[Centraal] MMA topic #17 With a new lightweight champion?

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Op dinsdag 10 juni 2008 21:00 schreef n00cL30n het volgende:

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LoLz, dat moge duidelijk zijn... Maar Wanderlei of Andersen?

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Op woensdag 11 juni 2008 23:00 schreef Tazmaniac het volgende:
neeeh.. je kunt niet gaan zeggen na 2klappen op het achterhoofd je krijgt 1punt eraf.. of het moet al overduidelijk zijn.. maar het gebeurd zovaak dat een ref ff zegt van let wel op dat je niet op de achterkant slaat.. maar goed

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Overeem Says Stamina Not an Issue, Wants ‘Cro Cop'

Talent alone isn't enough to be successful in mixed martial arts.

While the pioneers of the sport were often able to get by on one outstanding quality, MMA, especially in the last five years, has been merciless on those fighters who have ignored the other aspects of the game.

One fighter who has had to learn the hard way is "Demolition Man" Alistair Overeem (Pictures).

The kickboxer from Amsterdam is a gifted athlete. At 6-foot-5, he has a frame that allows him to compete in various weight classes. He has incredibly long legs and a huge reach. And last but not least, he has an older brother in Valentijn Overeem (Pictures) who introduced him to Golden Glory, the premier fight team in Holland, when he was a teenager.

Overeem gained priceless experience early in his career by fighting in Japan for the Rings organization while also storming through domestic competition and amassing a perfect record of 9-0 in bouts at home in the Netherlands. That was when Pride came ringing and invited him to be a part of the 205-pound grand prix in 2003.

In the opening round he fought Chuck Liddell (Pictures), who had just come off a surprise defeat at the hands of Randy Couture (Pictures) in a bout for the UFC interim light heavyweight title. Overeem held his own against a motivated "Iceman" for a couple of minutes before eventually succumbing to a series of punches and knee strikes.

It was this bout and the ones that followed against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (Pictures) and Maurcio Rua that gained Overeem a reputation as a very inconsistent fighter. One critic at the time hit the nail on the head by comparing him to a Ferrari -- fantastic appearance, excellent technique and capable of a fast pace but also equipped with a small gas tank.

"They were probably right," the 28-year-old told Sherdog.com when reflecting on his early Pride fights. "I am working hard on my stamina, though. I have changed parts of my training, and right now I'm feeling stronger than ever."

Dutch fight fans recently got a glimpse of the incredible shape Overeem is in. They saw him at the weigh-ins for the April K-1 World Grand Prix in Amsterdam, where he was scheduled to square off against countryman Gilbert Yvel (Pictures) in the lone MMA bout on the card. The all-Dutch superfight had to be cancelled, however, after Yvel suffered a torn muscle fiber in his left calf in training.

"I was very disappointed when the fight was cancelled," Overeem said. "I had been in preparation for four months and I deliberately canceled other fights to be 100-percent sure to be fit for the K-1 show in Amsterdam. Alas, I have to say that injuries do happen, but the fact that the organization wasn't able to arrange another opponent for me was a disappointment for me and for all the fans who bought a ticket to see me in action."

Getting his share of Overeem's surplus energy Sunday at Dream 4 will be the 6-foot-6, 295-pound giant Tae Hyun Lee (Pictures).

The 33-year-old Ssireum star was originally brought into the MMA game by former Pride promoter Dream Stage Entertainment, which was looking for a counterpart to rival FEG's Korean ace Hong Man Choi (Pictures). His debut fight was a failure, though, as he lost to Brazilian Ricardo Morais (Pictures) via TKO late in the first round. Because of a change of promotions and trouble with the Ssireum governing body, he has only fought once more -- a quick knockout over Yoshihisa Yamamoto (Pictures) last October.

"I'm looking forward to fighting against anybody," Overeem said. "Lee is a big dude; he's 6-foot-6 and outweighs me by 60 pounds. But after having trained for six straight months now, I'm ready for everybody. It doesn't matter even if they match me up with a guy who is a hundred pounds heavier. I'm ready to kill everybody."

A fighter who has very high hopes in Alistair is his Golden Glory teammate and reigning Shooto light heavyweight champion Siyar Bahadurzada (Pictures).

"Alistair is going strong," the "Afghan Killa" told Sherdog.com about Overeem's preparation. "He has better cardio and has been doing his homework really well. He is much bigger and stronger and has become an all-round fighter. The way he trains now, I see him as a big threat in the heavyweight division. Going heavyweight was a good decision for him. He will be busy kicking ass there for a while. Within the next 18 months, he is going to be a top-five heavyweight in the world."

