British Columbia has become one of the first provinces to act on federal changes by regulating and sanctioning four combat sports including MMA, pankration and Muay Thai.
The move follows legislation passed by the federal government in June that legalized professional boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA). That legislation, Bill S-209, also amended the Criminal Code to allow each individual province to grant permission for a “contest between amateur athletes in a combative sport with fists, hands or feet.”
“They (the federal government) said to the provinces, essentially, that it was up to us to make a determination as to which of the amateur combat sports would be legal and how we wanted to deal with those,” B.C. Athletic Commissioner Dave Maedel said in an interview Friday.
Maedel’s office will now regulate mixed martial arts, kick-boxing, pankration and Muay Thai, meaning people will now need permission to hold any of those events.
“I’ll look to ensure the events are properly arranged, that the safety of the participants is the No. 1 priority for everybody,” he said, adding his office has the authority to deny permission for any of these events if it is not satisfied the requirements have been met.
The federal regulation also allowed the provinces to exempt certain combat sports from regulation, and B.C. announced Friday it has decided to allow wushu, karate, kung fu, grappling and jiu jitsu events to happen without oversight by the commissioner.
The federal rules also allow exemptions for amateur Olympic and Paralympic sports, meaning boxing, wrestling, tae kwon do and judo will also take place in B.C. without regulation.
Maedel said the province opted to regulate the four sports on the list because of safety.
“There’s a higher risk of injury in these sports,” he said. “Seeing as the No. 1 priority of the province is the safety of the participants, that’s why we’ve chosen those four to be overseen by my office.”
In a news release, Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development Coralee Oakes thanked those who have been waiting for the new rules.
“I know how passionate organizations are about promoting amateur combat sport,” she said.
“I want to thank them for their patience while government took the time needed to make the right decision on regulations.”
Read more: B.C. regulates MMA and three other combat sports
Cezar Ferreira apparently doesn't get paid by the hour.
The TUF: Brazil 1 winner made short work of Thiago Santos in a middleweight main-card bout at UFC 163. Ferreira (6-2) needed just 47 seconds to finish Santos via guillotine choke Saturday night at HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro.
Ferreira wobbled Santos (8-2), who was making his UFC debut as a substitute for Clint Hester, with a big overhand right, then followed up with a head kick. Ferreira then transitioned right into the winning submission hold.
"He had his guard down, so I went in and I decided to take advantage of that opportunity," Ferreira said. "I was able to finish him with a guillotine."
Ferreira credited his recent move to the Blackzilians for his noticeable improvement.
"I move to Florida for training, for a new team," Ferreira said. "For me, it's like a family. I train all my game there."
UFC 163 results: Cezar Ferreira makes short work of Thiago Santos - MMA Fighting
ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC) returns to Indonesia on September 13 with a finalized fight card that includes a featured undercard bout between veteran Caros Fodor and undefeated South Korean Yang Seung Ho. Three other bouts have also been added to the card.
In the final main card bout, it will be a clash of goliaths as Muay Thai champion Alain Ngalani meets Egyptian boxing expert Mahmoud Hassan in the 120-kg division. The final two undercard bouts feature renowned Indonesian grappler Max Metino facing Khmer boxing champion Long Sophy from Cambodia and Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Almiro Barros takes on Australia’s Kian Pham. More than 15,000 fans are expected to pack the Istora Senayan Stadium in what is expected to be the biggest fight card the country has ever seen.
CEO of ONE FC Victor Cui stated, “ONE FC will be back in Jakarta on September 13 with an exciting fight card that is sure to keep the Indonesian fans on the edge of their seats. The card will be headlined by a Flyweight bout between Shinichi Kojima and Andrew Leone. The four bouts added today feature champions from all over the world and is testament to the depth of ONE FC’s roster. Packed from top to bottom with exciting fights this fight card promises fans in Istora Senayan a night of adrenalin-pumping world-class MMA action. Don’t miss it!”
Mahmoud Hassan is a heavyweight boxer training out of Naser City, Egypt. Hassan possesses deadly power in both massive hands and is ready to knock out any opponent who is foolhardy enough to accept a fight with him. He will be the first Egyptian to step into the largest platform in Asian MMA and will be looking to do his country proud inside the famed ONE FC cage.
Hassan faces kickboxing champion Alain Ngalani. Born in Cameroon, Ngalani now calls Hong Kong home after living in the city for more than 10 years. He has amassed an incredible kickboxing record that includes two Muay Thai world championships. Ngalani will be making his ONE FC debut together with his brother, James Kouame, whose bout with Jake Butler has earlier been announced.
