“Mayhem” Subs Sakuraba; Mousasi New Light-Heavyweight Champ

By Kelsey Mowatt   As many MMA observers expected, Gegard Mousasi had little difficulty defeating Tatsuya Mizuno today in Nagoya, Japan, adding a second Dream championship to his growing trophy collection.

Mizuno came out aggressively to begin the light-heavyweight grand prix finale, but a calm Mousasi effectively avoided the Japanese fighter’s strikes and eventually took the bout to the mat. Although the former Dream middleweight champ was forced to defend himself from a couple of Mizuno’s submission attempts, Mousasi dominated the action with hard strikes from the top position. Eventually Mizuno gave up his neck during a scramble and Mousasi closed out the deal with a rear-naked-choke.

Jason “Mayhem” Miller (pictured above) got his pre-fight wish, as the charismatic fighter tapped out his idol, Japanese legend Kazushi Sakuraba, with a first round, arm-triangle-choke. After a few striking exchanges, Sakuraba began looking for a takedown, but found himself working from his back. Sakuraba spun in an attempt to lock up one of Miller’s legs, but the middleweight countered nicely and began raining down punches on the aging fighter. When Sakuraba attempted to make his move out from the precarious position, Miller beautifully transitioned into the fight ending choke, to hand the veteran his first submission loss since 1996.

Dream Lightweight Champion Shinya Aoki worked his way to a Unanimous Decision victory over Marcus Aurelio, and although it was far from one of the submission wizard’s more entertaining performances, it was a dominant one nonetheless. Aoki consistently took Aurelio to the mat and secured a tight body-triangle from the top position, before punishing the UFC vet with strikes. Aurelio managed to escape on a couple of occasions, but was largely unable to launch any effective opposition of his own, throughout the fight.

OlympicJudo Gold Medalist Satoshi Ishii scored an important win over Ikuhisa Minowa in his still young MMA career, controlling and outscoring the veteran from the top position for the Unanimous Decision victory. Although Ishii was considerably larger than Minowa and had a clear advantage in that respect, the highly touted prospect impressed with nicely timed sweeps and an active top game.

Here are the results for Dream 16:

Gegard Mousasi def. Tatsuya Mizuno via Submission (rear-naked choke) - R1, 6:10

"Mayhem" Miller def. Kazushi Sakuraba via Submission (arm-triangle choke) - R1, 2:09

Shinya Aoki def. Marcus Aurelio via Unanimous Decision

Satoshi Ishii def. Ikuhisa Minowa via Unanimous Decision

Hiroyuki Takaya def. Chase Beebe via KO (punches) - R1, 1:45

Michihiro Omigawa def. Cole Escovedo via Submission (armbar) - R1, 2:30

Joachim Hansen def. Hideo Tokoro via Submission (triangle choke) - R1, 2:48

Kazuyuki Miyata def. Takeshi "Lion" Inoue via Unanimous Decision

Mitsuhiro Ishida def. Akiyo "Wicky" Nishiura via Split Decision

Yusuke Kawaguchi def. James Thompson via Split Decision

READ MORE - “Mayhem” Subs Sakuraba; Mousasi New Light-Heavyweight Champ

UFC 119 Weigh-In Results

By FCF Staff   All of the competitors for tomorrow night’s UFC 119 card made weight this afternoon, green lighting an event which will be hosted by the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianopolis.

The card will be headlined by a heavyweight tilt between former UFC champion Frank Mir and former Pride open-weight champ Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic. Mir (pictured above) came in 25 pounds heavier than Cro Cop, weighing in at 252, while the experienced striker tipped the scales at 227.