Overeem fought twice for the Strikeforce promotion in California, defeating Vitor Belfort (Pictures) and Paul Buentello (Pictures) to become the event's heavyweight champion, but he sees his fighting future in Japan.

"I love Japan," he said. "The fans are very enthusiastic, and just walking the streets of Tokyo is a great experience."

An opponent he is gunning for in the future is none other than his longtime Pride companion Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic.

"Mirko has been offered to fight me twice, and he has dodged me both times," Overeem said. "That's why I will get on the house microphone and issue him a challenge in the middle of the ring after I have finished the big Korean."

Despite being in the best form of his life, Alistair has set modest goals for the remainder of the year. The "Demolition Man" wants to improve his technique, gain strength and weight and also win all of his fights, beginning with Tae Hyun Lee.

"After having not used it for the last couple of fights," he said, "I think I'll bring my hammer again this Sunday."

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Op donderdag 12 juni 2008 13:14 schreef motorbloempje het volgende:
ik moet nog steeds bellen heb écht geen tijd gehad deze week. Dus ga denk ik morgen even afspraak maken voor volgende week.

'Probleem' is een beetje dat we nog niet in Nijmegen wonen (binnenkort hopelijk wel) en dat ik niet voor die korte tijd een school in Arnhem ga zoeken. Maar dan moet ik dus wel een uur reistijd in mn al zo drukke schema incalculeren. + het aan en uitpellen van mn motorkleren

Dus ik ga volgende week in ieder geval kijken of 't wat is. En als 't heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeel tof is dan begin ik wel met heen en weer rijden, en valt het alleen maar mee als ik straks in Nijmegen woon, en als ik denk: leuk, maar kan wachten dan begin ik als ik in Nijmegen woon... maar éigenlijk denk ik dat ik 't wel heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeel tof ga vinden

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Op donderdag 12 juni 2008 13:11 schreef Unstoppable het volgende:

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Hi everyone, I've just stopped by to comment some statements made by Alistar Overem and his team.

It seems to me that some people should mind their own business. I've never been offered to fight Alistair Overeem. Why would I decline this offer? I came to DREAM to fight the best and I'm looking forward to see DREAM signing more top level heavyweights. Now when Alistair is officially in DREAM, I'll be expecting an official offer from DREAM to fight him and I'm going to accept it with pleasure.

I'm not on vacation here, I train hard and I've never picked my opponents. I fought the best fighters in the world already, I don't see why I should have seconds thoughts about fighting Alistair Overeem? On my way back up I need to fight top level competition and I believe that DREAM is perfectly able to put up a strong heavyweight match-up soon. So it's up to DREAM, let's bring it up.

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Op donderdag 12 juni 2008 15:53 schreef Paxlie het volgende:

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Reply CroCop
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Op donderdag 12 juni 2008 16:29 schreef Breach het volgende:

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Ik vond het ook al een raar verhaal hoor, kon me niet voorstellen dat Cro Cop dat zou weigeren. Als het er van komt dan zie ik er iig erg naar uit

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Op donderdag 12 juni 2008 17:07 schreef Dacide het volgende:

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Kreeg net te horen dat men CC wel degelijk een offer gedaan hebben voor een gevecht tegen Ali O.
Dit was voor het evenement van it's showtime.

CC zit potje te liegen dus.. blijkbaar.

Wel is het zo dat CC en zijn manager niks te zeggen hebben over zo'n aanbod. Als DREAM niet wilt dat CC voor een andere organisatie vecht, dan is het zo.

achja... lets bring it on...

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Op donderdag 12 juni 2008 17:38 schreef Dacide het volgende:
Nopes... er stonden ook mma partijen op het programma. Volgens mij moest alistair overeem tegen Gilbert Yvel (wat niet is doorgegaan)

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Op donderdag 12 juni 2008 17:39 schreef Breach het volgende:

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Hmm, in dat geval zou het matig zijn als ie niet de waarheid spreekt. Maar, het is een van mn favoriete vechters dus dat zie ik maar even door de vingers

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Op donderdag 12 juni 2008 17:39 schreef Breach het volgende:

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Hmm, in dat geval zou het matig zijn als ie niet de waarheid spreekt. Maar, het is een van mn favoriete vechters dus dat zie ik maar even door de vingers

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Op vrijdag 13 juni 2008 02:31 schreef roepdeman het volgende:
Ik hoop met je mee dat er een iets ander format komt. Denk alleen niet dat dat gaat gebeuren, TUF schijnt veel geld op te leveren. Sneaky reclames en ook gewone reclames vinden hun weg erg makkelijk naar TUF.

