Diaz Exacts Revenge, Coenen Wins 135 Pound Title

Saturday, October 9, 2010


By Dustin Lee DePue

San Jose, CA—Nick Diaz got his revenge over K.J. Noons Saturday night, erasing the bitterness of a first round doctor stoppage loss suffered to Noons in 2007 and defending his 170 pound belt in front of a supportive crowd at the HP Pavilion.  In the nights other title fight, former 145 pound contender Marloes Coenen dropped down to 135 pound and defeated Sarah Kaufman to take the belt.(Pictured above: Noons (l) kicking Diaz)

In the main event, Nick Diaz beat K.J. Noons at his own game, out-punching the pro boxer turned mixed martial artist and earning a five-round unanimous decision victory.   Diaz scored early with a slick counter right cross that dropped Noons.  Diaz followed him to the ground, securing side control but was unable to set up any offense before Noons popped back to his feet.  Noons stole the momentum in the second round, opening a cut on Diaz’s right eye with a left hook early in the round.  Diaz seemed to lose his rhythm after the punch and spend the rest of the round on the losing end of the punching exchanges.

Unable to take Noons down, Diaz was forced to stand and trade with him for the rest of the fight.  Fortunately for Diaz, he was able to find his rhythm again in the third round, scoring repeatedly with the jab and cross and setting up several hooks to the body.  Diaz continued to beat Noons to the punch in the fourth round.  He scored with a clean one-two followed by a hook to the body and later with a knee to the head.  Noons answered with left hook and a right uppercut but Diaz was unfazed by either punch.  In the final round, Noons showed less urgency than one would have expected, seeming content to trade jabs with Diaz for the early part of the round.  He landed a left and right hook later in the round but it wasn’t enough to make an appreciable dent in the scorecards as Diaz won a unanimous decision by scores of 48-47, 49-47, 49-46.

A Victorious Diaz
 Marloes Coenen won the women’s 135 pound title by submitting the previously undefeated Sarah Kaufman with an armbar midway through their five round fight.  Coenen worked her Thai boxing in the first round, landing low kicks from the outside and using her reach to snipe with sharp punches.  Kaufman smothered most of Coenen’s offense in the second round, clinching and keeping Coenen pressed against the cage for much of the round.  In the third round, Coenen scored a takedown early but was quickly reversed.  Inside of Coenen’s guard, Kaufman opened up with a flurry of punches and hammerfists, some of which landed.  Her aggression proved her undoing as Coenen was able to snatch up an arm and sink a tight armbar that forced the tapout at 1:59 of the third round.

Coenen Tapping out Kaufman
Josh Thomson moved a step closer to a rubber match with Gilbert Melendez by defeating Gesias Cavalcante by unanimous decision.  Thomson was in trouble early in the fight after eating a right hook that buckled him and getting caught in an arm-in guillotine.  Cavalcante grimaced as he squeezed the choke for an extended period of time but Thomson was able to slip out and quickly turn the tide, finishing the first round with a tight arm-triangle choke latched onto Cavalcante.  Thomson scored a trip takedown in the second round and spent much of the round controlling Cavalcante from the top position.  In the final round, Cavalcante landed a knee to the head and scored a takedown into the mount position.  Thomson remained calm, working to halfguard and then rubber guard before escaping to his feet.  Cavalcante scored another takedown and landed some punches but it wasn’t enough as Thomson earned a unanimous decision by scores of 29-28, 29-28, 30-27.

Tyron Woodley improved to 9-0 with a TKO stoppage of Andre Galvao early in the first round.  Woodley hurt Galvao with a sharp right cross seconds into the fight, prompting Galvao to shoot in for the takedown.  Woodley easily kept the fight standing and tagged Galvao with a second sharp right cross that put his opponent on wobbly legs.  In survival mode, Galvao shot in for a takedown and ate a right hook coming in, prompting a referee stoppage at 1:48 of the first round. 

