5 Reasons Why Chris Lytle Could Beat Brian Ebersole

Although all eyes are mostly focused on the super-fight between BJ Penn and Jon Fitch to determine who gets the next shot at the UFC Welterweight Championship, UFC 127 ?Penn vs. Fitch? also features a key Welterweight showdown between Chris Lytle and Brian Ebersole. That match is the focus of today?s new entry into my [...]

Tony DeSouza  Edwin Dewees  Nick Diaz  Tadhg Steamfist Dixon Joe Doerksen 

For you Maniacs making the trip to Louisville for the upcoming UFC on Versus 3 event set to go down...

Ray Cooper  Kit Cope  Wesley Cabbage Correira  Patrick The Predator Côté  Randy The Natural Couture 

BJ Penn vs. Jon Fitch: Gracie Breakdown

Dan Bobish Vagam Bodjukyan Kotetsu Boku  Tony Bonello Stephan Bonnar

STRIKEFORCE NEWS: Bigfoot's manager responds to psychic comments from Fedor's coaches

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Two of Fedor Emelianenko's coaches took a lot of heat on Wednesday when translated comments from Russian new reports made the rounds, featuring a number of ridiculous statements regarding Fedor's loss to Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva. Now, Bigfoot's manager Alex Davis has responded in the only appropriate manner.

If you missed yesterday's comments, here's what Vladimir Voronov had to say in an interview with Lifesports.ru.

"We believe that forbidden psychological technology was used," Voronov said in an interview with Lifesports.ru (translated by Fighter's Only). "It seems to us that not everything was right, and that certain technologies were used. Not ones that could be seen by the naked eye but psychological technologies that worked on both fighters at a distance.

"That is why during the fight Fedor was just not like himself. It seemed very strange behaviour from Fedor. He stepped into the ring and did everything exactly the opposite of what we practiced before the fight. We were all shocked! Fedor had never previously done such a thing.

"Now nearly a week passes, everything settles, and we understand why all this happened."

Now, M-1 Global's Evgeni Kogan made a claim on Twitter that it was a joke and that his comments were lost in translation. However, there have been others that have translated the comments from Russian that state nothing was lost in translation and that these comments were made to media at the airport when Fedor and his camp returned to Russia.

Here is Davis' response, posted on The Underground Forum:

"Jeez!! I got cought! I will have to come out with the truth now! I hired a Macumbeiro (Brazilian [witch doctor]) and we killed a black chicken on the cross roads. After this, over a few beers, I showed the witch Dr Fedor's fights, and he was worried that a chicken wouldnt be anough, so we went out and killed a black goat, just to make sure! Very potent stuff! Realy messed Fedors brain waves up!"

"We wanted to try that other military stuff Voronov is talking about,but its expensive technology and we were broke! The chicken and the goat came out way cheaper. Witch Dr is a friend, did it for a few beers and an autograph!"

Penick's Analysis: Davis' joke/mocking response was perfect. It's safe to say Bigfoot and his camp come out looking a lot better than Fedor's coaches. It was interesting reading Kogan's comments trying to downplay Voronov's statement yesterday, then later trying to clarify that Fedor's management and coaches are different entities, an attempt to distance themselves from the statements. Still, Davis hit the right chord with this one, and can bring some laughs to the situation after some ridiculousness out of Russia.

Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves  Andre Amade 

Paul Daley Misses Weight for Fifth Time in 11 Fights

by Michael David SmithPaul Daley missed weight on Friday for his welterweight fight on Saturday. And this is not a rerun.

Daley, the former UFC fighter who's expected to contend for the Strikeforce welterweight title this spring, has a bout scheduled on Saturday against DEEP welterweight champion Yuya Shirai in Manchester, England, with the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts welterweight title on the line. But Daley came in at 172 pounds, two pounds over the 170-pound welterweight limit, at Friday's weigh-in.

Given another chance, Daley came in at a final weight of 170.4, which is still over the limit for a welterweight title fight. As a result, the bout is now a non-title affair.

Daley's history of missing weight includes coming in at 171.75 at Shark Fights 14 in September of 2010, coming in at 172 for UFC 108 in January of 2010, coming in at 171.5 for MFC 20 in February of 2009 and coming in at 174 for MFC 19 in December of 2008. So this marks the fifth time Daley has missed weight in his last 11 fights.

 

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Siyar Bahadurzada Bao Ligao  Josh Barnett  David Baron  Phil Baroni

Tweets of the Week - 2/18

Tadhg Steamfist Dixon Joe Doerksen  Chris Dolman Edson Drago  Tomasz Drwal

Poll results: Best place to train MMA? Albuquerque, California or Las Vegas?

If you're an up-and-coming mixed-martial-arts prospect and hoping to take your training to the next level, where would you move?

That's the question we asked in our latest MMAjunkie.com/"Inside MMA" poll.

Voters could chose from areas such as Las Vegas (for Xtreme Couture, the TapouT Training Center and other gyms); Albuquerque, N.M. (Greg Jackson MMA); Coconut Creek, Fla. (American Top Team) and others.

Mikhail Avetisyan Luiz Azeredo  Luciano Azevedo  Ba Te er  Ryan Bader 

Paul Daley earns BAMMA 5 victory, sets up Strikeforce title shot

Top Strikeforce welterweight contender Paul Daley sidestepped a land mine and set up an upcoming title shot against champion Nick Diaz with an outside-the-promotion victory over Yuya Shira.

The bout, which initially was billed as a title fight until Daley narrowly missed weight on Friday, headlined Saturday's BAMMA 5 event in Manchester, England.

Daley needed fewer than two minutes to knock out the Japanese fighter and judo specialist.

Kit Cope  Wesley Cabbage Correira  Patrick The Predator Côté  Randy The Natural Couture  Dan Cramer

UFC 127 Post-Fight Press Conference Video

by Michael David SmithAfter the action in the Octagon is over, the UFC 127 fighters have one more obligation: the UFC 127 post-fight press conference. We'll carry the video live right here at MMAFighting.com.

At the post-fight press conference, the UFC reveals the winners of the Fight of the Night, Knockout of the Night and Submission of the Night, and winning fighters talk about what happened inside the cage.

