MMA Combat - UFC 134 - Silva vs. Okami, Bonuses

MMA Combat - UFC 134 - Silva vs. Okami, Bonuses

August 27, 2011, UFC 134 - Silva vs. Okami went down at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The event, which was the promotion's first in Brazil in 13 years, did not disappoint as the knockouts were plenty; but when the dust settled and the soccer chants subsided, three men walked away $100 000 richer when the evening's bonuses were determined.

Without a submission on the card, naturally, no bonus was awarded for submission of the night, but TUF winner Ross Pearson and Brazilian Muay Thai specialist, Edson Barboza, banked fight of the night honors after a 3 round war that saw the home-country fighter take a split decision on the judge's cards.

Also walking away with a bigger smile (if that was at all possible) was "Minotauro" Nogueira who blitzed Brendan Schaub with a devastating flurry of punches that landed the American face-first on the canvas. After more than 18 months on the shelf, recovering from multiple surgeries, Nogueira picks up knockout of the night thrilling fashion.


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MMA Combat - Antonio Silva Switches Camps Ahead of Semi-Final Bout with Cormier

MMA Combat - Antonio Silva Switches Camps Ahead of Semi-Final Bout with Cormier

Alex Davis, currant manager of Strikeforce heavyweight, Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva, has announced his fighter's permanent move from Imperial Athletics to Team Nogueira in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, citing organizational concerns at his former camp. The transition has taken place with approximately a month and a half of preparation time to go, before Silva squares off with AKA trained, former Olympic wrestler, Daniel Cormier September 10, on SHOWTIME in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix semi-finals.

"Minotauro asked Antonio to come help him for his upcoming fight against Schaub in Rio de Janeiro," Davis told MMAjunkie.com. "We all go way back – 'Minotauro' helped Antonio a lot in the beginning of his career and has continued helping since. Antonio actually calls Nogueira Godfather."

"I think Antonio came down to Brazil to help Minotauro and felt real comfortable training with Minotauro, Anderson Silva, Junior Dos Santos, Rafael Feijao Cavalcante and the rest of the camp. Like I said, we all go way back, and Team Nogueira is definitely one of the best places to train at the moment – even more so since everyone has fights coming up."

When speaking of Silva's change in opponent (click here for details on Overeem's departure) Davis had the following to say, but maintained Silva's ultimate goal of capturing the Grand Prix title to therefore get his shot at champion, Alistair Overeem.

"Antonio was fighting a tall striker, and now he faces a short wrestler," Davis said. "He was facing a big name, now he is facing an up-and-comer, which does not in any way take away from Daniel's capacity as a fighter. I think it's a tough fight... With this move to Team Nogueira, I think we'll continue to see improvement's in Antonio's game. We just hope that the problem with Overeem's toe was not life-threatening or anything. Hopefully he gets better soon so Antonio can beat him."


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MMA Combat - Nogueira Withdraws from UFC 133 Bout with Franklin

MMA Combat - Nogueira Withdraws from UFC 133 Bout with Franklin

UFC president Dana White announced on Saturday that PRIDE and UFC veteran Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (19-5-0) has withdrawn from his scheduled bout against Rich Franklin at UFC 133, scheduled for August 6, 2011, although a reason has not been made available. The light heavyweight pairings for the event have been riddled by injury thus far, with Phil Davis and Vladimir Matyushenko recent scratches as well; now the UFC is actively pursuing a replacement for Nogueira who suffered back to back losses for the first time in his career against wrestling stand-outs Ryan Bader and Phil Davis, in September of 2010 and March of this year respectively.

At 35 years of age, Nogueira is 2-2 inside the octagon and had compiled seven consecutive victories before the recent skid; a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black-belt and skilled boxer, "Minotoro" made his professional debut ten years ago next month and has been a top-contender at 205lbs ever since. No stranger to success himself, Rich Franklin (28-6-0) is a former middleweight champion who most recently re-invented himself as a light heavyweight after competing in two catch-weight fights against Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort. Since his return to the division, Franklin is 1-1 with a knockout victory over Chuck Liddell, and a unanimous decision loss to Forrest Griffin at UFC 126 - Belfort vs. Silva in February.

UFC 133 will go down August 6, 2011, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is headlined by a light heavyweight contest pitting former champions Rashad Evans and Tito Ortiz against each other; the two battled to a unanimous draw at UFC 73 in July of 2007.

MMA Combat - Nogueira Eyes Knockout at UFC 133

MMA Combat - Nogueira Eyes Knockout at UFC 133

Ahead of his bout against former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin (28-6-0) at UFC 133 - Davis vs. Evans, Brazilian star Antonio Rogerio Nogueira realizes there are parts of his game that required tweaking since joining the UFC ranks, as well as a mental adaptation he must undergo with his promotion future hanging in the balance of his next performance. While "Minotoro's" takedown defense has shown signs of improvement of late, he's still adjusting to a state-side mentality and rule-set that has presented its challenges to the perennial top-ten light heavyweight.

In an interview with Sherdog.com, Nogueira had this to say:

“My camps and the way I prepare for fights doesn’t change much,” he said. “What really changed from Pride to the UFC was the style of the fighters, who are better prepared and have more power and physical potential. I think the rules are very different, as well. The UFC allows tighter fights, more ground fights. It’s different, but I’ve got to get used to these rules, or I can’t fight here [in the UFC].”

When discussing the challenge that stands before him in Franklin, Nogueira makes clear his intention on August 6 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

“It’s the most important fight of my career,” said Nogueira. “I have to walk through him and always move forward. I can’t accept his game. Franklin is a guy who likes to rush in, and I have to be careful with that. After these two losses, I’ve got to beat him in a good fight. I’ve got to knock him out and look for it from the first round.”