Thomson Trying to Punish Cavalcante
Strikeforce Televised Results

Nick Diaz def K.J. Noons by Unanimous Decision(48-47, 49-47, 49-46)
Josh Thomson def J.Z. Cavalcante by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Marloes Coenen def Sarah Kaufman by Armbar 1:59 Rd 3
Tyron Woodley def Andre Galvao by TKO (strikes) 1:48 Rd 1


READ MORE - Diaz Exacts Revenge, Coenen Wins 135 Pound Title

New FCF Radio with Mike Brown

On this episode of Full Contact Fighter Radio, host Jeff Meszaros and co-host James Kellaris review the World Extreme Cagefighting event, where Jose Aldo brutally KO'd Manny Gamburyan to solidify his spot as the scariest person to ever walk the earth at 145 pounds.  Is there anyone left for him?  Or will the WEC have to recruit new people to feed to the champion? Then it's time to talk about the rematch between Donald "The Cowboy" Cerrone and Jamie Varner?  Is Cerrone really a cowboy?  Could Varner's style of fighting be called "elusive"?  Or is he just "running away"?   Tune in and hear what we think, then stick around as we touch on the rest of the card.   

Once we're sick of that, we move on to talk about the upcoming card for Strikeforce: Noons vs. Diaz II.  Will Nick Diaz get his eyebrows punched off again?  Or was that first, absolutely brutal, beating a complete fluke?  You can guess where we're going with this.  What about Sarah Kaufman vs. Marloes Coenen?  Will Kaufman put a beating on the Dutchwoman as bad as the one she got from 145-pound champion Cris "Cyborg" Santos?  How about "JZ" Cavalcante vs. Josh "The Punk" ThomsonAndre Galvao vs. Tyron Woodley?  To summarize?  We just don't know, but we'll explain why we don't know.  Then, for a touch of expertise, we bring in former WEC champ Mike Brown to discuss his recent win in the WEC and share his thoughts on the rest of the WEC card and the upcoming Strikeforce card as well.  Don't miss the fun as he looks for any holes in the interview-game to look for a verbal submission.  Boy howdy, it's a good time!        

To listen click here. 

Photo of Mike Brown courtesy American Top Team.
READ MORE - New FCF Radio with Mike Brown

Video Diaz and Noons Weigh-In / Results






Here are the official weigh-in results for tonight's Strikeforce event in San Jose:

Strikeforce Welterweight World Championship   
Nick Diaz -- 169 1/2lbs. vs KJ Noons -- 169
                       
Josh Thomson -- 155 ¼ vs. “JZ” Cavalcante -- 155 3/4
Sarah Kaufman -- 134 1/4 vs. Marloes Coenen -- 134
Tyron Woodley -- 170 ½  vs. Andre Galvao -- 170
James Terry -- 170 vs. David Marshall -- 169 1/2
Ron Keslar -- 180 vs. Josh McDonald -- 179
Jess Bouscal -- 154 1/4 vs. Luis Mendoza -- 155
Steve Dickey -- 239 vs. Justin Willis -- 265 1/2
Justin Bronson -- 219 1/2 vs. Robert Johnson -- 226
Jonathan Chaplin -- 183 3/4 vs. Ben Ernest -- 183
Jared Hess -- 169 ½ vs. Eric Faria -- 168 1/4
Alan Francis Perez -- 152 vs. Johnathan Del Rosario -- 155
David Blanco -- 144 3/4 vs. Christian Buron -- 142 3/4
                       
READ MORE - Video Diaz and Noons Weigh-In / Results

Thomas vs. Wallhead Added to Bellator 32

Friday, October 8, 2010


By FCF Staff    Bellator Fighting Championships has announced that welterweight Ryan Thomas will fight Jim Wallhead at the promotion’s upcoming October 14th event in Kansas City. The card will take place at the Kansas City Power & Light District and will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Net. (Pictured above- Thomas (l) and Wallhead)

Thomas (11-5) is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Ben Askren in May, after stopping Jacob McClintock in the first round at Bellator 15 in April. The UFC vet is 2-3 in his last five fights.