The post-fight press conference will start shortly after the main event ends (around 1 AM ET) and the video is below.

 

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Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves  Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger 

UFC NEWS: Matt Hamill feels he's a "much more complete mixed martial artist" than Rampage Jackson

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson wasn't too thrilled with taking a fight with Matt Hamill at UFC 130, until he found out Hamill requested the fight. That prompted a response from him saying he was going to "knock him into tomorrow" when they meet in May.

Now Hamill has made some comments about the fight, and says he believes he's a more complete fighter than the former Champ.

"I'm just glad Rampage accepted the fight," Hamill said in an interview with MMAjunkie.com. "I had my doubts if he would or not. I'm glad he's so motivated. He won't have any excuses when I beat him. I will prove I belong in the title mix at 205 (pounds).

"'Rampage' is an old-school brawler. I'm much more of a complete mixed martial artist. I have the heart to break his will, and I will make 'Rampage' very uncomfortable in this fight."

His manager, Duff Holmes, also commented on the fight, which took him out of a potential matchup with Phil Davis at UFC 129.

"If anything it will be an easier fight strategically than preparing for Phil Davis," Holmes said. "It's no secret that 'Rampage' likes to stand and bang. That's the reason I'll buy any pay per view that he's fighting on. He's always exciting to watch. I think Matt has the chin to take his best shot, the power in his hands to answer, and the skills and strength to put him in some bad situations on the ground."

UFC 130 takes place Memorial Day weekend from Las Vegas, headlined by a Lightweight Championship rematch between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard.

Link to Original Source Article

Penick's Analysis: Technically Holmes may be right on that assessment, as Rampage hasn't used his ground game with any regularity in his UFC career. Davis presents a much more dynamic style to have to worry about at this point, but that's not to say Rampage isn't an extremely difficult fight. Hamill's got a good overall game, but his striking won't be up to Rampage's, and if he can't take Jackson down and work his wrestling game, he'll be in a lot of trouble. Still, comments like these will likely rile Rampage up a bit, which should hopefully in turn help him get more motivated for this matchup. It's not the most entertaining or inspiring bout, but I'm holding out hope that it will be a good fight regardless.

Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves  Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger 

Houston Alexander vs. James Irvin II targeted for Shark Fights 14

Nearly three years after light heavyweight Houston Alexander (11-6) found himself pacing the octagon in confusion mere seconds after touching gloves with James Irvin (15-8), he'll get a second chance...

Tadhg Steamfist Dixon Joe Doerksen  Chris Dolman Edson Drago  Tomasz Drwal

BELLATOR NEWS: Richard "Rare Breed" Hale joins season four light heavyweight tournament

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Bellator is getting closer to filling up their season four light heavyweight tournament, as they announced on Wednesday the addition of Richard "Rare Breed" Hale to the field.

"Richard is another guy we have had our eye on for a while, and his size and experience should enable him to make some noise this season," said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney.

Hale brings a 15-2-1 record into the tournament, a record that includes fights from light heavyweight to super heavyweight. But the 6'4" fighter says 205 lbs. suits him best.

"I absolutely feel like I'm more powerful and explosive at 205 pounds,? said Hale. "My strength and my stamina is better, and just everything all around. With the weight cut and everything, it pushes me to be a better athlete."

"I'm looking at this tournament as an opportunity to display my skills to the world. I feel like this is my opportunity to make a statement and I'm absolutely going to take advantage of it. I'm not coming to Bellator just to put on a fight; I'm coming to put on an entertaining fight. This is an entertainment sport, so my opponents have to be ready for anything.

Hale joins Nik Fekete, Chris Davis, D.J. Linderman, and Tim Carpenter as the confirmed participants thus far for Bellator's fourth season light heavyweight tournament.

Luke Cummo  Jeff Big Frog Curran Dai Shuanghai  Mac Danzig Karen Darabedyan

UFC 127: "Penn vs. Fitch" Picks And Predictions

We?re now only a few days away from UFC 127 “Penn vs. Fitch”. In the main event, BJ Penn takes on Jon Fitch for the next shot at the UFC Welterweight Championship.. The co-main event will also be an interesting match-up, as Michael Bisping and Jorge Rivera look to settle a bitter war of words [...]

Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves  Andre Amade 

UFC 127 Prelims: Pearson Outlasts Fisher; Hunt, Perosh Win

Pat Barry  Vitor Belfort  Robert Berry David Bielkheden Michael Bisping 

Little person Freeland leads a troupe of little guys at California fight card tonight

With the merger of the WEC into the UFC, Zuffa just pushed the 135 and 145-lb weight classes to the forefront. Is it too soon to start talking about the 125ers?

There are several prominent flyweights featured on a Tachi Palace card in Lemoore, California, who'd like to be the next small fighters to step into the spotlight.

The Visalia Times Delta says Tachi Palace Fights 8 (free stream on MMAjunkie.com - 8:30 p.m. ET) is essentially holding its own 125-tournament tonight:

TPF 125-pound champion Ulysses Gomez (7-1) will defend his title in a 5-round bout against Darrell Montague (8-1), and Jussier da Silva (9-0), who is regarded as the world's top 125-pound fighter, will put his undefeated record on the line against World Extreme Cagefighting veteran Ian McCall (8-2).

Tachi Palace Fighting knows it has something specials with the flyweights. 

"It is the most important weight class we have," said Tachi Palace entertainment coordinator Jeremy Luchau. "Some people do see it as a tournament because we have some of the best guys in the world. It is an opportunity for guys who have been in our promotion to showcase their skills against some of the top fighters from around the world."

There's also a ton of intrigue around the debut of another small fighter, but this guy is a little thicker. Tyler Freeland, a little person at just 4-foot-11, is making his pro debut.

Freeland, nicknamed "Hulk Hands," put together an impressive 16-4 mark in the amateur ranks. 

"It’s dwarfism, a bone disorder where my bones stopped growing," Freeland told Sherdog.com in describing his hypochondroplasia. "I’m about four eleven, but I tell everyone I’m five feet. I need that extra inch."

