CrossfaceWrestling.net MIXED MARTIAL ARTS (MMA) NEWS
State College, Pa. -- Penn State's 2007
NCAA Heavyweight Wrestling Finalist, Aaron Anspach, will compete for LionHeart MMA this month at the Battlefield Fighting Championships in Fredricksburg, Va. Anspach, who is currently on staff at Penn State as Director of Wrestling Operations said, "Competing in an MMA event will be an exciting new challenge for me. I'm glad to be representing LionHeart and am looking forward to stepping into the cage."
Also scheduled to compete for LionHeart at the Battlefield Fighting Championships are NCAA National Champion Phil Davis and undefeated MMA amateur Lou Armezzani.
Tickets for the Battlefield Fighting Championships are available at
www.lionheartfighters.com
"Big" Tim Vincent
UFC will be airing free on Spike TV July 26th. That is also the same night Elite XC will put on their second fight card on CBS.
UFC 88 is expected to see Rich Franklin's return to the 205 pound division against Matt Hammil.
Andrei Arlovski will be making his pro boxing debut in September. He has been training with Freddie Roach who has trained Oscar De La Hoya.
Iowa Alum Paul Bradley Joins LionHeart MMA Management
July 7th, 2008
State College, Pa. — LionHeart Management proudly announces the signing of Elite XC fighter Paul Bradley to an exclusive MMA career management contract. Bradley who was seen this season on Spike TV’s “The Ultimate Fighter,” will represent LionHeart and train at the LionHeart MMA complex in State College, Pa. Currently signed to a 3 fight contract with Elite XC, Bradley is undefeated in the cage with a professional record of 5-0.
LionHeat owner, Chad Dubin, who signed NCAA Wrestling Champion Phil Davis earlier this month, believes Bradley will bring an important level of national recognition to his new team. “Signing a fighter with Paul’s reputation and experience is a big step forward for us. With the national exposure of an Elite XC contract, there were plenty of other opportunities available to him. The fact that Paul chose to sign with LionHeart means we must be doing something right.”
Bradley is an Iowa State High School Wrestling Champion and a two-time All-American wrestler at The University of Iowa. “I’m really excited about signing with Lionheart and I am looking forward to representing them in the octagon. This is a great place for me to further my career as a fighter and I really appreciate the opportunity Chad has given me.”
Also signing with LionHeart this week is Lou Armezzani from Scranton, Pa. Armezzani joins LionHeart with a 2-0 record as an amateur and plans to transition into the professional ranks within the year.
Affliction Banned
http://www.themmacraze.com/
By Brian Holt, theMMAcraze.com
Affliction has now started to really crank up the hype machine for it's "Banned" card on July 19th. With Donald Trump as a partner, the decision was made to hit his hometown in a big way. A billboard is now up in Times Square with the images of 10 of the fighters appearing on the card including Tim Sylvia, Fedor Emelianenko, Josh Barnett, Andrei Arlovski and Renato "Babalu" Sobral.
“Considering the magnitude of this fight, and the partnership between Affliction and Donald Trump, it seemed only fitting that the huge talent pool on the ‘Affliction Banned’ show should be seen by millions in New York’s Times Square,” said Tom Atencio, Vice President, Affliction. “You know it’s a big show when you have a billboard on Broadway.”
The "Affliction Banned" card is now being split into 2 live shows with the first hour of the event being dubbed "Affliction Live" and broadcast free on Fox Sports Net. This portion of the show will include 2 bouts while the remainders will follow the FSN telecast on pay-per-view.
"Affliction Banned" is the debut show for the MMA apparel company and features a main event between former Pride Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko and former UFC Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia. The card is arguably one of the greatest collections of talent assembled in the United States and estimates on the fighters pay have ranged as high as $6 million.
The event will be held at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
Middleweight Mo Lawal placed second in the US Olympic Freestyle Wrestling Trials, narrowly missing a berth in the Beijing Games. After a decorated amateur wrestling career, Mo now has his sights squarely set on earning an MMA world title.
THE NEXT “CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS”
TO BE BROADCAST JULY 26 ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK
In a Rematch of their Recent Controversial Title Fight on CBS,
EliteXC Middleweight Champion Robbie Lawler Will Defend Against Scott Smith, While Jake Shields Squares off Against Nick Thompson For the Vacant EliteXC Welterweight Belt
CBS to Broadcast Four Live Fights (Including Two Title Fights) From 9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT; SHOWTIME to Televise Three Live Fights (Including EliteXC Heavyweight Title Fight) from 8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT
NCAA wrestling champ Phil Davis wins amateur MMA debut
Four-time All-American and NCAA champion wrestler Phil Davis won his amateur MMA debut on Saturday, knocking out Kevin Wall 41 seconds into the first round in a New Breed Fighters fight in Atlantic City, NJ.
