TUF 10 Finale Results

MAIN CARD:

MAIN EVENT: Roy Nelson def. Brendan Schaub via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 3:45.
Matt Hamill def. Jon Jones via disqualification (illegal strike – downward elbow) – Round 1, 4:14.
Kimbo Slice def. Houston Alexander via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).
Frank Edgar def. Matt Veach via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:22.
Matt Mitrione def. Marcus Jones via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 0:10

PRELIMS:

James McSweeney def. Darrill Schoonover via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 3:20.
Jon Madsen def. Justin Wren via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28).
Brian Stann def. Rodney Wallace via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).
John Howard def. Dennis Hallman via knockout (punches) – Round 3, 4:55.
Mark Bocek def. Joe Brammer via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:36.

Fighter Spotlight: Mark Matthews

A goal here at Sanchoplata.com is to cover the latest news in mixed martial arts, but also to highlight some of the most interesting and competitive fighters in the game. Mixed martial arts is continuously growing, and you will find men and women from all over the world testing their skills in a ring or cage. However, it would be hard to find a fighter who tests themselves as hard and as often as Mark Matthews.

Matthews is in his first year as a professional and after his fight on December 12^th at Gladiator Challenge: Chain Reaction, he will have already had six pro fights.

What makes this even more impressive is that Matthews has fought those six fights in three different weigh-classes.

“I've been fortunate to not take a whole lot of damage in that time,” Matthews said. “However, I have learned a lot about my body and what it takes for me to operate at an optimal level. I used to overtrain more than I wouldn't and that would be the area that would have me feeling a toll. I'd wake up some days completely physically and mentally drained because I was doing everything as fast and hard as I could, for hours at a time for consecutive weeks. There was a time that in a training month, I only took two days off.”

Staying healthy is very important to any fight, but even more so when you are competing at such a frequent level. The ability to push through those injuries is also key. “I haven't had an injury that forced me out of the gym.” Matthews added, “When something is hurt or injured, I just find a way to work around it or through it. I fought my last fight with an ankle injury that had me unable to even walk for a few days, as well as unable to grapple or spar at all for that fight.” Pushing through that injury and not letting up, Matthews ended up with a very welcomed result. “I found a way to still work, still fought, and came away with a very fortunate outcome. I KO'd an undefeated, game opponent with the first punch I landed of the fight. My training takes a greater toll than the actual fights themselves. “

Not many people can fathom waking up every day with the pain. The constant battle to push forward and always be willing to step up to a challenge. Fighting as much of a mental game as it is physical and Matthews has a great mindset and unbelievable heart. “I'm never one to quit. I'm always willing to test myself, no matter how much the odds are stacked against me… to me, that's all these fights are, personal tests. How much can I endure? How hard can I push? What have I learned that I can utilize? You can gain a victory for yourself no matter what the outcome of the fight may be just through what you discovered about yourself during that fight. So, my outlook is pretty simple. It's not about whether you win or lose, instead it's all about the fight.”

The three weight-classes Matthews has fought in have been light-heavyweight, middleweight, and now welterweight for his upcoming bout. “I knew that mentally I was tough enough to handle 205ers, but reality set in when Im giving up 20+ lbs to my opponents who train to do the same things I do.

“At 185, I felt stronger and faster than any of the 3 opponents I've faced. Even if they were more skilled than I in any particular area of the fight, my strength trumped it. This upcoming fight will be my first as a welterweight. So far, I feel good through the weight drop. I've lost a bit of strength, but gained speed and endurance. I am looking forward to gauging it during this fight.”

I asked Mark if he would be willing to fight in multiple weight classes after this fight or if he thinks he could possibly have a home in the welterweight division. “I have fought at 205 to guys weighing much more than I, and I won't be fighting at that weight ever again. Depending on the opponent and amount of notice I am given, I am not ruling out fighting at middleweight in the future. But, my body seems to be at its all around best right now.”

Matthews realizes that at 6’3 and walking around at 190 that fighting at welterweight gives him some advantages. “It makes the most sense to make 170 my home as it appears that would be the best chance I have to succeed. I feel that if I can do well against larger guys in the gym and in the cage, I'll do very well facing guys my weight that I have physical advantages over. Especially with the skill set that I am acquiring by training with the guys that I do.”

A huge part of motivation for Matthews is his family. He recalls the day of his daughters birth, “I'm in my front yard, punching on a heavy bag hanging from a tree in my front yard. I'm thinking to myself , ‘How can I bring my daughter into this world and have her grow and develop with a great sense of security and protect her from the world? Without sheltering her too much?’ I started to think that maybe if she were to grow up through a childhood that saw me fighting and winning, it would give her a great sense of confidence and allow her to feel as if her Daddy could protect her from anyone or anything in the world.

“ I made my decision right then and there to get my ass into a fitness gym and begin conditioning myself. I did exactly that, and about a year later, I found the MMA gym that was a perfect fit for me at the time, UnderGround MMA in Jackson, CA. I began training there as well as at Ultimate Fitness in Sacramento simultaneously.