Walking around 160 pounds, Freeland is no tiny guy. But he realizes, he'd have a tough time at 155 pounds, where many of the fighters are in the 5-9 to 5-11 range. He'll make his debut at 145 and hopes to eventually get down to 135. Freeland, 26, recently began training at Las Vegas' TapouT Training Center with Shawn Tompkins.

Tompkins said just like any fighter, Freeland, 26, has to work around certain limitations.

"With his height, it’s always harder to strike with someone taller than you," Tompkins says, "but it’s harder to wrestle with someone shorter. Their level-change is so much faster than yours."

He said Freeland has something you can't necessarily teach.

"What most impressed me is that he has a lot of power in his hands," he adds. "He’s got KO power and very big hands. He hits hard and is very precise. He has a really good wrestling pedigree. I’ve just been banking on rounding his game out, keeping him safe from submissions and working on his standup. We’ve been having fun and building from there."

Freeland faces Diego Melendez. They met in the amateur ranks and Melendez won via triangle. Freeland says he took that fight on short notice and things will be different this time.

Shinya Aoki  Andrei Arlovski  Ricardo Arona  Noboru Asahi Marcus Aurelio 

Little person Freeland leads a troupe of little guys at California fight card tonight

With the merger of the WEC into the UFC, Zuffa just pushed the 135 and 145-lb weight classes to the forefront. Is it too soon to start talking about the 125ers?

There are several prominent flyweights featured on a Tachi Palace card in Lemoore, California, who'd like to be the next small fighters to step into the spotlight.

The Visalia Times Delta says Tachi Palace Fights 8 (free stream on MMAjunkie.com - 8:30 p.m. ET) is essentially holding its own 125-tournament tonight:

TPF 125-pound champion Ulysses Gomez (7-1) will defend his title in a 5-round bout against Darrell Montague (8-1), and Jussier da Silva (9-0), who is regarded as the world's top 125-pound fighter, will put his undefeated record on the line against World Extreme Cagefighting veteran Ian McCall (8-2).

Tachi Palace Fighting knows it has something specials with the flyweights. 

"It is the most important weight class we have," said Tachi Palace entertainment coordinator Jeremy Luchau. "Some people do see it as a tournament because we have some of the best guys in the world. It is an opportunity for guys who have been in our promotion to showcase their skills against some of the top fighters from around the world."

There's also a ton of intrigue around the debut of another small fighter, but this guy is a little thicker. Tyler Freeland, a little person at just 4-foot-11, is making his pro debut.

Freeland, nicknamed "Hulk Hands," put together an impressive 16-4 mark in the amateur ranks. 

"It’s dwarfism, a bone disorder where my bones stopped growing," Freeland told Sherdog.com in describing his hypochondroplasia. "I’m about four eleven, but I tell everyone I’m five feet. I need that extra inch."

Walking around 160 pounds, Freeland is no tiny guy. But he realizes, he'd have a tough time at 155 pounds, where many of the fighters are in the 5-9 to 5-11 range. He'll make his debut at 145 and hopes to eventually get down to 135. Freeland, 26, recently began training at Las Vegas' TapouT Training Center with Shawn Tompkins.

Tompkins said just like any fighter, Freeland, 26, has to work around certain limitations.

"With his height, it’s always harder to strike with someone taller than you," Tompkins says, "but it’s harder to wrestle with someone shorter. Their level-change is so much faster than yours."

He said Freeland has something you can't necessarily teach.

"What most impressed me is that he has a lot of power in his hands," he adds. "He’s got KO power and very big hands. He hits hard and is very precise. He has a really good wrestling pedigree. I’ve just been banking on rounding his game out, keeping him safe from submissions and working on his standup. We’ve been having fun and building from there."

Freeland faces Diego Melendez. They met in the amateur ranks and Melendez won via triangle. Freeland says he took that fight on short notice and things will be different this time.

Alex Andrade  Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Ao Hailin  Shinya Aoki 

Pearson takes decision over Fisher at UFC 127

"The Ultimate Fighter" winner Ross Pearson rebounded from a loss to Cole Miller by winning a unanimous decision over veteran lightweight Spencer Fisher at UFC 127 in Australia. The judges saw it 30-27, 29-28, 29-28 for Pearson.

Fisher started strong, bouncing around as he pushed forward on his feet and slamming Pearson to the ground. Pearson responded with an armbar attempt, but Fisher was able to shake him off, and the two returned to their feet where Fisher continued to stay aggressive for the remainder of the round.

In the second, the two traded back and forth, with Pearson growing stronger as the round went on. Fisher had good striking early on, but was slowed when Pearson tried for a takedown. That didn't work, but Pearson landed cleaner punches afterwards.

Between rounds, the two showed that they were still fresh as they bounced around, raising their arms and drawing cheers from the Australian crowd. Pearson started the third with a takedown, but Fisher didn't stay down long. Pearson continued to land strikes and hold off Fisher. Pearson caught a kick and used that to take Fisher down. He ended the round with a bevy of strikes and elbows but wasn't able to end the bout before the final horn sounded.

Pearson is now 4-1 in the Octagon, 12-4 overall while Fisher, a mainstay of the UFC lightweight division since 2005, falls to 24-7.

 

Viacheslav Datsik Marcus Davis  Tony DeSouza  Edwin Dewees  Nick Diaz 

UFC 127 Results: B.J. Penn Drawing Jon Fitch Is the Perfect Outcome

Marcus Davis  Tony DeSouza  Edwin Dewees  Nick Diaz  Tadhg Steamfist Dixon

PIC OF THE DAY: Rich Franklin's lost bet dragon tattoo

Rich Franklin has posted pictures of his "tattoo" that he got when he lost his fight to Forrest Griffin at UFC 126. But all is well, the hideous dragon will not be permanent, as Franklin went with a loophole in the bet. Here's what he posted on his official site (pictures below):

"My ?Henna? Tattoo..Ok, nobody said it had to be REAL:-) Oh, and Forrest said he would pay for the removal so he owes me a bar of soap!"

Well played, Rich.

Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah 

Bellator 36, March 12

Bellator 36
Saturday March 12
Shreveport Municipal Auditorium
Shreveport, Louisiana
Airing on MTV2

MAIN CARD

* Toby Imada vs. Ferrid Kheder (lightweight tourney quarterfinal)
* Michael Chandler vs.Poland Marcin Held (lightweight tourney quarterfinal)
* Rob McCullough vs. Brazil Patricky Freire (lightweight tourney quarterfinal)
* Carey Vanier vs. Lloyd Woodard (lightweight tourney quarterfinal)

Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen  Alex Andrade 

UFC NEWS: Matt Hamill feels he's a "much more complete mixed martial artist" than Rampage Jackson

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson wasn't too thrilled with taking a fight with Matt Hamill at UFC 130, until he found out Hamill requested the fight. That prompted a response from him saying he was going to "knock him into tomorrow" when they meet in May.

Now Hamill has made some comments about the fight, and says he believes he's a more complete fighter than the former Champ.

"I'm just glad Rampage accepted the fight," Hamill said in an interview with MMAjunkie.com. "I had my doubts if he would or not. I'm glad he's so motivated. He won't have any excuses when I beat him. I will prove I belong in the title mix at 205 (pounds).

"'Rampage' is an old-school brawler. I'm much more of a complete mixed martial artist. I have the heart to break his will, and I will make 'Rampage' very uncomfortable in this fight."

His manager, Duff Holmes, also commented on the fight, which took him out of a potential matchup with Phil Davis at UFC 129.

"If anything it will be an easier fight strategically than preparing for Phil Davis," Holmes said. "It's no secret that 'Rampage' likes to stand and bang. That's the reason I'll buy any pay per view that he's fighting on. He's always exciting to watch. I think Matt has the chin to take his best shot, the power in his hands to answer, and the skills and strength to put him in some bad situations on the ground."

UFC 130 takes place Memorial Day weekend from Las Vegas, headlined by a Lightweight Championship rematch between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard.

Link to Original Source Article

Penick's Analysis: Technically Holmes may be right on that assessment, as Rampage hasn't used his ground game with any regularity in his UFC career. Davis presents a much more dynamic style to have to worry about at this point, but that's not to say Rampage isn't an extremely difficult fight. Hamill's got a good overall game, but his striking won't be up to Rampage's, and if he can't take Jackson down and work his wrestling game, he'll be in a lot of trouble. Still, comments like these will likely rile Rampage up a bit, which should hopefully in turn help him get more motivated for this matchup. It's not the most entertaining or inspiring bout, but I'm holding out hope that it will be a good fight regardless.

Kit Cope  Wesley Cabbage Correira  Patrick The Predator Côté  Randy The Natural Couture  Dan Cramer

Off to NAGA Dollamur this weekend.

Image: http://www.nagafighter.com/images/texas02-11_small.jpg

2011 NAGA DOLLAMUR GRAPPLING CHAMPIONSHIP
The North American Grappling Association (NAGA) is America's largest mixed grappling...

Andrei Arlovski  Ricardo Arona  Noboru Asahi Marcus Aurelio  Mikhail Avetisyan

Watch today's UFC 127 fighter weigh-ins live on MMAjunkie.com at 10 p.m. ET

"UFC 127: Penn vs. Fitch" fighter weigh-ins take place today, and you can catch a live video stream of the proceedings here on MMAjunkie.com.

Today's festivities take place at Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia, and begin at 10 p.m. ET (2 p.m. Saturday AEST local time). A Q&A session with Kenny Florian also airs at 8 p.m. ET.

In addition to the video stream, you can get live updates in our text-only results post on the MMAjunkie.com homepage.

Yves Edwards  Justin Eilers  Jon Olav Einemo Per Eklund Jason Ellis

Del Rosario says Fedor Emelianenko as possible Grand Prix alternate is ?not a big deal?

One is 11-0 with ten wins in the first round while the other has dropped two consecutive bouts in clear-cut fashion. However, ask undefeated Strikeforce heavyweight Shane Del Rosario if he shares the same opinion as fans calling foul on the thought of Fedor Emelianenko receiving a potential nod as a replacement in the promotion?s [...]

Vagam Bodjukyan Kotetsu Boku  Tony Bonello Stephan Bonnar Lorenzo Borgomeo 

Bellator 36, March 12

Bellator 36
Saturday March 12
Shreveport Municipal Auditorium
Shreveport, Louisiana
Airing on MTV2

MAIN CARD

* Toby Imada vs. Ferrid Kheder (lightweight tourney quarterfinal)
* Michael Chandler vs.Poland Marcin Held (lightweight tourney quarterfinal)
* Rob McCullough vs. Brazil Patricky Freire (lightweight tourney quarterfinal)
* Carey Vanier vs. Lloyd Woodard (lightweight tourney quarterfinal)

Karen Darabedyan Viacheslav Datsik Marcus Davis  Tony DeSouza  Edwin Dewees 

Marshall Zelaznik Talks UFC 127, International Event Schedule for 2011 - UFC 127

Marshall Zelaznik Talks UFC 127, International Event Schedule for 2011 Video by UFC 127

Dos Caras Jr   Phil Cardella Roan Jucao Carneiro Shane The Engineer Carwin  Jason Hollywood Chambers

M-1 GLOBAL NEWS: March 25 Showtime event officially announced with two Challenge title fights

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

M-1 Global and Showtime on Wednesday officially announced the first M-1 Challenge event set to come to the network on March 25.

The fight card, the first of four that will air on Showtime from M-1 Global in 2011, takes place from the Constant Center in Norfolk, Va.

The event is headlined by an M-1 Challenge Lightweight Championship bout between Artiom Damkovsky and Jose Figueroa, as well as a bout between Tyson Jeffries and Magomed Sultanakhmedov for the vacant M-1 Challenge Middleweight Title.

"I am extremely happy about the venture between M-1 Global and Showtime," said Vadim Finkelchtein, co-founder of M-1 Global. "There is no better TV network for M-1 than Showtime. And no better market to seriously compete in than the U.S."

