my.nwi.com

Just 18 days before his scheduled fight at WEC 46 in Sacramento, Eddie Wineland has found himself scrambling to adjust to a new opponent.

Wineland, of Chesterton, the WEC’s first bantamweight champion, was scheduled to face Brazilian Rafael Rebello on the Jan. 10 card. But Wineland told The Times on Wednesday that Rebello has pulled out of the fight and he will now face George Roop.

The WEC’s official Web site, wec.tv, no longer had the Wineland-Rebello bout listed as of Wednesday evening. A source close to the situation confirmed to The Times that Rebello was off the card and Roop is in as the replacement, though official bout agreements have not yet been signed.

Roop was already attached to the card and MMA Junkie was first to report he would be fighting Jesse Moreng. But with Rebello out, Roop will move up to face the former bantamweight champ in his debut with the promotion.

Wineland (15-6-1, 2-2 WEC) is looking to build off a unanimous decision win over Manny Tapia at WEC 43 in San Antonio in October, which was his first WEC victory since May 2006. Against Tapia, he used an effective counter-striking attack to dominate the former top bantamweight contender with a 30-27 sweep on all three judges’ scorecards.

Wineland had been preparing for the 5-foot-5 Rebello, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist, for his entire training camp. But the wrinkle with Roop as his new opponent is his height — Roop is 6-foot-1, extraordinarily tall for a 135-pound fighter.

“He’s got a 6-1 frame and is 135 pounds — I don’t know if that’s physically possible,” Wineland said Wednesday. “That’s like a beanpole! Now I’ve got to bring in some tall guys (to train), but that’s fine. I’m not too worried about it.”

Roop (10-5, 1-2 UFC) was a contestant on Season 8 of the UFC’s Spike TV reality competition “The Ultimate Fighter” and competed as a lightweight. He made the semifinals on the show, winning two fights before losing to Phillipe Nover by submission. He went on to go 1-2 in his three fights with the UFC. Most recently, he beat Matt Dell in the main event of Rage In the Cage 137 in Tucson, Ariz. Through his 15-fight career, Roop has fought at lightweight, featherweight and bantamweight.

Though Roop, who trains primarily with former Xtreme Couture head coach Shawn Tompkins in Las Vegas, is a well-versed jiu-jitsu fighter, just three of his 10 wins have come by submission. He has been submitted in four of his five losses. Still, Wineland said he will prepare for a possible standup fight.

“He looks like he’s primarily a standup guy — pretty tough, pretty scrappy,” Wineland said. “I was training for Rebello with some (jiu-jitsu) black belts. But I’ve got a couple of guys that are taller (to train with) and if I can hang with them, I should be OK.”

While part of the fight game is adjusting to new opponents, often on short notice, Wineland said he couldn’t recall any recent fights where he’s had an opponent drop out on him this close to the fight — and never in the WEC.

“A fight’s a fight,” Wineland said. “Obviously I planned a little differently for Rebello than I would have (for Roop). But I’ve got good head movement, so I think I can avoid his reach.”

WEC 46 takes place at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento and the main card will be aired live on the Versus cable network. It features a main event lightweight title unification bout between champion Jamie Varner, fighting for the first time in a year after a hand injury against Donald Cerrone in his last title defense, and interim champ Ben Henderson. The co-main event features Rafael Assuncao against former featherweight champion Urijah Faber, fighting in front of his home crowd for the first time since losing a title rematch to Mike Brown in June. Also on the card, Anthony Morrison takes on Brown, fighting for the first time since losing his title to Jose Aldo last month. And Miguel Torres protege Mackens Semerzier meets Deividas Taurosevicius.

Rashad Evans throws a punch at Lyoto Machida in their UFC light heavyweight title fight at UFC 98 in May. Evans lost his belt to Machida, the first loss of his career, and begins his comeback trail Jan. 2 against Thiago Silva -- whose lone career loss also came at the hands of "The Dragon." (Photo courtesy of the UFC)

By Matt Erickson
cagedin.mma@gmail.com

Rashad Evans was on top of the world.

He had never lost — the lone blemish on his resume was a draw with Tito Ortiz. He was the UFC light heavyweight champion, and his last three wins were against a murderer’s row of fighters: Michael Bisping, Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin.

Then he stepped into the cage against fellow unbeaten Lyoto Machida at UFC 98 in May. Not only did he lose his belt in a devastating highlight-reel second-round knockout for the ages, he got a dose of humility.

“I was humbled big time,” Evans said Tuesday. “When you’re winning and things are going good, it just seems like that’s how it’s always going to be. Things that you know you should do (in training), you kind of neglect because you’ve been getting away with it and winning anyway. But then when you get your butt kicked, it’s like, ‘Dang, if I just would’ve tightened this up here or listened here, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.’ So it definitely humbled me.”

Now Evans finds himself on the comeback trail — but it’s a trail that took a couple odd twists and turns to get him to his UFC 108 main-event bout against Thiago Silva on Jan. 2.

Evans (18-1-1) coached Season 10 of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality competition against opposing coach Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, and the plan was for the two rivals to meet at UFC 107 in Memphis earlier this month. But Jackson dropped out to make the “A-Team” movie, and a subsequent verbal sparring match with UFC president Dana White had Evans wondering for a while when he might fight again. And the MMA world is wondering if Jackson will stay true to his word that he’s done with the UFC.

But in stepped Silva (14-1), a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who also has just one loss on his record against — yep, you guessed it — Machida, which makes for an interesting main event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Evans, whose primary training is with the Greg Jackson camp in Albuquerque, N.M., is a former Michigan State University wrestler who now makes his home in Chicago. And as part of his early training for Silva, he spent some time in Hammond working with WEC bantamweight Miguel Torres.

“Miguel’s my little homey, and his gym is about 30 minutes from where I live in Chicago,” Evans said. “We had been doing the ESPN (MMA Live) show together and we were talking and we figured out that we lived so close together, and we always talked about getting together and training. So when I was at home, I went and had a training session with him. We got some work in and we had a good, fun training session. He’s really little, but he’s really talented — so we had a good time training together.”

Evans said he plans to continue working with Torres when he’s in Chicago, even after the Silva fight.

For both Evans and Silva, their losses to Machida, the current light heavyweight champ, made them perhaps even hungrier than they were before losing.

“It’s painful, it’s nasty to lose to somebody,” Silva said through his translator. “But you learn from your mistakes and your losses. It’s up to the UFC (if I get another chance at Machida). Definitely I’d be looking forward to a rematch — but it’s not up to me. I want to fight the best. I want to be a champion. If Lyoto is the champion, that’s who I’m going after.”

For Evans, the long layoff between this fight and his last, the Machida loss, means he’s anxious to get back in the Octagon.

“I’m more eager just because I’m excited to fight — it’s been a long time,” Evans said. “One thing the loss has made me do is just be a little more in tune to fine details. I’m always just looking back and fine-tuning everything.”

Despite a lot of buildup and trash talk back and forth between him and Jackson, Evans insists his sole focus is on Silva.

“For me, not one single part of me is looking to a fight with Rampage,” Evans said. “There’s so much with that whole situation — is he going to let the fact that he’s mad at Dana interfere with the fact he might not fight me, or is he gonna come back — all these up and down games, it’s just mentally draining. Right now, my focus is 100 percent on Thiago and I’m not looking past him in any kind of way. Right now, he is my first, he is my last, he is everything. There’s nothing beyond this fight to me.”

—————————————-

UFC 108: Evans vs. Silva
When: 8 p.m., Jan. 2
Where: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas
TV: Spike (8-9 p.m.), pay-per-view ($44.95, 9 p.m.)

