Conan

Ultimate Fighting Championship and Extreme Fighting veteran heavyweight, Marcus Silveira, is set to make his MMA return on March 31st at the James L. Knight Centre, in Miami, Florida, at the Panther Fight League’s debut event. The 42 year old Silveira (5-4) will be competing for the first time since 2002, when he lost to Wes Sims by TKO at Hook N Shoot’s Absolute Fighting Championship 1. The American Top Team fighter is perhaps best remembered for his battles with Maurice Smith, as Silveira went 3-0 to begin his MMA career until losing to Smith by KO at Extreme Fighting 3 in October of 1996. Silveira later avenged that defeat, submitting Smith with an arm triangle choke at World Extreme Fighting 7 in October of 1999. His encounter with Kazushi Sakuraba at UFC Ultimate Japan 1 in 1997 will also not be soon forgotten, as Silveira was submitted by the future Japanese super-star with an armbar in the first round.

His opponent will be Johnathan Ivey (25-31), who despite his losing record has won 7 fights in a row, with his only loss in his last ten fights coming to the undefeated Jake O’Brien. Ivey has been fighting professionally now for nearly ten years, and has competed against some of the sports more notable fighters, including Ben Rothwell, Travis Wiuff, Justin Eilers, Dan Severn, and Jeremy Horn.

Last Friday’s, February 9th, TKO 28 event, which was held at the Bell Centre, in Montreal, Quebec, was plagued by controversy and debate. From all reports, the fight between TKO Featherweight Champion Hatsu Hioki and Mark Hominick was extremely competitive, and the majority decision that was awarded to Hioki, is going to be appealed by Hominick’s camp.

"Team Tompkins and Mark Hominick will appeal the decision rendered by the judges," says TKO promoter Stephane Patry, echoing Hominick’s statements on FCF Radio, that the fighter and his team will appeal the decision with the appropriate Quebec athletic commission.

The bout marked the second time Hioki and Hominick have done battle, as the Japanese Pride veteran defeated Hominick for his title at TKO 25 last May. In their first encounter Hioki submitted the former champion in the second round with a triangle choke, this time around however, the two 145 pound fighters were unable to leave the fight out of the judge’s hands. Depending on what transpires over the next few months in both fighter’s careers, one would think that a third fight between the two would be a considerable draw. For fans that were unable to attend the bout live in Montreal, TKO 28 will be available on Viewer’s Choice pay per view this Friday in Canada.

In another controversial bout, Jonathan Goulet stopped Thomas Schulte at the end of the first round with strikes. According to reports and Patry, the referee did not hear the bell ending the round, and as a result, the stoppage should not have been made as time had already elapsed.

"The stoppage in the Schulte, Goulet fight was made about 5 seconds after the bell rang," Patry tells FCF. "The referee didn’t hear the bell and the commission didn’t do anything about it, so if I was Thomas Schulte, I would be very pissed off. I think this fight should be declared a no-contest."

In the event’s other title fight, TKO Lightweight Champion Sam Stout successfully defended his title once again against Fabio Holanda. At the conclusion of round 2, Holanda was unable to continue, giving Stout the corner stoppage win.

"I was very happy with Sam’s performance in that fight," Patry says. "I think Fabio Holanda had a huge opportunity in this fight and should’ve trained for a 5 round fight."

Controversy aside, TKO 28 drew a huge crowd to the Bell Centre, truly demonstrating that MMA is quickly becoming a main stream sport in the province of Quebec.

"I was extremely happy with the event, the production and obviously the attendance," Patry reports. "We broke the Canadian record for assistance in a MMA event, previously held by us with TKO 27 at the Bell Center. We had 7,937 people."

In other action from TKO 28:

Team Tompkins fighter Chris Clements stopped David Medd with strikes in the second round, Luke Caudillo knocked out Samuel Guillet in 12 seconds, Steve Claveau submitted Jason St.Louis with a first round triangle choke at 3:12, Martin Grandmont stopped David Pariseau with strikes at 3:19 of the first round, and James Dube got the TKO win over James Martinez, stopping his opponent at 4:17 of Round 1.