"Our ability to televise quality boxing and MMA fights at the highest level has been aided tremendously by our commitment to showcasing prospects and lesser known international stars on our feeder series like ShoBox: The New Generation and Strikeforce Challengers,? said Ken Hershman, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Showtime Sports. "M-1 Challenge events fit perfectly into that mold and will enhance our mixed martial arts offerings even further."

According to a press release from the two organization, Mauro Ranallo will call the action for the broadcast, while Pat Miletich will serve as the analyst.

Pat Barry  Vitor Belfort  Robert Berry David Bielkheden Michael Bisping 

Strikeforce Challengers 15, April 1

Strikeforce Challengers 15
Friday, April 1
TBA
TBA
Airing on Showtime

Shinya Aoki  Andrei Arlovski  Ricardo Arona  Noboru Asahi Marcus Aurelio 

Bellator 43, May 7

Bellator 43
Saturday May 7
First Council Casino
Newkirk, OK
Airing on MTV2

Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves  Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz

Ex-WWE Star Confirmed As New ?Tough Enough? Trainer

WWE issued the following press release today:
“WWE(R) TOUGH ENOUGH(R)” GETS SOME “STRATUS-FACTION”
Trish Stratus & Bill Demott Named Trainers
Former WWE(R) Women’s Champion Trish Stratus joins USA Network’s upcoming, non-scripted series WWE TOUGH ENOUGH(R) as a trainer. Stratus and Tough Enough veteran trainer Bill Demott join WWE Legend Booker T. as the training team for the show. WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin will serve as the host.
The series will premiere Monday, April 4 at 11/10c, the day after WrestleMania(R) and immediately following USA’s ratings juggernaut WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW(R), ...

Lorenzo Borgomeo  Kyle Bradley  Jai Bradney  Ebenezer Fontes Braga Chris Brennan

East Coast Ninjabros Gathering: BEAST FROM THE EAST

Who are you, where are you, and how far are you willing to travel?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Marcelo Brito  Rob Broughton  Mike Brown  Junie Browning Paul Buentello 

Waffles

are way better than french toast

Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves  Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz

M-1 GLOBAL NEWS: March 25 Showtime event officially announced with two Challenge title fights

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

M-1 Global and Showtime on Wednesday officially announced the first M-1 Challenge event set to come to the network on March 25.

The fight card, the first of four that will air on Showtime from M-1 Global in 2011, takes place from the Constant Center in Norfolk, Va.

The event is headlined by an M-1 Challenge Lightweight Championship bout between Artiom Damkovsky and Jose Figueroa, as well as a bout between Tyson Jeffries and Magomed Sultanakhmedov for the vacant M-1 Challenge Middleweight Title.

"I am extremely happy about the venture between M-1 Global and Showtime," said Vadim Finkelchtein, co-founder of M-1 Global. "There is no better TV network for M-1 than Showtime. And no better market to seriously compete in than the U.S."

"Our ability to televise quality boxing and MMA fights at the highest level has been aided tremendously by our commitment to showcasing prospects and lesser known international stars on our feeder series like ShoBox: The New Generation and Strikeforce Challengers,? said Ken Hershman, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Showtime Sports. "M-1 Challenge events fit perfectly into that mold and will enhance our mixed martial arts offerings even further."

According to a press release from the two organization, Mauro Ranallo will call the action for the broadcast, while Pat Miletich will serve as the analyst.

Eric Butterbean Esch Efrain Escudero Rashad Evans Urijah Faber Tank Abbott

Body + Soul + Ego = Brian Ebersole

Joe Hybrid Duarte Aldrin de Jesus  Todd Duffee  Marvin Eastman  Stav Crazy Bear Economou 

Dana White's UFC 127 Video Blog: Episode 3

Dos Caras Jr   Phil Cardella Roan Jucao Carneiro Shane The Engineer Carwin  Jason Hollywood Chambers

MMA NEWS: Bobby Lashley returns to MMA this March, headlines Titan FC 17 on HDNet

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Bobby Lashley is returning to MMA action this March, but it won't be for Strikeforce.

New HDNet partner Titan Fighting Championships - which featured Tim Sylvia's latest loss to Abe Wagner live on HDNet this January - announced Friday morning that Lashley will headline their March 25 event on HDNet.

The card, which takes place from the Historic Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas, also features a bout between Phil Baroni and Nick Nolte.

Lashley will meet M-1 challenge veteran James Jack, a 6-2-1 professional, in the night's main event. This fight marks a return home for Lashley, as he was born in Junction City, Kansas, where his parents still live.

"We received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback from the MMA community following our HDNet debut on January 28," said Titan FC President Joe Kelly in a release. "A lot of unique opportunities have presented themselves to Titan since the show and working with Bobby Lashley was one of them. We are really excited to be working with Bobby as he continues his pursuit of MMA greatness."

"There's a group of regular Titan fans that I communicate with on a regular basis. They serve as a focus group for the promotion, as I bounce ideas off of them and gauge their reaction. When I floated the idea of Bobby fighting on the card, the response was incredible."

Lashley, a former professional wrestler who had been featured in the WWE and TNA, made the move to MMA in 2008, and put together five straight wins before suffering a loss to Chad Griggs in his last fight in August of 2010. There were questions surrounding whether he would return to the sport following the loss, and they've now been answered.

"In the fight game, a fighter is usually viewed as only being good as their last fight. But I don't think that is a fair way to evaluate a fighter, especially an athletically-gifted heavyweight who is only six fights into his career," Kelly stated. "Bobby won't admit it and he refuses to make excuses but the reality is that he was diagnosed with mononucleosis shortly after the fight. Also, if anyone watched Griggs' fight last weekend against Gian Villante, who was widely considered one of the top prospects in MMA coming into that fight, you can clearly see that Griggs is the real deal. Anyone who is writing Bobby off is making a huge mistake. I believe that Titan Fighting will be the perfect platform for Bobby to prove his critics wrong."

Penick's Analysis: This is the right fit for Lashley's next fight. He's still a name that is going to garner some attention, but he means more to a more regionally-based promotion like Titan FC than to Strikeforce for this fight. And with a chance to fight in front of essentially an old hometown crowd it presented a unique opportunity for him. This is the right level of opponent for him to be facing, and hopefully after his loss people can stop trying to project further expectations on him than are necessary, and let him progress as a 5-1 heavyweight.

