This welterweight clash took place on November 10th, 2007 at EliteXC: Renegade, for the organizations vacant 170lb title.  Shields, who at the time was a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt, showcased why he’s one of the most lethal grapplers in the sport by manhandling the very crafty Mike Pyle after eating a couple of well-timed knees from the Xtreme Couture fighter.  EliteXC went bottoms up almost a year exactly from this event, and both fighter went their separate ways, but now, are both competing in the UFC.  Pyle’s set to face undefeated Brit John Hathaway at UFC 120 in what will be his fifth UFC appearance, while Shields will be making his UFC debut against top-ranked welterweight Martin Kampmann at UFC 121.

If Pyle wins his upcoming fight, and Shields loses his, what’s not to say that these two won’t meet again?  Would a rematch between the two go any different?

MMAbay is reporting that Telegraph.co.uk is reporting that Dong Yung Kim, aka “Stun Gun”, has pulled out of his welterweight clash at UFC 120 against rising Brit John Hathaway. Mike Pyle, the Team Quest submission fighter, has apparently stepped in to replace Kim, and in my opinion, makes for a better fight.  Pyle looked really good at UFC 115, where he won via third round submission over Jesse Lennox (awesome fight).  The win helped shake off the disappointing loss to welterweight brute Jake Ellenberger Pyle acquired at UFC 108, where he got TKO’d early into the 2nd round.

Hathaway, who will enter the UFC 120 fight with a perfect 14-0 record, most recently defeated Ultimate Fighter winner and former lightweight #1 contender Diego Sanchez at UFC 114.  Hathaway controlled Diego both on the feet and on the ground, which came as a big surprise to a lot of people considering Diego’s psychotic pace which usually gets the best of his opposition.  Hathaway showcased some really crisp striking, and reinforced to the doubters that he is the real deal.  Hathaway will probably come into the fight has the clear favorite, but Pyle’s slick, and has one of the best ground games in all of mixed martial arts.  Who you got?

 Loading ...

———-

Discuss this topic at the MMA Haven forums!

Nightmare of Battle has a three-part article on FEG’s plan to defeat the UFC and take over the combat sports world.  Above you can clearly see the plan of attack for Japan’s most powerful fight promotion with the end-result being a “World Cup” of mixed martial arts and kickboxing, something that should send warms waves of awesome through devoted fans of both sports.

Can FEG/Asia dominate this area of the sporting world, and more importantly, still bring us the best fighters on the planet together under one roof?  Let’s be real here, the UFC has the majority of the world’s best talent, and part of the reason so many people watch the UFC is because of the high-calibef fighters that fill their roster.

FEG is going to need a shit-load of cash to get this done, how much who knows, but it’s going to be their biggest endeavor to date that will either see them succeed and rise to the top of the sport dominated by the UFC, or get blown to pieces by the Americans after their initial assault merely adds fuel to the fire?  Or, will Dana White just sit back and smile, waiting for FEG to blow its wad and eventually give in like everyone else has?

 Loading ...

And feel free to stop by the forums, where you can discuss this topic, or not, and just hang out at Mirko’s Fishing Hole.

Former Strikeforce middleweight champion and recent UFC signee Jake Shields confirms via his Twitter account that he will be formally welcomed to the UFC by none other than top-ranked UFC welterweight Martin Kampmann at UFC 121 in October.  The event takes place in Shields home state of California, which should give him some extra motivation to come out and perform at his best in front of his family and friends in MMA’s biggest organization.  He’s got a very tough test in Kampmann, but considering his impressive victories over Dan Henderson and Robbie Lawler (which took place at a heavier weight), I expect Shields to actually win his UFC debut (Yeah Carlos Condit, I’m looking at you bro!).

So, who are you taking? The Gracie submission fighter with some of the best grappling in the sport, or the Danish striker who also possesses a sick ground arsenal?

 Loading ...

The rumored fight card for UFC 121, which features a main event heavyweight title fight between Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez, can be seen after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

Props: Gracie Fighter

“Jake Shields will be debuting at the 170lbs weight division in the UFC. After careful consideration and consulting with UFC representatives it was determined Jake would be finally going back to his original fighting weight. [His] opponent is one of the UFC’s top contenders and will be announced shortly.”

