Brandon Vera Addresses Critics and Mark Munoz

(Courtesy of Steve Cofield of ESPN 1100 and Cagewriter.com)

WEC Miguel Torres vs Takeya Mizugaki Video Preview

Martin Kampmann Willing To Fight Any Weight Class...Sort Of

When UFC fighter, Martin "The Hitman" Kampmann, made the decision to drop down to the welterweight division after a successful run at 185lbs, the move was hailed by most industry insiders as the Danish born fighter would likely gain a leg up on the competition at 170lbs.

Always undersized at middleweight, Kampmann never seemed to struggle much taking on anybody at 185lbs, but the decision was made to test the waters at 170lbs and it was a successful move as he won his first fight by TKO in the 2nd round over Alexandre Barros in February.

Now as Kampmann prepares for his main event match-up against Carlos Condit on April 1st, the Xtreme Couture fighter tells MMAWeekly Radio that he's happy to face anybody in any weight class...well, sort of.

When asked if he was happy to be the bigger fighter when facing other welterweights, Kampmann responded, ""Yeah sure. I'd like to fight 55'ers too."

155lbers?!? So of course the next question had to be can Kampmann actually make the cut to 155lbs?

"No, but if they like fighting bigger guys, I'd fight 45'ers too," Kampmann said with a laugh.

Kampmann finishes up his camp in Las Vegas this week before heading to Nashville for his fight against Condit next week. Check out the entire Martin Kampmann interview later this week on MMAWeekly Radio.

Portland UFC Possibly Moved To Late August

In a recent posting on the popular mixed martial arts message board, "The Underground," UFC executive Lorenzo Fertitta wrote that the yet-unannounced UFC 101 may not take place in Portland on Aug. 8, as widely reported.

Instead, the Northwest card would be moved to the final Saturday of the month, Aug. 29, with former Gresham resident and heavyweight champ Randy Couture headlining the card against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 102.

MMAWeekly.com first reported that UFC 101 would take place in August, although a date was not available at the time of publication. A subsequent report on mmamania.com stated that Philadelphia had replaced Portland as the city under consideration for the event, leaving "the city of roses" high and dry for the second time since it was passed over for UFC 91.

Not so, according to Fertitta.

Fertitta stated that a lightweight showdown between BJ Penn and Kenny Florian was in the works for the Philadelphia event. Pennsylvania recently passed legislation to legalize MMA in the Northeast state.

UFC 101 and 102 would represent the 22nd and 23rd US states visited by the UFC for a pay per view event.

MMA For Dummies: Kimura From Guard

UFC fighter and MMA Live's Kenny Florian explains performing a Kimura shoulder-lock from the guard.

Tuff-N-Uff Spring Slam

PRESS RELEASE:

TUFF-N-UFF Productions, Inc. once again brings you an action packed evening of "The Future Stars of MMA" fights and festivities at the Orleans Hotel and Casino on Friday, March 27.

The evening will be kicked off by UFC ring girl and crowd favorite Arianny Celeste singing her rendition of the National Anthem. A special farewell will then be made for Mixed Martial Arts apparel pioneer and friend, TapouT owner Charles "Mask" Lewis, by giving him a much deserved 10 bell-count salute.

"Mask was always very cool with everyone he interacted with and I could feel his passion was intense," TUFF-N-UFF president Barry Meyer said. "It's because of this that I could relate to him. I remember him working a booth with the crew at our first show in Las Vegas in 2003 and he was a great all around guy."

Following these emotional moments will be an action packed evening of fights not to be missed. Headlining the "Future Stars of MMA" will be the semifinals of the TUFF-N-UFF Welterweight World Championship, as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt and widely accomplished practitioner Bill "The Grill" Cooper squares off with hard hitting Xtreme Couture prodigy Kenny Marzolla. The stakes are high in this one, with the winner moving on to fight for the TUFF-N-UFF Welterweight crown on April 24.