Shinya Aoki  Andrei Arlovski  Ricardo Arona  Noboru Asahi Marcus Aurelio 

Reminder: "Countdown to UFC 127" debuts tonight on Versus, Spike TV

As a reminder, the UFC's traditional pre-event preview show returns tonight with the debut of "Countdown to UFC 127" on Spike TV.

The pay-per-view event takes place Sunday at Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia. Headlined by a welterweight contender fight between B.J. Penn and Jon Fitch, the card airs in the U.S. in the UFC's traditional Saturday-night slot due to the time difference.

The preview show debuts tonight at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Versus. The first Spike TV airing follows at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT.

Pat Barry  Vitor Belfort  Robert Berry David Bielkheden Michael Bisping 

What If He Wins? Featuring Chris Lytle

At UFC 127, Chris Lytle faces tough veteran Brian Ebersole in Ebersole?s UFC debut. Lytle was originally expected to face fast-rising UFC star and former WEC champion Carlos Condit. Even though Condit was forced to pull out due to an injury, this is still a very important fight for ?Lights Out?. But what happens if [...]

Michael Bisping  Dan Bobish Vagam Bodjukyan Kotetsu Boku  Tony Bonello

Christian M?Pumbu added to the Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament

Christian “Tonton” M’Pumbu has been confirmed as a participant for Bellator’s upcoming light heavyweight tournament. M’Pumbu brings an overall professional record of 15-3-1 into the tournament and has 8 submission wins to his credit. A veteran of DEEP and M-1 Challenges, M’Pumbu is looking forward to tessting himself in the tournament as he states on [...]

Christian M’Pumbu added to the Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament is a post from: MMA Interplay UFC News

Mike Brown  Junie Browning Paul Buentello  Josh Burkman  Mikey Burnett 

Paul Daley Says Nick Diaz Wouldn't Stand And Trade Punches With Him

Explosive striker Paul Daley still has a BAMMA title fight on Feb. 26th against Yuya Shirai that he has to get through before he can even be thinking about a Strikeforce Welterweight Title Fight with Champion Nick Diaz but that hasn't stopped the hot-headed Brit from starting the smack talk battle early between himself and Diaz:<br><Br>

"I don't mean to be arrogant and I don't mean to continue piping on about it, but I'm a whole different animal when it comes to the stand-up game and I've continued to get better. I highly doubt there's anyone in the welterweight division in MMA at the moment that's on the scene, that's getting press, that hits as hard as me. I don't believe there's a middleweight fighter that can get hit by me and not be in serious trouble. Nick Diaz isn't going to go toe to toe with me. More like my fist and his head landing at my toe, none of this toe to toe business. Diaz, everybody knows if you come stand toe to toe with me, that would be the most stupidest game plan he could ever have. I don't care who you've fought, you've never fought me, you've never been hit by me."<br><br>

Props: MMAWeekly.com

Mikhail Avetisyan Luiz Azeredo  Luciano Azevedo  Ba Te er  Ryan Bader 

UFC 127: BJ Penn - 'Training with Matt Hughes gave me More Confidence' {video}

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta5XqXC5A28

David Bielkheden Michael Bisping  Dan Bobish Vagam Bodjukyan Kotetsu Boku 

Bisping in Australia for two weeks, is fired up to respond to Rivera videos

Michael Bisping is an easy guy to target in a war of words, so Jorge Rivera has jumped into the fray feet first. The American released a series of videos on YouTube (NSFW) poking fun at the Brit. Apparently, the vids have struck a nerve. during his training videos shot in Australia, Bisping addresses the mocking a few times. Gareth Davies from the U.K.'s Daily Telegraph, who covers Bisping pretty regularly, said Rivera's videos have energized the Brit.

Bisping is privately fuming that Rivera has been conducting a mocking campaign, being rude about his wife and children. “Completely disrespected,” are the words directly from Bisping. Prior to the smack talk, there were those in Bisping’s camp concerned that he was not taking the threat of Rivera strongly enough. The plan may backfire on Rivera.

Davies comes to the defense of Bisping, suggesting he's been unfairly targeted by some American fans and it might be time to back off.

Bisping’s anger is genuine and I understand after initially wanting to be kept apart from the American in build-up week, he got over the hump – so to speak – and his team are delighted with the way he has channelled his ire in training. I’m told by camp insiders that Bisping is "completely focused".

Chris Brennan Marcelo Brito  Rob Broughton  Mike Brown  Junie Browning

Wanderlei Silva Says He Isn't Afraid Of Brian Stann

Wanderlei Silva spoke last week about his reasoning behind not accepting a middleweight match up with rising contender Brian Stann and stood by his reasons of for not taking it and reassured fans that at some point down the road, the two will meet inside the UFC Octagon:<br><Br>

"I didn't (want to) fight with (Brian Stann) right now. I don't know what day I'm going to be available to fight. I (didn't) want to hold him. He has his life. Another point, this guy is an American hero. One day, I'm going to fight with him, of course. Don't worry guys. I'm going to fight with him."<br><Br>

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Pat Barry  Vitor Belfort  Robert Berry David Bielkheden Michael Bisping 

BELLATOR NEWS: Season four featherweight quarterfinals kick off at Bellator 37, matchups now set

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Bellator's season four featherweight tournament will kick off on March 19 at Bellator 37 from the Lucky Star Casino in Concho, Okla., according to a report from Sherdog.com.

The season four pairings are set, and all eight competitors will be in action.

The first round of the tournament will feature Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Patricio "Pitbull" Freire, Zac George against Wilson Reis, Eric Larkin vs. Kenny Foster and Daniel Straus vs. Nazareno Malegarie.

The tournament winner will earn $100,000 for their efforts, along with a shot at Bellator Featherweight Champion Joe Warren in season five.

Link to Original Source Article

Penick's Analysis: These are all really solid fights for the opening round of the tournament. "Pitbull" and Reis have got to be early favorites with their tourney experience and success, but as we've seen with Bellator so far, a lot can happen in a three month stretch. This should be an entertaining tournament field, and these fights should be a good start to this tournament in season four.