Indonesia will have another representative on September 13 as grappling expert Max Metino faces Khmer boxing champion Long Sophy. Metino is a pioneer of mixed martial arts in Indonesia and has coached and mentored numerous mixed martial artists. Sophy is a legend in the Cambodian martial art of Bokator, also known as Khmer boxing. This promises to be a clash of styles as the experienced grappler from Indonesia faces the highly touted striker from Cambodia.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion Almiro Barros will be making his mixed martial arts debut as he faces Australian-Vietnamese Kian Pham. Barros trains out of the famed Evolve MMA in Singapore while Kian Pham has established himself as a top Flyweight in Australia. These Flyweights will look to steal the show with a standout performance at ONE FC: KOJIMA VS LEONE.
Caros Fodor is a hard-nosed MMA veteran who served in the United States Marine Corp and did a tour in Kuwait during the Iraq Invasion. Since leaving the service, he has amassed a mixed martial arts record of 7-3 with an exciting style that has made him a fan favorite. Fodor remained the top ranked Lightweight in Strikeforce throughout his career there and is now looking to extend his winning ways by using his trademark reckless abandon to propel him to his first victory in Asia in his ONE FC debut. Fodor clashes with “Tommy” Yang Seung Ho, who is undefeated in six professional mixed martial arts bouts so far.
MMA: ONE FC finalizes fight card for September 13 in Indonesia | Sports | GMA News Online
It's sunk in by now. Anderson Silva's mind-blowing TKO loss to Chris Weidman happened a little over four weeks ago. A rematch already has been set. Two other UFC champions have since defended their belts without incident. Four more titlists have taken their shiny brass-and-leather straps on a World Tour that visited 11 cities, from New York to London, Stockholm to Rio de Janeiro. The mixed martial arts world might not be fully over the shock of seeing Silva lose for the first time in seven years, but we've moved on.
And so, too, will the SI-com fighter rankings.
Silva has sat atop both our middleweight and pound-for-pound lists for exactly a year, ever since he crushed his nemesis, Chael Sonnen, in their cantankerous rematch. He was already our No. 1 at 185 pounds, but unlike a lot of other rankings out there that had "The Spider" on the top of the P4P list forever, we'd downgraded him to second fiddle following the first Sonnen fight back in 2010. A long string of soaring title defenses as part of an endless win streak is nothing less than impressive, but when you get smothered by a challenger for four rounds and most of the fifth, even a spectacular, last-ditch submission victory doesn't guarantee you top billing in our book. Not until you destroy that same opponent next time around.
But now it's time for a new king of the hill. One could argue for Georges St-Pierre, who's five years into his second reign as UFC welterweight champion and has defended the belt eight times. One could make a case for José Aldo, whose TKO victory over Chan Sung Jung on Saturday night was his seventh UFC/WEC featherweight title defense and 16th straight win overall. Instead, we're just going to knock Silva off the ladder's top rung and ask those right below to climb up one step. Which means ...
Jon Jones is now No. 1.
Again. The UFC light heavyweight champ first took residence at the top of the heap back in May 2012. At the time I wrote, "It would take something extraordinary for 'The Spider' to be unseated from the top spot in the mixed martial arts rankings. Meet something extraordinary. Otherwise known as Jon Jones." What was so extraordinary? "Bones" had just defeated Rashad Evans, the fourth former world champion he'd beaten in a little over a year. He'd toyed with them all.
Jones is still dominating. He's added wins over Vitor Belfort and Chael Sonnen, and next month he takes on Alexander Gustafsson. The challenges are dwindling in the 205-pound division, and new horizons are calling. During the New York stop on the UFC's World Tour, Jones fulfilled a fan request by standing and facing off with heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez. Playfully ... for now.
Read More: A new leader sits atop the throne of MMA rankings after Silva's loss - MMA - Jeff Wagenheim - SI-com
With a boxing career that saw Holly Holm make some mega cash, she opted to end that part of her life to focus on MMA. Her longtime coach Mike Winkeljohn mentioned how she turned away six figure offers for a chance in the MMA world.
"She's turned down a lot of money," said Winkeljohn to MMA Junkie. "I'll throw a figure out there: She turned down a quarter-million dollars because she had decided, hey, I want to do MMA."
As a boxer, Holm fought for 11 years and was 33-2. As for MMA, she's undefeated with four wins. Following a win out of Bellator, Holm inked a deal with Legacy FC. In her debut for them she finished Allanna Jones at Legacy FC 21 in July.
There is no return date for the bantamweight.
Holly Holm Turns Down Six Figure Boxing Contract Over MMA - FightLine-com
One of the better lightweight fighters from the last decade won’t compete anymore in MMA.
Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro, 34, announced his retirement in an interview to Tatame, and leaves the sport with a 20-5 record that includes accomplishments like winning the Cage Rage lightweight title and Shooto welterweight championship.