“After my last loss to Askren, it really left a bad taste in my mouth and made me change my game and really commit to the sport,” Thomas was quoted saying in the official announcement. “I would love to take out Jim in this fight, get a chance to compete in the Season 4 Welterweight Tournament, and get another shot at Ben.”

Wallhead (19-5) will head into the Oct.14th bout having won seven straight fights. The British fighter had been scheduled to compete in Bellator’s welterweight tourney this past spring; however, the volcanic eruptions in Iceland prevented him from travelling to the U.S.

“In my only other fight in America, I lost a tough one, so I’m really excited to put on a good show in front of the fans,” said Wallhead. “I’ve grown a lot since that last fight, and hopefully fans see that.”

READ MORE - Thomas vs. Wallhead Added to Bellator 32

Video: KJ Noons and Nick Diaz Speak At The Press Conference


READ MORE - Video: KJ Noons and Nick Diaz Speak At The Press Conference

Video: KJ Noons Discusses The Fighting Style Of Nick Diaz


READ MORE - Video: KJ Noons Discusses The Fighting Style Of Nick Diaz

Video: Thomson Addresses The "Top 10 Rankings" and JZ Fight


READ MORE - Video: Thomson Addresses The "Top 10 Rankings" and JZ Fight

Lima, Juarez Title Fight Confirmed for MFC 27

Thursday, October 7, 2010


By FCF Staff  Maximum Fighting Championship has announced today that Douglas Lima will face Jesse Juarez for the promotion’s vacant welterweight championship, at its upcoming November 12th event in Enoch, Alberta. MFC 27 will be hosted by Enoch’s River Cree Resort and Casino, and will be broadcast live on HDNet.

Lima (16-4) is coming off a successful MFC debut in September, when the American Top Team Atlanta fighter tapped out Canadian prospect Ryan Ford. The win was Lima’s fourth straight.

“There’s no need to ask the question. I’m super excited. I was ready for the title fight the day I beat Ford. I’m ready for Juarez,” Lima was quoted saying in a press release from the promotion.

“I don’t know much about Juarez. I’ve seen a few fights online. It’s nothing I haven’t seen before. He’s got a good record but I’m ready to take him on. I think the fight will stay standing but I’m ready for whatever he’s got. Wherever it goes I’m going to be very comfortable.”

Juarez (15-5) will head into the title fight having won 9 straight. The Bellator FC vet has fought twice before under the MFC banner, earning a unanimous decision win over Joe Christopher last December, before knocking out Nathan Gunn in February.

“Lima is a great competitor and from a really good camp,” said Juarez, who is a member of California’s Bodyshop Fitness team. “I wanted his coach (Roan) Carneiro but fighting Lima should be a lot of fun. Fighting is a lot of fun for me and the paydays are nice. In reality I’m fighting for my family now.”

Other bouts that have been confirmed for MFC 27 main card include light-heavyweight Dwayne Lewis (12-5) vs. Razak Al-Hassan (10-2), and lightweight Kajan Johnson (17-11-1) vs. Orestes Betran (13-4).


READ MORE - Lima, Juarez Title Fight Confirmed for MFC 27

Masanori Kanehara vs. Doo Hoo Choi Confirmed for SRC 15


By FCF Staff Sengoku Raiden Championship has officially added a featherweight bout between former champion Masanori Kanehara and Doo Hoo Choi to the line-up, of the promotion’s upcoming October 20th event in Tokyo, Japan.

Kanehara (16-8-5) hasn’t fought since he lost the Sengoku featherweight title in June, when Marlon Sandro KO’d the veteran in 38 seconds. Prior to that, Kanehara had won back-to-back bouts, defeating Michihiro Omigawa and Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto by split decision and unanimous decision respectively.

Choi (5-1) will head into the bout having won three straight fights; in September the South Korean stopped Atsuhiro Tsuboi while competing for Deep. Choi has fought once before for SRC; in June he worked his way to a split decision win over Ikuo Isuda.