Main Card
205: Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva
170: Dustin Hazelett vs. Paul Daley
155: Joe Lauzon vs. Sam Stout
155: Jim Miller vs. Duane Ludwig
Hwt: Junior Dos Santos vs. Gilbert Yvel
Spike TV Preliminary Card
170: Martin Kampmann vs. Jacob Volkmann
155: Cole Miller vs. Dan Lauzon
Preliminary Card
205: Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Steve Cantwell
185: Mark Munoz vs. Ryan Jensen
170: Mike Pyle vs. Jake Ellenberger
155: Rafaello Oliveira vs. John Gunderson

Matt “The Law” Lindland, a former Olympic wrestler with political aspirations, takes on Strikeforce newcomer Jacare Souza Saturday on the promotion’s live card on Showtime.

Lindland won the silver medal in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 2000 Olympics. Lindland (24-6) recently did a Q&A with Strikeforce leading into his middleweight fight with Souza (10-2) at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

How’s your training been going for Dec. 19?
A: How’s my training going? I answer those questions every day. Can’t you be a little more creative than that? My training is going good and if it wasn’t I’d lie to you anyway and tell you it was.

OK. Fair enough. We’ll get right into the politics questions. In 2008 you won the primary for a seat on the Oregon House of Representatives but were defeated in the general election. What did you learn from that experience and how active are you currently in politics?
You know, I’m really not that active. I’m an activist. I’m a registered Republican and I just felt it was my civic duty to run. I felt like we did not have a qualified candidate to run. Would I run for politics again if I had to? Yeah, absolutely. I would first try and find someone more qualified than me to do it and get behind them and support them instead but if I felt there wasn’t anyone qualified then I would.

You must have learned a lot during your run in politics.
I did learn a lot about the political process. I learned it’s not about valuables and principles but how much money you can raise. Politics is dirtier then NHB (No Holds Barred) when fighting was first starting and there were no rules. Politics has fewer rules than that.

Who is the toughest fighter you’ve ever faced?
I think it just really depends on what point of my career I was in. I mean, early in my career I faced the legend Pat Miletich (in 2003). Then I had to face Fedor Emelianenko (in 2007) who is the best heavyweight in the world. It just depends on where you’re at in your career and when you’re fighting these guys. But I guess the obvious answer would have to be Fedor. Everyone knows I’ve fought him and he’s a phenomenal fighter.

You fought him in Russia. Was that tougher to do on his home soil than over here in the States? And would you like to face him again?
I think so. They don’t make calls in Russia when guys grab ropes and stuff. He’s in a different weight class now. It’s a fight I don’t need to take but I’ll fight whoever. It doesn’t matter to me.

Do your two children James and Robin like and participate in mixed martial arts?
Robin is a sophomore and doing track and field. As far as martial arts goes she’s the highest ranked kid we’ve ever had come out of our kid’s program. Both kids are pretty active in studying the martial arts. It’s not something they’re pursuing long term but I think teaching martial arts to kids, any combative sport, is a must. It teaches them a lot of good principles.

Muhammed Lawal loves to talk about his entrance.

Just five fights into his professional mixed martial arts career, Lawal’s walk-in has, depending on the fan, secured a place amongst either the most entertaining or most absurd entrances in the sport.

Saturday, when he makes his Strikeforce debut against Mike Whitehead on Showtime (9 p.m. Central), Lawal, known to fans as “King Mo,” promises the walk-in will be a good one.

Judging by Lawal’s past entrances, that means fans can expect something like this: Either (A) a heavy rap beat blaring in the background or (B) Lawal’s trademark song while fighting in Japan, which encouraged fans to chant his name. And he’ll be draped in a robe, crown on his head, dancing his way to the ring with an entourage of gyrating women.

If it sounds a bit outrageous, that’s because it is.

“I get it from a little bit of everywhere,” Lawal said with a chuckle. “I got some of it from ‘Coming to America.’ I got some of it from a mafia documentary about this little mafia dude … he had an umbrella guy.

“The girls dancing … that just fits me because I like to be rhythmic when I go to the ring. And the rest of the stuff I got from pro wrestling.”

While the entrance may come off as a bit of a sideshow, Lawal’s skills dictate that he is no sideshow in the cage.

A 2003 Big 12 champion and Division I All-American in wrestling for Oklahoma State, he is arguably one of the best wrestlers in MMA. Lawal, who says that Daniel Cormier may be the only fighter in Strikeforce better than him on the ground, competed in Real Pro Wrestling, a professional wrestling (no, not the fake stuff) league that resembled freestyle wrestling. He was crowned the league’s champion in its only year of existence.

He spent three years as the top-ranked 84-kilogram wrestler in the United States, and it’s his explosiveness that has impressed thus far. In his five fights, Lawal has scored four TKOs, the last of which came in his U.S. MMA debut Aug. 28 against legend Mark Kerr at M-1 Global: Breakthrough in Kansas City. In that fight, Lawal slammed Kerr, took his back and pistoned in a series of hard shots, knocking Kerr’s mouthpiece out and across the ring. It took all of 25 seconds.

“I fight to do two things,” Lawal said. “I fight to win and have a good time. I try to end careers if I can.”

“The best way to win is by killing somebody out there,” he added. “I think if you kill somebody in the ring there is no discussion. That means you killed them. Can’t say it was an early stoppage.”

Pundits don’t expect the Whitehead fight to be so easy, although early lines had Lawal as a heavy favorite at -600. Whitehead (24-6) is a former cast member on the second season of “The Ultimate Fighter” and is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Kevin Randleman in June. But Lawal, who said his inspiration to become a fighter growing up came from watching Kung Fu flicks, pro wrestling and Heathcliff cartoons (because he fought a lot), is confident that his biggest fight in the United States to date will go in his favor.

“A fight is a fight,” Lawal said. “He is solid. The reason that most people say that (he will be tough) is he was on ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ TV show and he was in the UFC at one point, which means nothing to me. That don’t mean nothing to me. Everybody … people fight everywhere. My first fight was a guy that fought in the UFC.

“I feel like my standup ability against him will be good,” he added. “I’m not worried about what he can do. He’s just solid. I’m more dynamic and I feel like I have more tools. Where he is just real solid, he’s just hard-nosed … I feel like I have more ways I can win the fight.”

Brian Linder is the sports editor for The Times and Democrat in Orangeburg, S.C. Follow The T&D’s MMA coverage online at thetandd.com/mma.

Matt Erickson
cagedin.mma@gmail.com

East Chicago native and Hammond-based bantamweight Miguel Torres will start the climb back toward a title shot on March 6.

World Extreme Cagefighting on Monday made official WEC 47 for Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The card will feature a main event bantamweight title fight between champion Brian Bowles and current top contender Dominick Cruz. Torres will likely be the co-main event taking on an as-yet-unannounced opponent.

Torres held the WEC bantamweight title until WEC 42 in August, when he lost the belt to Bowles by way of a first-round TKO. It was Torres’ first loss in nearly six years and just the second of his career. Still considered to be one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in all of mixed martial arts, Torres would likely earn a shot at getting his belt back with a win in March.

An official release from the WEC said Torres’ opponent “will be announced shortly.” That points to the potential for his opponent to come from one of the bantamweight bouts on Saturday’s WEC 45 card. Joseph Benavidez meets Rani Yahya and Takeya Mizugaki, whom Torres beat in April, takes on Scott Jorgensen.

Also on the card will be former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver, who trained for years at the Miletich Fighting Systems camp in Bettendorf, Iowa, before moving back to his native Idaho over the summer. Pulver last fought in June at WEC 41 and lost his fourth straight fight and sixth of seven.

WEC 47 will coincide with The Arnold Classic, a fitness expo run by California governor and former Mr. Olympia Arnold Schwarzenegger. For the last three years, the UFC has held an event in Columbus on the Saturday of The Arnold. But in 2010, it will be the WEC’s turn.