"This fight should be very fun to watch," Meyer said. "The two fighters each have their own contrasting styles, which always make for the most entertaining fights. Marzolla has such strong knockout power and Cooper is such a good Jiu Jitsu practitioner that he'll have Marzolla working hard for the win."

Also showcased at the event will be the finals of the TUFF-N-UFF 135lb. 4-man tournament Championship, as Hawaiian Fighting Arts student Junior Gomez squares off with Jamie Hernandez, fighting out of West Coast Fighting Academy in Riverside, Calif.

"Both Gomez and Hernandez bring it every fight," Meyer said. "You may not want to blink during this fight because if you do, you'll miss a ton of action."

Along with these fights, fans can also check out an action packed card, which features some of the most talented up-and-coming male and female athletes from Xtreme Couture, Striking Unlimited, Legends MMA, West Coast MMA, and more!

"The Future Stars of MMA", will hit the ring live on Friday, March 27 at Orleans Hotel and Casino. Doors open at 6 pm, fights start at 7. Tickets are available at the Orleans Casino box office. For more information, check out the TUFF-N-UFF website at www.tuffnuff.net.

Gabriel Gonzaga Launches New Fight Streaming Site

UFC Heavyweight fighter Gabriel "Napao" Gonzaga has launched a new web site focused on streaming live fights straight to the home.

WWW.FIGHT-STREAM.COM will show live fights from throughout New England. These fights will include MMA, Boxing, Grappling tournaments, etc, and will originate throughout the East Coast, and be streamed over the internet straight to the home.

Most fights will cost fewer than $10, and can be purchased right on the site.

To accomplish this Napao has formed a team that consists of MMA and live TV Sports professionals, that combined have more then 50 years of experience.

"Through the use of the right people and the right equipment I hope to raise the production value of current internet fights, while providing an outlet for young up-and-coming fighters," said Gonzaga via a press release.

Fight-Stream will debut their service on Friday March 27, 2009 with the National Amateur Fight League and their "Madness in March" competition, live from the Hu Ke Lau in Chicopee, Massachusetts.

Matt Serra Makes Plea For New York MMA

Matt Serra of East Meadow is a former Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight champion.

March 20, 2009

As leaders in Albany struggle to deal with the state's fiscal problems, they should think outside the box and inside the Octagon.

Last April, I fought Georges St. Pierre in a rematch of the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title match. Our sport is banned in New York, and this fight was held in Montreal, St. Pierre's hometown. The sold-out crowd of 21,000 was less than welcoming - everywhere I went that weekend, I heard jeers and boos. When I eventually lost the match, the cheers for my opponent were deafening.

In my eight-year career with the UFC, the world's largest mixed martial arts league, I've fought in New Jersey, Connecticut, Las Vegas, Texas and Montreal. But because of New York's ban, I've never competed in my home state. I've never had the excitement of hearing a sold-out crowd at Nassau Coliseum chant my name as I entered the Octagon - our sport's answer to the boxing ring. I've never been able to compete in front of all my friends and family.

And New York has never captured any of the revenue these hugely popular events bring. My fight in Montreal generated more than $5 million in ticket sales. UFC events contribute millions of dollars in tourism and tax revenue to host cities. A UFC event held last year in Columbus, Ohio, is estimated to have produced $11 million in external economic activity for the city. Wherever we go, there are sold-out arenas, fans buying concessions and merchandise, and thousands of people staying in hotels and eating at restaurants.

Assemb. Steven Englebright (D-Setauket), chairman of the Committee on Tourism, Arts and Sports Development, has introduced legislation that would authorize mixed martial arts events in this state. It's not the first time the issue has come up for debate in Albany. Last year, the bill died because some Assembly members were concerned about what they call the "violent nature" of the sport. What they forget is that mixed martial arts is a combination of several Olympic sports: martial arts disciplines like jiu-jitsu, karate, Greco-Roman wrestling and judo - sports that prize discipline and strategy.