SRC 15 will feature the semi-finals of the promotion’s ongoing welterweight grand-prix, as well as, the quarter finals for its Asian bantamweight tourney.

Here is the line-up to date for SRC 15:

James Zikic vs. Hiroshimi Izumi
Kazunori Yokota vs. Brian Cobb
Masanori Kanehara vs. Doo Ho Choi
Leo Santos vs. Maximo Blanco
Kazuo "Yoshiki" Takahashi vs. Chang Seob Lee

Welterweight Grand Prix 2010 Semi-finals
Ktaro Nakamura vs. Takuya Wada
Yasubey Enomoto vs. Taisuke "Gouten" Okuno

Bantamweight Asia Tournament 2010 Quarterfinals
Shoko Sato vs. Akitoshi Tamura
Manabu Inoue vs. Jae Hyun So
Taiyo Nakahara vs. Shintaro Ishiwatari
Shunichi Shimizu vs. Wataru Takahashi
READ MORE - Masanori Kanehara vs. Doo Hoo Choi Confirmed for SRC 15

Video: Collision Course Pt.2 Diaz vs. Noon II


Click below to watch the 2nd episode of the three-part series
Watch as the legendary Cesar Gracie trains black-belt Diaz
and Noons perfects his striking game on-location in Mexico.

(pictured above: Noons landing a left hook to Jorge Gurgel)
READ MORE - Video: Collision Course Pt.2 Diaz vs. Noon II

GSP vs. Koscheck II Official for December 11th

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

By FCF Staff  The Ultimate Fighting Championship has announced today, that as expected, welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre will fight Josh Koscheck for the second time, December 11th, in Montreal, Quebec. UFC 124 will be hosted by Montreal’s Bell Centre.

The two welterweights, who coached opposite one another in the current season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” fought for the first time in August, 2007, when St.Pierre dominated Koscheck for the unanimous decision win.

“I’m so happy that I get to fight Josh Koscheck in front of my home crowd,” St-Pierre (pictured left) was quoted saying in a press release from the promotion. “He was very disrespectful during the filming of The Ultimate Fighter and I didn’t say a word. Now on December 11, I get to answer back with my fists. Last time I fought in Montreal, it was so loud the Octagon was shaking. I know the crowd will be even louder for this fight.”

“I’m excited about the fight,” Koscheck said. “It’s a big rematch for me and in life you don't get second chances that often so I plan on taking advantage of this second chance. I am training every aspect of the game and can't wait to go fight in December and bring that belt back to the States. I will put on a show like I always do.”
St. Pierre (20-2) will head into the December 11th bout having won 7 straight; most recently he worked his way to a UD victory over Dan Hardy in March.
Koscheck (15-4) has gone 6-2 since losing to GSP; in May the accomplished wrestler scored a dominant, unanimous decision win over Paul Daley.



READ MORE - GSP vs. Koscheck II Official for December 11th

McSweeney vs. Maldonado Official for UFC 120


By FCF Staff  The Ultimate Fighting Championship has added a light-heavyweight bout between Fabio Maldonado and James McSweeney to the line-up, of the promotion’s upcoming October 16th event in London, England. UFC 120, which will be hosted by the O2 Arena, will feature a middleweight tilt between Michael Bisping and Yoshihiro Akiyama in the main event.

Maldonado (17-3), who is replacing the injured Tom Blackledge, will make his Octagon debut having won 10 straight. The Team Nogueira fighter has not lost a fight since November, 2007.

McSweeney (4-5) is making the move to 205lbs. after being stopped by heavyweight Travis Browne at The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale in June. Prior to that, the former TUF competitor stopped Darrill Schoonover in the third round, handing McSweeney his fourth professional win.

Some of the other bouts scheduled for UFC 120 include: Carlos Condit vs. Dan Hardy, Mike Pyle vs. John Hathaway, Travis Browne vs. Cheick Kongo and Claude Patrick vs. James Wilks.

UFC 120 will be broadcast on Spike throughout North America.