“We are really excited to bring our event to Columbus on the same weekend as The Arnold Sports Festival,” WEC General Manager Reed Harris said in a release. “Knowing that the weekend draws tens of thousands of the sporting world’s best athletes and enthusiasts to Columbus, WEC is proud to present the best of the best in the lighter weight classes in an event that is a can’t miss for MMA fans.”

Tickets for WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz go on sale Saturday at 9 a.m. Central and will range in price from $25 to $125. An Internet presale for WEC newsletter subscribers starts Thursday at 9 a.m. Central. For access to the presale, users must register for the WEC newsletter through wec.tv. Tickets can be purchased at all Ticketmaster locations, online at ticketmaster.com or by phone at (800) 745-3000.

Lightweight Anthony Njokuani hits Muhsin Corbbrey with a head kick at WEC 43 in San Antonio in October. Njokuani won his second straight Knockout of the Night bonus. On Saturday, he takes on former IFL champion Chris Horodecki looking for his third straight victory. (Photo courtesy of WEC)

Matt Erickson
cagedin.mma@gmail.com

LAS VEGAS | Anthony Njokuani is a long way from Africa. He’s a long way from his breakdancing days, too.

The Nigerian-born lightweight, who meets former IFL lightweight champion Chris Horodecki at WEC 45 on Saturday in Las Vegas, came to the United States when he was 3. But as he grew up in the Dallas suburb of Garland, looking different than other kids led to plenty of rough times.

“Growing up at the time (getting teased and picked on) wasn’t really easy,” Njokuani said last month in Las Vegas. “What (the other kids) put me through made me a better person.”

It just took a while. Njokuani admits he was teetering on the brink of going down a bad path with nearly no chance of turning back. But he got wise, despite having a less than ideal relationship with his parents.

“I was heading in a wrong direction — (hanging with) really bad crowds: people who were jumping and beating up people, stealing,” Njokuani said. “I”m really thankful that I didn’t involve mysefl in any of those activities. I’m glad that I changed my ways and became the person that I am.”

The person that he is tried football and basketball as an escape, but didn’t take well to teammates who he says had “ego problems.” He was doing a lot of inline skating, and one day, at 16, he says he picked up breakdancing. And it was breakdancing that managed to lead him to his eventual career as a fighter.

“I was going to a school called Knockout Fitness that had kickboxing, dancing, karate,” Njokuani said. “So I was doing martial arts for my breakdancing. (My instructor) saw potential, and I was trying to do both at the same time.”

Njokuani said his relationship with his parents as he marched toward young adulthood was at times strained. And it wasn’t until his father died just before Njokuani’s 23rd birthday that he realized he needed an attitude adjustment. He gained insight when he returned with his family to his father’s native Nigeria to bury him.

“(My father’s death) shook me up for a while,” Njokuani said. “It made me realize a lot of stuff, that I need to change a lot of things I was doing to my family. What really hurt the most was that I didn’t have a chance to get close with him. It really sucks that I don’t have that chance to build that bond with him. Now I take care of my mom.”

But he still carries with him some of the angry Anthony from his youth. That version comes to life when the cage door closes, which Bart Palszewski and Muhsin Corbbrey can attest to. They were both victims of Njokuani knockouts that gave him consecutive Knockout of the Night bonus awards at WEC 40 and 43.

“I still keep all of (the anger) to help me in the gym,” Njokuani said. “But when I step in the ring, I’m ‘The Assassin.’ I still keep all that to help me in the cage. I picture that in the back. I left Anthony back in the dressing room.”

Njokuani is 11-2 as a professional, and his only two losses came to WEC elite lightweights Ben Henderson, the current interim champ, and Donald Cerrone, who just fought Henderson for that interim belt. A win over Horodecki would be Njokuani’s third straight in the WEC and would put the lightweight division on notice.

He believes Horodecki, who brings strong kickboxing to the table and who is making his WEC debut after the collapse of Affliction’s promotion, which he was signed to previously, might try to keep the fight on the feet — which is alright with Njokuani.

“I’ve been watching Chris for along time, so I know exactly what he’s all about,” Njokuani said. “I think I can capitalize on that. I think I have this fight in the bag.”

But mostly, Njokuani said he is glad he’s tried to take life at a new pace, appreciating things a little more — like his family and the opportunity to fight.

“You’ll be seeing some new stuff coming out of me,” Njokuani said. “Horodecki, if he wants to stand and bang with me, we can go there. I’m still gonna focus on the main thing, which is just having fun. And not going out there and acting like a wild man, ’cause wild man can get you kiled.”

———————–

WEC 45: Cerrone vs. Ratcliff
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: The Pearl at The Palms, Las Vegas
TV: Versus (cable)

Main Card
155: Donald Cerrone vs. Ed Ratcliff
155: Anthony Njokuani vs. Chris Horodecki
135: Joseph Benavidez vs. Rani Yahya
135: Takeya Mizugaki vs. Scott Jorgensen

Preliminary Card
155: Bart Palaszewski vs. Anthony Pettis
155: Muhsin Corbbrey vs. Zach Micklewright
135: John Hosman vs. Chad George
135: Brad Pickett vs. Kyle Dietz
145: Jameel Massouh vs. Erik Koch

Takeya Mizugaki delivers some ground and pound against Jeff Curran in his split decision win at WEC 42 in August. On Saturday, Mizugaki takes on Scott Jorgensen at WEC 45. (Photo courtesy of WEC)

By Matt Erickson
cagedin.mma@gmail.com

The air horn sounded and Takeya Mizugaki made his way back to his corner – battered, bruised, tired and, ultimately, not victorious.

Fighters and mixed martial arts insiders love to drop cliches like “going to war,” but this was legit. Mizugaki had given Miguel Torres all he could handle and then some on a snowy Chicago night in April — becoming the first fighter to go five rounds with the Hammond-based bantamweight in a career spanning 50 fights if you count the unsanctioned Region bar circuit. But he came up on the short end of a unanimous decision loss.

After Torres’ hand was raised at WEC 40 in front of his hometown Chicago fans, Mizugaki left the arena floor with plenty of emotion welling up. With his cornermen flanking him, Mizugaki cried.

“It was emotional for me because I gave everything I had in that fight,” Mizugaki told The Times through his translator, Shu Hirata. “I learned that inside the cage, I can push myself beyond limits I thought I had. I learned what it’s like to fight for a championship and I learned what it’s like to come so close to my dream.”

Inside the cage, close doesn’t count for much – even when you’re fighting an uphill battle all the way to fight night. Mizugaki took the fight on short notice when Torres’ original opponent, Brian Bowles, pulled out with a back injury five weeks before the fight. Even more overwhelming, Mizugaki had never fought outside his native Japan. And then he had to walk in against an opponent fighting only 20 miles from his house. To say Mizugaki was a sizable underdog – and clearly not the fan favorite – would be a major understatement.

Mizugaki said the adjustment to fighting more than 6,000 miles from his home in Japan made a difference, but making excuses is not in his nature.

“(The adjustment to fighting in the U.S.) affected me a little bit, but I was ready for the fight with Torres,” Mizugaki said. “It was a great fight for five hard rounds. It was big because it was in his home town. I came to America to fight a champion in his home town. That’s never easy. I would like to fight him again someday. But first, I have to focus on Scott Jorgensen.”

Indeed, Mizugaki’s next test, against Jorgensen at WEC 45 on Saturday in Las Vegas, might be his most important fight yet in the WEC. He rebounded from the loss to Torres with another close fight, a split decision win over Torres rival Jeff Curran, from north suburban Island Lake, Ill. And ironically, that win came just about an hour before Torres suffered his first defeat in nearly six years, losing his WEC bantamweight title to Bowles at WEC 42 in August – almost as if destiny had put them on the same card, hoping their paths would cross.

Jorgensen presents another tough test on the ground for Mizugaki, renowned for his standup and striking skills. Torres and Curran are both black belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Jorgensen brings a strong wrestling background to the table, which made Mizugaki continue to hone his ground game. But he knows that old fight cliche could boil its way to the forefront again.