With little more than a month remaining to prepare, Nogueira vows to fans that they can expect to see a more aggressive "Minotoro" than the one who has been stifled by wrestling minded fighters in his previous two outings, resulting in the first two-fight losing streak in the ten-year veteran's career. Franklin has always been one to stand and bang when the opportunity presents itself, so the former PRIDE FC standout should get plenty of opportunities to execute his plan; whether or not Franklin obliges is another thing all together.


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MMA Combat - White Gives Added Incentive to Schaub, Nogueira

MMA Combat - White Gives Added Incentive to Schaub, Nogueira

UFC president Dana White announced on Thursday, June 16, at a promotion press conference in Brazil, that the winner between the ever-improving Brendan Schaub and heavyweight legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 134 - Rio will put themselves in line for a title shot following the highly anticipated dos Santos vs. Velasquez showdown later this year.

Nogueira will be the crowd favorite in Rio

"This is a big fight in the heavyweight division," said White. "The winner of this fight between Big Nog and Brendan Schaub puts one of these guys right in the mix of the heavyweight division."

"Minotauro" last competed at UFC 110 where he was stopped by current champion Cain Velasquez on first round strikes; sidelined for a year and a half following the bout, Nogueira opted to undergo a series of hip and knee surgeries to repair injuries that were clearly hobbling the once indestructible fighter. With a record of 3-2 inside the octagon the twelve-year veteran of the sport looks to make what could be his final run at a major promotional title, and potentially earn an opportunity to avenge his most recent defeat.

Grudge Training Center product, Brendan "The Hybrid" Schaub, has put together four consecutive victories since he was knocked out in The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale by Roy Nelson in his promotion debut. Most recently, Schaub stopped another PRIDE legend in Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic when he knocked out the former K-1 kickboxer at 3:44 of the third round at UFC 128 - Shogun vs. Jones. Schaub and his management immediately set their sights on Nogueira after the bout, and were granted their wish as he will square off with the former PRIDE and UFC heavyweight champ in hostile territory.


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MMA Combat - Bellator 47 Heads to Casino Rama, Ontario, Canada

MMA Combat - Bellator 47 Heads to Casino Rama, Ontario, Canada

Tuesday, June 7, 2011, Officials from Casino Rama in Orillia, Ontario, Canada, announced today that the venue will host Bellator 47 - Warren vs. Freire, this summer, July 23, which will mark the promotion's first event outside of U.S. territory.

The card will feature the semifinal match-ups for Bellator's eight-man "Summer Series" Featherweight Tournament, and will also be headlined by 145lbs champion Joe Warren (7-1-0) when he takes on dangerous Team Nogueira representative Patricio Freire (17-1-0) in a rematch of their Season Two Featherweight Tournament Final. Warren represents the only loss on "Pitbull's" record, and the talented Brazilian earned his rematch with a victory last month in the Season Four 145lbs Tournament Final.

Joe Warren last competed in April of this year, defeating Marcos Galvao by unanimous decision in his first title defense; the Team Quest wrestling ace utilizes his relentless pace and top control style to stifle and outlast opponents as five of his seven career victories have come by way of decision.

Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney had the following to say regarding the promotion's first Canadian show: "Our fans have been asking us to come to Canada since our very first season... Casino Rama is an unbelievable venue and should make for a magical night of fights at Bellator 47."


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MMA Combat - Silva Gives Thoughts on Okami, Sonnen Partnership

MMA Combat - Silva Gives Thoughts on Okami, Sonnen Partnership

In a recent interview with O Globo, a Brazilian news publication, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva (28-4-0) gave his thoughts on the training partnership between number one contender Yushin Okami (26-5-0) and former 185lbs title challenger Chael Sonnen. The Brazilian was critical of the Japanese stand-out for aligning himself with the Team Quest representative, a relationship that was established prior to the recent convictions that have shamed Sonnen's public profile.

“You have to find the best people to train with, and I think [Okami] chose wrong,” Silva said. “I’d never align myself with a loser, a loser in every sense. He didn’t win the fight [between us] and got caught doping. You want to be a champion? Get with good people, with winners. Moreover, Sonnen wasn’t a tough opponent for me. I was injured with cracked ribs and fought five rounds. If I hadn’t been injured, the fight would have been different.”

The reigning UFC champion will defend his promotion title against Okami on August 27, 2011 at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Okami represents a rare opportunity for the Team Nogueira fighter; a chance to avenge a previous defeat - the most recent on his record - which dates back to January of 2006, over half a decade ago when "The Spider" was disqualified for hitting Okami with an illegal up-kick, one that would render him unable to continue resulting in the loss.

For Okami, the contest provides him with a stage to prove the doubters wrong. The Judoka out of Kanagawa, Japan who now utilizes a more greco-roman wrestling style, has ran through the majority of the 185lbs division on the back of superior strength and grappling technique. Since their last encounter, Okami has posted a 12-3-0 record, including three consecutive victories over Linhares, Munoz, and Marquardt respectively. His only losses came at the hands of Jake Shields, Chael Sonnen, and Rich Franklin (a bout that he arguably won); the Team Quest alignment makes sense for the perennial top-ten, as out-wrestling the champion is likely to be his only path to victory, and despite their recent troubles, the pedigree in the discipline is everywhere you look at the Portland, Oregon camp.

Be sure to tune-in on PPV or UFC.tv, August 27, 2011, to witness this highly anticipated rematch.


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