, England	KO (Punches)	2	3:51
09/10/2005	Win	Fabio Piamonte	CR 13 - No Fear	KO	1	0:51
07/03/2005	Win	Paul Cahoon	CFC 4 - Cage Carnage	TKO	1
06/12/2005	Win	Bob Schreiber	It's Showtime - Amsterdam Arena	Decision
04/30/2005	Win	Ladislav Zak	Queens Fight Night, Eindhoven, Netherlands	KO
02/26/2005	Win	Matthias Riccio	CR 10 - Deliverance	KO	1	3:01
05/20/2004	Loss	Rodney Faverus	It's Showtime - Amsterdam Arena	KO
04/08/2004	Win	Slavomir Molnar	HOH - Heaven or Hell	KO	1
04/06/2003	Win	Alexandr Garkushenko	M-1 MFC - Russia vs the World 5	KO	1	6:57
03/16/2003	Loss	Bob Schreiber	2H2H 6 - Simply the Best 6	KO (Punches)	1	4:04
09/29/2002	Win	Mika Ilmen	It's Showtime - As Usual	KO (Left hook)	1	0:35
12/15/2001	Win	Husein Cift	Hoogwoud Fight Gala - Free Fight	KO	1
06/20/1999	Draw	Rodney Faverus	Rings Holland - The Kings of the Magic Ring	Draw	2	5:00
12/02/1995	Win	Jordy Jonkers	BOA - Battle of Amstelveen	TKO

James "The Sandman" Irvin Talks about Anderson Silva

James Irvin

If you read the excerpt from an interview with Irvin below, you'll see that he's going into this fight with Silva with something to prove and he feels he can handle what Silva dishes out. Now, I am a fan of Silva and we've all seen what he can do, but he obviously better take this fight with Irvin very seriously. I don't think Irvin is someone who is posed to give the MW champ major problems, but if Silva gets in the pocket with Irvin, he could very well get put out. As the lead in to the interview states, "Of Irvin’s 14 victories, ten have come by way of (T)KO, a staggering 71% - including a record-tying 8-second KO of Houston Alexander at UFC Fight Night 13."

In my opinion, Silva is going to want to stay on the outside, take the fight into the second round or so, and then either pick Irvin apart OR take him down and submit him. Irvin, on the other hand, wants to keep things standing but he'll need to get on the inside and used his muy thai, namely elbows, in combination with clinching and big straights and hooks. This is a fight in which Silva's own clinch game, rock solid or not, is simply not going to be as effective since he's moved up a weight class and will not necessarily be as strong.

Interview excerpt:

Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Well you don’t get Rashad Evans but now you’ve got UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

James Irvin: Yeah that’s a pretty big jump, huh? I can’t think of an opponent outside of Rampage or Liddell - maybe even Fedor that would be more shocking. But hey, Dana White seems to repay the people who fight hard for him. We all know about the big bonuses he gives out. I’ve been lucky enough to get three of them. This is my seventh UFC fight and he knows I’m gonna go out and fight hard for him. I’m gonna stand there and trade and I’ll take one to give one. In this case I might have to take two to give one.

Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Can you take two from Anderson Silva? Can anyone?

James Irvin: Absolutely. He has one or two tools that are problematic but I know what they are. I think he’s more of a right-handed guy but he stands in a southpaw stance. He likes to lead with that left leg and he’s comfortable now. He’s used to getting guys on the defensive. There’s nothing he can do that I’m afraid of. I’m not afraid of him taking me down - that would be a shame, wouldn’t it? He’s a showman. He moved up to 205 to make a point. Maybe he feels like he ran through the 185 division and now he’s gonna start picking off the 205 guys.

Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): And you’re not taking that lightly I assume.

James Irvin: No way! If anything I kind of feel like a representative of the light heavyweights division. I want this guy to know there is a reason we have weight classes.

Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Just so I have this clear - your intention is to keep this thing standing?