Toronto Dragons and New Look Roster Meet the Wolfpack on February 23rd

The Toronto Dragons will have a new look roster when they take on the Portland Wolfpack at the upcoming International Fight League event in Atlanta, Georgia, on February 23rd. Perhaps most notably, the Dragon’s will be without world class middleweight Joe Doersken, who is expected to make his Pride debut sometime this spring. Former Canadian National Team wrestler Brent Beauparlant will drop down from his lightheavyweight position on the team to middleweight to face Matt Horwich. Wojtek Kaszowski, the team’s former heavyweight, will go down to 205 pounds to fight John Krohn. Brazilian Rafael Feijao has been brought into fill the team’s heavyweight slot and will take on Devin Cole.

With the news that Ivan Menjivar will be taking some time off from MMA competition, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor Wagnney Fabiano has been brought into the Dragon fold to fill the roster’s lightweight position. Fabiano has a record 4-1, and has defeated Tommy Lee, Matt Fiordirosa and Bao Quach. Fabiano’s IFL debut will be against Team Quest fighter Ian Loveland. Claude Patrick, who made his Dragon’s debut a successful one last September by submitting Ray Steinbess, remains as the team’s welterweight.

Upcoming Canadian MMA Events

• Extreme Cage Combat 5 – March 31, Halifax Forum, Halifax, Nova Scotia
• Ultimate Cage Wars – April 7th, Winnipeg Convention Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba
• Maximum Fighting Championship "Unplugged 3" – April 20th, Crowne Plaza, Edmonton, Alberta
• King of the Cage – April 28th, Vernon, British Columbia

Fedor Emelianenko

Just weeks ago, Olympic Silver Medalist Matt Lindland revealed he had inked a deal to fight at heavyweight the number one-ranked heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko for BodogFight’s April 9th pay-per-view in St. Petersburg, Russia. Lindland, a stalwart middleweight who has twice made the jump to the 205-pound class, will be expected to give up at least 20 pounds to the Russian champion.

Fresh off a win against Mark Hunt at Pride’s recent Shockwave card, Emelianenko spoke to FCF about the unusual fight, his thoughts on Lindland, and his current fighting life.

FCF: What are you doing in St. Petersburg now?
FE:   I am dealing with my teeth right now, some dental work. I’ve been delaying it for a long time so I have to take care of it right now.

FCF: Your team, the Red Devil Sport Club, was featured on Bodogfight. Can you describe how your relationship with them developed and how they asked you to fight?
FE:   I have the best relationship with Bodog fight right now. I don’t remember very well, but I think they first asked me to fight before the Costa Rica fight. (Note: Emelianenko is most likely referring to the first season of BodogFight, shot in Costa Rica)

FCF: What were your first thoughts when you learned you would be fighting Matt Lindland?
FE:   Unfortunately, I haven’t seen his fights, so I can’t say much about this right now. I’ve only heard a lot of good things about him. I know he’s a very good fighter. He has shown good results as a fighter.

FCF: Your previously scheduled opponent, Jeff Monson, also had a strong wrestling and submission background. Matt Lindland is an Olympic Silver Medalist in wrestling. Are you adjusting your training to fit his style? Will your preparation be similar to your fight with Mark Coleman, who was also a strong wrestler?
FE:   Of course my preparation changes depending on who I’m fighting with, and I’m trying to find out what kind of a fighter I have to fight with, what he’s strong in, if it’s more of the sparring I have to work on. But no matter who I’m going to fight, I’m trying to be prepared with everything.

FCF: Do you feel Lindland is a challenge for you? Are there any ways you think he is dangerous to you?
FE:   I know he is a silver medalist, and that he is a champion. I know it’s going to be a serious fight. I really don’t know what kind of threat he presents. But in all my fights I’m always ready for the worst, to deal with anything.

FCF: You’ve had a couple of injuries to your hand and your toe in the past year. Are you currently injury free? Have there been any complications in your hand since your surgery?
FE:   My foot is completely healed. But one of my fingers is not back to normal, it’s not 100-percent. Much better than before the surgery, but not 100-percent.