Ribeiro’s last win happened in 2008, when he stopped Katsuhiko Nagata at Dream 8. In his last three appearances, he suffered decision losses to Shinya Aoki, Lyle Beerbohm and Justin Wilcox.
"Yes, I stopped (fighting)," Vitor told Tatame’s Marcelo Barone. "I have so much things to do that I’d have to cancel a lot of commitments only to fight. There’s no reason why people would offer me an interesting fight with so many talents in the market today. It was great as long it lasted, but I don’t see myself fighting MMA again."
Vitor defeated the likes of Eiji Mitsuoka, Eddie Yagin, Joachim Hansen and Jean Silva in his 20 career victories. He’s happy with what he accomplished, but leaves the sport with one regret.
"I wish I had fought at Pride," he said. "At that time we tried so hard to get something there, but Brazilian Top Team and Chute Boxe were so strong. I was well ranked, I couldn’t understand why they never called me."
As he leaves the sport, he elects Joachim Hansen as his biggest win in MMA.
"Hansen defeated Gomi months before and was demolishing everybody," Ribeiro recalls. "He had a good hand and great Jiu-Jitsu. It was a special moment in my career, defeating him and building my history in Japan with that (Shooto) title."
A fourth-degree black belt in Jiu-Jitsu under Andre Pederneiras, "Shaolin" has won three world titles in Jiu-Jitsu and runs a gym in New York.
Newell, a 27-year-old mixed martial arts fighter with an undeveloped left arm, took the time at the close of training to visit military veteran amputees in Camp Pendleton who are part of the group “Operation Warrior Reconnect.”
“What they’ve done is way more fantastic, more brave, than anything I’ve ever done,” Newell said. “Sacrificing your life for our country, that’s something.”
But what Newell, a native of New England, saw back in the Marines’ eyes gave him pause: Their appreciation of him.
“Those guys have lost limbs too, or had significant damage to them,” Newell said. “I think all of us knew even if the odds are against you, you can accomplish things.”
Newell, who won more than 300 wrestling matches in high school and his small college, is 9-0 while fighting with the birth condition known as a congenital amputation, which caused his left arm’s growth to be stopped just past the elbow.
Saturday, on the undercard of the NBC Sports Network-televised World Series of Fighting at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, Newell will fight Keon Caldwell (9-1, nine knockouts) with the winner getting invited to a four-fighter tournament for the WSOF 155-pound belt.
“It’s a tough, dangerous fight,” Newell said. “He’s a talented competitor. But I got in this to test myself, not to get any favors.”
Newell, asked to identify his strengths, said, “My ability to mix it up, to keep people guessing.
“And my heart.
“I don’t care when people ask about my arm. I’m asked about it in every interview. I have my answers. Look, I’ve been through this my whole life. And I love my life.”
Saturday’s fight card includes a main-event battle between Angel De Anda and Tyrone Spong, a gifted kick boxer-striker trained by Miguel Cotto’s former trainer, Pedro Diaz.
Tickets remain on sale, priced at $29-$199, with special pricing for members of the military.
One-armed MMA fighter Nick Newell competes in Ontario on Saturday - latimes-com
Testosterone Replacement Therapy has been a heavily debated issue in MMA. For me personally it is simple, are they using synthetic testosterone? If the answer is yes, then they are cheaters unless there is a medical condition which does not allow their bodies to produce testosterone such as hypogonadism.
What the majority of these athletes are doing is taking advantage of a loophole in the rules. They are using TRT because their bodies do not produce testosterone anymore, but why? In most cases, it is because they have abused steroids for so long that their bodies do not produce it naturally.
Vitor Belfort is probably one of the most talked about fighters when it comes to this form of therapy. There have been drastic changes in Vitor’s physique and abilities in the octagon between his twenties and late thirties.
Vitor Belfort used steroids in his past and is now riding the TRT train. He walks around with his holier than now BS trying to justify his use of TRT. Saying things like, “It makes the fight fair”, or “I am not doing anything illegal.”
Vitor likes to say that his body is getting older, and it just does not produce enough testosterone anymore, when the reality is that he did steroids, and now his body just does not produce testosterone naturally.
He would like us all to believe that TRT in no way enhances a fighter’s performance that all the advancements are a result of hard work in the gym. I do not doubt that all of these fighters are working hard in the gym. That is one of the advantages of elevated levels of testosterone. It allows them to work out harder and for longer periods of time, recover faster from hard workouts, makes them stronger, faster and more aggressive. Yeah, I don't doubt that all that time in the gym has made them better.