James Irvin: Absolutely. Even though I want to focus on Muay Thai and boxing I am training a ton of jiu-jitsu under Cassio Wernick. He actually knows Anderson and that’s where we wanna use my weight to my advantage. Not to stall him out or anything but to be in a position where I can be safe and punish him from the ground. I just don’t see the fight going there. He’s not going to take me down, I’m not going to try and take him down, but if it gets there I have to be ready.

Anderson Silva

UFN 14 Trailer

Forrest's the Champ

I was wrong. Griffin came in with a game plan, in addition to being in great shape, and beat the champ. I think Juanito Ibarra, Jackson's trainer, needs to retire and Jackson needs to get a whole new approach. His boxing looked really good but other than that I didn't see any signs of good work in the clinch or from the guard and to beat Griffin, Jackson needed to come with a multi-pronged attack.

Anyway, the rest of the card was decent, but there were a lot of decisions, at least on the main card. Tyson Griffin, the lightweight fighter from the Xtreme Couture camp, as well as Joe Stevenson (LW) and Josh Koscheck (WW), all move one step closer to a title shot in their respective weight classes.

Now it's time to wait for July 19th. We'll be watching the fights at my place that night around 9PM and anyone who wants to come by is more than welcome.

Kos at 155 maybe? Huh?

UFC Quick Quote: BJ Penn vs Josh Koscheck at 155 on the horizon?

By: MMAmania

“I just want to be a world champion, whether it be at 155, 170, 185, wherever. I believe I have a lot of fights left in me. With my work ethic and the training partners I have and the coaches I have, I believe some day that dream is going to come true…. You never know [about possibly making the drop to 155]. If people would want to see me fight B.J. Penn at 155 for the title, because there is really nobody there for him to fight, I’d do it…. I know B.J. very well, but business is business. We’re friends, but at the end of the day, it’s about making money together. If the fans would want to see it, I’d suck it up and I’d live that life to where I’d do whatever I have to do to make 155…. What are you in this business for, to make money and to win a title. Usually, they go hand in hand. A fight with B.J. would be like a dream for me.”

– Top welterweight contender Josh Koscheck tells Yahoo!Sports.com that he would consider a move down to the lightweight division if it meant he could challenge BJ Penn for his 155-pound title. “Kos” has a tough 170-pound fight tonight against Chris Lytle tonight at UFC 86: “Jackson vs. Griffin,” which he will have to take care of first before entertaining the possibility. In addtion, Penn has hinted that after he takes on the winner of Roger Huerta against Kenny Florian that he plans to move up to 170 to take on Georges St. Pierre or Jon Fitch. Put simply, a lot of things need to not happen — or not happen — for this fight to become a reality. But it would be interesting to say the least.

I'm not a big fan of Koscheck

But I believe if there's a guy who can become the future of the welterweight division who isn't French Canadian (or my favorite fighter) then maybe it's "Kos." He's a great wrestler, is becoming a very good striker and has passable BJJ; all of those skills coupled with his great cardio and it's tough to imagine him losing too many more fights in his career which is saying a lot for him since he's in what is arguably the deepest division in the UFC (the light-heavyweight division being the only other weight class that is nearly as stacked). One cannot avoid that fact that was out worked by GSP when they met last year but I, along with many others, think Koscheck is evolving very quickly and, perhaps, he grew a lot from that loss. It must also be mentioned that GSP could not finish Koscheck and, if you rewatch that bout, you'll see that Koscheck did not take a whole lot of punishment in terms of getting struck in the face. Personall, I don't think Lytle is any where near the top ten in the WW division and Kos should be able to showcase his talent and finish this fight. Indeed, if Kos has any trouble Saturday night, it doesn't bode well for his chances at a title shot. On the other hand, this is MMA and anything could happen. If "Light's Out" Lytle has his say, Koscheck will be waking up to smelling salts behind closed doors.