Ik denk trouwens dat Credeur in de finale komt... Meest hilarische quote dit keer: "I wanna put the icing on the ice I don't know if I said that right"

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Thompson talks Kimbo-referee controversy

Like many mixed martial artists James Thompson is open and honest when discussing his career. The unassuming nature of fighters is one of MMA’s greatest qualities, and is a refreshing change from the clichés and platitudes churned out by an infinite number of pretentious athletes participating in more established sports.

In the wake of several dubious refereeing decisions over the past few weeks, ‘The Colossus’ was as candid as ever as he highlighted what he believes is a lack of consistency with officiating of the sport.

The British heavyweight was defeated by Kevin ‘Kimbo Slice’ Ferguson at last month’s EliteXC show amid all manner of controversy, and is still bitterly disappointed with the outcome.

“A win would have been a big boost,” says the 29-year-old. “It would have put my career back on track and given me the ‘W’ – I really want to get back in the win column. All the hard work I put into the fight would have paid off. I feel gutted that I lost the fight in the manner I did, but it’s nice that 99 per cent of people are on the same page as me with how they feel about it. I’m gutted but it’s bitter sweet because it was a good all-round performance by myself, and I haven’t come out of it too bad.”

Having taken the fight to the ground in round two, Thompson moved to a dominant side-control position where he was promptly stood up by referee Dan Miragliotta to the bewilderment of many. Taking Kimbo down again later in the round, Thompson pinned the former street-fighter against the cage and began delivering strikes to his head. This time Miragliotta warned ‘The Colossus’ that he had to keep working or the fight would again be stood up, apparently neglecting the precarious position Kimbo found himself in.

Then there was, of course, the now infamous conclusion to the contest that left Thompson believing he had been robbed and many viewers querying not only the timing of the stoppage, but the legitimacy of the fight.

“I think Kimbo was given every chance to survive and carry on the fight, but I wasn’t given that chance,” he explains. “As soon as he landed a couple of shots – and even though the referee said my ear popping had nothing to do with the stoppage – I think he saw the blood and thought ‘that will do’.

While the fallout from the fight has generally focused on Miragliotta’s decision-making and EliteXC’s handling of the situation, the effect a win would have had on Thompson’s career has been largely overlooked.

The PRIDE veteran has had his fair share of ups and downs, and he concedes that he was essentially hand-picked by EliteXC promoter Gary Shaw to act as a sacrificial lamb for the ultra-popular Kimbo. Desperate to kick-start his career, Thompson refused to read the script, however, and used the underdog tag as a motivational tool, producing a strategic performance that surprised and impressed those who had become familiar with his habitually reckless style.

“I think they (EliteXC) thought my biggest weakness would play into Kimbo’s biggest strength, and they thought it would be a pretty easy victory for him,” says Thompson. “I’ve watched the fight on tape and there are some things I’m pleased with and some I’m not, but on the whole it wasn’t too much of a bad performance under very pressurized circumstances.”

On a night that was clearly designed to supply new fans with exciting stand-up fights and knock-out finishes, Thompson declined playing into Kimbo’s strengths and repeatedly put the brawler on his back. Although this proved a successful approach, it evidently did not endear the Brit to EliteXC vice president Jared Shaw, who was said to have been screaming at Miragliotta to stand the fight up during the second round. Thompson – who has two fights remaining on his EliteXC contract – believes such behavior is a ‘conflict of interests’, but says he is unconcerned by Shaw’s apparent displeasure.

“I’m not bothered what they (EliteXC) think – it’s MMA not a boxing match. If I choose to go for a flying armbar or whatever, it’s up to me. If it works I get the credit, if it doesn’t I look like an arse. So whether they’re happy or not because I decided to take it down doesn’t bother me really,” Thompson says.

Defeat is always a bitter pill to swallow, especially for a fighter who has suffered his disappointments, yet continues to work hard in the gym. With a record 6.51 million viewers watching on CBS, Thompson could have been just minutes away from recording arguably the most important victory of his career when it was cruelly snatched away from his grasp by a referee’s call.

‘The Colossus’ appreciates that officiating is a thankless task. It is no exaggeration to say that when the cage door closes a referee has the fighters’ lives in his hands. Stopping a fight is a subjective decision and no referee wants to see a fighter injured because they allowed the action to go too long.

While choosing to err on the side of caution when stopping fights is entirely understandable, it is in the best interests of the sport, the fighters and indeed the officials to allow a fight to come to a definitive conclusion, with the fighters themselves determining the outcome rather than the referee. Of course, this is not always possible as referees are often required to use their judgment to stop fights and sometimes they get it wrong. Thompson believes the problem lies with the consistency – or should that be the inconsistency – of stoppages.

