Elite Xc Signs Shields And “ninja”
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Elite XC Signs Shields and "Ninja" By FCF Staff New promotion Elite XC officially announced yesterday that the organization has added Jake Shields and Murillo "Ninja" Rua to their growing roster of fighters. Elite XC is scheduled to have their premiere event this Saturday, February 10th in Southaven, Mississippi, a card that will also be televised on the Showtime Cable Network. With such notable MMA fighters like Renzo Gracie, Frank Shamrock, David Loiseau and Joey Villansenor set to compete for the new promotion, the addition of Shields and Rua only further bolsters Elite’s fighter stable. Shields of course is widely considered to be one of the world’s better welterweight fighters, carrying a record of 16-4-1, the Cesar Gracie fighter has defeated such notable competitors like Yushin Okami, Carlos Condit and Hayato Sakurai. The Pride veteran Ninja Rua rebounded recently from difficult times when he defeated British fighter Mark Weir last September at Cage Rage 18. Prior to that, Rua had lost 4 of his last 5 fights competing in Pride, albeit, against such world class fighters like Paulo Filho, Sergei Kharitonov and Denis Kang. The announcement from Elite XC stated that Rua, who currently has a record of 12-7-1, would be competing in the promotion’s middleweight division. Both fighters are slated to make their Elite XC debut on the promotion’s May 5th card. The new organization has already previously stated that fighters signed to Elite XC will be allowed to compete in other promotions, as long as there are no scheduling conflicts. |
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UFC 69 "Shootout" Card Beginning to Take Form By FCF Staff Ultimate Fighting Championship 69: "Shootout" will take place on April 7th, at the Toyota Centre in Houston, Texas, and the promotion has begun to announce some of the card’s bouts. According to the UFC website, Georges St-Pierre (12-1) will finally defend his world welterweight title against Matt Serra (13-4), after their original scheduled fight for this past weekend, was called off due to a St-Pierre knee injury. The fight will mark the first time St-Pierre will defend his UFC belt after the Quebec fighter defeated former Champion Matt Hughes at UFC 68 on November 18th last fall. For Serra of course the title shot is the chance of a lifetime, as the Long Island fighter earned the chance to fight for the welterweight belt after winning the 170 pound bracket during the last season of "The Ultimate Fighter." Serra defeated Chris Lytle at the TUF Season 4 finale on November 11th by split decision, to entrench his upcoming bout with St-Pierre.
In what will be yet another intriguing welterweight bout with plenty of future title shot implications, Diego Sanchez (18-0) will face off against another former TUF veteran in Josh Koscheck (9-1). Sanchez has been on a tear since winning his bracket in the first season of "The Ultimate Fighter", going 6-0 during his UFC tenure. Most recently the Team Jackson fighter tore through Joe Riggs at Ultimate Fight Night on December 13th, knocking out his highly regarded opponent in the first round. Perhaps even more impressively, Sanchez was also able to get by Karo Parisyan at UFN 6 last August, working his way to a unanimous decision victory over an opponent who is widely considered to be one of the top welterweights in the world. Koscheck has also impressed as of late, demonstrating a new set of stand-up skills that have been added to his arsenal via training with the American Kickboxing Academy. Since losing to Drew Fickett at UFN 2 on October 3rd, 2005, Koscheck has won 4 fights in a row, defeating Ansar Chalangov, Dave Menne, Jonathan Goulet and Jeff Joslin. Pete Sell (7-2) will look to get back on track against middleweight Thales Leites (9-1), after being knocked out in highlight reel fashion by Scott Smith at TUF 4 finale last November. Leites had been undefeated until his last recent fight against Martin Kampmann, where at TUF 4 finals event, the Danish fighter defeated Leites by unanimous decision. Although the UFC site has not listed the fight as of yet, the Houston Chronicle is reporting that the long rumored upcoming fight between Yushin Okami (19-3) and Mike Swick (9-1) will also be a go at UFC 69. Swick had said in an interview on FCF Radio on January 18th that this was the next fight he was hoping to sign, and that in all likelihood, it would materialize. Swick has been dominant in his UFC appearances thus far, winning 4 fights in the first round against such notable fighters as Joe Riggs and Gideon Ray. His only venture to go outside the first installment was his most recent fight against David Loiseau, where Swick, despite a late surge by the Canadian fighter, was clearly the winner in earning the unanimous decision victory at UFC 63 on September 23rd. Okami has impressed in all three of his UFC fights, since coming over from Japan to compete for the organization last summer. Okami has defeated Alan Belcher, Kalib Starnes and most recently Rory Singer to propel himself near the upper rankings of the UFC middleweight division. The winner of this fight could very well be in line for a title shot against Champion Anderson Silva, depending on what the promotion decides to do with the winner of the upcoming Jason Macdonald and Rich Franklin fight March 3rd. |