“I fell in love with the physical and mental challenges presented to me during my training immediately. These challenges motivated me and I've been in the gym ever since. Eventually, I moved into training exclusively at Ultimate Fitness due to the skill level of the other fighters there, as well as the elevated level of instruction there.”

Matthews stays busy even when not training. Apart from being a father and a fighter, he is a tattoo artist. He is working on MMAInked.com which as he states, “It will serve as an internet portfolio for myself, and I am also looking to make it an internet magazine that brings the worlds of tattooing and MMA together in as far as educating MMA fans and tattoo enthusiasts can go. I will do features on MMA fighters who have exceptional tattoos and the tattooers who tattooed them as well. I will also be doing features on the rare breed of tattooers who are MMA fighters also. Anything that I can do to bring these two worlds together through the medium of media will be done, while also educating fight fans on tattoos and artists, as well as educating tattoo enthusiasts on the world of MMA.”

You can currently check out some of his artwork on http://www.myspace.com/mmainked.

Mark plans on being a tattoo artist for the rest of his life and if he applies the same attitude towards that art as he does to his fighting art it is within his grasp. He even shared some similarities between fighting and tattooing, “One would be attention to detail. In tattooing, paying attention to technical detail goes a long way when applying a solid tattoo. Same can be said for technique in fighting. If you're not paying attention to detail, you're going to get a result that is less than your best when it is time to apply what you've learned. Another similarity is self-discipline. You have to take it upon yourself to do the things that make you a better tattooer or fighter. No one else can do it for you… No matter how much you master in either area, there is ALWAYS more to learn. To me, that is the most beautiful aspect of it all.

“I will be tattooing for the rest of my life. Just as I will be doing various mediums of art. I know that my body will only allow me to fight for so long, and I have a whole lifetime to focus completely on art after that. It is my plan to eventually be the most recognized and marketed tattooer in MMA. But, I have to earn that hype first,” Matthews said. “ I want to be the guy that fighters as well as fight fans WANT to get tattooed by based on my talent level in the tattoo industry and involvement in the sport of MMA. I plan to do paintings, sell them as well as their prints, sell sketch books, and eventually launch a clothing line that appeals to both MMA and tattoo fans.”

Matthews is a great guy, a loving father, a determined athlete, and an exceptional artist. There isn’t much to not like about him. His story is unique and inspiring. The ability to constantly push ones self is not something that comes easy to everyone.

Matthews continues to show that he is a modern day warrior both in the cage and in life. He won’t ever stop trying and his love and passion drives him to success.

In closing, this is what Mark wanted to share:

“I would want everyone to know that I am just an average guy who isn't afraid to challenge myself on any level. That no matter what the result is, you can be assured I gave my best and my all in any fight. That I am appreciative of any support or encouragement that I have ever been given. I would want everyone to know that I do the things that I do so that I can help make my world a better place. That I am a continually growing work-in-progress and that you will always see a better me than the last "me" you saw. And last but not least, I would want everyone to know that I love my wife, Christina, and my beautiful children Sevena and Marcos.....

In closing I'd like to thank my sponsors; WAR (www.warwrap.com), OTM Sacramento (www.otmfightshops.com), West Coast Nutrition (www.exnutrition.com), New York Fitness (www.nyftyfitness.com), Gunz Up Urban Fight Wear, and Striker Battle Gear.

Be sure to follow Mark Matthews and check out his next fight on December 12^th at the Red Hawk Casino. The event is Gladiator Challenge: Chain Reaction and his opponent is Robert Ballard. The fights start at 6pm and it is a 24 fight card.

For more on Mark Matthews, follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/MMAInked

Nick Diaz to fight at January 30 Strikeforce event in Florida

MMAjunkie.com is reporting that Nick Diaz will return to the organization to fight at the January 30th event in Sunrise, Florida. It appears that the two possible opponents for Diaz are Jay Heiron and recent Strikeforce signing, KJ Noons:

Veteran Nick Diaz (20-7) has been added to the fight card for the Jan. 30 Strikeforce event at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla., the organization today announced.

No opponent was announced for Diaz, who could compete for the vacant Strikeforce welterweight title at the upcoming show.

Strikeforce also previously announced 145-pound women's champion Cris "Cyborg" Santos (8-1) and former NFL great Herschel Walker (0-0) for the Showtime-televised main card of "Strikeforce in Miami."

Opponents also were not revealed for those fighters.

Diaz, a former UFC and EliteXC fighter, makes his third appearance in Strikeforce, where he defeated Frank Shamrock (at a catch-weight of 179 pounds) via TKO and Scott Smith (at a catch-weight of 180 pounds) via submission. The lightweight/welterweight is now 9-1 since mid-2006, and the lone loss came to recent Strikeforce acquisition K.J. Noons.

Diaz was expected to fight Joe Riggs (and then replacement Jay Hieron) in August for the Strikeforce welterweight title. Diaz, though, wasn't licensed for the fight because he skipped a pre-bout drug test.

Hieron (18-4) is still a potential opponent. In fact, he recently told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) he was "about 90 percent" sure he'd fight on the Jan. 30 card, and he welcomes a bout with Diaz.