“With Scott, I am just preparing myself for a war,” Mizugaki said. “He is a fast, aggressive fighter. I am a fast, aggressive fighter. Put us together and it should be a really exciting fight.”

For the bout with Curran, Mizugaki worked to improve his ground game, which he surprisingly didn’t need against Torres, who wanted to stand and trade that fight. And Mizugaki made Torres a believer in his hands, not to mention his tenacity and heart. He believes he made strides since then, though he still wants to be better once the fight leaves the feet.

“I knew Curran was talented in jiu-jitsu, and I was able to see that my skills on the ground are good, but can get better,” Mizugaki said. “I am constantly looking to improve, and the fight with Curran made me want to keep working hard on my grappling. It was a close fight and a fight that I think has helped me become a better fighter.”

Leaving Las Vegas with his first victory in the WEC was certainly his biggest goal going into the Curran fight, but Mizugaki also wanted to make a statement. And while he’s not quite at Urijah Faber levels of love from the fans, they have taken to him.

“I have noticed that the fans enjoy watching me fight,” Mizugaki said. “I came to the WEC against Torres and I didn’t expect the fans to embrace me. But now that that is over, it seems like they respect me as a fighter.”

Perhaps most impressive about Mizugaki is his diligence in battling adversity and finding ways to take something from each new situation to keep climbing the ladder as a fighter. Against Jorgensen, the well-schooled striker with a master’s degree – who turns 26 on Wednesday – said he’ll bring lessons from both his previous WEC fights.

“I am confident that I will be ready for Jorgensen,” Mizugaki said. “My fight with Torres showed me what it’s like to be in a war and my fight with Curran showed me how to handle an opponent with a set gameplan. I think the key for me is to be able to adapt and beat Jorgensen in all aspects of the fight.”

Before their respective fights at WEC 42 in August at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Mizugaki walked out of a bathroom stall just as Torres was walking in. The two saw each other, but there was no real eye contact, no nodding of heads as they passed. It was less a scene of two men with animosity for one another as it was two fighters who know that though they have fought once before, their war is far from over and that they’ll meet again. Torres has said if the rematch happens, they’re starting with Round 6.

Nearly eight months later, Mizugaki is still using the Torres loss as motivation to reach his ultimate goal.

“It definitely motivates me now,” Mizugaki said. “I still think I can beat Torres and I still think I can be a world champion. I’m hungry to do both soon.”

———————–

WEC 45: Cerrone vs. Ratcliff
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: The Pearl at The Palms, Las Vegas
TV: Versus (cable)

Main Card
155: Donald Cerrone vs. Ed Ratcliff
155: Anthony Njokuani vs. Chris Horodecki
135: Joseph Benavidez vs. Rani Yahya
135: Takeya Mizugaki vs. Scott Jorgensen

Preliminary Card
155: Bart Palaszewski vs. Anthony Pettis
155: Muhsin Corbbrey vs. Zach Micklewright
135: John Hosman vs. Chad George
135: Brad Pickett vs. Kyle Dietz
145: Jameel Massouh vs. Erik Koch

By Matt Erickson
cagedin.mma@gmail.com

MEMPHIS | If UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar requires major surgery following his recent illness, the promotion will create an interim belt, president Dana White said Saturday following UFC 107 in Memphis.

Lesnar has been sidelined with an illness that forced him off of the UFC 106 main event last month in Las Vegas. Originally thought to be the flu, then mono, then a severe stomach ailment, it is unknown when Lesnar will return.

On Thursday, White reiterated again that it’s possible Lesnar might not fight again.

“We’ll probably know in a month or month and a half,” White said in reference to Lesnar’s recent illness and whether or not he will require surgery. “If he needs major surgery, there will be an interim title.”

The interim title picture could get interesting for the UFC. Former heavyweight champion Frank Mir, who lost to Lesnar at UFC 100 in July, put himself squarely in that interim title picture, should it arise, with a dominating performance over Cheick Kongo on Saturday. Also in the mix are Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez, though Carwin recently had to be shelved following knee surgery.

By Matt Erickson
cagedin.mma@gmail.com

MEMPHIS | DaMarques Johnson stood and traded big shots with Edgar Garcia in the center of the Octagon at UFC 107 at the FedEx Forum in Memphis on Saturday night.

And after the two welterweights traded bombs back and forth and neither fell during the second preliminary card fight, Johnson stepped back, looked at his opponent, put his hands out in front of him — and traded a double low-five and whooped in celebration of the slugfest, right in the middle of the fight.

The crowd, expectedly, went wild. But for a few brief moments, Johnson probably wondered if he was too excited too soon.

Garcia got the better of a few exchanges moments later and Johnson was soon on his back eating punches.

What happened next was a great moment of both defense and instant offense. Johnson threw an upkick that caught Garcia in the face, stunning him long enough for Johnson to throw his long legs up and sink in a fight-ending triangle choke.

Earlier in the fight, Johnson himself had been caught in a choke by Garcia. But he said after the fight that he knew he had to power out of it.

“It was pretty tight,” Johnson, a finalist on Season 9 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” said. “But I had to decide to either go to sleep or work my way out. He’s a big, strong guy. He surprised me with the choke.”

And the kick and subsequent triangle that had Garcia quickly tapping, then sitting on the canvas in disbelief? Johnson did some name-dropping.

“That was spur of the moment,” he said. “That was some straight up Jeremy Horn fight-jitsu. I can’t really remember much because he hits so hard.”

The fight was an early candidate for Submission of the Night.

Hometown favorite Alan Belcher earned a TKO win at a 195-pound catch weight over Brazilian Wilson Gouveia to close out the preliminary card. Belcher, a Memphis native, pleased the crowd with his pink fight shorts and thanked the fans after his win.

“I see faces everywhere that I grew up with,” Belcher said. “I love you folks. Coming through (the UFC) at a young age, I’m ready to step up and be the next contender. I want that belt, baby.”

Also on the preliminary card, TJ Grant scored a TKO with just three seconds left in the first round shortly after having to take a breather when he landed an inadvertent low blow on Kevin Burns. Rousimar Palhares submitted fellow Brazilian Lucio Linhares with a second-round heel hook. Johny Hendricks dominated with superior wrestling and won a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-25) over Ricardo Funch. And Matt Wiman grinded out a unanimous decision win over BJ Penn training partner Shane Nelson.

MEMPHIS | Caged In is live in Memphis at the FedEx Forum just off of the legendary Beale Street for UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez.

We will have live round-by-round and fight-by-fight coverage of all 11 fights, including the unaired preliminary card. So be sure to be here at 6 p.m. Central on Saturday for the fastest live coverage on the Internet.

Coverage starts after the jump.

Preliminary Card
Welterweight: TJ Grant (14-3) vs. Kevin Burns (8-3)
The Show Within the Show: Very respectably packed house so far, all things considered. You would NEVER see this many fans here for the first bout at a Vegas show.
Round 1: xxxx

Welterweight: Edgar Garcia (7-1) vs. DaMarques Johnson (14-7)
Round 1: xxxx

Middleweight: Lucio Linhares (13-4) vs. Rousimar Palhares (18-2)
Round 1: xxxx

Welterweight: Ricardo Funch (7-0) vs. Johny Hendricks (6-0)
Round 1: xxxx

Lightweight: Shane Nelson (13-4) vs. Matt Wiman (10-5)
Round 1: xxxx

Middleweight: Wilson Gouveia (12-6) vs. Alan Belcher (13-5)
Round 1: xxxx

Main Card
Heavyweight: Stefan Struve (22-3) vs. Paul Buentello (25-10)
Round 1: xxxx

Lightweight: Clay Guida (25-7) vs. Kenny Florian (13-4)
Round 1: xxxx

Welterweight: Mike Pierce (9-2) vs. Jon Fitch (23-3, 1 NC)
Round 1: xxxx

Heavyweight: Cheick Kongo (24-5-1) vs. Frank Mir (12-4)
Round 1: xxxx

Lightweight Championship: Diego Sanchez (23-2) vs. BJ Penn (14-5-1)
Round 1: xxxx

Caged In and The Times of Northwest Indiana have a Facebook fans page. And it is there that you can see all the staredown photos from Caged In’s front-row seat at Friday’s weigh-ins for UFC 107 at the FedEx Forum in Memphis.

