Archive for July, 2012
July 19th, 2012 | 
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Forrest Griffin left the cage after the fight with Tito Ortiz which really upset Dana White. Griffin came back to the cage and was announced the winner and then proceeded to interview Ortiz which seemed to draw the ire of the UFC Hall of Famer. Griffin will move up a rung or two in the UFC light heavyweight ladder while Ortiz will retire and walk away.
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Heading into XFC 19 Joe Elmore is looking to do what no other fighter has been able to do before, put a loss on Kevin Forant’s professional record. With two knockouts in two fights Forant has established himself as one of the elite lightweights in North Carolina. Now the Charlotte native will look to defend his home turf as Elmore comes to town looking for his third straight win at ‘Charlotte Showdown’ live on HDNet/AXStv on August 3rd.
With victories over UFC lightweight John Cofer and the XFC’s resident knockout artist Dustin West, Joe Elmore has quietly built a reputation around the Southeast as one of the toughest mixed martial artists in the region. In his last outing the Georgia native dominated XFC veteran Ronnie Rogers for three rounds en route to a unanimous decision victory in his backyard of Atlanta. Now ‘The Hitman’ heads into hostile territory as he comes to Forant’s stomping grounds for his XFC debut. The Hard Knox product knows he won’t be the crowd favorite in Forant’s hometown but insists all the pressure is on his opponent.
“I’m sure I’m going to get booed in Charlotte,” said Elmore. “It’s ok though. I don’t mind being the bad guy and playing the spoiler role. Kevin’s a very tough opponent and there is going to be a lot of pressure on him to perform well and get the win. I actually like the position I’m in. I’ve been in his shoes before and there is always that feeling of not wanting to let your family and friends down because they have paid money to come to the show to see you fight. All I have to do is train hard, show up, and lay it all on the line in the cage. I’m excited for the opportunity and it’s going to be a fun fight regardless of whether I’m getting booed or cheered.”
Before turning pro last Fall Kevin Forant was one of the most decorated amateurs in North Carolina. Having won multiple state and regional titles ‘The Master of Cool’ turned pro last September and continued his momentum as he went two for two as a pro with consecutive second round knockouts. Now Forant will face the toughest test of his career live on HDNet/AXStv.
“Kevin Forant is the top prospect at 155 in North Carolina,” said XFC President John Prisco. Kevin’s record is a little misleading though. As a pro he has two big knockouts but as an amateur he was submitting everyone. He’s very polished and isn’t one dimisional at all. But when I look at this fight on paper I think Elmore’s experience could be a big factor. Joe has been in some wars over the years. He had some big wins earlier in his career and has strung together a few wins in Atlanta on smaller shows. He was a collegiate wrestler who has evolved into a submission artist with knockout power. When I was looking for an opponent for Kevin Joe Elmore was really a no brainer. This fight is a coin flip either way. The only prediction I’m willing to make is that Kevin will definitely have the crowd behind him in his hometown.”
XFC 19: Charlotte Showdown is sponsored by ICRealtime Security Solutions and will air live on AXStv from the Grady Cole Center in Charlotte, NC August 3rd, 2012. Tickets are on sale now through BEAFANtickets.com & Crown Tickets. To learn more about the XFC, visit www.officialxfc.com, and follow them daily on Facebook & Twitter (@officialxfc).
Before the main event of UFC 148 started Anderson Silva clearly wiped his hands over the legally applied vaseline on his face, and then proceeded to wipe his chest with it to help keep Sonnen off of him in takedown attempts. The ref Yves Lavigne saw it and wiped what he could off of him.
Silva was also guilty of holding the shorts on a few occasions that caused him to land punches on a vulnerable Sonnen. Eventually ‘The Spider’ won via TKO and had his hand raised and the belt placed around on his waist by the UFC President Dana White. Silva did try to cheat and may have marred his legacy with the win.