Here are the official weigh-in results for UFC 119:

Main Event

Mirko CroCop (227) VS Frank Mir (252)

Ryan Bader (205) VS Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (205)

Chris Lytle (171) VS Matt Serra (170)

Evan Dunham (156) VS Sean Sherk (155)

Jeremy Stephens (155) VS Melvin Guillard (155)

Joe Doerksen (186) VS CB Dollaway (186)

Joey Beltran (239) VS Matt Mitrione (253)

Pat Audinwood (156) VS Thiago Tavares (155)

Waylon Lowe (154) VS Steve Lopez (156)

Julio Paulino (170) VS TJ Grant (170)

Sean McCorkle (263) VS Mark Hunt (265)

READ MORE - UFC 119 Weigh-In Results

Baker Defeats Horn; West vs. Makovsky Set for Finals

By FCF Staff  Photo Courtesy Bellator Fighting Championships

Bryan Baker added another notable victory to his record in Louisville, Kentucky last night, as the middleweight worked his way to a Unanimous Decision victory over the highly regarded veteran Jeremy Horn. The 24 year-old Baker (pictured left) who recently announced that he is battling leukemia, now carries a record of 14-2. The loss ended Horn's (86-20-5) six fight winning streak.

In other action from the Bellator 30 main card, Zach Makovsky and Ed West secured a future bout with each other, as the fighters advanced to the finals of the promotion’s bantamweight tourney. West earned a Split Decision victory over Jose Vega, while Makovsky scored a UD win over Bryan Goldsby.

The two will fight for the tournament championship on October 14^th.

Bellator 30 Results:

Bryan Baker def. Jeremy Horn via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Ed West def. Jose Vega via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Zach Makovsky def. Bryan Goldsby via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Brent Weedman def. Jacob McClintock via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 3:05

John Troyer def. Josh Clark via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Ron Sparks def. Greg Maynard via Knockout (punch) - Round 1, 0:50

Jeremiah Riggs def. Mike Fleniken via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Mike O'Donnell def. Stoney Hale via Submission (armbar) – Round 2, 0:50

READ MORE - Baker Defeats Horn; West vs. Makovsky Set for Finals

Fighters Make Weight for Bellator 30

By FCF Staff  Photo Courtesy Bellator Fighting Championships  
All of the competitors for Bellator’s latest event tonight in Louisville, Kentucky, made weight yesterday to make the promotion’s thirtieth card official.

The card, which will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Net, will feature a tilt between accomplished veteran Jeremy Horn and rising middleweight Bryan Baker. (Pictured above: Baker (l) and Horn facing off)

Horn (86-19-5) will head into tonight’s bout having won six straight after exiting from the UFC last January. Most recently, at a United Fighting Organization event in July, Horn tapped out Brian Warren in the first round.

Baker (13-2) had his seven fight winning streak come to an end in June, when he was stopped by Bellator season two tournament winner, Alexander Shlemenko, in the first round. Baker’s undefeated run included wins over Rory Singer, Matt Horwich and Eric Schambari.

Here are the official weigh-in results for Bellator 30:

MAIN CARD:

Jeremy Horn (186 lbs.) vs. Bryan Baker (184 lbs.) @ 185 lbs.

Jose Vega (135 lbs.) vs. Ed West (136 lbs.) @ 135 lbs.

Bryan Goldsby (135 lbs.) vs. Zack Makovsky (135 lbs.) @135 lbs.

Jacob McClintock (171 lbs.) vs. Brett Weedman (170 lbs.) @170 lbs.

UNDERCARD:

Josh Clark (185 lbs.) vs. John Troyer (186 Ibs.) @185 lbs.

Greg Maynard (263 lbs.) vs. Ron Sparks (258 Ibs.) @ 265 lbs.

T.J. Barber (142 lbs.) vs. B.J. Ferguson (144 lbs.) @ 145 lbs.

Stoney Hale (170 lbs.) vs. Mike O’ Donnell (170 lbs.) @ 170 lbs.

Jeremiah Riggs (186 lbs.) vs. Mike Fleniken (185 lbs.) @ 185 lbs.

READ MORE - Fighters Make Weight for Bellator 30

Belfort Moved from UFC 122; Marquardt Faces Okami

By FCF Staff  In response to the news that Chael Sonnen has been suspended by the California State Athletic Commission, for allegedly testing positive for steroids, Vitor Belfort has been removed from UFC 122 and will face Anderson Silva sometime in early 2011.

The UFC has confirmed that Nate Marquardt (pictured left) will now face Yushin Okami at UFC 122, November 13^th in Oberhausen, Germany, and while the official announcement made no mention of Belfort, UFC President Dana White posted the following statement on his Twitter account.

"Vitor is not injured. He is going to fight anderson for the title and the winner of marquart and okami are next."