So head on over to Facebook and have a look at the photos, and while you’re there, you can become a fan to get a little more exclusive access to Caged In and The Times of Northwest Indiana’s MMA site — including occasional contests JUST for Facebook fans!

UFC top welterweight contender Dan Hardy takes questions from Fight Club fans at the FedEx Forum in Memphis on Friday. (Photo by Matt Erickson)

By Matt Erickson
cagedin.mma@gmail.com

MEMPHIS | The UFC on Friday confirmed that welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre will defend his title against Dan Hardy in Newark, N.J., in March.

The bout would likely be the main event of what should be UFC 111 and would take place on March 27. The UFC has not yet officially announced UFC 111.

UFC president Dana White confirmed last month that Hardy was the No. 1 contender for St-Pierre’s belt, but there had been varying reports of when the fight would take place.

During a UFC Fight Club Q&A with Hardy on Friday at the FedEx Forum prior to the official weigh-ins for UFC 107, matchmaker Joe Silva confirmed to emcee Mike Goldberg that the Hardy-St-Pierre fight will happen March 27.

Hardy said though he will be an underdog in the fight, he believes the power in his standup game can’t be avoided by the champion.

“(Fighters like St-Pierre) are totally (on another level), but it doesn’t make them invincible,” Hardy said. “Twenty-five minutes is a long time to keep my fists off his face.”

Hardy also said that he expects St-Pierre to take him down, but that he will be prepared for that.

“I think he’s too smart to stand with me,” Hardy said. “He knows there’s a left hook with his name on it. I’m expecting him to take me down. When you’re fighting GSP, you expect to get taken down. I’ll wind up on my back and I’ll work from there.”

UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn, left, stares down Diego Sanchez after weighing in for their UFC 107 title fight in Memphis. (Photo by Matt Erickson)

By Matt Erickson
cagedin.mma@gmail.com

MEMPHIS | Fighters hit the scale Friday for Saturday’s UFC 107 event at the FedEx Forum in downtown Memphis. And the weigh-ins wound up being one of the odder ones of all time.

In all, 14 of the 22 fighters on Saturday’s card came in over weight — prompting shouts of “Fix the scales!” from the audience, jokes from emcee Joe Rogan about what the fighters have been eating in a great barbecue city like Memphis and several side conversations between UFC president Dana White and Jeff Mullen, the executive director of the Tennessee Athletic Commission.

Of the 14, six had to make weight on second or third attempts. The eight others were within their one-pound-over allowance. Still, seeing that number of fighters above had many questioning the accuracy of the scale.
In non-title fights, fighters are allowed to be one pound over the weight limit. In championship bouts, there is no overage allowance.

After the weigh-in event, Mullen told a small group of assembled media that the scale was balanced and had even been re-calibrated before the weigh-ins for the main event.

UFC 107 features a main-event lightweight championship fight between champion BJ Penn, from Hawaii, and Mexican-American fighter Diego Sanchez. Sanchez weighed 156 on his first attempt — and normally he would have removed his shorts there to try to hit 155 immediately. But there seemed to be some confusion, and Sanchez’s second attempt came after the proceedings came to an official close. At that time, he removed his shorts and the scale read 154.5 on his second attempt. He was not wearing fight shorts on his first attempt, just lycra biker-style boxers. Penn weighed 155 pounds in his first attempt. After facing off, Penn and Sanchez talked back and forth at each other while their cornermen pulled them apart.

In the co-main event, former heavyweight champion Frank Mir takes on French fighter Cheick Kongo, who trains at the Wolfslair Academy in England with Quinton Jackson and Michael Bisping. Mir will come in with about a 25-pound weight advantage after weighing in a half-pound under the heavyweight limit of 265. Kongo was 239. There has been some bad blood between the two of late, with Kongo saying Mir is nothing but “a big kid” and Mir saying he wants to break Kongo’s arm to show UFC heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar what he’s capable of. When it came time for their staredown, Kongo turned away from Mir and would not face him.

While most of the other staredowns between the fighters were civil, lightweights Matt Wiman and Shane Nelson were in each other’s faces and had to be separated by White after a quick shoving match threatened to break out.

Also on the card, Fort Wayne native and Purdue product Jon Fitch, who now fights out of the renowned American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif., takes on Mike Pierce. For Fitch, who was always attached to the UFC 107 card, it’s his third opponent after Paulo Thiago and Thiago Alves both had to pull out with injuries. Pierce is coming off an upset win over Brock Larson at UFC 103 in Dallas in September. Fitch came out throwing shirts and gear into the crowd, then hit the scales at 171 — same as Pierce.

And Chicago-area fighter Clay Guida, a Round Lake, Ill., native, takes on Kenny Florian. Both lightweights are coming off losses — Florian was submitted by Penn in a title fight at UFC 101 in August and Guida lost to Sanchez by split decision in June in a bout that is on virtually every Fight of the Year list. Guida spent his training time between Midwest Training Center in Schaumburg and Gilbert Grappling in Tinley Park until moving his camp to the elite Greg Jackson school in Albuquerque, N.M., earlier this year. Guida came out his usual jacked-up self and weighed 156, as did Florian.

Official weigh-in results:
170: TJ Grant (171) vs. Kevin Burns (171)
170: Edgar Garcia (171)(a) vs. DaMarques Johnson (171)(b)
185: Lucio Linhares (185) vs. Rousimar Palhares (186)
170: Ricardo Funch (171)(c) vs. Johny Hendricks (171)(d)
155: Shane Nelson (156) vs. Matt Wiman (156)
185: Wilson Gouveia (193) vs. Alan Belcher (195)(f)
170: Mike Pierce (171) vs. Jon Fitch (171)
Hwt: Stefan Struve (247) vs. Paul Buentello (255)
155: Clay Guida (156) vs. Kenny Florian (156)
Hwt: Cheick Kongo (239) vs. Frank Mir (264.5)
155: Diego Sanchez (154.5)(g) vs. BJ Penn (155)

(a) Initially weighed 173; after the weigh-ins were over he hit 171 on second attempt
(b) Initially weighed 171.5; removed shorts to hit 171 on second attempt
(c) Initially weighed 171.5; removed shorts to hit 171 on second attempt
(d) Initially weighed 172; removed shorts to hit 171.5 on second attempt; stripped fully to hit 171 on third attempt
(e) Initially weighed 156.5; removed shorts to hit 156 on second attempt
(f) Gouveia-Belcher is being fought at an agreed-upon catch weight of 195 pounds
(g) Initially weighed 156, one pound over the limit in a title fight; removed shorts after the weigh-ins and was 154.5 on second attempt

Matt Erickson
cagedin.mma@gmail.com

UFC 100 in July was the perfect opportunity for the Ultimate Fighting Championship to try out a fan expo. And the event was such a success that the promotion announced Friday it will do another one.

The UFC will again team up with Reed Exhibitions to hold the UFC Fan Expo at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. The dates for the second go-round will be May 28-29, Memorial Day weekend, meaning a near-certain UFC pay-per-view event on May 29 in Las Vegas.

Fans will again be able to meet fighters, attend autograph signings and photo sessions, take part in training events and listen to talks from fighters and MMA industry insiders. The UFC said in a release on Friday that more than 200 exhibitors are expected to attend, from apparel companies and fight gear, to fitness equipment and collectibles.