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Wesley "Cabbage" Correira: Veteran Fighter Ready for Silva at Elite XC By Chris Onzuka
Not many fighters are known by one name and even less fighters are known by the name of a vegetable (are there any?). Wesley "Cabbage" Correira has fought his way from the tough streets of Hilo, Hawaii, along with childhood friend BJ Penn, and rose to face two UFC Heavyweight champions. Since the height of his MMA career, Cabbage has had his share of victories and defeats. He is currently scheduled to fight the big Brazilian, Antonio Silva, who many are touting as the next big thing in the Superheavyweight division. This fight could mark be the turning point in Cabbage’s MMA career. A win would reintroduce the iron jawed fighter back to the upper tier of the heavyweight division. However, a loss may sentence him to the lower ranks where he will serve a tough test for up and coming fighters. FCF: It has been a long time, what have you been up to? FCF: Personal or business-wise? FCF: You were previously scheduled to fight in Cage Rage in England, but had to pull out. I read a post that you got mugged. Is that true? What exactly happened? FCF: You are scheduled to fight Antonio Silva in the inaugural Elite XC/Showtime event on February 10th. Silva is getting some buzz about him, stating that he may be the next great heavyweight. What do you think about him and the fight? FCF: A lot of people are saying this is a "make or break" fight for you. What do you think and does this add any more pressure? FCF: There is a ton of buzz about Elite XC/Showtime and they have a great card. How do you feel about being involved in this event? FCF: How is your training going? The last time I saw you, you lost a ton of weight and looked to be in good shape. FCF: What weight are you looking at for the fight? FCF: Formerly you were training with BJ’s [Penn] camp. Who are you training with now? FCF: So are you still fighting out of BJ’s camp? FCF: When we last spoke you mentioned that you are considering moving down to the Light-heavyweight division, which I thought for a guy with your build was insane. Are you still considering that? Why? FCF: Where does Cabbage go from here, win or lose? FCF: How active do you want to be? FCF: Any words you want to shout out to your fans? |
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From the event’s promoter: Bodog Entertainment, ION Media Networks Strike Alliance to Broadcast BodogTV Reality Programming Bodog Entertainment, the digital entertainment giant known for its cutting-edge programming, announced today that it has reached a multi-year agreement with ION Media Networks, which will make popular BodogTV-produced content available on ION Television, reaching more than 90 million U.S. homes, beginning February 13. BodogFight: St. Petersburg, a mixed martial arts reality show that promises to build on the success of its hit debut season, will be the first program to be broadcast under the agreement. Episode 1 of the weekly series is scheduled to air Tuesday, February 13 at 11 p.m. Eastern/10 p.m. Central. On Saturday, Feburary 17, ION Television will also air an encore presentation of the BodogFight: USA vs. Russia pay-per-view event, which drew raves from fight fans when it was first televised in December. Later in the year, Calvin Ayre Wild Card Poker II and other BodogFight seasons will be spotlighted on ION Television. "The agreement with ION Media Networks marks a significant step for our TV productions," says Calvin Ayre, the billionaire founder of Bodog Entertainment. "Now, the edgy world of Bodog will be available to the largest television audience we’ve ever had. That news is very exciting for us." Along with being broadcast on ION Television, BodogFight: St. Petersburg will be available to fight fans worldwide through video streaming on www.bodogfight.com. MMA followers will have access to previews, recaps, behind-the-scenes exclusives, fighter bios, a soundtrack featuring Bodog Music artists and much more footage only available on the award-winning web site. A PPV spectacular, headlined by Superfights that pit some of the world’s most prominent MMA competitors head-to-head, takes place in April following the eight-week BodogFight: St. Petersburg series. ION Media Networks recently announced that its flagship television network, reaching over 90 million U.S. homes, was re-branded to ION Television, consistent with the company’s corporate brand identity. This move reflects the energy and vision behind the network’s plan to expand its programming and viewership. The alliance with BodogTV is an exciting building block in ION Television’s expansion strategy. The new network brand was introduced to viewers on Monday, January 29, with the BodogFight: St. Petersburg season debuting Tuesday, February 13 at 11 p.m. Eastern/10 p.m. Central. |