Rampage Jackson returning to the UFC to "shut Dana's mouth up"

A lot of the build up to season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter was promoted around the feud between coaches Rashad Evans and Rampage Jackson. The two were expected to fight at the conclusion of the season, but Rampage inexplicably decided to bolt the UFC and do the A-Team movie.

Rampage received a lot of criticism for his decision and he had announced on his blog that he was going to retire from the UFC.

Rampage has released another blog, and this time he has come around. He states that he is going to return to the UFC and shut the mouth's of Rashad and Dana White, who had some harsh criticism for Rampage.

Here is the blog:

I've noticed that the UFC & TUF have some fans brainwashed or something. They still haven't realized yet that the TV show is just a TV show. I did my job by entertaining people and if you ever paid any attention to me, that's what I'm known for doing.

Now, I wanted to let my fans know that I'm going to come back to the UFC & finish my contract. Not because the haters are talking (expletive) about me being scared of Rashad. I'm coming back for my fans & to shut Rashad's mouth up & shut Dana's mouth up. Then after that I'm going back to doing movies & I might do a boxing match once a year just to stay in shape. Hate on dis!

Gilbert Yvel vs. Junior dos Santos at UFC 108

Tatame.com is reporting:

Junior dos Santos, boxing coach, Luis Dorea said the Brazilian heavyweight faces former Pride fighter Gilbert Yvel, who comes from an devastating knockout victory over Pedro Rizzo.

"’Cigano’ is a young guy, a great talent", Dorea said. "We know Gilbert is a very strong guy, he like to fight standing, but ‘Cigano’ is better in striking now, we’re doing our job and I know we’re gonna get the victory".

Here is the updated UFC 108 fight card:

MAIN CARD

• Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva
• Gilbert Yvel vs. Junior dos Santos
  
• Carlos Condit vs. Paul Daley
• Tyson Griffin vs. Jim Miller

PRELIMINARY CARD

• Joe Lauzon vs. Sam Stout
• Dan Lauzon vs. Cole Miller
• Martin Kampmann vs. Rory Markham
• Rafaello Oliveira vs. Sean Sherk
• Jake Ellenberger vs. Mike Pyle
• Ryan Jensen vs. Mark Munoz

The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale fight card set

The fight card for the TUF 10 Finale has finally been announced. Nine fighters from the reality series will make their UFC debuts on the card. The event will take place this Saturday, December 5th, LIVE on Spike TV at the Palms Resort in Las Vegas.

Here is the full fight card:

Main Card
Roy Nelson vs. Brendan Schaub ("TUF 10" tournament final)
Matt Hamill vs. Jon Jones
Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson vs Houston Alexander
Frankie Edgar vs. Matt Veach
Marcus Jones vs. Matt Mitrione

Prelim Card, may not be broadcast
Darrill Schoonover vs. James McSweeney
Justin Wren vs. Jon Madsen
Brian Stann vs. Rodney Wallace
Dennis Hallman vs. John Howard
Mark Bocek vs. Joe Brammer

Renzo Gracie signs six-fight deal with UFC

Renzo Gracie recently had an interview in which he discussed his new contract with the UFC. The interview was not in English, but here are some key points from the video that were translated thanks to BloodyElbow.com.

-He says he signed for 6 fights

-When asked about his age, he said "age is in the eyes of the beholder, 42 is the new 30!"

-He insists that Matt Hughes will be his first opponent and the score will be 1-1 for Hughes vs Gracies

-He says this will be the first time he’ll fight at his true weight class.

-They said they aren’t supposed to say it but they say its gonna be Matt Hughes (its not 100% established at 1:53) because he wants to settle the score

-The rest are jokes about how this female reporter, who is the best one in Brazil for MMA, chased him down to get the info.

UFC show in Boston likely in July or August

The UFC has long been rumored to be heading to Boston, Massachusetts. Late last night it was reported by Sherdog.com that the even would likely take place in July or August at the TD Garden.

Here is the report:

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s maiden voyage to Boston is now more than just a hope, as the Massachusetts governor has signed legislation regulating the sport on Dana White’s former stomping rounds.

The UFC is planning to stage a pay-per-view card at the TD Garden -- formerly The Boston Garden -- in July or August, said Marc Ratner, the UFC’s vice president of regulatory affairs.

“We have a call already into the Garden and we’ve been looking at a couple of different dates,” Ratner said. “Now we’ll narrow it down and see what’s best for them and the company. (Massachusetts) was one of the premier destination states that we’ve been looking at for the last three years. It’s been a long pregnancy, is what I call it.”

Ratner said the UFC is looking at smaller venues like the DCU Center in Worcester for “Fight Night” or World Extreme Cagefighting events, as well as Fenway Park. White sparked a lot of buzz earlier this year when he suggested the venerable home of the Red Sox was a possibility for a UFC card.

Ratner said there have been conversations about holding a UFC event at Fenway, but no plans to do so in the next year.

“Fenway is certainly a possibility, but the first show will be in the Garden,” Ratner said.

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