“If referees are making consistently bad decisions they shouldn’t be doing their job,” he says. “Stopping a fight is always a judgment call, that’s why being a referee is hard – you’ve always got to make these judgments. I just thought I wasn’t given the chance really. The fight followed a certain pattern. I took some shots from Kimbo in the first and second rounds, but eventually I reversed things and took the fight to the ground, winning both rounds. I believe round three would have gone the same way; eventually I would have taken him down, but we’ll never know.”

Adding to the heavyweight’s frustrations was Miragliotta’s decision to halt the Brandon Vera vs. Fabricio Werdum fight just a week later at UFC 85.

“Whether a referee makes a bad decision or not is not really the point,” Thompson reasons. “The point is he stopped a fight where the guy (Vera) took a few shots from mount but with my fight he didn’t stop it when I had side control and was dropping elbows. There’s no consistency there and that’s what I’ve got a real problem with.”

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Op vrijdag 13 juni 2008 08:04 schreef n00cL30n het volgende:
Ja, ik moest ff wennen aan Jesse, maar hij is zeker wel okee!

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Jason Guida vs. Mike Russow
Terry Martin vs. Daiju Takase
Clay French vs. Jameel Massouh
Forrest Petz vs. Brian Gassaway
David Kleczkowski vs. Hector Urbina
Jeff Cox vs. Bart Palaszewski
Herc Hayes vs. Kerry Schall
Ron Fields vs. Aaron Rosa
Dom O'Grady vs. Mike Stumpf
Joe Jordan vs. Ryan Williams
Jay Ellis vs. Rory Markham
Joe Pearson vs. John Hosman
Marcus Levesseur vs. Mark Miller
Louis Taylor vs. Adam Maciejewski

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Nick Diaz vs. Muhsin Corbbrey
K.J. Noons vs. Yves Edwards
Murilo Rua vs. Tony Bonello
Wayne Cole vs. Rafael Feijao
Dave Herman vs. Ron Waterman
Mark Oshiro vs. Chris Willems
Kaleo Kwan vs. Mike Aina
Kala "Kolohe" Hose vs. Bubba McDaniel
Chris Bernard vs. Lolohea Mahe
PJ Dean vs. Dean Lista

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Hideo Tokoro vs. Darren Uyenoyama
Katsuhiko Nagata vs. Shinya Aoki
Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Melvin Manhoef
Jason Miller vs. Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza
Dong Sik Yoon vs. Gegard Mousasi
Zelg Galesic vs. Taiei Kin
Tae Hyun Lee vs. Alistair Overeem
Alavutdin Gadzhiyev vs. Ralek Gracie

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Op zaterdag 14 juni 2008 14:22 schreef Fyodor het volgende:
Na het succes van Oranje hebben wij MMA fans een mooi weekend (althans, zondag) voor de boeg met:

Adrenaline MMA
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EliteXC
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Dream.4
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Ik hoop natuurlijk dat Manhoefen Mousasi winnen, maar ik durf er geen geld op in te zetten

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Op zaterdag 14 juni 2008 14:37 schreef Tazmaniac het volgende:


dus mocht iemand het gezien hebben post ff een cijfer van waardering buiten de spoilertag

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Op zaterdag 14 juni 2008 14:57 schreef Fyodor het volgende:

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Dat vind ik nou een goed idee, kan je teleurstellingen zoals dat Yamma pit gebeuren voorkomen. Even een algemene beoordeling zonder spoilers.

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Correspondent: Right after your fight on New Year's, you went to France. You met Jean-Claude Van Damme?

Fedor: The basic purpose of the trip was a seminar with French fans. Van Damme entered into negotiations with my manager.

Correspondent: They offered you a movie role? Will you agree to it? Is it already known what movie, and who you will play?

Fedor: Jean Claude has suggested that I be in "Bloodsport 2" and that I play myself; the world champion fighter, I guess. I don't know the s cript yet, it was a preliminary meeting. In April, Jean Claude is going to come to Russia- to Moscow and St. Petersburg. Press conferences are planned, also he wants to train with me. As for my agreement to participate in the project, I'd like to do it and it would be interesting too.

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Op zaterdag 14 juni 2008 14:57 schreef Fyodor het volgende:

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Dat vind ik nou een goed idee, kan je teleurstellingen zoals dat Yamma pit gebeuren voorkomen. Even een algemene beoordeling zonder spoilers.

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Op zaterdag 14 juni 2008 16:09 schreef roepdeman het volgende:
Is YAMMA Cult?

Ik zal Adrenaline trouwens wel bekijken, maar pas laat op zondag of maandagmorgen.

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Op zondag 15 juni 2008 01:22 schreef BB_Koning het volgende:
EliteXc is deze nacht, maar wanneer is Dream?

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Op zondag 15 juni 2008 03:41 schreef Unstoppable het volgende:
Hoe kijken jullie die streams eigenlijk (sopcast, tv-ants etc)?