About fucking time this becomes official! A great addition to an already stacked weight class, I think most of us expect Shields to make some immediate waves at 170lbs, hopefully finding better success in his UFC debut than Carlos Condit did when he came over from the WEC.  Rumor floating around the forums is that Jake’s first opponent will be the same guy who welcomed Condit to the UFC, Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann.  No idea when he’s going to first step into the octagon, but I’m looking forward to seeing what he does when put up against the best welterweights in the sport.

There still hasn’t been an official confirmation from the UFC on this signing though, but considering that Strikeforce has already scheduled a vacant middleweight title fight between Tim Kennedy and Ronaldo Souza, we can only expect it’s a matter of time before the UFC brass makes an official statement.

———-

Discuss this post on our forums!

Randy Couture vs. James Toney

That gem came in at about the 6:40 mark of the video, and it’s just one of many other fucking hilarious quotes that recent UFC-signee/boxing legend James “Lights Out” Toney spits out during an interview with MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani.  The video is definitely worth the watch if you’re feeling the need to laugh, and can be found after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

UFC 116 Co-Main Event

Props: MMAJunkie

“I want to win this fight more than any fight I’ve ever had in my life,” Leben said. “I need to win this fight because this is going to put me to where I need to be. Just a few weeks ago, I was thinking that being among the top, elite guys in the 185-pound division was a long ways away. Now it’s just days away.

Chris “The Crippler” Leben speaks with MMAJunkie about this weekends UFC 116 fight against Korean megastar Yoshihiro Akiyama, and the “offer” that he couldn’t refuse (after some persuading by the UFC brass).  Leben’s looked awesome since Jake Rosholt put him to sleep at UFC 102 last August.  Since the disappointing defeat, he’s gone on to defeat Jay Silva, and most recently, scoring a second round TKO over previously undefeated contender Aaron Simpson at The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale a little more than a week ago.  He’s taking a big risk with this fight, but with big risks come big rewards, and Leben knows he’s in prime position to skyrocket himself to the top of the middleweight division.  The problem is, if he gets there, he’s bound to meet up with the same guy who brutally fucked his world up back in 2006, current division titleholder Anderson Silva.

Is Leben going to throw a wrench in Akiyama’s plan for US superstardom, or will the controversial grappler step up to the plate and prove to the world that he’s not going anywhere but up?

The complete UFC 116 fight card, which features a HUGE heavyweight title fight between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin, can be seen after the jump.  Oh, and don’t forget to stop by the MMA Haven forums during the event for the UFC 116 live discussion!

Read the rest of this entry »

Props: MMAJunkie

Korean Top Team middleweight Dong Yi Yang (9-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will soon make his debut for the UFC.

The world’s biggest mixed martial arts promotion today announced that Yang is the newest member of its roster, and an announcement regarding the 27-year-old’s debut first fight in the octagon will be announced at a later date.

Haven’t heard too much about Yang before, but as a huge fan of Asian fighters, I’m pumped to see another Korean under the Zuffa banner.  If he bring the same warrior mentality that the “Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung brings, fans are going to be in love!

After the jump you can see a highlight of Yang’s fight against PRIDE veteran Pawel Nastula, that took place at Sengoku 4 on August 28th, 2008.  The fights nothing pretty, but it will give first timers a brief insight into what’s coming to the UFC.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dana White living the dream, and ruining everyone else's

Props: Bloody Elbow

In case you didn’t see it, Yager lost to Rich Attonito, Bryant got TKO’d by Kyle Noke, James Hammortree lost a unanimous decision to Chris Camozzi, and Seth Baczynski lost a unanimous decision to Brad Tavares.  I would like to think that Yager, Bryant, and Baczynski would all be welcomed back if they can get on a solid win-streak in a smaller organization.  Hammortree just isn’t UFC caliber material.  Actually, I don’t think that he’s even Strikeforce or Bellator material, but I’m sure the Canadian based promotion MFC could use him for one of their upcoming cards to boost one of their local middleweights as a guy who beat a TUF contestant.