Sonnen had been granted an immediate rematch with Silva for early 2011, following his loss to the champion last month, however, due to his one year suspension Sonnen could be unable to fight until next fall. The middleweight is reportedly going to launch an official appeal with the CSAC.

Marquardt (30-9-2) is coming off a first round, TKO stoppage over Rousimar Palhares at a UFC Fight Night card on September 15^th.  Marquardt is 4-1 in his last five fights with his only loss during that stretch coming against Sonnen, who defeated him by Unanimous Decision in February.

Okami (25-5) has won back-to-back fights over Lucio Linhares and more recently Mark Munoz, after losing by Unanimous Decision to Sonnen in October. Like Marquardt, Okami is also 4-1 in his last five bouts.

READ MORE - Belfort Moved from UFC 122; Marquardt Faces Okami

CSAC Reports Sonnen "Tested Positive for Steroids"

By FCF Staff   After reports surfaced earlier this week stating that UFC middleweight Chael Sonnen had allegedly tested positive for performance enhancing drugs, following his submission loss to Anderson Silva in August, the California State Athletic Commission has finally released a statement concerning the matter.

CSAC Executive Officer George Dodd informed FCF of the following press release today, which has been posted on the CSAC official site:

SACRAMENTO – The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) has suspended the license of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Chael Sonnen, after Sonnen tested positive for steroids, a banned substance.

A sample from Sonnen's August 6 drug test came back with a high T/E (testosterone-to-estrogen) level, which is indicative of anaboloic steroid use. CSAC learned of the results September 2 and ordered a second test, which also came back positive for steroid use. CSAC received test results from the second sample on September 14 and suspended Sonnen two days later. He is suspended for one year. Sonnen has 30 days to appeal the decision.

"The use of anabolic steroids and other banned substances are not tolerated by the commission," said CSAC Executive Officer George Dodd. "Anabolic agents put the health and safety of both the user and his opponents at risk."

Sonnen's test was observed in the presence of a CSAC representative and the sample was sent to the World Anti-doping Agency test facility at the University of California, Los Angeles on August 6, 2010 for processing.

According to a report from MMA Fighting, citing Sonnen’s manager Mike Roberts, the middleweight will launch a formal appeal.

READ MORE - CSAC Reports Sonnen "Tested Positive for Steroids"

Rockhold Injured; Woodley vs. Galvao Added to Oct. 9th Strikeforce

By FCF Staff  Strikeforce has announced today that rising middleweight Luke Rockhold has injured his shoulder and will not fight the accomplished Matt Lindland as scheduled, October 9^th. The extent of Rockhold’s injury is yet to be determined.(Pictured above: Tyron Woodley hitting Zach Light)

"There's not much I can do. Injuries are part of the game,'' Rockhold said in a press release from the promotion. 'But I feel bad for Matt, the fans, Strikeforce, everybody. I'd been working really hard and was really focused on this fight. Hopefully, I will be OK soon and Matt and I can get it on in the future.''

To fill the vacant spot for Strikeforce’s upcoming event, which will take place at the HP Pavilion, in San Jose, a welterweight tilt between Tyron Woodley and Andre Galvao has been added to the card.

"The fight between Tyron and Andre is a great matchup between two young fighters looking to take their careers to the next level," Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker was quoted saying.  "We wish Luke a speedy recovery and are confident he will soon enough rejoin our growing crop of top prospects."

Woodley (8-0) continues to impress, as the former NCAA All-American wrestler has now won four straight bouts since signing with Strikeforce last year. Most recently, Woodley was awarded a Split Decision win over Nathan Coy in May, after submitting Rudy Bears in the first round last November.

Galvao (5-1) is coming off back-to-back wins over Luke Stewart and more recently Jorge Patino, while fighting under the Strikeforce banner. The renowned jiu-jitsu competitor’s only loss came against Jason High last July, who defeated Galvao by Split Decision at Dream 10.

The October 9^th Strikeforce card will be headlined with a rematch between welterweight champion Nick Diaz and challenger KJ Noons. Other bouts scheduled for the card include 135lb. women’s champ Sarah Kaufman vs. Marloes Coenen and Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante vs. former lightweight champion Josh Thomson.