Davis wrestled at 197 pounds in college and his debut MMA match was fought in the 195-209.9 pound weight class. Though this class is called the "heavyweight" division by New Breed Fighters, it most closely resembles the light heavyweight weight class in professional MMA leagues.
Here are the results UFC Ultimate Fighter Finale show:
Kendall Grove defeated Evan Tanner by split decision
Diego Sanchez defeated Luigi Fioravanti by TKO in the third round
Amir Sadollah defeated CB Dollaway by submission (armbar) in the first round
Spencer Fisher defeated Jeremy Stephens by unanimous decision
Matthew Riddle defeated Dante Rivera by unanimous decision
Josh Burkman defeated Dustin Hazelett by submission (armbar) in the second round
Dean Lister defeated Jeremy Horn by submission (guillotine choke) in the first round
Drew McFedries defeated Marvin Eastman by TKO in the first round
Matt Brown defeated Matt Arroyo by TKO in the second round
Rob Kimmons def. Rob Yundt by submission (guillotine choke) in the first round
MMA major events schedule
Saturday, July 19
UFC: Ultimate Fight Night 14, Anderson Silva vs. James Irvin, Pearl at the Palms Theater, Las Vegas, Spike TV.
Affliction: Tim Sylvia vs. Fedor Emelianenko, Honda Center, Anaheim, Calif., Fox Sports Net/PPV.
Saturday, July 26
Elite XC: Robbie Lawler vs. Scott Smith, venue TBD, CBS.
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Sunday, August 3
WEC: Three title matches, Hard Rock Hotel, Las Vegas, Versus.
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Saturday, August 9
UFC 87: Georges St. Pierre vs. Jon Fitch, Target Center, Minneapolis, PPV.
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Saturday, Sept. 6
UFC 88: Chuck Liddell vs. Rashad Evans, Phillips Arena, Atlanta.
Mixed Martial Arts LANDS “BIG” in STATE COLLEGE, PA-
-Establishment of 19,000 square foot MMA Training Center
State College, PA- LionHeart Professional Management and Promotions Inc. enters the field of professional mixed martial arts announcing the acquisition of a 19,000 sq ft MMA training facility and the establishment of Team LionHeart in downtown State College, PA.
Located at 127 Sowers Street, just blocks off Penn State’s Main Campus and home to one of the best NCAA Division I wrestling programs in the country, the facility will include a 22 ft octagon, a 24 ft boxing ring, 6,000 sq ft of MMA mat space, and 8,000 sq ft of Hammer Strength, Free Weights and Aerobic Equipment making it one of the largest and best equipped MMA training facilities East of the Mississippi.
Owner Chad Dubin, says the majority of reputable MMA training camps and facilities are currently located in the Midwest and Western states. “There’s clearly a demand for a facility of this kind on the East Coast. Fighters who are serious about having successful, professional MMA careers as well as young athletes on their way up, now have access to elite coaching, state of the art facilities and professional career management, all in one location.”
Dubin also believes that many young MMA fighters find it difficult to transition into the professional ranks because their day jobs keep them out of the gym. “LionHeart will aggressively pursue a unique career development strategy for our fighters which includes event planning, targeted fundraising, and grass-roots fan base development. We will groom young fighters for professional careers and create an environment where professionals will become champions.”
LionHeart is well positioned to benefit from 2 significant factors: 1) the PA State Gaming Commission’s decision to sanction professional MMA events; and 2) Pennsylvania has the largest population of wrestlers and wrestling fans in the country.
Team LionHeart’s staff includes coaches specialized in grappling, striking, jiu-jitsu, muay-thai, wrestling and strength and conditioning.
Fighters and coaches interested in learning more about the opportunities at LionHeart should contact Chad Dubin at (814) 280-1982 or chad@lionheartfighters.com.
For further information visit: www.lionheartfighters.com
__________________
Donald J. Trump Grounds And Pounds The MMA World In New Partnership With Affliction! (Exclusive Interviews with MMAyou)
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK (June 3, 2008) – Affliction will pull out its Trump card Thursday when the company officially announces its partnership with Donald J. Trump at a press conference to be held in Trump Tower at 12:00PM. Trump will take the podium to address the press and outline his involvement with Affliction and their entry into the world of professional mixed-martial-arts (MMA) with their first event named, “Affliction Banned,” slated for July 19th 2008 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
“We are very excited to be partnering with the most recognized and accomplished business mogul in the world, “ said Tom Atencio, vice president of Affliction. “Trump is a true visionary who shares our belief in the future of MMA.”
“I have been a fan of professional sports since childhood, and I am particularly impressed by the athleticism, courage, and strength of these disciplined athletes.” said Donald J. Trump. “This particular sport resembles my business style of being fast paced, strategic, and aggressive…remembering to never give up. I am particularly excited to partner with Affliction and become a major player in promotion of MMA; the youngest and fastest growing sport to emerge in the last century.”