“I was blown away by the response to the first UFC Fan Expo,” UFC president Dana White said in the release. “We have the greatest fans in the world. Our next Fan Expo is going to be another incredible event — we are taking it to the next level and offering even more exciting ways to experience UFC.”

For more information on the second UFC Fan Expo and to purchase tickets, visit ufcfanexpo.com.

The holiday gift-giving season is right around the corner. And now, more than ever, the gift options for the MMA fan in your life are almost neverending.

As the holidays creep up, Caged In will take a look at some of this season’s latest gear from both well-established companies as well as some of the up-and-comers on the scene. And check back regularly, as we will also run regular features on some of the new gear in the MMA marketplace — as well as contests to win some really cool stuff.

So without further ado, what might Santa have in store for MMA fans this year?

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Red Arme | redarme.com

Red Arme (pronounced “army”) is new to the MMA apparel scene and bills itself as being “created to celebrate mixed martial arts not only as a sport, but also a culture. Red Arme is a MMA lifestyle brand that speaks to fighters and those who dream of becoming one.”

Red Arme’s initial product line includes a handful of shirts — or “Short Arm Sheaths,” as the company calls them. The shirts are made of ring-spun cotton, which leaves them with a smooth and soft feel. The “Insignia” model (shown) features the company’s logo on the front and a smaller logo on the back. Red Arme’s shirts retail for $30.

———————————————

Stay tuned to Caged In for regular product features leading right up to the holidays!

Matt Erickson
cagedin.mma@gmail.com

It has been done before, and at elite levels of success. Just take a look at the UFC heavyweight belt around the waist of Brock Lesnar.

And on Thursday, another former WWE champion made the leap to a top-level MMA promotion when Strikeforce announced it has signed Bobby Lashley to a multi-year deal.

Lashley, unbeaten at 4-0, will make his debut at Strikeforce’s Jan. 30 card at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla., just west of Fort Lauderdale.

Lashley, an Army veteran, was a collegiate wrestler at Missouri Valley College. In his most recent MMA fight, he beat Bob Sapp with a first-round TKO at Prize Fight MMA’s Ultimate Chaos show in Biloxi, Miss. At 6-3, 250 pounds, Lashley made quick work of the bigger Sapp, a former NFL player with the Bears, Vikings, Ravens and Raiders, who is 6-5 and came in around 350 pounds.

Lashley’s pro wrestling career included stints in the WWE’s Raw and Smackdown! brands, as well as TNA Wrestling, which he joined earlier this year.

In a press release sent to the media Thursday, Strikeforce said Lashley’s opponent is not yet known. Also announced for the same card is the debut of former NFL star and Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker; Nick Diaz; and women’s champion Cris Santos.

“I’m looking forward to fighting for Strikeforce and challenging myself by taking on some of the top heavyweights in MMA,” Lashley said in the release.

Tickets for Strikeforce’s Florida debut are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com.

UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn, left, and Diego Sanchez meet in the main event of UFC 107 on Saturday at the FedEx Forum in Memphis. (Photo by Matt Erickson)

MEMPHIS | Caged In is in Memphis for UFC 107. And Friday at 3 p.m. Central, you can watch the weigh-ins for Saturday’s fight card right here through live streaming video.

Friday’s weigh-in event will take place at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, site of the Saturday pay-per-view, and will be free and open to the public.

UFC 107 features a main-event lightweight title fight between champion BJ Penn and challenger Diego Sanchez. But the main card is not lacking other intriguing fights, including a heavyweight bout between former champ Frank Mir and Cheick Kongo; a lightweight matchup of Kenny Florian, just one fight off of a title-challenge loss to Penn at UFC 101, against Clay Guida, a Chicago-area native who trains part-time in Tinley Park, Ill., at Gilbert Grappling; Fort Wayne native and Purdue product Jon Fitch against Mike Pierce; and the return of heavyweight Paul Buentello to the UFC, facing Stefan Struve.

Matt Erickson
cagedin.mma@gmail.com

Portage welterweight John Kolosci will look to avenge a nearly three-year-old loss when he takes on Bill Hill at Hoosier Fight Club’s second show.

Kolosci, a veteran of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality competition, UFC and, most recently, Strikeforce, will fight Hill at HFC 2: It’s On, which will take place Jan. 2 at The Venue at Horseshoe Casino in Hammond.

Kolosci lost by TKO to Hill (15-21) in March 2007 at an International Fighting Championship event in Texas. Kolosci (12-6) most recently lost a decision to Shamar Bailey when Strikeforce brought a nationally televised card to the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates. That loss snapped a four-fight win streak since attempting a climb back up the ladder to major MMA promotions.

Hill has fought against big-name veterans like Jeremy Horn, Munster native Stephan Bonnar, Chicagoan Terry Martin, Sean Salmon, Kerry Schall, James Irvin, Travis Wiuff and Eric Schafer. In fact, 11 of Hill’s 21 career losses have come against UFC veterans. Kolosci wants to add his name to that list.

“I’m really looking forward to this (fight),” Kolosci said. “I was very uncomfortable with the referee stoppage the first time (we fought) and thought it was way too early. He’s a tough guy and definitely a gamer — a very hard guy to finish, and he loves the clinch on the fence. I have to stay out of his game or punish him with some dirty boxing while clinched because I feel comfortable there too. I think it’s going to be a great fight on a great card.”

It will be one of seven pro fights scheduled for HFC’s second show. The promotion, which is run by Kolosci along with partners Paul and Danielle Vale of L.A. Boxing in Merrillville, made its debut last month at the Porter County Expo Center in Valparaiso.

The main event of HFC 2 will be between UFC veteran Pete Spratt, whose resume includes wins over Robbie Lawler and Rich Clementi and even a fight against current UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, and Keith Wisniewski, of Duneland Vale Tudo, who has also fought in the UFC.

The co-main event will be between UFC bet Derrick Noble and Joe Benoit, fighting out of Gilbert Grappling in Tinley Park, who has fought in the WEC.

Tickets are on sale through The Venue and range in price from $35 to $200. More information about Hoosier Fight Club can be found through the promotion’s official Web site at hoosierfightclub.com.

———————————-

Houston Alexander, right, spent a good portion of the first round of his fight against Kimbo Slice circling the outside of the cage. Slice won a unanimous decision. And Alexander has now been cut by the UFC. (Photo courtesy of UFC)

Matt Erickson
cagedin.mma@gmail.com

MEMPHIS | The UFC has cut light heavyweight Houston Alexander following his unanimous decision loss to Kimbo Slice at last week’s finale of “The Ultimate Fighter.”

UFC president Dana White told several members of the media Thursday after a pre-fight press conference for UFC 107 in Memphis that he was disappointed in Alexander’s performance in the loss — which had him continually circling the outside of the cage for the first 90 seconds of the fight before attempting any offense. White said he wanted to walk out.

“I was gonna leave — I was gonna get up and walk out of the fight, that’s what I thought of it,” White said. “If I didn’t have to hand out The Ultimate Fighter trophy at the end, I would have left that night. (It was) not a good night for me.”

But White said Slice’s first official UFC opponent was a good one — though the fight, which Slice won by counts of 30-27, 29-28, 29-28, may not have lived up to the pre-fight hype slugfest fans expected.

“With as disgusted as I was with Houston Alexander’s performance, Kimbo beat a real guy,” White said before referencing another infamous non-attacking fighter. “The last thing I expected was for Houston to come in and do the Kalib Starnes. Kimbo was chasing him around the cage, asking him to engage, and Houston didn’t want to fight him.”

White said that many of the decisions of signing and retaining fighters lies in the hands of matchmaker Joe Silva, and said he wasn’t certain if Alexander had been formally cut yet — but that he would be.

“If we didn’t cut him yet, we’re cutting him soon,” White said.

But shortly after White finished his session with the media, a source close to Alexander’s camp confirmed to Caged In and The Times of Northwest Indiana via text message: “He’s been cut.”