When has Vitor ever looked as solid and shredded as he does now? When has he ever been as nimble and athletic as he is now? When has he ever ended a fight with a roundhouse and spinning heel kick? Never, that is when. This is just not the way the human body works. Fighters do not just get more athletic, quick and agile in their late thirties. That just does not happen. The male body begins to slow down. It can not recover the way it used to it just gets slower. They lose some power, their reflexes slowdown they are just not the same athlete as they were in their mid twenties.
Do not get me wrong there are certain aspects of a fighter's game that do improve with age; they get more crafty, their techniques become crisper, and they become a lot more intelligent in the octagon, but they lose some athleticism. They do not start knocking guys out with explosive spinning techniques when they never had that athleticism.
This needs to be taken care of by the UFC, and the commissions because it is getting way out of control, and fighters are taking advantage of it. It has become a “legal” way for them to use steroids, without worrying about repercussions.
Fighters using TRT are robbing clean fighters of opportunity. It reminds me of when Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were battling for the home run title and both of them were on steroids. Fans remember them but what about poor Ken Griffey who was putting up huge numbers but getting no recognition because of these two juice monkeys. The same thing is happening in the UFC, and something has to be done because it is getting out of hand.
Something Has To Be Done About TRT In MMA | MMA | Vitor Belfort
UFC’s Jason “Mayhem” Miller released from jail early Monday on $50,000 bail after being held Sunday in Mission Viejo.
Former mixed martial arts star Jason "Mayhem" Miller was arrested early Sunday on charges of domestic violence.
The arrest occurred at around 6:30 a.m. in Mission Viejo, said Orange County Sheriff Department Lt. Jeff Hallock. Details about the incident that led to Miller's arrest were not immediately available. Miller, 32, was released from Men's Central Jail in Santa Ana early Monday on $50,000 bail. A booking sheet lists Miller's occupation as a fighter.
Mixed martial arts won't return to Showtime this year.
Stephen Espinoza, Showtime executive vice president of sports and event programming, ruled out any chance of the network linking up with a new MMA promotion in the coming months.
"We are continuing to evaluate MMA opportunities," Espinoza said, "but given our very busy programming slate for the rest of 2013, any new MMA programming would have to debut in 2014."
The last MMA event to air on the premium sports network was Strikeforce's final show on Jan. 12. Coincidentally, since then, the network has risen to prominence with its boxing coverage, which leaves one to wonder how its improved boxing programming could have helped elevate an MMA brand.
Showtime's first MMA event was on Feb. 10, 2007, which was EliteXC's inaugural card.
Showtime rules out MMA return in 2013 - MMA Fighting
If MMA fighter War Machine is as good at winning fights as he is at getting into trouble, he will be one of the all-time greats in his sport.
See, War Machine — aka Jonathan Koppenhaver — has had more than his share of drama in his 31 years. His story involves: a rough childhood; getting kicked out of The Citadel; getting kicked out of UFC and Bellator; a short-lived porn career; and multiple arrests.
He's been out of jail for almost a year, which is good. But he's on Twitter, which is bad. 'Cause he tweets offensive stuff almost by the minute.
Josh Hill and Jessica Rakoczy are now officially in the house.
On Thursday, the Ultimate Fighting Championship confirmed what The Spectator reported earlier this week: that the two Hamilton mixed martial artists are contestants on the reality show The Ultimate Fighter.
Taping of the show — which puts a group of fighters in a Las Vegas mansion to live together even as they have to face each other in fights to eliminate each other until one winner is left standing — is already completed. The first episode airs Sept. 4 on Sportsnet.
This is the first season that both men and women are competing on the show, though not against each other. The winners of the show earn a six-figure contract to fight in the UFC. Meanwhile, the exposure it provides will be huge for both of their careers.
Hill is 9-0 in his professional career and is considered the top bantamweight in Canada. The 26-year-old is a Saltfleet Secondary grad who used to play hockey for the Jr. C Glanbrook Rangers.
The 36-year-old Rakoczy has won multiple world boxing titles and has recently moved to MMA. She was Hill Park Secondary's female athlete of the year in 1997.
Hamiltonians confirmed as MMA reality show contestants
The railway at the centre of the Lac-Mégantic derailment has a conditional — and brief — extension of its operating license in Canada.
Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway Ltd. submitted a request to extend its cessation of operations to Oct. 1, according to a statement issued late Friday by the Canadian Transportation Agency.
The company provided “new facts and information demonstrating adequate third party liability insurance for the short term,” a release issued to the media said.
“Based on the new evidence provided today, the agency is satisfied that this provides adequate third party liability insurance coverage for operation from Aug. 20 to Oct. 1, 2013,” the statement said.
That variance is conditional on MMA filing with the agency by Aug. 23 confirmation that it has secured funds for the required self-insured portion.
If that is not done, MMA’s suspension will take effect at 5 p.m. on Aug. 23, the statement said.