“Affliction Banned” features a star-studded fight card with Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianko (27-1), the former undisputed PRIDE® champion and Russian M-1® legend, taking on former 2-time UFC® heavyweight title-holder Tim “The Maine-iac” Sylvia (24-4), in the main event.
The exciting four-fight undercard is loaded with Josh “The Baby Faced Assassin” Barnett (22-5), of Seattle, facing-off stateside for the first time in two years in a grudge match against the only opponent to ever knock him out, Brazilian strongman Pedro “The Rock” Rizzo (16-7).
Three-time All-America wrestler Mike Whitehead (20-5), of Salt Lake City, will battle Brazilian sensation Renato “Babalu” Sobral (29-7), of Costa Mesa, California. 2000 Olympic wrestling silver medalist Matt “The Law” Lindland (20-5), of Oregon City, faces Brazilian favorite Fabio “Negao” Nascimento (8-3). “Big” Ben Rothwell (29-5), of Kenosha, Wisconsin, is scheduled to fight an opponent to be determined in this groundbreaking event
Tennessee gets mixed up in Mixed Martial Arts
http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/news.php?viewStory=60678
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Velasquez, Rosholt, Hendricks on SI’s Up-And-Coming MMA Stars
May 27th, 2008 by Thomas
Sports Illustrated recently provided a list of the “top ten up-and-coming stars in Mixed Martial Arts”… and three had US collegiate wrestling backgrounds.
Cain Velasquez - The former Arizona State wrestling standout looked good in his UFC debut, and so far hasn’t shown any of the lay-and-pray tendencies of other wrestlers-turned-MMA fighters. He’s talented and explosive, and may be more so if he considers a drop to light heavyweight.
Jake Rosholt - The Team Takedown member and former three-time wrestling champ at Oklahoma State owns an impressive 4-0 record since turning pro in July 2007. After turning down the chance to be on The Ultimate Fighter, Rosholt’s moving rapidly along the path to stardom.
Johny Hendricks - Another member of Team Takedown, Hendricks was a two-time NCAA wrestling champion at Oklahoma State. So far, he’s continued his dominant ways in MMA, claiming an early 3-0 pro record, including two TKOs.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship will present UFC 87
SEEK AND DESTROY, featuring Lesnar
and Florian vs. Huerta, live from Target Center in Minneapolis Saturday, August 9, 2008.
BROCK LESNAR vs. Keith Herring
KENNY FLORIAN vs. ROGER HUERTA
SATURDAY, AUGUST 9
LIVE FROM TARGET CENTER
Historic bringing of the best of mixed martial arts to the first-ever UFC event to take place in Minnesota.
Brock Lesnar, fighting out of his hometown of Minneapolis, will return to the Octagon™ to face UFC Hall of Famer and former PRIDE® superstar Mark “The Hammer” Coleman, and in what many are calling the best lightweight fight of 2008, Kenny “KenFlo” Florian will square off against Roger “El Matador” Huerta in a battle that will move the winner one step closer to a 155-pound title shot.
Kimbo Slice video interview
Affliction, the premier fashion label for men who love hard rock and fast living, will make history presenting its own Mixed-Martial-Arts pay-per-view event in association with Roy Englebrecht Events, appropriately named "Affliction Banned," featuring the much-anticipated return of Russian heavyweight superstar Fedor "The Last Emperor" Emelianenko in association with M-1, supported by an All-World caliber undercard, July 19th at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Buy you tickets before the general public at Ticket Master with the code word "banned2008".
Fedor (27-1), the former undisputed PRIDE® heavyweight champion and Russian M-1 legend, has been universally recognized the past five years as the most dominating heavyweight in the world. He will face former 2-time UFC® heavyweight title-holder Tim "The Maine-iac" Sylvia (24-4), fighting out of Iowa by way of his native Maine.
The exciting four-fight undercard is loaded with Josh "The Baby Faced Assassin" Barnett (21-5), of Seattle, facing-off stateside for the first time in two years in a grudge match against the only opponent to ever knock him out, Brazilian strongman Pedro "The Rock" Rizzo (16-7).
Three-time All-America wrestler Mike Whitehead (20-5), of Salt Lake City, will battle Brazilian sensation Renato "Babalu" Sobral (29-7), of Costa Mesa, California. 2000 Olympic wrestling silver medalist Matt "The Law" Lindland (20-5), of Oregon City, faces Brazilian favorite Fabio "Negao" Nascimento (8-3). Former IFL® titlist "Big" Ben Rothwell (29-5), of Kenosha, Wisconsin, is scheduled to fight an opponent to be determined in this groundbreaking event.
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