As of early Thursday evening, Alexander’s fighter bio was still listed on the official UFC Web site.

Alexander started his UFC career in promising fashion, going 2-0 with knockout wins over Keith Jardine and Alessio Sakara. But since then, he’s gone 1-4 with four losses in the UFC. His lone win since 2007 was a first-round TKO of Sherman Pendergarst at an Adrenaline MMA show just outside his hometown of Omaha, Neb., in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Diego Sanchez, right, takes on lightweight champion BJ Penn in just his third fight at 155 pounds on Saturday at UFC 107 at the FedEx Forum in Memphis.

Matt Erickson
cagedin.mma@gmail.com

MEMPHIS | Diego Sanchez figures it’s been a long and arduous road to the top, and it just might be his time.

Fighting at his third weight class in the UFC, Sanchez challenges lightweight champion BJ Penn for his title on Saturday at UFC 107 at the FedEx Forum in Memphis.

Sanchez won the middleweight contract on the inaugural season of the UFC reality competition “The Ultimate Fighter,” then dropped to welterweight for nine fights. Now fighting his third bout at 155 pounds, Sanchez believes he’s right at home — and believes Penn’s title is within reach.

Pressure? Don’t talk to Sanchez about pressure.

“There’s going to be pressure in every fight,” Sanchez said during a media conference call Monday. ”There was pressure on me when I won the state championship in high school. You know, pressure is just something about being an athlete. If you don’t know how to deal with pressure, you’re never going to be a champion. And this is what I’ve been working towards for eight years — to get in this position.”

Sanchez went 17 fights without tasting defeat to open his MMA career, plus another two inside the TUF house that first season. But back-to-back decision losses to TUF 1 rival Josh Koscheck and Purdue grad and Fort Wayne native Jon Fitch knocked him back down the ladder and forced him to make the climb again.

With four straight wins, including a definite Fight of the Year candidate against Chicagoland’s Clay Guida in June, which he won by split decision, Sanchez is on a roll again. One of the UFC’s more spiritual fighters, Sanchez seldom fails to put on a show — including two consecutive Fight of the Night honors. He plans on the same Saturday.

“It’s been one tough road to climb to the top of this – to put myself in this position,” Sanchez said. “I’m just excited and just ready to go in there and give it everything that I have and fight with my heart and my soul, ya know? And just be me in the ring, and may the best man come out the winner.”

Hawaiian Penn (14-5-1), the most dominant lightweight fighter in UFC history, isn’t taking Sanchez lightly — despite being a more than 3-to-1 favorite. He said he paid special attention during his camp for the fight to Sanchez’s explosive nature.

“Diego is good in all areas,” Penn said. “He’s got great takedowns, he’s got great jiu-jitsu and I’m sure he has heavy hands and he’s improved his striking a lot. With all of that said, I think his greatest strength is his tenacity. He tries to come hard and he tries to push the pace and all of those things. That’s a big area that we worked on — (training partners) trying to push the pace to get us ready for Diego’s tenacity.”

Penn, who beat Kenny Florian in his last title defense at UFC 101 in August, in the past has been considered by opponents and fans to have somewhat of an arrogant streak. But that may have mellowed some.

“You always go in expecting that anything can happen out there,” Penn said. “But you’re going in and you’re wanting it just to be a good night for you, but you know you’ve got to expect the worst. I’m the champion and I’m expecting to walk in and do the job that I’m supposed to do. The fans are expecting a great fight. So one thing for sure, we’re going to find out.”

What Sanchez hopes Penn finds out is that his time has passed and Sanchez’s time has come, and he attributes that to his faith and his belief that he will be successful.

“That’s why I believe I’m going to beat BJ Penn — because it’s my time,” Sanchez said. “Everything in my career has built me up to this moment. And I’m healthy, I’m strong, my mental and spiritual side has never been stronger. Everything feels right. So I’m confident and I’m just excited to go in there and do what I love.  I’m going to go in there and I’m going to fight my hardest. And like I said, may the best man win. That’s all in God’s hands.”

———————————————-

UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez
When: 9 p.m. Saturday
Where: FedEx Forum, Memphis
TV: Pay-per-view ($44.95 for regular or HD feed)
Online: Times MMA Insider Matt Erickson is live in Memphis for fight-by-fight coverage of the preliminaries and main card, and all the news in between. Follow the coverage at caged-in.com.

Main card
Lightweight championship: BJ Penn vs. Diego Sanchez
Hwt: Frank Mir vs. Cheick Kongo
170: Jon Fitch vs. Mike Pierce
155: Kenny Florian vs. Clay Guida
Hwt: Paul Buentello vs. Stefan Struve
Preliminary card
185: Alan Belcher vs. Wilson Gouveia
155: Matt Wiman vs. Shane Nelson
170: Johny Hendricks vs. Ricardo Funch
185: Rousimar Palhares vs. Lucio Linhares
170: DaMarques Johnson vs. Edgar Garcia
170: Kevin Burns vs. T.J. Grant

Caged In is live in Memphis for UFC 107, which takes place Saturday night at the FedEx Forum.

And before that, we’ve got the pre-fight press conference streaming live right here. So don’t miss it, and be sure to check back for coverage leading up to the fight and live fight-by-fight coverage on Saturday night.

Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz, who have fought each other twice in their legendary UFC careers, will meet once more.

UFC president Dana White announced on Saturday during the finale of “The Ultimate Fighter 10: Heavyweights” that the two former light heavyweight champions will coach against each other on Season 11 of the Spike TV reality competition.

Traditionally, in most recent seasons, coaches on the show have fought each other at the conclusion of the competition — and that will be the same with Liddell-Ortiz despite White saying after Liddell’s last loss at UFC 97 that Liddell was done fighting.

But Liddell has said repeatedly that he doesn’t believe his career is over yet and wants to compete again. White, still adamant that Liddell has nothing to prove and that he has made plenty of money, has finally relented.

“My good friend Chuck Liddell has been terrorizing me to come back and fight again, so obviously one of the coaches is Chuck and the opposing coach is Tito Ortiz,” White said on Saturday’s Spike TV broadcast. “I’m not his dad. The guy’s a legend in the sport, and to tell him he can’t have one more shot is tough to do.”

Liddell has coached on the show before in its inaugural season, opposite fellow Hall of Famer Randy Couture. And Ortiz was a coach on Season 3 opposite Ken Shamrock. White said Saturday that Season 11 will feature middleweight fighters, though previous reports have said the show will have both middleweights and light heavyweights. The expected season premiere of TUF 11 is April 14 on Spike.

When Liddell and Ortiz meet for the third time, likely in July, Ortiz will be looking to avenge two knockout losses. Ortiz recently returned to action after a layoff that included a public dispute with White and the UFC, plus back surgery. He lost a split decision to Season 1 TUF winner Forrest Griffin at UFC 106 in Las Vegas last month.

Liddell has lost four of his last five fights, including three by knockout, which prompted White to announce at the post-fight press conference at UFC 97 that Liddell was done fighting.

White said Saturday that the fans want to see a trilogy fight with arguably the two most popular competitors in UFC history, and that they’ve shown they have a lot to bring as coaches.

“I think he has a lot to offer young talent — he’s a great coach,” White said. “And Tito was a great coach on Season 3. Chuck’s more enthusiastic than I’ve ever seen him to come back and to coach — so here we go.”

By Matt Erickson
cagedin.mma@gmail.com

There was bad blood between Matt Mitrione and Marcus Jones on this past season of the UFC’s “The Ultimate Fighter” reality competition. And though neither fighter advanced to Saturday’s championship fight, they were paired against each other in a heavyweight grudge match.