Tomasz Drwal Joe Hybrid Duarte Aldrin de Jesus  Todd Duffee  Marvin Eastman 

ENNIS: Lay of the Land - The Middleweight Division (February 2011 - Part One)

By: Shawn Ennis, MMATorch Senior Columnist

This will be the first of two parts breaking down the UFC's middleweight division. This week will focus on the top of the division, while next week looks at the rest of the middleweights and what those outside the UFC have to offer.

Amid the turmoil that has reigned atop most of MMA's weight divisions, two champions have stood head and shoulders above the rest of the competition for sustained amounts of time. Anderson Silva has ruled the middleweight division since 2006, and while some will say that there are chinks in the armor of the world's best fighter, still none have been able to beat him. So what does the future hold for the middleweights? Let's take a look at the top of the division this week, where havoc has been wrought and the field is laying wide open waiting for the next contender.

THE CHAMP

Anderson Silva (28-4): By the time it's all said and done, it will likely be debated for years whether Anderson Silva or Fedor Emelianenko was the top fighter of this era, or perhaps the greatest fighter ever. Since we're focusing on middleweights here and there are simply no more superlatives to describe what Silva has done, let's just list his accomplishments. If you don't count Yushin Okami's DQ win in 2006, Anderson Silva has not been defeated in six years. Since the Okami fight, he's gone 14-0. Ten of those fights have been for titles (his last fight in Cage Rage was against Tony Fryklund for that belt). He has gone the distance only twice in that same period, while fighting top contenders every time out. Say what you will about the quality of the middleweight division, but no one in any division can boast that accomplishment. And maybe the division just looks so bad because no one can touch its champion. During his run, he's beaten three UFC champions, a Pride champion, an Abu Dhabi submission grappling champion, a national champion wrestler, and a Greco-Roman Olympian. He holds the record for most consecutive UFC wins with 13 (the next highest is eight by GSP), most consecutive title defenses with eight (GSP is tied for second with five), and most overall title defenses. There has never been a more dominant force in MMA than Anderson Silva. We're going to leave GSP out of the mix for the moment because that fight deserves its own column, and also he needs to take out Jake Shields before we can entertain it anyway, but for now, while we may all agree that Silva is a tough guy to figure out, there's no denying his greatness.

THE CONTENDER

Yushin Okami (26-5): The prevailing wisdom here is that Okami will need to take a backseat to GSP once he dispatches Jake Shields, but should that fail to happen, the long-time fringe contender will likely be next in line. With his last win over Nate Marquardt, Okami probably sealed his status as the quasi-number one contender, but with the amount of time that could pass while the GSP-Silva superfight takes place, anything can happen. That's especially true with this next crazy person hanging around the corner.

THE WOULD-BE CONTENDER

Chael Sonnen (25-11-1): With consecutive wins over Dan Miller, Yushin Okami and Nate Marquardt, Sonnen put himself in the position of surprise contender last year. After an epic buildup that showcased some of the most bizarre (and effective) trash talk we've ever seen in MMA, Sonnen did the unthinkable and almost cashed the check that his mouth had written. For almost five rounds, Sonnen dominated Silva, taking him down at will and hurting him with punches on the feet. But we knew going into the fight that Sonnen's Achilles heel was submission defense, and with less than two minutes remaining in the final frame, Silva locked up a triangle choke/armbar and forced the tap. Since then, Sonnen's fall from grace has been epic. A positive steroid test has been followed by a guilty plea to real estate fraud, and Sonnen has been suspended indefinitely from the UFC, pending the resolution of his "personal problems." The remaining question is whether Sonnen will get a title shot immediately upon his return, or whether he'll get another fight first. I can't imagine they'd risk the rematch with Silva by putting Sonnen in there with anyone else, quite honestly.

A STEP OR TWO AWAY

This division is wide open when it comes to potential title contenders. There are very few fighters with any momentum, and those who have a little have built it up on the backs of lower-tier fighters. I've got three guys in mind for this category, but I think I'm being pretty generous by putting anyone at all in here. For the sake of not having an empty category, here we go. (As a disclaimer, this could all very easily change by the time the next contender is decided. That's how wide open the division is).

Brian Stann (10-3): After an inauspicious run at light heavyweight and a thorough thrashing at the hands of up-and-comer Phil Davis, Stann decided to move down to a weight that is better suited him, and he also joined up with the renowned Greg Jackson. Since his move to 185 lbs., Stann is 2-0 and has looked very good. He's got a fight with Wanderlei Silva coming up at UFC 130. A loss to the fading legend would set Stann back quite a bit, but with a win he could be positioned to fight one of the next two guys for a title shot (or at least a trip into the upper echelon if the title timing isn't right, which it likely won't be).

Michael Bisping (20-3): If you'd told me after Bisping's loss to Wanderlei Silva that I'd have him in this category a year later, I wouldn't have believed it. But wins over the uber-tough Dan Miller and Yoshihiro Akiyama and an upcoming tilt with the rejuvenated Jorge Rivera at UFC 127, Bisping has positioned himself nicely for another run at the top. And this time Dan Henderson's right hand won't be waiting for him on the way.

Jorge Rivera (19-7): Another one I wouldn't have believed. Rivera had an impressive win over Nate Quarry last year to follow up his win over Rob Kimmons. With a great backstory, a penchant for exciting fights, and a small window to take advantage of, Rivera is a dark horse for a title shot if he can get through Bisping in a couple of weeks, but I certainly wouldn't discount him with the division looking like it does. Does he have a shot against Silva? Probably not. But then again, who does?

UP AND COMERS

Jesse Bongfeldt (21-7-1): After a sloppy first two rounds in his UFC debut against Rafael Natal (the famed Octagon jitters, perhaps?) Bongfeldt looked downright dominant in the third, earning two elusive 10-8 scores from the Montreal judges and ending up with a draw. If "Water" can come out like he did in the third round of that fight when he makes his next appearance, we may just have something on our hands. It should be noted, by the way, that the Ontario native was coming off of a 15-month layoff to take over for an injured Jason MacDonald, and he has not lost since a 2007 knockout at the hands of Jonathan Goulet. Bongfeldt had won seven straight prior to the draw. A date with a TUF veteran like Rich Attonito or more of a grappler like Tom Lawlor could be interesting.