FCF: Did it get aggravated in your last fight with Mark Hunt?
FE:   No, it’s something I aggravated before. It’s unpleasant because I feel pain whenever I have to hit something with my hand.

FCF: Would you say these injuries were caused by your style of training? Have you adjusted your training since to be more careful of injuries?
FE:   I really don’t want to think about my injuries, especially when I’m fighting, I usually don’t think about it. I just want to do a 100-percent job.

FCF: What did you take away from fighting in the United States last October? How were the American fans compared to the Japanese fans?
FE:   It was really nice to see how the American public reacted. American fans are probably closer to [Russian] fans in general than the Japanese, or others, in the way they show emotions.

FCF: As the heavyweight champion, you live an extremely busy life. How do you balance your personal life and your fighting life?
FE:   I never thought about it. Of course it takes a lot of time, training and work, so sometimes there’s not enough time for [my] personal private life.

FCF: You’ve said in previous interviews that being able to outthink your opponent in the ring is one of the keys to victory. You’re an avid chess player. Do you see your fights as a chess match?
FE:   No, I don’t. Chess is more to pass the time, and it’s my hobby. I like it.

FCF: You’ve said that perfection in MMA is creating a fighting spirit. Who shaped your fighting spirit?
FE:   First of all I worked on it myself. And of course, my coaches. They teach me and direct me.

FCF: Yes, but what gives you your toughness and calmness inside the ring?
FE:   It’s my life. It’s my personality. I’m very calm and sure of myself by nature.

FCF: You’ve beaten most of the top fighters in the world. You’ve been the Pride Heavyweight Champion for over three years. Is it ever a challenge to keep yourself motivated when you’ve already faced the toughest opposition?
FE:   First of all, there are a lot of boys that are coming up behind me, so I’m an example to them. I know that as long as I’m at the top, I show them a way, I tell them what they need to be like. Also, it’s a good thing for me to know that when I win, it’s Russia that I represent. And people know about Russia through knowing me.

FCF: Would you like to see mixed martial arts become an Olympic sport in the future?
FE:   Of course I would. That would be great.

FCF: Do you see yourself transitioning to being a coach after your fighting career is over?
FE:   It’s possible, but I’m not through yet. I’m already teaching some boys a little bit, but not much.

FCF: Are you training with your brother at all?
FE:   No, not really.

FCF: Do you miss your brother’s presence in your training?
FE:   We had a kind of a misunderstanding and a quarrel, and I’m not missing him at the moment.

FCF: Any word from Pride on your next opponent?
FE:   No, not right now. I know nothing yet. Pride wants me to fight Josh Barnett or Rulon Gardner. [Gardner] is the Olympic champion.

FCF: If you have to fight Josh Barnett, will it be harder to fight him because you’re friends?
FE:   Of course I won’t like to fight against Josh because we’re friends. But I’m not thinking about this fight yet.

The first-ever, state sanctioned all female MMA (mixed martial arts) "caged fighting" card, featuring fighters from the U.S., Japan and Mexico, will take place Sat., Feb. 17, at the Japan Theater in downtown Los Angeles.

Titled "Fatal Femmes Fighting" and presented by J.I.M.M., LLC, the event features lightweight, flyweight and middleweight match ups for a total of eight fights.

Some of the sport’s hottest talents, including the USA’s Lisa Ward and Japan’s Masako Yoshida, will be on hand, doing battle in the night’s most anticipated bout.

A.J. Benza, current host of "High Stakes Poster," will help announce the event and provide color commentary.

Promoter Eddy Millis calls the Feb. 17 event "an historic moment for a sport that’s just begging its ascension."

"Unlike pro wrestling, these are real fighters going toe to toe for championship titles," he adds.

Sixteen of the sport’s best exponents will fill out the Saturday night card, including Latina Jessica Pené.

Featured on numerous national news shows, such as "60 Minutes," caged fighting draws more cable pay per views buys these days than conventional boxing and its individual live events have grossed as much as $5 million each.