On Tuesday, the federal regulator said that MAA had not been able to restore adequate third-party liability insurance after the July 6 disaster.
A runaway train convoy carrying crude oil derailed and exploded in the heart of Lac-Mégantic early July 6, killing 47 people, levelling a part of the town and spilling millions of litres of crude oil.
The U.S.-based MMA, which has sought bankruptcy protection in Canada and the U.S., was to have its “certificate of fitness” suspended. That suspension was to take effect Aug. 20.
On Tuesday, the agency’s CEO and chair, Geoff Hare, said the decision to suspend MMA’s license was not “made lightly” given the economic impact the cessation of operations would have on the communities served by MMA and MMA employees.
MMA and its Canadian subsidiary “were given full and fair opportunity to demonstrate that they have secured adequate third-party liability insurance coverage for their ongoing operations, which is a legislative requirement to operate a railway in Canada,” Hare said in a statement Tuesday.
Friday’s statement was issued to some reporters close to 6.30 p.m. Comment could not be obtained from the regulator nor could confirmation.
MMA may get extension of its license to operate in Canada
So for Dana White, who famously has said he expects the UFC to be bigger in America than the NFL, bigger worldwide even than soccer, it was time for his behemoth mixed martial arts promotion to stand and deliver.
It did so, in a way, even before the first punch was thrown. The UFC put together a 13-fight card that seemed guaranteed to rock the Garden. Five former champions, if you count not just the UFC but its cousin promotions the WEC and Strikeforce. Five onetime UFC main eventers. The hometown fighter who'd pocketed more performance bonus checks than anyone this side of Anderson Silva. And let's not forget the Irishman on whom the promotion has shined a spotlight usually reserved for men or women with brass-and-leather belts around their waists. This deck was stacked.
Of course, that assessment is in the oft-cited but ultimately meaningless sports venue known as "on paper." Sure, the list of fights looked mighty impressive. Would the fights be?
Well, let's start with the main event, which the UFC innovatively presented early in the evening. When the lights dimmed, the first strains of Boston band Dropkick Murphys' iconic "Shipping Up to Boston" filled the air and Conor McGregor started toward the octagon ...
Oh, wait, that wasn't actually the main event. It was just a prelim, eighth down on the bill. But we've got some momentum going here, so let's continue with what we can at least safely designate as the Boston fans' main event. During the Irishman's walkout, the thought occurred that Garden officials would have been wise to have roofers on hand to install a new one atop the home of the Bruins and Celtics after fans blew the current ceiling to the sky. Then McGregor put on a performance that didn't exactly provide his adoring public with what it wanted, but did give the UFC featherweight division something to think about.
McGregor won, all right, but he never threatened to knock out Max Holloway as he had 12 of the previous 13 men he'd beaten. Conor was stepping up in competition in his second UFC fight, so there was that. And he revealed after his unanimous-decision win that his knee had popped in the second round. Which explained his decision to take the fight to the ground for the latter part of the fight, after being his stalking, talking standup self early on. So maybe the hype train now will hit a slow stretch of track, but watching McGregor take the combat where he needed it to be and gracefully advance position -- despite working with one leg that had him limping out of the cage afterward -- showed that he's got game no matter what and where.
But we digress ... which is easy to do when discussing a fight card whose real main event was a light heavyweight battle between one fighter who'd already said he's headed right to middleweight and another who'd noticeably slowed since steamrolling to a brief reign as champion. Still, Chael Sonnen vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua is a fight no one is going to ignore, and for not averting our eyes we were rewarded with a virtuosic performance that answered a question: What does a two-fight losing streak really mean when those two losses were to the two greatest fighters on the planet?
That question was resoundingly answered by Sonnen, who back in April had been pummeled by Jon Jones in a light heavyweight title shot he'd earned, in the bizarre world of UFC matchmaking, by being knocked out last summer by then-middleweight king Anderson Silva. Well, on this night Chael showed that he belongs at the top of the heap, or at least in the vicinity, by simply outclassing Rua. The 36-year-old had the Brazilian on his back while octagon announcer Bruce Buffer's "It's time!" was still echoing in the rafters. And even after "Shogun" worked his way to his feet and put Chael in an unfamiliar position, on his back, the relentless wrestler quickly reversed position. Then Rua tried to get to his feet again, and this time Sonnen clamped on a guillotine choke. And pulled guard.
Hadn't seen that one before. Apparently "Shogun" wasn't expecting it, either, because he had no defense for the choke and tapped out at 4:37. The only other time the 31-year-old had been finished in the first round was when he broke his arm in a fight with Mark Coleman way back in 2006. His reputation is that of one who's too tough to be finished. Sonnen changed that by making this entirely his fight.