From the moment I saw my first Bruce Lee movie as a kid, I knew I wanted to practice martial arts. My dad encouraged me to learn kung fu when I was growing up. After high school, I was lucky enough to train with Renzo Gracie, a renowned master of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. I won first place at the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Pan American Games in 1999, and shortly after that, I competed in my first Ultimate Fighting Championship match.

I also opened two jiu-jitsu academies and train people from all walks of life - everyone from couch potatoes looking to get fit, to local police officers, to aspiring Ultimate Fighters. Everyone is taught the skills they need to build strength and discipline. The students at my schools understand that mixed martial arts is a sport based on respect, strategy and skill.

That's also the view held by the leadership of the UFC. Zuffa, the company that bought UFC in 2001, has reinvented the league by instituting strict safety standards to protect its athletes. Contrary to popular belief, mixed martial arts competitions are anything but "no-holds-barred." There are weight classes, judges, time limits and more than 30 moves that are against the rules. The athletic commissions in the 37 states where the sport is regulated set additional rules that govern each fight. They oversee and enforce things like medical testing, ringside doctors, post-fight MRIs - even what type of gloves we wear.

A 2006 Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine study reported, "The overall injury rate in MMA competitions is now similar to other combat sports, including boxing," and "knockout rates are lower in MMA competitions than in boxing." That conclusion, combined with the fact that the most serious injuries in all the UFC fights have been broken arms and legs, should put safety concerns to rest.

Our elected officials in Albany have a lot on their plates right now, but they should consider regulating mixed martial arts in New York. As a professional athlete, I can't imagine anything more exciting than competing in front of a hometown crowd. And as a New York taxpayer, I would hope that our legislators are open to new ideas to bring more entertainment dollars into our state.

Bellator Nabs Troy Gerhart in Open Tryouts

Troy Gerhart has been inked to Bellator Fighting Championships after a strong showing at the tournament based promotion's open tryouts on March 17 in Florida.

Gerhart, 4-0, fights out of Gracie Tampa alongside UFC vets Matt Arroyo, and Corey Hill. The Floridian wowed Bellator matchmaker Matt Stansell.

"Troy is an extremely explosive wrestler with great technical grappling, and his record shows that he has very heavy hands," said Stansell. "We are excited to give him a chance to show what he can do in Bellator's Lightweight division."

Gerhart will not enter Bellator's lightweight tournament, but will be featured in a non-tournament bout in the coming weeks.

Bellator's first event kicks off April 3 at the Seminole Hard Rock and Casino, featuring the first bracket of featherweight and lightweight tournament match-ups. The 12-week series will air in primetime on Saturdays for ESPN Deportes.

WEC Debuts on Fox Sports Espanol Friday Night

World Extreme Cagefighting on Friday night makes its network premier on Fox Sports Espanol at 11:59 p.m.

WEC Alboroto features an hour of hard-hitting action from some of the most memorable match-ups ever seen in the WEC. The the premier Spanish-language episode is headlined by the welterweight title fight between Carlos "The Natural Born Killer" Condit and John "The Natural" Alessio.

Don't miss your chance to re-live the greatest moments in WEC history.

Heavyweight Title Bout Heads SportFight XXV

PRESS RELEASE:

GRAND RONDE, Oreg. -- Spirit Mountain Casino debuts one of many MMA events April 3 with SportFight XXV. This action-packed night of mixed martial arts features an 11-bout card with two title fights.

Josh "The Machine" Queen (12-0 amateur, 2-0 professional), a fast-striking freestyle fighter from Idaho, takes on DJ "Da Protege" Linderman (11-0-1 amateur, 3-0 professional) a freestyle fighter from California, in a 5-round heavyweight title fight.

Portland's own Tyson Jefferies (8-3 amateur, 2-0 professional), a versatile freestyle fighter goes head-to-head with Mario Meiranda (2-0 amateur, 6-0 professional), a grappling, wrestling and jiu-jitsu style fighter from Rio de Janeiro in a 5-round title fight.