UFC Undisputed Video Game Footage

I can already imagine us playing this game and saying the stupidest things. Even if this game sucks, it'll be fun. I don't understand how submissions and stuff are going to work though.

Rounding up the UFC News of the Day

1. Wondering who Dan Henderson will fight next? Well, remember short, powerful Brazilian who just submitted Ivan Salalverry (who officially retired by the way)? Probably not. But I do, and he's a tough, tough dude who has amazing BJJ. Well, he's next for Dan.

2. Rich Franklin moving up to Light-Heavy? Yep. Fighting Matt "The Hammer" Hamill? That's the word on the street.

3. The WEC may drop their LHW and MW divisions. Who cares? We all do...that means some of the best fighters in the world, including Paulo Filho, one of the top ranked middleweights, would automatically be ushered into the UFC since Zuffa LLC owns the WEC which they bought some time ago. The most famous fighter in the WEC is the Featherweight champ, Urijah Faber. This is good for the UFC.

That's it for now. There's plenty of other news tidbits regarding Strikeforce, etc. but since I know most of you aren't as interested in other orgs, I'll let you dig that stuff up on your own if you so desire.

UFC 86

What comes first, the wife or MMA? MMA of course!

All joking aside, our six year anniversary is Sunday and since Sunday is our Sabbath, we'll be celebrating by going out on Saturday night. The funny thing is that I actually thought I was going to watch the fights somehow, but she got me up to speed real quick. Anyway, I'm a bit bummed that I'll have to catch them on the net later that night, but I'm more happy to have a wonderful woman with whom I get to spend the rest of eternity.

So if you're watching the fights, have fun! Don't forget, July 19th is FREE and it's going to be awesome (Anderson Silva at LHW!!)

Ok, so my prediction for 86's main event:
Jackson by TKO round 2.

Now that's going out on a limb. Who knows what's going to happen, it's MMA for crying out loud. I will say, however, that I don't think Griffin has what it takes to deal with the big bad Rampage man. If Griffin keeps on the outside and/or can get Jackson on his back, or perhaps pull of a submission, then things may very well go his way. I think, though, that Jackson can keep things on the inside and use the clinch to tie up the lankier fighter and maybe it'll be a boring 5 round snoozer. Who knows? I'm just excited to find out who wins so we can anticipate the next title defense because this weight class is mucho exciting, no?


I just hope Forrest doesn't cry like a baby like he did after the Jardine loss. That was just pathetic. Poor guy...I like both of these fighters and it's going to be sad to see either of them lose.

Rich Franklin likely to return at UFC 88

by Dann Stupp on Jun 30, 2008 at 3:16 pm ET

Former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin (23-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) will restart his quest for another title shot this fall -- most likely at a UFC 88 event in Atlanta -- though it won't necessarily come at 185 pounds.

A source closed to the Sept. 6 event tells MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that Franklin has been targeted for the event, and the search for an opponent "is in full swing."

However, when contacted for comment, J.T. Stewart, Franklin's business manager, said nothing definitive has been decided and that he had no other comment.

UFC 88 currently features a main event between Chuck Liddell and Rashad Evans, and the winner could be in line for a title shot with either current light heavyweight champ Quinton Jackson or Forrest Griffin, who headline this weekend's UFC 86 event in Las Vegas.

Franklin will likely be slotted for UFC 88's co-main event.

Franklin, who lost his title and a subsequent rematch to current middleweight champ Anderson Silva, most recently scored a second-round TKO of Travis Lutter at UFC 83. After the victory, Franklin told MMAjunkie.com that a third fight with Silva probably wouldn't be marketable. Many have suggested that a move to the light-heavyweight class could open some new possibilities, though Franklin has been quick to dismiss the suggestion.

However, according to our source, he and the organization are now considering a move to 205 pounds, though it wouldn't necessarily be a permanent move and could simply depend on whether or not he thinks the match-up makes sense.