And then he asked for another fight. "Wanderlei Silva ..." he began, at which point we stopped listening because we'd heard that mocking callout so many times before. But even though we didn't want to hear it, we'll be watching if the UFC makes the fight.
There were plenty of other fights to think about on a card that was anything but top-heavy. And I'm not even referring back to Conor McGregor. Let's review:
In the heavyweight co-main event, we saw Alistair Overeem put a severe beating on Travis Browne ... for the first minute or so. The Reem cut down the 6-foot-7 Hawaiian with a body shot, then swarmed him on the mat with nearly two dozen unanswered right hands to the head. Browne's arms blocked many of those shots, but with him doing no more than turtling up, not returning fire, not trying to get up, the bout appeared to be close to a stoppage. Mario Yamasaki let them go, though, and eventually Travis did work his way to his feet. And he noticed something. Overeem looked to have unleashed all he had. "As soon as I felt him slow down," said Browne, " I knew it was my game." The big guy's game was to unleash kicks toward the body and face, and eventually one landed flush on Overeem's chin and ... tiiiiiiimber. The former Strikeforce belt holder went down like an old oak struck by lightning, Browne pounced, and one shot to the chin was all it took for the comeback kid to finish the job at 4:08 of the first round.
Actually, that "Comeback Kid" nickname might already have been claimed by the man usually known as "The California Kid." Urijah Faber put on one
So, what’s a college senior majoring in philosophy doing in Mixed Martial Arts, a sport so savage it makes boxing look civilized?
“I’ve been curious about MMA since I was a kid watching UFC,” said Jake Bunker, 23, former Elk River wrestler who made his MMA debut with a victory Saturday evening at the Anoka Armory.
Bunker had limited success as a wrestler, but when he moved on to judo and then Jiu jitsu in the five years since high school, he won a few tournaments.
“Jiu jitsu and MMA allows you to fight from your back,” he said. “Wrestling was a little too much of a sport and not close enough to martial arts.” Bunker was recruited by another former Elk wrestler, and current MMA fighter, Jim Clark, who recently purchased a promotion company and was looking for fighters. One bond between the two pugilists is their interest in philosophy, which Clark has studied intensely and taught.
The event Saturday was Clark’s second, with five amateur bouts and four pro bouts. Bunker was introduced as Jake “The Viking” Bunker. “It was fun. A whole ‘nother experience,” said Bunker, “like nothing I have ever done.”
Facing Kiel McGrath, a Californian with a 1-1 record, Bunker was almost taken out in the first half minute as McGrath threw some punches including a left hook to the temple that staggered the former Elk.
“I can’t really remember that,” Bunker grinned, “but I remember reaching at him to try get a grip on him.”
The 5-foot-11, 170-pound Bunker managed to wrap up his opponent at the waist, then worked his way up the torso and took him down. That’s when Bunker’s wrestling and Jiu jitsu skills easily trumped McGrath’s big edge as a puncher.
“Instinct took over when I got my mount, and I let my hands go,” said Bunker.
A flurry of punches made McGrath cover his face, and even though many of them missed, the official called the match because McGrath was unable to defend himself in that position.
Clark said he knew once they were on the mat that Bunker had him.
“I’d like to work with Jake more on standing up,” said Clark, “because he took some shots I’d like to see him avoid, but his Jiu jitsu is off the charts.”
Bunker did find it a bit amusing that he trained twice a day, five days a week, for several weeks, for what turned out to be about two minutes in the ring.
“But if I hadn’t trained like that, he would have won with that one shot.”
One victory is just a start, of course, but Bunker indicated he might not get back in the ring anytime soon. His senior year at the U of M starts in September and “that has to be my focus.”
Former Elk Jake Bunker's MMA debut is quick, furious, successful | Star News
MMA has a way of aging people prematurely. That's just my observation. I'm no doctor, but it's probably got something to do with getting hit in the face and head a lot, constant heavy-contact training, major repeated weight cuts and so on. It's my gut feeling.
But the sport tends to age some more quickly than others. Here are the five MMA fighters who appear to be aging in dog years.
Pictures: 5 Oldest-Looking Fighters in MMA | Bleacher Report
On Tuesday's episode of UFC Tonight, it was reported that Stefan Struve has been diagnosed with a leaking aortic valve, as well an enlarged heart. Struve is currently in good spirits but is still waiting to see if he will be able to resume his promising MMA career.
Below is a detailed statement from Struve's manager Lex McMahon about Struve's condition and his future.
"Stefan Struve has recently been diagnosed with a leaking aortic valve and an enlarged heart and was hospitalized for a week to undergo testing to determine the best course of treatment. The doctors found that Stefan has a bicuspid aortic valve, wich means that his aortic valve only has two leaflets, instead of three.
