Hamill Replaces Matyushenko, Kongo vs. Mitrione Signed

The UFC revealed Thursday that Vladimir "The Janitor" Matyushenko (26-5-0) has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled bout at UFC 133 due to an injury suffered while training.  Stepping in on short notice will be TUF alumnus, Matt "The Hammer" Hamill (10-3-0).

Hamill last competed at UFC 130, dropping a unanimous decision to former 205lbs champion Quinton Jackson in a lackluster performance; prior to that, "The Hammer" had strung together five consecutive wins (asteriks Jon Jones bout).  Hamill will square off with once-beaten Swede, Alexander Gustafsson (11-1-0).

Gustafsson has posted consecutive submission victories after suffering the first loss of his career to top light heavyweight Phil Davis at UFC 112 in April of 2010.  The 24-year old Stockholm native has been to decision only once in twelve professional fights.

UFC 137 has been added to, as heavyweights Matt Mitrione (5-0-0) and Cheick Kongo collide at the event October 29, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Kongo recently fought fellow kickboxer, Pat Barry, at UFC Live 4, June 26, where the French striker shocked the MMA world with perhaps the greatest come-from-behind win in the history of the heavyweight division.

Mitrione meanwhile, easily dispatched of Christian Morecraft at the same event, June 26.  The performance marked Mitrione's fourth (T)KO win in five professional bouts, all coming inside the octagon.  The Duke Roufus trained fighter will face his toughest test to date, October 29, in seasoned veteran Kongo.




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MMA Combat - Two Fights Added to Strikeforce - Fedor vs. Henderson

MMA Combat - Two Fights Added to Strikeforce - Fedor vs. Henderson

Showtime officials have announced the addition of two welterweight bouts to the July 30, 2011, Strikeforce - Fedor vs. Henderson card; the event will take place at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Ill. and features a non-title, heavyweight contest between Fedor Emelianenko (31-3-0) and light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson (27-8-0).

Paul Daley (27-10-2) will battle hot prospect Tyron Woodley (8-0-0), while Scott Smith (17-8-0) will square off with Tarec Saffiedine (10-3-0).

Daley last appeared at Strikeforce - Daley vs. Diaz where he was TKO'd by former promotion champion Nick Diaz at 4:57 of the first round. With both fighters abandoning defense to try for the early finish, the round will certainly be remembered as one of the year's finest. Daley has 20 [T]KO victories to his name and is noted for his awesome punching power at 170lbs.

Tyron Woodley out of American Top Team is a rising talent with origins in division one wrestling, competing out of Missouri University along-side 2008 Olympian and fellow welterweight, Ben Askren. A perfect 8-0 to start his career, Woodley last fought at Strikeforce - Challengers 13 where he bested Tarec Saffiedine via unanimous decision; five of his eight wins have come by way of submission.

Team Quest representative Tarec Saffiedine will look to bounce back from his January defeat at the hands of Tyron Woodley; the Belgium native has never been stopped in 13 professional fights. Scott Smith meanwhile has been to a decision only once in 25 bouts, with 14 [T]KO victories on his resume to date. "Hands of Steel" has dropped three of his last four contests and desperately needs a solid performance to stay relevant in the Strikeforce welterweight division.


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MMA Combat - Gomi vs. Diaz on for UFC 135

MMA Combat - Gomi vs. Diaz on for UFC 135

Gomi (above) will look to re-capture his best form vs. Diaz

"The Fireball Kid" Takanori Gomi (32-7-0) will make his return to the octagon at UFC 135 on September 24, where he'll face the crafty Nate Diaz in a lightweight tilt. Gomi, formerly considered to be the #1 lightweight fighter in the world with B.J. Penn's departure from the division years ago, is 1-2 since joining the world's biggest promotion with a quality knockout win over Tyson Griffin; Kenny Florian and most recently, Clay Guida both fared better against the Japanese star however, stopping Gomi via rear naked, and guillotine choke respectively.

Since 2007 Gomi is 5-4-1, but was also tapped-out by Nate's older brother Nick Diaz before the Gracie Jiu Jitsu student tested positive for marijuana, overturning the result to a 'no-contest'. In that particular bout, a strong start by "The Fireball Kid" gave way to cardio issues that saw a fit Diaz pour on his 'punches in bunches' style. Utilizing his reach advantage, Diaz pawed at Gomi keeping the power puncher at bay until a desperate take-down attempt resulted in a fight ending gogoplata (only the second time the maneuver has been pulled off in mixed martial arts competition, under a major promotion).