Although he's one of the sport's bigger middleweights and sheds considerable weight to make the 185-pound limit, Franklin recently told MMAjunkie.com that his body is better suited for the middleweight division.

"I've been at 185 (pounds) for several years," Franklin said in April. "I think that over the past couple years, I've really changed my body composition. It used to kill me to make weight, but now it's much easier than it was three years ago, and I think it's because my body's changed a lot. I just don't think I'm big enough to compete effectively as a light heavyweight anymore."

<< Back to Rankings/List Page Who's ready to fight for the UFC lightweight title

By Jessy Morris

At UFC 80, "The Prodigy" BJ Penn became the UFC Lightweight Champion for the first time in his career and did it in a dominant fashion. Considered by many one of the top 5 pound for pound fighters in the world, who will be able to beat BJ for the championship? I will write about every top fighters in that weight class fighting in the UFC right now and see what their chances are against BJ Penn.

Rich Clementi:Clementi has been on a roll lately winning his last 4 fights in the UFC against some top competition. It's no question that Rich Clementi is slowly getting up the ladder and getting closer to a title shot but will he be able to make it to the top and eventually challenge BJ for the title? I don't think so and even if he does, Clementi doesn't have what it takes to beat Penn, his stand-up is OK and his submissions are good but Penn is better in every area and would beat Rich any day of the week.

Nate Diaz:Diaz is undefeated in the UFC but he's still a newcomer and as far as a title shot, I don't think that will happen right now. Nate has had good fights but he still hasn't done anything to prove us he could be the best the division has to offer. With more experience, a Diaz vs Penn fight could be interesting but then again that fight will not happen before a couple of years.

Kenny Florian:With only one loss in the UFC since the Ultimate Fighter 1 show, Kenny Florian has established himself as one of the top fighters in the lightweight division. With his UFC 87 fight coming up, it could possibly put Florian in title contention but could Kenny Florian really be a challenge for BJ Penn? Penn has much better hands and would KO Florian if the fights stays standing and on the ground well it would be interesting to see who would have the upper hand but I would put my money on BJ.

Tyson Griffin:Tyson Griffin is another UFC fighter who has only one loss in his UFC fights. Griffin has established himself as a tough fighter but also a fighter who is unable to finish fights. Four of his five UFC fights went the distance and against a fighter like BJ Penn, you need to put pressure and finish the fight. Griffin is still making his way up the ladder and a title shot is not yet in his plans and if he gets there and Penn is still champion... BJ will beat Griffin because he is a overall much better fighter.

Sean Sherk:Well, before their UFC 84 fight, I thought "The Muscle Shark" would be one of a very few guys able to beat BJ Penn for the lightweight title. Now, it's clear that Penn is the better fighter, completely dominating the stand-up fight against Sean Sherk. On the ground, Sherk would be dominated even more. A rematch? completely useless BJ Penn showed he was a better fighter and a rematch would only solidify that.

Joe Lauzon:Joe Lauzon is a dark horse in the lightweight division, he's a young, aggressive and very talented kid. Joe has improved with every fight, even in his last one, he ended up losing to Kenny Florian. I think it's a matter of time until Lauzon gets a title shot and maybe even becomes champion but right now he's still unexperienced compared to BJ and anyways, BJ and Joe are very good friends and BJ is Joe's trainer so maybe Joe won't be interested in a title shot till BJ is champ out of respect for his trainer.

Joe Stevenson:Watch UFC 80: Rapid Fire and it's clear why Stevenson is no match for BJ Penn... nuff said.

Roger Huerta:Huerta is a very good, undefeated fighter. With his UFC 87 fight against Kenny Florian, he could become the no 1 contender and challenge for the title but I still think Roger Huerta is untested. He defeated alot of unknown fighters, the only known fighter he fought was Clay Guida who, I consider good but not great and Roger Huerta barely came out of the fight with a victory. Roger still has a hard time defending the takedowns and that's crucial against BJ Penn who would KILL Huerta on the ground. Roger Huerta is good, but is he ready for BJ Penn... NO.