The aortic valve regulates blood flow from the heart into the aorta, the major blood vessel that brings blood to the body. In combination with the enlarged heart it causes his heart to only pump 70 percent of the blood into the aorta and then the rest of his body, and the remaining 30 percent ends up back in the heart chamber. After consulting experts in both Holland and the United States, it was decided to treat the condition with medication for the next two months and asses the effectiveness of that treatment protocol. After those 2 months, the doctors will have an answer on what the best treatment options are.
At the direction of his doctors, Stefan has now been released from the hospital and has resumed light cardiovascular exercise. Stefan fully appreciates the significance of the condition he has been diagnosed with, however, he is optimistic about the eventual outcome and fully plans on living a long, healthy, active, happy life and eventually returning to competition in the octagon for his quest to become the UFC Heavyweight Champion.
Stefan loves the UFC and plans on being involved with company as a fighter and ambassador for years to come. Stefan wants to thank all the fans who have supported him thus far in his career as well as the UFC, Dana White, Lorenzo Fertita, Joe Silva, Dr. Jeff Davidson, the entire staff of the UFC, and his fellow fighters for affording him the opportunity to compete on the biggest stage of the sport of MMA, as well as a tremendous degree of support during this trying time. In particular Stefan wants to thank Dana White, Lorenzo Fertita, & Joe Silva for immediately getting engaged with this issue and providing Stefan access to the best possible medical care. Stefan will be sharing his experiences as he deals with this medical condition in the hopes that he can serve as a role model by helping to create awareness and inspire others to fight through adversity."
Statement regarding Stefan Struve's heart condition - MMA Fighting
There's something about the sweet science that keeps it the sport of choice locally and in the Lone Star State.
Said Greg Alvarez, administrator for the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, which regulates combat sports in the state: "Boxing is king in Texas, and especially San Antonio."
Boxing vs. MMA. It's a debate that has raged for nearly a decade, ever since the TDLR began regulating mixed martial arts — a sport that combines boxing, wrestling and jiu jitsu — in 2004.
Read more about the debate at Express-News-com
Boxing vs. MMA: Popularity contest goes old school - San Antonio Express-News
Red droplets won't stop falling from Steve Mocco's nose.
"It's been bleeding for a while," he said, not needing to be asked before saying something. "You just tap it and it starts bleeding."
Drip. Drip.
The pattern held steady during half-minute intervals, and Mocco made proper use of the paper towel that was balled up in his meaty right hand. Moments after his third professional MMA victory, a decision against Lew Polley, Mocco smothered a folding chair inside his StubHub Center locker room, nodded, dabbed the drips away, and smiled.
Accomplished wrestlers like the two-time NCAA super-heavyweight champion -- one of seven men that comprised the 2008 Olympic freestyle team -- seem to go about their business as if these type of scenarios are normal. Drip. Drip. It's comfortable. Almost reassuring.
Standing a shade under 6-feet, the 260-pound "Bear" is among four members from the '08 freestyle crew doing well in MMA. Mocco, Daniel Cormier, Ben Askren and Henry Cejudo have a smooth 31-0 combined record.
"We all did what normally you do after wrestling," Cormier said. "Just we fight, too."
Positive results have prompted chatter about their success to "pick up steam," said Cormier, who served as team captain at the Beijing Games. When kidney failure tied to weight-cutting prevented him from competing in consecutive Olympics, Cormier shifted his focus to MMA.
Today he's 12-0, widely considered a top-three heavyweight, and is closing in on a UFC title opportunity.
Prior to this new life, Cormier's old one in Oklahoma was uninspired.
Work and video games occupied much of his time, which wasn’t going to cut it after a lifetime pursuing pure competition. Cormier struggled, understandably, and a couple of times had to rely on his close friend and fellow national team wrestler, Muhammed Lawal, to help pay the mortgage.
"It was hard," Cormier said. "After retiring from wrestling, I didn't have much."
The sport of mixed martial arts became a legitimate option after Cormier saw how well "King Mo" did while fighting in Japan. "You should do it," Lawal liked to tell him. In fact, Lawal is credited with planting the MMA seed in the minds of the '08 wrestlers. Being repetitive and consistent, like Mocco's drip, drip, apparently worked.
MMA was familiar to the group, of course. They enjoyed discussing the sport, but it certainly didn't consume them during the run to Beijing.
"I don't think it was ever a 'plan,' " Askren said. "Just each of us found our own way to MMA."
Being in the right place at the right time had a lot to do with that.
During the 2004 Olympic cycle, UFC had yet to launch "The Ultimate Fighter" reality show. Four years later, UFC was pulling huge pay-per-view numbers and attracting many of the sport's best fighters because that's where the money was flowing after the demise of Japanese MMA.