READ MORE - Rockhold Injured; Woodley vs. Galvao Added to Oct. 9th Strikeforce

Ishii vs. Minowa Late Addition to Dream 16

By FCF Staff  Dream officials have pulled a last minute fight out of their sleeves for the promotion’s latest event this weekend, as an open weight bout between veteran Ikuhisa Minowa and 2008 Olympic Judo Gold Medalist Satoshi Ishii has been added to the card.

Dream 16, which will be broadcast live throughout North America on HDNet, takes place Saturday night, September 25^th in Nagoya, Japan.

Minowa (46-30-8) will head into the bout having won five straight. Although the veteran will likely give up 20 to 30 pounds to Ishii, Minowa is well accustomed to fighting larger opponents, as his current run includes winning Dream’s open weight grand-prix last year. The submission artist stopped Bob Sapp, Hong Man Choi and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou to win the “Super Hulk” tourney.

Ishii has gone 1-1 thus far in his brief MMA career. After losing by Unanimous Decision to Hidehiko Yoshida at K-1’s New Year’s Eve event in December, the highly touted prospect submitted Tafa Misipati in the first round, while competing in New Zealand this past May.

Some of the other bouts scheduled for Dream 16 include Jason “Mayhem” Miller vs. Kazushi Sakuraba, Michihiro Omigawa vs. Cole Escovedo, Shinya Aoki vs. Marcus Aurelio, Hideo Tokoro vs. Joachim Hansen and Gegard Mousasi vs. Tatsuya Mizuno.

READ MORE - Ishii vs. Minowa Late Addition to Dream 16

New FCF Radio with Joe Doerksen

On this episode of Full Contact Fighter Radio, we tackle the hot topics as host Jeff "Wombat" Meszaros and co-host James Kellaris refuse to back away from the inside gossip.  First, what is up with Chael Sonnen?  Did he really take performance-enhancing drugs?  Or did he get "Sherk"ed by the CSAC?  Also, what was Rousimar Palhares thinking when he was fighting Nate Marquardt at UFC Fight Night 22?  Why didn't he "defend himself at all times" like all fighters are told seconds before they fight?  Tune in and hear the rumors, allegations and opinions on this fight and the rest of the card.  Then, like that isn't enough, it's time to run down the card for UFC 119: Mir vs. Cro Cop.  Can Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic beat Frank Mir with his patented left kick?  Will Mir let confidence overwhelm him and eat Cro Cop's foot?  What about Rogerio Nogueira vs. Ryan Bader?  Can "Li'l Nog" beat the TUF winner and undefeated wrester from Arizona?  Listen in and find out!   Then stick around as Canadian submission wizard Joe Doerksen joins the show to talk about his upcoming fight vs. CB Dollaway and the rest of the uber-stacked fight card. Holy smokes! That's the kind of show you only find once in a lifetime, or at least no more than once a week!

Head here to listen to this week's show.

READ MORE - New FCF Radio with Joe Doerksen

(Updated) Dana White Continues to Insist Mirko “Cro Cop” is “100%”

By FCF Staff  UFC President Dana White continues to insist that an eye injury Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic incurred recently, will not prevent the Croatian heavyweight from fighting Frank Mir Saturday. Cro Cop is scheduled to face the promotion’s former champion in the main event at UFC 119, which will be hosted by Indianapolis' Conseco Fieldhouse.

After Cro Cop was accidently poked in the eye by a sparring partner last week, reports surfaced afterwards, speculating as to the severity of the injury. Speaking via his official Twitter account yesterday, White provided the following updates on Cro Cop’s condition.

How many times do I have to tell u guys not to listen to internet BS? Cro Cop is 100% and fighting on sat.

about 19 hours ago via Twitter for BlackBerry®

yes he is. He has seen 3 doctors!!!!!

about 16 hours ago via Twitter for BlackBerry

Cro Cop will be evaluated again Friday by the Indiana Gaming Commission's athletic division before getting cleared to fight.

If Filipovic(27-7-2)  is indeed cleared to compete, the Pride veteran will head into the bout having won back-to-back bouts over Anthony Perosh and Pat Barry. Mir (13-5) is coming off a first round TKO loss to Shane Carwin in March, after tapping out Cheick Kongo in the first round last December.