So this is it, what I'm trying to prove here is that BJ Penn has no competition in the lightweight division for his title. Nobody in that weightclass is a threat for "The Prodigy", so unless some new kid, very talented shows up, BJ will be champion for a long time. BJ may even become a welterweight and fight there because he has no challenge in lightweight, and after his fight with Sherk, BJ said he wanted GSP, so maybe Penn will move up to 170 after all.

Upcoming UFC Events

UFC 86: “Jackson vs. Griffin”

Saturday, July 5, 2008, at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view (PPV) from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada

Main Event:
UFC Light Heavyweight Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Forrest Griffin

Undercard:

185 lbs	Patrick Cote (12-4) vs. Ricardo Almeida (9-2)
155 lbs	Joe Stevenson (28-8) vs. Gleison Tibau (15-5)
170 lbs	Josh Koscheck (10-2) vs. Chris Lytle (25-15)
155 lbs	Melvin Guillard (21-7-2) vs. Dennis Siver (11-5)
155 lbs	Tyson Griffin (11-1) vs. Marcus Aurelio (16-5)
155 lbs	Cole Miller (13-3) vs. Jorge Gurgel (12-3)
155 lbs	Corey Hill (2-0) vs. Justin Buchholz (7-2)
265 lbs	Gabriel Gonzaga (8-3) vs. Justin McCully (8-3-2)

*All fights officially confirmed by UFC.com.

UFC Fight Night 14

Saturday, July 19, 2008, at 9 p.m. ET FREE on Spike TV from The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada

Main Event:
UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva (21-4) vs. James Irvin (14-4) (Note that this is non-title light heavyweight bout)

Undercard:

205 lbs	Brandon Vera (8-2) vs. Reese Andy (7-1)
155 lbs	Frank Edgar (8-1) vs. Hermes Franca (18-6)
265 lbs	Cain Velasquez (3-0) vs. Jake O’Brien (10-1)
170 lbs	Anthony Johnson (5-1) vs. Kevin Burns (6-1)
170 lbs	Rory Markham (14-4) vs. Brodie Farber (13-3)
170 lbs	James Giboo (11-2) vs. Brad Blackburn (12-9-1)
155 lbs	Dale Hartt (5-0) vs. Shannon Gugerty (9-2)

*Fight not yet officially confirmed by UFC.com.

UFC 87: “Seek and Destroy”

Saturday, August 9, 2008, at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view (PPV) from the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Main Event:
UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre (16-2) vs. Jon Fitch (17-2)

Undercard:

265 lbs	Brock Lesnar (1-1) vs. Heath Herring (28-13)
155 lbs	Kenny Florian (9-3) vs. Roger Huerta (20-1-1)
185 lbs	Demian Maia (7-0) vs. Jason MacDonald (20-9)*
230 lbs	Cheick Kongo (11-4-1) vs. Dan Evensen (10-2)
170 lbs	Ben Saunders (5-0-2) vs. Jared Rollins (6-4)
170 lbs	Steve Bruno (11-3) vs. Chris Wilson (13-4)
205 lbs	Andre Gusmao vs. Tomasz Drwal (14-2)
155 lbs	Manny Gamburyan (8-2) vs. Rob Emerson (7-6)*
170 lbs	Luke Cummo (6-5) vs. Tamdan McCrory (8-1)

*Fight not yet officially confirmed by UFC.com.

UFC Fight Night 15

Wednesday, September 17, 2008, at 9 p.m. ET on Spike TV from the Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Nebraska

Main Event:
Clay Guida (23-9) vs. Mac Danzig (18-4-1)*

Undercard:

155 lbs	Nate Diaz (9-2) vs. Josh Neer (24-6-1)*
205 lbs	Houston Alexander (8-3) vs. Eric Schafer (9-3-2)*
185 lbs	Ed Herman (14-6) vs. Alan Belcher (12-5)*
155 lbs	Joe Lauzon (16-4) vs. Kyle Brady (13-5)*

*Fight not yet officially confirmed by UFC.com.