It was no coincidence, Askren said, that "you've got the seven best [wrestlers in America], and four of them decide to do MMA."
Currently a free agent after defending the Bellator MMA welterweight belt last month for the fourth time, Askren (12-0) said he'd like to wind up in the Octagon, which would bring him closer to being the No. 1 welterweight in the world. After falling short of qualifying for the 2012 Games, Cejudo and Mocco made their moves and have been busy. Cejudo, a gold medalist in '08, made his MMA debut this spring. He won his first four fights with little problem, and his next contest is expected to be announced on Monday.
Cejudo is regarded as a top prospect in the flyweight division. Mocco, meanwhile, stepped into the cage for the first time last year. Of the four Olympians, he most resembles a work in progress.
"I don't want to compare myself to them yet," Mocco said. "I feel like I have a lot more to prove. They're established, good fighters."
Facing a late replacement during Friday's Resurrection Fighting Alliance 9 card, Mocco engineered a decision win that didn't please many fans seated in the outdoor venue. Still, he showed up punching, and grappled as he pleased. Mocco and his camp, headed by American Top Team's Ricardo Liborio, sounded satisfied. As satisfied as they can be, at least.
"A lot of people expect too much from Steve," Liborio said. "He's a great name in wrestling. There's a lot of expectations of Steve as a contender, and there's no doubt that he's going to be. We just need more time. That's why he's in RFA now. I think there's enough contenders here, people with quality, that we can achieve our goal to get to the UFC and stay."
Competitors on Mocco's level understand the formula well. Work hard, make the most of what you have, and anything can happen. The heavyweight looked noticeably slower against Polley than he should have. He said he needs to work on resetting after exchanging on the feet. There are many nuances yet to be discovered.
"He'll get the most out of what he got," Liborio said. "He'll find out if he can be UFC champion or not."
"I'd like to think so," Mocco said between drips, "but we'll find out one way or the other."
2008 Olympic wrestlers still perfect in MMA - Mixed Martial Arts Blog - ESPN
Santiago Ponzinibbio will finally make his UFC debut.
The Argentina-native, who was forced to withdraw from TUF Brazil 2 final due to an arm injury, is set to battle undefeated Ryan Laflare at UFC Fight Night 32, on Nov. 9 in Goiania, Brazil.
Sources close to the situation confirmed the match-up to MMAFighting-com.
A member of Team Nogueira at TUF Brasil 2, Ponzinibbio defeated Thiago Santos, Marcio Santos and Cleiton Duarte to advance to the finals, but broke his arm in his decision win over Leonardo Santos. He enters the Octagon with a 18-1 record, with 10 knockouts and 6 submissions.
Undefeated in MMA, Laflare made his successful UFC debut with a unanimous decision win over Ben Alloway last April, and has finished all his 7 previous opponents.
UFC Fight Night 32 will be headlined by a light-heavyweight contest between Dan Henderson and Vitor Belfort.
The move follows legislation passed by the federal government in June that legalized professional boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA). That legislation, Bill S-209, also amended the Criminal Code to allow each individual province to grant permission for a “contest between amateur athletes in a combative sport with fists, hands or feet.”
“They (the federal government) said to the provinces, essentially, that it was up to us to make a determination as to which of the amateur combat sports would be legal and how we wanted to deal with those,” B.C. Athletic Commissioner Dave Maedel said in an interview Friday.
Maedel’s office will now regulate mixed martial arts, kick-boxing, pankration and Muay Thai, meaning people will now need permission to hold any of those events.
“I’ll look to ensure the events are properly arranged, that the safety of the participants is the No. 1 priority for everybody,” he said, adding his office has the authority to deny permission for any of these events if it is not satisfied the requirements have been met.
The federal regulation also allowed the provinces to exempt certain combat sports from regulation, and B.C. announced Friday it has decided to allow wushu, karate, kung fu, grappling and jiu jitsu events to happen without oversight by the commissioner.
The federal rules also allow exemptions for amateur Olympic and Paralympic sports, meaning boxing, wrestling, tae kwon do and judo will also take place in B.C. without regulation.
Maedel said the province opted to regulate the four sports on the list because of safety.
“There’s a higher risk of injury in these sports,” he said. “Seeing as the No. 1 priority of the province is the safety of the participants, that’s why we’ve chosen those four to be overseen by my office.”
In a news release, Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development Coralee Oakes thanked those who have been waiting for the new rules.
“I know how passionate organizations are about promoting amateur combat sport,” she said.
“I want to thank them for their patience while government took the time needed to make the right decision on regulations.”
Read more: B.C. regulates MMA and three other combat sports