All eyes will be on Felice Herrig and Simona Soukupova as the XFC makes its first appearance in Charlotte, NC for XFC 19 from the Grady Cole Center on Friday, August 3rd. The two women will compete in the featured bout of the evening live on HDNet/AXStv in a fight that will pit the two feared knockout artists against each other in the XFC cage.
Coming into XFC 17 earlier this Spring, Women’s MMA fans wanted to see how Felice Herrig would rebound from her disappointing loss to Carla Esparza in her last outing. Herrig was slated to face the red hot Patricia Vidonic, who had won five out of her previous six fights. But when the bell rang “Lil Bulldog” showed the world why she is a blue chip prospect at 115 pounds by dominating the fight standing and on the ground for three rounds en route to a unanimous decision victory.
XFC President John Prisco watched the fight from cageside and was blown away by Herrig’s performance that night. “Felice dominated Patricia in Jackson,” recalled Prisco. “I was curious to see how she would handle herself coming off a loss. Some fighters play it safe or come out a little tentatively. But not Felice, she won 30-27 on all three scorecards that night and looked like a completely different fighter. She is so well rounded. People think she’s just a kickboxer but she has it all now; wrestling, jiu jitsu, and striking. I’m very proud of her for the performance against a very tough veteran like Patricia Vidonic.”
Now Herrig will turn her attention to Simona Soukupova who has turned heads with two knockouts in three fights as a professional. The UK native will look to drail Herrig’s momentum and make a name for herself as she makes her XFC debut.
“I’m really intrigued with Herrig vs. Soukupova,” explained Prisco. If you are a fan of Women’s MMA you know who Felice Herrig is but Simona has flown under the radar over here in the United States because she has only competed in shows in the UK and Spain. I think when fans get to see how explosive she is inside the cage she will get the respect she deserves. Felice is going to be a test for her and I think on paper Herrig is the favorite because of her experience. But you can’t count out Simona either because her striking is amazing. She also has a very good ground game and I hope Felice isn’t taking her lightly. It has all the ingredients to be a good fight and I can’t wait to get to Charlotte for the fight.”
XFC 19: Charlotte Showdown is sponsored by ICRealtime Security Solutions and will air live on AXStv from the Grady Cole Center in Charlotte, NC August 3rd, 2012. Tickets are on sale now through www.beafantickets.com. To learn more about the XFC, visit www.officialxfc.com, and follow them daily on Facebook & Twitter (@officialxfc).
MMA legend Renzo Gracie surprised #1 UFC middleweight contender Chael Sonnen with a call a few weeks ago. Sonnen told Ariel Helwani at the UFC 148 open workout that it made him change his ways heading into the fight with Anderson Silva at UFC 148 Saturday. According to a Twitter exchange with Helwani Gracie detailed his conversation with Sonnen.
“I just told him that if he kept that trash talking he would be taking the greatness of the task that he had ahead of him,” Gracie said. “He is fighting one of the best fighters of our generation, and people would lose the chance to know the real Sonnen, a great athlete who I saw young fighting hard back in the Japan days, building his career as a fierce fighter, a career that ended up turning him into one of the amazing people that populate our great sport.
“I just asked him to behave with the greatness of a champion. Many fighters dream with that opportunity, to fight the best and test themselves in the toughest sport that existed. Be great, be bold, be fair, and above all, be honest. Some will love you, others will hate you, but they will know who you really are. Fight this fight in a way that will be unforgettable to those who had the privilege to watch. I won’t miss a second of this great match.”
It looks like Sonnen has taken the advice since he seems to have shown a little more respect to Silva in recent weeks.
Steven Seagal has been “training” Anderson Silva for his fight Saturday night against Chael Sonnen. Seagal has become the butt of many jokes in the MMA community for trying to take credit for some of Silva’s success in recent years. The former action star has allegedly trained such UFC stars such as Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva. We’ll see if his pointers work at UFC 148 tomorrow.