UFC 88 “Breakthrough”

Saturday, September 6, 2008, at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view (PPV) from the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia

Main Event:
Chuck Liddell (21-5) vs. Rashad Evans (11-0-1)

Undercard:

185 lbs	Dan Henderson (22-7) vs. Rousimar Palhares (8-1)*
170 lbs	Karo Parisyan (18-5) vs. Yoshiyuki “Zenko” Yoshida (10-2)*
205 lbs	Tim Boetsch (7-2) vs. James Lee (13-3)*

Michael Bisping vs Chris Leben UFC 89 fight set for Birmingham

I read about this over at mmamania.com

According to UK UFC President Marshall Zelaznik Chris Leben and Michael Bisping will indeed fight.

Here’s the snip:

“Two of our amazing fighters, Michael Bisping and Chris Leben, have just agreed to fight. Everyone knows about Leben’s striking power, and it’s the strike fest everyone wants. It’s the fight everyone wants to see.”

I think this fight has no chance of going the distance. I predict Bisping rd. 1 TKO. Leben is very game, however, and he could end this thing himself. Very interesting fight to say the least!

Just a quick post

The finale was good, although I didn't see it in its entirety and what I did see of it was on the "little screen" because I watched it online. Anyway, I am most disappointed by Tanner's loss to Grove but Grove is a good fighter despite the fact I think he's immature and wonky (I'm not a fan of the gangbanger mentality). I thought Diego Sanchez looked really good and, perhaps, his win over the always tough Fiorivanti was the most important thing we saw that night. I also think Dustin Hazelutt looked good and I think he'll be a force to be reckoned with in the WW division. Too bad Horn lost, I was rooting for him since I met him and he was such a cool guy.

Upcoming fights:

July 5 UFC 86

Main Card

• Light Heavyweight Championship bout: Quinton Jackson vs. Forrest Griffin^[1]
• Middleweight bout: Patrick Côté vs. Ricardo Almeida^[1]
• Lightweight bout: Joe Stevenson vs. Gleison Tibau^[1]
• Welterweight bout: Josh Koscheck vs. Chris Lytle^[1]
• Lightweight bout: Tyson Griffin vs. Marcus Aurelio^[1]

Preliminary Card

• Heavyweight Bout: Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Justin McCully^[1]
• Lightweight Bout: Jorge Gurgel vs. Cole Miller^[1]
• Lightweight Bout: Melvin Guillard vs. Dennis Siver^[1]
• Lightweight Bout: Corey Hill vs. Justin Buchholz^[1]

July 19th: Ultimate Fight Night 14: Anderson Silva moves up to 205 to fight James Irvin

July 19th: Affliction: "Banned": Fedor vs. Silvia (watching that one online)

Anderson Silva at LightHeavy and MUCH More!

I just got back from auditioning for Family Fued with my family. While there I used my mom's blackberry to look up some mma news and found some crazy stuff. Here it is (liften from mania):

Anderson Silva vs James Irvin UFC Fight Night 14 main event set

By: MMAmania

UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva (21-4) will take a temporary leave of absence from the division he has all but cleared out and move up to light heavyweight to challenge James Irvin (14-4) during the main event at the newly-minted UFC Fight Night 14 at The Palms Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 19.

Win or lose the “Spider” will retain his middleweight crown and likely still defend it in the near future, according to Yahoo!Sports.com.

It’s an interesting twist to say the least, considering Silva had been recently linked to a blockbuster bout with former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell. That’s a showdown that can still happen; however, for now the “Sandman” gets the unenviable task of taking on Silva.