SportFight, founded in 2003 by Matt Lindland and Randy Couture, is the leading mixed martial arts promotion in the northwest and has produced a number of fighters for major MMA organizations including the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Pride FC, K-1, the International Fight League, BodogFIGHT and Elite XC.

Tickets for the debut MMA event at the Spirit Mountain Casino Events Center are on sale now for $25, $35, $50, $75 and $100 through Star Tickets Plus. Tickets can be purchased online at starticketsplus.com or by calling (800) 585-3737. With a seating capacity of 1,744, excellent seats can also be purchased at www.spiritmountain.com or at the casino Coyote Club desk. The first bout is scheduled for 8 p.m.; the doors open at 7:00 p.m.

The remaining fight card is as follows: In a 3-round professional bout, Chris Ensley takes on Daryl Fenner, Ed Nuno faces off with Lloyd Woodward, Daryl Cutler vs. Matt May, Josh Bennet against Ryan Pope, and Chris Yee vs. Nathan Wallner.

ESPN's MMA Live Talks Greasegate, Kimbo, Lashley, and more

VIDEO: Lashley and Guida Clash at Press Conference

NSAC's Keith Kizer Discusses "Greasegate" Hearing

(Courtesy of Steve Cofield of ESPN 1100 and Cagewriter.com)

Late Night MMA Fix: Sengoku To Air Live on HDNet

PRESS RELEASE:

WHAT: HDNet will bring viewers LIVE coverage of "HDNet Fights Presents: World Victory Road: Sengoku 7" from the Yoyogi National Stadium in Tokyo, Japan. The event airs at 12:00 a.m. PT this Friday, March 20 (late Thursday night, early Friday morning). The fight card features Hatsu Hioki, Hideki Kadowaki, L.C. Davis, Nick Denis, and twelve other combatants in the first round of the Sengoku Featherweight Grand Prix - plus undefeated Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal takes on Ryo Kawamura in the main event of the evening.

An encore presentation will be broadcast on HDNet at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT on Friday, March 20.

WHEN: Friday, March 20 at 12:00 a.m. ET with an encore at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT exclusively on HDNet.

VIDEO: Karo Parisyan Meets with the NSAC

(Courtesy of Steve Cofield of ESPN 1100 and Cagewriter.com)

VIDEO: The Fighting Techniques of UFC Undisputed

Courtesy of THQ.

Kickboxing

Judo

Boxing

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Wrestling

Dana White Talks Economy, Possilities for Detroit

(Courtesy of Steve Cofield of ESPN 1100 and Cagewriter.com)

Karo Parisyan Suspended 9 Months, Fined 40% of Purse

UFC welterweight Karo Parisyan was suspended today by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for a positive test arising from his fight with Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 94. Three Schedule II drugs, painkillers oxymorphone, hydromorphone, and hydrocodone, were found in his system following the fight.

The commission voted unanimously to suspend Parisyan, who slumped before the commission as the punishment was delivered.

As a result of the Commission's decision:

A)Parisyan is suspended from competition for 9 months

B)He is fined 40 percent of his $80,000 purse ($40,000 show/$40,000 win), totaling $32,000, which will go to the Athletic Commission

C)He must submit to random drug testing

D)The result of his UFC 94 bout with Dong Hyun Kim is changed to a "No Decision"

Stay tuned to MMAWeekly.com for the full story.

Cage Warriors Champ Rosi Sexton Signs with Bellator

Current Cage Warriors Female World Champion, and one of the top female fighters in the world, Rosi Sexton has signed a four-fight deal with Bellator Fighting Championships.

Sexton will compete on Bellator's inaugural event on April 3 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla. She will face American Top Team fighter Jessica Aguilar at 120 pounds. The bout marks Sexton's first time in this weight class.

The event is scheduled to air the next day on ESPN Desportes, the sports network's Spanish-language channel, as part of the Bellator's broadcast deal with the network.