Both former NFL players, Mitrione a product of Purdue who trains in Indianapolis and Jones a former first-round draft pick who played seven seasons in Tampa Bay, the bad blood came boiling to the top Saturday at The Pearl at The Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Despite being taken down several times by Jones in the first round, Mitrione weathered the storm and came out swinging early in the second, scoring a quick TKO just 10 seconds into the round.

In the first, Jones’ takedown skills were on display. But Mitrione survived being on the ground and worked back to his feet each time — even stinging the taller, heavier Jones on a couple of occasions.

But as Jones pushed forward quickly in the second, Mitrione caught him with a stunning right hand to the chin, and as Jones began to crumple to the canvas, Mitrione caught him with another right. Referee Steve Mazzagatti was in to stop the fight soon after Jones hit the floor facedown.

After the fight, Mitrione said Jones was stronger than he expected.

“Marcus is much stronger than I gave him credit for,” Mitrione said in his in-cage interview. “I figured, I played in the NFL, too. I’ve got (good) strength. But it’s obscene how strong he is. And I was surprised how hard he punched, to be honest. He kind of caught me off guard, which made me kind of slow my jab down a bit.”

Asked if his strategy was to survive takedowns — Mitrione was shown to be vulnerable on the ground on the show — and stick with the standup game, Mitrione said he didn’t expect Jones’ early onslaught.

“I didn’t think there was gonna be a storm, to be honest,” Mitrione said. “I was gonna come out there and let ‘em fly, and I thought that he was gonna be timid when I touched him, and he wasn’t. I didn’t really touch him that much — but he was aggressive, and he really pushed the pace. He had good takedowns.”

Rodney Wallace makes his UFC debut Saturday against Brian Stann on The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale on Spike TV. (Photo courtesy of the UFC)

By Brian Linder
The Times & Democrat

Search for Rodney “Sho Nuff the Master” Wallace on the Internet and you won’t find much in the way of photos.

The most prominent one tells the story. There’s Wallace, shirt off, exposing a tatooed chest and a ripped torso. That’s 205-pounds of muscle packed onto a 5-9 frame.

Explosive.

Wallace is the walking, talking definition of the word. Of course, people in his hometown, Bamberg, S.C., don’t need anyone to tell them that. As a Raider at Bamberg-Ehrhardt High School, Wallace was a football star, a three-time state wrestling champion and a two-time state freestyle wrestling champion.

Fans of the Catawba Indians football team don’t need to be told about Wallace, either. After leaving Bamberg-Ehrhardt, Wallace accepted a scholarship to the school and is still the Indians’ career rushing leader with 3,769 yards and touchdowns with 42.

Saturday, Wallace (9-0) hopes to fill casual mixed martial arts fans in on his explosiveness. He steps into the Octagon for his UFC debut against Brian Stann (7-2) at The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas on the preliminary card of “The Ultimate Fighter 10” Finale, which airs at 8 p.m. Central on Spike TV.

For much more on Rodney Wallace, please read the full story from The T&D.

Brian Linder is sports editor of The Times & Democrat in Orangeburg, S.C. Reach him via e-mail at blinder@timesanddemocrat.com. Be sure to visit the T&D’s blog, MMA Takedown, and its new MMA news site.  www.thetandd.com/mma for more on mixed martial arts.

Former Purdue and NFL lineman Matt Mitrione, right, will get his crack at the UFC when he takes on Marcus Jones on Saturday's live TUF 10 Finale on Spike TV. (Photo courtesy of the UFC)

By Matt Erickson
cagedin.mma@gmail.com

Season 10 of the UFC reality show “The Ultimate Fighter” was billed as the coming of Kimbo Slice. But the Kimbo sizzle fizzled early in the season, and MMA fans had a new love-or-hate character to tune in for each week.

Enter Matt Mitrione.

Mitrione, one of four former NFL players out of 16 heavyweights on this season’s reality competition on Spike TV, at various points in the season made an enemy of nearly every other fighter in the house. And he had run-ins with several of them.

On Wednesday night’s season finale, Mitrione lost his quarterfinal fight against James McSweeney. But he apparently impressed the UFC brass enough in his two fights on the show to garner a crack in the Octagon on Saturday’s live finale show on Spike from The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas.

His opponent? Marcus Jones, a fellow former NFL player, whom he had a big outside-the-cage near-clash with on Wednesday’s final episode. Season 10 of “The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights” was taped over the summer in Las Vegas.

Wednesday night, while finishing preparation for his fight in Las Vegas, Mitrione told The Times of his plan of attack against Jones.

“It’ll be an emotion-filled fight,” Mitrione said, alluding to the near tussle with Jones on the show. “He’s going to close the distance on me and I’m going to punch him really hard in the face when he tries.”

Jones, 35, stands 6-6 and has an impressive 80-inch reach. But though Mitrione is three inches shorter than Jones at 6-3, he has a one-inch reach advantage. At 81 inches, Mitrione’s reach will be one of the longest in the UFC.

Jones was a first-round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1996 and played seven seasons at defensive end for them, notching 24 career sacks — including an impressive 13 in the 2000, with four in one game against Detroit. Mitrione was all-Big Ten at Purdue for three seasons and had stints in the NFL with the New York Giants and Minnesota.

Mitrione said shortcomings in his quarterfinal loss on the show, in which he was submitted by McSweeney in the first round, have been improved upon in the time since that fight. He trains at Integrated Fighting Academy in Indianapolis with the likes of UFC fighters Chris Lytle and Jake O’Brien.

“My focus has been on submission and takedown defense, not lunging into my straight left and keeping the tempo of the fight in mind,” said Mitrione, who in his first fight on the show, a win over Scott Junk, appeared to tire quickly into the second round. “Knowing the tempo makes me very dangerous. I train to be (a) champion. I made plenty of mistakes and have made strides from my last fight. I’m looking forward to making things happen on Saturday.”

Mitrione said he accepted the fight weeks ago. Because the show was still airing and because of non-disclosure agreements signed by all the fighters on the show, he wasn’t able to talk about it. But he said he had been preparing before that, regardless.

“I found out about a month ago, but I had a good feeling that I’d be fighting in the finale — so I had been preparing for quite a while,” Mitrione said.
The finalists this season are former IFL star Roy Nelson and Brendan Schaub, another former NFL player.

As for the season’s other polarizing fighter, Kimbo Slice lost in his first fight on the show in Week 3 and turned down a possible shot at getting back in on the last episode. But he’ll fight on Saturday’s card, as well. Slice, whose real name is Kevin Ferguson, will face Houston Alexander at a catch weight of 215 pounds in a fight that was first reported by The Times in October.

Also on the main televised card, Matt Hamill, a contestant on Season 3 of the show, takes on fast-rising light heavyweight contender Jon Jones. And Frankie Edgar tries to build off his UFC 98 upset of Sean Sherk when he takes on unbeaten Matt Veach. A win for Edgar would be his third straight and would get him into the mix to challenge for the lightweight title, which BJ Penn will defend at UFC 107 against Diego Sanchez on Dec. 12.
The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: The Pearl at The Palms, Las Vegas
TV: Spike (cable)

Main Card
• Hwt: Roy Nelson vs. Brendan Schaub (Season 10 tournament championship)
• 205: Matt Hamill vs. Jon Jones
• 215: Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson vs. Houston Alexander
• 155: Frank Edgar vs. Matt Veach
• Hwt: Marcus Jones vs. Matt Mitrione
Preliminary Card
• Hwt: Darrill Schoonover vs. James McSweeney
• Hwt: Jon Madsen vs. Justin Wren
• 205: Brian Stann vs. Rodney Wallace
• 170: John Howard vs. Dennis Hallman
• 155: Mark Bocek vs. Joe Brammer

Exclusive live chat during TUF Finale!
Join Times MMA Insider Matt Erickson at 7:45 p.m. as he hosts a live chat during the live broadcast of Saturday’s TUF Finale. MattE will break down the fights and talk about all things MMA with fans on Saturday at caged-in.com