Diaz (13-7-0) last appeared at UFC 129 - St. Pierre vs. Shields, in Toronto, Canada, where he was out-wrestled by Canadian Rory MacDonald en route to a unanimous decision loss. The defeat was Diaz's second straight decision loss at welterweight, prompting a move back down to the 155lbs division. The Ultimate Fighter Season 5 winner has compiled a record of 8-5-0 since joining the UFC ranks, and with a similar style and frame, will likely use the blueprint drawn up by his brother in preparation for Gomi. The Cesar Gracie black-belt has been stopped only once in 20 professional appearances.

The fight card for UFC 135 as it currently stands can be found below. The event will take place at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado, and is headlined by a light heavyweight title bout pitting challenger Quinton "Rampage" Jackson against champion Jon "Bones" Jones.

Matchups:

UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
Jon Jones (No. 1 LHW, No. 6 PFP) vs. Quinton Jackson (No. 4 LHW)

Matt Hughes vs. Diego Sanchez
Nate Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi
Damacio Page vs. Norifumi Yamamoto
Ben Rothwell vs. Mark Hunt
Travis Browne vs. Rob Broughton


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The Prospect of Diaz vs. GSP Edit Blog Entry

UFC 129 saw Georges St. Pierre (22-2-0) once again defended his welterweight title against a top five welterweight, and one that hadn’t lost in nearly six years while compiling 15 wins in that time. Jake Shields was a game challenger, although I personally wonder how he would have fared against a more confident St. Pierre who was noticeably concerned with an irritated/injured eye early on.

The UFC is now faced with a situation where the champion has handily defeated six of the top seven welterweights – accordingly to several credible ranking sites – in mixed martial arts today; Nick Diaz (25-7-1) remains the lone man out, coming in at number six on Sherdog.com’s welterweight top ten, and is the only man currently outside of the UFC banner in the bunch.

If there was ever a time to capitalize on the Strikeforce welterweight champion’s popularity, particularly in the West coast, the time is now. No remaining welterweight inside the UFC has the marketability that Diaz would bring to this main-event; the Stockton native is riding an extreme confidence high on the back of ten consecutive wins, and as a tri-athlete, has the kind of gas tank to continue pushing the pace against the notoriously cardio-strong GSP. His Jiu-Jitsu is of a high level, which will rival if not surpass St. Pierre in that area, and his offensive boxing continues to improve by leaps and bounds with each bout.

It is worth mentioning however, that Nick Diaz has not fought a high-level MMA wrestler in some time, arguably since his TKO victory over Gleison Tibau at UFC 65 in November of 2006. Diaz has never possessed the kind of takedown defense or strength to ward off powerful wrestlers; that blueprint was written by Diego Sanchez, Joe Riggs, and Sean Sherk respectively in 05/06, and remains the only time Diaz has lost consecutive matches in his career to date.

Georges St. Pierre is perhaps the best mixed martial arts wrestler in the sport’s short history; his timing and explosiveness is unparalleled and his speed will be on par with Stockton’s favorite son. Taking a glimpse at their most recent victories tells a tall tale; while Diaz has toppled (literally) Zaromskis, Sakurai, Noons, Santos, and Daley… St. Pierre has arguably won every round in his past five bouts – and beyond – against the likes of B.J. Penn, Thiago Alves, Dan Hardy, Josh Koscheck, and Jake Shields.

Bringing Nick Diaz into the UFC without the intention of granting him an immediate title shot, or presenting him with a favorable style match-up first would be detrimental to the marketing value he currently offers. In this writer’s opinion, it’s highly likely that either of Jon Fitch, Thiago Alves, Josh Koscheck, or Jake Ellenberger could derail that hype and Zuffa knows this. Not to mention, with Cesar Gracie Academy teammate Jake Shields dropping the most recent of a growing list of decisions on St. Pierre’s resume, Nick Diaz also presents an attractive storyline in the way of revenge…

It will be interesting to see how Zuffa handles these negotiations, and the extent to which they’re willing to bend. Dana White had initially stated that cross-promotion super fights were not an option for the UFC brand, but at this point, what alternative do they have?


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Footnotes for April in the World of MMA

After some positive feedback regarding our "Footnotes" piece for the month of March, MMACombat will compile one for every month going forward; please feel free to contribute to the discussion... adding any moments and/or highlights that caught your attention!