READ MORE - McSweeney vs. Maldonado Official for UFC 120

Brick City Fighting Championship: Newark’s Newest MMA Show

Tuesday, October 5, 2010


By Jim Genia
(October 2nd, Essex County College, Newark)  They came to the gymnasium at Essex County College to do battle – the Gracie, the Team Renzo and Gold Team Fighters representatives, the Greg Jackson disciples – and battle they did.  On Saturday night, the inaugural Brick City Fighting Championship saw Gregor Gracie dispatch one of Brazilian vale tudo legend Jorge Patino’s students with ease, wrestler Eric Bradley and slugger Josh Key go back and forth, and a promising Romulo Bittencourt student snap his opponent’s arm before knocking him out.  In short, BCFC kicked ass. (Pictured above: Artur Rofi pressing Adolpho Sanchez against the cage) Highlights of the night included:

  • Gracie’s seamless destruction on Mariusz Linke.  From his punishing striking to his flawless jiu-jitsu, Gracie was large and in charge from the outset.
  • Renzo Gracie-trained Daisuke Yamaji and Maciej Linke’s spirited fisticuff.  The two thumped each other nicely in the first round, but by Round 2 Yamaji was a man possessed, and only referee intervention would stop the Japanese fighter from committing murder.
  • Artur Rofi’s dominance and Adolpho Sanchez’s heart.  Rofi practically had his way with his foe on the ground, going so far as to hyperextend Sanchez’s arm at the bell for Round 1.  Yet Sanchez would not quit, and it would take Rofi almost another round before he scored a knockout.
Brick City FC Results:
-Gregor Gracie def. Mariusz Linke by Rear Naked Choke at 2:13, R1
-Jerome Martinez def. Jose Rodriguez by verbal submission at 3:26, R1
-Carlos Cline def. Don Wagner by Unanimous Decision
-Daisuke Yamaji def. Maciej Linke by TKO (punches) at 1:01, R2
-Glen Sandull def. JA Dudley by Unanimous Decision
-Eric Bradley def. Josh Key by Unanimous Decision
-Artur Rofi def. Adolpho Sanchez by KO (punches) at 4:53, R2
-Ran Weathers def. Brandon Adamson by Rear Naked Choke at 1:47, R2
READ MORE - Brick City Fighting Championship: Newark’s Newest MMA Show

27th Annual New York Open Judo Championship Oct. 17th


27th Annual New York Open Judo Championship
Sunday, October 17 at Hunter College

Watch Top International Olympic and World Champions 
from 20 countries in seven weight classes

Preliminary matches 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Finals: 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Admission: $20.00

Judo scoring techniques include submissions (chokes, arm-bars), holds, and throws.
Address: Hunter College, 68th St/Lexington Ave., West Building, B3 Level
www.newyorkopenjudo.com

READ MORE - 27th Annual New York Open Judo Championship Oct. 17th

Strikeforce Announces Lawler vs. Lindland for Dec. 4th


By FCF Staff  Strikeforce has announced today that it has added a notable middleweight clash between Matt Lindland and Robbie Lawler, to the promotion’s upcoming December 4th event in St. Louis. The event, which will be broadcast on Showtime, is set to feature Dan Henderson vs. Renato “Babalu” Sobral in the main event.

Lindland (22-7) (pictured above punching Kevin Casey) had been scheduled to fight rising middleweight Luke Rockhold at Strikeforce’s October 9th event this week, however, the bout was cancelled after Rockhold incurred a shoulder injury. Lindland is coming off a third round stoppage of Casey in May, after losing back-to-back bouts to Vitor Belfort and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza.

Lawler (17-6) hasn’t competed since June when he lost by unanimous decision to Sobral at “Strikeforce Los Angeles.” In January, Lawler knocked out Melvin Manhoef in the first round, after being submitted by former champion Jake Shields last summer.

The December 4th, Strikeforce event will also feature Paul Daley versus Scott Smith. Herschel Walker is also scheduled to compete; however, no opponent has been announced yet.
READ MORE - Strikeforce Announces Lawler vs. Lindland for Dec. 4th