Maiquel Falcao (26-3): One of the more bizarre storylines coming out of UFC 123 was the release of Gerald Harris following his loss to the debuting Falcao. Harris had won three straight going into the fight, including a candidate for knockout of the year with his vicious slam of Dave Branch in July. Following a thrilling first round, which was revealed later to have been missing nine seconds due to a timekeeper error, the fight stalled resulting in a 10-minute circlefest. Somehow that fight used up all the goodwill that Harris had built and made people forget that if the first round had been properly timed, Falcao likely would have won via submission, as he had sunk a rear naked choke in the waning seconds. But either way, if the first round and eight straight wins is an indicator of what we can expect from Falcao, this could be a rising contender. Falcao could be thrown to the wolves (as they exist in the middleweight division) quickly considering his performance in the Harris fight; a showdown with someone like Nate Quarry or Kendall Grove could be in his future.

Court McGee (13-1): Did anyone really expect Court McGee to win The eleventh season of The Ultimate Fighter? I didn't. And did anyone expect him to keep on winning after the show? Well, that's what McGee has done, defeating Ryan Jensen via arm triangle after surviving the first round and a half against the bigger man. McGee has proven durable thus far, but he won't have an easy road ahead of him as the middleweight division is thin but very competitive to see who can break through to the next level. I'd like to see how a fight would go with maybe Aaron Simpson, or the next guy on the list.

Brad Tavares (7-0): One thing we know about Phil Baroni is that he's not the fighter he once was. Another thing, though, is that he's very durable. Baroni has been beaten down by everyone from Frank Shamrock to Amir Sadollah, but he's not easy to stop. Tavares did it in the first round, and left no doubt. Granted, the competition will be more stiff from here on up, but Tavares has shown thus far that he has the tools to compete.

I'll be back next week with a rundown of the rest of the division. Until then, enjoy the fights.

Definitions/Parameters:

The Champ: Self-explanatory

The Contenders: Fighters who could fight for the title immediately and be taken as legitimate contenders. Fighters coming off of a loss will not typically be in this category.

A Step or Two Away: Fighters who could be in contention for a title with another victory or two over legitimate competition.

Up and Comers: Fighters who have no more than three fights in the UFC, who have shown promise. They're not always undefeated, but they have potential.


The Pool: Other fighters of note within the division, who could work their way into the top three categories by going on a run and/or proving themselves/proving themselves again in the Octagon. Also those outside the UFC who could make an impact.

Paul Buentello  Josh Burkman  Mikey Burnett  Murilo Bustamante  Grant Campbell 

Alistair Overeem talks Strikeforce heavyweight tournament - Alistair Overeem

The Fight Nerd caught up with Alistair Overeem at the Strikeforce New York Press Conference to get his predictions on what would happen in the epic heavyweight grand prix, thoughts on fighting Fabricio Werdum again, his response to all the fighters I interviewed seeing him in the finals, and what's up with Japanese MMA. Then I go too far and ask more about Japan which forces "The Reem" to almost melt my spine with his laser beam eyes. This is why you don't interview fighters who have an empty stomach -- they just might eat you! I also nerd out and give Alistair one of my classic Fight Nerd "Art of Fighting" shirts, which are still available for $25 shipped in the US if you email me (since I am too lazy to add a store function).

Kyle Bradley  Jai Bradney  Ebenezer Fontes Braga Chris Brennan Marcelo Brito 

Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson, March 5

Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson
Saturday, March 5
Nationwide Arena
Columbus Arena
Airing on Showtime

MAIN CARD

* Rafael Cavalcante (#9-tie ranked Light Heavyweight) vs. Dan Henderson (for Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship
* Marloes Coenen vs. Miesha Tate (for Strikeforce Women's Welterweight Championship)
* Tim Kennedy vs. Melvin Manhoef
* Billy Evangelista vs. Jorge Masvidal

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Jorge Gurgel vs. Tyler Combs
* Roger Bowling vs. Josh Thornburg
* Jason Riley vs. Kerry Schall
* Mojo Horne vs. Brian Rogers
* Marc Cofer vs. Mitch Whitesel
* JP Felty vs. John Kuhner

Rob Broughton  Mike Brown  Junie Browning Paul Buentello  Josh Burkman 

UFC 131, June 11

UFC 131
Saturday June 11
Rogers Arena
Vancouver, BC, Canada, eh
Airing on PPV

MAIN CARD

* Brock Lesnar (#2 Ranked Heavyweight) vs. Junior dos Santos (#5 Ranked Heavyweight)
* Shane Carwin vs. TBA
* Dave Herman vs. Rob Broughton
* Dustin Poirier vs. Rani Yahya
* Michihiro Omigawa (#4 Ranked Featherweight) vs. Darren Elkins

Shane The Engineer Carwin  Jason Hollywood Chambers Ryo Piranha Chonan  Dan The Sandman Christison  Logan The Pink Pounder Clark 

Houston Alexander to Rematch James Irvin at Shark Fights 14

Filed under: News

Houston Alexander revealed Thursday on Twitter that he will face James Irvin at Shark Fights 14 on March 11 in Lubbock, Texas.

The light heavyweight fight will be a rematch from UFC Fight Night 13 in April 2008 where Irvin knocked out Alexander with Superman punch in just eight seconds.

Robert Berry David Bielkheden Michael Bisping  Dan Bobish Vagam Bodjukyan

Cub Swanson out at UFC on Versus 3, promotion seeking new opponent for Erik Koch

Perennial featherweight contender Cub Swanson will have to wait to make his octagon debut.

MMAjunkie.com has learned from sources close to the promotion that Swanson suffered an undisclosed injury and training and has been forced to withdraw from a planned UFC on Versus 3 bout with Erik Koch.

With the majority of the promotion's 145-pound fighters already booked for fights, UFC officials are currently seeking a featherweight to take the matchup on short notice.

Joe Doerksen  Chris Dolman Edson Drago  Tomasz Drwal Joe Hybrid Duarte