(Update: the UFC released a statement Tuesday afternoon stating that Filipovic has been examined by an opthamologist in Indianapolis and medically cleared to fight.)

READ MORE - (Updated) Dana White Continues to Insist Mirko “Cro Cop” is “100%”

Zikic vs. Izumi Added to Sengoku 15

By FCF Staff   Sengoku Raiden Championship has added a light-heavyweight tilt between James Zikic and Hiroshi Izumi to the line-up for the promotion’s upcoming October 30^th event in Tokyo, Japan. The SRC 15 card, which will be broadcast live throughout North America on HDNet, will also feature the semi-finals for the ongoing welterweight and bantamweight grand-prix.

Izumi has gone 2-1 since the former Olympic Judo Silver Medalist transitioned into MMA. After losing in his pro debut to Antz Nansen last September, Izumi has won back-to-back bouts against Katsuyori Shibata and more recently, Chang Seob Lee.

Zikic (18-5-2) heads into Senkogu 15 having won three straight fights and has not lost since September, 2007, when Vitor Belfort defeated him by Unanimous Decision at Cage Rage 23. Zikic last competed in December when he earned a UD win over Daniel Dowda.

Zikic (l) Hitting "Cyborg" Santos at Cage Rage 21

READ MORE - Zikic vs. Izumi Added to Sengoku 15

Belfort vs. Okami Confirmed for UFC 122

By FCF Staff   The Ultimate Fighting Championship has confirmed, that as expected, Vitor Belfort will face Yushin Okami in the main event of the promotion’s upcoming November 13^th event in Oberhausen, Germany. The middleweight bout was referred to in the official press release announcing the event as a "title eliminator."

Belfort (19-8) will be competing for the first time in 2010, as a shoulder injury and subsequent surgery prevented him from fighting champion Anderson Silva in April. Belfort (pictured above) last fought in September, 2009, when he stopped Rich Franklin in the first round.

“The German fans will see a 100% performance from me against Okami,” Belfort was quoted saying. “I am looking for the knockout, I always look for the knockout. I know Okami is the type of guy who can bang a little and also has that judo style, but I am on a mission to be the UFC Champion once again.”

Okami (25-5) has won back-to-back bouts over Lucio Linhares and more recently Mark Munoz, after he lost by Unanimous Decision to Chael Sonnen last October.

“I’m looking forward to the opportunity to fight a great like Vitor Belfort in the main event of a big card,” said Okami. “Vitor Belfort is still kind of my idol, so I am very excited. He will bring out the very best in me. Belfort is a great fighter but I feel I have certain advantages I can use in the fight. I will shock MMA fans around the world with my performance.”

No other bouts were announced for UFC 122, which will be hosted by Oberhausen's König-Pilsener-Arena.

READ MORE - Belfort vs. Okami Confirmed for UFC 122

Ron Sparks vs. Greg Maynard Confirmed for Bellator 30

By FCF Staff  Bellator Fighting Championships has added a heavyweight tilt between Ron Sparks and Greg Maynard to the line-up for the promotion’s upcoming September 23^rd event in Louisville, Kentucky. Bellator 30 will be hosted by the city’s Fourth Street Live facility.

Sparks will head into Bellator 30 having won all five of his pro bouts. The heavyweight hasn’t competed since last June, when he worked his way to a Unanimous Decision victory over John Ivey at a Revolution Fight League event. Sparks was scheduled to fight former boxer Ray Mercer this past Friday for King of the Cage, however, Mercer was not medically cleared for the bout.

“This fight should end with a knockout,” Sparks was quoted saying in a press release from the promotion. “Although I wouldn’t mind it going to the ground either. Everyone sees me as a huge stand up fighter, but I have taken my ground game to a whole new level, and I want people to see that.”

“We’re thrilled to give the Louisville faithful a heavyweight match of this caliber,” said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Both fighters are beloved in Louisville, and will give the fans at Fourth Street Live! a great show.”

Maynard, who is described by Bellator as a “ground-and-pound specialist”,  has gone 2-0 to date. In April he tapped out Jerry Burns in the second round with strikes while competing for the Spartan Fighting Championship.

READ MORE - Ron Sparks vs. Greg Maynard Confirmed for Bellator 30