Irvin rebounded from an injury-riddled and bizarre 2007 fight campaign, during which he blew out his knee in a loss to Thiago Silva and was knocked silly courtesy of an errant Luis Arthur Cane knee that resulted in a disqualification win, to knockout Houston Alexander in record time at UFC Fight Night 13 this April.

He was supposed to take on Rashad Evans at UFC 85: “Bedlam” earlier this month; however, he had to withdraw because he broke several toes while training for the bout. Irvin boasts a 4-3 record inside the Octagon.

Silva, on the other hand, has stopped every single fighter put in front of him since his UFC debut in 2006, including Chris Leben, Rich Franklin (twice), Travis Lutter, Nate Marquardt and Dan Henderson. It’s a ridiculous hit list to say the least.

There’s really only one man in the division remaining, Yushin Okami, who he has not defended against and has worked his way toward a title shot. In fact, Okami holds a controversial win over the Brazilian from back in 2006.

Perhaps that will happen sometime soon … just not next.

In addition to the main event between Silva and Irvin, the UFC is working overtime to put together a card in five weeks that will get people to tune in to Spike TV.

Here’s the latest we have so far:

Anderson Silva vs. James Irvin
Frank Edgar vs. Hermes Franca (moved from UFC 87)
Cain Velasquez vs. TBA
Anthony Johnson vs. Kevin Burns

Stay tuned for more details, including whether or not Brandon Vera will still co headline the card as previously mentioned. These fight announcements should come fast and furious.

The previously announced Ultimate Fight Night 14 on September 17 from Omaha, Nebraska, on September 17 will likely be renamed to UFC Fight Night 15.

Brandon Vera vs Reese Andy UFC Fight Night 14 fight set

By: MMAmania

As expected, former heavyweight contender Brandon Vera (8-2) will make his light heavyweight debut at UFC Fight Night 14 at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday, July 19.

“The Truth” will take on Octagon newcomer and International Fight League (IFL) veteran Reese Andy (7-1) in the Spike TV special co main event, according to Sherdog.com.

It’s a quick turnaround for Vera who just competed at UFC 85: “Bedlam” on June 7, losing to Fabricio Werdum via first round technical knockout. However, the stoppage appeared to happen a bit too soon — Vera protested the call almost immediately.

Regardless, it marked his second straight defeat in the division after a unanimous decision loss to Tim Sylvia at UFC 77: “Hostile Territory” in October 2007 the fight prior. And the loss to Werdum more than likely forced his hand to dip down to 205 pounds, which should not be a difficult cut for the Muay Thai specialist.

Andy is on a four-fight win streak, including impressive victories over Krzysztof Soszynski, Justin Levens, Mike Ciesnolevicz and others. He also has a win over Icon Sport Middleweight Champion Kala “Kalohe” Hose earlier in his career.

Like Vera, Andy is accustomed to fighting at heavyweight. However, this will certainly mark the biggest test to date for Andy — Vera will likely come in ticked off and faster than ever. He can make some serious waves in the loaded UFC 205-pound class.

And it all starts on July 19 … maybe.

To check out the rapidly growing UFC Fight Night 14 card click here.

MMA Quick Quote: Affliction MMAs Tom Atencio ‘flattered’ with UFC counter programming

By: MMAmania

“It’s just an example of how they want to control everything but at the same time it’s flattering as well. I guess they do view us as threat … absolutely.”

– MMARated.com captures the initial reaction of Affliction MMA Vice President of Entertainment, Tom Atencio, regarding the surprising news that the UFC has put together a free night of fights on less than five weeks notice the same night the upstart mixed martial arts promotion has planned its first-ever pay-per-view (PPV) event. It’s a move that could significantly impact buys on July 19, which Affliction MMA is banking on to offset its large payroll and production costs. UFC President Dana White, however, recently denied that UFC Fight Night 14 was a counter programming maneuver, saying that he is simply “giving the fans what they want. And Silva just wants to fight more.”