Georges St. Pierre defended against Jake Shields Apr30

• FRIDAY APRIL 1, UFC president Dana White announced that the promotion will begin to air additional fights on their myspace account as they continue to utilize social networking in order to expand their product and fanbase.

• Justin Wilcox continues his ascend up the lightweight ladder, completely dismantling Rodrigo Damm at Strikeforce - Challengers 15

• Bellator FC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez once again shows why he is the most dominate 155lbs force outside of Zuffa owned promotions; Alvarez defended his title against game challenger Pat Curran.

• Keith Jardine steps in on late notice and stifles Gegard Mousasi's momentum, and a shot at the light heavyweight title at Strikeforce - Diaz vs. Daley. The two fought to a controversial unanimous draw.

• The Reckoning at Casino Rama, in Orillia, Ontario, Canada, was the province's first legalized mixed martial arts event (Apr2). The evening was brought to you by Knockout Entertainment Canada.

• Wrestling standouts Ben Askren (170lbs) and Joe Warren (145lbs) kept their Bellator FC momentum going with wins in April. Heavyweight champion Cole Konrad will likely be the next title holder to compete for the promotion.

• The UFC announced that fan favorite Wanderlei Silva will make his return to the octagon at UFC 132 when he squares off with slugger Chris Leben.

• Rumors spiral about Fedor Emelianenko's potential debut at 205lbs against Strikeforce champion Dan Henderson. M-1 is hesitant to commit to light heavyweight, but Henderson has stated he would gladly accept a fight at heavyweight.

• Thiago Silva is given his punishment for failing a post UFC 125 urine test for banned substances; the Brazilian will have to re-apply for his license with the NSAC on January 2, 2011 and was handed a financial penalty of $33 750.

• Maximum Fighting Championship hosts Ontario, Canada's second legal MMA event at The Colosseum at Caesar's Windsor in Windsor, Ontario. MFC 29 was highlighted by Douglas Lima's brutal KO of UFC vet. Terry Martin.

• Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami is made official for UFC 134 in Rio, Brazil. Okami represents Silva's last defeat, albeit from disqualification (illegal upkick).

• Teammates Nick Diaz and Gilbert Melendez set the MMA world on fire when they defended their Strikeforce titles in thrilling fashion Apr9, in San Diego, CA. Shinya Aoki also managed his first win in North America.

• Ben Askren announces his intention to move to Milwaukee, WI to train under Duke Roufus at RoufuSport.

• Jake Ellenberger replaces Brian Foster vs. Sean Pearson at UFC 129; Ellenberger would steamroll through Pearson as he continues to impress the UFC brass at 170lbs.

• Shogun vs. Griffin II is booked for UFC - Rio as well. Forest Griffin was able to stop the surging Rua in his UFC debut via rear-naked choke, but rumors persisted that the Brazilian's health was not up to par heading into the contest.

• Former bantamweight champion Brian Bowles signs to meet Japanese slugger Takeya Mizugaki at UFC 132.

• Randy "The Natural" Couture announces his intention to retire, win, lose or draw after his bout with Lyoto Machida at UFC 129; Couture would fall short in his last UFC appearance as "The Dragon" managed a devastating KO in the second round.

• Former middleweight champion Rich Franklin signs on to face perennial top-10 light heavyweight Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 133.

• The UFC announces that "Mr. Wonderful" Phil Davis will replace an injured Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans at UFC 133.

• Zuffa appeals to the Nevada State Athletic Commission for the use of television monitors for all ringside judges beginning with UFC 130 - Edgar vs. Maynard. The monitors are intended to provide a second vantage point in-case of obstructed views.

• Dana White announces that UFC legend Matt Hughes will take on TUF season one winner Diego Sanchez in a welterweight contest this fall; a date is yet to be determined.

• The UFC touches down in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, marking the promotion's first event inside Canada's most populous province. UFC 129 set several records, including live gate at +12 million and a live attendance record of 55 724.

• Jose Aldo successfully defends his title against game challenger Mark Hominick. Hominick took the Brazilian all five rounds despite early set-backs, including a dominate 5th that saw an eventful finish. Aldo however retains his title at featherweight, setting the stage for Chad Mendes later this summer.

• Georges St. Pierre once again defends his welterweight crown defeating challenger Jake Shields via unanimous decision. There are few names if any, deserving of the next crack at 170lbs, which has opened the doors to speculation that perhaps Zuffa will arrange a superfight with Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz.

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